The next day, students were getting ready to leave for spring break. As the morning rolled on, small batches of students were leaving campus one at a time. At the student lounge, Sana, Rey, Krystal, Prince, and Heer were waiting for Neil, Zayn, and Akira to arrive so that they could visit Headmaster Devil’s office before getting ready to leave school grounds. As they waited, Krystal went into detail about her outing with Zayn from the previous night.
“You went out with Zayn?” Rey asked Krystal.
“Yeah, he’s barely toured around here since he started at RTA,” Krystal said. “Now he may not admit it, but I just know he had fun.”
“Wow, you’re so chill about this,” Sana said.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” Krystal asked.
“Because you two went on a date,” Rey said.
Krystal turned to Rey, flabbergasted. She could feel as if her cheeks were starting to puff up. Was that really what her friends thought?
“Date?!” Krystal exclaimed. “Who said anything about a date?!”
“I mean, what you described sounds like a date,” Sana said.
“Seriously?! I can’t believe you, Sana,” Krystal said. “Can’t two friends just have dinner and spend time getting to know each other?!”
“Sure, they can,” Prince said. “But you won’t stop fixating on him with doting eyes.”
“Is this an accusation, Prince?!” Krystal cried.
“To hell with the drama,” Prince said, rolling his eyes. “We’re not in court here. You went on a date with him. Big deal.”
“Heer, you gotta back me up,” Krystal said. “Can’t you see that this was a friendly outing and nothing more?”
“I don’t know if I can comment on this,” Heer said.
Krystal felt like she was backed into a corner. She worried about the impression she created on Zayn. Did he get the same idea that her friends were getting?
“Hey, guys. We’re here,” Neil said as he arrived with Zayn and Akira.
Krystal jumped upon seeing Zayn, rushing to sit down next to Heer. Neil took note of Krystal’s demeanor and found it odd.
“So, you guys ready to get going?” Akira asked.
“Yeah, let’s see what Devil wants,” Sana said as she got up along with the others.
As they were walking, Neil went to Rey and said, “So, did I miss anything?”
“Oh, yeah, Krystal went out with Zayn last night,” Rey whispered.
“Seriously? No way.”
“What are you two blabbing about?” Krystal questioned Rey and Neil.
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing,” Rey chuckled. He turned back to Neil and quietly said, “I’ll give you the details later.”
***
Sana, Rey, and the rest of the gang headed off to Headmaster Devil’s office to meet with him as they were told. Once they entered the office, Sana led everyone inside, seeing Headmaster Devil standing at his desk.
“We’re here, sir. What did you want to talk to us about?” Sana asked.
“I need you to meet some important people,” Headmaster Devil said directing Sana and the rest of the gang’s attention to their right. Standing before Sana and the others were three individuals. What was striking about them to Sana was their appearances. The three individuals were small, cat-like creatures that had fairy wings on their backs. They resembled lion cubs. One of them was pink with teal wings, the other one was yellow with pink wings, and the last one was purple with blue wings. “Introduce yourselves.”
“Nice to meet you guys. I’m Adela Everglow,” the pink cat said.
“I’m Faith,” the yellow cat said.
“Name’s Gourav Bluerose,” said the purple cat.
“These are your guardians,” Headmaster Devil said.
Headmaster Devil could see that the kids looked quite puzzled. None of them said a word. It was like they were frozen in their silence. To break the quiet atmosphere, he asked, “Are you kids okay?”
“They’re cats! With wings! And they’re talking!” Rey exclaimed. “Why are you acting like that’s normal?!”
“You transform into a cat, right?” Adela asked.
“Tiger for your information,” Rey said. “We can’t exactly speak in our beast forms.”
“Wow, these Earth children are far behind in abilities,” Faith said.
“Okay, we need an explanation, sir,” Sana said.
“And what do we need guardians for?” Neil asked.
“Since the Madame Naga attack and everything that’s come out of it, I believe Sana and Rey are not out of danger just yet. Another threat or even another Madame Naga can come after you two again,” Headmaster Devil said. “That’s why I’ve assigned Adela as your guardian. She will accompany you outside of the academy for your protection.”
“You mean she’s gonna be with us everywhere we go?” Rey asked.
“No. I don’t have time to babysit little kids. Just when you go on important missions and such,” Adela said.
“Who are you calling a little kid?!” Rey exclaimed.
“I don’t like to repeat myself,” Adela said.
“Well, they’re certainly getting off to a great start,” Sana said, rolling her eyes.
“As you can see, they’re not from here. They’re from Euphoceus like Akira,” Headmaster Devil explained.
These guys are from Euphoceus? That explains their forms, Akira thought. She looked at Adela, Faith, and Gourav. Once Adela made eye contact with her, she looked away. I wonder if they know.
“Oh, you mean they belong to the feroness species then?” Krystal asked.
“No, we’re faereons,” Gourav said. “We’re a similar species with slightly different powers and characteristics.”
“So, do you have human forms then?” Heer asked.
Without a word, Adela, Faith, and Gourav transformed. Headmaster Devil was already familiar with Adela’s human form since they had previously met, but it was his first time officially meeting Faith and Gourav. Faith had long, wavy blonde hair and deep brown eyes. She wore a frilly cloud blue dress with puffy sleeves and matching ballet flats. As for Gourav, he had short purple hair that matched the color of his fur in his faereon form. He had violet eyes and wore a cream shirt with matching trousers and blue loafers.
“We don’t use our human forms for long periods of time as it drains energy needed to sustain our chibi and normal beast forms,” Adela said. “In fact, we mainly use these forms when venturing around your world.”
“Well, I guess you guys are a lot different from us after all,” Rey said.
“Now that you guys are informed, let’s get to the other assignments. Faith will be assigned to Krystal and Prince. And Gourav will be assigned to Neil and Heer,” Headmaster Devil said.
“I’m confused. I thought the concern was Sana and Rey’s protection,” Prince said.
“It is. But you all are close to them. Enemies that know them will know you as well,” Headmaster Devil said. “I know you all have different plans for the break. Some of you are planning on training, but you should all be on alert. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” the gang responded in unison.
“So, are they supposed to tag along with us over break?” Krystal asked.
“That depends on what you’re doing. Have you all figured out your plans?” Headmaster Devil asked.
“If I found someone to train me already, I would have,” Neil said.
“Well, you have till the end of the day to leave campus. I suggest you all get your affairs in order,” Headmaster Devil said. “Oh, Zayn, can you stay for a bit?”
Zayn nodded. With that, the others left the office while Zayn remained alone with his father.
“Son, I hope you utilize this break well. It’s a chance for you to rest and recharge.”
“Thanks for the suggestion, Dad, but I think I have other plans in mind.”
“I hope they’re not related to Solomon. Your mother wouldn’t like that.”
“No. I just have personal training in mind. That’s all.”
“Okay. But remember, you have two weeks. Try to find some time to relax during then,” Headmaster Devil said.
Zayn turned to leave the office. As he left, he thought about what was just said. He wasn’t being completely honest with his dad. However, he also knew that this break was important to him for other reasons.
***
The rest of the gang headed outside to the front steps of the academy building along with the guardians. Neil and Heer headed off to get their things with Gourav following them. And Krystal reminded Sana and Rey about their meeting with Cyrus before leaving with Prince and Faith.
“So, shall I wait for you guys around here?” Adela asked Sana and Rey.
“Yeah. I’ll be ready after I get my stuff,” Rey said.
“Same here,” Sana said.
“Well, I’m gonna go back inside and look for Zayn,” Akira said. “Adela, would you like to come with me?”
“Sure thing,” Adela said.
Akira and Adela headed back inside the building. Rey turned to Sana and said, “So, I’ll go get my things, and we’ll meet back here?”
“Yeah. Cyrus will be there around four. So, we have time.”
“All right. I’ll see you in a bit.”
Rey headed towards the boys’ dorm house. Sana was getting ready to go back to her room. As she was leaving, a voice said, “Well, you certainly don’t look any different.”
Sana turned around, surprised at who she saw. It was a girl that was about her age. She had medium-length, caramel brown hair with indigo highlights. She had sharp brown eyes and wore a black top, black pants, black ankle boots, and a long indigo-colored duster. Sana didn’t instantly recognize her, but the more she looked at her face, the more recognizable she became.
“Nazriya? Nazriya Siddiqui?” Sana said.
“Well, well. You do remember me. That’s good.”
Sana walked up to Nazriya, stunned to see her. It felt like ages since she had seen a familiar face.
“This is unbelievable. How are you? What brings you here?” Sana asked.
“I was around town. And word has been getting around at Crimson Phoenix about what happened here at the RTA. Your name came up quite a lot. So, I thought I’d finally pay you a visit.”
“Crimson Phoenix? You’re a student there?”
“Yeah. My partner’s name is Lysander Evans. I would’ve brought him here to meet you, but he left early for break.”
“Wow. I never would’ve guessed you’d go there. I’ve heard quite the stories about that school.”
“The crazy ones? They’re all true. And yet, I quite love it there. Anyway, enough about me. Tell me, how have you been since this whole thing?”
“I’ve been okay.”
“Really? Are you sure about that? It may have been years since I’ve seen you, but I still know when something is bothering you.”
“It’s a lot.”
“I have time.”
***
Back inside the academy halls, Akira and Adela were walking around, looking for Zayn. Akira had a lot on her mind being next to Adela, another Euphocian. And right now, they were both awfully quiet.
“So, I should just ask you straight up. Do you know who I am?” Akira asked Adela.
“I do.”
“And yet, you didn’t say anything in front of the others.”
“I didn’t think you’d want them to know considering the circumstances.”
“Can you tell me how things are back at home?”
“Well, it’s been some time since me and the team have been there. From what I remember, things seemed okay.”
“Well, that’s good to hear.”
“You should consider going back.”
Akira sighed. Those were words that she didn’t feel like hearing now. Before she could say anything, she noticed Zayn was heading their way. She went up to him and said, “Everything cool with your dad?”
“Yeah. Were you guys looking for me?” Zayn asked.
“Uh, yeah. And I was showing Adela around the academy,” Akira said.
“Yeah, it’s really nice around here,” Adela said.
“It is pretty nice. We should get our stuff from our rooms,” Zayn said.
“Yeah, we should,” Akira said.
Akira left with Zayn, heading towards one of the back entrances of the school. Adela started walking around, deciding to explore the school grounds.
***
Back outside at the main entrance, Sana was seated at the steps with Nazriya, chatting with her. She told her everything about the battle with Madame Naga and its aftermath.
“I see. So, your focus for the break is controlling these new dark powers,” Nazriya said. “Is it just Rey, or do you have them as well?”
“That’s the thing. I’m still not sure. I was taken over by the same dark powers during our Ring of Fire attack, but it seems to be more dormant within me compared to Rey.”
“It makes sense. Madame Naga’s venom morphed his energy system. He’s lucky he still has his fire energy. In your case, binding with this other version of him must have given you the same powers to a certain extent.”
“That’s probably it. If only we had someone who would be able to guide us through all of this.”
“Well, you’re meeting a friend of Krystal’s, right?”
“Yeah. His name is Cyrus Swiftblade. Do you know him?”
“I do. He’s cool. He’s friends with some of the students at Crimson Phoenix. I’m sure he can lead you in the right direction at least.”
“Hopefully.”
“Anyway, I should let you get packed.”
“You really came all the way here for a chat?”
“Partly yes. There’s one other thing I wanted to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“Do you remember Kairos?”
The name hit Sana like a falling boulder. She hadn’t heard it in so long that she was surprised she remembered.
“Based off your face, I’m assuming that’s a yes,” Nazriya said as she stood up.
“Why are you asking me about Kairos?”
“Well, he was a good friend of ours from that time. You were especially very close to him.”
“That was back then.”
“So, you haven’t thought of him once in all these years?”
“Why do you bring him up? Have you met him recently or something?”
“I just wanted to. There are so many fond memories of us three. And you two had a strong bond.”
“Well, things change. And people forget things.”
“Most things can’t be forgotten even if we try to.”
Sana could feel she was getting uneasy as they kept talking about Kairos. She already had a lot on her mind to begin with.
“Anyway, I really should get going. I need to get back to the city. But it was nice seeing you,” Nazriya said as she started to head out.
“Yeah. Maybe I’ll see you again.”
“Believe me. You will.”
With that, Nazriya left, and Sana watched her leave. She got up from the steps and headed towards the girls’ dorm house so she could pack. As she walked, she thought, There’s no way she’d just bring him up so casually. Could it be she knows where he is?
***
After some time had passed, Sana, Rey, and the rest of the gang had gotten their things and exited their dorms. They met up outside the front steps of the academy, saying their byes.
“You guys are tagging along with us?” Rey asked Krystal and Prince.
“Just for meeting up with Cyrus. Prince and I have no clue what we’re doing for break yet anyway, so it’ll buy us some time,” Krystal said.
“We could just go to the beach like you wanted to,” Prince said.
“Not happening. Everyone else is doing important stuff over break, so we’re going to as well,” Krystal said. “Although, we should squeeze in a beach day. We can’t be workaholics after all.”
“Well, Akira and I are gonna head to the train station and go to Arsen Town,” Zayn said.
“Oh, spending time at your hometown. That sounds nice,” Krystal said.
“It’s also the place that he does his best training,” Akira said.
“Oh, come on. Please tell me you’re going to relax over break,” Neil said.
“You guys aren’t planning on relaxing,” Zayn said.
“Well, if we don’t convince that Dhanush guy to train us, then we’ll have no choice but to chill,” Neil said.
“Hold on. You’re going after Dhanush?” Rey asked. “Even after being rejected like that?”
“He’s supposed to be in town today. Neil’s hoping to find him and beg him to train us again,” Heer said.
“Well, good luck with that,” Sana said.
“Anyway, we’ll see you guys in two weeks,” Zayn said as he and Akira got on his hoverbike and took off.
The rest of the gang waved bye as Zayn and Akira left. “All right. Guess we gotta go now,” Neil said.
“Go where exactly?” Krystal asked.
“Like I said, we’re gonna scour the city and find this Dhanush guy,” Neil said.
“Neil, that is hardly a plan. You’re really gonna walk around town non-stop with Heer till you find this guy?” Sana asked.
“Well, they won’t need to walk,” Gourav said. “We need to show you guys why we were made your guardians in the first place.”
Gourav began to give off a bluish glow. It stunned Sana and even the others looked surprised to her. Once the glow faded, Gourav had transformed into his faereon form. The form was that of a purple lion with a deep blue mane. He had beautiful blue butterfly wings on his back as well.
“Whoah. That is amazing,” Heer said.
“It certainly is,” Adela said.
“Man, I think I can really get behind this guardian thing!” Neil exclaimed.
“All right, get on. We don’t have time to waste,” Gourav said.
Neil rolled his eyes and got on Gourav’s back along with Heer. “All right, guys! Have fun over break!” Neil said as Gourav took off.
“Good luck finding Dhanush, dude!” Rey exclaimed.
“So, can you guys take us to the bus stop then?” Sana asked Adela and Faith.
“Sure thing,” Adela said as she and Faith transformed. Adela’s faereon form was pink with teal stripes on her head and her wings were teal as well. Faith’s form was orange, and her wings were a bright yellow. Sana and Rey got on Adela’s back while Krystal and Prince got on Faith’s. They all took off into the sky.
***
As they continued towards the bus stop, Sana found herself enjoying the ride in the sky. The feeling of flight was unfamiliar to her in the sense of being so close to the clouds and the way the air brushed her face. She could tell Rey and Krystal were having a blast while Prince was just chilling.
The group soon landed at the bus stop on Fernandes Street. Adela and Faith transformed back into their human forms when they got on the ground. And right before them, Cyrus had arrived.
“Cyrus, hey!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Hey to you, Krystal,” Cyrus said.
“Let me introduce you,” Krystal said as she began pointing to everyone. “You obviously remember Prince. That’s Adela and Faith. And Rey and Sana.”
“Nice to meet you, man,” Rey said.
“Likewise,” Cyrus said.
“So, are you going to tell us where we’re heading?” Sana asked.
“Well, the bus is coming here soon. Once it gets here, we’ll get on and we’ll go from there,” Cyrus said.
“So, you’re not even going to tell us where we’re going?” Prince asked.
“Trust me. I have my reasons. You’ll understand once we get there,” Cyrus said.
“Guys, trust Cyrus. He knows what he’s doing,” Krystal said.
“You know where he’s taking us?” Adela asked.
“I do. So, trust us,” Krystal said. “Look, the bus is here!”
The bus stopped right before the group. Once the doors were open, they all went on board. And as it took off, Sana was left to wonder where they were heading. Even though she didn’t know Cyrus, she did trust Krystal. What was ahead? She didn’t know.
***
On the other hand, Neil, Heer, and Gourav paused their mission to find Dhanush as Neil wanted to get ice cream from Suzie’s Ice Cream Parlor. Heer and Gourav waited outside the place, and it didn’t take long for Neil to come out with a double scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream on a waffle cone.
“Nothing beats the taste of ice cream,” Neil said after taking two licks.
“I see how much your priorities mean to you,” Gourav said.
“Hey! Is it so wrong that I wanted to treat myself ?!” Neil exclaimed.
“No, but you do realize the day is almost over,” Heer said.
“And since we are yet to find this Dhanush, if you don’t figure out things fast, you two will have no choice but to roam around town like strays for spring break,” Gourav said.
“Don’t be such a downer! We’re gonna find that man!” Neil exclaimed. “Right after I finish my ice cream. Do they even have ice cream in Euphoceus, Gourav?”
“You mean cloud cream?” Gourav asked.
“What’s that?” Heer asked.
“It’s a frozen treat like this, but it’s whipped heavily to resemble a cloud,” Gourav said. “And you should see what a cloud cream float looks like. It’s basically cloud cream on top of a sparkly blue drink.”
“Wow, that sounds lovely. I should learn how to make it,” Heer said.
“You know, I would like to give this ice cream a try. I could see how it compares to cloud cream. Hand me some money, Neil,” Gourav said.
Neil rolled his eyes and gave a few bills to Gourav. Gourav went inside the shop while Neil and Heer waited outside.
“So, are you taking a liking towards Gourav?” Heer asked.
“Ah, he’s okay. Dude owes me five dollars now.”
“So, what’s your plan for finding Dhanush?”
“I’ll be honest. I’m stumped now. What if we really have no choice but to roam around the city for two weeks?!”
“Can’t we go to your hometown and train?”
“No. Besides, I have no interest in going home. We need someone really good to train us.”
Before Heer could say anything, she could sense someone’s presence nearby. It alarmed her only because she could feel it was heavier than just that of a normal human.
“Neil, do you sense that?” Heer asked.
“Sense what?”
“Someone is near.”
Neil could hear a strange sound. It was the sound of someone panting. He turned around, seeing someone was indeed nearby. It appeared to be a man. He wore a black vest and torn black pants with no shoes. His hair was long and unruly, and he had a strange zigzag- shaped scar on his face.
“Hungry. Very hungry,” the man said.
“Uh…we should run,” Heer said.
“Why? He probably just wants ice cream,” Neil said.
The man’s body gave off a harsh purple glow as he morphed into a bear-like dark beast. Neil could feel the harshness of its red eyes glare into his.
“Okay, maybe he doesn’t want ice cream,” Neil said.
Before Neil and Heer could even make a move, the dark beast leaped towards them. Heer pulled Neil, making him drop his ice cream as the two ran off.
“Man! That’s five dollars I’m never getting back!” Neil exclaimed.
“I think we need to be more concerned about what’s coming after us.”
“Damn it! Why did I have to put my wand so deep in my backpack?! Can you transform?”
“Okay!”
Heer transformed into her beast form. Neil rummaged through his backpack to get his wand out, but the two couldn’t even breathe. The dark beast was on their tail and was hungrier than ever.
“Heer, use an ice energy beam while I get my wand!” Neil ordered.
Heer nodded and launched an ice energy beam from her mouth. The dark beast countered it with a dark energy beam, but it was different from usual dark energy beams. It had a red flare to it that extended behind the beam, almost resembling a meteor. And once it collided with Heer’s ice energy beam, it knocked it out, striking Heer directly.
“Heer!” Neil exclaimed as he finally got his wand out from his backpack. “Damn it! We’re in trouble.”
***
Downtown, Dhanush was dressed up in his finest dress shirt and tie as he seated himself for a job interview. He was in the office of a local finance firm in the city. If he got this job, he could settle into a new life that didn’t involve chaotic ringmaster duties. As he interviewed with Mr. Jenkins, one of the human resource managers, he found himself to be quite nervous. Mr. Jenkins was probably a few years older than him. His short blond hair looked like it had been smoothened with a vast amount of hair gel and his navy-blue suit looked more expensive than anything he owned at home. His Italian leather shoes were another story. Dhanush felt the nervousness boil inside him as he could feel judgment radiating from Mr. Jenkins’ gaze, switching between looking at him and his resume.
“So, Mr. Pillai, your only finance experience seems to be a finance major from college. Why transition here after such a long break from it?” Mr. Jenkins asked.
“Well, I’m truly passionate about the field as I’ve kept up with the knowledge I gained from it. And I find that it’s a field of respect and trust. Those are qualities that I exemplify to the T.”
“But if you were so passionate about it, why break into it now? It also seems you didn’t even focus primarily on it. Your resume states you also majored in literature.”
“Yes, that’s true. I find the skills I learned from that are also valuable. I think-”
“Let me ask you something. I see your schooling prior to university was at one of those ringmaster academies. They’re quite a crazy bunch, aren’t they?”
“Excuse me?”
“I mean that’s why you’re applying to jobs like ours. You want a normal life. Not that insane life that those ringmasters and human-beasts live. I mean really, they go around acting like vigilantes and creating chaos for people like us. Frustrating, isn’t it?”
Before Dhanush could even answer, he noticed something going on through the window behind Mr. Jenkins. There were blasts of what appeared to be ice energy clashing with dark energy. But the dark energy was unusual and looked more powerful than anything he had seen from dark beasts before. He knew there was a serious attack going on. And even though Mr. Jenkins kept on talking, his voice sounded like nothing but faint murmurs to him as he was only focused on what was going on outside. It said a lot to him. Was this need for a normal life as important to him as he thought?
“Dhanush?”
“Huh?”
“I asked you about your skillset. Didn’t you hear me?”
Dhanush felt stuck. He simply froze, not knowing what to say.
***
Neil and Heer were struggling against the dark beast. They kept running while Neil kept trying to aim his bow and arrow on the beast, but it kept jumping around frantically.
“Damn it! Where the hell is Gourav?! He should be doing that whole guardian thing right now!” Neil exclaimed.
Neil fired the arrow from his bow, but the beast dodged it. Neil formed another arrow and went again but running and getting his aim right proved to be a difficult task. “Heer, help me out and use your Ice Shard attack!” Neil ordered.
Before Heer could attack, the dark beast pounced at her, pinning her to the ground. Neil stopped, trying to see if he could hit it to help Heer. As the dark beast tried to bite at Heer, she used her back legs to kick it off her. But the dark beast struck her again with his flared dark energy beam. She landed on the ground and transformed back into her human form from the fatigue.
“Heer!” Neil shouted. Neil tried to aim the arrow once again, but the beast came for him, biting at his arm. He could feel the pain from the sharp fangs as his arm started to bleed. As the beast lunged for him again, Neil froze as his fear took over him. Heer tried to rush to him to help.
Suddenly, a sharp arrow struck the beast at its neck, making it let go of Neil and fall to the ground. Neil was confused as this certainly wasn’t his arrow. Once Heer was by his side, Neil was stunned to see the arrow that had hit the beast seemingly created a rock formation that brought it down to the ground.
Neil looked up and was stunned. Above in the air, standing on a floating rocky surface was Dhanush. He held an elegant gold crossbow in his hand, and he had the most nonchalant expression on his face as his loosened tie flew from the breeze.
“It’s Dhanush Pillai,” Heer said.
“Why does he look like he failed a job interview?” Neil asked.
“Shut up! I can hear you all down there!” Dhanush exclaimed.
The dark beast transformed back into its human form. The man said, “Why you…why you interfere with dinner?!”
“I don’t know who you are. And frankly I don’t like getting involved with any ringmaster’s business. However, that changes when it involves helpless kids,” Dhanush said.
“I can’t tell if you’re being nice or just straight up insulting to us,” Neil said.
“Kid, I’m here because you need it,” Dhanush said.
“Damn you, bastard!” the man shouted.
The man began to transform back into his dark beast form again. Before he could fully transform, Dhanush swiftly fired another arrow from his crossbow. This time the arrow seemed to carry a beautiful autumn leaf that struck the man in his chest before his transformation could complete. Suddenly, the man seemed to collapse as the leaf took over like a tremor, overwhelming his body. The sight of all this amazed Neil. He couldn’t even focus on the pain in his arm. He was too mesmerized by Dhanush’s power.
As the man began to collapse, a smoke came out of nowhere and someone new appeared on the scene. Though this figure was not new to Neil. It appeared to be Fida.
“That’s enough, Vara. Let’s go,” Fida said as she grabbed hold of the man.
“Fida?!” Neil exclaimed.
Fida looked at Neil, feeling slightly stunned to see him. She couldn’t bother saying anything to him. It wasn’t a good idea. She disappeared quickly in the smoke, taking Vara with her.
“Was that really her?” Heer asked.
“Yeah. It had to be. That doesn’t make sense. She was arrested by the Ringmasters Society,” Neil said. “But who was that guy, and what was their deal?”
“Are you alright?” Dhanush asked Neil and Heer as he came down to them on his floating rock.
“Minus the bad injuries, I think we’ll be okay,” Neil said.
“Neil! Heer!” a voice shouted.
Neil, Heer, and Dhanush looked up. Gourav was flying towards them and landed right before, transforming back into his human form.
“What happened here?!” Gourav asked.
“Some weird dark beast attacked us out of nowhere,” Neil said. “You mean to tell me you were just sitting around at the ice cream shop this whole time?!”
“I’m sorry. I got lost in all the flavors, and I completely spaced out. I regret my actions. I’m supposed to be your guardian, and I failed you both,” Gourav said.
“It’s okay, Gourav. We made it out okay. And that’s all that matters,” Heer said.
“Hello?! We got seriously hurt here!” Neil exclaimed.
“I can help,” Dhanush said.
Dhanush waved his hand over Neil and Heer, creating magical autumn leaves that stuck on both Neil and Heer’s chests. As the leaves remained on them, they sent energy waves throughout their bodies. Neil could feel the wound in his arm was healing rapidly.
“Whoah,” Neil said.
“What are these?” Heer asked.
“They’re healing leaves. Since your wounds aren’t too deep, they can heal them completely,” Dhanush said.
“You have healing powers on top of being a crossbow master?!” Neil exclaimed.
“Yeah. Once you’re at my age, these skills aren’t a big deal,” Dhanush said.
Neil got down on his knees, confusing Dhanush. “Please train me!” Neil exclaimed, begging with his hands. “You’re literally the perfect teacher for me! At first, I was concerned about training for the exams, but I see things differently now. I wanna be as cool as you!”
“Oh Lord,” Gourav said.
“This is a bit much,” Heer said.
Neil looked at Dhanush, eagerly waiting for an answer. He was doing the same thing as last time when he asked him this same question. Dhanush was just standing there, looking at him. He seemed perplexed but also slightly intrigued.
“You heard what I said yesterday. What makes you think I’ll change my mind?” Dhanush asked.
“Look, I know you think I’m a good-for-nothing kid that has zilch going for him. But I know I have what it takes to be the best student you could ever have. And I have the best partner. We promise to work hard as a team to be worthy of being your students. Just please take us under your wing,” Neil said.
Dhanush sighed. He was irritated at the idea of supervising kids. However, he did find Neil sincere to an extent. And since his job interview went horribly, he felt like his perspective on what he wanted had changed. He initially wanted to live a normal life away from being a ringmaster, but he realized what he wanted was larger than what he thought.
“I’m heading back to my home on Mt. Archer. The finance gig is clearly not for me,” Dhanush said.
“You wanted to give up being a ringmaster to go into finance?!” Neil exclaimed.
“Oh, shut up,” Dhanush said.
“So, you don’t want to train us?” Heer asked.
“I didn’t say that,” Dhanush said.
“Well then?!” Neil asked, getting impatient.
“You both seem genuine, but I need to know just how serious you both are,” Dhanush said.
“How do we prove it to you?” Neil asked.
“Find me in Mt. Archer. If you can make it there within the next twenty-four hours, I’ll train you both,” Dhanush said.
“You want us to travel all the way there?! What the hell?! That mountain is supposed to be one of the tallest mountains in the country. And the surrounding terrain is rough,” Neil said.
“So? Just excuses,” Dhanush said as he slowly rose back in the sky on the floating rock. “Remember. One day. Find me there, and I will train you both.”
Dhanush took off, leaving Neil confused. But as confused as he was, he was determined to get Dhanush to train him. He knew what he had to do.
“All right, Gourav. We don’t have to worry about being strays around here,” Neil said. “We’re heading to Mt. Archer.”
“You think you’re up for that?” Heer asked. “It’s not gonna be easy to get there.”
“That’s why we need to do it! We need to prove to him that we’re worthy of his time!” Neil exclaimed. “Let’s go then!”
“Uh, can we eat first?” Gourav asked.
“You had ice cream, didn’t you?!” Neil exclaimed.
“Yeah, but I need a meal. I can’t fly on an empty stomach,” Gourav said.
“Oh, fine. The line at Devil’s Diner better not be long,” Neil said.
***
Deep in the middle of nowhere, there was a dark cave. Fida and Vara appeared outside the cave, emerging from the smoke. Fida felt tired, realizing the smoke teleportation technique was still too much for her to handle. As she stepped in front of the cave, she waved her hand over the rock, allowing her dark energy to emerge from her hand. The entrance to the cave appeared.
Fida and Vara entered, walking swiftly inside. Fida was still getting used to the new premises. Light purple flames lit up as she and Vara continued walking. Once they reached the main chamber, Fida was surprised to see no one was around. That feeling soon disappeared as she heard someone approaching them nearby. She recognized the subtle sound of anklets chiming. It was unlike others because of how slow-paced it was. It was Agni.
Agni had her long dark curls swept to the side with her oxidized silver jhumkas dangling against them. Her tear drop-shaped maang tikka aligned in the middle of her hair perfectly with the black bindi on her forehead. The gaze from her sharp brown eyes was too familiar.
“You certainly did a fine job watching him,” Agni said.
“Not Fida’s fault,” Vara said. “Not much food here. I-”
“I wasn’t speaking to you,” Agni cut in. “Go to your quarters and stay there till the master gets back.”
Fida watched Vara leave in silence. He walked in a slow pace, which was something he normally did when he was feeling low.
“Was that really necessary, Agni?”
“Don’t tell me you feel sorry for him. He’s not your brother. Next time, do a better job of guarding.”
Agni swiftly turned away from Fida with her saree flowing like a red wave as she walked off. Fida sighed, wondering what Neil was thinking when he saw her. She knew he would likely say something to someone. Before the nerves would swallow her whole, she thought it was best to go to her chamber.
Copyright © 2025 Meryl T
All rights reserved. All illustrations created by Meryl T.
The Ringmasters Society 