In the hallway outside of the academy ballroom, Sana, Rey, Krystal, Prince, Neil, and Heer were all following Aiden as quickly as possible. Down the hall, Aiden stopped, opening the door of an old storage room.
“Quick! In here!” Aiden ordered the gang. The others rushed inside the storage room and Aiden shut the door, locking it.
“Why are we hiding?” Sana asked. “We have to go after those two.”
“I know,” Aiden replied. “But I think that those two aren’t the only ones we have to worry about.”
“What do you mean?” Heer asked.
“Let me show you,” Aiden said.
Aiden drew out his wand and waved it around, forming what appeared to be an image of the outside of the school. The image showed Madame Naga, Droh, and Runa entering inside the academy.
“Wow. Neat trick,” Prince said.
“Seriously, this guy keeps drawing out special effects like they’re nothing,” Rey said.
“It’s Droh! And that girl!” Krystal exclaimed. “But who’s that snake lady with them?!”
“That is Madame Naga,” Aiden answered. “She herself is a dark beast. One of the most dangerous ones as well.”
“I’m assuming by her name that she can take on the form of a dark snake,” said Sana.
“Correct. But she’s far more dangerous than Droh and Run,” Aiden replied.
“So, all five of those poorly dressed creeps are working together!” Krystal exclaimed.
“I’m guessing they have more in mind than just ruining Devil’s birthday,” said Prince.
“The key that they got from Headmaster Devil opens the forbidden chamber in the basement of the academy,” Aiden explained. “In that chamber lies a powerful artifact known as the Shakti Orb.”
“What’s the Shakti Orb?” Heer asked.
“I know what it is. I remember Professor Luna briefly mentioned about it in class once,” Sana said. “If I’m correct, the Shakti Orb has the power to increase a ringmaster or human-beast’s power beyond maximum potential.”
“Man. You pay too much attention in that class,” Rey said.
“Sana is correct. For every ringmaster and human-beast, power enhancement should only occur when energy levels are at equilibrium for both partners,” Aiden explained. “But the Shakti Orb’s power exceeds one’s power beyond their limits. This not only gives ultimate power, but can also be destructive if in the wrong hands.”
“So, what do we do now?” Prince asked.
“From what it looks like, Stallion and Angel are going to head to the chamber to retrieve the orb. Droh, Runa, and Madame Naga are probably going to station themselves in parts of the academy to prevent anyone from getting in their way. And that’s where we come in,” Aiden continued. “Listen to me carefully. Whatever I tell you to do, just do it to the best of your ability. Neil and Heer, you two will go after Runa. Krystal and Prince, you both will go after Droh. And Sana and Rey, you two will handle Madame Naga. As for me, I will make sure Stallion and Angel don’t get to the chamber. Are we all clear?”
“Do we actually have to listen to him?” Neil asked Heer.
“We have to, Neil,” Heer said. “If we’re going to stop them, it’s our best chance.”
“Agreed. We’re ready,” Sana said.
“I’m not! No way am I ruining this dress!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Krystal, we don’t have the time to wait for you to change your wardrobe!” Sana exclaimed.
“We have to get going,” Heer added.
“No way! I’m not getting this dress ruined!” Krystal protested.
Sana sighed as she shook her head. She turned to the mop that was sitting in a bucket of water near the door of the storage room. She grabbed the bucket of water and splashed it all over Krystal, drenching her entire dress.
“Sana!” Krystal shrieked. “How dare you soil this dress?! Do you even know how much its worth?! And you just had to soak it in filthy mop water!”
“You said you didn’t want to fight because your dress would get ruined,” Sana said. “I just did that. So, now you have no reason to not go and fight.”
“Are we ready to go then?” Prince asked impatiently.
“Hold up! We don’t even know where we’re supposed to be going!” Rey exclaimed.
“According to the image from my wand, Madame Naga is in the west wing, Droh is in the east wing, and Runa is in the center hallway,” Aiden told the others. “Stallion and Angel are heading towards the basement stairwell. I’ll be heading there.”
“Sounds good to me,” Sana said.
“Good luck to all of you,” Aiden said.
With that, the gang split up, taking off to their respective locations while Aiden headed off towards the basement of the academy.
***
Inside the ballroom, the other students and faculty remained inside, unsure of what was going on. Professor Luna guarded the door along with Professor D’Sena.
“This doesn’t look good,” Professor D’Sena said.
“I know. I feel helpless in this situation. And I’m sure our students feel the same,” Professor Luna agreed.
“Professor Luna…I request me and Tina go after those two,” Aster told Professor Luna as he came up to her with Tina.
“Aster, I’m afraid I can’t allow you to go,” Professor Luna said.
“Why not?” Tina asked. “We can’t just stand here and do nothing.”
“It was Aiden’s order to seal everyone in the ballroom. Something truly dangerous is happening,” Professor Luna explained. “Stallion and Angel are going after-“
“The Shakti Orb,” Headmaster Devil replied as he came towards the four.
“Headmaster Devil!” Professor D’Sena exclaimed. “How did you manage to break free?!”
“Energy straps wear off after some time. Besides, I can’t just stay here and do nothing,” Headmaster Devil said. “I’m going out.”
“You can’t, sir!” Professor Luna exclaimed. “Aiden said-“
“Aiden is still a young boy, about the same age as the students here. He may be intelligent. He may be a highly trained human-beast, who also happened to have trained himself as a ringmaster. But he isn’t aware of one thing,” Headmaster Devil continued. “His ringmaster abilities are still mediocre. He may have been able to use them swiftly against my students in detention. But against these enemies, he won’t stand a chance. As the headmaster of this school and a ringmaster myself, I’ll have to go and help him out.”
“But what about the rest of us?!” Tina asked.
“I know all of you want to help. And you can. This barrier only lasts for a limited amount of time. Hence, you all have to be ready in case anyone comes in,” Headmaster Devil said. “Understood?”
“Yes, Headmaster Devil,” Professor Luna said.
“Good,” Headmaster Devil said. “I’ll be on my way then.”
***
In the hallway leading to the basement of the academy, Stallion and Angel were quickly making their way towards the basement. “That’s it. Soon we’ll open the doors to the chamber,” Stallion said.
But then, they stopped as they saw Aiden jump right before them. “What do you think you’re doing?!” Stallion questioned Aiden. “Get out of our way!”
“You really think I’ll let you get to the chamber? You’re going to have to get through me first,” Aiden stated. Stallion got off of Angel’s back and she transformed back into her human form.
“Look at this one. He seems to be asking for his death,” Angel told Stallion.
“No matter,” Stallion said. “We can finish him quickly.”
“Don’t be so sure about me dying,” Aiden said.
“Oh please! I’ll rip you in two!” Angel cackled as she transformed back into her dark horse form.
Aiden transformed into his beast form, getting ready for battle. Stallion drew out his pistol and fired energy bullets at Aiden. Aiden dodged each one as Stallion continued firing. Angel launched a dark energy beam from her mouth, which hit Aiden directly as he was still dodging the energy bullets. He transformed back into human form and drew out his wand, tapping it to transform it into his sword and plunging it to the ground, which sent a gust of wind at both Angel and Stallion. He transformed back into beast form and attacked Angel directly. While he had pounced on her, Angel kicked him off and then pinned him down with her hoof. This allowed Stallion to go ahead and fire an energy bullet. Instead, Aiden transformed back into human form and kicked off Angel, drawing out his sword again. But before he could attack, Stallion fired an energy bullet at his sword, making it fall onto the ground. He fired an energy bullet at Aiden, injuring him as he slammed into the wall.
They’re too quick. I can’t keep up with them, Aiden thought. And if this goes on, I’ll be a dead man. I need a new strategy.
As Aiden tried to get up, he was startled, hearing footsteps coming towards him. He turned to the side to see Headmaster Devil walking right towards him.
“Devil?” Aiden mumbled as Headmaster Devil finally stopped before him.
“How did he get out?!” Stallion asked. Headmaster Devil looked down upon Aiden, while Aiden didn’t know what to say. He said, “You fool. You really thought you could handle these two on your own?” Aiden didn’t say a word.
“Let’s face it. Trying to be a human-beast and a ringmaster at the same time does nothing but wear you out. You’re wasting your time if you think you could do things all at once and manage on your own against enemies like these buffoons,” Headmaster Devil continued. “Why do you think the jobs are separate? It requires two bonds of energy to get the job done. Now…you can either sit here with no dignity left in you…or you can get up, partner with me, and get this done the right way.”
Aiden was left speechless. But after a moment of processing Headmaster Devil’s words, he himself said, “Wow, old man. You waste your breath to tell me that. I’m not here to waste time. You still think you got it in you?”
“Of course. Why else do you think I’m the headmaster of this academy?”
“Very well. I’m all up for this. After all, it looks like the devil needs revenge against the angel.”
Headmaster Devil turned to both Stallion and Angel. He pointed at Angel and said, “Now I know that’s not your real name! So, quit fighting like a coward and fight like who you really are!”
Angel transformed back into her human form. She said, “Very well. You’re smarter than I thought. Let me introduce myself as Fida then.”
“Fida! Ha! Even that name doesn’t suit you!”
“Aww…is someone still sore from his aching, broken heart?”
“No. But I will say that you’re the first ex that I’ve ever wanted to throw down with.”
“Gee, that makes me feel special. Too bad you’ll be a dead man before you can even lay a hand on me.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Headmaster Devil grabbed hold of the sword, while Aiden transformed into his beast form. Fida transformed back into her dark beast form, while Stallion got his pistol ready. Stallion fired energy bullets from his pistol directly at Headmaster Devil. He countered each one swiftly with his sword. At that same time, Fida launched another dark energy beam attack towards Aiden, which transformed into a series of dark energy shards. Aiden blew a gust of wind that fired the dark shards back at Fida.
Once she was down, Aiden jumped at her directly, biting at her mane, while Fida tried to shake him off. “Aiden! Use the Wind Claw attack!” Headmaster Devil ordered.
Aiden nodded as he lifted his paw and plunged his claws right at Fida’s neck. Fida shook Aiden off of her, but she felt sudden pain in her neck.
“Good. You got her,” Headmaster Devil said.
“What was that?!” Stallion asked, infuriated.
“Wind Claw, one of Aiden’s special attacks,” Headmaster Devil said. “It not only leaves a mark, but it also sends strong wind forces into the central nervous system. Not only does she have trouble getting up, but her brain waves are affected as well.”
“You sneaky bastard!” Stallion shouted as he fired another energy bullet at Headmaster Devil. “
Headmaster Devil knocked the bullet off with his sword. He said, “Is that really all you can do?!”
Stallion lowered his pistol down for a moment, confused, while Fida tried to get up. Aiden turned to Headmaster Devil.
Headmaster Devil looked at Aiden and the two of them nodded at each other. Headmaster Devil spun his sword around while Aiden stood before him.
Headmaster Devil plunged his sword into the ground. Suddenly, the sword emitted a spiraling wind that unraveled as it went upward and then finally tangled together. The force of the winds was so great that even Stallion and Fida were left in a daze, unable to handle the winds’ power. The winds spun around, forming a funnel. The funnel grew bigger and Aiden jumped into the funnel as the winds consumed him while he absorbed the power.
“Tornado Twister!” Headmaster Devil called out his attack. The winds formed a tornado which spun Aiden around inside. As he spun, he finally emerged from the tornado and attacked both Stallion and Fida along with the tornado attack.
Once the winds had died down, Aiden and Headmaster Devil remained standing while Stallion and Fida were completely down as the attack had pounded them with great force. Fida transformed back into human form, seemingly giving up.
“You imbecile,” Fida mumbled. “How dare you attack us with such power?!”
“Consider us even now. And for the record, I’ll make it clear that I dumped you,” Headmaster Devil said. “Aiden, send out the guards immediately to have these two locked up.”
“Will do,” Aiden replied. “What do we do about the others?”
“Well, there’s no harm now. All we have to do is take the key back,” Headmaster Devil stated.
“Go ahead. Take the key back,” Stallion mumbled. “Don’t think we’re stupid. We were able to make replicas, which Madame Naga, Droh, and Runa currently have.”
“What?!” Aiden exclaimed.
“No problem. My students can handle this,” Headmaster Devil assured. “I know they will.
***
On the other hand, Droh was in the east wing of the academy. He held a mirror, which had shown him an image of Stallion and Fida, lying on the floor, defeated. “Those fools. The headmaster and that boy defeated them,” Droh said in frustration. “Looks like I’ll have to go get to the chamber myself.”
Droh made his way down the hall. But he stopped in surprise. Krystal and Prince were standing before him. The two of them looked up, turning towards him.
“If you really think we’d let you get away, you’re more stupid than we thought,” Prince said.
Droh smirked as he looked at both Krystal and Prince. “Well then…I didn’t think I’d have to kill anyone just yet. But since you’re asking for it, why not?!” Droh cackled.
It was a beautiful evening in Daredevil City. And right on this evening, many guests had gathered for the latest circus show at the arena of the Ringmasters Training Academy. And in the tent backstage, where all the performers were getting ready, Sana, Rey, Krystal, Prince, Neil, and Heer were all getting ready to perform.
“I can’t believe they put my Bollywood circus show on hold,” Krystal said. “And instead, they decided to let Aster Rhodes do his ‘Angel Meets Devil’ concept. And how is it he makes Rey and Sana the leads?!”
“First off, your show got postponed since you got detention,” Sana told Krystal.
“Second, Aster’s concept for his show is actually very unique,” Prince added.
“And third, obviously I’m cool enough to be the lead with my good looks and charming personality!” Rey exclaimed as he looked in the mirror, fixing his hair.
“Rey, don’t act so high and mighty just because I made you the lead of my show,” Aster told Rey as he came by, dressed in his white and black ringmaster outfit.
“Oh…hello, Aster,” Heer greeted.
“Hello, Heer,” Aster returned the greeting. “Now is everyone ready?”
“We’re all ready,” Neil replied.
“I need to ask. Why did you make Sana the lead for your show when Tina is your partner?” Krystal asked.
“I know you’re envious, Krystal…but jealousy is not a healthy thing,” Aster said. “Tina is out sick, so I picked the second prettiest girl in the school to be the angel of my show.”
Aster came up to Sana, who was all dressed up in an angelic white dress with sparkles all over it. “You look lovely, Sana,” Aster said.
“Are you saying I’m not pretty enough to play the lead?!” Krystal exclaimed.
“There’s no use of conversing with you, Krystal,” Aster shook his head. “Now everyone, get ready! The show is going to begin soon!”
With that, Aster left while the performers got ready to take the stage. “What’s with you?” Neil asked Rey, seeing that Rey had an unpleasant expression on his face.
“Did you see that?! He was flirting with Sana! What a chump!” Rey exclaimed.
“And why do you care?” Prince asked.
“Forget it! Let’s just do the show!” Rey said as he walked off while Prince and Neil shook their heads and followed.
***
Once all the guests were seated, the lights in the arena went out. And then, a small spotlight came on, which shined upon Aster, who came forth onto the stage. “Ladies and gentlemen…welcome to the Ringmasters Training Academy’s circus show,” Aster greeted the audience. “I am Aster Rhodes, your ringmaster for the evening. Please enjoy the show!”
The audience clapped as Aster then drew out his wand and waved before the stage with melodious music playing as ten performers came onto the stage, all dressed in white costumes that resembled angels. Among the group included Sana, Krystal, and Heer. Sana, Krystal, and Heer entered onto the stage with two other performers by flowing white-colored aerial silks, while the other five performers had cartwheeled their way onto the stage. Once all ten had come together, long white fabrics came down upon them which they used as scarves to spin around while dancing in sync.
As they all danced, Aster came onto the stage, looking at all of them and then drawing his wand to the right of the stage, where ten other performers entered, dressed in black cloaks with hoods that had red devil horns to make them resemble devils. Rey, Prince, Neil, and two other performers entered through the use of a trapeze while the other five rushed onto the stage in running motion. The angel performers looked on in terror and made their way away from the devil performers, using the aerial silks. Seeing them run off in fear, the devil performers cackled as they made their way out. Only Rey was left. But he turned, seeing Sana on the ground, turned away from Rey. Rey slowly walked towards Sana, while Sana showed fear. Rey kneeled, trying to get closer to Sana while she was too scared to turn. Rey then touched her shoulder, turning her towards him, while he looked at her innocent face.
The two of them stood, looking into each other’s eyes before the audience. Sana then moved away in fear, but Rey held her hand and brought her towards him. The two of them then grabbed hold of an aerial hoop, which came down before them. As the hoop spun around, Sana and Rey held each other’s hands as they let their legs hold onto the hoop, forming a perfect aerial shape which made the audience clap. Once the hoop came down, the two cartwheeled off of the hoop and looked at each other, acting like lovers as part of the act.
That was when the angel and devil performers came in on a trapeze and surrounded Sana and Rey in anger. The angel performers grabbed hold of Sana, taking her away on the aerial silk, while Rey spun on another aerial silk, fighting off the devil performers. Sana, who was still being held by the angel performers, freed herself, coming down onto the stage by the aerial silk. Seeing her come down, the angel performers followed her towards the stage, while Rey stopped fighting off the devil performers once he saw Sana come towards him. She stepped towards him and upon seeing her, he removed his hood with the devil horns. And then, the two embraced while the other performers watched on in silence. The guests stood up in applause while the performers got together on stage as Aster came. They all bowed before the audience.
“Thank you for enjoying the show! Good night!” Aster told the audience and then exited with the performers off stage.
Once they all went backstage in the tent, Aster said, “Good job everyone. The show was fantastic.”
As the performers went to change, Sana sat down at her chair and started taking off her jewelry. Just then, Krystal and Heer came towards her.
“Even though I wanted to be the lead, you were looking beautiful out there,” Krystal told Sana.
“Thanks, Krystal,” Sana said.
“She’s right. You and Rey stole the show,” Heer said. “Everything seemed so real.”
“Real?” Sana said, confused.
“Real as in real looking chemistry,” Krystal said.
“We were acting. Aster’s concept made everything seem real,” Sana said.
“Really? So, that’s all?” Krystal asked, smirking. “Just acting?”
“Krystal, you’re crazy,” Sana said. “I’m going to go change.”
Sana got up and headed to the dressing room while Krystal and Heer both chuckled. And on the other hand, Rey was taking off his gloves along with Prince and Neil. He looked in the mirror and said, “Now that’s what you call a star! I rocked it man! If it wasn’t for the academy, I’d be heading for the movies by now.”
“Yeah, yeah. We get it, superstar,” Neil said. “Sana was pretty good too. In fact, you both looked great together up there.”
“That’s what great acting is all about!” Rey exclaimed. “Hollywood is going to want me at some point!”
“You sure it was all just acting?” Neil asked.
“Shut up, Neil! I’m gonna go change!” Rey said as he headed off to the dressing room.
“You know what I mean, right?” Neil asked Prince.
“I do,” Prince replied. “Not sure why you have to care though.”
***
The next day, early in the morning at Ringmasters Training Academy, Aiden was walking in the halls of the academy, heading towards Headmaster Devil’s office. Once he got to the office, he opened the door and entered inside. Before he could say anything, he stalled, seeing Headmaster Devil with a lady standing by, who had long curly black hair and wore a short, white mini dress. While the two were obviously paying attention to each other, Aiden cleared his throat to get their attention. Headmaster Devil and the lady turned to Aiden.
“Oh, it’s you! Must kids always come in at the wrong time!” Headmaster Devil exclaimed. “Angel, I’ll see you tonight for the party.”
“No problem, Devil,” Angel smiled. “Bye.”
With that, the lady, Angel, left the office. Aiden came towards Headmaster Devil and said, “Angel?”
“It’s been a rough time for me. Every devil needs an angel in their life.”
“It still makes me wonder how you’re the headmaster of this school.”
“Come to the point, Aiden! What do you want?”
“My detention went pretty well.”
“Ah yes. It seems you were able to test them in a smooth fashion.”
“Yes. However, I believe some special training needs to be done with them.”
“Special training? For all of them?”
“As of now, I want to try it out with two of them…Sana and Rey.”
“Oh yes. You have discussed this with me before. But are you sure you want to take the next step with them?”
“Absolutely. Especially because those two may be in great danger.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have examined all the documents that the group found at Droh’s house. And there are a couple which appeared to be DNA reports related to a tiger. Now I may not know how Droh got these reports, but I have a strong feeling he is after Rey.”
“Rey? What could he want with that boy?”
“I really don’t know at this point. But in such cases, I feel those two are going to need to enhance their abilities at some point if they want to efficiently protect themselves from any such threat.”
“I see. So, I guess now is the time.”
“Yes, sir. Its time they learn the art of the equilibrium.”
***
In Energy Enhancement class, Sana, Rey, Krystal, Prince, Neil, and Heer were sitting in class among other students while Professor Luna was teaching. “Okay, class. As we have discussed earlier, the enhancement of energy can only be done when full potential of the ringmaster and the human-beast are in balance,” Professor Luna said as she pointed to the board and started writing. “In order for that to happen, energy levels between the ringmaster and the human-beast must be at the same level, also known as the equilibrium.”
While Professor Luna continued her lecture, the gang were doing the following: Sana was taking down notes vigorously in her notebook, Rey was recording the lecture on his phone, Krystal was painting her nails, Prince was chewing on a candy cane, Neil was sleeping, and Heer was listening to every word of the lecture with as much attention as possible. Sana turned to her right side, seeing Rey’s phone recording the whole lecture as an audio tape.
“Are you that lazy that you can’t take proper notes?” Sana asked Rey, whispering.
“Please. That’s so old school,” Rey smirked. “Listening to this old lady in the morning is enough of a pain.”
“I actually agree with him for once,” Krystal said as she took a look at her tangerine-colored nails.
“Says the girl who’s acting like she’s in a nail salon,” Prince rolled his eyes.
“Do I hear talking?!” Professor Luna exclaimed. “Talk all you want now! When exam time comes, don’t cry to me when you get low scores!”
“Trust me. No one will,” Rey said.
“Did you say something, Rey Murgatroyd?!” Professor Luna questioned Rey.
“Nothing, ma’am! Rey didn’t say anything!” Sana exclaimed.
“Yeah I did. I said no one’s gonna cry over stupid test scores,” Rey said.
Sana could see the burning red color rise in Professor Luna’s face. She put her hand to her head. What a moron, Sana thought.
***
And with that, Professor Luna made Sana and Rey sit out of the classroom in the hall. And right there, Sana smacked Rey straight in the face and yelled, “You moron!” Rey fell to the ground with a thud.
“What the hell was that for?!”
“Because of your big fat mouth, I got kicked out of class. Me! I never get kicked out of class!”
“Oh, quit whining. I’m used to this.”
“Yeah. Because you don’t know how to follow simple rules.”
“Who cares about rules? Only teacher’s pets follow rules.”
“So being a rebel makes you some kind of hot shot?”
“Well, duh! It’s what makes me so cool! That’s why I was able to make yesterday’s show so awesome!”
“Hey, I was with you the whole time. I deserve credit as well.”
“Please! I was so good that people were asking me if it really was only acting!”
Strange, Krystal and Heer were asking me the same question, Sana thought. Why would Rey and I be asked the same thing?
“Of course, it was only acting!” Sana exclaimed.
“Yeah. I know it was,” said Rey, surprised. “Why are you overreacting?”
He’s right? Why am I overreacting? Sana wondered as she shook her head.
“Attention students of the academy,” Headmaster Devil announced over the intercom. “I hope you all remember that today is my birthday. Hence, I am welcoming all the students and faculty to a grand party tonight at the school. All must attend.”
“It’s Headmaster Devil’s birthday?” Rey asked.
“That’s right. I was going to skip the party and study, but I guess I have to go.”
“Man, you do nothing but study half the time! No wonder you’re such a bore sometimes.”
In annoyance, Sana smacked Rey in the head again, making him fall to the floor. “Unless you want a facelift, I suggest you shut up,” Sana said.
***
In the evening after classes, students were all getting ready in their dorms for the party, which was soon going to start. Especially Krystal, who was styling her hair into beautiful curls and putting on makeup at the same time. After she was done, she looked in the mirror at her long, tangerine-colored dress, which had a side strap that was tied in the back with a bow attached. She put on a pair of dangling orange bead earrings and a gold cuff bracelet. After slipping into her tangerine-colored pumps, she took a final look in the mirror, winking at herself.
“Perfect! Just perfect! I’m all matching! Everything is coordinating!” Krystal exclaimed. “I am so ready for this party!”
At that moment, there was a knock on Krystal’s door. “It’s Heer,” Heer said from outside.
“Come in!” Krystal replied. Heer opened the door and entered inside Krystal’s room. She was dressed in a floor-length off-the-shoulder dress in baby blue, a white pearl necklace around her neck, pearl earrings on her ears, a pearl bracelet on her wrist, and silver heels.
“Wow, Heer. You look pretty as ever!” Krystal exclaimed upon seeing Heer.
“Thanks. You look lovely yourself, Krystal.”
“I know. My father sent me this dress a few days ago. It’s custom made. Very expensive.”
“Have you seen Sana around?”
“No. She’s probably still getting ready in her room. Let’s go see her. We can go together to the party.”
Krystal and Heer walked down the hall to Sana’s room, knocking on the door. “Come in,” Sana said from inside.
Krystal and Heer entered the room and looked at Sana with shocked faces. Sana was dressed in a long-sleeved black dress that had a turtle neck and she tied her hair up in a bun. She turned around to both Krystal and Heer and Krystal said, “What the hell are you wearing?!”
“Sana, I usually like to be supportive, but even I have to agree with Krystal,” Heer said.
“What?” Sana asked. “Is it weird?”
“You’re going to a party. Not a funeral!” Krystal exclaimed. “What were you thinking?!”
“Well, I don’t have any dresses. Most of my formal clothes are at home,” Sana said.
“It’s always that long black trench-coat with the red collars that you hog around all the time! I’m surprised it’s not dirty yet,” Krystal said.
“Hey!” Sana exclaimed.
“Whatever,” said Krystal. “There’s no way you’re going out like that! Heer, get her into her closet!”
“No! Wait! Come on! This is not needed!” Sana pleaded as Heer got Sana inside of her closet. “Come on, guys!”
“Heer, wait over here! I’m going to go get some things from my EFA!” Krystal told Heer.
“What’s an EFA?” Heer asked.
“Emergency Fashion Aid kit!” Krystal replied.
***
Later on, at the ballroom of the academy, students and faculty had arrived for the celebrations. Already in attendance were Rey, Prince, and Neil who were all dressed in nice looking suits. Rey wore a black suit, gray dress shirt, red tie, and black oxfords. Prince wore a navy blue suit, white dress shirt, midnight blue bowtie, and navy blue dress shoes. And Neil wore a tuxedo with matching black dress shoes.
“Really? A tux?” Rey said to Neil.
“What?! A tux can be worn practically anywhere!” Neil exclaimed.
“This party is so pointless,” Prince said as he took a sip from a glass of fruit punch.
“At least we get good food,” Rey said as he took a chicken appetizer from a waiter’s tray and popped it in his mouth.
“Look, Rey! Have some orange juice!” Neil chuckled as he held a glass of orange juice before Rey.
“Get that disgusting crap out of my face!” Rey shouted.
“To hell with the drama,” Prince said.
“Oh look! Heer’s here with the others,” Neil pointed out.
Rey, Prince, and Neil looked ahead to see Sana, Krystal, and Heer had arrived along with other girls from the girls’ dorm. As the guys saw the three girls, Rey’s eyes were on Sana. Sana was no longer wearing the long black gown that Krystal had bashed earlier. She wore a sparkly red floor-length gown with a black sash wrapped around the waist that had diamond embroidery on it, along with black pumps. Her hair was tied back in a bun with a rose pin in place to hold it up. Is that really Sana? Rey wondered, unable to believe his eyes.
Sana, Krystal, and Heer came up to Rey, Prince, and Neil. Krystal looked at Prince and said, “Prince! What the hell are you wearing?!”
“A suit,” Prince replied. “What else?”
“What happened to that tangerine-colored suit I gave you to wear?” Krystal asked.
“You really think I’d be caught dead wearing that ugly thing?” Prince said.
“How dare you?! That was custom made in Belgium!” Krystal exclaimed. “Just look! Your navy blue suit is clashing with my tangerine dress! How many times do I have to explain to you to coordinate with the colors that I tell you to wear! No one will know we’re partners unless we wear matching colors!”
“To hell with the drama,” Prince said.
“Sana, I’m surprised to see you in the dressy look,” Neil told Sana.
“That was all Krystal’s idea,” Heer said.
“I had to save her from that atrocity of a gown she was going to wear!” Krystal exclaimed. “So, I found the only thing in my Emergency Fashion Aid kit that would suit her.”
“You have an Emergency Fashion Aid kit?” Neil asked Krystal.
“Of course,” Krystal answered. “I have to save fashion victims when necessary.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Prince said as he took another sip from his glass of fruit punch.
“Um…I’m gonna go out to the balcony. I’ll see you guys later,” Sana said as she headed off.
“That’s weird. What’s wrong with Sana?” Heer asked.
“She didn’t even talk to you,” Neil said to Rey.
Without saying a word, Rey headed off, following Sana as she made her way towards the balcony.
***
On the other hand, outside of the academy, trouble was brewing. On top of the academy building roof, Droh, Runa, and Madame Naga had appeared in a puff of gray smoke.
“Do you sense anything?” Madame Naga asked Droh.
“It’s quite a party in there,” Droh said.
“Exhilarating,” Madame Naga said. “Then it looks like we’ll have to spice up the entertainment a bit.”
“What are we doing?” Runa asked Droh and Madame Naga.
“Oh little Runa,” Madame Naga exclaimed as she grabbed hold of Runa’s face. “We’re just going to pay the headmaster a visit. It is his birthday after all.”
Madame Naga looked down, seeing Headmaster Devil’s current girlfriend, Angel walking with another man into the school. She was ready to commence with her plan.
***
Outside at the balcony, Sana was standing by, looking at the night sky as she took a deep breath. “That breeze feels nice,” Sana said. “It’s good to get away for a little bit to take things off my mind.”
“Take what off your mind?” a voice asked. Sana was startled as she turned to see Rey had come by.
“Rey! What are you doing here?”
“I just came to check on you.”
“Check on me? Why?”
“What’s up with you? You’ve been acting up since this morning.”
“Nothing! It’s nothing!”
“Anyways…I gotta say…you look nice tonight.”
“I do?”
“Yeah. At least a notch better than usual.”
“I wish I could be flattered, but thanks anyway.”
“But something is really off.”
“What?”
“You don’t look like Sana.”
“What are you talking about?!”
“The dress is fine. But there’s something that isn’t you.”
“I don’t have time for this! I’m going back inside!”
As Sana turned to leave, Rey grabbed hold of her hand, stopping her from leaving. She turned around, looking at him. He moved his hand before her hair and removed the rose pin, allowing the bun to come loose, letting her hair down against her shoulders.
“What are you-“
Before Sana could even finish talking, Rey moved strands of her hair out of her face, moving a lock of hair over her shoulder. “There,” Rey said. “Now you look like Sana. Don’t wear your hair tied up. It makes you look like a seventy-year old granny.”
Sana was both surprised and annoyed. But she had to admit she much preferred her hair loose than tied up.
“Are you gonna stand here or do you plan to come in?” he asked.
Sana nodded, following Rey back inside the ballroom. Once they came back in the ballroom, they caught up with the rest of the gang, who were all eating snacks from the snack table. Just then, Angel came along with the man she was escorted with, and went up to Headmaster Devil, giving him a hug.
“You look lovely as usual,” Headmaster Devil told Angel.
“Oh, Devil! You never fail to flatter me,” Angel said. “This is Ben Stallion, an acquaintance of mine.”
Headmaster Devil turned to Angel’s friend. He was a sharp looking fellow with short, smooth blond hair and was dressed in a black suit ensemble.
“Oh please, just call me Stallion,” The man greeted Headmaster Devil. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure is mine,” Headmaster Devil responded. “Glad you were able to join us.”
“Oh trust me…we’re very glad,” Stallion smirked.
Stallion kicked Headmaster Devil in the abdomen, making him fall to the ground. The students and faculty turned around, seeing their headmaster had been assaulted.
“What is the meaning of this?!” Professor Luna questioned Stallion.
Angel grinned as she came up to Headmaster Devil, looking down upon him. “I’m sorry, Devil. I’m not the angel you were expecting. It was fun while it lasted though,” Angel told Devil. “Stallion!”
Stallion then drew out a wand and tapped it to transform it into a semi-automatic pistol. He held the pistol directly at Headmaster Devil. “Now, Devil…tell us where the key is!” Stallion ordered.
“Ha! You think that just because you got me down on the ground that I’m vulnerable now?” Headmaster Devil said. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Very well,” Stallion said as he fired the pistol, releasing energy beams that turned into straps trapping Headmaster Devil to the ground.
Angel went ahead and went through the pockets of Headmaster Devil’s suit. She then found another pocket right in the back of his suit, and drew out a golden key.
“Thanks, Devil,” Angel said as she handed the key to Stallion.
“Sorry to crash the party everyone. But we have a job to do,” Stallion spoke to everyone in the ballroom. “Now!” Angel transformed into the form of a dark beast. She took upon the form of a dark horse. Stallion then mounted on Angel’s back and Angel took off with great speed out of the ballroom.
“They’re getting away!” Sana shouted.
“We can’t just stand here! We have to do something!” Neil exclaimed.
“Question is where are they going?” Heer asked.
“I have a good idea,” a voice said.
The gang turned around to see Aiden come to them. “Professor Galloway,” Sana said.
“Don’t call him that! He’s literally the same age as us!” Neil told Sana.
“What do you know about them?” Rey asked Aiden.
“I know where they’re heading. We don’t have time to talk. We’ll do it on the way. I want all of you to come with me right now!” Aiden ordered.
“You’re kidding?” Prince said.
“And just when I was enjoying the party!” Krystal exclaimed.
“We’re coming,” Sana said.
“Follow me!” Aiden told the gang. “Professor Luna, you know what to do. This is a school emergency. Seal off the ballroom so no one can get in.”
“Will do,” Professor Luna agreed.
Aiden led the gang out of the ballroom while Professor Luna pressed a button on the wall near the ballroom entrance, which activated a force field that protected the ballroom from anyone coming inside.
“They got the key,” Droh told Madame Naga as the trio remained on the rooftop outside.
“Excellent,” Madame Naga said. “Now we can have some fun.”
Suddenly, the room had changed. No longer were the gang and Aiden in a regular room, but now they were in what appeared to be a ground area. And it was time for the others to battle Aiden, who had already transformed into his beast form of a gray wolf.
“You guys ready?” Rey asked the others.
“Of course! I’ll go first!” Krystal exclaimed.
“We will?” Prince asked, surprised.
“Yes. Just watch. This pretty little sonic bell will rock him off his feet,” Krystal replied. “Now, transform already!”
Prince nodded and transformed into his beast form. “Let’s start things off lightly,” Krystal said. “Quick! Slam him directly!”
Prince leaped forward, hitting Aiden directly near his neck. As he pushed Aiden down to the ground, Aiden kicked him off. Krystal then drew out her wand, tapping it to transform it into her sonic bell.
“Prince, hang tight!” Krystal ordered. She activated her sonic bell, launching a sound wave straight at Aiden. Aiden tried to handle the power of the sound wave, but it was too much for him to take in.
“See! I got him!” Krystal exclaimed.
But then, Aiden’s eyes beamed and he suddenly transformed back into human form as the attack continued. “See! I’m so good that he’s already giving up!” Krystal exclaimed.
However, Krystal noticed the others were rather surprised. Aiden had just drawn out a wand, which he tapped to transform it into what appeared to be a sword.
“What the hell?!” Rey said, surprised.
“It can’t be. He’s also a ringmaster?” Sana asked.
“How can something like that even be possible?” Heer asked.
Aiden spun the sword, which created what appeared to be a mini tornado. The tornado consumed the sound waves like it was nothing and he plunged his sword to the ground, launching a powerful wind attack that hit both Krystal and Prince. Aiden transformed back into his beast form.
“What the hell was that?!” Krystal said.
“That guy…what is he?!” Rey asked. “How can he be a human-beast and a ringmaster at the same time?!”
So, this is what he’s been doing this whole time, Neil thought. All that training abroad…was for this. So, now he wants to prove what?! That he’s some special guy?! No. You’ve always acted like the big shot. Let me show you what I can do.
“Heer,” Neil called to Heer.
Heer turned to Neil, feeling concerned. “Yes, Neil?” Heer replied.
“I want you to transform now.”
“But Neil…do you even realize what we’re up against?”
“Just do what I tell you to do.”
“But Neil-“
“Fine! I’ll handle this face-to-face with him!”
Neil immediately drew out his wand, transforming it into his bow and arrow. “Just one hit is enough to take you out!” Neil exclaimed.
“Neil, wait!” Heer called out to Neil. But Neil didn’t listen. Instead, he fired an arrow from his bow directly at Aiden. Aiden dodged the arrow and then let out a gust of wind in the form of a howl, which hit Neil to the ground. Aiden leaped around behind Neil, transforming back into human form and holding the sword right near Neil’s face.
“It’s amazing, Neil,” Aiden said. “So many years I haven’t seen you…and yet you’re still the same whiny, arrogant little punk from our childhood.”
I got to help Neil! Heer thought. Heer transformed into her beast form and launched an ice energy beam from her mouth towards Aiden. Aiden pushed Neil back to the ground as he then transformed back into his beast form. But seeing the energy beam was close to hitting him, he transformed back into his human form as the energy beam hit him, enclosing him in an ice coffin.
“She got him!” Rey exclaimed.
“I don’t think he’s done yet,” Sana said.
Within the ice coffin, Aiden drew out his sword and hit it in the ice, shattering it to pieces. He transformed back into his beast form and tackled Heer to the ground. Heer pushed Aiden off and pounced at him forward, but Aiden tried with equal force to attack back. And it was when he hit Heer on her leg that she fell to the ground along with Neil, Krystal, and Prince, who were all down. Heer and Prince had both transformed back, unable to battle any further.
Rey and Sana looked at the four of them. Sana couldn’t believe her eyes. “He took them all out! And on top of that, he was able to move within that ice coffin,” Sana said. “This guy is unreal.”
“I really don’t know what we should do, Sana. This is getting out of hand. If we’re taken out, then its game over for all of us.”
“And I thought you were the one who was all excited to fight this guy!”
“I am. But he’s too powerful. We’ve never come across someone who’s a human-beast and a ringmaster at the same time. And he can transform back and forth so easily. So, now what?”
“We’re gonna have to play his game then.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Just follow my lead, all right?”
Rey looked at Sana, still unsure of what to do. Sana gave his hand to Rey.
“You have to trust me,” Sana told Rey. Rey looked at her hand, and then looked at Sana’s confident face. He smirked and nodded as he grabbed hold of her hand.
Rey transformed into his beast form, while Aiden prepared to take him on. “Rey, tackle him to the ground,” Sana ordered. Rey nodded and pounded Aiden directly, while Aiden tried to push against him. However, the two were evenly matched.
“Quick! Use a fireball attack on him!” Sana commanded. Rey released a fireball attack in the form of a roar, which hit Aiden in his face. Aiden fell back, trying to regain his posture. Aiden immediately transformed back into his human form and drew out his sword to attack Sana.
But Sana swiftly drew out her wand, tapping it to transform it into her trishula and held it against Aiden’s sword. Sana and Aiden were both pushing against each other with their weapons as much as possible. Aiden hit against Sana’s trishula, knocking it out of her hands. He took this moment to attack, but Rey pounced on him from behind, pinning him to the ground. Aiden transformed back into his beast form and hit Rey back.
Sana grabbed hold of her trishula again, spinning it around in the air. “Rey! Are you ready?!” Sana asked Rey. Rey nodded in response.
What are they planning to do? Aiden wondered.
“Let’s go!” Sana shouted as she continued to spin her trishula in the air until she finally plunged it into the ground. “Ring of Fire!”
Aiden’s eyes beamed as the power of Sana’s trishula sent forth a ring of flames that surrounded him in the fire. He appeared to be trapped as he looked around himself in panic. Rey leaped into the ring of fire, allowing the flames to enhance his power as he went on to attack Aiden.
But Aiden swiftly got out of his way and transformed back into human form and he drew out his sword and plunged it down to the ground, sending a gust of winds which consumed the flames, combining with them. He sent forth the attack at Sana, which hit her directly. Rey gasped, seeing Sana get hit.
Sana fell to the ground, dropping her trishula which had been worn out with the use of so much power. Aiden then walked towards Sana, still holding his sword in his hand. Once he got right in front of her, Rey appeared before Aiden, getting in front of Sana. He transformed back into his human form and said, “Back off.” Aiden looked at Rey, surprised.
“You’re not gonna hurt Sana while I’m still standing.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course. We’re partners after all. If she goes down, I go down with her.”
There was a moment of silence as the others looked on while Rey looked at Aiden sternly, still holding onto Sana. “Well then…looks like I’ll have to do this for both of you,” Aiden said. Rey and Sana stood by, unaware of what was going to happen. Aiden looked at the two and finally said, “You pass.”
And all the worrying turned into confusion for Rey. “Wait, what?! Pass what?!” Rey asked.
“Simple,” Aiden replied. “This detention was Headmaster Devil’s way to test you all. And you two passed.”
“Um…maybe I wasn’t clear before,” Rey said. “What?!”
“What test is he blabbering about?!” Krystal asked.
“I too am confused,” Heer said.
“I’ll explain it to you all,” Aiden continued. “When Krystal, Neil, and Rey were all given detention, Prince, Heer, and Sana were given detention as well. Why? Because you all are partners. Whatever one individual gets, the partner receives the same.”
“Which is completely unfair by the way,” Prince said.
“Correct. It is unfair,” Aiden replied.
“Then why do it?” Sana asked.
“This is all Headmaster Devil’s idea. The relationship between a ringmaster and a human-beast has to be in balance,” Aiden started to explain. “And this punishment is a way of maintaining balance. There will be situations where you will face unfair circumstances. But that’s how things are. As partners, you have to face those situations with equal coordination and cooperation. A ringmaster and a human-beast have to be willing to go through everything together no matter what happens.”
“This is what this whole thing was about?!” Krystal asked.
“Yes. Take you for an example, Krystal,” Aiden said. “Rather than working along with Prince, you went ahead and attacked on your own to show off your own potential. And then Neil, you did not take the time to listen to Heer and went ahead with your own attacks for the sake of your own ego.”
“He acts like he knows everything,” Neil told Heer, rolling his eyes.
“However, Rey and Sana were a different case,” Aiden went on. “Their attacks were well coordinated, despite being imperfect. And once I came before an injured Sana, Rey was ready to take a hit as well. That is what the relationship between a ringmaster and a human-beast should be. The willingness to put yourself in your partner’s shoes and take whatever they get.”
“So, this whole detention session was just for that?!” Rey asked. “Then what was it with you putting us in those messed up classrooms?!”
“That was just Headmaster Devil’s way of messing with you all prior to the real deal…and for me to see how you all could manage,” Aiden answered.
Sana could see that for her, Rey, and the others, this was a lot to take in. “You mean to say I basically broke my heels for nothing?!” Krystal cried. “This is so not cool!”
“To hell with the drama,” Prince said.
“That is so messed up!” Rey exclaimed. “Neil, we’re never getting into detention again!”
***
The next day, at the academy, Rey and Sana were walking together in the hallway, making their way to their Power Coordination class. As the two walked, Rey turned to Sana and asked, “You sure you feel okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Our attack was more in balance than last time, so I didn’t use up too much energy.”
“That’s good. Man, I don’t want to see that Aiden guy again!”
“I just want to know…how is it possible that he is a ringmaster and a human-beast at the same time? Do you think Neil knows something about it?”
“Maybe he does. They are twin brothers after all. But Neil seemed just as surprised as we were.”
“We could still ask and see if he knows something. Or obviously Headmaster Devil might know some information as well.”
“No way am I asking the flirty headmaster!”
“Don’t act like you’ve never been a flirt before!”
“Hey! If that’s so, I wouldn’t care about that Aiden guy. He would’ve laid a hand on you if I didn’t come in at the right time.”
“Wait…why does that matter to you?”
There was an awkward moment of silence as Rey struggled to answer, realizing what he had said to Sana, while Sana looked on, confused. “It’s nothing!” Rey protested. “Forget it. Let’s just go to class.”
What a moron, Sana thought as she and Rey both went inside the classroom. They sat down in their row which was behind Krystal, Prince, Neil, and Heer.
“Where’s Professor Lawrence?” Sana asked the others.
“Apparently he’s not teaching our class anymore,” Prince replied.
“What?! The old man’s gone?!” Rey said, surprised.
“He retired all of a sudden. So, we have a new teacher coming in,” Heer said.
“I just wonder if he’s good looking or not!” Krystal exclaimed. “At least someone can keep my attention running in this class.”
“Whoever it is, I just hope it’s not someone like him,” Neil said.
“Agreed. That old man always picked on me,” Rey said.
“Please,” Sana retorted. “That was because half of the time you were playing with your phone in class!”
“Good morning, class,” a voice said. The voice was all too familiar to Sana. And from the looks on the others’ faces, they seemed to share her perspective. Sana turned around with the others and was shocked to see who had come. It was Aiden, who was all dressed up in a fancy white suit with a black tie and white dress shirt.
“You all know me as the school’s new mentor, Aiden Galloway,” Aiden told the class. “As of a today, I am your new professor. So you all can address me as Professor Galloway.”
“You can’t be serious?!” Krystal cried.
“This is a complete surprise,” Heer said.
“To hell with the drama,” Prince rolled his eyes.
“All of a sudden I want the old man back now!” Rey exclaimed.
“I’m gonna have to skip this class more often then,” Neil said, frustrated.
“Having him as a mentor is enough,” Sana said, rolling her eyes. “He’s the same age as us and yet he becomes a professor?! Things aren’t going to get any easier from this point on.”
“Okay! What the hell is going on here?!” Rey shouted at Aiden. Sana, Rey, Krystal, Prince, Neil, and Heer were all strapped tightly to seats as they found themselves in a dark classroom where Aiden stood before them. Aside from the blackboard, the walls were plain black and there were eerie looking cobwebs that could be seen on the ceiling.
“This is detention,” Aiden replied.
“No! This is a horror movie where the monster is about to eat the innocent kids!” Krystal cried.
“You think you’re all so innocent, don’t you?” Aiden asked. “Well, you’re in my world now. As long as you cooperate, you’ll be fine.”
“Man. Your brother is nuts,” Rey whispered to Neil.
“Why would you do this to us?” Sana asked. “Or at least me, Heer, and Prince, considering we did nothing to get into detention in the first place.”
“Hey!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Way to be a team player!” Neil told Sana.
“Please just let us go and they’ll never bother you again,” Heer pleaded.
“I don’t do the easy way. Headmaster Devil appointed me in charge of detention. So, I’m doing things my way. There’s only one way for you to get out of here. But you’ll have to figure that out on your own…if you can use your heads,” Aiden replied. “So, until then, class is in session.”
With a slam of his pointer on the blackboard, Aiden sent each and every member of the gang down an opening of the floor, separating them from each other. Once they were all gone, he stood back.
“This will be amusing,” Aiden said.
***
As Sana fell downward, strapped to her chair, she screamed as she landed into another classroom. Once she landed, she drew out her wand, tapping it to transform it into her trishula and used its sharp blade to cut the straps off. After doing so, Sana got up from the chair and was startled as Rey landed in the same room.
“Oh, you’re here too!” Rey exclaimed. “How’d you get out?!”
“I used my trishula. Can’t you transform and get out?”
“I tried! But it’s not working! Get me out of this!”
Sana rolled her eyes as she went ahead and slashed the straps of Rey’s chair off, releasing Rey. “Man! It feels good to be able to get up!” Rey exclaimed. “Now where the hell are we?”
Rey and Sana looked around to find themselves in a classroom filled with desks that had chemicals and a variety of tubes on display. “Figured as much. We’re in a chemistry room,” Sana said.
“What the hell is that guy’s problem?!”
“If it wasn’t for you and Neil, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
“Hey! It’s not my fault that Neil’s crazy twin brother decided to put us in some horror movie of a school! I don’t even know why he separated all of us. Besides, it’s just a normal classroom.”
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a catlike dark beast came and broke into the classroom, heading towards Sana and Rey. “You were saying?” Sana eyed Rey.
“Oh, shut up,” Rey said as he then transformed into his tiger form.
“Hit it into the wall!” Sana ordered Rey. Rey moved forward, leaping onto the dark beast as he pushed it into the wall. As he tried to hold it down, the dark beast bit Rey on his neck, pushing him to the ground. As Rey tried to get up, the dark beast launched a dark energy beam attack directly towards Rey.
“Quick! Counter it with a fireball attack!” Sana ordered Rey. Rey nodded and let out a roar, emitting a fireball which hit into the energy beam. As both Rey and the dark beast put in as much force into their attacks, the dark beast was able to push the energy beam harder, which hit Rey along with the fireball attack. Rey was slammed into the wall, falling to the floor.
“Are you all right?!” Sana asked Rey, concerned. Rey slowly got up, nodding.
I need to think of something! This one is too strong! Sana thought.
“Try to hold it off with an energy beam! I’ll come in then!” Sana told Rey.
Rey nodded as he then emitted a fire energy beam from his mouth, which hit the dark beast directly. Sana drew out her trishula, spinning it in the air as she then plunged it into the ground, which released a fiery path that combined with the energy beam attack. The attack was enough to hold off the dark beast, but it couldn’t destroy it.
Sana turned to the table with chemical tubes and looked around. She then picked one up. “Liquid carbon dioxide! This’ll work!” Sana exclaimed. She immediately released the chemical into the fire, which slowly released its acidic effect on the dark beast, melting it into nothing but ashes. And at that moment, sprinklers in the classroom came on, spraying water to put out the fire, which got both Sana and Rey wet. Sana turned to Rey, who transformed back. Once the sprinklers stopped, Sana ran towards Rey, who slowly managed to get up.
“Are you okay?” Sana asked Rey.
“I’m fine, Sana. It’s nothing to worry about,” Rey said. But then, Rey slowly fell to which Sana immediately caught him. She looked at his neck, shocked to see the cut from when the dark beast had bit him. Sana sat Rey down on the floor against the wall to help him rest.
“Sana, I’m fine,” Rey assured Sana.
“There’s no need to be worried.”
“How can you say that? That cut hurt you real bad.”
“It’s nothing, Sana.”
“You call that nothing?! You can hardly even sit up straight!”
“Sana, quit worrying. There’s no need to-“
“Shut up! You’re always telling me not to worry! For once in your damn life, just let me worry!”
Rey was left stunned and speechless. He looked at an angry Sana, confused why she’s getting so worked up over this. Sana then relaxed, realizing what she had said. She removed her white scarf, which had been wrapped around the red collars of her black trench-coat. Sana came closer to Rey, using the scarf to wipe the cut on his neck clean. Both of them felt odd as the proximity between them was very close, while Sana continued to clean the cut.
“What was that you used to kill that thing?” Rey asked, trying to avoid the awkward silence.
“Liquid carbon dioxide. It was more effective to kill it off.”
“You’ve always known so much about chemicals?”
“Yeah. I like chemistry. I always found it fascinating to test out all the chemicals and stuff.”
“That’s where your nerd side comes from?”
“Very funny.”
Sana had finished bandaging the cut. “How do you feel?” Sana asked Rey as he slowly got up.
“Much better. I gotta hand it to you. You’ve got a magic touch with those hands of yours,” Rey smirked. Sana smiled, seeing he was better.
“So, now what?” Rey asked. “We still need to get out of here.”
“You’re right,” Sana sighed. “I just wonder how the others are doing.”
***
On the other hand, Krystal had fallen out of her seat into what appeared to be a gymnasium. “Ever heard of gentle falling?!” Krystal shouted as she got off, brushing off the dust that was on her dress. She looked around, surprised to see where she was.
“Out of all the places of a school they could put me in, they put me in a gym?!” Krystal asked. “This is not my thing!” Krystal was taken by surprise as a ball came towards her way. She ducked in time as the ball hit at the wall, leaving an imprint due to the impact of the hit.
“What the hell?! Do I look like a bullseye?!” Krystal shouted as she turned around. She was shocked to see a series of humanoid robots looking directly at her, each holding a ball in their hand.
“Dodgeball!” the humanoids said in unison.
“What?!” Krystal cried. The humanoids began throwing balls at Krystal, who tried her best to avoid being attacked. She struggled to run in her heels, while the humanoids continued to attack her.
“And I thought physical education was already horrible! This is my worst nightmare!” Krystal whined as she continued running. “And how dare you make me run in these shoes!”
As Krystal continued to run, she tripped in her heels and fell. But as she fell, she was caught by someone. She looked up to see Prince had caught her.
“You?! Oh now you decide to come?!” Krystal shouted.
“Fine then. I guess I didn’t have to catch you,” Prince said as he dropped Krystal to the floor, making her mouth drop wide open.
“Does anyone here understand the meaning of the word GENTLE?!” Krystal cried. Krystal got up, but as she stood, she was appalled to see the heel of one of her pumps had broken off.
“Those useless pieces of metal made me break a heel!” Krystal shrieked. “I was annoyed to begin with, but now I’m just angry! Hurry up and transform, Prince!”
“On it,” Prince nodded as he then transformed into his lion form. Krystal drew out her wand, tapping it to transform it into her sonic bell. She held her sonic bell with a tight grip as she looked at the humanoids that surrounded her.
“When you mess with me and my shoes, you go down!” Krystal exclaimed. “Now it’s personal! Prince, use your Sonic Roar!”
Prince nodded as he gave a mighty roar, emitting sound waves across the gymnasium. The sound waves forced the humanoids down to the ground as they were unable to counter the vibrations being sent by the waves. Krystal then rung her sonic bell, which further intensified Prince’s Sonic Roar, making the sound waves even stronger. And by then, the humanoids’ metal bodies slowly began to crack until they all finally broke apart in unison.
Prince transformed back into his human form. “That’s what you tin cans get for making me break a heel!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Really? You’re whining over a stupid shoe.”
“These aren’t ordinary shoes! They’re by Reshawna. Reshawna! Now it’ll cost a fortune to get new ones!”
“To hell with the drama.”
“And of course. That’s all you can say. I can’t even walk now that this shoe is unwearable.”
“Then walk…barefoot.”
Krystal was appalled. “Barefoot?!” Krystal cried. “You expect me to walk barefoot around here? I don’t even know where this floor has been.”
“Honestly, can you just shut up for once in your life?”
Krystal’s mouth dropped wide open as Prince walked ahead of her. She could only handle so much of Prince’s attitude.
“You can be so rude!” Krystal exclaimed as she followed Prince.
“I know.”
“So, where are we going?”
“We need to find a way out of here. We’ll have to see if we can find the others first.”
***
Elsewhere, Neil and Heer had both landed themselves in what appeared to be a history classroom. As they both fell, they were then seated at desks before a clone of what looked like Headmaster Devil.
“Devil?!” Neil said, confused.
“It’s not him. Everything here is just an illusion,” Heer replied.
“Welcome to history!” the clone said.
“Man, I hate history,” Neil whined.
“State the exact dates of when the Great Ringmaster War occurred!” the clone ordered Neil and Heer.
“Um…,” Heer mumbled.
“How should I know?!” Neil shouted.
“You don’t?! Time for punishment!” the clone exclaimed.
The clone snapped his fingers and two bombs had appeared on the desks that Neil and Heer were sitting at. The two gasped while the clone cackled, “See if you can get out of this! Good day!”
And with that, the clone vanished. “What the hell?! He placed actual bombs on our desks!” Neil exclaimed. “If my brother wanted to kill us, he didn’t have to send us to some other dimension to do it!”
“It’ll explode in a minute if we don’t do something!”
“Quick! Transform and use an ice energy beam on them! Then I’ll fire my arrows to destroy them!”
“Right!”
Heer transformed into her snow leopard form, letting out an ice energy beam at both of the bombs. Neil got up and drew out his wand, transforming it into his bow and arrow. He then pulled an arrow back on the bow and fired it at the bomb, destroying it, and then doing the same to the other bomb just in time. Heer transformed back into her human form, sighing with relief.
“That was a close one,” Heer said.
“My brother is so dead when I find him.”
“How do we find him? The others must be trying to get out as well.”
“Damn it! How are we going to find that scumbag in this place?!”
Suddenly, the floor under Neil and Heer opened, making the two fall downward into a tunnel. Neil gave his hand to Heer to which she held onto as the two then landed into a chamber room where Sana, Rey, Krystal, and Prince were at as well. The two got up and Neil said, “Well, that was easy.”
“I am really getting tired of the special effects!” Rey exclaimed.
“Where are we now?” Heer asked.
“Very good. I hope you all enjoyed class time,” a voice said.
The gang turned around to see Aiden standing before them. “You called that class?! I was attacked by dodgeball-throwing robots!” Krystal shouted.
“Humanoids,” Prince corrected.
“Whatever!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Enough with this! Just let us go already! I think we had enough torture for one day,” Rey said.
“Oh believe me…things are just getting started,” Aiden said.
Rey could see the others were just as puzzled as he was. At that moment, Aiden closed his eyes as he had suddenly transformed into the form of a human-beast. His beast form was that of a gray wolf.
“Of course he has to show off,” Neil said.
“So, we finally see his beast form,” Sana said.
“On second thought…I say I’m ready for a fight,” Rey smirked. “Right, Neil?”
“Hell yes,” Neil replied.
“Looks like we have no choice,” Sana said. “Time to see what this guy is really made of.”
It was seven o’ clock sharp in the evening at Daredevil City, one of the largest cities in New Iris, America. All the guests had gathered in the arena for a big event that was being held at one of the city’s private academies. At this academy, many civilians had arrived at what appeared to be the academy’s arena. Once all the guests were settled down in their seats, the lights went out, shrouding the area in darkness. And at that moment, three spotlights flashed into the arena, focusing on three individuals.
In the center was a girl, who was dressed in a red trench coat, a white blouse with a red bowtie, a black skirt, a pair of black boots, a pair of white gloves, and a plain round top hat. The girl had wavy medium-length hair of a raven black color that was flowy like air. She opened her bright, chocolate brown eyes, looking at everyone who had gathered in the arena.
To her right was another girl, who was dressed in a red vest over a white peasant blouse, a black ruffled skirt with gold fringes, black boots with gold bands around them, a black choker necklace, and a round top hat with a gold band around it. This girl had long, straightened brunette hair with a blonde streak that framed her face, and her hazel eyes beamed in the spotlight as she stood with a bold stance.
Lastly to the left was a boy, who was dressed in a long black trench coat, a white shirt with a gold bowtie, red pants, black boots, and a top hat with a red band around it. He was quite tall, and his light brown hair stood out underneath his top hat along with his dark green eyes that opened in the spotlight.
The three individuals bowed before the audience. “Ladies and gentlemen…welcome to the RTA, also known as the Ringmasters Training Academy,” the center girl began. “I am Sana J. Malik.”
“I am Krystal D’Cruz,” the other girl introduced.
“And I am Neil Galloway,” the boy greeted.
“And we are your ringmasters for the evening,” the trio greeted in unison.
The audience clapped and cheered as all the lights came on in the arena, dazzling the place like a movie premiere. Sana, Krystal, and Neil were now surrounded by several other performers, ready to perform with them on the stage. “Enjoy the show!” Sana told the audience.
What followed was a series of circus acts by the performers in the arena. Sana, Krystal, and Neil made their way out from the arena as a group of jugglers riding unicycles came circling their way before the audience, who watched with intrigued eyes. Once the jugglers exited, Krystal went with three tightrope walkers onto the tightrope, leading them as she pranced her way forward. She waved an umbrella in her right hand as she successfully reached the end of the rope with the other walkers as well.
Up next, Neil came upon the trapeze, positioning his legs upward as he held on from the bottom, while a second performer united with him by joining his legs in the same position. There was a balance of symmetry between the two as they held onto the trapeze for the audience to watch in amazement.
Then, Sana came back into the arena, following with two performers, who brought in a large red and white striped box with wheels attached on the bottom. Once the two performers left, Sana drew out a wand from her trench coat and tapped onto the box. Once she tapped onto it, the door of the box opened, revealing a boy who was dressed in the same attire as Neil. He had wavy medium-length hair of a dark chocolate brown color and big brown eyes that popped out as he made his entry.
Sana then looked at the audience, and closed the door of the box. She waved her wand over the box door and then tapped it again. Once the door came down, in place of the boy, was a majestic tiger. The audience clapped upon seeing the magnificent act, with some standing up in admiration.
The tiger stepped out from the box and Sana led it into the center of the arena with her wand. She then directed her wand to a series of hoops. Once she pointed to them, the hoops then caught on fire to the audience’s shock. At that moment, Sana directed the tiger towards the hoops with her wand and the tiger then made its way through the hoops, jumping through them with such remarkable ease, not letting any of the burning flames catch onto its body. By the time the tiger reached the end with success, the audience clapped.
Sana then led the tiger back into the box, closing the door. The two performers came back and took the box back inside the circus tent, while Krystal and Neil jumped into the arena next to Sana, bowing before the audience as the other performers entered in. The audience stood before them and clapped, cheering for the magnificent display of artistry. Sana, Krystal, and Neil stood proud before the audience and said, “Thank you for coming. Have a good night.”
And so, the show had ended and the guests in the audience made their way out of the arena while the circus performers headed back inside their tents backstage. Sana, Krystal, and Neil headed into the dressing room where the box was left. Sana opened the door of the box and the tiger came out. “You can change back now, Rey,” Sana told the tiger.
And at that moment, the tiger had transformed into the form of a human boy; the same human boy who first appeared in the box. And his name was the name Sana had just called him by; Rey.
“Did you see how much love I got out there?!” Rey exclaimed. “Man! I’m a star!”
“Oh, shut up, Rey,” Krystal retorted. “My umbrella dance on the tightrope was the highlight of the show and you know it.”
“Says the girl who almost tripped at the end,” Neil chuckled.
“It doesn’t matter, guys. Everyone loved the show. That’s all that’s important,” Sana said.
“Prince! Heer!” Neil called out upon seeing a boy and a girl enter the dressing room.
The boy wore a classy navy blue suit with a white shirt and black tie and had a cherry-flavored candy cane that was sticking out from his mouth. His hair was a shiny ivory black and smoothened back on the top while his eyes were of a dark brown shade. The girl wore a blue jacket over a long white dress. She had long, curly brown hair and light blue eyes. “Great job today, guys,” Heer said.
“You saw us?” Neil asked.
“Well duh, moron. We we’re watching from the first row,” Prince said, irritated.
“The show would’ve been better if we had Prince in place of Rey,” Krystal said.
“Hey! You know I was the real star of the show! The crowd was going wild when I came in!” Rey retorted.
“Students,” a voice called.
The six individuals turned around to see a middle-aged man, dressed in a black cloak with an emblem on the back of the cloak. He had pale blond hair and blue eyes that gleamed like sapphires.
“Headmaster Devil,” Sana, Rey, Krystal, Prince, Neil, and Heer said in unison as they bowed down before the man.
“A dark beast has been detected outside of the academy,” Headmaster Devil told the group.
“Are you kidding me?! Right after the show?!” Krystal complained. “I don’t have time to get my hands dirty!”
“But how did it get near here?” Rey asked.
“The gates to the academy must not have been fully closed after the guests entered,” Sana concluded.
“You know the drill,” Headmaster Devil said. “Get to work.”
“You guys go,” Krystal told Sana, Rey, Neil, and Heer. “This outfit is not meant for beast slaying.”
“This goes for all of you, Krystal,” Headmaster Devil ordered. “Now get with your partners and get the job done.”
“Yes, sir!” Sana agreed.
“And just when I was getting ready to take a cat nap,” Prince said.
At that moment, Rey, Prince, and Heer had transformed within a matter of seconds into their new forms. While Rey changed back into the form of a tiger, Prince had transformed into the form of a lion, while Heer had turned into a snow leopard. And so, Sana, Krystal, and Neil took off along with Rey, Prince, and Heer in their transformed states while Headmaster Devil watched them go.
The six individuals rushed down the campus of the academy and went outside of the main entrance. Suddenly, a dark-colored beast emerged from the shadows of the night, aiming to attack. The beast had the composition of a wildcat. What really made the beast stood out was its vampire red eyes and long fangs. The six of them dodged the beast, surrounding it in circular motion. “You really picked the wrong time to call for animal control!” Krystal shouted at the beast.
“Rey, go to your right and attack it from behind!” Sana ordered Rey. Rey then went forward and jumped upward, pouncing the beast to the ground. As he tried to hold it down, the beast kicked him off into the wall.
“Heer, hit him directly!” Neil told Heer.
Heer dashed off, directly pouncing the beast into the wall to hold it down. “Krystal, you can make a move now,” Sana told Krystal.
“All right then,” Krystal said as she drew out her wand from her vest. She spun her wand around and gave it a single tap, transforming the wand into a large sized circular shaped ring in a gold color that had a big red bow with a golden bell attached to it.
“Prince, use your Sonic Roar attack! I’ll add more power with my sonic bell!” Krystal ordered.
Prince nodded and immediately let out a mighty roar, which emitted large sound waves towards the beast. Heer got out of the way, while the beast remained traumatized by the loud noises from Prince’s Sonic Roar. Krystal then rang her sonic bell and plunged it into the ground, which released a sonic boom attack that further weakened the resistance of the beast.
“I’ll make the next move,” Sana said as she took out her wand and tapped it to transform it into the grand trident known as the trishula. “Rey, attack with a fireball move!” Rey emitted a fireball attack directly from his roar, which hit the beast until it was down on the surface. Sana then jumped in, plunging her trishula into the ground, which created a ring of flames around the beast.
“I think you need some cooling off now,” Neil said as he took out his own wand. Once he tapped it, the wand turned into a blue archery bow with an icy looking arrow attached to it. He pulled the arrow onto the bow and then hit it directly at the beast, striking it in its heart. At that moment, the arrow had not only hit the beast, but it spread a coating of ice that completely froze it.
“Why in the world would you freeze it?!” Sana shook her head. “That thing would’ve burned to ashes anyway.”
“Hey! My arrows do that. They freeze targets once they’re weakened,” Neil talked back.
“Quit complaining! You can just melt it down, Sana,” said Krystal.
“Right. Rey, go ahead,” Sana ordered Rey.
Rey released another fireball attack at the frozen beast, completely melting it down until there was nothing left but its ashes. “Eww! The smell of those things once they’re dead is horrible!” Krystal cried.
“Good work, guys,” said Sana. “Looks like we can call it a day.” And so, Rey, Prince, and Heer all transformed back into their human forms. “Well, that was a good work out!” Rey exclaimed.
“Thank God that’s over. I need to take that cat nap,” said Prince. “Good night.”
***
The next day, it was a silent morning at the Ringmasters Training Academy. All the students of the academy were just entering the school from their respective dorm rooms. However, there was one boy, who for some reason was being constantly looked at as he walked down the halls of the academy.
The boy was indeed sharp looking, as he came dressed in a fine white suit with cream-colored shoes, a blue shirt, and a white necktie. His hair was even well groomed, smoothened out with small spikes coming from the top. He made his way into what was known as the Devil’s Lair, also referred to as Headmaster Devil’s office. The boy opened the door and the headmaster looked up from his desk and said, “Good morning. Please sit.”
The boy made his way to the seat in front of Headmaster Devil’s desk, crossing his legs as he sat down. “I’m glad you were able to come,” Headmaster Devil told the boy. “This is a great opportunity for you.”
“Not really for me. More for your students.”
“Right. As you know, this is the Ringmasters Training Academy, one of the most exclusive academies in the country for students who excel in the performing arts and are fit to be professional circus performers or even better, ringmasters. Now besides you, me, and the rest of the academy, everyone else in the city and beyond simply thinks this is a school for a bunch of circus artists.”
“But I know that you all have a larger purpose beyond the mere entertainment for city folk.”
“Of course you do. Otherwise you wouldn’t have come here. This academy doesn’t just train students for the circus world. A ringmaster is known as the leader of the circus and the main star of the show. But for us, there’s a different meaning. Students in this school are divided into two groups…ringmasters and human-beasts. Every ringmaster is partnered with a human-beast. The ringmasters are students who are capable of coordinating themselves and their quick thinking skills with their human-beast partners. The human-beasts are the students who are able to transform into wild animals and use their own abilities to match up to those of their partners. Every partnership is formed based on compatibility and usage of skill as each human-beast has their own special power that matches up with each ringmaster, who yields a wand that transforms into a weapon that carries the same power. All these characteristics are what make up the ideal ringmaster duo.”
“Headmaster Devil, I know the deal. You don’t need to go into all the details that have been pounded into my brain many times before even entering this building. I myself am a highly trained human-beast, so I would know how things work around here. That’s why you brought me to your school. The question is…which students are the best at capturing the dark beasts? This school can only create so many exceptional students. And by exceptional, I mean ones who are qualified for recognition in the Ringmasters Society.”
“Of course. You had to bring that up. But let’s focus on the important matters. The dark beasts are everywhere. No one knows who or what they are or where they’ve come from. Heck, no one even knows why they continue to exist. All we know is our students are the only ones who are fit to stop them from wreaking havoc across the city and other places in the world. And since you’re a highly qualified human-beast yourself, you’ll be a great example for the students to follow.”
At that moment, Headmaster Devil’s office phone rang. He immediately took the call.
“Hello?”
“Headmaster Devil, the students are seated in the auditorium for the assembly.”
“All right. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Headmaster Devil hung up the phone and got up from his seat, with the boy getting up as well. “It’s time for the presentation,” Headmaster Devil told the boy. “Shall we?”
The boy nodded his head and followed Headmaster Devil out of the office and into the halls. The two made their way towards the auditorium. Inside the auditorium, while students were getting seated, Sana, Rey, Krystal, Prince, Neil, and Heer all sat down in the first row, near the front of the stage.
“Why didn’t you wear the pink blazer I gave you?” Krystal asked Prince.
“Please. I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing that color,” Prince said as he chewed on the raspberry-flavored candy cane that was in his mouth.
“Well, now look at you. You’re wearing navy blue which completely clashes with the pink ensemble I have on,” Krystal said as she pointed to her light salmon-colored blazer, pink halter top, rose pink ruffle skirt, and pink-colored pumps. “If you’re going to be my partner, at least coordinate matching colors to show it! And why must you always have those candy canes in your mouth? Christmas time is not all the time!”
“To hell with the drama,” Prince said.
“You can be so mean sometimes, Prince!” Krystal cried. “If you would at least cooperate in coordination of color combos, then we’d be the style icon duo of this school! Just imagine!”
“No one wants to imagine,” Prince mumbled as he shook his head and continued to chew on his candy cane.
“Does anyone know what this assembly is for?” Sana asked.
“From what I heard, Headmaster Devil is introducing some special guy to the school,” Rey replied.
“What makes him special?” Heer asked.
“Beats me,” Rey said. “From the rumors, I heard he’s a professional human-beast. So he’s supposed to be like a mentor at the school now.”
“Wow. Really?!” Sana asked.
“HA! I bet he’s not that good!” Neil smirked.
Then, Headmaster Devil entered onto the stage of the auditorium, heading towards the podium. All the students and professors stood up from their seats as the headmaster looked upon them. “You may all sit,” Headmaster Devil permitted. And so, everyone sat down, looking anxious as they waited for the headmaster to begin.
“Students and faculty…I am very pleased with the progress of our students at the academy. To others in the world, we may seem like a bunch of clowns or slacker circus artists. But we are more than that. And I am proud to have you all as students of the academy,” Headmaster Devil began speaking. “With time, I have begun to see that there are some of you who have the potential to qualify for the Ringmasters Society. Only the best of the best can be recognized for acceptance. For some of you, that would be a great honor. But only the most elite can make it to such a prestigious position. And now that I see students are training more and more to enhance their abilities, I would like to introduce a new addition to our academy. He is not joining us as a student…but as a mentor. He is one of the most well trained and highly skilled human-beasts in the city. In fact, he has trained all over from Europe to Asia. And so, he will provide great guidance to some of you. Please give a warm welcome for Aiden Galloway.”
While the other students clapped, Neil’s eyes beamed as his mouth dropped slightly in shock upon hearing that name. And at that moment, the boy, Aiden Galloway, made his entry onto the stage. As Aiden walked onto the stage, Sana, Rey, Krystal, Prince, and Heer all shared the same shocked face as Neil had.
“Neil! He looks exactly like you!” Krystal exclaimed.
“How is that possible?” Heer asked.
“That’s because he’s none other than my twin brother,” Neil replied as he sulked in his seat.
The others gave off surprised faces as they watched Aiden stand before the students and faculty on the stage. And it was true. He looked exactly like Neil from head to toe. And Neil wasn’t too happy to see Aiden on the stage. Sana looked up at Aiden, who gave off a stern, yet confident stance as he stood before the student body. I wonder what it’s going to be like with this guy around, Sana thought.
***
After the assembly, Sana, Rey, Neil, and Prince were walking down the hall during free period while Krystal and Heer had gone off to get breakfast in the cafeteria. “So…what do you guys think of Aiden?” Sana asked Rey, Neil, and Prince.
“I don’t think he’s so tough,” Rey replied. “I bet me and you could take him out.”
“Is he as strong as everyone says, Neil?” Sana asked Neil.
“Why should we care?!” Neil retorted. “He’s not a student here. Besides, he’s not the kind of guy to mentor anyone! I don’t know what drugs Devil was on that made him pick that guy to be a mentor here!”
“Someone’s a bit touchy,” Rey whispered to Sana.
“Typical,” Prince rolled his eyes. “A stupid tough guy who can’t stand his obviously better brother.”
“Did you say something, Prince?!” Neil said.
As the four kept walking, they stopped to see Aiden coming right in their direction. Aiden looked up, stopping as he saw the foursome together. He then turned to Neil, who glared at him in return. “You got a problem or something?!” Neil shouted at Aiden. “Quit looking at me!”
Aiden closed his eyes, smirking. “Still the same old idiot,” he said.
“What’d you say?!” Neil shouted further at Aiden.
“So, we finally come face-to-face with the school’s top dog,” Rey said. “We got thirty minutes till class starts. That’s plenty of time for a little battle. You in on this, Neil?”
“Oh, I’ll join you!” Neil agreed, fist pumping Rey in agreement.
“What?! You guys are crazy! We’ll get in trouble!” Sana exclaimed.
“Come on, Sana. We’ll take this guy out in a flash,” said Rey.
“To hell with the drama,” Prince said as he then turned away. “I’m outta here.”
“What the hell?! Why are you being such a wuss?!” Rey asked Prince as Prince began walking away from the group.
“I don’t do stupidity,” Prince replied as he continued walking with his back turned. “Later.”
“What a chicken!” Rey exclaimed. “You ready to fight?!”
“If you morons wish to get expelled, then be my guest,” Aiden replied.
“Guys, just go to class,” Sana told Rey and Neil. “Besides, we have a test for our Energy Enhancement class.”
“We have a test?!” Rey exclaimed.
“Damn it! I didn’t study!” Neil cried.
“We’ll settle this later! We gotta hit the books now!” Rey said as he and Neil dashed off down the hall.
“I’m sorry about them,” Sana apologized to Aiden. “They can be a bit of a handful.”
“Don’t be sorry. I know how my sad excuse for a brother is like,” Aiden replied. “You’re one of the first students I’ve met around here. What is your name?”
“Oh…Sana,” Sana answered. “Sana J. Malik.”
“Sana,” Aiden repeated in a quieter tone. “Well then…it’s nice to meet you. I hope to see you again.”
“Uh…sure,” Sana said.
With that, Aiden walked away, heading down the hall while Sana looked on.
***
Later on, Sana made her way to her Energy Enhancement class. She walked over to her seat, which was right next to Rey in the middle of the classroom where all the desks were set up side by side in three columns. “So I heard you met Aiden during free period,” Krystal told Sana, sitting behind her and Rey next to Prince.
“Who told you?” Rey asked Krystal, turning around.
“I did,” Prince replied. “Whenever someone does something stupid, someone has to talk about it.”
“I’m not stupid!” Neil exclaimed, sitting on the right column, next to Heer.
“Why are you so surprised about him being here?” Heer asked Neil. “He is your brother after all. Didn’t he tell you he was coming to the school?”
Neil sulked in his seat. “Let’s not talk about that,” Neil said while Heer sighed, shaking her head.
“But I saw you speaking to him alone, Sana,” Krystal said. “What was he like?”
“You spoke to him when we left?” Rey asked Sana.
“Only for a moment. Then he left,” Sana answered. “Why do you look so upset?”
“Shut up. I could care less,” Rey said, turning to the front of the classroom.
“Anyways Sana, tell me. What’s Mr. Aiden like?” Krystal asked Sana. “He may look like Neil, but somehow he’s actually more polished. There’s something charming about that guy. So, what did he talk to you about?”
“Would you shut up already?” Rey said to Krystal, turning back to her.
“Well then!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Krystal, he just asked my name and that’s all there is to it. You act as if he was ready to propose to me or something,” Sana said.
“Oh fine. Whatever you say,” Krystal said.
Once the bell rang, the teacher, Professor Luna, entered the classroom. She placed her briefcase onto her desk, brushing aside her neatly combed blonde hair that was tied in a ponytail. “All right, class. I know you were all expecting a test today. But I have decided to postpone it till tomorrow,” Professor Luna announced.
“Are you kidding me?!” Rey exclaimed. “I did fifteen minutes of cramming for nothing?!”
“Instead, we are going to discuss the importance of energy conversion during battles,” Professor Luna said as she began writing on the board. She then turned, and looked at Prince, who sat back in his seat, chewing on his raspberry-flavored candy cane while placing his feet on the desk. “Prince Blake,” Professor Luna called on Prince.
“Yeah?” Prince replied.
“How many times do I have to tell you not to put your feet on the desks?” Professor Luna said to Prince. “And why do you keep having those candy canes in your mouth during class?”
“To hell with the drama,” Prince mumbled, rolling his eyes.
“What did you say?!” Professor Luna asked Prince.
“I was just wondering why you care so much. My family has paid every damn dime to get me in this school. That makes the academy my home. So I can treat it like home. If treating it like home means chewing on my candy cane and putting my feet up, then deal with it,” Prince replied. “Besides, I do pay attention in this class.”
“He’s actually talking back,” Krystal said in a whispering voice, sounding surprised as ever.
“Is that so?! Well then, why don’t you come up before the class for my demonstration of energy conversion,” Professor Luna stated. “And I need another volunteer. Ah! Heer St. Hale! You come up with Prince to the front of the class.”
Heer nodded her head silently and went up to the front of the class along with Prince. As the two went up, Rey and Neil noticed Aiden through the window of the classroom, walking in the hall. The two looked at each other and Rey whispered, “He’s right there. Here’s our chance.”
“Rey Murgatroyd! Neil Galloway!” Professor Luna shouted. Rey and Neil turned to Professor Luna. “You think this is chatting time?! Fine then! You two can go out in the hall!”
Rey and Neil got up from their seats, giving off smirks as they left the classroom. Sana moped in her seat. I have a bad feeling those two are going to cause some trouble, Sana thought, shaking her head.
Outside of the class, Rey and Neil stepped out into the hall and hid quietly behind the pillars as Aiden was walking down the aisle. “I say we sneak attack on him,” Rey told Neil.
“Right. You can pounce on him from behind. Then I’ll make a move,” Neil added.
“Good idea!” Rey exclaimed.
“What are you two doing?!” a voice asked from behind Rey and Neil.
Rey and Neil gasped as they turned around to see Headmaster Devil standing right behind them.
“Headmaster Devil!” Rey and Neil exclaimed in unison.
“You didn’t answer my question. Why are you two out lingering in the hall?” Headmaster Devil asked.
“We were sent out of class, sir,” Neil replied.
“I see,” Headmaster Devil said. “So, what was this whole sneak attack plan you both were discussing?”
“Oh…that…um,” Rey mumbled. “We were just talking about an act…for the next circus show! Right, Neil?!”
“Right!” Neil agreed.
“Yeah, yeah. In my office,” Headmaster Devil ordered. “Let’s see what I have to do with you two idiots.”
“We’re so screwed!” Neil cried as he shrieked at the sight of the dark beast coming their way.
“Shouldn’t we at least try to fight it?!” Rey asked.
“Dude, the size of that thing could crush us alone. We’re no match.”
“Krystal is right. We’re chickens.”
“Wherever Krystal is now is probably better than this!”
“Come on! Why don’t you fire an arrow or something?!”
“Wait! What’s that?!”
Rey looked up to see someone coming down from the sky. The dark beast was seemingly distracted by the sight. The closer Rey looked, the more he realized he knew exactly who he was looking at. Dropping from the sky was Sana. She drew out her trishula, unleashing a gorgeous fire from it towards the eyes of the dark beast. The dark beast began to tumble as its eyes stung from the fire. The ground shook as the beast got down to the ground. Sana landed before Rey and Neil. Rey was shocked to see her, but he was even more shocked that she changed clothes as well. She was wearing a short-sleeved red blouse with an orange saree cloth draped around her with matching red pants.
“Sana, what are you doing here?!” Rey exclaimed. “And you changed clothes?!”
“That’s the least confusing thing at this point,” Neil said.
“I was looking for you, and we stumbled upon that fairy tale book. Then, we ended up here,” Sana said.
“We? Who’s we?” Rey asked.
“Me and Zayn. I don’t know where he ended up though,” Sana said.
“Damn,” Neil said. “All of us are scattered at this point.”
“You mean Krystal isn’t with you?” Sana asked.
“No. She disappeared after stepping on some arrow thing,” Neil said.
“Okay, I know we have a lot to talk about, but we should maybe hide somewhere before the beast wakes up,” Rey said.
“Let’s go back to the cave!” Neil exclaimed.
Sana nodded and followed Rey and Neil.
***
On the other hand, Krystal got up from the bed and looked around her surroundings, getting increasingly confused. She didn’t understand how she got in the new place to begin with. Her incredibly long hair was tiresome and dragging.
“How did I even get here?” Krystal asked. She went to the nearby door and tried to open it, but it was locked tight. “Great. How the hell am I gonna get out of here?!”
Krystal looked at the window again. She walked towards it and shouted, “Hello! Anyone out there? Hello!”
Krystal could faintly hear a voice nearby. The person was saying hello, and they sounded familiar. She looked outside the window and was stunned. Way down on the ground was Zayn. He was wearing a gray kurta with purple pants and silver sandals. She said, “What are you doing here?! And why do you look so nice in that outfit?”
“What?”
“Never mind! Pretend you didn’t hear that last part.”
“Okay…what happened here?”
“Well, me, Rey, and Neil got zapped into this fairy tale book. We were in the same story, and somehow, I ended up here and now I have this ridiculously long mane.”
“I’ll need to come up there. We can communicate better when we’re in close contact.”
“You can’t. I think everything is locked. The door won’t open.”
“There’s another way. Let down your hair.”
“What?!”
“You just have to do it.”
“Why the hell would I do that?!”
“Ask less questions and throw down your hair.”
Krystal looked at her long braid and sighed. She grabbed hold of all her hair and threw it down out the window. Her braid went all the way next to where Zayn was. Zayn grabbed hold of her hair and began to climb up the tower with it.
“Oww!” Krystal exclaimed. “Watch how you grab my hair! I don’t understand how anyone would think this is practical. If the girl in this story had to go through this, imagine what else she went through!”
Before Krystal could complain some more, Zayn had arrived by the window. She didn’t know why, but she found herself to be flustered as he was nearby. She watched as Zayn quickly drew out his wand, transforming it into his clarinet. He said, “You might want to stand back.”
Krystal nodded as she took a few steps to back away. Zayn began to play his clarinet in the B-flat major scale. Twisting sand began to flow out from the clarinet onto the bars, building up further and further until it encased them like a cocoon. Zayn waited a moment before he kicked the bars down and entered the room.
“I’ve never seen you use your sand like that,” Krystal said.
“Well, it can work like that. Are you okay?”
“Not really! I don’t even know how I got here! How did you get here?”
“Sana opened the fairy tale book, and we got zapped into it.”
“Wait, is Sana not with you?”
“No. She may have ended up in the story with Rey and Neil.”
“Speaking of stories, why’d you tell me to throw down my hair?”
“So, you don’t know the story of Rajamani?”
“Rajamani?”
“It’s the story of a maiden with incredibly long hair that gets abducted by an evil witch away from her kingdom. In the story, she lets down her hair for the prince to climb up and rescue her.”
“Seriously? When did you read this story?”
“I read a lot of books when I was in…well, in my childhood.”
Krystal could sense Zayn was withholding information, but she found it was best to not question it.
“Anyway, I meant to say, I read a bunch of different stories at that time. My mom is half Iranian, so she had all these books of folktales from Asia. This story was one of the ones I read,” Zayn said.
“I see. I honestly didn’t expect you to read folktales.”
“Well, it was the best thing I could indulge in at the time. Anyway, we should focus less on small talk and get out of here. “
“You’re right. You want to try breaking the door? I would, but I’m not sure my sonic bell can do that.”
“Well, there’s another route.”
Krystal was puzzled, but she noticed Zayn looking at the window. She shrieked and said, “You want us to jump out the window?! Are you nuts?!”
“I know it’s scary, but I have a feeling you have to.”
“Wouldn’t breaking the door be easier?! I thought you at least had that much knowledge.”
“Look, we don’t have time to break the door and run around the tower to find an exit. There’s another reason I have, but it’s best to explain after we jump.”
“You mean after I die?”
“You’re not going to die. I’ll hold onto you as we jump.”
Ugh. I don’t know about this. My heart rate is going up, Krystal thought. I guess I have to trust him.
“Fine, let’s just do this already,” Krystal said as she walked towards the window. She looked down, startled by the height of the supposed jump. She gulped, unsure if she could handle it when suddenly, Zayn grabbed hold of her around her waist.
“Is this okay?” he asked. Krystal nodded, feeling flustered but secure. She wrapped her right arm around Zayn, so she could hold onto him.
“Ready?”
Krystal nodded. Zayn proceeded to jump along with Krystal. She held her screams inside as they dropped down to the ground. Zayn quickly drew out his clarinet to emit a sound energy beam that allowed them to gently bounce onto the ground. Krystal took a deep breath while Zayn looked at her and said, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks. Now explain why you needed to do this instead.”
“If I’m correct, our best way of getting of the story is by completing it. You see, in the original story, Rajamani is rescued by Prince Mahendra and they escape by jumping out of the window.”
“Oh! So, how did I end up here? I mean, I left from the other story and landed in this one.”
“Do you remember anything before you got here?”
“I remember I stepped on something. It looked like an arrow.”
“An arrow? That means you must’ve gone to the next story. The arrow was probably a way of doing that.”
“That is a possibility. So, if you think we have to complete the story to get out, what happens next?”
Before Zayn could answer, he sensed a presence coming. He looked up, seeing a woman with a dark, long-haired mane, wearing a wine-red saree, and silver cuff bracelets floating above in the sky. Seeing her made him realize something.
“Krystal,” Zayn said.
“Yeah.”
“This is the part where we run.”
“What?!”
The woman immediately shot dark energy blasts from her eyes towards Krystal. Zayn got Krystal out of the way, and he grabbed hold of her hand. The two of them ran as the woman continued to launch her attacks.
“You can’t run away, Rajamani!” the woman shouted as she launched a dark energy blast from her hands.
“I’m not Rajamani!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Don’t tell her that!” Zayn said.
Krystal got struck in her back by the beam, alarming Zayn. He quickly countered with a sound energy beam from his clarinet, striking the woman in the face. It bought them some time, so Zayn quickly got hold of Krystal and took her under the refuge of a tall plant that was leaning downwards, creating a shade effect. It was amongst several other plants and provided good cover. He signaled Krystal to keep quiet as he kept an eye out for the woman. Krystal controlled her breathing as she rested against the plant, still feeling the pain from the attack.
***
For Sana, Rey, and Neil, the three were taking cover inside the cave. Rey looked at Sana, who seemed to be strategizing something. He asked her, “Okay, you have a plan?”
“What makes you think I have a plan?”
“Because you’re thinking too hard.”
“At least one of us is thinking here.”
“Hey! It was my idea that we hide in the cave!”
“Rey, how long can we sit in this cave like ducks?” Neil asked. “We have to do something to get out here.”
“What can we do?” Rey asked. “This story makes no sense! I thought after Krystal left and Sana came, she’d be the same character. But look at her getup!”
“Rey, didn’t I tell you this story before?” Sana asked.
“Yeah, and I don’t remember,” Rey said. “All I remembered was the title and the ten-headed monster.”
Rey’s words made Sana realize something. She was trying to figure out the logistics of the story, and how it tied to a solution to getting out. Something finally clicked for her.
“I think I’m starting to understand something,” Sana said.
“Okay, share,” Neil said.
“You two mentioned a barrier when you tried to run away from the dark beast, right?” Sana asked. “The barrier is probably preventing you from leaving because the story hasn’t been completed.”
“You mean like we should be following the story?” Rey asked.
“Something like that. This whole time you’ve been trying to find an exit or something to get out of the story, but stories don’t just end like that,” Sana said. “I think to get out, we have to complete the story.”
“You mean complete it exactly how it was originally written?” Neil asked.
“Not exactly. See, these stories aren’t exactly like the ones I read. The one we’re in has a dark beast, so I can only assume someone or something casted a spell on this book to change that aspect of the story,” Sana said. “If we’re going to get out, we have to complete the story in a way that’s authentic to the way it is set up right now.”
“And how do we do that?” Neil asked.
“I know! You must remember the details of the story, right?” Rey asked.
“Based off the clothes, you two are the village boys that befriend the princess,” Sana said. “In the story, the two boys go into hiding after the princess’ supposed demise.”
“Demise?” Neil asked. “You mean Krystal could’ve gotten hurt or something?”
Sana pondered for a moment, remembering that Rey told her about Krystal stepping on an arrow before disappearing. It made her think that she must’ve exited the story, rather than disappeared.
“No, I think Krystal went to the next story. That’s what the arrow probably meant,” Sana said. “But I think the story must’ve replaced her with me once I entered.”
“How? You’re wearing a completely different outfit than what she wore,” Neil said.
“In the story, when the princess disappears, the two boys try to fend off the monster, but struggle to do so. They plead for the princess to come back, and she reappears, fully transformed,” Sana said. “She rises as the avatar of fire, Agni.”
The details of the story started to come back to Rey as Sana explained them. After thinking for a bit, he said, “So, if you hadn’t come to the story, we’d be stuck here forever?”
“Consider yourselves lucky,” Sana said, shaking her head. “Anyway, Agni takes out the monster and everyone is saved.”
“Hold on. I’m not gonna stand in the background while you get to have all the action,” Rey said.
“Yeah, me neither!” Neil exclaimed.
“You don’t have to. Remember, we’re taking on the story in our own way,” Sana said. “I have a plan that should work.”
***
On the other hand, Zayn and Krystal were still hiding under the giant plant. The plant’s shade protected them, and Krystal found comfort in how it almost felt alive, like the plant was trying to conceal them. Its soft yellow color was pleasing to her eyes. Krystal could feel the pain from the attack was going down a bit. She looked over at Zayn, who was rather quiet. She couldn’t tell if it was because he was actively looking out for the woman or if it was something else.
“Something on your mind?” Krystal asked.
Zayn turned to Krystal and said, “Huh?”
“I asked if something was on your mind.”
“Why do you ask?”
“You’ve been staring into nothingness for the past few minutes while I’m over here in pain. You haven’t even bothered to ask if I’m okay!”
“Are you complaining to me after I saved us both?”
“Complaining?! You think I’m complaining?! You think it’s cool that I sit here like a duck while you drown yourself in your loner thoughts?”
“Now you’re just being ridiculous.”
“The only thing ridiculous here is that you haven’t said much of anything since we started hiding here. There’s nothing ridiculous about me wanting you to show care for me!”
Krystal realized how strong her words came off upon seeing Zayn’s stunned expression. She found herself flustered, unsure as to why she said what she said. She turned around for a moment, trying to figure out what to say.
“Okay, sorry about that last part. I think I came off too strong,” Krystal said. She could feel her cheeks were getting red.
Zayn found himself to be a little flustered as he tried to figure out what to say. He looked at her and said, “No, you’re fine. I should apologize. I wasn’t paying attention to anything else this whole time and you’re in pain. Are you okay?”
“I’m feeling a little better.”
“I’m sorry. I wish I explained things before she showed up and attacked us.”
“Who was she by the way?”
“She’s Rajamani’s stepmother, Tanveer. She’s the evil witch that kidnapped her when she was a child, wanting to auction her for her magical hair.”
“Okay then…that’s pretty dark. So, now what?”
“Well, we have to follow the rest of the story to get out of here.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I’m just thinking we might have to approach this differently. Like, think about it for a moment. No matter what the story is, all these fairy tales have something in common.”
“And that is?”
“They’re all about the battle of good verses evil. Sure, there’s unique morals in all of them, but the overarching theme is there.”
Krystal’s words made Zayn see things differently. Maybe she was onto something. He didn’t know for sure, but with the way things were, he figured there was no harm in going with Krystal’s approach.
“So, you think the important thing is to take down Tanveer?” Zayn asked.
“I think if we take her down together, we have a chance of getting out of here.”
“Okay, in that case, I may have an idea of what we should do.”
“You do? But we don’t know where she probably is now?”
“I was watching for her, and she may be in the forest right now, waiting for us. It’s what she did in the original story.”
“All right. Let’s hear this plan then.”
***
It didn’t take long for Zayn to explain his plan to Krystal. When they agreed on everything, they set out to put it into action. They made it into the forest and Krystal walked off on her own while Zayn hid amongst the trees and bushes. The forest was dense and oddly quiet. The tree branches hung like the hands of a witch reaching for its prey. Krystal gulped. She tried to remain calm, trusting the plan and Zayn. As she walked further into the forest, she said, “Hey, Tanveer! I’m here now.”
Krystal waited for a response. She tried to refrain from clenching her skirt to not look scared. It didn’t take long for her to sense a presence coming near.
It was Tanveer. She hovered before Krystal, seemingly ready to take her away with her sharp purple fingernails.
“At last, you finally come back,” Tanveer said. “It’s not like you have a choice.”
Krystal smirked and said, “Think again.”
This was Zayn’s cue. He rushed out from hiding, launching a sound wave from his clarinet at Tanveer. With Tanveer distracted, he stood by Krystal as she transformed her wand into her sonic bell. She launched a sound wave from her sonic bell to further boost Zayn’s attack on Tanveer. A visibly irritated Tanveer quickly rose back from the ground, her neck twitching as she tossed a dark energy beam towards Krystal like a football. Zayn quickly pulled Krystal out of the way as the energy beam hit one of the trees.
Zayn looked at Krystal and said, “Are you okay?”
“I’m good. Dodging is a lot harder with this much hair!”
“You’re gonna have to use it as an advantage somehow? Think of anything yet?”
“No! I’ve never exactly fought with ten feet of hair before.”
“I’ll keep her busy while you get an attack ready.”
Tanveer created a spiraling dark energy beam in her hands and tossed it while Zayn countered, calling out “B-flat major!” He played his clarinet in the key and a spiral of sand emerged, countering the energy beam.
Krystal tried to think of a way to use her hair to attack. It was crucial as Zayn told her that in the original story, Rajamani destroyed Tanveer with the powers of her magical hair. Krystal had to do that in combination with her sonic bell. She realized she had to trust herself that she could make it work, but it was hard to think on her feet so quickly.
Before she knew it, Zayn was being pinned down by Tanveer’s nails. She knew she had to step in. Krystal immediately grabbed hold of her braid, whipping it like a lasso as she threw it and it wrapped around Tanveer’s arm. Krystal rang her sonic bell against her braid, and the sound wave rippled through her hair as it combined with the golden glow that shimmered through the strands. The powers of the hair and Krystal’s sound wave struck Tanveer, releasing her from Krystal’s grip as she fell to the ground in defeat.
Krystal quickly rushed to Zayn, helping him get up. She asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Zayn said. “Nice work by the way.”
“Look at you! You’re actually complimenting me!”
Before Zayn could say anything, he could feel something shaking beneath the ground. A portal began to open, taking Zayn and Krystal with it. It wasn’t too long until the two had landed back in the library. Krystal looked at her hair and clothes, seeing they had returned to normal.
“Yes! Hello, normal long hair!” Krystal exclaimed. “I can’t believe we did it!”
“That’s a relief. Imagine if we ended up in another story.”
“What about the others? Do you think we can do something?”
“If we open the book again, we’ll get sucked back in the story. We have to trust they know how to get out like we did.”
“You think they know?”
“They have Sana on their side. There’s no way they won’t know. For now, we can wait here for them.”
***
Sana looked outside the cave, trying her best to remain hidden. She could see the dark beast was still outside. She looked at Rey and Neil and said, “All right. We got one shot at this. Ready, Neil?”
“I don’t know about this,” Neil whimpered. “You’re sending me in like a headless bird.”
“Come on, man! You got this!” Rey exclaimed.
“We’ll back you up sooner than you think,” Sana said.
Neil gulped as he looked outside. He took a deep breath and said, “Okay. I’m going in.”
Neil immediately charged outside, screaming like a lunatic. Sana put her hand to her face in embarrassment while Rey began to chuckle.
“All right, dark beast! Come and get me!” Neil exclaimed as he flailed his arms.
“That idiot,” Sana said, rolling her eyes.
“He’s really taking this role seriously,” Rey giggled.
Neil waved his arms to get the beast’s attention. It didn’t take long for the dark beast to let out a loud growl as it stomped its way towards Neil. It moved its paw to grab him. That’s when Sana and Rey jumped in. Sana immediately struck the beast’s paw with embers coming from her trishula. The beast stepped back as Rey transformed into his beast form while Neil transformed his wand into his bow and arrow.
“You overacted,” Sana told Neil.
“Hey, I’m not a professional!” Neil exclaimed.
“Well, you’re a professional goof!” Rey laughed.
“All right, focus, guys. Remember the plan,” Sana said. “Neil, attack the legs. Rey and I got the rest.”
“Got it!” Neil exclaimed as he prepared his bow to fire. He charged up his energy for the perfect ice arrow and struck it at the beast’s feet. Its feet were frozen solid, providing the perfect distraction.
Sana and Rey got to work. She directed Rey, and he jumped, pouncing onto the beast’s body. He lifted his paw, using his Ember Claw attack to pierce his fiery claws into the beast’s chest. These distractions allowed Sana to keep close eye on what the beast’s next move would be.
The dark beast seemingly had enough. It was boiling with rage. Suddenly its face began to transform, shocking Rey and even Neil as he too watched. The beast grew an additional nine heads, each one with the same scary face. It didn’t take long for all ten heads to emit dark energy beams towards Sana, Rey, and Neil. Rey fell off while Neil turned to Sana and said, “Now it decides to be the ten-headed monster in the story?!”
“Don’t worry, I’m prepared for this,” Sana said. “Neil, aim for the heads on the left.”
“What?!”
“Just do it! You need to fire at least four arrows.”
Neil realized he didn’t have time to think as the heads started launching a dark energy wave towards the group. Sana quickly charged up the wave with her trishula and said, “Rey, aim for the heads on the right! Leave the two in the middle!”
Rey nodded, turning to Neil. He nodded back and they proceeded. Neil began to fire one arrow after the next at the heads on the left. Each arrow struck each head, freezing it entirely. Rey quickly launched fireball attacks at each of the heads on the right. During this, Sana continued to charge through the dark energy wave, making her way towards the top where the middle heads were at. The two middle heads were seemingly putting more power into the dark energy wave to get Sana down, but she kept pushing. She powered her trishula through the wave, allowing its dark power to envelope it as the fiery power began to charge through it. Once she got closer to the two heads, she raised the trishula to prepare for the strike. Sana jumped, holding up the dark and fiery trishula as she plunged it through the heads, piercing it further through the body as she powered through to the ground. The dark beast split in two and slowly evaporated into dark purple ash.
Rey transformed back. He looked at Neil, whose mouth dropped wide open. He couldn’t blame him as he too was astonished at what he saw. At the same time, he knew he shouldn’t be surprised. This was Sana after all.
Sana slowly got up from the ground. Rey and Neil rushed to her side with Rey asking, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good,” Sana said.
“That was so awesome!” Neil exclaimed. “Now was the girl in the story as badass as you were just now?!”
“You’d have to read it,” Sana smirked.
Before anything else could be said, a portal opened and took Sana, Rey, and Neil with it. The three screamed as they were transported back into the library, returning to their old clothes. As they got up, Krystal said, “You guys made it!”
“Yeah, we did. Was there ever any doubt?” Rey asked.
“She certainly did for a bit,” Zayn said.
“Hey!” Krystal exclaimed. “Anyway, you won’t believe what happened!”
“Damn it! It’s almost midnight!” Rey cried.
“Seriously?! We were gone that long?!” Neil exclaimed.
“And we still have to write the paper,” Krystal said as she sulked into her chair.
“Why don’t you guys just ask for an extension?” Zayn asked. “I’m sure getting sucked into a fairy tale book is a valid excuse.”
“Please! Professor D’Sena is such a miser. He could care less,” Neil said. “What are we gonna do?!”
“Well, if we work fast tonight, we can get this done,” Krystal said.
“How exactly?” Sana asked.
“With the way we had to strategize in our stories, this sets up the perfect foundation for our paper!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Rey said. “We can finish this with no problem.”
“All right! Let’s get cracking then!” Neil exclaimed as he turned on the lights.
“Please tell me you can get us out of here,” Sana said to Zayn. “I don’t want to have a sleepover at the library again.”
“Luckily I got my dad’s key,” Zayn said.
With that, Sana and Zayn headed out of the library while Rey, Krystal, and Neil stayed behind to work on their paper.
***
The following morning, Rey, Krystal, and Neil managed to finish the paper. Of course, it did take the entire night. So, when the afternoon rolled and they handed it in, they crashed after school for long naps.
The day after, the trio were in Combat Strategies I. Sana looked at the three of them as they were all snoring for a solid five minutes until she woke them up. Rey yawned and said, “Why do you have to wake us?”
“You want to get in trouble again?” Sana asked.
“It’d be worth it since we lost so much sleep after that whole paper,” Neil said.
Once the bell rang, students started gathering things. As Professor D’Sena cleaned the chalkboard, he said, “Rey, Krystal, and Neil, let me speak to you three for a moment.”
“Good luck,” Sana said as she exited the classroom with Prince, Heer, Zayn, and Akira.
Krystal gulped as she got up with Rey and Neil. The three walked up to Professor D’Sena. He turned around and said, “I finished reading your paper.”
“Oh God,” Krystal said.
“All right. Just tell us already,” Rey said.
“I was very impressed,” Professor D’Sena said.
“Wait, what?!” Neil exclaimed.
“Yes,” Professor D’Sena said. “The way you described the importance of combat strategies and applied them with the context of real examples was exhilarating. It was like you were actually in those battles.”
“Oh, you have no idea,” Krystal said.
“Anyway, I’m happy to give you all an A on this paper. You three will pass this quarter,” Professor D’Sena said.
“Yes!” Neil exclaimed as he high-fived Rey and Krystal.
“And Neil,” Professor D’Sena said. “Try to skip class less next quarter.”
Rey and Krystal chuckled at Neil as they started leaving. Neil protested, “Me skipping class is nothing compared to what you guys do!”
“Rey! How dare you eat my Marigold Surprise?!” Krystal shouted.
It was a casual Wednesday at Ringmasters Training Academy. In the afternoon, Sana, Rey, Krystal, and Prince were hanging out in the sophomore lounge area during their break time. Of course, things weren’t casual for long.
“I didn’t know it was yours,” Rey said as he finished eating the Marigold Surprise.
“I left it on the table to go get some water. Did you not hear me say that to everyone?”
“You sure you said that?”
“Ugh! Even so, you just eat food left on the table that you clearly didn’t buy?! Like a heathen!” Krystal exclaimed. “And why did you two not do anything about it?”
“I was in the bathroom,” Sana said.
“I just didn’t care,” Prince said.
“Ugh!” Krystal exclaimed. “You owe me another one!”
“What is happening?” Neil asked as he came up to the group in the lounge.
“Rey ate my Marigold Surprise,” Krystal said.
“Big deal. You can get another one,” Neil said. “Anyway, Devil apparently wants us in his office.”
“What?! Who told you that?” Rey asked.
“My brother casually dropped that while I was walking by in the hall,” Neil said. “Quite rude if you ask me.”
“You guys better not have done anything,” Sana said.
“Knowing them, trouble is their best friend,” Prince said.
“Oh, shut up, Prince!” Krystal exclaimed. “Let’s just get this over with!”
***
Rey, Krystal, and Neil headed straight to Headmaster Devil’s office. Once they went inside, they found Headmaster Devil wasn’t alone. He was with Professor D’Sena.
“Professor D’Sena?” Krystal said.
“Hello, kids,” Professor D’Sena said. “Should I stay for this?”
“No, Arun,” Headmaster Devil said. “I’ll take it from here.”
Professor D’Sena nodded and headed out of the office. Krystal was confused and could see Rey and Neil were as well.
“So, what’s going on?” Krystal asked.
“You three should probably know,” Headmaster Devil said.
“Know what?” Rey asked.
“Professor D’Sena just informed me that you three didn’t do so well on your recent exam,” Headmaster Devil said.
“What?! I actually studied this time,” Rey said.
“Hold on. He didn’t even hand them back to us yet,” Neil said.
“I know. But he informed me that you all are now on the verge of not passing the class this quarter,” Headmaster Devil said.
“What?!” Krystal exclaimed. “That’s impossible. I had a B this quarter.”
“Yeah, and now you currently hold a solid seventy,” Headmaster Devil said. “Needless to say, it’s not looking good for you three. You know that Combat Strategies I is a crucial class to pass this year.”
“We’re not getting kicked out of the academy, are we?!” Neil asked.
“No, but I did talk to Professor D’Sena just now. He’s giving you three an opportunity that could ensure you three don’t fail this quarter,” Headmaster Devil said.
“Okay, what is it?” Rey asked.
“Well, he wants you three to write a six-page paper on the importance of combat strategies and how they’re applicable to real life scenarios,” Headmaster Devil said. “That shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Six pages? When is it due?” Neil asked.
“Professor D’Sena wants it by class tomorrow,” Headmaster Devil said.
“Ugh! How can I write a six-page paper by tomorrow?!” Krystal exclaimed.
“That’s why he wants you to write it together,” Headmaster Devil said. “A group paper.”
“Suddenly it gets worse,” Krystal said.
“It’s a pretty fair opportunity. As long as you get at least a B on the paper, you three will pass this quarter,” Headmaster Devil said. “You three can work on it at the library after school. Shouldn’t be too hard, right?”
Krystal sighed. Rey looked at Neil and could tell he was feeling just as irritated.
***
After school, Rey, Krystal, and Neil went to the library to begin work on their paper. Krystal was going through the many sections of books to find relevant materials, Rey was going through the bits of lectures he recorded on his phone, and Neil was staring at his laptop screen. As Krystal arrived back to the table with the books, she sighed and said, “What are you two doing?! The laziness here is unacceptable.”
“Hey, I’m actually doing something here!” Rey exclaimed. “I’m looking through the lectures I recorded in class.”
“Those blurry videos with poor audio?” Krystal said.
“It beats trying to learn from a book,” Rey said. “I’m a visual learner. The only reason I did bad on that exam was because I forgot to study.”
“And your excuse is what?” Krystal asked Neil. “I told you to start writing the intro, and you’re just staring at the screen.”
“I have writer’s block,” Neil said. “And since when are you such a taskmaster for school? Isn’t that Sana’s thing?”
“Because of you guys, I’m missing out on the release of the new Reshawna Fruit Fest bag collection,” Krystal said as she sat down at the table. “I was going to snag the Strawberry Milkshake bag at the mall, and now it’s probably sold out! Ugh.”
Krystal sighed. She looked at Neil’s laptop screen and said, “I don’t even know how to start this paper.”
“I would’ve rather gone on some mission where we kick some ass,” Rey said. “Writing about fights isn’t exactly as fun as actually fighting.”
“Well, we can’t sit here and complain all day,” Neil said. “The sooner we finish this, the better.”
Krystal got ready to crack open one of the books. As she opened one, she noticed one of the books fell on the floor. She got up to pick it up but was puzzled. It didn’t look like a book that she picked up from the shelves. It had a lavender cover and gold writing on the front that was in a language she didn’t recognize. There was a small golden fairy in the top right corner as well. She knew she had to focus, but she couldn’t help but be intrigued.
“What are you doing, Krystal?” Rey asked.
“Oh, I just picked up this book by mistake,” Krystal said as she put the lavender book on the table. “It looks really cool though.”
“What language is the writing?” Neil asked.
“Not sure,” Krystal said. “Maybe we can open it and see what’s inside.”
“I thought we were supposed to focus on the paper,” Rey said.
“We are. This is just a quick peak,” Krystal said.
Krystal opened the cream pages of the book. As soon as she opened it, the book emitted a golden glow that stunned her, Rey, and Neil. Suddenly, she could feel herself being pulled into the book along with the others.
The three of them screamed as they were pulled into a golden portal. After a few fleeting moments, they fell onto a ground. Krystal could feel her back was hurting from the fall. She quickly grabbed her wand, which had fallen on the ground. As she grabbed it, she noticed something different. Her clothes had been changed. She was now wearing a long-sleeved orange dress with intricate gold embroidery.
“Damn, what the hell just happened?” Rey asked as he got up along with Neil.
“Your clothes! They changed,” Neil said to Krystal. He looked at Rey, seeing him in a white long-tunic, blue billowy pants, and brown boots. He looked at himself to see he was dressed in the exact same outfit. “I changed clothes! What the hell just happened?!”
“I just asked that,” Rey said.
Krystal was puzzled. She couldn’t understand what was going on. The more she pondered over it, the clearer it became to her.
“I think…we maybe got transported into the book,” Krystal said.
“What?!” Neil said.
“Wait, she might be right. Things went whack when she opened the book,” Rey said. “What did it say on the cover?”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t read it,” Krystal said. “Though there might’ve been a fairy in the corner of the cover.”
“Fairy tales! We must be in a book of fairy tales,” Neil said.
Krystal couldn’t believe it, but the more she processed it, the more she realized how true it was.
“This can’t be happening. So, what fairy tale involves clothes like these?” Krystal asked.
Before anyone could answer, Krystal heard the sound of loud thumps. She turned around along with Rey and Neil, horrified at what she saw. A giant three-eyed dark beast that had the form of a bear was coming towards them. The creature roared at Krystal, Rey, and Neil.
“Maybe we should run and discuss this later,” Rey said as he took off.
Krystal and Neil followed Rey, running off as the dark beast chased them with its loud thumps. It didn’t take long for the dark beast to start launching dark energy beams their way. The trio kept running, dodging each one.
“I thought you two were always in a fighting mood,” Krystal said to Rey and Neil.
“Not when we’re being chased by a giant bear!” Neil exclaimed.
“Look! There’s a little cave thingy!” Rey pointed out.
Rey quickly led Krystal and Neil towards the cave he found. He pushed the green branches away and headed inside with Krystal and Neil, making sure the dark beast didn’t see them. They sat down and Rey took a deep breath.
“That was scary as hell,” Rey said. “Man, I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“I’m confused. I’m scared,” Neil said. “What the hell is happening?!”
“Neil’s the one that said we’re in a book of fairy tales,” Krystal said. “What fairy tale is this?”
“I don’t know,” Neil said. “First off, none of the fairy tales I’ve read mentioned dark beasts in them.”
“Wait a sec. Krystal, was there any writing on the book?” Rey asked.
“Yeah, but it was in another language,” Krystal said. “Why?”
“Well, our clothes and the giant monster remind me of this Indian fairy tale that Sana told me about once,” Rey said. “I don’t remember the Sanskrit title, but it translated to Three Kids and a Giant.”
“So, we’re in an Indian fairy tale book?” Neil asked.
“I guess so,” Rey said. “But it doesn’t explain why we got sucked into the book. Also, the monster in that tale is a ten-headed giant. So, why the change?”
“I don’t know what’s worse between the monster we got and that one,” Neil said.
“Okay, so, does this fairy tale book have some kind of spell on it? I mean how else can you explain us getting sucked into the book,” Krystal said. “Whatever spell was cast on it must’ve transformed the creatures in the stories into dark beasts.”
“Creatures?! Let’s deal with the story we’re in right now,” Neil said. “Rey, what do you remember about this story?”
“Ugh, it’s kinda fuzzy,” Rey said. “There were three characters that were being chased by the giant. That’s all I remember right now.”
“Well, that’s certainly not helpful,” Krystal said.
“Krystal, it’s something. Anyway, we should be focusing on getting out of here,” Neil said. “Maybe there’s some passageway that leads us out of the book.”
“It’s worth a shot,” Rey said. “Maybe the end of this cave can lead us out somewhere.”
Krystal nodded as she got up along with Rey and Neil. The three kept moving through the cave till they reached the other side. Once they stepped outside, Krystal took in the surroundings. The scent of fresh jasmine flowers was in the air and the trees were covered in a variety of greenery.
Rey looked ahead, seeing the sun was still bright as ever. He wondered how time worked within the world of the story they were in. There were hundreds of other questions on his mind as well, but he had to focus on getting out.
“I don’t see the giant bear in sight,” Rey said. “Maybe if we keep walking, we’ll find an exit.”
“Sounds good. Let’s go,” Neil said.
Krystal was about to follow Rey and Neil until she could feel her foot press down on something. She looked down, seeing what looked like an arrow imprinted within the grass. She fell through the ground, screaming as a bright glow surrounded her.
“Krystal!” Rey shouted as he turned around with Neil. It was too late. Krystal had disappeared.
“Damn it. Where did she go?” Neil asked.
“I don’t know.”
Before Rey could even think of what to do, he heard the same giant thumps from before. He looked up along with Neil to see the giant dark beast had returned. As it roared at them again, Rey and Neil ran forward. They ran as fast as they could until they smacked into something that made them fall back. Rey was puzzled as he didn’t see anything in their way. He got up, trying to run again only to fall back again.
“What’s happening?!” Neil exclaimed. “Why can’t we keep going?!”
“I don’t know! It’s like there’s some kind of barrier!”
“So, we’re trapped?!”
Rey could barely think as the dark beast was getting closer to them. He could feel the pressure as he didn’t know what to do.
***
Krystal opened her eyes, feeling the heaviness of her pounding head. She sat up, finding herself to be more confused than ever. She was now in a soft pink bedroom that had intricate paintings hanging on the walls along with the usual essentials like a dresser, nightstand etc. What was jarring to her were the steel bars on the window that looked like they were in place to keep her locked up. She looked at her dress, seeing it had changed again. This time she was wearing a bejeweled lilac blouse with a matching skirt. The thing that made her most confused was her hair. It was now incredibly long, tied in a braid that reached all the way to the floor.
“What the hell is going on here?!” Krystal said.
***
Back at Ringmasters Training Academy, Sana was heading over to the library. As she walked towards the door, she saw Zayn was heading there as well.
“Hey, Zayn,” Sana said as she walked up to him.
“Oh, hey, Sana.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to check out some books here before they close. What about you?”
“I came to check on Rey. I tried calling him, but he didn’t answer.”
“He’s probably just busy, but we can check.”
Sana and Zayn entered the library. The two walked around to find Rey but couldn’t find him anywhere. Then, Sana saw something that caught her eye. She walked over to a table, seeing a bunch of belongings left behind.
“Do any of these belong to them?” Zayn asked.
“Yeah. I recognize Neil’s laptop. It has the same blue cat sticker.”
“Is it possible that they stepped out for a bit or something?”
“If they did, it’s clearly been a while. His laptop is on lock mode.”
“What’s that book on the ground?”
Sana looked down, seeing the book Zayn was referring to. She picked it up, seeing the writing on the front. She recognized it to be in Sanskrit.
“It appears to be a book of fairy tales,” Sana said as she opened the book. “This actually looks similar to the fairy tale book that my dad gave me when I was younger.”
It didn’t take long for the book to give off its golden glow. Sana was stunned, and she could see Zayn was equally surprised. Soon, Sana and Zayn were sucked into the book, and it closed, falling to the floor.
It was a cool, breezy Sunday afternoon. Sana, Rey, Neil, and Heer were hanging out at Devil’s Diner for lunch. After paying, they began to head out when Rey said, “Do you think Krystal is gonna be pissed that we got Marigold Surprises without her?”
“I saved some of mine for her in my leftover box,” Heer said.
“There you go,” Neil said. “When in doubt, we always got Heer to the rescue.”
“Oh God,” Sana said.
“What? What is it?” Rey asked.
Rey looked to see exactly what was agitating Sana. A boy in a gray hoodie and blue jeans was seemingly taking her picture with his cellphone. Before Rey could say anything to Sana, she started marching over to the boy. He knew this wasn’t going to go well.
“What the hell are you doing?” Sana asked the boy.
“What?”
“Are you taking my picture?”
“No.”
Sana grabbed the phone from the boy’s hand, looked at the screen and said, “Then what is this?”
“Oh, come on,” the boy said. “You’re pretty famous around here. You should take it as a compliment.”
“I don’t appreciate my photo being taken without my permission.”
“Oh, come on. It’s a public place. I have the freedom to do so.”
Sana was about ready to smack the boy until Rey immediately stepped in and did the smacking for her, much to her surprise. The boy let out the biggest ouch Sana had ever heard.
“She said she doesn’t want her picture taken! Respect that, boy!” Rey exclaimed.
“Yeah, you get him, Rey!” Neil exclaimed.
“Thank you, but you already knew I was going to hit him,” Sana said.
“I was doing you a favor!” Rey exclaimed. “Krystal did your nails earlier today. Do you really think she’d want you to ruin them?”
Sana sighed and grabbed the phone from the boy, deleting the pictures off it. She handed it back and began to leave with Rey saying, “I better not catch you taking anyone else’s picture again!”
The boy took off with Sana saying, “The nerve of some people.”
“Man, Rey, you really whacked that guy,” Neil said as he came up to Rey and Sana.
“You know I would’ve whacked him just as hard,” Sana said.
“Yeah, but we’re used to you whacking people,” Neil said.
“Hey, I’m fully capable of giving people a smacking!” Rey exclaimed. “Especially when my friends are being wronged!”
Sana noticed Heer was looking at something, seemingly startled. She asked, “Heer, what’s up?”
Heer turned around, looking like she had seen a ghost or something. Sana turned to see a guy standing across from them. He had dark eyes and short black hair, covered by a blue baseball cap. He wore a blue hoodie with black shorts and gray sneakers.
Neil was surprised to see Heer walking away, not saying a word. She started pushing her long hair, hiding her face.
“Heer, where are you going?” Neil asked, calling out to her. Heer didn’t answer. She just walked away. It was quite unlike her to just leave without saying anything.
“Hey, dude, did you say anything to our friend?” Rey questioned the guy.
The guy rolled his eyes and scoffed. His attitude annoyed Rey.
“Hey, man, we asked you a question,” Neil said.
“I didn’t do anything aside from just walking by,” the boy said. “If you should be questioning anyone, it would be her.”
The boy shook his head and left. Sana was very confused, and she could tell that Rey and Neil were as well. She knew there was more going on that she didn’t know about.
***
Later on, in the evening, Sana was alone in her room at the dorms. She pondered over what happened earlier in the city. What could have happened to Heer? Sana tried to talk to her when she got back, but she said she was tired and needed to rest. Sana wasn’t sure if she was telling the truth or just making an excuse for space, but she wanted to respect her need to be alone.
Sana was about to get out her notebook to do some studying until she heard a knock on the door. She got up to answer it. It was Krystal standing outside in the hallway.
“Krystal, what’s up?” Sana asked.
“What’s up with Heer? She handed me the rest of her Marigold Surprise and wasn’t happy about it.”
“Really? That’s how you figured she was upset?”
“You don’t get it. Whenever Heer does something nice for someone, she gives the most wholesome smile. This time she just handed it to me and left. That’s not the Heer I know! What happened?”
“I’m not really sure. Things were fine until this boy showed up.”
“A boy?”
“Yeah, it seemed like they knew each other. She like turned away and just left without saying a word. Rey and Neil questioned the guy about it, and he just gave us an attitude and said we should ask Heer.”
“Did you get the boy’s name?”
“No, we didn’t. It was really unusual.”
“Can you give me some details about his appearance?”
“What are you planning to do? Conduct a search?”
“Hey, I have ways of getting information. Just tell me some details about his appearance. Let’s start with what he was wearing.”
“Uh, blue baseball cap, blue hoodie…”
“What shade of blue was the hoodie?”
“What?”
“What shade of blue was the hoodie? Was it a cobalt blue? Or a sky blue?”
“I don’t know! Why is this important, Krystal?!”
“Heer clearly doesn’t want to tell us who this guy is, so I have to gain as much intel and find out myself. I’m gonna go work on that now.”
“Krystal, there’s no way you can find out who someone is based off such little information.”
“Don’t underestimate me, Sana. I have my ways.”
***
The next day, Sana was getting her books from her locker. She turned to see Heer was coming up to her. Heer said, “Sana, I wanted to apologize about yesterday. I shouldn’t have left so suddenly.”
“You don’t have to apologize, Heer,” Sana said. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, who was that guy?”
“Um, it really doesn’t matter. Anyway, I actually have to do some stuff before class, so I’ll see you later.”
Heer left and Sana sighed. She wanted to help Heer, but it seemed like Heer didn’t want to talk about the situation. She turned to see Rey and Neil come up to her.
“Did Heer talk to you?” Neil asked.
“Yeah. She just apologized for what happened and jolted upon me bringing up the guy,” Sana said.
“She did the same thing with us,” Rey said.
“Man, I wish we could know who he is. She’s clearly affected by him,” Neil said.
“Me too. But at the same time, it’s her personal matter. We shouldn’t force her to talk to us about it,” Sana said.
“But we just want to help her,” Rey said.
“His name is Jac Ashton,” Krystal said as she walked up to the trio.
“Huh?” Sana said. “How do you know?”
“I told you I’d find out who he is,” Krystal said.
“How did you find out who he is?” Neil asked.
“Well, all I had was a lousy description from Sana, but I did some snooping on the web and I found out about some new transfers to this one high school downtown, Red Rock High. So, I contacted my friend whose father’s sister’s cousin’s daughter went to middle school with him,” Krystal said.
“Is anyone else scared of her?” Rey asked Sana and Neil.
“Shut up, Rey. The point is she said that Jac and Heer were really close friends in middle school and around the time of graduation, he just cut her out without warning,” Krystal said.
“Well, that explains why she reacted that way,” Sana said.
“Seriously? Is no one scared at how she gathered intel like that?” Rey asked.
“Forget that. What’s our plan for standing up to the guy?” Neil asked.
“Plan? Guys, we don’t need to do anything,” Sana said.
“What?! Why?!” Rey exclaimed.
“Heer didn’t even want to talk about this. Do you really think she would want us to get involved?” Sana said. “The best thing to do is to leave it be.”
Sana closed her locker and left with her books in hand. Rey couldn’t accept that Sana didn’t want to do anything. He looked at Neil, who looked like he had an idea in mind.
“Krystal, what school did you say this Jac guy goes to?” Neil asked.
“Red Rock High,” Krystal said. “Why?”
“Oh, no reason,” Neil said.
***
Later on, during after school hours, a group of kids were playing kickball outside at the playground of Red Rock High School. Among those kids was Jac. Rey and Neil came to see him playing without a care in the world. Rey looked at Neil and said, “Neil, are you sure this is a good idea?”
“This is perfectly fine. We’re gonna show Jac not to mess with Heer.”
“I know, but don’t you remember what Sana said?”
“Sana is taking the easy way out. We gotta teach this boy a lesson. He has no idea who he’s dealing with. Now, are you ready?”
“All right, let’s do this.”
Rey and Neil walked up to the group as they continued playing. Jac turned to them. Rey could see that Jac recognized them.
“What are you guys doing here?” Jac asked. “Your school doesn’t have a playground?”
“Our school happens to have a lot of cool stuff!” Rey exclaimed.
“We’re here to tell you personally that we don’t like how you treated our friend, Heer,” Neil said.
“And what do you know about that?” Jac asked.
“Well, not much, but considering how well we know Heer, we know you must have been a real jerk to her,” Neil said.
“Right. Because Heer is so innocent and nice,” Jac said. “Perfect little angel that could do no wrong.”
“Are you mocking her?!” Rey exclaimed. “Dude, we could give you quite the beatdown for that.”
“Really?” Jac scoffed.
“You bet,” Neil said as he drew out his wand while Rey got ready to transform.
“What are you two doing?!” a voice questioned.
Rey froze, knowing who it was. He turned around with Neil to see Sana with Krystal. Sana certainly looked displeased.
“Wow. Sana was right,” Krystal said. “You two would do something stupid.”
“How’d you know we were gonna be here?” Rey asked Sana.
“Krystal told me that she told you guys about Jac’s high school, and I knew you two would come to jump him,” Sana said.
“Hey, are you saying we’re predictable?!” Neil exclaimed.
“That and stupid,” Krystal said. “You’re lucky Prince is too busy hanging out with Zayn and Akira at Devil’s Delights to see this.”
“We have every right to jump someone in this scenario!” Rey exclaimed.
“Look, if you guys aren’t going to beat me up, I’m gonna get back to my game,” Jac said as he turned around to continue playing with the other guys.
Sana pulled Rey by his arm and Krystal did the same with Neil. She said, “This isn’t what Heer would’ve liked.”
“Yeah, but he deserves a beating for being such a jackass,” Neil said.
“You know what? Since you two are so hung up on this, why don’t we just talk to Heer?” Sana asked.
“I thought you said we shouldn’t ask her about it,” Rey said.
“That was before you guys started throwing tantrums over it,” Sana said. “Come on.”
***
Back at the academy, Heer was baking cupcakes in the home economics classroom. She was in the middle of frosting the vanilla cupcakes with a strawberry buttercream frosting when Sana, Rey, Krystal, and Neil entered. Before Heer could say anything, Rey said, “Ah! Cupcakes!”
“Really, Rey?” Krystal said as Rey immediately grabbed one of the frosted cupcakes.
“What? I’m hungry,” Rey said as he took a bite from the cupcake. “Damn. This is so good!”
“Thank you,” Heer said. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Well, we thought we’d talk to you about Jac,” Sana said.
“How do you know about Jac?” Heer asked.
“I did some snooping. I have quite the talent for it,” Krystal said.
“I’m sorry. I really didn’t think she’d dig into it,” Sana said. “Or that these two would go hunt him down.”
“We had good reason,” Neil said.
“You don’t have to apologize. I probably should…for not talking about it this whole time,” Heer said.
“Have you been baking to distract yourself from talking about it?” Krystal asked.
“I guess so,” Heer said.
“So, who is he?” Rey asked as he grabbed another cupcake to munch on.
Heer sighed. She took a deep breath, knowing she had to explain herself. She looked at the others and said, “Jac was a close friend since I was in middle school. I didn’t have a lot of friends, but he was one of the few people who I felt like I could talk to about anything. We had a lot of common interests. From cartoons to baking, there was a lot we could share. It felt nice to have a friend like that.”
“So, what happened?” Sana asked.
“Well, there was a point where I noticed he would say things that I didn’t like or things that hurt me. When I would confront him about them, every time, he’d have an excuse or get upset,” Heer said. “It made me think I was doing something wrong. There was one time that led to an argument…or more so me getting yelled at. After that happened, I apologized in hopes we could move on and not let it escalate. And it seemed fine. But then one day, he basically said he didn’t want to be my friend anymore.”
Sana could tell that Heer was hurt just by talking about everything. It may have been something from the past, but Sana understood that memories from our past can still hurt in the present no matter how much time has passed.
“The reason I couldn’t talk about it is because sometimes…I feel like it’s my fault somehow,” Heer said. “Sometimes, I think about all the good times we had. I just wish it didn’t end like that.”
“I understand,” Sana said. “But you should know it’s not your fault.”
“Yeah. Dude was clearly an asshole,” Krystal said. “Ugh! Some people want to act like saints that can never do any wrong. Besides, who wants to have a friend who gets upset like a five-year-old child at a toy store every time you bring up something?”
“The only loser in this situation is him,” Neil said. “He lost a great friend.”
“And we gained one the moment we met here at RTA,” Rey said. “By the way, you need to make more of these cupcakes.”
Heer chuckled along with the others. It was the first time she felt a hint of joy since she encountered Jac.
“Thank you, guys,” Heer said. “I actually feel a little better now that I’ve talked about it.”
“Well, let’s make you feel even more better,” Krystal said. “How about we go to Devil’s Diner for dinner? My treat!”
“That sounds like a plan,” Sana said. “Is that okay with you, Heer?”
“For sure,” Heer said with a smile.
***
Later that night, Sana, Rey, Krystal, Neil, and Heer went to Devil’s Diner. Once they went inside, they were escorted to a table. As they sat down, Heer was stunned to see Jac sitting at a table not too far from them. Seeing her stunned expression, Sana turned around and said, “Wow. He’s here as well.”
“I swear that guy is everywhere,” Krystal said.
“Are you comfortable, Heer?” Rey asked. “We could ask to be moved away.”
“Or we could go somewhere else for dinner,” Neil said.
“No, I’m fine,” Heer said. She could see Jac had looked at her and went back to looking at his cellphone in hand. “I don’t want to run away like last time. I’m here to have a good time with you all. That’s all that matters.”
“Aww, that’s our Heer,” Sana said.
“Still, I’d love to give that jerk a piece of my mind,” Rey said.
“Same here,” Krystal said. “Just look at his outfit. His shirt looks like it was made of duct tape.”
“You know what?” Neil said as he got up. “Why don’t we say a few words to him?”
Krystal smirked and saw Rey smirk as well. The two of them got up with Neil and Sana joined them saying, “No fists. I don’t wanna get kicked out of the restaurant.”
Heer watched as her four friends circled Jac at his table. Jac looked up at them and said, “Now what do you losers want?”
“Ha. Losers? We should be calling you that,” Rey said. “For someone with such a huge ego, you don’t seem to have decent comebacks.”
“Whatever. I’m not the one trying to create a scene here,” Jac said.
“We’re not creating a scene. We’re here to let you know that the only loser around here is you,” Neil said. “You could’ve had a great friend in Heer. And you blew it because you’re a little baby that can’t handle a bit of honesty.”
“If you ever hurt Heer again or do anything to make her uncomfortable, we’ll be coming for you,” Rey said. “My partner here is pretty good at giving a smackdown.”
“It’s true,” Sana said. “I’d smack you in the head right now, but I don’t want to get kicked out before dinner.”
“We’re gonna be sitting close by. I hope us having fun doesn’t make you cry out of regret for what you could’ve had,” Krystal said.
As the group turned around to head back to their table, Krystal turned back and said, “Also, that shirt is ugly as hell. I’d burn it if I were you. Bye!”
Krystal joined the others back at the table, laughing with the others. While they were laughing, Heer watched them. She didn’t even bother to look at Jac anymore because she no longer cared about what she had lost.
“Hey, guys,” Heer said. “I’m really glad you all are my friends.”
“Aww, same here, girl!” Krystal said as she hugged Heer.
“Now let’s order food,” Rey said. “I’m starving.”
As her friends laughed some more, Heer realized that what she had right now was exactly what was meant to be.
It was cold and stormy as Neil and Heer hid among the bushes in the forest. It had been pouring for quite some time now. Neil could feel the water seep into his sneakers as he held onto his bow. But he was trying to not let it distract him. He had to keep his cool. He kept a close eye on his target. The catlike dark beast was growling faintly as it prowled among the trees. Neil looked over at Heer and whispered, “You ready?”
“Yes.”
“So, you’re clear on what you have to do?”
“I’ve understood everything.”
“All right. Now’s your chance then.”
Heer transformed into her snow leopard form and leaped from the bushes. It didn’t take long for the dark beast to react. The beast emitted a dark energy wave towards Heer, and she countered it with an ice energy beam. As the two forces collided, Heer pounced onto the dark beast, engaging with it in physical combat. While that was going on, Neil was preparing his bow, building up the energy to form the arrow. He kept his eyes on the dark beast, waiting for the moment that Heer would have it perfectly pinned down for him to strike. Once she got the beast down on the ground with her paws, Neil fired the arrow. Heer jumped out of the way as soon as the arrow hit at the beast, enclosing it in an ice coffin.
With the beast frozen, Neil stepped out from the bushes and Heer transformed back into her human form. Suddenly the atmosphere around them changed. Neil watched as they were both transported back into the white room. It was just a simulation.
Ryan had taken the students of his Power Coordination class to one of the special training rooms for a simulation exercise. With Neil and Heer completing their exercise, they were able to exit the white room. As Neil walked out with Heer from the room, they were welcomed with claps from their fellow students. Among those students were Sana, Rey, Krystal, Prince, Zayn, and Akira. Ryan stepped away from the controls of the simulation generator and said, “Good job, you two.”
“Thank you so much, sir,” Heer said.
“So, how does it feel after experiencing the simulation for the first time?” Ryan asked.
“So real. I can’t believe all of that wasn’t the real thing. And don’t get me started on the weather,” Neil said.
“Well, that is the point of the simulation generator. The atmosphere and situations you’re placed in are meant to look and feel as real as possible once you enter. Devil sure knew how to invest in good equipment,” Ryan said.
“Mr. Malik, can we go in next?” one of the students asked.
Before Ryan could answer, the bell rang. As the students sighed in disappointment, Ryan said, “No worries, guys. These rooms are free to use after school as long as you are done before six. If you can’t do that, we’ll definitely come back here for another session. For now, all of you can leave for the day. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
With class dismissed, students began leaving the room, following Ryan out. Neil and Heer stuck around with the rest of the gang. Rey went up and high-fived Neil and said, “Nice work, man! You and Heer killed it out there.”
“Well, of course we did,” Neil said. “Was there any doubt?”
“Considering how easily me and Zayn mopped the floor with you and Rey, there certainly was,” Akira said.
“Ha! I completely forgot about that!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Listen, I was just messing around that day!” Neil retorted.
“Forget that. Can we leave now?” Prince asked.
“Actually, I was thinking we could stick around and use the simulator for some training,” Sana said.
“Hell yeah! I’m in!” Rey exclaimed.
“I wouldn’t mind some training myself,” Zayn said.
“Seriously? You guys actually want to hang around here more?” Prince asked.
“Oh, come on, Prince. It’s not like you have somewhere to be,” Krystal said.
“Here’s an idea. Why don’t we come back here in half an hour?” Heer asked. “We can recharge and meet up after some time.”
“Sounds good to me!” Rey exclaimed.
***
After some time, the gang returned to the training room. As they were getting situated, Prince was agitated. He wanted to go back to his dorm and take a nap. But Krystal insisted that he show up since she wanted to get in on some training. Zayn got hold of the controls while Neil looked over, sipping from a cup of lemonade he got from the cafeteria.
“Uh Neil, be careful with your drink around these controls,” Zayn said.
“Why did you even bring that here?” Akira asked Neil.
“Hey, I got thirsty!” Neil exclaimed.
“All right. Who wants to go first?” Zayn asked.
“Me!” Sana and Krystal said in unison.
“Oh great. Krystal, let us go first,” Rey said. “We volunteered to before our break anyway.”
“Who cares?! Prince and I need to get some training done! And since he would rather take a nap, we should go first,” Krystal said.
“She’s not wrong,” Prince said.
“You all can go in at the same time,” Zayn said.
“They can?” Heer asked.
“Yeah. One of the features of this thing allows for two teams to go in at the same time. According to the guide my dad showed me, you’ll end up in different simulations,” Zayn said. “Just step into the room and do what I tell you to.”
“All right! Sounds good!” Rey exclaimed.
Sana, Rey, Krystal, and Prince stepped inside the white room. Heer closed the door and stepped back. Once they were inside, Zayn pressed a red button and said, “Okay, guys. You should see four red dots appear in front of you. Step in front of them.”
Sana looked down and saw the four red dots appear. They appeared in pairs with one set on the left and the other on the right. Sana and Rey stood in front of the left one while Krystal and Prince stood in front of the other. With both teams in place, Zayn asked, “Okay, what difficulty level would you guys like?”
“Hmm good question,” Sana said.
“Neil and Heer took level ten. I say we can turn it up to eleven,” Rey said.
“Hey, you want to try and outdo us?!” Neil exclaimed.
“We’re here for a challenge, Neil,” Sana said.
“I’m fine with whatever. I’m sure I can handle it,” Krystal said.
Prince shrugged his shoulders, not really caring about what level they chose. He just wanted to get it over with.
Zayn put the teams in for level eleven. As he pressed the button to start the simulation, Neil accidentally dropped his drink and the lemonade splattered all over the controls. “Oops!” Neil exclaimed.
“Neil, what did you do?!” Zayn shouted as the controls started to spark. Zayn tried to shut down the system, but nothing was working, and the controls continued to act erratic.
“What’s going on out there?” Krystal asked.
“Neil messed up the controls,” Akira said.
“It was an accident!” Neil exclaimed.
As Zayn kept trying to stop the machine, it ended up being too late. Sana, Rey, Krystal, and Prince had disappeared. Zayn looked up at the two computer screens on the wall and he could see the others were just as surprised as he was. Sana, Rey, Krystal, and Prince had been transported into their simulations. But they had been switched. Sana was with Prince and Rey was with Krystal.
“Oh damn,” Akira said.
“How did they end up switching?” Heer asked.
“Neil’s screwup made the simulator malfunction and they must’ve switched,” Zayn said.
“I’m sorry! It was an accident!” Neil cried.
“You must have butter fingers or something,” Akira said.
“What do we do now, Zayn?” Heer asked.
“I’m gonna need to call my dad or Ryan to help us get them out,” Zayn said.
***
Rey rubbed his head as he got up from the hard, rocky ground. He couldn’t even process what had happened in the past few minutes. What did surprise him was seeing Krystal instead of Sana with him.
“Hold up! What are you doing here?!” Rey questioned.
“What am I doing here?! What about you?! Where’s Prince?!”
“Damn it. The simulator must’ve malfunctioned and made us switch. This sucks.”
“Yeah. I can’t believe I have to get stuck with you.”
“What does that mean?!”
“You’re a loose cannon. That’s what it means.”
“Oh yeah?! Well, you’re an airheaded klutz.”
Before Krystal could say anything back, something else preoccupied her mind. She looked around her, taking note of the scorching heat and bright blue sky. As her hands got a feel of the earthy ground, she said, “Where are we exactly?”
Krystal and Rey stood up from the ground. As soon as she stood up, she could feel that the altitude was even higher than before. That was when she looked down and realized she and Rey were standing on the edge of a cliff. She panicked and fell back down on the ground.
“We’re on a cliff! Of all the places to be transported at, it had to be here!” Krystal cried.
“Oh, come on. It’s just a cliff we’re standing on. It’s not like anything bad has happened yet.”
Rey turned around and realized he had spoken too soon. Seeing the change in his expression, Krystal turned around as well and was just as shocked. In front of her eyes, she saw a giant spiderlike dark beast migrating its way out of the cave it came from. It unleashed an eerie roar, flashing long, pointy fangs. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before. As the beast was making its way towards them, Rey said, “We’re gonna need to jump.”
“Jump?! Are you kidding me?! We’ll die!”
“We don’t exactly have a choice. It’s either jump and risk dying or actually die at the hands of this thing!”
“Oh, come on! Surely we can fight it now!”
Before Krystal could even transform her wand to fight the beast, Rey grabbed her hand and pulled her off the cliff. As the two jumped, they both screamed. Rey tried to concentrate his fire energy into his feet to power him up as they kept falling. Once they reached the ground, Rey was able to get him and Krystal down safely as he powered down the fire from his feet. He looked down, seeing his sandals had burned from the intensity of the heat.
“Damn. My shoes are crispy now,” Rey said. He looked over at Krystal, shrieking at the angry look on her face as he let go of her hand. She was beyond upset.
“You damn fool! You wanted to kill us both?!”
“What?! I saved us both! I risked my sandals for it!”
“Oh! So, I’m dramatic when I freak out over my clothes getting ruined, but I should give a damn about your ugly sandals?!”
“Hey! I loved these sandals! They’ve gotten me through a lot of things!”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever! Where are we now?”
Krystal looked around, taking note of the greener terrain they were now on. There were tall trees in what was clearly the entrance to the forest. It definitely seemed safer compared to where they were before. But she wondered how long till the beast would come back. This was a simulation after all.
“I just realized something. I don’t think we can get out of here until we defeat that beast.”
“Huh?!”
“The point of the simulation is to test our skills against the dark beast we encounter. If you had just let me fight right then and there, we’d be back at school by now!”
“Are you seriously calling me stupid?”
“I’m not calling you smart.”
“Oh, shut up! How are you more annoying than an angry Sana?!”
“You shut up! Ugh, now I have to figure out how to get us out of this mess. Prince usually helps me with that.”
“Are you saying I’m not as smart as Prince?!”
“I never called you smart to begin with.”
Damn you, Krystal. You practically get the same grades as me and you’re calling me stupid?! Rey thought.
“So, if you’re as smart as you say you are, what’s our next move?” Rey asked.
“Well, it looks we’ll have to walk in this forest and find a place to recharge. Maybe then I’ll figure it out.”
With that, Krystal went on ahead and started walking inside the forest. Rey shrugged his shoulders and followed her, seeing he had no other option.
***
On the other hand, Sana and Prince hadn’t faced any dark beast, but they had their own share of problems. The simulator placed them in a cold environment where it was snowing heavily. The two were walking for a very long time, trying to find a place to take cover. While Sana was shivering and trying to persevere through the cold, Prince felt nothing and was instead drowned in his own irritation.
“Of all the environments to be put in, we had to be put in the one that’s most suitable for Neil and Heer,” Sana sighed. “This feels so cruel.”
As Sana kept moping, she noticed Prince was rather silent. Ever since they landed in the simulation, he hadn’t spoken more than two words. She turned to him as she kept walking and said, “Are you okay?”
“Me? Oh, I’m perfectly fine.”
“Your tone says otherwise.”
“This is all Krystal’s fault. Go training with me she said. It’ll be a great experience. Oh yeah. It’s perfect. I’m walking in this cold and who knows when we’ll get out.”
“You don’t have to be so negative about it.”
“Oh, please. Our chances of making it through this are low considering we have to defeat the dark beast together to get out.”
“Who says we can’t do that?”
“Our powers don’t complement each other. There’s no way we can work together. And since we’re stronger with our partners, we’re basically screwed since you guys wanted to take on a level eleven dark beast.”
Sheesh. With so much negative energy, I’m surprised he hasn’t turned into a dark beast himself, Sana thought. I really hope Rey is safe. I mean, Krystal is strong. She should be able to manage with him. But how are we going to work together to complete the simulation? That’s the only way out at this point.
Before Sana could ponder further, she beamed at the sight of a cave nearby. “Well, it looks like all hope isn’t lost yet,” Sana said to Prince.
Sana and Prince quickly headed over to the cave. Once they got inside, they sat down on the ground. Seeing as they had no firewood, Sana drew out her wand and transformed it into her trishula. She channeled her fire energy to allow for a flame to rise from the trishula’s head as it rested on the ground before her and Prince. With the fire in place, Sana was finally feeling warm again.
“This feels so good. I don’t know how Neil deals with the cold with such ease,” Sana said.
As Sana continued to warm herself up by the fire, she noticed that Prince was still quiet. She knew he was one to keep to himself, but she found herself to be rather annoyed with his silence. Sometimes she wondered if he really saw her and the others as his friends.
“I’m gonna take a nap,” Prince said.
“Um don’t you think we should stay awake?”
“Why?”
“In case the dark beast shows up here.”
“Please. No beast is going to show up here in this snow. If anything happens, just yell.”
With that, Prince got down on the ground and fell asleep immediately. Seriously? What’s this guy’s deal? Sana thought. We should be coming up with a strategy to defeat this dark beast and get out of here. Though that’s probably difficult considering we don’t know what kind of dark beast we’re dealing with. And Prince doesn’t even believe we could defeat it together.
***
Back in the training room, Zayn had called Ryan down and explained everything that happened. Ryan took a look at the machine and tried to see if there was anything he could do from his end. After some time passed, he said, “Okay, I’ve tried everything. It looks like there’s nothing we can do on our end.”
“Seriously? You can’t get them out?” Zayn asked.
“Normally, I could pull them out of the simulation if it got too drastic. But the controls are pretty much fried. Until we can get someone to properly fix the machine, there’s nothing I can do on my end,” Ryan said.
“Nice work, butter fingers,” Akira said to Neil.
“How many times do I have to say sorry?!” Neil exclaimed.
“It was an accident. The good thing is it seems they’re okay right now,” Heer said as she looked at her friends on the computer screens.
“Yeah, well they’re definitely not getting along smoothly,” Zayn said.
“In a weird way, this might be a good experience for them,” Ryan said.
“How so?” Neil asked.
“Every ringmaster always partners with a human-beast that possesses the same type of power, be it fire, water, sound etc. This provides a challenge for them since they’ve been switched,” Ryan said. “Not only will they have to deal with new power matchups, but new teams as well. So, we’ll see if they’re up to the challenge.”
“You’re not at least worried about Sana?” Zayn asked.
“Normally I would. But she knows how to handle herself,” Ryan said. “She’s a smart girl. She’s got this. They all do.”
I hope he’s right, Zayn thought.
***
In the forest, Krystal and Rey found a safe spot behind the bushes to lay low. As they were taking rest, Krystal was pondering over what their next move was. She even wondered how Prince was doing. She knew he would be fine with Sana but missed his presence. As she continued to think, she noticed Rey was looking at her. She got annoyed and said, “What are you looking at?”
“You make a funny face when you’re thinking.”
“Does Sana find your dumb comments amusing?”
“She’s certainly less annoying than you. She also would have a game plan by now.”
“So, she does all the work, and you just follow. That’s fitting.”
“Look, we can sit here and complain all day. But if Sana were here, she would tell us to cut the nonsense and figure things out.”
“Kinda hard to do that when our powers don’t match. We’re sound and fire. Not exactly an ideal pairing. Plus, it makes it hard for us to synchronize.”
“Geez, since when did you start taking after Zayn and his downer attitude?”
“What are you talking about?!”
“Aww, is this because you two have been spending so much time together?”
“What are you insinuating?!”
“I think you know.”
Before Krystal could say something back, she could hear the faint sound of steps coming near. She had a feeling the dark beast was heading their way.
Krystal peeped through the bushes to see if it was near. She couldn’t see anything aside from the trees and grassy ground.
“That’s strange. I thought I heard something,” Krystal said.
“Uh, Krystal,” Rey said.
Krystal turned around to see what Rey was so worked up about. And it turned out she was right. The dark beast was right behind them.
“How did it find us?!” Rey said.
“Forget that! We gotta save our butts!” Krystal exclaimed as she drew out her wand, transforming it into her sonic bell.
The dark beast let out its roar again. It didn’t waste time crawling its way towards Krystal and Rey.
“Okay, what’s the game plan?” Rey asked.
“Just do your thing and I’ll do mine,” Krystal said.
Krystal went ahead and plunged her sonic bell into the ground, unleashing a sound wave from it towards the beast. But the beast unleashed a dark energy wave to counter it. Krystal tried to hold it off as much as she could, but the beast’s attack felt much more overwhelming. It didn’t take long for her sound wave to die down from the dark energy wave’s power and she got struck by it.
Rey transformed into his tiger form. Before he could even make a move, the dark beast pinned its spider legs down on him. He could feel one of the legs piercing through his skin. The pain made him yelp. The beast was getting close to his face to tear into it. But before that could happen, he emitted a fireball from his mouth towards the beast’s face. This got the beast off him, but he couldn’t move much as he saw blood coming down one of his legs.
Krystal tried to get up, but it didn’t take long for the dark beast to attack with another dark energy wave. This one felt even stronger. Before Krystal could even react, the attack hit her and Rey like a tsunami. The wave sent her and Rey flying past some trees before they landed on the ground hard. At that point, Krystal could hardly get up. She couldn’t even see if the dark beast was still there. What she could see was Rey had transformed back into his human form. His leg was bleeding. And it seemed like he was completely out of it.
Even though she was tired and hurt, she knew she had to help Rey. She crawled her way towards him and quickly ripped off a piece of her top from the end. She wrapped it around the area on his leg that had been cut. She secured it, looking at Rey. She checked his pulse and could tell he was still okay. Krystal let out a deep breath as she decided to wait for Rey to wake up.
***
At the cave, Sana tried to take a nap like Prince, but she couldn’t even close her eyes. As she continued to warm up by the fire, she couldn’t help but think about Rey. It was weird not having him by her side. She was so used to working with him that Prince’s coldness toward her felt jarring. But she was hopeful that him and Krystal were okay.
As she tried to sleep again, she was alarmed by the sound of faint growling. She turned around, feeling like the growling was getting louder and louder. Sana went over to Prince and tried shaking him, saying, “Prince! Prince! Prince, wake up!”
Prince wouldn’t wake up. Sana could hear loud footsteps thumping against the ground along with the growling. She could feel her heartbeat racing. She shook Prince more and shouted, “Prince! Prince, you told me to wake you up if something was coming. There is something coming! Wake up!”
Prince still wouldn’t wake up. At this point, Sana had no other option but to yell loudly, “Prince, wake up!”
Sana’s yelling rattled Prince’s eardrums. He woke up, feeling exhausted and irritated. He said, “What is it?”
Seeing her turn around, Prince looked in her direction. Before them was indeed a dark beast. It was a tall, almost giant bear with razor-sharp claws projecting from its paws. The beast roared, going after Sana and Prince. The two immediately got up and ran out from the cave. As Sana grabbed hold of her trishula, she was quick to notice Prince getting pounded on by the dark beast.
Prince quickly transformed into his lion form to fend off the beast, emitting his Sonic Roar directly at its face. The beast quickly countered with a roar of its own, launching a dark energy beam at Prince’s face. Seeing the struggle, Sana tried to act quickly. She put everything into her trishula and sharply plunged it into the ground. What she didn’t realize was that she had plunged it so hard that the ground was starting to crack. This alarmed Prince as well.
And the ground did indeed crack. A lot. Sana, Prince, and the beast fell as rock had broken down and piles upon piles of snow fell with it. Sana tried to act quickly. She prepared her trishula, pointing it towards the ground with the hope that it would help ease her landing. She braced herself for the impact as she landed with the trishula’s head hitting the ground, allowing her to fall back without getting hurt too bad. Sana noticed Prince had acted quickly by aiming his Sonic Roar to the ground to allow him to bounce safely to it. Sana got up and rushed to him as he transformed back into his human form.
“Are you okay?” Sana asked Prince.
“Forget me. We still have to worry about that thing.”
Sana looked at the dark beast, seeing it was down on the ground, covered with snow and even pieces of rock. It looked like it wasn’t moving at all.
“What’s there to worry about, Prince? It looks down to me.”
“For now, yes. It’ll be up sooner than you think.”
Sana looked ahead, seeing some boulders and rock formations. She quickly made her way there with Prince following. The two hid behind one of the large boulders. Sana panted, feeling dizzy from everything that had just happened.
“That was too close,” Sana said.
“Yeah, you nearly did us in.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re the one that caused the rock formation to crack. We could’ve died if we didn’t think act quick enough. What were you even thinking?”
“I was trying to help you out. You were getting hurt and I tried to act quick, but I guess I just didn’t account for my own strength.”
“No kidding.”
“Look, I genuinely wanted to just help you.”
“And I don’t need your help. You’re not my partner.”
Sana was very frustrated. There was a lot on her mind that she wondered if she should even say. But she decided to say it anyway.
“Look, I know you’re used to working with Krystal, but I’m trying here. We may have ended up here by accident, but that doesn’t mean you have to shut me out. All of us consider you to be a friend…even though you don’t open up to us,” Sana said. “But sometimes I wonder if you see us as friends. You always keep to yourself. And you have the right to. But sometimes it’s important to let people in. You may not act like it, but I know deep down you care about Krystal and the others.”
Prince found himself surprised. He sighed because everything Sana was saying was true. He was so caught up in his own annoyance that he didn’t realize how much it was affecting Sana.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Sana,” Prince said. “I can’t…explain why I’m like this. Like, I know, but I just don’t warm up to people as easily as you, Krystal, or the others do. So, I don’t really know how to say what’s on my mind or how to rely on others.”
“I get it. I think you know better than you give yourself credit for.”
“How so?”
“Well, I’ve seen how you work with Krystal. She can get so in her head. Heck, sometimes she doesn’t pay attention. But you always keep her on track. That’s because you care. Prince, we all care about you. No matter how nonchalant or annoyed you can be, you’ll always be our friend.”
“You’re not trying to make me cry, are you?”
“Ha! Funny. I know it’ll take more than some heartfelt words to make you cry.”
Prince chuckled. He knew Sana’s words were genuine. He looked over beyond the boulder and saw the dark beast had slowly gotten up and was starting to walk again.
“It’s up. I don’t really know how we’re going to defeat it,” Prince said.
“The only way to defeat it is to work together.”
“How though? You’re fire and I’m sound.”
“That’s true, but it doesn’t matter. We’ll just have to get creative.”
“Okay…I’m listening.”
“I have a few ideas in mind.”
***
Krystal was trying really hard to figure out what to do next. She was also trying to not fall asleep considering the dark beast could come back any moment. Suddenly, Rey began to wake up, catching Krystal’s attention.
“How are you feeling?” Krystal asked Rey.
“I feel okay,” Rey said as he sat up. He looked at his leg, seeing part of Krystal’s top was used to stop the bleeding. “Did you do this?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“You hate ruining your clothes.”
“Yeah, but I figured you got your sandals destroyed. I can take a hit for you as well. Besides, this is my combat outfit. I have plenty of these.”
“It’s strange. I felt the pain of the cut. I saw the blood. I thought that wouldn’t happen in a simulation.”
“Well, I’m pretty sure Mr. Malik said that everything in the simulation feels real. Maybe when we get back to school, your cut won’t even be there.”
“Getting back to school. No idea how we’re going to do that.”
“Well, it looks like the way we get back to school is by working together to beat that dark beast.”
“How? You said yourself that our powers don’t match.”
“In a traditional sense yeah. But I’ve always believed in creativity and experimentation.”
“Isn’t that only with your choice of outfits?”
“Okay, but like it applies to this! There are ringmasters and human-beasts that have dual magic. That means like them we can figure out a way to combine our powers.”
“Okay. How do we do that?”
“Well, how do things go when you work with Sana?”
“I mean, Sana always knew what to do and I just trusted her. Even in the toughest situations, I can rely on her leadership.”
“That’s interesting. I always feel more confident as a leader when Prince keeps me in check.”
“Well, we’re gonna have to form our own dynamic.”
“And I think that starts with understanding our powers. Then we can come up with a game plan.”
***
Krystal and Rey took the time to figure out their plan of attack. After much discussing, they had an idea of what to do. Krystal knew the dark beast was still somewhere in the forest. She and Rey hid among the bushes. While they were hiding, Krystal relied on her keen hearing to sense when the beast was coming near. Once she heard the faintest sound of steps, she nodded to Rey. Rey peaked through the bushes, seeing it was indeed the dark beast that was nearby.
“All right. It’s here,” Rey whispered. “You ready for the action.”
“Ugh. I don’t know. I’m actually nervous.”
“You don’t have to be. We can do this. I’m ready when you are.”
Krystal took a deep breath. She had to remain calm. With Rey’s words of support, she felt more at ease.
“Okay, Rey. It’s showtime for you,” Krystal said.
“On it,” Rey said as he transformed into his tiger form.
Rey leaped from the bushes, catching the attention of the dark beast. The dark beast shot spider webs towards Rey. Rey kept dodging them, even though he wasn’t prepared for this kind of attack. But he was keeping the plan on the brain. One of his legs got caught by the spider webs. He tried to burn it with some of his fire, but the beast was quickly making its way towards him.
Before it could attack, Krystal jumped in and shouted, “Sound Beam!”, launching a sound energy beam from her sonic bell that hit the beast from behind. Once it was hit, Krystal got to the ground and saw the beast get up again. The beast launched a dark energy wave towards Krystal.
“Rey! Fireball!” Krystal ordered.
Rey immediately jumped in before Krystal and countered the wave with a fireball attack. As he held it off, Krystal ran behind the beast and launched another sound energy beam from her sonic bell. This started a back-and-forth pattern between Krystal and Rey. Rey would attack with a fireball and Krystal would attack with a sound energy beam. With each new attack, Krystal could see the beast was quickly losing focus with all the distractions.
“Okay! We got it where we want it!” Krystal exclaimed as she landed next to Rey. “Ready for the big finale?”
Rey nodded. Krystal took off and allowed Rey to do his thing. The dark beast looked visibly frustrated. It launched a dark energy beam towards Rey. Rey started to run. The beam hit him, but he took the hit and didn’t let it stop him from running. The beast continued to launch more dark energy beams towards Rey as he kept running. Rey ran in circular motion and as he was running, he was concentrating his fire energy towards his legs. Once the fire energy built up, it began to power from his legs through his whole body. His body became engulfed in an armor of flames. He began to leave a trail of these flames as he kept running. It didn’t take long for the beast to be surrounded in a ring of Rey’s fire. The heat became so overwhelming that the beast stopped launching its own attacks. Even though Rey had taken several hits, his fire armor helped protect him.
With the beast overwhelmed from the heat, Rey launched a fiery roar towards the beast. At the same time, Krystal jumped from the trees where she had been waiting. She held her sonic bell tightly and rang it, launching a powerful sound wave towards the beast as she landed directly on top of it and plunged her bell into its head. The sound waves combined with the fire disintegrated the beast in a combined blow.
Once the flames disappeared and whatever was left of the beast remained, Krystal panted, letting out a deep breath. Rey transformed back into his human form, tired and fatigued. But he smiled at Krystal, happy they pulled if off. He went up to her and the two high-fived each other.
“Nice work, Krystal!”
“Right back at you, Rey!”
Suddenly, Krystal and Rey were transported out from the simulation. They returned to the white room and were welcomed back with Heer opening the door for them.
“We’re back!” Krystal exclaimed. “And my clothes are okay!”
“So is my leg!” Rey exclaimed. “And I have my sandals back.”
“Well, it was just a simulation after all,” Ryan said.
“I have to say…you guys were amazing out there,” Akira said.
“Honestly it was unlike anything I had seen before,” Heer said.
“Yeah! That combination you guys did together was incredible!” Neil exclaimed.
“I like to call it Sonic Ring of Fire,” Krystal smirked.
“Well, Krystal, you certainly handled the leadership role with grace,” Zayn said.
“Aww, you’re blushing,” Rey said to Krystal, seeing her cheeks turn red.
“Shut up,” Krystal said, shoving Rey’s arm with her elbow.
“You guys did well. Now we just have to see how Sana and Prince pull through,” Ryan said as he looked at the computer screen.
Everyone else joined Ryan in watching. Rey looked at Krystal and could tell she was thinking the same thing. They both had faith in Sana and Prince.
***
Sana and Prince were still hiding behind the boulder. It stopped snowing a while ago. Sana kept a close eye on the dark beast as it walked around. After talking through ideas on how to attack, Sana was waiting for the right moment to strike. Eventually, the beast was heading towards their direction. Sana got hold of her trishula and Prince knew that meant it was gametime. She turned to him and said, “Listen, I trust you, okay.”
Prince appreciated Sana’s words. It made him want to do right by her. “I trust you, too,” Prince said.
With that, Sana rose from behind the boulder and Prince went along her side. It didn’t take long for the dark beast to see them and immediately launch a dark energy beam their way. Sana raised her trishula and shouted, “Ember Fury!”
She spun her trishula around as embers began to burst from the trishula’s head. The motion combined with them countered the dark energy beam with precision. She stopped and said, “Let’s do this, Prince.”
“Got it,” Prince said as he transformed into his lion form.
The dark beast unleashed a dark energy wave that combined with ice energy. As it hit Sana and Prince, she could feel the intensity of the ice strike her like needles. She and Prince hadn’t prepared for ice magic, but she wasn’t too surprised that the beast could use it given the terrain they were in.
“Try to bear it as much as you can!” Sana told Prince. “We still need to go with the plan!”
Prince nodded. Sana combatted the ice and dark energy wave with her trishula, igniting a flame to power through it. With the help of it, Prince moved towards the beast despite parts of his fur being covered with patches of dark ice.
The dark beast stopped its attack upon Prince coming towards it. Prince engaged in physical combat with the dark beast, trying to get at it with his paw. The dark beast’s form proved to be quite the challenge since it was much bigger in size. It didn’t take long for it to pin down Prince with its sharp claws. The claws were close to piercing into Prince until Sana came from behind and shouted, “Pyro Strike!”
She plunged her trishula into the ground, launching the fiery path towards the dark beast, striking it, allowing for Prince to get up and out of the way. Sana saw the dark beast was about to get up again. She knew they had to act quickly to bring it down.
“Prince, I’m gonna need a boost,” Sana said.
Prince nodded in response. As Sana got ready to jump, Prince launched a sound energy beam, directing it towards her feet to help her jump higher. She jumped high, hitting the dark beast in the face with her trishula. Once she got down to the ground again, she jumped again, and Prince repeated the same thing as before. As the two kept doing this pattern, the dark beast was getting backed off more and more. When Sana was about to hit again, the dark beast countered with a dark energy wave. She pushed through it even though the attack hurt her and rattled her skin. She struck the beast again with even greater force, forcing it to the ground again.
Before it could get up again, Sana knew she and Prince had to deliver the final blow. She turned to Prince and said, “Okay, now’s the time! Put everything you can in your Sonic Roar, Prince!”
Prince nodded. He braced himself and launched a mighty Sonic Roar that passed through Sana and towards the dark beast. Sana ran through the Sonic Roar, allowing her trishula to catch the power of the roar’s sound waves. The fire that was burning through the head of the trishula grew even bigger with the sound waves powering it up. Sana could see the dark beast was up again. It countered with a dark energy wave. Sana took in the attack and continued to run, still letting the trishula power up through Prince’s Sonic Roar, which he continued with all his might. Even though the dark beast’s dark energy wave was powerful, Sana and Prince didn’t stop once.
Sana could see her trishula was wrapped in fiery power. As she pushed through, she jumped and swung the fiery trishula at the dark beast. The fiery power combined with the Sonic Roar hit the dark beast all at once, slamming it all the way into a rocky wall.
Prince stopped his Sonic Roar, transforming back into his human form. He walked over to Sana, and he could see the dark beast had disintegrated. Sana sighed and said, “Well, it’s done.”
“Thank God. I’m tired.”
“Ha. Same. You did a good job. Thanks for backing me up.”
“We did a good job.”
In seconds, Sana and Prince were transported back into the white room. Heer opened the door for them, and Krystal rushed in and hugged them both.
“Yay! You two made it! You guys were amazing!” Krystal exclaimed.
“You watched us?” Sana asked.
“Of course, we did!” Neil exclaimed. “You guys were awesome out there.”
“Sana always knows how to shake things up,” Rey said.
“Well, it wasn’t all me,” Sana said. “Prince and I managed to work well as a team.”
“Looks like you two worked things out as well,” Prince said to Krystal and Rey.
“We sure did!” Krystal exclaimed as she hugged Rey.
“Damn, I think you hug tighter than Sana does,” Rey said as he could feel him being squeezed tightly by Krystal’s embrace.
The rest of the gang laughed while Ryan smiled, seeing Sana and the others were okay. He cleared his throat and said, “I have to say…the four of you handled yourselves great out there.”
“Though I must say it started off quite rocky,” Akira said.
“Even though you guys had the challenge of different powers, you managed to make it work,” Heer said.
“Heer’s right. Your creativity and ingenuity were present today. I have a feeling you all are going to grow stronger faster than you think,” Ryan said. “Anyway, I’m going to have to call someone to fix the machine. You guys should head out for the rest of today. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”
“Bye, Dad,” Sana said as Ryan left the training room.
“So, what are we all up to now?” Neil asked.
“I gotta go work on a report due for Energy Enhancement class,” Akira said.
“Oh, same here,” Heer said.
“Crap! I haven’t started that yet! I’ll join you guys!” Neil exclaimed as he headed out with Akira and Heer.
“Okay, Rey! Let’s celebrate our victory today with a trip to the mall!” Krystal exclaimed as she grabbed hold of Rey by his arm. “I think its time we invest in more pieces for your wardrobe.”
“No way! Are you kidding me?!” Rey cried. “I don’t wanna go shopping!”
“You said that last time and still went along. It won’t kill you,” Krystal said as she walked ahead, taking Rey with her. “Zayn, do you want to tag along?”
“Sure. It’s not like I have anything else to do,” Zayn said as he followed Krystal and Rey.
“Oh, of course you want him to come along,” Rey said.
“Shut up!” Krystal exclaimed.
After Krystal, Rey, and Zayn left, Prince said to Sana, “I hope you don’t plan on dragging me for shopping.”
“How about we just go grab a burger?”
“All right. I’m cool with that.”
Sana and Prince made their way out of the training room. It was the end of an eventful day and a new challenge. And with it came many new possibilities.
The Ringmasters Society 