It was a calm, sunny morning in Arsen Town. In a pale blue townhouse, Zayn slowly woke up in his room, shutting off his alarm clock. This was his mother’s house. He arrived in Arsen Town with Tatia last night. Zayn decided to spend his spring break here since it had been a while since he had been home. Akira was also coming to Arsen Town, but she wanted to take a detour for a few days before joining. Zayn ruffled his hand through his hair as he slowly got out of bed. The fresh smell of blueberry pancakes made him know that his mom was making breakfast. He opened the blinds by the window, welcoming a bright glow into his room. It was looking to be a nice day.
After brushing his teeth and taking a quick shower, Zayn headed downstairs to the kitchen. He sat down at the counter as Tatia plated the pancakes on her usual set of blue plates with lemons painted on them. She looked at him and said, “Good morning.”
“Morning, Mom.”
“Did you sleep well, honey?”
“Eh. I slept okay. It feels so long since I’ve been in my room.”
Tatia put a side of whipped cream, blueberries, and strawberries on Zayn’s plate just as he liked them. As she sat down with him and the two of them began eating, Tatia turned to Zayn and said, “So, have you decided what you’re doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…how do you plan to spend your break?”
Zayn sighed. He didn’t say anything when his mom asked the other day. All he said was that he wanted to head back home. The truth was he didn’t know what else to do outside of training. With everything that had happened recently, it felt like the only viable thing for him to do.
“Well…my plan was really just to train,” Zayn said.
“Oh, honey, please tell me you’re not serious. What about the others…I mean, your new friends?”
“They’re also training.”
“Really? Even that one girl, Krystal?”
“Yeah. She called me earlier actually.”
“And why haven’t you called her back?”
Zayn sighed again. He knew that no matter what excuse he’d give, it wouldn’t be good enough for his mother.
“Look, Zayn, I’m happy to see you finally have friends again. It’s good for you,” Tatia said. “But I don’t want to see you continue to push people away.”
As Tatia finished her breakfast, she took her plate to the sink to wash it. Zayn pondered over what she said, fiddling with his fork. Tatia turned to him and said, “I’m heading out in a bit.”
“Where are you going? We just got home.”
“I know, but I got a call from your father earlier. He’s with Ryan, and he told me about something that needs my attention. They’re in Rosenbaum, so I’m heading over there to meet them.”
“Is it related to Solomon?”
Tatia stalled before leaving the kitchen. She should’ve guessed Zayn would figure it out. After all, he was very intuitive.
“Yes, it is,” Tatia said. “And I don’t want you getting involved.”
“But why? It was my mess to begin with. The reason everything with him happened was because of me.”
“That’s not true. You were a child. You’re still a child. My child. I will do anything I can to protect you. Believe me when I say that this is a matter for adults to handle.”
With that, Tatia left the kitchen and headed upstairs. Zayn looked back at his plate, fiddling with the remainder of his pancakes. He wasn’t sure what to do. Should he just train or try something new for a change?
***
After Tatia left for Rosenbaum, Zayn remained alone at the house. He stepped outside on the back deck for fresh air. The calm breeze and the fresh scent of cherry blossoms nearby soothed him. As he looked outside, he took out his phone and looked at the missed call from Krystal. Krystal would think he was a jerk for not calling her back. Though he did wonder why she called to begin with. Even though he knew her for a short time, he had a feeling she was just calling for the heck of it.
Before pondering more on it, he thought about the whole incident with Solomon. He worried about his mother’s safety as she ventured out to get answers on the situation. What if she were to land in trouble? And what could happen if his father were to run into Solomon? Before he could let the thoughts cloud his mind, he headed back inside the house.
Zayn went to his room and picked up his wand. He thought some training could take his mind off everything. He sighed, wondering how he could keep resorting to the same methods to cope. He knew right after wrapping up a session of training, he would just think about the Solomon incident all over again.
He looked back at his phone, once again looking at the missed call from Krystal. He began to dial her number and placed the phone by his ear as it started ringing. It rang three times till he heard Krystal say, “Hello?”
“Uh, hey.”
“Hey to you. I can’t believe you actually called me back.”
“Really? You didn’t think I would?”
“No. You just don’t seem like the type to reach out.”
“Anyway, you called me. What’s up?”
“Oh, well I’ve got quite a bit to share. This training with Mithra is pretty intense.”
“Is it now? Good or bad intense?”
“Pretty good considering how much I’ve been growing. I definitely think it was a good choice for us to come here.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“How are you doing?”
Zayn took a moment to think before saying anything. He tried to figure out how to put what he was feeling into words. Krystal said, “You’re not okay, are you?”
“How do you know?”
“Silence says more than you know.”
“I just have a lot on my mind, and I don’t know what to do with it.”
“You could always go out and do something fun.”
“This isn’t like when I was with you. I’m by myself right now. Mom is out for work, and Akira isn’t here either.”
“Who says you can’t have fun by yourself? Sometimes, I can have fun by myself.”
“Doing what exactly?”
“Retail therapy. A good shopping day has everything. Good deals, cute clothes, mall food, and you get your exercise in with all that walking!”
Zayn couldn’t help but feel amused at what Krystal was saying. He chuckled and just the act itself surprised him. Before he could say anything, Krystal said, “Did I just hear a chuckle?”
“No!”
“Aha! You are capable of laughter!”
“Oh, shut up.”
Krystal laughed and the sound of it calmed Zayn.
“Krystal,” Zayn said. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For calling. Just talking to you makes me feel all right.”
“Well, you’re welcome. I should go now. I have another day of intense training starting in the morning, and I need to get some sleep.”
“Sure thing. Have a good night.”
“And you treat yourself to something fun. Bye.”
Zayn ended the call. He took a deep breath and thought, Fun. How does one have fun around here? I wonder what Akira is up to.
***
In Rosenbaum, Tatia had arrived after traveling on her hoverbike for an hour. She parked outside of Bar Rosae, one of the popular bars in town. She entered inside, seeing Headmaster Devil and Ryan were seated at a booth in the back. Tatia looked at the glasses of scotch they were drinking as she sat down next to Ryan. She said, “Seriously? Day drinking before a meeting?”
“Hey, we can’t come to a bar and not have a drink,” Headmaster Devil said. “You should get one yourself.”
“No, thanks,” Tatia said. “So, what did you both find?”
“We ran into one of my hunter squad members. He found a body resembling the one that Zayn and Akira found,” Ryan said. “This time it was a man in his mid-thirties. The body had the same grayish color, basically not dead yet.”
“In this town?” Tatia asked.
“Yes,” Headmaster Devil said. “It was just a few days ago. That means Solomon was here.”
“Or this person who resembles Solomon,” Ryan said. “We still don’t know for certain that it’s him.”
“Who else could it be then?” Headmaster Devil asked. “Akira’s description of him resembles Solomon perfectly.”
“Hold that thought, I might see if I can get something to eat,” Tatia said. “Excuse me.”
Tatia got up from the table and headed towards the counter to get food. As Ryan took a sip from his drink, he saw Headmaster Devil make a peculiar face. He put his glass down and said, “What’s with the face?”
“It’s interesting that she sat next to you.”
“It’s not like she fondly adores her ex-husband.”
“That’s true. But between this and previous things I’ve noticed, I’d say there’s more than what meets the eye.”
“And I’d say the booze has gotten to your head.”
Headmaster Devil chuckled and checked his phone. Ryan was about to take another sip from his drink, but he put it down. He turned, looking at Tatia as she stood near the counter. He looked down, sighing as he took another sip from his drink.
Tatia came back with a sandwich and a water bottle. She sat down and said, “Okay, what’s our plan?”
“He did give me the location of where the body was found,” Ryan said.
“So, should we go there then?” Headmaster Devil asked.
“Yeah, we can possibly find some clues that lead us to Solomon,” Tatia said.
“Sounds good to me,” Headmaster Devil said.
“Okay, let’s chill here for a bit, and we’ll go on the search afterwards,” Ryan said.
***
Meanwhile, at the far end of the country in the state of Felicity, Akira was at Raveena Beach. She wasn’t there to swim. She wasn’t there to relax. And she certainly wasn’t there to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Someone was coming to meet her.
She took a deep breath, taking in the scent of the quiet waters. It was the only thing that could keep her calm. As she looked ahead, she could sense someone walking behind her. Akira turned around and saw that it was the person she was waiting for. He had short purple hair that shined in the sun, dark brown eyes, and wore a green and gold sleeveless uniform that she recognized too well.
“You couldn’t ditch the uniform, Jagan?” Akira asked.
“You know I must wear it when I’m on official business.”
“Right.”
“So, what is it? You’re the one who contacted me after so long.”
“I met some people from Euphoceus recently and they made me wonder how things are going over there.”
“Come on. You can say it, Akira.”
“What?”
“You want to know about your father.”
Akira sighed. She didn’t want to utter those words, but she couldn’t be surprised that Jagan knew what was on her mind.
“He still asks about you,” Jagan said. “He always asks me when you’ll come back.”
“He could say that to me directly. He knows why I left.”
“You should know by now how stubborn he is.”
“It’s the same stubbornness that made his daughter leave.”
“You’re not letting this go, are you?”
“I would’ve gone back by now if that were the case.”
Jagan sighed. He took a deep breath and said, “Since I’m here, there’s something you should know.”
“What?”
“There’s a rumor going around in Euphoceus.”
“What rumor?”
“There’s been talk of an uprising. Someone is allegedly planning to challenge the throne.”
“Who would do that? And why?”
“I have no idea. Your father isn’t too concerned yet, but I certainly am.”
Akira was surprised upon hearing this. Her surprise slowly turned into disbelief. She said, “Like you said, it’s just a rumor.”
“That doesn’t mean there’s no merit to it, Akira. Don’t you think it’s time you came home already?”
“Jagan, I can’t. I won’t.”
“I can’t keep being the messenger. And you certainly can’t remain in this world forever.”
“Well, there are others like me in this world. We’re managing just fine.”
“So, that’s your plan? You’ll stay here forever while Euphoceus possibly ends up in danger?”
Akira shrugged her shoulders and sighed. She turned around to leave, but stalled and said, “I’m sorry I bothered you.”
Akira left Jagan, not looking back. It was time for her to head to Arsen Town and put everything behind her.
***
Zayn headed downtown. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do since he hardly went out much whenever he came back home. He walked around the streets that were filled with a variety of shops from bakeries to shoe boutiques to book shops. Fun. How does one have fun on their own? Zayn wondered.
Zayn stopped upon seeing a cupcake shop called Lil’ Cupcake Café. He looked at the colorful cupcakes on display through the window and knew this was something that Krystal would like. Well, if I can’t figure out my own idea of fun, I guess I could try hers, Zayn thought.
Zayn went inside the shop and ordered one cupcake for himself. He sat down at a table inside and took a bite out of the cupcake. It was an orange cupcake with an orange marmalade cream cheese frosting on top. He bought it because it reminded him of the Marigold Surprise that he tried at Devil’s Diner. While it tasted good, it certainly didn’t taste as good as the Marigold Surprise. He had to admit that Krystal wasn’t wrong for loving those cakes as much as she did.
As he continued eating the cupcake, he wondered what he would do next. He could go to one of the book shops he had passed earlier. Or he could try seeing a new movie at the local theater. As he looked outside at the different storefronts and people passing by, he realized there was a lot out there to see.
***
On the other hand, Shuto, Haruka, and Imani were still flying. They had gone way past Daredevil City and were now hovering over the farthest end of the country in the state of Tharatina. Haruka looked over at Imani and said, “So, are you getting anything?”
“The signature is somewhere down here. Shuto, land the ship, and we can start looking,” Imani said.
“Sure thing,” Shuto said as he started getting the gears ready to land.
Shuto landed the hovership in the middle of a quiet forest. He got out of the ship along with Haruka and Imani. Imani activated her eye scanner, leading the others as she walked further down the forest while the scanner looked for the DNA signature.
“Are you picking up anything?” Haruka asked.
“It’s getting closer,” Imani said. “And from the looks of it, it appears to be a very strong force.”
“That’s not good,” Shuto said.
“Stop,” Imani said as she halted, alerting the others. “It appears to be nearby.”
A bear-like dark beast ferociously jumped towards the trio. Imani quickly activated her eye’s forcefield, blocking the beast from attacking them. The dark beast kept hitting and hitting till the forcefield started to crack slightly.
“Unbelievable,” Imani said. “The shield is breaking.”
“Two of us should keep it busy while the other one contains it,” Shuto said.
“Imani, don’t you have something else in your arsenal for containing it?” Haruka asked.
“It’s gonna take me a minute to get it ready,” Imani said as the forcefield cracked even more. “You two hold it off! I’ll prepare the containment!”
Imani released the forcefield, getting out of the way while Shuto and Haruka stood before her to attack. Shuto and Haruka drew out their wands at the same time, transforming them into their weapons. Haruka’s wand transformed into a large pink Japanese fan embroidered with the petals of cherry blossoms. She gave one flap of the fan and a strong gust of wind emitted, striking at the dark beast and keeping it at bay.
Shuto’s wand transformed into a translucent katana that had a white hilt with a shiny ribbon tied around it. As he raised the katana, the blade transformed into a rope of pure snow that flowed quickly and enveloped itself around the beast. Imani thought it was the perfect time to capture it. She quickly got out her other wand, charging the energy into it to create an energy dome that trapped the beast inside. The beast did everything to break out of it but was unable to.
“You think that’ll hold it?” Haruka asked.
“That dome can withstand anything for at least a good twenty-four hours,” Imani said. “It’ll give us time to take the beast back to headquarters and properly contain it there.”
“But this isn’t Fida,” Shuto said. “Fida’s dark beast form is a horse. Who could this one be?”
“Well, the DNA signature is traced to this creature,” Imani said. “It must’ve been with her during the attack against Neil and Heer.”
“If that’s the case, this one may possess a human form as well,” Haruka said. “We’ll just have to wait for them to transform back.”
“Okay, it’s better than nothing,” Shuto said. “We should get back as soon as possible.”
***
Back in Rosenbaum, Ryan led Tatia and Headmaster Devil to the location of the body he mentioned earlier. It was in the corner of an alleyway downtown. Arriving there took Tatia back to Zayn’s description of his encounter with Solomon. Everything from the alleyway to the cold air surrounding them felt like Zayn’s story.
“This feels very familiar,” Tatia said.
“It seems this is his pattern of cornering victims,” Ryan said. “It’s the easiest way to take them down.”
“So, now what do we do?” Headmaster Devil asked.
“We need to find a clue. There must be something that can provide a lead around here,” Tatia said.
“Like this?” Ryan asked.
Tatia turned around, looking at what Ryan picked up. On his hand was a sticky gray material that he picked up from the ground. Tatia walked over to him and bent down to get a closer look at the substance.
“Some kind of residue?” Tatia asked.
“Looks like it. I have no idea what it is, but I do remember one thing you mentioned.”
“What’s that?”
“You told me that the bodies of the victims were gray. This may have come from the body.”
“Well, that’s certainly disturbing,” Headmaster Devil said as he came closer to look at the residue.
“Sure is,” Ryan said. “This enough of a lead for you, Tatia?”
“Definitely. Thank you for this, Ryan,” Tatia said as she patted Ryan on his shoulder. “You have no idea how much you’ve helped us out.”
“You don’t have to thank me. It’s always a pleasure,” Ryan said.
“Hmm. This looks like flirting to me,” Headmaster Devil said quietly.
“Did you say something, Devil?” Tatia questioned.
“No, nothing. Nothing at all,” Headmaster Devil said. “So, are we done here?”
“For now,” Tatia said as she got the substance in a small plastic bag. “I’ll have to take this sample back to headquarters and have it scanned.”
“I can take it for you on your behalf,” Ryan said.
“Are you sure, Ryan?”
“Positive. You should get back to Zayn.”
“Thank you, Ryan. I really appreciate it,” Tatia said as she handed the bag with the substance to Ryan and grabbed her hoverbike. “I guess I’ll see you two later then.”
“See you,” Ryan said.
Tatia got on her hoverbike and took off. As Ryan watched her leave, he turned to Headmaster Devil, who was giving that same look on his face from earlier.
“Now what is it?” Ryan asked.
“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
As Ryan began to walk away, he tried to keep his cool, knowing something was on Devil’s mind. Maybe he was just messing around like he normally does. At least, that’s what he was hoping.
***
Around eight at night, Tatia arrived back at her house. She parked her hoverbike near the porch and headed to the doorstep, unlocking the front door. As she closed the door and took her shoes off, she called out for Zayn. She didn’t get an answer, so she called him again. She wondered where he was. Before she could even worry, Zayn entered inside the house. Tatia looked at him and said, “Oh, you went out?”
“Yeah, I just went downtown for a while. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
“That’s okay. What did you end up doing today?”
“Well, I went to a cupcake shop, and then I spent some time at a few bookstores.”
“Huh, those aren’t usually in your realm of things to do.”
“Yeah, I ended up calling Krystal back earlier, and I just thought of things that she would do.”
“Wow, she’s had quite the impact on you.”
“Mom, come on. She’s just a friend.”
“I’ve certainly heard that line before.”
Zayn sighed, knowing no amount of defense from him would help him out.
As Zayn was about to head upstairs, Tatia called his name, making him stop. He turned to her and could see she had something on her mind.
“I know Solomon’s return has been hard for you,” Tatia said.
“It’s okay. I’m fine, Mom.”
“You don’t have to say that. I want you to know that if you want to reach out to me or anyone else, you can and you should.”
Zayn nodded silently. He wanted to say something, but the truth was he didn’t really know what to say.
“Do you think there’ll have to be a point where I have to talk about this…to others?” Zayn asked.
Tatia took a moment to herself before responding. She was surprised to hear Zayn even say anything. Tatia could see anxiousness in Zayn’s eyes. She took a deep breath and said, “That’s up to you. I think talking about it to a friend or anyone could help.”
“You think I should bring it up to the others?”
“You mean your new friends?”
“Part of me wants to, but I’m also afraid.”
Tatia could see how hard it was for Zayn to even admit to his fears. She said, “I understand, honey. I may not know these new friends well, but from what little I know about Krystal, I think she could understand.”
“Maybe. But I don’t know if now is the right time to bring it up.”
“Okay. So, what do you want to do?”
Zayn was silent. He took a deep breath and said, “I know…it’s been a while, but maybe I could try therapy again?”
Tatia was surprised to hear this from Zayn considering the past. “I thought you said you never wanted to go to therapy again?”
“I know, but I was being irrational back then. I’d like to try it again. I think it could maybe help me.”
Tatia hugged Zayn, holding him tightly in her arms. She said, “I’ll find someone in the morning.”
Zayn hugged his mom back. It was the first time for him in a while.
***
Late at night, at the Ringmasters Society headquarters, Shuto, Imani, and Haruka stood outside the cell that was currently holding the dark beast they had captured earlier. Shuto turned to Imani and Haruka and said, “So, how are we doing this? Someone has to watch for the rest of the night.”
“You don’t trust our guards?” Imani asked.
“They were taken down easily by whoever came to get Fida,” Haruka said. “This may be a duty that one of us has to take.”
“Well, which of us is the most awake?” Imani asked. “I’m already feeling tired.”
Suddenly, Shuto could hear the faint sound of footsteps drawing near. He turned around, seeing no one was behind them, but he could still hear the footsteps.
“Shuto, what is it?” Haruka asked.
“There’s someone here,” Shuto said. “Do you know if any of the guards are still on duty?”
“They should be outside,” Imani said.
A large banging sound startled Shuto. He knew for certain an enemy was nearby. As he got ready to draw his wand, the door was quickly pounded down, with its joints loosened. Standing before them was Fida with someone who Shuto didn’t recognize.
“You didn’t need to make such a pompous entrance, Agni,” Fida said.
“Well, I wasn’t trying to be stealth,” Agni said.
“Unbelievable,” Haruka said. “Most people don’t return to jail on purpose.”
“Look, just hand over Vara, and things can end here peacefully,” Fida said.
“So, he’s a comrade of yours?” Shuto asked. “All the more reason to keep him locked up.”
Agni looked at Fida, rolling her eyes as she was irritated with her simple-minded attitude. Fida decided to act fast, so she transformed into her beast form, launching a dark energy beam towards Shuto, Haruka, and Imani. Shuto countered with a spiraling ice attack that diffused the energy beam.
“Is that all?” Shuto asked, smirking.
“For you it is,” Agni said.
Suddenly, Shuto started to feel dizzy. He felt as if he had been hit in the head, and he could faintly see Haruka and Imani were dozing off as well. As Agni predicted, it didn’t take long for the three to pass out to the ground.
Fida transformed back into her human form while Agni stepped forward towards the cell. She put her hands on the bars, applying dark energy to the bars as she pulled them further apart, bending the iron. She touched the sphere holding Vara and could sense it was a powerful force.
“Looks like we’ll have to take him in the sphere,” Agni said.
“Sounds good to me,” Fida said as she walked towards the jail cell.
“It seems you’re getting the hang of the powers Master gave you.”
“Yeah…sure.”
As Agni and Fida held onto the sphere, both them and Vara disappeared into gray smoke.
Copyright © 2026 Meryl T
All rights reserved. All illustrations created by Meryl T.
The Ringmasters Society 