stories – The Ringmasters Society

27. After Dark

February 25, 2025 imeryli

Back at Ringmasters Training Academy, Neil, Heer, and Aiden brought Rey and Sana back and they were taken into the health center for treatment and bedrest. By the time they had gotten back, everyone from students to faculty were in the middle of cleaning up after what was an excruciating battle. Neil and Heer caught up with Krystal, Prince, Zayn, and Akira to find out what they had missed.

“Wait! We missed a whole war?!” Neil exclaimed.

“I wouldn’t call it that. But it was close enough,” Prince said.

“So, where’s this chameleon lady at now?” Neil asked.

“Zayn’s mom had some members from the Ringmasters Society come and take her,” Krystal said.

“Damn! I didn’t get to see your mom in combat!” Neil exclaimed.

“Where is your mom, Zayn?” Heer asked.

“She went to get treated by the nurses for her wounds. She’s probably with my dad now,” Zayn said.

“I can’t believe you going to the dark side was all an act. You really are something else,” Akira told Neil.

“Hey! I’d never turn on you guys!” Neil exclaimed.

“I think she’s more surprised that you’d come up with a plan like that to begin with,” Krystal said.

“Okay, I may not be very smart, but I can think ahead when I want to!” Neil talked back.

“If you guys are done with the yapping, don’t you think we should go in and check on Sana and Rey?” Prince asked.

“We should. They might be awake by now,” Krystal said.

“Well, let’s go then,” Akira said.

As the group were heading off towards the inside of the academy, Heer began to wander off. Neil turned around for a moment, looked at Heer, and said, “Aren’t you coming, Heer?”

“You all go ahead. I’ll come later,” Heer replied. With that, Heer walked off while Neil looked on as the rest of the group kept walking. I really need to talk to her, Neil thought.

***

Inside the academy, right outside of Headmaster Devil’s office, Tatia and Headmaster Devil were having a chat. “So, do you plan to head back now?” Headmaster Devil asked.

“Yeah. I need to take care of Madame Naga and her comrades. Who knows what kind of punishment the society will give them? I still can’t believe Zayn and those kids got Fida out of her prison cell.”

“Kids can be a handful. You know that, right?”

“Yeah.”

“One other thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I haven’t done much as a father to Zayn. I know you’ve done everything to raise him along with balancing your work at the society. But I hope now…I can take more responsibility as a parent.”

“Devil, you’re aware of how much Zayn has been through in the past.”

“I am. And I understand completely. But that’s why I want to get to know my son better. Even though we’re not together anymore, I hope you’ll let me.”

“Despite your ways, I still sent him here for a reason. Because I’m aware of how you run this school and you do a good job at it. I’ll always have respect for you, Devil. Even though things didn’t work out between us.”

“Well, that’s good to hear.”

Before more could be said, Headmaster Devil noticed Ryan walking by. Seeing Headmaster Devil’s gaze occupied, Tatia turned to Ryan as well and said, “Ryan, how’s Sana doing?”

“She’s awake now. She’s a bit tired, but otherwise all right,” Ryan replied.

“And Rey?” Headmaster Devil asked.

“He’s okay as well,” Ryan said. “The nurses are actually treating them both for their injuries.”

“How bad are they?” Headmaster Devil asked.

“Mostly bruises here and there. Both had charred hands though,” Ryan said.

“Charred hands? How did that happen?” Tatia asked.

“Sana said they performed the Ring of Fire attack, and it must’ve exhausted them,” Ryan replied.

“I don’t know. Could exhaustion really cause charred hands? Have they done this attack before?” Tatia asked.

“They did once back when they were stuck in the library. But according to Aiden, it was mainly just exhaustion on Sana’s end and Rey appeared to be fine,” Headmaster Devil said.

“Well, maybe there were some details she left out. I can talk to her again after she feels better,” Ryan said.

“Yeah, do that. Devil, you may have to talk to them after they heal. Just to make sure that there’s nothing else to worry about,” Tatia said.

Before Headmaster Devil could respond, he saw Aiden walking by and said, “Aiden, you’re still up now?”

“When do I ever sleep around here?” Aiden said.

“Did you go visit Sana?” Ryan asked.

“I was going to, but Neil was heading there, and I didn’t want to bother him,” Aiden said.

“I see,” Ryan said. “Well, I’m pretty worn out. I think I should at least get some sleep before classes start in the morning.”

“Ryan, take rest. I don’t think we should even hold classes after today’s events,” Headmaster Devil said.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Tatia said.

“Great. I’ll be going then,” Ryan said.

“Take care of yourself, Ryan,” Tatia said. “I hope to hear from you soon.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ryan said as he made his way out.

“You two have been getting acquainted again?” Headmaster Devil asked.

“Well, we were good friends back then, Devil,” Tatia said.

“Not to interrupt anything, but should I have anything prepared for after we open the school again?” Aiden asked Headmaster Devil.

“Aiden, I’ve been thinking lately…maybe it’s time you started taking things lightly around here,” Headmaster Devil said.

“What do you mean?” Aiden asked.

“I brought you here to be a mentor to the students here. And you’ve done just that and more,” Headmaster Devil said. “But I have to remind myself that you’re still only fifteen years old. And yet, you’ve been doing more around here than any kid your age could.”

“That’s how it’s always been,” Aiden said.

“That may be true. But I think you need to lay off on the duties of an adult. Your young years are precious, and you shouldn’t take those for granted,” Headmaster Devil said.

Take my young years for granted? Aiden thought. Aiden couldn’t help but feel a bit puzzled over this idea, but the more he began to process it, the more it made sense to him.

“Devil is right. You’re talented beyond your years from what I’ve heard. But don’t forget you’re still a kid. It’s okay to acknowledge that,” Tatia said.

“I don’t know what to say,” Aiden said. “Does this mean you don’t need me around here anymore?”

“You can still be a mentor here. But any teaching or paperwork tasks won’t be needed. If anything, these kids need to see you as one of them, not an elder,” Headmaster Devil said.

“Also, you’ve trained under Shuto before. He’s interested in letting you intern at the council. That’ll help keep you busy if you’re interested,” Tatia added.

Interning for Shuto? Aiden thought. Like I haven’t pissed Neil off enough.

“I’ll have to think about that,” Aiden said.

“Take your time. The offer isn’t going anywhere,” Tatia said.

“Now go get some sleep. You deserve it,” Headmaster Devil said.

Aiden nodded and turned around to leave. As he walked down the hall and made a right, he stopped for a moment. He sensed a light feeling in his chest and placed his hand right against it. He wasn’t used to such feelings, but he carried on, recognizing he needed some rest before thinking about anything else.

***

At the health center, Krystal, Prince, Neil, Zayn, and Akira were at the front desk where they were directed to go visit Rey’s room. They were told that Sana was getting her hands bandaged up. Once they arrived at his room, Rey was sitting upright in his bed. His hands were bandaged along with his chest and forehead. Upon seeing the others come in, he beamed with joy and said, “Hey! Good to see you guys!”

“Look at you. You sure are glowing for someone who’s all beat up,” Krystal said.

“How are you feeling?” Neil asked.

“Not too shabby. In fact, if I needed to, I could put up a fight right now!” Rey exclaimed.

“Don’t get too excited,” Akira said. “From what I heard, you and Sana had quite a battle back there.”

“We did, but I mean, I’m feeling pretty okay. In fact, compared to last time, I’m better than okay,” Rey said.

“Wow. He’s not even tired,” Prince said. “We hardly got a scratch and I’m beat.”

“Still, I’d take it easy if I were you, Rey,” Zayn said.

“By the way, what’s up with your hair?” Krystal asked.

Krystal noticed that Rey’s hair was slightly longer than before. His usual scraggly hair that would sit right at the shoulders was now at least an inch or two beyond them. Rey himself didn’t even pay attention to his hair, but he was still curious as to what Krystal was getting at.

“Do I look different?” Rey asked.

“It just looks a little longer than before. Have you been growing it out and I just haven’t noticed?” Krystal said.

“What is the big deal if he grew out his hair? Its hair, Krystal,” Prince said, rolling his eyes.

“All I’m saying is that I don’t recall your hair being this long last time I saw you,” Krystal said.

“Well, I really don’t know. Honestly, I could care less about my hair or how patched up my body looks,” Rey said. “I’m just glad to be alive.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Sana said as she entered the room. As the others turned to Sana, Rey was surprised to see her up and out of bed. She wasn’t as bandaged up as he was, with only her hands and neck covered.

“Sana, we were just about to visit you,” Akira said. “How are you feeling?”

“A little sore here and there. But otherwise, I’m fine,” Sana said. “How about you guys?”

“We’re just tired honestly. In fact, we really should go back to our dorms and rest,” Krystal said.

“I second that. Do you two need anything before we go?” Zayn asked.

“No, I think we’re fine,” Sana said. “Where’s Heer by the way?”

“She was feeling a little tired, so she decided to head out. I’m actually gonna see if I can find her,” Neil said.

“Okay. Tell her I said hi,” Sana said.

“Sure thing,” Neil replied.

“Well, we should be going then. We’ll see you guys later,” Zayn said.

With that, Krystal, Prince, Neil, Zayn, and Akira left the room and headed down the hall, exiting the health center. While Krystal, Prince, Zayn, and Akira headed towards the stairs to exit the building, Neil made his way upstairs, knowing just where Heer would be right now.

Back in Rey’s room at the health center, Sana stood by the door, looking down at the floor. Rey noticed her looking somber. He thought she’d be much happier considering they had beaten Madame Naga this time. He said, “Hey. What’s up with you?”

Sana looked at Rey, startled. She realized she was probably looking glum to him. She simply said, “Oh, it’s nothing.”

“Come on. You’d think I’d buy that? Something’s on your mind.”

“Well, I’m probably just a little shaken. So much has happened already. It’s almost too much to take in. I still don’t even know what happened back there.”

“You mean…that dark fire?”

“I know that that guy…the other you…gave us that power. But I don’t know what that means for the future. What happens to us as a team now? I can feel there’s so much power within us. But it’s too much for even us to control. I don’t even know…what will happen next time we try equilibrium or any other attack that we learn in the future.”

Rey sighed. He knew where Sana was coming from. And he also knew that he was concerned about the future as well. But all he really cared about was that Sana was safe and he was okay.

“Listen, all this talk from you about the future is just annoying,” Rey said. “Look, I’m not gonna tell you to not worry since that never works. But I’ll say one thing. You don’t have to think about the future on your own. Yes, things are gonna be different now. But whatever happens, we’ll figure it out together. That’s why we became partners in the first place, right?”

Sana took in every word Rey said and tried to collect herself before she could say anything. Before the battle against Madame Naga, things seemed much easier. But she knew Rey was right on one thing. She could dwell on the future forever, but it wouldn’t get her anywhere without Rey by her side. She didn’t want Rey to get hurt again or suffer in silence like he did.

“Do you remember what you said to me when I asked you to become my partner at the end of freshman year?” Sana asked. “You said if we were to do this, we’d have to stick together through everything. Even through the most painful of times. Guess I kinda forgot about that, huh?”

“Well, you weren’t the only one.”

“Then I guess there is only one thing to do. Moving forward, we need to remember the pact. Things are probably gonna be different for us. Probably even for the others. But like you said, we have to do it together.”

“So, what’s the plan then?”

“Honestly. For now, we should probably get these wounds healed. I can’t even think about training when I can barely feel my hands.”

“I still don’t get how you injured your whole neck.”

“It was a long and bad fall back there.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m the one who broke it.”

Sana and Rey laughed at each other, finding comfort in just being in each other’s company. As unsure as Sana was about what was to come, she knew all that mattered now was that she and Rey were safe. As for Rey, he just felt good in being happy again.

***

On the terrace of the academy, Heer sat by herself, holding onto her knees as she took in the glimpse of the glistening moon. She could feel the wind caress her hair as she basked in the moon’s bright light. The light itself was white with a slight hint of yellow. After all that had happened, something as simple as looking at the moon kept her mind at peace. She did wonder about Runa and what the Ringmasters Society was planning to do with her. She was hopeful that Runa wasn’t scared and that she was feeling safe there at least. Runa…you’re going to be okay, Heer thought.

“Sana said hi,” a voice said from behind. Heer turned around, recognizing Neil’s voice immediately. He walked over to where she was sitting and seated himself right beside her. Heer kept quiet, taking another glance at the moon. She said, “I’m sorry I wasn’t down there. I just needed to be alone for some time.”

“I get it. You don’t have to explain yourself.”

“What brings you here?”

“I need to tell you…that I’m sorry.”

Heer was taken aback. She had never seen Neil in such a somber mood before. She turned to him, seeing he was looking at her straight into her eyes, being as honest as he could be. She didn’t even think he had anything to apologize for. It wasn’t like he actually betrayed her and the others.

“Heer, I haven’t been very fair to you lately. Hell, I’ve been such a pain in the ass honestly. I don’t know how you put up with me.”

“What are you talking about? I know you didn’t betray us. And I know you never would.”

“That’s the thing. I actually thought about it.”

Heer was stunned. As reckless as Neil was, Heer never thought he’d be capable of being so selfish. She didn’t say a word. She looked down at the ground, unsure if she could even say anything.

“When Madame Naga put the offer on the table, I actually thought about what would happen if I did take it. I could get this power and strength that she was talking about. I could finally feel like I’m worth something,” Neil said. “But then I thought about you. I knew…you wouldn’t be able to take that kind of pain. And Rey is my friend. After everything Madame Naga had put him through, I’d be no better if I just let her take advantage of him like that. And the others. The more I kept thinking about it, the more I realized how lost I really am. I don’t want to be lost anymore.”

“Neil…”

“I’m sorry, Heer. You’re not weak. You’re far from it. And I should’ve never made you feel that way.”

“Neil, I know things are tense between you and Aiden. I don’t know why, but I understand why becoming stronger means so much to you.”

“Look, I don’t hate him. It may seem that way, but I know I don’t. I just can’t stand how perfect he is. There’s a lot to it that even I can’t fully understand or explain right now. But maybe, we can somehow regroup.”

“And work on getting stronger together.”

Heer said exactly what was on Neil’s mind. As much as he wanted to get stronger, he knew he couldn’t just do it alone. As Heer’s partner, he knew he had a duty in upholding not only their partnership, but also their friendship. He simply nodded at Heer and said, “So, are you worried about Runa?”

“Yeah. I know Haruka said not to worry. But still…I can’t help it.”

“I’ve known her since I was a kid. When Haruka says not to worry, she usually means it.”

“Well, that’s a relief, I guess. What do you think will happen to Fida?”

“Not sure. I don’t even know what to think of her. I mean, she did almost kill that Stallion guy. But she did help us. A lot more than I expected.”

“Yeah. I’m starting to see that not everything is as black and white as we make it out to be.”

Neil looked at the moon. Normally, it would just look shiny white to him if he ever got a glimpse of it. But this time around, he could see a yellowish light was surrounding it. He realized Heer could be right. Things aren’t always as straightforward as they seem to be. There was so much he felt like he didn’t understand. But he was willing to try. For now, he just wanted to enjoy the vision that was the moon while it lasted.

***

Outside the tower of the Ringmasters Society, Fida was standing outside while Madame Naga, Droh, and Runa were taken into custody by the members of the council. She was put on watch by two guards, who stood by her to make sure she didn’t make any sudden moves. Her hands were still handcuffed, so it’s not like she could do anything if she wanted to. As she stood there without a care in the world, she became attentive the minute she saw the guards get taken out by two blasts of dark energy particles. Fida looked down at the guards, who had been knocked out so easily. She was almost shocked, but she found herself amused that they could be taken out just like that. A voice said, “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Fida looked up, alarmed at the familiarity of the voice. All she could see were two shadowy figures in the distance. As they began to walk closer, she understood who they really were.

“Well…never thought I’d see you all again,” Fida said. “I should’ve known it was you. You guys always had the knack for full-frontal assaults.”

“We didn’t come here to reminisce,” one of the shadowy figures said.

“Then what do you want?”

“We need you to come back to where you belong.”

Fida watched as one of the shadowy figures directed a dark energy bolt towards her handcuffs, slicing them to pieces. The other one tossed a jacket in her direction. She caught it and one look at it was enough for her to recognize just exactly what kind of jacket it was. She looked up at the shadowy figures, realizing she was getting back what she thought she had lost. But she wasn’t sure how to feel about it. She knew she should be elated, but for some reason she wasn’t completely. Before she could do anything, she was startled by the sound of someone’s feet landing on the ground beside her. She looked to her right to see it was none other than Lady Chameleon.

“You?” Fida said. “I thought you were arrested and beaten to a pulp?”

“I don’t need to tell you anything, Fida,” Lady Chameleon said, holding onto her shoulder that was now bandaged up. “Can we get out of here now? Who knows when these idiots will get wind of what we’re doing?”

The shadowy figures nodded, and Lady Chameleon went off towards them while Fida stood by. Things were taking a turn so fast that she didn’t know how to react. It seemed like the choice was clear as to what she should do. She looked at the jacket again and then back at the guards that were now down on the ground. Those simple dark energy attacks left both guards wounded to the point of bleeding.

“Are you coming or not?” Lady Chameleon asked. “We don’t have all day. Or would you rather get arrested and thrown in the gutter there?”

Fida became irritated with the questioning. It was as if she was questioned for everything. She held tightly onto the jacket as she walked with Lady Chameleon and the others, not turning back as they all headed off. One of the shadowy figures dropped particles of dark energy to the ground and they moved in circular motion around the group, allowing them to disappear into the night as the moon began to fall.

Volume 1

25. Darkness Rages

February 25, 2025 imeryli

“We’re here,” Fida told Sana, Heer, Aiden, and Runa. Sana was now in front of Madame Naga’s tower along with the others. As Sana looked up at the tower, she noticed a strange glow coming from the window at the very top.

“Does that glow have anything to do with Rey?” Sana asked.

“Most likely,” Fida replied. “Ready?”

Sana drew out her wand, transforming it into her trishula. She plunged her trishula into the wooden door of the tower, knocking it down. The group jolted inside, unable to see much of anything due to the dark lighting.

“Follow me,” Fida ordered the others.

Fida led everyone up the staircase. They ran as quickly as they could until they reached further up where the purple glow became more prominent, leading the group towards a chamber room. Inside, Madame Naga stood beside Rey, who was restrained by shackles made of dark energy against a wall. He was still in his dark beast form and Madame Naga was holding the Shakti Orb before him while Neil stood by her side.

“Rey!” Sana shouted.

“So glad you all could join us,” Madame Naga smirked. “Even you, Fida. Looks like even cellars can’t hold all maniacs.”

“Watch it. I’m not in a good mood,” Fida replied.

“Doesn’t matter,” Madame Naga said. “I’m about to get everything I wanted.”

“Do you really believe we’ll let you go through with this?” Sana questioned.

“Of course. And believe it or not, I nor Rey will be the one to destroy you all,” Madame Naga said. “Neil, here’s your chance to finish them off.”

Heer, Runa, and Aiden transformed back into their human forms. Heer looked at Neil, still unable to believe he was capable of betrayal. Neil transformed his wand into his bow and arrow. And Heer paid attention to the arrow that he placed on his bow, which had a purple glow that she had never seen before.

“Neil, your arrow,” Heer said.

“It’s quite the upgrade, isn’t it?” Madame Naga said.

“Neil, please, you wouldn’t do this to us,” Heer pleaded.

“If you dare to turn against us now, you’ll be sorry,” Sana said.

“Your silly pleas are useless. I tapped into the darkness that lies within his heart,” Madame Naga said. “He’s no different from me. All he seeks is power. And now that I’ve given it to him, there’s no turning back.”

“Neil! Would you really turn your back on us?! On Heer, your partner?! Or even Rey?!” Aiden yelled.

“You all are starting to bug me. Finish them, Neil!” Madame Naga ordered.

Neil strung his arrow onto the bow, placing his target on Sana, Aiden, Heer, and Runa. Heer looked at him right in the eyes, still unable to believe that anything that was happening in the moment was real. As he pulled on the arrow, he swiftly turned around and fired it at Madame Naga, shooting her directly in her chest. He could see her eyes freeze as her body became trapped within a dark ice coffin. Neil turned to the others, who all seemed to share the same dumfounded look on their faces.

“You didn’t think I’d actually turned to the dark side, did you?” Neil smirked.

Instead of sighs of relief, Neil was welcomed with a smack from Sana, that made him land on the floor with a thud. He immediately got up and said, “What the hell was that for?!”

“You idiot!” Sana exclaimed. “What made you think it was a good idea to pretend to be on the enemy’s side?!”

“Not very smart of you,” Aiden said.

“Hey! I did it for you guys! Snake lady was the one who kidnapped me and tried to get me on her side,” Neil explained. “I knew you guys would show up anyway. So, I thought I’d play along till you all got here.”

“Playing along meant knocking out the guardsmen and stealing the Shakti Orb?” Aiden asked.

“Did you not hear me?! I said I had to play along! Getting the orb was the only way of ensuring that she’d trust me,” Neil said.

“Okay. So, what would you have done then if we hadn’t shown up in time?” Sana asked.

Neil pondered for a bit. And he said, “You know, I didn’t think about that.”

While Sana and Aiden were shaking their heads, Heer was feeling relieved. She knew her instincts about Neil were right.

“While all of this is amusing, you better focus on the boy now,” Fida said.

But before anything could be done, Sana noticed the ice coffin that contained Madame Naga was starting to glow purple. She noticed cracks beginning to form on the ice. Within seconds, the ice shattered with Madame Naga breaking free. From the look on Madame Naga’s face, she looked even more viscious than before.

“You’re going to wish you hadn’t done that,” Madame Naga said.

Before Madame Naga could attack, Fida struck her with a dark energy blast from the palm of her hand. The blast was so strong that it made her fall out the window of the tower. Unable to process what had just happened, Sana said, “What was that?!”

“That was me buying you time,” Fida said. “She won’t go down that easily.”

“We have to move quickly then!” Aiden exclaimed. “Sana, Runa, we’ll revive Rey. Heer, you and Neil go with Fida.”

“I don’t take orders from you!” Neil exclaimed.

“We’ll go!” Heer agreed.

She turned to Neil, who simply complied with her and the two jumped out of the window with Fida. The three of them landed on the ground before Madame Naga.

Heer, I know we weren’t able to train as long as you wanted. I hope you know what to do, Aiden thought. He turned around to see Sana and Runa attempting to get Rey down from the wall.

“Aiden, what do we do?” Sana asked. “Just touching these energy straps alone is dangerous.”

“Runa, the straps are made of dark energy. We’ll need you to break them,” Aiden said.

“Okay,” Runa nodded.

Runa raised her hands forward, focusing her dark energy within her palms. As her palms faced Rey’s body, the energy began to build up in them. Sana alternated between watching her and watching Rey at the same time.

Outside the tower, Fida, Neil, and Heer watched as Madame Naga got up from the ground. The three of them kept their guard up while Madame Naga looked at all three of them, annoyed by the unwanted disturbances in her plan.

“Fida, you insect. You have some nerve attacking me like that,” Madame Naga said.

“It’s not like I work for you anymore,” Fida said.

“You’re not going to live any longer when I’m through with you,” Madame Naga said, snapping her fingers.

“You two, jump!” Fida told Neil and Heer. The three jumped off the ground as a bunch of snakes popped out from underground, right at the spot where they first were. They landed just a few steps back to where they were safe.

“She has underground snakes?!” Neil exclaimed.

“There are hundreds of them surrounding the tower. They only come out by her command,” Fida said.

“You can’t run forever,” Madame Naga said, snapping her fingers again.

Fida, Neil, and Heer jumped again as more snakes popped out from underground. The three made their way at the top of a tree close by. They hid among the leaves to retreat safely.

“You can hide for as long as you want,” Madame Naga said. “My snakes will be waiting down here.”

“I should’ve predicted something like this would happen,” Fida said.

“The only way one of us can go down there is if we could create some kind of diversion,” Heer said.

“If only I could shoot all her snakes with one shot. I’d tire myself out if I had to keep up with all of them,” Neil said.

What Neil said struck a chord with Fida. She looked over at Neil, noticing he was still holding onto his bow. There were no arrows in sight, which led her to believe that his arrows were formed by his magical energy.

“Hey, do you use your energy to create your arrows?” Fida asked Neil.

“Well, yeah. My wand wouldn’t be able to turn into a bow and multiple arrows.” Neil replied.

“How much magical energy do you put into one arrow?” Fida asked.

“Why does that matter?” Neil asked.

“Just answer the question, fool,” Fida said.

“Neil, you must have some idea. Like a percentage at least,” Heer said.

Neil had to think about it for a moment. He never exactly considered how much energy he put into an arrow. Especially because in most battles, he would use no more than the one arrow he’d create when transforming his wand.

“I don’t know. Maybe like five percent?” Neil said.

“Wow, that’s even lower than I thought,” Fida said.

“Look, what’s the point of asking me this?! Have you forgotten were trying to figure out a strategy here?!” Neil exclaimed.

“I think that’s why she’s asking, Neil,” Heer said.

“If you were to increase the amount of magical energy you put into an arrow, you should be able to take out every one of those snakes with one shot,” Fida said.

“But I’ve never even tried that before. What if it doesn’t work?” Neil asked.

“Neil, you have to at least try. We don’t have a lot of time. This is the best option we have,” Heer said.

“Your partner is right,” Fida told Neil. “I can at least keep her busy for a bit while you build up power. It’s your best chance at this point. If those snakes get you, they’ll drag you underground and you’ll stay there for as long as Madame Naga wants you to. Do you get it? You have to try.”

Neil could feel the immense pressure he was under. All hopes of survival were on him. He wasn’t sure if he could handle it. But he looked at Heer, who seemed to be more determined than ever. The look on her face was enough for him to know that she believed he could do it. With that reassurance, Neil gave a nod to Fida.

Fida jumped out of the tree. She formed a dark energy beam from her palm and threw it towards Madame Naga. Madame Naga countered with a dark energy beam of her own. The two continued to fight while Madame Naga’s snakes remained put.

Neil began building up his energy, trying to focus as he held his bow. Heer watched him, noticing he was struggling to focus. As a result, the arrow that was forming seemed to have the regular amount of power that he would normally use.

“Neil, you need to try and focus.”

“I’m trying. I really am. I don’t know what’s holding me back.”

“You’re doubting your own strength. If you want, I can help you.”

“How?”

Heer placed her left palm right before the arrow that was forming against Neil’s bow. As she held up her palm, her own ice energy began to form, combining with the energy of Neil’s arrow. Neil watched her, amazed to see how easily Heer was able to control her energy.

“Is this what you’ve been learning from my brother?”

“Yeah. He’s been teaching me and Runa to control our energy. That way we can manifest it for attacks like what Fida and others can do.”

“So, how do I do that?”

“The key is focus. You’re doubting yourself and that’s preventing you from obtaining true focus.”

Me? Doubting myself? I really have fallen off the rails, Neil thought. All right. If its focus I need, I’ll focus.

As Heer continued to assist Neil with building up the energy in his arrow, he concentrated on his own energy. He looked at the arrow, using it as a target for him to focus on. The more he looked on the arrow, the greater his focus was. As he continued to concentrate on the arrow, he could feel the arrow’s power grow stronger. He continued to push himself further while Heer watched him. Seeing he was getting control of his energy, Heer backed her hand away, allowing for Neil to complete the transformation of the arrow. To her, it was bolder than ever. The arrow didn’t look like Neil’s usual arrows. This one was much brighter and far more powerful.

“You did it.”

“Well, you did help me.”

“You ready to fire it?”

Neil looked down, trying to lower his head enough for Fida to see him. In the middle of fighting Madame Naga, Fida caught a glimpse of Neil’s face, seeing he was ready. She stood by, seeing Madame Naga throw another dark energy beam attack towards her. As Fida tried to defend herself against it, Neil pulled back the arrow on his bow, aiming it near Madame Naga. He knew the best way to make sure Madame Naga couldn’t summon her underground snakes was to target all the ground surrounding her. Neil could feel the arrow’s power. The intensity of the arrow’s energy was so cold, but he could bear it. With his target locked, he fired the arrow. And Fida jumped back at the top of the tree in time. The arrow swiftly struck the ground, right before Madame Naga’s feet. Madame Naga stopped her attack and said, “For an archer, your aim is quite horrendous.”

But Madame Naga didn’t expect what she saw next. The ground surrounding her started to get covered in a sheet of ice, extending its way further down to the point that the entire area surrounding her was a land of ice. Neil and Heer jumped out from the tree onto the icy ground.

“Good luck getting rid of all of this ice,” Fida said.

“You may have been able to break the ice coffin from earlier, but it’s gonna take you much longer to break all of this to get your pet snakes,” Neil said.

These fools are wasting my time. The others might’ve gotten Rey down by now. I need to get back there, Madame Naga thought.

Madame Naga bent down, punching her arm through the ice into the ground itself. To Neil’s surprise, it looked like she wasn’t trying to break all of the ice itself. He was even more surprised to see what looked like blood on her arm. It took all her strength, but Madame Naga managed to pull Droh’s body out from the ground, breaking some more of the ice along with it. She was delighted to see how shocked Fida, Neil, and Heer were at this sight. She looked at Droh’s body, which was very much alive, but strained from the pressures of being dragged underground with her snakes.

“Wake up, Droh,” Madame Naga said as she lightly tapped Droh’s chest with a bit of dark energy from her finger as she held him by the collar of his shirt. Droh slowly woke up, exhausted but unhinged at the sight of Madame Naga.

“What do you want? Was the torture from your snakes not enough to please you?”

“Aww, Droh. I’m not that sadistic. All I wanted was to teach you a lesson.”

“You might as well put me back down under because I want nothing more to do with you.”

“Now, now. Don’t say that. We’re very close to fulfilling our goal. I just need you to take care of Fida and these annoying kids.”

“Why the hell would I do that after what you’ve done to me?!”

“Because I plan to reward you for your loyalty. I’ll make certain of it.”

Madame Naga released Droh from her grip and stood up. She looked at Droh and said, “I’m counting on you, Droh. Don’t disappoint me.”

As Madame Naga took off back to the tower, Fida shouted, “You’re not getting away!” as she threw a dark energy beam attack at her.

“Foolish wretch,” Madame Naga said as she struck back with an even stronger energy beam that hit Fida, Neil, and Heer at the same time. By the time they had been hit, Madame Naga was already making her way back inside, vanishing into gray smoke.

Fida, Neil, and Heer got up from the icy ground, looking at Droh. Droh slowly rose from the ground, ready to fight them. Neil stepped forward, but he was pushed aside by Fida, who stepped forward to take on Droh, transforming into her dark beast form. Droh transformed as well and the two began their fight.

Sana, I hope we gave you enough time, Neil thought.

Back inside the tower, Runa was getting close to breaking the energy chains on Rey. After she pushed herself a little bit more, the chains finally broke, releasing Rey from the wall as he changed into his human form. As Rey fell, Sana caught hold of him, seeing he was unconscious and seemingly unstable.

“Rey, can you hear me?! Rey!” Sana called out.

“Sana, look at the marks on his body,” Aiden said.

Sana was shocked to see the marks on Rey’s body were still glowing. She could see that he was sweating as well. It was as if his body was becoming erratic.

“What’s happening to him?!” Sana asked.

“From what I can tell, the dark energy that’s taking over is in combat with his fire energy. The R-gene is causing an imbalance of some sort in his body. If he’s not stabilized, we’ll lose him,” Aiden said.

“What do we have to do to save him?” Sana asked.

“I think I know. Runa, do you think you have any strength left?” Aiden asked.

“I think so,” Runa said.

“Then here’s what we’ll do. Runa, focus your magic on Rey’s body and try to control the dark energy inside him. Sana, you’ll have to control his fire energy. If both energies inside him are under control, he should be safe,” Aiden said.

“You won’t be saving him,” a voice from behind said.

Aiden swiftly turned to see Madame Naga was making her way towards them. He quickly launched a wind energy beam attack from his hands at Madame Naga, hitting her against the wall. Aiden waved his hand before Sana and Runa, creating a shield made of wind energy that surrounded the two. The wind within this shield was flowing consistently, acting as a barrier.

“What is this, Aiden?!” Sana asked.

“It’s a wind barrier. It should keep you safe for a bit. I’ll handle Madame Naga while you both stabilize Rey,” Aiden said.

Madame Naga got up and smirked at the sight of the wind barrier that was protecting Sana, Runa, and Rey. “You really think your wind barrier will give them time? I’ll be done with you soon enough,” Madame Naga said.

“Don’t be so sure,” Aiden said.

As Aiden commenced in his fight against Madame Naga, Sana focused all her energy on Rey. She tried to do exactly what Runa was doing. The energy in her palms began to build up. As it built up, Sana leaned closer to Rey, placing her hands on his chest, so that her fire energy would be transmitted to him. Once she did that, she felt like she was syncing with him.

Runa took note of what Sana was doing. To her, it looked like Sana was trying to communicate with Rey. She realized that she would have to try and hold back the dark energy inside him while Sana would hopefully wake Rey up. She focused harder on her dark energy, making sure it was stable, so that it could keep Rey’s dark energy under control.

Sana could feel her body go into a still state. Her mind became a separate entity as she found herself wandering in what looked like a void. There was absolutely nothing around her. It was simply dark and almost cold. As she kept wandering in the void, she could see something further away. That something looked like a boy. It looked like Rey. She could see he was floating, seemingly unaware of his surroundings.

“Rey!” Sana called out for him.

The sound of his name immediately woke Rey up. It wasn’t just the name, but the voice as well. He saw himself in the void and he saw the glowing marks were still on his body. As scared as he was, he was relieved to see Sana in the distance. He could see she was trying to get closer to him.

“Sana, where are we?!”

“I don’t know. I think…we’re in your mind.”

“How’s that possible?”

“I touched you with my fire energy. It must’ve connected us mentally or something like that.”

“Sana, I didn’t want you to see what I’ve turned into. I didn’t want you to worry about me.”

“I don’t care. As your partner…as your friend…I have every right to worry about you. And I’m sorry I didn’t act on my worries sooner. I was so caught up with trying to get stronger so you wouldn’t get hurt again that I lost sight of what was going on right in front of me.”

“Hey, we both are scared, all right. I may not admit it, but I am. I don’t know what this dark magic or these markings are going to do to me.”

“And that’s okay. You’re not a monster. I know you. And whatever this dark magic is, we’ll figure it out together. But right now, I need you back. I need Rey back.”

By the time Sana finished speaking, she was face-to-face with Rey. She could see that Rey was still scared. To calm him down, she extended his hand to him.

“Will you come back with me?” Sana asked.

Rey looked at Sana’s hand. He could see her fire energy was burning through her palm, just waiting to reach him. Even though he wasn’t certain of what would happen to him or come next, he knew that he could trust Sana to be there with him. And so, he gave her his hand. As he did, her fire energy transmitted to him, taking away his markings.

“Thank you, Sana,” Rey said, smiling.

Sana came back to reality, still holding onto Rey’s body. As she moved her hands from his chest, she could see the markings on his body were starting to fade away. As the markings faded, Rey opened his eyes, looking directly at Sana. Runa put down her hands, relieved to see Rey was okay. At this point, the wind barrier had been lifted. Aiden and Madame Naga paused their fighting to see Rey was conscious again.

“Rey, how are you feeling?” Sana asked.

“I feel okay,” Rey said. “A little out of it, but I’m okay. Thanks for saving me.”

“Oh, it wasn’t just me. Runa helped a lot,” Sana said as Rey sat up.

“Thanks, Runa. I owe you one,” Rey said as he patted Runa on the head, making her smile.

“How sweet. You’re awake,” Madame Naga said.

“Hey! You’re the ugly snake woman that we fought last time!” Rey exclaimed.

“Wow. At least your memory is sharp,” Sana said.

“You may have altered my plans, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still take your power for myself. I put my venom inside your body, which means every bit of your power is as good as mine,” Madame Naga said.

“Not without a fight,” Rey smirked.

“He’s right. The only way you can get to Rey is by defeating us,” Sana said.

Madame Naga cackled. “That’s all? Please. I’ve done it once. I’ll do it again,” she said.

“Are you both sure about this? It wasn’t easy for you the first time around. This time will be even harder,” Aiden said.

Before Sana could say anything, she noticed some commotion going on outside the tower through the window. She ran up to the window, seeing Fida fighting Droh. Fida looked like she was getting beaten very badly.

“Aiden, you need to go help Fida, Neil, and Heer. They need you,” Sana said.

“Even with his help, it won’t save them or anything,” Madame Naga said.

“Oh, shut up!” Rey exclaimed. “Sana’s right, Aiden! Take Runa with you, too!”

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Aiden asked.

“Hell, yeah! We got a score to settle here!” Rey exclaimed as he stood up, smacking his fists together.

“Rey’s right. This is our fight now. You just help out your brother,” Sana told Aiden.

Aiden could see the determination in both Sana and Rey’s eyes. And with Neil, Heer, and Fida in trouble with Droh, he knew he had no time to waste. He looked at Runa and said, “Come on, Runa. We have to go.”

Runa nodded and followed Aiden, holding onto him as he jumped out from the window, landing on the ground outside the tower. Good luck, you two. Everything is on you guys now, Aiden thought.

Aiden and Runa turned towards Droh, who transformed back into his human form. Fida was on her knees, bruised and beaten. Aiden looked at Neil and Heer and said, “You two aren’t going to just stand here forever, are you?”

“What’d you say?!” Neil exclaimed.

“Stay back. I can finish him,” Fida said.

“You’re in no condition to fight any further. We’ll take it from here,” Aiden said.

“Runa, are you okay with fighting?” Heer asked.

“Ha! You’re telling me that useless brat is going to take me on? Don’t make me laugh,” Droh said.

“Don’t listen to him, Runa,” Aiden told Runa, patting her on her head. “You’ve been working hard to control your powers. Now’s your chance to show Droh what you’re made of.”

From the look of determination on her face, Aiden could tell Runa was ready. He turned over to Neil and said, “I know you don’t want to. But we’re going to need to work together if we want to defeat him.”

“Oh, please,” Neil scoffed.

“Come on, Neil. You have to put your rivalry aside this time,” Heer said.

“I’m getting sick of your talk!” Droh shouted, throwing a massive dark energy beam at the group.

Runa transformed and jumped in front of the others, countering with a dark energy beam of her own. She could feel the pressure of Droh’s energy beam pushing against her. But nevertheless, she continued to hold it off.

“Runa can’t hold Droh off on her own! We have to work together!” Aiden told Neil. “Droh’s strength is already a bit down from fighting Fida. But to finish him off, we have to work quickly. Do you understand?”

“Oh, fine! Just this once!” Neil exclaimed. “Heer, you ready?”

“On it!” Heer replied as she transformed into her beast form.

The dark energy beams exploded, leaving nothing but smoke that covered up the area, making it hard for anyone to see anything. Droh transformed into his beast form, taking advantage of the situation to launch an even more powerful attack. He opened his mouth, launching a dark energy beam attack towards the others’ way. But to his surprise, a gust of wind blew the energy beam back. As the smoke faded, Droh saw that the attack came from Aiden, who had transformed into his beast form.

“I say we wrap this up quick!” Neil exclaimed. “Runa, can you help distract him for a bit?”

Runa nodded. She and Aiden both charged at Droh, launching their own energy beam attacks towards him. As they kept him busy, Neil and Heer stood by, waiting to make their move.

“Okay, Heer. We did this before with Madame Naga and didn’t even get her. Let’s give it all we got this time,” Neil said.

Heer nodded. Neil and Heer ran towards Droh’s direction. They jumped up and Neil prepared the arrow for his bow while Heer formed an ice energy beam from her mouth. Blue auras surrounded the two as their energies began to sync with one another. I gotta give it all I got. This one shot must count, Neil thought as he continued to power up his arrow.

Seeing Neil and Heer were ready to do their equilibrium attack, Aiden moved out of the way and Runa followed him.

“This is it!” Neil shouted. “Ice Blast!”

Neil fired his arrow while Heer launched her ice energy beam. The arrow collided with the energy beam, creating what looked like an icy comet. And from the looks of it, Neil could tell the power from it was far different from last time. Droh tried to defend himself with another dark energy beam attack, but the power of the Ice Blast attack was too strong as it pushed through the dark energy beam, striking Droh like a bomb as it exploded into an icy-looking ash. Once the ash cleared, Droh was frozen solid in ice.

Neil and Heer landed on the icy ground. Heer, Runa, and Aiden transformed back into their human forms. Runa felt a sense of relief, seeing Droh was frozen and could no longer harm her. She looked at Heer, holding onto her by the skirt of her dress, getting Heer’s attention. Heer kneeled and said, “Are you okay, Runa?”

“I think so,” Runa said.

Runa looked at Fida, who was lying on the ground, still hurt. Seeing Runa look at Fida, Heer went over to Fida, bent down, and asked, “Are you okay?”

Fida slowly sat up and said, “I’m fine. No need to be so courteous.”

“Well, now that this is over, what do we do now?” Neil asked.

Aiden took out a blue pager that had a wide silver stripe on the back of it. He began to dial a code on it.

“What are you doing?” Neil asked.

“I need to get in touch with Tatia,” Aiden replied.

“Zayn’s mom?” Heer asked.

“Yes. Give me a second,” Aiden said.

Aiden looked at his pager screen, seeing Tatia’s face appear as she had finally answered his call. “Aiden, where are you right now?” Tatia asked.

“I’m with Neil, Heer, Runa, and Fida. Rey is okay now and is with Sana. They have stayed behind to take on Madame Naga.”

“You left them alone?!”

“Yes, I know it sounds reckless. But they wanted to fight her on their own.”

“That doesn’t mean you just let them do it. They could end up getting themselves killed.”

“I know it’s risky, but Sana has been training really hard since the last time she fought Madame Naga. We need to trust her. And Rey.”

“Fine. But don’t head back to the academy. I want you all to stay at least within the area of the tower. I’ll inform the council back at the society headquarters to dispatch a team to your location.”

“What for?”

“If anything goes wrong, we need to be prepared for the worst. Stay put. I’ll get Haruka to come over there.”

Once the call ended, Aiden turned to the others as they stopped in their tracks by some trees. Aiden turned back, looking directly at the tower. Heer asked Aiden, “Who’s Haruka?”

***

Right outside the barriers of Daredevil City, there was a grand building that stood so tall that it made townspeople look like ants. The building was of a beige color that had modern, yet somewhat traditional architecture that was almost castle-like. Right beside the building was a flagpole that had a bright orange-red flag with a black-colored emblem on it. This was the headquarters of the Ringmasters Society.

Inside the building, within the highest chamber room, there was a group of ten people. All of them were dressed in long, silver cloaks over their respective attire. They were members of the Ringmasters Society, but their cloaks were worn as they were part of the society’s council. Not all members of the Ringmasters Society were council members, but those who were, wore these silver cloaks in the middle of critical meetings. The council folk were in the middle of deep conversation until the ringing of a pager disrupted the room. A woman with long black hair styled in a high ponytail and violet eyes took out the pager and answered it. Tatia’s face appeared on the screen.

“It’s about time you called,” she said.

“Hi to you as well, Haruka.”

“So, what’s the situation now?”

“Rey has been stabilized. Madame Naga is still in the tower. Should anything go wrong, I need backup over there.”

“All right. We’ll be there soon.”

Once Tatia disconnected the call, Haruka looked at everyone in the room. Her eyes were particularly drawn to the man sitting all the way in the back. He had medium-length silver hair that curled slightly at the ends and hit right at his shoulders. He appeared to be completely out of it as he rested his head against the table and snored ever so quietly. He also reeked of a strong odor that hinted of booze.

“Shuto!” Haruka shouted.

The man immediately woke up while the others in the room turned towards him. “He’s out of it again? I didn’t even notice,” a lady said.

“What now?” Shuto replied.

“Why did you have to get drunk again, you moron?!” Haruka yelled.

“I can’t help the booze, you know. Can’t resist,” Shuto said, slowly sulking into his chair. “Oh, wow, the lights in here look so pretty today.”

“Your drunk of a brother does this every time,” one of the men in the room said. “It’s a surprise he’s still part of the society.”

“Just take him out from here! He reeks of such a foul odor,” another man said.

“God. I’ll drag his sorry bum out myself,” Haruka said.

Haruka got up from her seat and removed her cloak, revealing the pink kimono she had on. She walked over to where Shuto was seated and grabbed him by the hood of his cloak, pulling him away as he continued to snore. She shook her head as she harnessed the strength to take him out of the chamber. As she was about to head out of the door, a young lady entered inside, holding a tray with freshly brewed tea in several teacups.

“You’re leaving, ma’am?” the lady asked.

“Yeah, Mr. Madarame and I have business to attend to.”

“But how can he do anything in this state? Maybe some of my tea can help him sober up.”

“Oh, Lacey. I forget that you’re new around here. This here is nothing new. We’ll be on our way now.”

With that, Haruka walked out of the room, still tugging onto Shuto. One of these days, I’m going to lose all respect and dignity I have because of him, Haruka rolled her eyes.

Volume 1

21. Battle for The Chain of Leo

February 22, 2025 imeryli

“Yes! Yes!” Krystal cheered in excitement as she looked down upon the many buildings and acres of land as she rode her hoverboard. After a few hours of riding the skies, Krystal and Prince had arrived at what was known as the town of Riven.

“I can’t believe we’re here, Prince. We’re finally here. Now the Chain of Leo is about to be mine.”

“Don’t celebrate just yet. We still have to find it.”

“I know. But I have a good feeling we’re going to.”

As soon as the two landed in Riven, Krystal and Prince got off their hoverboards and began walking around. It was required for travelers to have hoverboards or any other forms of advanced transportation devices at the entrance gates of the town. Riven also happened to be the closest to where Mt. Roja was located.

“I’m so tired,” Prince said.

“Oh, shut up! Once we get the Chain of Leo, we can go home, and you can nap for a whole day if you want to. But until then, we gotta focus on the mission.”

“You don’t know if someone already got it.”

“There you go being a rainy cloud. I know the chain is still here. I can just feel it! Now hurry up! We have to start searching.”

Krystal ran ahead while Prince followed her inside the town. She’s so determined to get this chain. It’s unusual, Prince thought.

***

Meanwhile, back at Ringmasters Training Academy, Aiden was working with Heer and Runa on their training inside the gymnasium. It was free period, so it was a perfect time to get some training in. “Okay, Heer, listen carefully,” Aiden said. “I want you to demonstrate an ice energy beam.”

“What is Runa going to do then?” Heer asked Aiden.

“Runa will observe you and then perform a dark energy beam,” Aiden replied.

“How…how can I do that?” Runa asked.

“This is what you need to do, Runa,” Aiden explained. “You have to learn to control your powers. All that starts with your energy and how you utilize it. As for you, Heer, it’s important you grasp this concept as well. So, Runa, I want you to trust yourself and watch Heer closely.”

Runa turned to Heer, who smiled back at her. With that, Runa nodded in agreement as she kept her eyes on Heer. Heer transformed into her beast form. After closing her eyes, she opened them after a few seconds, revealing their blue glow. She opened her mouth wide as an ice energy beam slowly formed, the energy twisting. Runa watched Heer closely, seeing how she was able to easily maintain the balance of energy within the beam.

“Very nice, Heer. Just maintain the flow of energy for a little longer,” Aiden said. “Are you ready to try for yourself, Runa?”

“I think so.”

“Good. Then go for it.”

Runa transformed into her beast form. It was truly a sight for Aiden to see Runa take on her panther form in front of his eyes for the first time. Runa closed her eyes, trying to concentrate. She opened them after a few seconds, and they began to glow a bright purple color. Runa opened her mouth, slowly forming a dark energy beam as she paralleled Heer’s ice energy beam.

“That’s it. Keep it steady, Runa,” Aiden said.

“So, this is why Zayn said we had to move our training elsewhere,” a voice said.

Aiden turned behind him to see Sana standing right by the entrance to the gymnasium.

“Sana. I’m surprised to see you here,” Aiden said. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to see what kind of training you guys are up to. It’s great that you’re training Heer and Runa together. It looks like it’s helping Runa with controlling her powers.”

“I hope you don’t mind that we had to steal your little training spot.”

“It’s no big deal.”

“By the way, is Rey still sick?”

“Unfortunately. I called his nurse at the health center and she said that he should start feeling better after finishing his medications.”

“I see. Well, hopefully he’ll recover soon. He’s a tough one after all.”

Suddenly, Runa’s dark energy beam began to get hectic as it started to give off static shocks. The sight alarmed Aiden, Sana, and Heer.

“Don’t let your energy get out of hand, Runa!” Aiden said. “Stay focused! Just use all your will power if you have to.”

Runa shook her head as she closed her eyes tightly. She kept calm as the energy of the dark energy beam slowly tamed down.

“Wow. You sure have a way with communication,” Sana told Aiden.

“That’s why I’m the coach.”

“Though don’t you think testing out energy beams is rather too simple?”

“It is. This is just a start. Heer and Runa…you both are doing great. Now I want you both to take things a bit further. I need you to trust each other. Launch your beams upward and make them collide.”

Heer and Runa nodded as the two proceeded to launch their energy beams up towards the ceiling. Once the beams were launched, they managed to collide perfectly, creating an array of blue and purple sparks. Sana watched the display with complete awe while Aiden smiled.

“Perfect,” Aiden said.

Amazing, Sana thought. He truly knows how to guide others.

***

Back in Riven, Krystal and Prince were busy making their way around the town. The town itself had a more mellow setting. Small brick houses were aligned on the streets with little shops that sold a wide range of goods. One attraction of the town was that its roads were completely made of crimson red bricks. And alongside many streets were trees that grew wisteria flowers. The town was famous for having them grow right at the beginning of the spring season.

Prince sighed as predictably Krystal was getting distracted by the beauty of the town. Instead of making their way towards Mt. Roja, the two stopped at a small boutique.

“These necklaces are gorgeous! And the bags! They have the latest Reshawna bag. I’ve been looking everywhere for this,” Krystal said as she brought all her items to the cashier for purchasing. “The girls are gonna love all these souvenirs.”

As the cashier began to ring up all the items, Krystal noticed Prince was awfully quiet. She could even see from his face that he was annoyed.

After she handed her credit card to the cashier, she said to Prince, “What’s your deal?”

“Nothing. I just expected this.”

“Expected what?”

“You to get distracted like you always do.”

“Distracted?! You know I always like to get souvenirs when we travel!”

“You came here for a reason. You wanted to get that weapon. And instead of getting that done, you’re shopping. Typical.”

“Hey, I am focused! Right after this, we’ll march right over to Mt. Roja and get it!”

“Excuse me. You plan to go to Mt. Roja?” the cashier asked.

“That’s right,” Krystal said.

“I hate to tell you this, but that area is off limits to tourists,” the cashier said.

“What?!” Krystal exclaimed.

“So much for that plan,” Prince said.

“Why would it be off limits?!” Krystal asked.

“It only happened recently, but several tourists reported ghost sightings there and went ballistic. So, they’ve decided to close off tourism indefinitely,” the cashier said as he handed Krystal back her credit card and finished packing her items.

“Ghosts? Really?” Prince said.

Prince looked at Krystal, surprised to see her so quiet. At a time like this, she’d normally throw a whole tantrum.

“Well, thanks for letting us know,” Krystal said as she grabbed her bags from the cashier. “Have a nice day.”

With that, Krystal and Prince walked out of the shop and back into the streets. Prince couldn’t tell what Krystal was thinking. But with this new information, he didn’t think it was possible for them to do anything now.

“So, what do we do now?” Prince asked. “Should we just head back to school?”

Prince looked at Krystal again and noticed a wide grin form on her face. He was quite puzzled by it.

“Now who said anything about going back?” Krystal said.

“What?”

“Let’s go. I have an idea.”

Krystal walked ahead while Prince followed her. Great. Just when I thought we’d be leaving, Prince thought.

***

Back at the academy, Ryan was in his office working on paperwork for his class. After half an hour, he placed his papers in a file folder and headed out of his office, locking the door. Ryan stepped out into the hallway, heading towards the stairs. As he went down them, he came across Headmaster Devil once he had reached the lower level.

“Devil?” Ryan said, confused. “I thought you were leaving earlier today?”

“I had some work to finish.”

“As did I.”

“How’s your class going by the way? I hope you’re adjusting.”

“It’s going well. Though four of my students have been absent. Krystal, Prince, Neil, and Rey.”

“Krystal and Prince have gone to Riven for some important work. Neil has gone back to his hometown, Helada. And as for Rey, he’s been quite ill lately, so he’s resting in the health center.”

“The boy’s still sick? Sana didn’t mention anything to me.”

“It’s just a flu according to the nurse.”

“No one has gone to see him?”

“Well, the nurse said it’s highly contagious, so it’s wise that he has no visitors.”

“Who is this nurse?”

“Nurse Sheila. She just started here around the time Zayn and Akira joined the academy.”

“I see. Well…I better get back home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Sure thing. Have a good evening.”

Ryan made his way through the doors of the academy, pondering. How can that man be so oblivious? Ryan thought. I’m not the brightest man alive. But even I know something’s odd about this. So, who’s this new nurse that has everyone kept at bay?

***

Back in Riven, Krystal and Prince were on their way to Mt. Roja, continuing their quest for the Chain of Leo. Though Prince still didn’t know what Krystal had in mind. With the news they had received about the area being closed off to tourists, he didn’t think there was anything they could do. But they were still heading there, and Krystal hadn’t said a word about this idea of hers. She just kept her focus on reaching to Mt. Roja. It was weird to see Krystal not be a chatterbox. Normally if they went anywhere, Prince couldn’t go two minutes without her mouth going off. It made him think that this journey was very important to her.

After some more time had passed, Krystal stopped, looking at the map on her phone’s GPS. She looked up, seeing what appeared to be Mt. Roja. Its stature wasn’t much, the mountain range was quite small. But the striking crimson color of the rock was certainly there. It almost looked like the mountain was composed of bricks. Standing in the way of her getting to that mountain was a tall fence.

“Well, we’re here,” Prince said. “Now you better explain what you’re up to.”

“Well, this works perfectly.”

“What does?”

“The fence. It seems they don’t have any guards on duty. That makes this a little easier.”

“How? You’re still blocked from entering.”

“Not if you can jump over the fence.”

Prince thought he misheard. But then he remembered this was Krystal who was talking.

“What?” Prince asked.

“Yeah. We can jump over the fence. Of course, I think we’ll have to make sure we jump high enough, so we don’t touch it. I’m pretty sure it could be electric or something like that.”

“And exactly how would we jump over?”

“Well, you can transform into your beast form and leap over. The fence isn’t too tall and from my little knowledge on animals, I’m pretty sure lions can leap pretty high. As for me, I’m gonna use my sonic bell to emit a sound wave that can boost me up.”

“You actually expect that to work? How do you even know that your sonic bell will be able to propel you high enough to get over?”

“You can help with that. I’ll jump over first. When I use my sonic bell, you can use your Sonic Roar for extra power. That should be just enough to get me over. And once I’m over, you can go.”

Prince was surprised. As crazy as this idea sounded, it seemed like Krystal had it all figured out. But of course, there was the matter of whether it would work.

“If this doesn’t work, it’s your fault.”

“Trust me, it’ll work. Just transform already.”

Prince transformed into his beast form while Krystal drew out her wand, tapped it, and transformed it into her sonic bell. She got into her stance and made sure her sonic bell faced the ground.

She turned to Prince and said, “Okay. For this to work, I need you to be directly behind me. Our timing has to be right, too. So, as soon as I get my sonic bell going, you aim your Sonic Roar towards me.”

Prince nodded. Krystal got ready, taking one deep breath. She was confident that she could do this, but there was a part of her that was nervous. She decided to brush it off and focus on getting this done right. The Chain of Leo was waiting for her.

“Sound Beam,” Krystal said as she emitted a sound energy beam from her sonic bell that bounced her off the ground.

That was Prince’s cue. He immediately launched his Sonic Roar attack behind Krystal, combining it with her sound energy beam. With the two forces collided, she was propelled higher in the air and she managed to make it above the fence. As she headed towards the ground on the other side, she flipped and landed perfectly. Krystal grounded her standing and was astonished that she really did it.

“Yes. Yes. Yes! I did it!” Krystal exclaimed. “I actually did it! Come on, Prince! You can jump over now!”

And so, Prince leaped over the fence. It was quite effortless for him as Krystal said. He landed on the ground next to her and transformed back into his human form.

“Look, Prince! We actually made it over!”

“I know. Even I’m surprised.”

“Okay. Now that we’re here, we need to find the chain.”

“Well, this mountain is pretty big. It could take forever to search for it.”

“Ugh! You’re right! I didn’t even think about that.”

“Well, just take a minute to think. What did the riddle say again?”

Krystal took out a small chit of paper from the inner pocket of her flared top. She had written the riddle down on it. If one chooses to seek, one must go to the top peak. And look deep, beyond the crimson rock that stands so tall, Krystal read. Geez, we’re already here. They could’ve been a little bit more specific when writing this thing.

But then it hit Krystal. She looked up at Mt. Roja and slowly worked her way down to the lower rock formations.

“I think I understand the riddle. I only focused on the part about the crimson rock. But not on the part about looking beyond,” Krystal said. “I think we’re supposed to find it closer to the lower level of the mountain.”

“You might be right on that.”

“How so?”

“Look over there.”

Krystal looked to where Prince was pointing. There appeared to be a large hole in the ground. Krystal and Prince walked towards it.

“What do you think it’s for?” Krystal asked.

“My guess…someone else is looking for exactly what you’re looking for.”

“Oh, come on. You think someone dug up a hole here to find the chain?”

“Well, the riddle did say to look beyond. Now it was written a long time ago, so who knows. But maybe this is it. Of course, we’ll only know if we go down there.”

Krystal looked down at the hole, looking straight at the ground below it. She gulped, seeing how deep it was.

“Oh great! Now we have to go down here!” Krystal exclaimed. “Don’t they have those little transportation devices?! How can I go down there in this outfit! It’ll get-“

Before Krystal could finish talking, Prince gave her a slight push from behind and she fell down the hole, screaming. Krystal crashed to the ground, landing flat. Prince jumped down inside after transforming into his beast form. Once he had landed, he transformed back into human form, seeing Krystal on the ground.

“What the hell?! How dare you push me down here?!” Krystal yelled, getting up quickly.

“Your idiotic talk was getting on my nerves.”

“You’re lucky my outfit is still in one piece.”

“Whatever. We’re in. So, we might as well start looking.”

“You mean walk around and dig up the place like scavengers?”

“Well, how else are we supposed to find it?”

“I actually have another idea in mind.”

Krystal drew out her wand and tapped it, transforming it into her sonic bell. As she held her sonic bell, the actual yellow bell that was attached on it started to glow, picking up a signal.

“Looks like we have to head straight down and then make a right,” Krystal told Prince.

“How…how do you even know that?”

“While I was reading the book I got from the library, I learned that the Chain of Leo reacts when there is a presence of another sound weapon nearby. So, I thought that maybe if I use my sonic bell, I’ll be able to sense the vibrations of the chain, which could lead me to where it is. And since a reaction was picked up, we now know for certain that it is here.”

“Wow. That’s…actually a smart idea.”

“I can be smart when I want to be. Now let’s go.”

Krystal went ahead with Prince following her. Her sonic bell’s vibrations grew stronger as she came closer to where the Chain of Leo was hidden. As they continued walking, Prince thought, Seeing Krystal like this is remarkable. Either I’ve underestimated her this whole time or she’s starting to grow up a bit.

“My sonic bell is picking up vibrations from somewhere here!” Krystal exclaimed. Krystal looked around, seeing a gleaming light shining from the ground. She plunged her sonic bell to the ground, allowing the sound waves to crack the ground to where the light was coming from. Once that was done, she pulled away some of the dirt and rocks of the ground, revealing the glow that was coming from underground. Behind all that dirt was a long silver and gold chain.

“Yes! I found it! The Chain of Leo!” Krystal exclaimed as she got her hands on the chain. “I can’t believe we actually found it!”

Before Krystal could even pull the chain out, a bright purple glow came from underground. The ground exploded, which made both Krystal and Prince fall back. Once the smoke from the explosion faded away, Krystal was shocked to see a tall, muscular guy standing before them. To Krystal, he had a very rugged appearance with his medium-length ruffled black hair and dark brown eyes. He wore a black sleeveless shirt, long purple pants with a shiny black sash holding them, and black boots. He held the Chain of Leo in his hands, looking at both Krystal and Prince, smirking.

“Who the hell are you, buddy?!” Krystal yelled.

“I hate introductions. But since you also managed to get your hands on this thing, I might as well tell you,” the guy replied. “My name is Cyrus Swiftblade. And I’ve come a long way to get my hands on this.”

“How the hell did you get underground?” Prince questioned Cyrus.

“I heard someone come down here. I needed to get to the chain as fast as possible,” Cyrus told Prince as he held his weapon, which was a silver-colored longsword. “Clearly I wasn’t fast enough.”

“So, I guess you’re responsible for the hole that led us here,” Prince said.

“Listen up. I got to the chain first. So, I get to have it! Fair and square!” Krystal shouted at Cyrus.

“On the contrary, I believe we got to it at the same time. Which means if you truly want it, you’ll have to battle me for it,” Cyrus told Krystal.

Krystal was silent, unsure of how to respond to Cyrus’ challenge. She really hoped she didn’t have to get into any fights for this.

“Or if you’re too scared, just let me take the chain and I’ll be on my way,” Cyrus said. “After all, the chain doesn’t belong in the hands of cowards.”

“Oh, shut up already! We’ll battle you for sure! There is no way you’re taking the Chain of Leo from me, got it?!” Krystal exclaimed.

“Are you nuts? You really think we can beat this guy?” Prince said.

“Hell, yeah! Challenge accepted,” Krystal replied as she got in stance with her sonic bell in hand. It didn’t take her long to realize that she needed to leave her backpack to the side since it was carrying all her souvenirs.

“Very well,” Cyrus responded as he dropped the Chain of Leo to the side.

Prince transformed into his beast form. Krystal made the first move and rang the bell of her sonic bell, launching a sound wave towards Cyrus. Cyrus dodged it as the sound wave hit the ground instead.

“Basic tricks like that aren’t going to do anything for you. Let me show you what a real sound ringmaster can do,” Cyrus said as he got his sword ready. “Sounds of Darkness!”

Cyrus hit the edge of his longsword into the ground, launching a sound wave that carried dark energy beams along with it. The wave struck Krystal and Prince, making them fall back to the ground.

“You’ve got to be kidding?! He has power over sound and dark magic?” Krystal said as she struggled to get up along with Prince.

“That’s correct. And in my case, both powers go hand in hand whenever I wish,” Cyrus told Krystal.

Krystal grunted as she ran towards Cyrus with her sonic bell. Cyrus defended himself against her with his sword, but Krystal had tried to push against it with the vibrations from the sonic bell, slowly affecting the sword’s blade.

“That’s enough!” Cyrus shouted. “Shadow Blade!”

Cyrus’ longsword gave off a dark purple glow, which alarmed Krystal. The glow set off an explosion that hit Krystal. While she was down, Cyrus plunged his sword to the ground and called out, “Shadow Plunge!”

As the ground cracked, a sound wave made its way through the cracks towards Krystal. Alerted, Krystal deflected the sound wave with her sonic bell. But after a few moments, she was stunned by a shock of dark energy that had been emitted from the sound waves. Heavily injured, Krystal struggled to stand.

“I think it’s about time you gave up,” Cyrus said. “You’re obviously no match for me.”

Damn it! How do I fight sound with sound?! Especially when he’s combining dark magic with his sound powers. He has the upper hand here, Krystal thought.

“Have you forgotten about me or something?!” Prince shouted.

Alarmed, Krystal turned to see Prince had transformed back into his human form. It was weird that she hadn’t even paid attention to him for the past few minutes.

“I’ve been here, for you for however long it’s been, doing nothing. I’m here to help,” Prince told Krystal. “I know what you’re trying to do. You want to prove you’re as good of a ringmaster as Sana, Neil, and even Zayn. But if you want to prove that…then show that you’re a team player. Don’t put me on the sidelines.”

Krystal looked back at Prince, surprised to see him talk like this. It wasn’t the first time he needed to give her a stern talk. But in a moment like this, it was exactly what she needed to hear.

“You’re right, Prince. I needed that,” Krystal said. “Now let’s show this bozo what a real ringmaster team is made of!”

“Done,” Prince smirked as he transformed back into his beast form. Krystal got in her stance, holding her sonic bell as she focused on Cyrus. Okay…he may be strong. But since he’s using dual magic, it has to wear him out at least a little bit, Krystal thought. So, if I wear him out long enough, I should be able to get him where I want him.

“Prince! Use your Sonic Roar now!” Krystal ordered. With that, Prince unleashed his Sonic Roar attack directly at Cyrus. As the Sonic Roar came towards Cyrus, he dodged it.

“Go for it again!” Krystal exclaimed.

Prince commenced with another Sonic Roar. And once again, Cyrus dodged.

“You’re wasting your attacks on me! Do you think such trivial moves can affect me?!” Cyrus told Krystal.

“Again, Prince!” Krystal shouted. Prince launched his Sonic Roar once more towards Cyrus. Cyrus jumped out of the way again, landing on Krystal and Prince’s right side. Suddenly, I feel some kind of ringing in my ears, Cyrus thought as he stood, breathless. All this moving is tiring me out. Wait, is that what they wanted to do?

“Now, Prince! Use your Sonic Scar!” Krystal ordered. With Cyrus unable to move quick enough, Prince quickly attacked him with his Sonic Scar, plunging the claws of his paw into Cyrus’ arm. Cyrus yelped in pain as the effects of the Sonic Scar had taken upon his body, unleashing the sound waves inside of him. As his body took in all the vibrations, he fell helplessly to the ground.

“And now, I’ll show you what real power is!” Krystal exclaimed. Krystal and Prince got into positions, forming perfect linear alignment with one another. Krystal held tightly onto her sonic bell.

“Savage Sound Roar!” Krystal called out the equilibrium attack with her sonic bell, sending a tremendous sound wave that coincided with Prince’s mighty roar. The power of the attack hit Cyrus like a bullseye. The attack’s strength was evident from the way the ground shook like an earthquake and rocks began to drop down everywhere.

Once the attack had died down, Prince transformed back and Krystal fell to her knees, breathless. Cyrus remained on the ground, immobile. A few rocks landed beside his body from the impact of the attack. Seeing him completely helpless, Krystal slowly got up and made her way towards him. She moved some of the rocks off his body and then stood before him, extending her hand. Cyrus looked at her, confused.

“I don’t understand,” Cyrus said. “Why would you give me a hand?”

“Just trying to help.”

“But I’m your enemy. I didn’t exactly hold back against you.”

“So what? Just because we were competing over this thing, doesn’t mean I can’t be a good sport.”

Cyrus was surprised upon hearing Krystal’s words. He looked at her hand, which was as bruised as his own.

“Now are you going to make me wait till Christmas to take my hand?!” Krystal exclaimed.

After a moment, Cyrus smiled. He grabbed hold of Krystal’s hand while Krystal pulled him up.

“You’re a truly gifted ringmaster. And a wise one at that,” Cyrus told Krystal.

“Well, I’m not exactly wise,” Krystal said. “Someone once showed me to see the good in people. I just know how to take after what others say.”

Cyrus looked off to the side, seeing the Chain of Leo was still safely on the ground after the attack. He walked over and grabbed hold of it, realizing how hard it was to let it go. But he knew he had to because he had lost. He looked at Krystal, taking her hand and placing the chain in her grasp.

“I believe this belongs to you,” Cyrus said. “You earned it after all. What is your name by the way? “

“Thank you. My name is Krystal. Krystal D’Cruz,” Krystal said.

“And I’m her partner, Prince Blake,” Prince said.

“Do you go to a ringmaster academy?” Cyrus asked.

“Yes! We both go to Ringmasters Training Academy,” Krystal said.

“You’re both RTA kids? That’s amazing. I go to Pytho Sigma,” Cyrus said.

“Pytho Sigma? That’s pretty close by here, isn’t it?” Prince asked.

“Yeah. Right up in Roja Heights. That made it pretty easy to get here,” Cyrus said. “I’m finishing up my second year. We’re about to have our final exams soon, so I tried to come here in hopes to expand my arsenal.”

“Oh, yeah! We’re having our finals soon as well,” Krystal said.

“Yeah, our school year is ending a little earlier than yours. I guess that means I’ll be seeing you in the tournament then,” Cyrus said.

“Well, we do have to pass the exams before we can make that call,” Prince said.

“I know,” Cyrus said. “But I’m certain you both will make it through.”

“Thank you!” Krystal exclaimed. “So, tell me what it’s like at Pytho Sigma!”

As Krystal and Cyrus continued their chat, Prince watched them, happy to see things end so well. It was crazy how they were enemies not too long and we’re now chatting like close friends, even exchanging numbers. I gotta hand it to Krystal. She certainly knows how to surprise people, Prince thought.

“I’ll be on my way now,” Cyrus told Krystal as he prepared to head underground to exit the area. “I hope to see you again soon, Krystal.”

“Same here, Cyrus! Bye for now!” Krystal said to Cyrus as he headed underground and left.

Krystal turned to Prince, noticing he was looking at her in a way she hadn’t noticed before.

“Okay! What did I do?!” Krystal questioned.

“That whole seeing the good in people line…was that inspired by our own Heer?”

“Hey! I said someone taught me that. No need to go all copyright infringement on me.”

“Well, I’m proud of you.”

“Now that’s a first! This calls for a celebration! We should go shopping!”

“That’s not my idea of celebrating.”

“Oh, don’t be such a party pooper!”

“To hell with the drama.”

“Oh! Haven’t heard that in a while!”

Suddenly, the Chain of Leo began to give off a bright golden glow that stunned Krystal and Prince. A puff of smoke emerged from the chain, forming the shape of a ghostly male figure that had long hair like a lion mane and a goatee around his face. Even though Krystal had seen a lot of things during her time at Ringmasters Training Academy, ghosts weren’t one of them.

“Well, we now know the cashier guy wasn’t kidding about the ghosts here,” Krystal said.

“Don’t be afraid,” the ghost told Krystal. “I am the spirit of Leo. Your success in obtaining this chain has woken me from my slumber.”

“You mean Krystal is the first one to successfully get the chain?” Prince asked.

“Others have succeeded in finding it before. But I didn’t allow them to have it. You are the first one who has defeated your rival for it and shown compassion towards them after winning,” the spirit of Leo replied. “And for that…I would like to bestow a reward upon you.”

“Reward? I think the chain is enough of a reward,” Krystal said.

“You may need this in the future,” the spirit of Leo said as he waved his arm before Krystal, creating what appeared to be a golden scroll that was rolled up and had silver rollers on each end.

Krystal looked at it with awe as the scroll landed in her hands. It was just as beautiful as the chain itself.

“This…is the Leo Scroll. This contains every last drop of my powers in the form of a spell. When the time calls for its use, you may use it. I trust that you will keep this safely.”

“Yes, of course! Thank you!” Krystal exclaimed.

With that, the spirit of Leo smiled as he faded away in a golden glow.

I won’t lie…this is probably the most amazing feeling I’ve had in a while, Krystal thought as she looked at both the Chain of Leo and the Leo Scroll, both being held in her hands. The Chain of Leo glowed a bright golden color and had transformed into a golden wand with the Leo zodiac symbol embellished on it.

“Wait…what just happened to it?” Prince asked Krystal, confused.

“I read it in the book. Once the rightful holder obtains the chain, it transforms back into a wand. A zodiac wand to be specific. So, now whenever I need to summon it, I can.”

“Well, look at you. This whole experience has at least made you smarter.”

“Shut up! I am smart!”

“Your test scores last term say something else.”

“Oh, shut up, Prince! Don’t ruin my moment of glory!”

Volume 1

20. Conquest

February 22, 2025 imeryli

In the darkest tower of Daredevil City, Madame Naga was walking inside, heading towards a small cellar. Inside that cell was an unconscious Neil, whose body rested on the hard, rocky ground.

“He’s still not up. Good grief.”

Madame Naga turned to see Droh standing right next to her. She turned back, looking at Neil and said, “Of course not. He was knocked out by me. It’ll be a while before he wakes up.”

“I fail to understand you. You continue to waste your time with the students of that academy. Are you forgetting our goal?!”

“I haven’t. But maybe you have. You’re forgetting that I was the one that got you to join me. Should I emphasize on MY plan?”

“We could’ve had our chances at power easily by getting hold of the Shakti Orb. It was right there. And why didn’t you take it? Because you wanted to leave things be with attacking Rey. Your incompetence is driving me insane.”

“It makes me laugh when you say that. Because the feeling is quite mutual. “

Madame Naga’s hands glowed bright purple as she waved her right hand before Droh. Suddenly, a snake emerged from the ground, wrapping itself around Droh and pulling him further into the ground. Droh struggled to break free but was unable to.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Droh shouted at Madame Naga.

“What I should’ve done long ago. Your presence is no longer needed here,” Madame Naga replied as she watched Droh struggle. Droh yelped in pain as the snake finally pulled him underground with Madame Naga waving her hand over the ground in which he had sunk in, creating a dark energy barrier that had enclosed his fate down under.

“I hope you won’t feel bad, Droh,” Madame Naga smirked. “You and Runa are not the only ones I’m done with.”

***

On the other hand, back at the academy, Krystal was in the library. This was quite out of the ordinary for Krystal, but she was indulging herself by paying a visit. She was scattering through every book in the Weaponry and Magic section. In her hands, she was going through the pages of a book called Leo Weaponry. As she was reading, a voice said, “Either I’m in a parallel universe or this is the first time I’m seeing you with a book.”

Krystal looked up to see Sana standing right in front of her.

“Oh, Sana. Just because I’m not a bookworm like you, doesn’t mean I’ve never held a book in my life!” Krystal exclaimed.

“Sorry, I’ve just never seen you pay attention to anything related to school.”

“Whatever. What brings you here?”

“I just decided to stop by after training with Zayn.”

“And how’s the training? Isn’t Rey supposed to be training with you as well?”

“That’s the thing. Apparently, Rey seems to have the flu. He’s staying at the health center. I tried to go visit, but the nurse who’s taking care of him advised that no visitors see him as his illness is very contagious. I’m kinda worried about him. He hasn’t been completely himself lately.”

“I’m sure he’ll be okay. Once his flu is gone, he’ll be back to his normal self.”

“I sure hope so. Until then, I guess I have to train with Zayn by myself.”

“I actually saw you two train the other day. I guess that’s what brought me here.”

“Really? What for?”

“I’m trying to see if there’s something out there that can enhance my sonic bell. I mean sure it’s a fabulous weapon on its own. But compared to you and Zayn, I feel like there’s a limit to how well I can use it.”

“Wow, Krystal. I never thought you’d actually be interested in strengthening your weaponry.”

“It’s not necessarily about stronger weaponry. Finesse is the word I was thinking of. I also overheard what he was telling you.”

“Well then, I better get going. I’m gonna get some dinner and try to check on Rey again.”

“You have fun with that.”

With that, Sana left. Krystal got up and sat at a desk, thoroughly going through the book. As she turned each page, she stopped as the header of one page caught her eye. Leo’s Combo Weapons, Krystal read the header. Krystal started reading the passage underneath, which then led her to a picture of what appeared to be a long chain that was composed of silver and gold links that aligned in a pattern.

The Chain of Leo, Krystal read the caption underneath the picture. Leo, Voice of the Mountains, had carried this chain as a part of his arsenal. Though alone the chain’s power is great, when combined with any one of Leo’s other weapons, the chain enhances the weapon’s capacity of attacks.

Just looking at the picture of the chain was enough for Krystal. It was exactly what she needed. She may not have known anything about the Chain of Leo prior to today, but something about it felt right.

This is literally perfect for me, Krystal thought as she kept staring at the book. If only I knew where I could find it. Why doesn’t this book have a location for it?!

As Krystal looked around for some more information on the page, she noticed some fine print on the bottom edges. If one chooses to seek, one must go to the top peak. And look deep, beyond the crimson rock that stands so tall, Krystal read.

Krystal pondered over the words for a minute. It seemed to be a riddle of some kind. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that it was exactly what was going to lead her to the Chain of Leo.

Krystal immediately got up from her chair, looking at the book, feeling victorious inside. Krystal grabbed the book and slammed it before the librarian at the front desk, saying, “I need to check this book out!”

***

In the health center of the academy, Rey was all alone in his room, lying on his bed. He slowly woke up, alarmed to see an eerie purple glow as he looked at the mirror on the wall of his room. Rey got up from the bed. He removed his fingerless gloves and unbuttoned his white shirt, taking it off. He could see the markings that began from his palms had spread completely up his arms and chest. Rey looked at the mirror in fear as he looked down his upper arm where his tiger emblem was, seeing its color had changed to purple.

Startled, Rey turned around, looking at his back in the mirror. He was stunned to see the same markings there as well.

This won’t stop! Rey thought as he looked at his body through the mirror. Why…why is this happening to me?!

***

Meanwhile, in downtown Daredevil City, there was a small candy shop called Devil’s Delights. Inside this shop, Prince was sitting alone at a table, chewing on a lemon-flavored candy cane as he put up his feet on the table. Near his feet was a bag containing three boxes of assorted candy canes that he had just bought. He usually got candy canes from the shop at least once every two weeks. After such a long day…it’s good to get some peace and quiet, Prince thought as he slowly closed his eyes and relaxed.

“Prince! There you are!” Krystal exclaimed as she busted through the door into the candy shop.

“Well, that was nice while it lasted,” Prince sighed.

“Hey! Please keep it down!” the cashier told Krystal.

“Oh, shut up, buddy! We’re literally the only ones here!” Krystal retorted.

Krystal immediately sat herself down at the table where Prince was at. And she could tell from the moment she sat down that he was annoyed.

“How the hell did you know I was here?” Prince questioned Krystal.

“Because you come here whenever you want to be alone from school.”

“Clearly you didn’t get the emphasis on the ALONE part. What are you doing here?”

“We got a mission on our hands.”

Krystal opened the book she had just gotten from the library, turning to the page that contained the picture of the Chain of Leo. She placed the book in front of Prince, so he could see the page for his very eyes. After looking at the page for a few seconds, Prince simply said, “A piece of jewelry. That’s our mission?”

“The Chain of Leo is not a piece of jewelry for your information! It’s a powerful piece of weaponry that can attach itself to another weapon to increase the capability of attacks! And I need to find this!”

“How do you even know that this would work with your sonic bell?”

“Because I read and found out that Leo, Voice of the Mountains, was a ringmaster that specialized in sound just like mwah. He was practically the first of his kind. And the same book said that all sound weaponry has been derived from Leo. So, my sonic bell is bound to work with it!”

“You actually read something?”

“Shut up! The point is…this weapon can take my sonic bell to a whole other level. So, I need to find it.”

“How do you plan to find it if this book doesn’t tell you where it is?”

“I know where it is! Look at the fine print on the bottom of the page.”

Prince looked at the fine print that Krystal was referring to. After reading it, he was still puzzled as to where she was getting at. It was a riddle, and he didn’t think Krystal was bright enough to solve it just like that.

“You do know this doesn’t actually tell you where it is, right?”

“I’m not stupid, Prince. I figured out the riddle.”

“You did?”

“Yes, I’ll explain it. The first half refers to a peak. That means it must be a mountain or rock of some kind. And my point is proven if you look at the second half about the crimson rock,” Krystal said. “Now, as a regular traveler, I’m aware of some of the most famous landmarks around the world. And there is one place I know that is known for its crimson rock. The riddle is talking about Mt. Roja.”

Prince was stunned. While the riddle itself wasn’t the most difficult thing in the world, he was impressed that Krystal was able to piece it together so effortlessly. It made him realize that this was something she wanted badly. This was the kind of excitement he was used to when she was doing a circus show or even going shopping.

“Look, I know this is all so sudden, but I really want this,” Krystal said. “I’m ready to get stronger.”

Seeing this side of Krystal made Prince realize how important this was to her. And with that in mind, he couldn’t possibly refuse.

“All right, let’s do this then,” Prince said.

***

Outside Devil’s Delights and further down Daredevil City, there was a place by the name of Daredevil Prison. This was where criminals who committed illegal activities involving magic, dark or otherwise, were imprisoned. Inside this building, there was one woman, who hid amongst the shadows of her cell. This woman…was none other than Fida. As she played around with a few pebble rocks in her cell, the sound of footsteps down the hallway paused her. She looked up, emerging from the shadows to see Madame Naga had stopped by to see her.

“Finally. You show yourself,” Fida said upon seeing Madame Naga.

“You look like hell.”

“Don’t remind me. So, what’s your plan for busting me out of here?”

“Oh, I’m not here to get you out.”

“You’re not?”

“I came here to settle things with you formally. So, let me just get it out and I’ll be on my way. From today…you’re out.”

“What the hell do you mean?!”

“What I said. What’s done is done. I don’t need you anymore. So, you’re free to rot here like the eccentric lunatic you are.”

“You can’t do this to me! Do you even know what I sacrificed to join your side?!”

“I’m aware. And honestly…I could care less. You, Droh, Runa…hell even that Stallion fellow were just pawns to me. Creatures like you are so easy to toy around with. It’s almost like child’s play.”

“You damn witch! If you think I’ll just sit here idle, then you have another thing coming!”

“Be careful with your words, Fida. For it is you behind bars. Not me.”

Fida grunted as she looked at Madame Naga, her hands pressing into tight fists.

“If you want something to blame, take it out on your incompetence,” Madame Naga told Fida as she turned her back away, preparing to leave. “Enjoy your newly found solitude.”

With that, Madame Naga left and walked away, having no care in the world. Fida grabbed hold of the bars of her cell, clenching them tightly with her grasp. She let out an angry scream, her hands crushing the bars even further with her grip.

***

The following morning, around seven, Krystal and Prince got up and ready to head off to Dovesdale, the state where Mt. Roja was located. The two went to the Motor & Vehicle office on the first floor of the academy. Once they were there, they picked up two hoverboards that Krystal had reserved for travelling today. After picking up their hoverboards, the two went outside towards the gates of the academy to head out.

“Hey, Krystal,” Prince said.

“Yeah?”

“I hope you’re right about this. We’re travelling pretty far for a chain. I hope it’s worth it.”

Oh, trust me. I know it’s worth it, Krystal thought. The Chain of Leo is as good as mine!

Volume 1

19. Harbored Feelings

February 22, 2025 imeryli

“No. No. This can’t be real,” Zayn said. He stood aback along with Akira, seeing Solomon alive before his eyes. It was as if his worst nightmare had come to life.

Solomon looked back at Zayn and Akira, ecstatic to see just how much his presence was affecting Zayn. It gave him his own malicious sense of joy.

“I always wanted a reunion,” Solomon said. “Never thought it would be this way though. How’s your mom…and dad? Do they still talk about me?”

“Shut up!” Zayn shouted. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

“You’re correct. But I didn’t really like it much down there,” Solomon said. “Now, let’s keep the reminiscing to a minimum. I’m a little hungry.”

“What are you? A vampire?” Akira asked.

“Akira…siren form, NOW!” Zayn ordered.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Solomon said.

Solomon drew out his saxophone and blew out a thunderous beat from it. The sound was so loud that Zayn and Akira couldn’t handle it as they placed their hands on their ears, trying to close it off. Zayn could feel himself becoming numb as the sounds started to take over his body, almost like they were holding him hostage.

“What the hell is this?!” Akira shouted, her ears still hurting from the sound. Both Zayn and Akira fell to the ground on their knees, unable to bear the saxophone’s screeching noises.

“Akira! You have to try and transform!” Zayn said.

“That’s kinda hard to do at the moment!” Akira retorted.

Seeing them down, Solomon stopped playing. “Well then. Looks like you two have had enough music for one day,” Solomon said. “I’ll be on my way then.”

As Solomon turned around, he stopped, looking back at Zayn. Seeing him on the ground in such a weak state brought back so many memories. He almost wanted to laugh.

“I look forward to seeing you again, Zayn,” Solomon said.

Solomon blew out another tune from his saxophone, but this time a puff of gray smoke emerged from it, shrouding him. He suddenly disappeared while Zayn looked on as he remained on the ground, his ears still buzzing from the intense sound that had just rung his ears.

***

On the other hand, Sana was walking down in the hall by herself while Aiden happened to be on the other side. I wonder where Rey went. He hasn’t talked to anyone all day, Sana thought as she kept walking. I hope everything is all right.

As she continued to walk, Aiden stopped as he saw her and said, “Sana.”

Sana looked up at Aiden as she stopped in the hall. Aiden stepped towards Sana and said, “I wanted to talk to you about your training.”

“Yes, Aiden. Tell me.”

“Your first training session will be today after school. I have spoken to Headmaster Devil. He will send the trainer for you. You and Rey just have to go to the gymnasium.”

“I thought you would be training us.”

“Well…let’s just say I have other things in my hands at the moment. Anyways, I hope this won’t be an issue.”

“Yeah. No problem.”

“Good. I will see you later.”

With that, Aiden left and went his way while Sana continued walking. As Sana was walking in the hall, she noticed Rey was sitting alone beside a windowsill in the hallway. Confused, Sana went towards Rey, sitting down beside him as he looked out the window. She tapped him on his shoulder, startling him as he turned to her.

“Are you okay, Rey?” Sana asked.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

“Then why are you sitting here alone?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Rey, don’t lie to me. Just like you, I know when something is wrong.”

“Sana…I’m just not in the mood right now. Is there something important you needed to tell me?”

“Just one thing. We have training after school in the gymnasium. You have to be there.”

“Okay. Now if you don’t mind, I want to be alone.”

With that, Rey got up and went his own way while Sana watched him go. She didn’t understand what was going on with him. He was a seemingly different person. Suddenly, he was closed off from her. She wondered if the memories of the Madame Naga fight were starting to get to him. But she remembered how much he emphasized to her that he’d be okay. It was all too confusing. And she couldn’t piece anything together because he wouldn’t say anything.

***

Back in Rutham City, Zayn and Akira called up the Rutham Detective Force to take care of the woman’s body. It didn’t take long for the authorities to arrive. After some questioning, Zayn and Akira waited in the same alley till they were given permission to leave. Akira looked at Zayn, who was clearly very shaken.

“Who was that guy?” Akira asked. “He took us down before we could even make a move.”

“A figment of our imagination.”

“Zayn…I don’t get it. If he’s dead, then why was he alive and well right before us?”

“I don’t know, damn it! He’s supposed to be dead. Of all people, I should know.”

“Well, clearly he’s not. And we need to find out why.”

Seeing Zayn was so frustrated, Akira decided to let him be for a moment, so he could calm down. She watched as the authorities proceeded to take the body into their vehicle after covering it up with a thick white cloth. After the body was taken in, the head detective made his way towards Zayn and Akira.

“All right. We’ll be taking care of things from here. You kids are free to go,” the head detective said.

“You don’t need us for further questioning?” Akira asked.

“No, this incident is pretty much the same as all the other ones,” the head detective said.

“What do you mean?” Zayn asked.

“I guess you both aren’t from here. Well, this has happened before. In the exact manner as well. Bodies found, seemingly dead. Except they’re not dead,” the head detective said.

“Not dead?” Zayn asked.

“Yeah. The woman’s heartbeat is still there. Same as the other bodies we’ve found like this. And they all have their skin turned gray. It’s almost like they’re in a frozen state of some kind,” the head detective said.

Zayn looked at Akira, who seemed just as confused as he was. He wondered what Solomon did to that woman. If he didn’t kill her, what did he do?

“Anyways, you kids are the first to give us a description of someone who did this. We’ve been lacking that for all this time,” the head detective said. “We’ll hopefully be able to manage finding this guy now.”

As the head detective left with his team, Zayn stood, puzzled. He had a mixture of emotions going on. It was almost too much to handle. He thought it was best to just leave.

***

After a couple of hours had passed, Zayn and Akira had returned safely to the academy. Akira had gone back to her room at the girls’ dorm house. Alone in his office, Zayn had come as Headmaster Devil had called for him to meet him.

“You wanted something?” Zayn asked.

“How’d everything go? Did you find out anything regarding the disappearances?”

“I actually don’t want to talk about it.”

“Why? Did something happen?”

“I just don’t want to talk about it.”

“Son, what happened there?”

“I said I don’t want to talk about it!”

Headmaster Devil kept quiet. He was stunned to see Zayn raise his voice. He wondered if something serious had happened in Rutham City. Seeing how upset Zayn was, he felt it was best to leave the matter for later.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you, son,” Headmaster Devil said. “Don’t worry about the other task either.”

“Task?”

“Yeah. It’s from Aiden. You know Sana J. Malik? And her partner, Rey Murgatroyd?”

“Yeah.”

“They are partaking in some extra training lessons. And until Aiden is available, he wanted you to train with them.”

“What? Why me?”

“Technically you’ll mostly be training with Sana. It’s only for a while. But if you’re not feeling up to it, I can let Aiden know.”

“It’s fine. I’ll do it. Where do I have to go?”

“Just head over to the gymnasium and you’ll meet with her there.”

Zayn nodded and headed out of the office. After he left, Headmaster Devil pondered, I wonder what happened to him? I may have to ask Akira.

***

After school, Sana went straight to the gymnasium by herself. As she entered, she realized she was the only one there. She stood inside as she waited for Rey to come. “Where could Rey be?” Sana asked. “He better get here on time. And where’s this coach?”

Just then, Zayn entered the gymnasium much to Sana’s surprise.

“Zayn? What are you doing here?” Sana asked.

“Aiden told me to come here for your training.”

“You mean…you’re the coach?”

“I’m just as surprised as you are. This really isn’t worth my time. But what can I do?”

“Excuse me?!”

“What?”

“What do you mean it’s not worth your time?!”

“Look, I’ve had a rough day. There’s better things I could be doing, but I’m just here because my dad-“

“Well, you’re pretty rude. If you think I’m not worth your time, then you’re underestimating me.”

“Am I?”

“Let’s start. And you’ll see why.”

Zayn was surprised to see Sana act so fiery towards him. Well, okay then, Zayn thought. Let’s see if she’s as good as she claims.

“Where’s Rey?”

“I don’t know. He should be coming.”

“Whatever. I hate to wait. I’ll start things with you. Show me one of your basic attacks.”

Sana immediately drew out her wand, tapping it to transform it into her trishula. She spun her trishula around in circular motion and then plunged it to the ground, calling out, “Ember Fury!” Once the trishula struck the ground, ember began to burst in a fiery trail that traveled across the floor.

“Not bad,” Zayn said upon seeing the trail of ember. “But it lacks finesse.”

“Finesse? What does finesse have anything to do with my attacks?”

“The crisper an attack is…the finer the outcome will be.”

“As far as I know, an attack is just an attack. If it succeeds in striking its target, it shouldn’t matter how it looks.”

“You don’t see my point? We’ll have to do this differently then. Are you up for a little combat?”

“Yes I am.”

Zayn drew out his wand, tapping it to transform it into his clarinet. Good thing I saw him battle Rey and Neil. I at least have an idea of what he can do, Sana thought as she eyed Zayn. And he’s yet to see my skills at work.

Sana made her first move and held her trishula up high, swinging it like a bat as a burst of fiery energy was shot from it, directly aiming at Zayn. Zayn grabbed hold of his clarinet and called out, “B-flat major.” Once Zayn played the clarinet, a gust of sand immediately swirled its way out from the clarinet, spiraling its way towards Sana. The sand had blocked out her fire energy attack and made its way towards her. Alarmed, Sana jumped out of the way as the sand hit directly against the wall, forming a kind of cocoon.

Sand? I didn’t see him do this the other day, Sana thought.

“Had enough yet?” Zayn asked.

Sana grunted as she ran towards Zayn. “Pyro Strike!” Sana called out her attack as she dug her trishula to the ground, making it crack as a fiery path formed along the cracks. Zayn jumped back so the path wouldn’t reach him. But instead, Sana snuck behind him and struck him with a gush of fire from her trishula that took Zayn out across the floor. The fiery path had dissolved by then as Sana stood valiantly.

A diversion. Good move, Zayn thought as he slowly got up and composed himself.

“You’re actually a lot better than I thought,” Zayn told Sana as he stood. “But let’s see if you can handle this.”

Zayn played his clarinet in the F major scale, which produced a small energy beam that made its way towards Sana. Sana prepared herself by getting in a proper stance with her trishula. Once the energy beam had gotten close to her, she used her trishula to deflect it. But by doing so, the energy beam broke and released a super-sonic sound wave that was so strong that it hit Sana against the wall. Everything happened so quickly that she was unable to process it, let alone get up.

“What…kind of…energy beam is that?” Sana asked, shaken by the attack.

“You might want to relax,” Zayn told Sana. “After that attack, you’ll be hard of hearing. And your body might have a hard time dealing with the vibrations.”

Sana patted her ears a bit to make the sounds go away. After a moment, she looked at Zayn and said, “Okay. Explain yourself.”

“That was my sound energy beam attack. Its power is so great that even countering it still causes damage to my opponent.”

“I’ve never experienced anything like that. But…I don’t get it. How does your clarinet have control over sand and sound?”

“Well, how do you think Akira and I are partners? We both have control over sand and sound. Having dual powers is actually not too uncommon for ringmasters and human-beasts. My clarinet isn’t like an ordinary one. Because of which, the scales of my clarinet each have their own unique attacks. Some have sound. Some have sand.”

Unbelievable. His power alone is far greater than I could’ve ever imagined. It’s no wonder Aiden spoke so highly of them, Sana thought.

“I will admit…you’re actually a good competitor,” Zayn said. “But like I said…the finesse was missing. You may think that such a thing is trivial in battling. But just think about it. That sneak attack you pulled on me…was very effective. But at the same time, anyone can do that. It’s not exactly new. Now I don’t like to brag…but with my energy beam attack…you thought you could easily deflect it and you’d be fine. And that wasn’t the case. Details in one’s attacks and attention to technique always pull greater outcomes than the ones with great power.”

Now I get it. I understand why he’s the best. He doesn’t focus on hitting with the most powerful attack. He focuses on the detail of an attack and what kind of a response he can trigger from his opponent, Sana thought as she began to stand up while Zayn walked towards her.

“One thing is certain. I was wrong about you,” Zayn told Sana. “So, from now on, we just have to shift your focus from power to technique.”

Well then…I guess I’m going to learn a lot from this guy after all, Sana thought as she looked back at Zayn.

“I think that’s enough for today. Right?”

“Yeah, sure. Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For showing me what I didn’t know before.”

“This was nothing. You’ve got spunk, Sana. Knowing that now, I’m not gonna go easy on you.”

“I wouldn’t want anything else.”

With their first training session over, Sana and Zayn walked out of the gymnasium together. As they walked side by side, Sana realized that Rey had never arrived. She turned to Zayn and said, “I don’t know why Rey didn’t show up. This is a first for him.”

“Maybe try to reach him. Something could’ve come up.”

“Yeah, I will. He’s been acting a little different lately.”

“You mean since that attack?”

“You know about the attacks on the school?”

“I may be new here, but it helps to have my father around to fill me in on things. From what I know, you both endured a lot that day. And he was heavily injured. Have the two of you ever lost a battle like this before?”

“No. The truth is, I’m doing all this because of that. I don’t want what happened that day to ever happen again.”

“Well, Rey is probably going through the same struggles as you. It’s a hurdle that you both will have to overcome together. If you give him time, he’ll come around.”

“Wow, I never thought you’d be the kind of person to give such sound advice.”

“Well, you don’t actually know someone till you get to know them, right?”

“Right. Just like how you didn’t know how strong I was till you saw me in action.”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Sana waved bye to Zayn, heading down the hallway. Before Zayn was about to leave, he could sense someone’s presence lurking nearby. He put his hands in his pockets and said, “My senses are very strong, so whoever you are, you can show yourself.”

Zayn’s instinct was right. Someone was indeed nearby. Hearing sounds of footsteps coming from behind, he turned around to see it was Krystal, who was standing right by the gym entrance. Despite him knowing someone was near, he was surprised to see it was Krystal of all people. She’s here? And more quiet than usual, Zayn thought.

“Okay! Spill! How’d you know I was nearby?! You didn’t even see me!”

“There it is. You’re still a loudmouth.”

“Excuse me?!”

“What are you doing around here?”

“I was just passing by and I saw you guys train. That’s all. I didn’t know you were the one training Sana.”

“My dad asked me to help since Aiden is occupied. Don’t tell me you’re interested in training.”

“So, what if I was?!”

“I don’t have time for additional people. I already have a lot going on as it is.”

“Well, I didn’t ask to train with you! I’m perfectly capable of training on my own! That means I can find my own ways of getting extra help.”

“If you say so.”

Zayn proceeded to leave while Krystal looked at him, annoyed. So arrogant! Krystal thought. I outta-

“Here’s a suggestion,” Zayn said. “If you want to find ways to get stronger, knowledge is power. Start from there.”

Zayn headed right down the hallway with Krystal watching him go. She was intrigued by his words. As frustrating as Zayn could be, he was leading her in a direction she could never imagine for herself. She wanted to see how strong she could become. And Zayn’s words only amplified the sound of her will. They made her more eager to take her skills as a ringmaster to the next level.

Volume 1

16. The Need to Get Stronger

February 18, 2025 imeryli

At the Devil’s Lair of Ringmasters Training Academy, Headmaster Devil was at his desk, going through some files when Aiden had entered the office.

“Interesting. For once, there’s no sign of a woman here,” Aiden said.

“Very funny. What do you want?”

“The new professor for Power Coordination is supposed to be coming in soon. Should I continue to cover for the class till then?”

“I’m aware. And you’re the best replacement we have right now. So, I trust you’ll keep the students on track till he comes in. Anything else?”

“One more thing. The nurse said that Runa has been doing a lot better. What should we do with her now?”

“I have been thinking about that. The child is very powerful. But she lacks control over her powers. And I don’t think it’s right if we let such potential go to waste.”

“What are you proposing then?”

“I think we should keep her here for special training. Under the right guidance, she could learn to control her powers. You can work with her and if everything goes well, I can have her admitted into the nearest preparatory school where she can be among other students of her age.”

“You sure about this?”

“Why not? After all, she is just a child. If it wasn’t for Heer, Runa would still be under Madame Naga’s control. With that thought in mind, I want you to get Heer to visit Runa.”

“I don’t think I even have to ask her. She’s been very concerned about Runa from what I’ve heard.”

“You still need to talk to her. Ask her how she feels about Runa getting some training here. If she agrees, Runa will be more likely to undergo it with Heer’s approval.”

“As you wish. There’s one more thing I wanted to bring up. Rey appears to be doing better now. He will be discharged from the intensive care unit soon. But still…the scar from Madame Naga’s bite remains. I know the doctors were able to control the spread of the venom in his body, but I still fear for him.”

“And why is that?”

“Why would Madame Naga leave that bite, knowing the possibility of the venom’s spread being controlled? Something else is up. And since that scar remains on his neck, it could still pose as a danger to him.”

“Yes. Make a note of this. Inform Sana to make sure Rey sees the nurse periodically in the mornings for further medication. He’ll need it. Hopefully, we’ll be able to have him under control before anything goes wrong.”

***

Down in the halls, Sana was making her way towards the intensive care unit as students were walking off to their classes. She opened the door of the room, seeing Rey was sitting up in bed. As she came by, she looked aside, seeing an empty plate that was sitting upon a table with a pile of crumbs left behind. “You look much better now. And you even ate. That’s good,” Sana said. “Did you take your medicine yet?”

“No, the nurse left for a bit, so I have to wait. I don’t even want to take it. It tastes weird.”

“Oh, come on now. I’m sure it’s not that bad.”

Sana turned to the side and was startled as she noticed that right next to the finished plate of breakfast was a glass of orange juice that was untouched. She rolled her eyes and said, “Looks like you didn’t drink the orange juice. How typical.”

Rey turned away, frustrated, and said, “It’s not my fault the nurse left that crap for me to drink. “

Sana turned to Rey, grabbing the glass of orange juice. She shouted, “If the nurse gave it to you, then that means you have to drink it!”

“Would you get that crap away from me?! I hate it!”

“You’re such an idiot. Orange juice is good for you. It’s vitamin C for crying out loud.”

“I’ll take vitamin A, B, or even Z, but I won’t take C if it’s in that!”

“Now you’re just acting like a child! You need some enriching fluids with your medicine. Now drink it!”

“Enriching fluids?! Those aren’t even real oranges!”

“Okay, it’s one thing to be petty. But making false arguments? I have no clue how you got into this school with such a miniscule brain.”

“What’d you say?!”

“You heard me.”

“I’ll have you know that I’m pretty smart.”

“Sure. That was evident from how you landed flat on your face when battling Zayn and Akira yesterday.”

“Insulting me even more now? Well, now you’ve persuaded me even more not to drink that stuff. So, there you have it! I’m not drinking it!”

“Fine then,” Sana said.

She took the tablet, which was Rey’s medicine. And then, she swiftly grabbed hold of Rey by his shoulder, popping the tablet into his mouth and stuffing the orange juice down his throat. She let go, leaving Rey in quite a daze.

“There. That does it,” Sana said.

“AAHHH!” Rey screamed to the top of his lungs as he immediately jumped out of bed. He started taking the remaining crumbs of his breakfast and eating them in hopes that the taste would go away.

“Geez, you’re so dramatic.”

“Dramatic?! You know I hate orange juice! And you dare to chug it down my throat like that?!”

“Oh, just grow up already.”

***

At Energy Enhancement class, students had arrived as they waited for Professor Luna to enter the classroom. As Sana and Rey came in, Krystal and Prince went up to greet the two. Prince high-fived Rey and said, “Nice to see you back in shape.”

“Hey, man! I’ve always been in shape!” Rey exclaimed.

“Aww. At least your attitude hasn’t changed,” Krystal said.

“And why should it? Just because I took a beating, doesn’t mean I should mope around forever,” Rey said.

“Correction. You got two beatings,” Krystal said.

“The second one doesn’t count!” Rey said.

Sana looked over at Neil and Heer, who were sitting in their seats. The two of them were unusually quiet. They usually chatted for a bit before class would start. But they weren’t even looking at each other.

“What’s with those two?” Sana asked.

“Who? Neil and Heer?” Krystal asked.

“Yeah. Look at them. They look so distant from each other,” Sana said.

“That’s weird. They’re probably just tired,” Rey said as he sat down in his seat.

“Or there could be tension since yesterday’s little fiasco,” Prince said.

“Did Neil say anything to you?” Krystal asked Prince.

“No. He’s been pretty quiet since yesterday. You know something’s off when he’s not running his mouth,” Prince said.

“All right, class. I want everyone seated,” Professor Luna said as she entered the classroom.

The students all sat down while Professor Luna placed her belongings on her desk. At that time, Zayn and Akira entered the classroom. “Oh, you two have arrived. Had any trouble coming here?” Professor Luna asked Zayn and Akira.

“Wow. She’s so nice with them,” Rey said.

“It’s Headmaster Devil’s son. She would be,” Sana replied.

“Wait! What?!” Rey exclaimed.

“Long story. We’ll tell you later,” Krystal told Rey from behind.

“We’re fine. We just got lost for a bit,” Zayn replied.

“It is a big school. Anyway, you both can sit in those empty seats beside Krystal and Prince,” Professor Luna said.

As Zayn and Akira headed over to their seats, Krystal noticed all the students couldn’t help but stare at them. It was as if celebrities had walked in. Zayn took the seat right next to Krystal while Akira sat in the other seat beside him. Krystal looked at him, wondering if he’d say anything. The two were pleasant to be around when she gave them a school tour the other day. But she didn’t know if that was enough to be acknowledged as a friend. It didn’t take long for Zayn to look at Krystal.

“Thanks again for yesterday’s tour,” Zayn told Krystal.

“Oh, yeah. No problem,” Krystal said.

“Okay, let’s get started,” Professor Luna said. “Now class, I’m sure you all remember our focus on the equilibrium. Today, our focus is going to be on how one obtains the equilibrium.”

“Prince and I were able to use it ourselves!” Krystal exclaimed.

“Is that so?” Professor Luna asked. “Well, that’s great. Glad to see some students have already learned to use it. I still think it’ll be useful for you all to understand the foundation of the equilibrium technique.”

Sana looked down at her notebook. It seemed like it had been a while since the time she and Rey used the equilibrium against that dark beast in the library. Even though they were able to execute it, it wasn’t perfect considering how much exhaustion it had caused her. And that seemed to bother her. She wondered if she wasn’t as strong as she thought. Krystal told her about how she was able to execute the equilibrium with Prince and how even Neil and Heer were able to do it as well. There was something wrong and she feared it was her own strength.

“Let’s have a demonstration of a basic exercise to practice the technique,” Professor Luna said. “Neil and Heer! You two come here for the demonstration.”

Neil and Heer looked up at Professor Luna, startled. Heer looked over at Neil, who was still looking rather distant, almost as if he didn’t want to be in the room. As Heer began to get up, Neil got up and said, “Sorry. But today’s not a good day.”

“What?!” Professor Luna questioned Neil.

“I’m saying no. Go ahead and fail me for today. I’m leaving right now,” Neil said as he then stood up from his seat.

This surprised Heer. Neil was always one to take on an opportunity when it was presented to him. Neil grabbed his backpack and headed out the classroom, not even turning back once.

“Good grief. Never mind the exercise then. Let’s take some notes first,” Professor Luna said as she turned towards the board and began writing.

“What’s with him?” Krystal asked. “Why’s he being such a jerk?”

“He’s clearly not taking what happened yesterday very well,” Prince said.

“So, he’s upset because of us?” Akira asked.

“Nah. He’s just being moody,” Krystal said.

Heer sat back down in her seat. Rey looked at her, seeing she was hurting. He wondered whether Neil was upset about the battle with Zayn and Akira or if something else was going on.

Neil walked down in the hall by himself, pondering. I don’t know what Heer thinks of me, Neil thought. I know she tries her best as my partner. But I want to get stronger. And I don’t know if we can do that together.

***

Later, during lunch time, Sana, Rey, Prince, and Heer were all seated at their usual table in the cafeteria. As they waited for Krystal, the group began eating their meals. It didn’t take long for Rey to realize that Neil wasn’t coming. When it came to lunch, he was always there around the same time as the whole gang was.

“Heer, is Neil not coming to lunch?” Rey asked.

“Oh, I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since he left class this morning,” Heer said.

“He texted me. He said he was heading back to his dorm,” Prince said.

“Man, what’s his problem?! And why’d he only text you?!” Rey exclaimed.

“Whatever he’s upset about, it might be best to just give him some space for now,” Sana said.

Heer looked down at the floor. She couldn’t help but feel sad that Neil was acting the way he was. She wondered if she did something wrong by arguing with him the other day.

“I’m so mad right now!” Krystal exclaimed as she arrived at the table with her lunch tray.

“Now what is it?” Prince asked.

“Once again, my idea for the next circus show got declined,” Krystal said. “I swear, this school must have some kind of agenda against me.”

“Or maybe people have better ideas than you,” Prince said.

“What the hell, Prince?! You’re supposed to be supportive!” Krystal exclaimed. “Heer, please tell me you don’t agree with him!”

“Well, to be fair, I’m not sure how disco would work in a circus show,” Heer said.

“Disco? Ha! Now that’s just comical,” Rey said.

“What is the theme this time around?” Sana asked.

“They picked Aster’s idea again. He’s going with a fairy tale theme,” Heer replied.

“This school has no respect for my creative vision,” Krystal said.

“Well, Rey, you’ll have to sit this show out,” Sana said.

“And why would I do that?” Rey asked.

“You’re not ready for any strenuous performance work yet. You need to take it easy till your wound heals,” Sana replied.

Before Rey could answer, he turned to see Zayn and Akira walking by. “Hey! Come sit with us!” Rey called out to the two. Zayn and Akira went ahead and sat down with the others at their table.

“So, what do you think of our school?” Krystal asked Zayn and Akira.

“It’s okay so far,” Zayn replied. “Can’t say much just yet.”

“I honestly like it here,” Akira said. “And I saw the flier for that upcoming circus show. I’ll definitely want to participate in that.”

“You should. The shows here are a lot of fun,” Heer said.

“Where were you guys at before coming to RTA?” Rey asked.

“We went to a preparatory school in Arsen Town, Miliana,” Akira said.

“Oh, you guys are from Miliana? They have the best beaches in the country,” Krystal said.

“Well, I’m the one who’s from Miliana,” Zayn said.

Oh, right. I forgot that Aiden mentioned Akira isn’t from Earth, Krystal thought.

“Akira, what’s the name of the place you’re from in Euphoceus?” Heer asked.

“It’s called Elysian City. I was born and brought up there, but I left when I was about thirteen years old,” Akira said.

“Why did you leave? And how did you even travel to Earth?” Sana asked.

“People from Euphoceus have the ability to activate portals that go to and from our world,” Akira answered. “As for why I left, it’s really not worth talking about. To be honest, I haven’t even gone back since I left.”

Hasn’t gone back since she left? That’s strange, Sana thought. Does she not have any family back home? Otherwise, why leave and not go back once in all those years?

As curious as Sana was about Akira, she felt it was best to leave the subject of her past alone. She didn’t even know her. So, it wasn’t like she had the right to know more about her reasons for leaving her world.

“So, Rey, how’s that injury of yours?” Akira asked.

“Oh, yeah. It’s fine. I mean, the wound itself still has to heal, but it’s fine,” Rey said.

“You sure about that? Seems pretty serious if you ended up in the ICU,” Zayn said.

“When you put it like that, you realize how stupid he is for even challenging you guys,” Krystal said.

“Hey, I just wanted to have some fun!” Rey exclaimed.

Hearing all the talk about Rey’s wound worried Sana again. It was hard not to worry. But it was even harder not to blame herself for what happened. The more she pondered over it, the more she could feel her anxiety eat her up. She stood up from her chair. She looked up, seeing everyone at the table look back at her.

“I’m going to leave now. I have some stuff to take care of before our next class,” Sana said.

“Stuff? It’s lunch time, Sana,” Krystal said.

Sana didn’t say a word. She simply took off, not even looking back at the others. She normally wouldn’t just leave like that. But she just felt like she couldn’t handle being with the others now.

“First Neil, now Sana,” Krystal said. “Why’s everyone being so moody today?”

“Sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought up Rey’s wound,” Akira said.

“It’s okay. Honestly, it seems there’s been a lot on her mind lately,” Prince said.

Rey sighed. He could now feel what Heer was feeling. Sure, Sana wasn’t angry. But he could tell she was taking everything that happened in the fight with Madame Naga to heart. Even reassuring her the other day wasn’t enough. And now, he didn’t know what to do.

***

After Sana left the cafeteria, she headed down the halls of the first floor till she reached Aiden’s office. She opened the door, seeing Aiden was inside, analyzing some documents. He looked up, surprised to see Sana.

“Sana…what are you doing here?” Aiden asked. “And have you ever thought of knocking at least?”

“I’m sorry.”

“No worries. I had to speak to you anyway. Headmaster Devil wanted me to let you know to make sure Rey gets his medication from the nurse every day.”

“I will. But I actually have a question for you.”

“What is it?”

“I was wondering…can Rey and I take some extra lessons with you?”

“Extra lessons? For what?”

“It’s hard to explain. The point of the matter is…I need to get stronger. And I need your help.”

“What do you mean? You’re already a strong student. You can’t actually be doubting yourself, right?”

“Look, Mr. Galloway-“

“Aiden. I’m kinda getting tired of the formalities around here. After all, I’m literally the same age as you.”

“Fine then…Aiden…all I can say…is that the strength that I have now is not enough.”

Sana found herself struggling to speak further. She knew what she wanted to say. But it was as if all her emotions were choking her. She struggled to maintain her composure as her eyes began to water. Aiden could see this. He could see something was eating at her. And he had an idea what it might be.

“Sana, it’s okay. I’ll arrange for something and let you know by tomorrow,” Aiden said.

Sana relaxed for a bit. She took a deep breath.

With that, Sana left Aiden’s office. He put his documents to the side, knowing something wasn’t right about Sana.

***

Later in the day, Aiden was finishing up lessons with his last class. After passing out homework assignments to all the students, the bell finally rang.

“Okay, guys. Make sure you all complete your homework tonight. And study it very well because we might have a quiz tomorrow,” Aiden said.

The students got up from their seats, heading out of the classroom while Aiden cleaned the chalkboard. As he was cleaning, he couldn’t help but think about how Sana was when she came to his office earlier. He may not have known her for a very long time. But he could tell she was far from her usual self. It was clear that the Madame Naga incident had really shaken her up, but he wasn’t entirely sure why she was so adamant on training so soon.

Before he could ponder any further, he looked to his side to see Heer was standing right outside the classroom. She looked like she wanted to see him.

“Heer, are you okay?” Aiden asked. “Why don’t you come in?”

Heer took a deep breath as she entered the classroom and said, “Can I talk to you about something?”

“Sure. Actually, I had to talk to you as well.”

“Oh…you go first.”

“Have you gone to see Runa yet?”

“No. How is she?”

“She’s doing pretty well. She’s pretty stable now.”

“That’s a relief. I’ve been really worried about her.”

“I had a feeling you would be.”

“Why? Because all I’m capable of is worrying.”

“Now why would you talk like that?”

“Because that’s how people feel about me. All I can do for others is worry.”

“You underestimate yourself, Heer. You actually proved to be stronger than anyone I’ve known.”

“How? My strength is nothing compared to Rey, or even Prince.”

“While Rey and Prince are powerful, there is something to be said about what you did that day. You saved Runa despite her being a dark beast. Now that is something that requires a different type of strength. It’s called compassion.”

Heer looked back down on the floor. She didn’t know what to say. It was the first time she felt as if she was acknowledged on such a huge scale.

Aiden cleared his throat and said, “Anyways, I actually wanted to talk to you about Runa.”

“Right. Go on.”

“Do you wish to visit her?”

“Of course. As soon as possible.”

“You can see her soon. See, Devil and I have been talking about what to do about her now that she’s out of Madame Naga’s control. She’s demonstrated great power. But she obviously lacks complete control over it. Which is why we thought it would be a good idea to give her some training to help her control her powers. It may be unorthodox training a dark beast, but like you’ve seen, Runa isn’t like most of them. This could also allow her to feel more comfortable in new surroundings and around others. What do you think?”

Heer took a moment to take in everything Aiden had told her. She sighed for a second and said, “It’s funny that you ask that. I was going to ask you something on the same lines. But for myself.”

“What?”

“Yes. I want to get stronger. Which is why I wanted to ask you to train me. I really need this.”

“Does this have to do with Neil?”

“I know Neil believes I’m not as strong as I should be. But if I have the right training, I can get stronger and be a better partner to him.”

“Heer.”

“Please don’t worry about my feelings. Just tell me whether you can train me or not.”

Aiden stood in deep thought for a little

bit. He wanted to help Heer, but it was going to be a tough task to manage with all the other duties he had on his plate. Especially since Sana had already asked him for training as well. But after some time, he said, “I think I know how to work this out.”

“What is it?”

“You and Runa can train together. It makes perfect sense. Runa already trusts you very well. If you train with her, she’ll be much more comfortable. How does that sound?”

“That’s actually a good idea. When do we start?”

“As soon as you see Runa.”

Volume 1

13. Strike of the Naga

February 15, 2025 imeryli

Madame Naga brushed aside her maiden black hair as she carefully eyed both Sana and Rey, who were both getting ready to fight. Neil stood aside along with Runa and Heer, holding onto Heer as she was heavily injured herself. Sana and Rey turned to each other.

“You okay?” Rey asked Sana.

“I think so. How about you?”

“You know me! I’m ready for this! We can take snake lady on with no problem.”

“Don’t be overconfident. Remember what Aiden said. She’s more dangerous than Droh. That means she’ll be a much bigger challenge.”

“That just makes this more fun. As long as you trust me, we’ll be fine.”

“I know. I trust you, Rey. Just be careful.”

“Please…please don’t do anything,” Runa tried to talk to Madame Naga.

“Runa, it’s okay,” Neil told Runa as he tried to bring her aside with him and Heer. “This is their battle now. It’s best you stay here with me for your protection.”

Runa nodded as she went towards Neil, holding onto him as she looked at Heer, who was resting her head on Neil’s shoulder. I hope Sana and Rey know what they’re doing. This woman looks like she can kill anyone, Neil thought.

Rey gave a thumbs up to Sana as he transformed into his beast form. “I’m ready,” Madame Naga said as she transformed into her dark beast form. She took on the form of a dark-colored anaconda. Her large size and intimidating appearance stunned Sana.

“Whoah,” Neil said, unable to believe what he was seeing.

“She looks scary. But I think we can take her on,” Sana told Rey. “Right?”

Rey nodded in agreement.

“All right! Rey, let’s start off with a direct attack!” Sana ordered. Rey leaped forward towards Madame Naga, pouncing on her to the ground.

“Good! Now use your Ember Claw move!” Sana commanded. Rey raised his paw upward as his claws started to give off a fiery burn. As he tried to hit Madame Naga, she used her tail to hit Rey’s paw, which made the attack hit him instead. Rey landed on the ground in pain as the ember had gotten into his eyes.

“Rey! Are you okay?!” Sana asked Rey. As Rey managed to get up, Madame Naga launched a dark energy beam attack from her mouth, hitting Rey directly into the wall.

“Rey!” Sana called out.

That’s it. I just have to weaken him a bit more before I can put him in the right spot…and then unleash the real blow, Madame Naga thought.

Sana rushed over to Rey as he slowly tried to get up. “Are you all right?” Sana asked Rey as he slowly got up.

Rey nodded. Sana turned to see Madame Naga launch another energy beam attack at them. Sana immediately drew out her wand, tapping it to turn it into her trishula and then used it to deflect the energy beam back at Madame Naga, hitting her directly.

“Nice one, Sana!” Neil called out.

Insolent brat! Madame Naga thought.

“Okay, Rey! Use a fireball attack now!” Sana ordered.

Rey let out a mighty roar, which emitted a fireball attack directly towards Madame Naga. Madame Naga dodged the attack and quickly slithered her way towards Rey. And that was when she finally tied her anaconda body around Rey, tying him up in a tight squeeze.

“Rey!” Sana called out, scared.

Rey struggled to breathe as he tried to move out of Madame Naga’s grasp. But it was so tight that he couldn’t move. Now I have you where I want you! Madame Naga smirked. She opened her mouth and bit her fangs right onto Rey’s neck. The pain was so unbearable that Rey let out a scream in the form of a roar. Sana looked on in horror as Madame Naga let go of Rey, leaving him to lie on the ground. She transformed back into her human form, watching Rey in pain.

“Rey! Get up now! Come on!” Sana shouted at Rey. But Rey could not get up. He had transformed back into human form, lying on the ground helpless as the bite from Madame Naga had left a black scar on his neck, bleeding rapidly.

“What was that?!” Neil asked. “That woman…What…what is she?!”

Sana ran towards Rey, holding him as she kept calling out, “Rey! Rey, can you hear me?! Rey, say something! Rey!” Sana could feel the tears coming down her face as Rey wouldn’t answer.

“What did you do to him?! Tell me!” Sana yelled at Madame Naga.

Madame Naga smirked. “It’s called Venom Fang. I simply bit my fangs into his neck, allowing my special venom to go into his body. And now he’s helpless,” Madame Naga said. “Just as I wanted.”

Sana looked down at Rey’s unconscious face as her tears became uncontrollable. He’s not breathing. This is all my fault! I should’ve done something! Sana thought. Sana put Rey back down on the ground. She got up and looked at Madame Naga, furious.

“You’ll pay for this!” Sana yelled as she drew out her trishula. “Ember Fury!”

Sana plunged her trishula into the ground, releasing an ember attack towards Madame Naga. Madame Naga deflected it with a dark energy beam, hitting Sana at her abdomen.

“This isn’t looking good!” Neil said as Heer slowly got up.

“We have to do something. Otherwise she’ll kill them,” Heer said.

Sana tried to get up. But as she did, she was struck by another one of Madame Naga’s energy beam attacks, which hit her in the face. As she fell to the ground, Madame Naga transformed into her dark beast form and tied Sana up with her tail, tightening her grasp on her. No matter how much you try to fight me, little girl…you can’t reverse what I’ve done, Madame Naga thought as she continued to squeeze Sana’s body to the point where she had trouble breathing. I’ve already done what I needed to with Rey. Now only time will tell when my plans will be complete.

Madame Naga gave Sana one last tight squeeze with her tail, making Sana cough up blood onto the floor. As she let her go, Sana was bleeding on her face and arms as she fell to the ground.

Sana passed out on the ground next to Rey. Madame Naga transformed back into her human form. She took pleasure in seeing the scared looks on Neil, Heer, and Runa’s faces.

“Now that those two are down, I’ll go ahead and kill you three for the thrill of it,” Madame Naga said.

“Neil…we have to do the equilibrium move,” Heer told Neil.

“What?! How can we?!” Neil asked. “We just learned about it. And you’re still injured.”

“But as long as our energy levels stay in sync, we’ll be fine. It comes naturally if we are in it together. We have to do this for Sana and Rey’s sake,” Heer told Neil.

“Are you sure?” Neil asked.

“Yes! Just go for it!” Heer told Neil and then transformed into her beast form.

“Go ahead! Just try it!” Madame Naga cackled.

“You asked for it!” Neil said as he drew out his bow and arrow.

As Neil held his bow and arrow, a sudden array of icy crystals began to form around Neil and Heer. The crystals aligned in circular motion before Neil and Heer, combining to form a powerful arrow which replaced Neil’s standard arrow. At that same time, Heer was able to form a powerful ice energy beam from her mouth.

“Ice Blast!” Neil called out the attack as he released the arrow, combining it with Heer’s ice energy beam.

As the attack made its way towards Madame Naga, she suddenly disappeared in a puff of black smoke before it could even hit her. And at that same time, she had even dropped her duplicate key to the floor. Heer transformed back into human form.

“How could she just get away like that?!” Neil shouted.

“Calm down, Neil,” Heer told Neil. “We have other things to worry about. Like Sana and Rey.”

Then, Headmaster Devil, Aiden, Krystal, and Prince came into the center hallway, coming towards Neil, Heer, and Runa.

“What happened here?” Aiden asked.

“Madame Naga came and took out both Sana and Rey,” Heer told Aiden.

“What?!” Headmaster Devil said, surprised.

“Sana! Rey!” Krystal exclaimed as she and Prince went up to Sana and Rey, seeing their unconscious bodies.

“Where is Madame Naga?” Aiden asked.

“She disappeared,” Heer said, holding up the duplicate key. “But she left the key behind.”

“It looked like she did it on purpose though, Heer,” Neil told Heer.

“Krystal, did you and Prince take out Droh?” Headmaster Devil asked Krystal.

“We did!” Krystal replied.

“But we didn’t get someone to take him to lockup,” Prince said.

“Damn it! That means he could’ve gotten away!” Krystal cried. “But then…I have his key!”

“Forget about that for now,” Aiden said. “We have to take Sana and Rey for first aid treatment now!”

“Right!” Krystal and Prince said as they helped Sana and Rey up and rushed them down the hall while Headmaster Devil, Aiden, Neil, Heer, and Runa followed.

***

And the battle was over. Krystal, Prince, Neil, and Heer went ahead and released the students and faculty from the ballroom. Runa was left in the care of the school nurse while Heer and Sana were being treated there as well. However, Sana didn’t know that Rey was being treated in the intensive care unit. Outside of the intensive care unit, Headmaster Devil and Aiden were waiting outside.

“So, this proves it,” Headmaster Devil said. “This whole idea of getting the Shakti Orb was a setup.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Why else would Madame Naga leave the premises without taking the orb? She even left the key behind on purpose. That means she had other reasons for setting this up.”

“Neil and Heer witnessed everything. Did they say anything?”

“Once Madame Naga had attacked Rey, she simply finished off Sana. That means something.”

“What?”

“It means she was after Rey this whole time. This means you were right all along, Aiden.”

“But for what purpose did she go through all of this just to get to him?”

“I don’t know. Only she can answer that.”

“What about that girl, Runa? It was quite brave of Heer to show some compassion to her.”

“Agreed. We have to keep a close watch on her. She is after all a dark beast still.”

“But sir, dark beasts have pure negative energy within them. Now that she has forsaken the darkness that once prevailed her, is it possible she may no longer be a dark beast?”

“Perhaps. We can only tell after some time. At this moment, my concern is towards Rey. That scar has done more damage to his body than any mere attack could. It only makes me wonder what comes next after this.”

***

Back in the mountain tower of Daredevil City, Madame Naga was sitting at her chair, while Droh stood before her. “You could’ve had your shot at taking the orb as well!” Droh shouted at Madame Naga. “Why waste your time on that boy?!”

“The orb can wait. You knew this setup had to work in order for my plan to go as I wanted. And it did. The first step is complete. The Venom Fang has spread its venom into Rey’s body.”

“What about Runa and the others?”

“That traitor can rot in hell with those kids! They won’t live for long once my plans are complete. As for Stallion and Fida, they’ll get out soon.”

“Are you sure this is how things should go?”

“Of course! It’s only a matter of time before everything falls into place. Just wait and see.”

Volume 1

8. The Test of Teamwork

February 15, 2025 imeryli

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.”

Volume 1

6. Into Detention You Go

February 15, 2025 imeryli

“Rey! Attack from your left!” Sana commanded. Late at night in Daredevil City, Sana and Rey were up against a dark beast down in the alley of St. Franken Street. This dark beast looked similar to a jaguar, with its spots being a bright red color. Rey, in his beast form, attacked the dark beast directly into the wall, holding it down as much as possible.

“Quick! Give it a fireball attack!” Sana ordered. Rey nodded as he let out a mighty roar, emitting a fireball attack at the dark beast. The dark beast fell to the ground while Sana drew out her wand, tapping it to transform it into her trishula. She spun her trishula around in the air and plunged it into the ground, sending a fiery path towards the dark beast. The flames consumed the dark beast, destroying it completely.

With that, Rey transformed back into his human form. Once he transformed back, he noticed Sana got down to the ground on her knees, looking very exhausted. Rey went towards her, lending her a hand.

“Need help?” he asked. Sana looked at Rey’s hand, grabbing it as Rey helped her get up.

“You okay?” Rey asked.

“Yeah. I’m probably just tired.”

“Let’s get back. Besides, we have classes in the morning.”

And so, Rey and Sana began to head back towards the academy. But Sana stalled for a moment, turning around to see a dark tower ahead of the city.

“Sana, what are you waiting for? Let’s go,” Rey told Sana. Sana turned back and nodded and then left along with Rey.

***

The next day, at the girls’ dorm house of the Ringmasters Training Academy, Krystal was in deep slumber in her own room. She slowly woke up, stretching out her arms as she let out a yawn. She turned to the alarm clock on her nightstand and gasped.

“Oh, damn! I overslept!” Krystal cried.

She immediately got out of bed and dashed off to the bathroom, brushing her teeth vigorously. After she did so, she opened her closet, going through the many outfits she had. She finally changed into an orange dress with a V-shaped neck and paired it with a pair of orange-colored pumps. Krystal then brushed her straight hair and grabbed her orange-colored purse, putting a granola bar inside. Krystal left her room, locking the door as she rushed down the halls, leaving the building and heading into the academy.

“Damn it. I know I’m gonna get in trouble with Professor Luna,” Krystal said as she ran down the hallway. She finally made it to the classroom, barging inside while Professor Luna was in the middle of teaching.

“Ms. D’Cruz, you are late!”

“Look, I’m sorry. My alarm didn’t ring.”

“But you certainly had the time to put on that expensive dress.”

“Hey! This is designer wear. It costs a fortune. I can’t just let such expensive clothes sit in my closet.”

“Really?! In that case, how about you start off the week with detention. You and Mr. Blake can report today after school.”

“What?! And why Prince, too?!”

“You know the rule of this school. Whatever befalls one student, the partner receives the same. Now, sit down.”

Krystal walked in frustration as she then sat down at her seat next to Prince, throwing her bag under the desk.

“Nice job, Krystal,” Prince told Krystal, rolling his eyes as he chewed on a watermelon-flavored candy cane.

“Shut up, Prince,” Krystal snapped.

“I guess I should’ve woken you up then,” Sana said to Krystal, turning around.

“You think?!” Krystal exclaimed.

“Speaking of tardiness, where are Rey and Neil?” Professor Luna asked.

Sana and Heer turned to each other. Sana knew that Heer had the same thing on her mind. Rey and Neil were up to something.

“They’re probably out sick today, Professor Luna,” Heer replied, trying to keep her cool.

“If they show up late, I’ll have more detention to give!” Professor Luna exclaimed.

Where are those morons?! Sana thought, shaking her head.

***

“So, you sure about doing this?” Rey asked Neil. Rey and Neil were standing outside of Aiden’s office in the main hall. And at this time, Aiden was alone inside, completing some work.

“Of course, I am. It’s the only way to settle the old score I got with that chump,” Neil whispered.

“I don’t know why you hate him so much.”

“That’s nothing you need to know. Are you in or not?!”

“Well, duh. I’m ready to take this guy on. I’ll be the coolest guy in the academy if I can beat the school’s mentor.”

“We’ll attack once he comes out of the office.”

At that moment, Aiden had opened the door of his office. Rey and Neil stood near the walls while Aiden walked out from the room.

As he walked, Rey shouted, “Hey, Mr. Mentor!” Puzzled, Aiden turned around, seeing Rey and Neil standing before him. “You think you’re so tough, don’t you?!”

“Oh, it’s just you idiots,” Aiden shook his head.

“Who you calling an idiot?!” Neil shouted. “Last time we couldn’t fight. But this time we’re both going to pummel you to the ground.”

“You can’t be serious,” said Aiden.

“Hell yeah we are!” Rey exclaimed. “Ready, Neil?!”

“Of course, I am!” Neil agreed as he drew out his wand, transforming it into his bow and arrow.

Rey transformed into his tiger form. Aiden maintained his guard while Rey and Neil made their way to attack. As they came towards Aiden, Headmaster Devil came before them and said, “What are you two doing?”

The sight of Headmaster Devil shocked both Rey and Neil, making them fall to the ground with a thud. Rey transformed back into his human form while Neil’s bow and arrow changed back into a wand. The two immediately got up and said, “Headmaster Devil!”

“What were you two planning on doing?” Headmaster Devil inquired.

“Us?!” Neil asked. “We weren’t doing anything!”

“Yeah! What he said!” Rey agreed.

“Really?” Headmaster Devil said. “Because it looks like you two have cut class. And you were about to attack Aiden.”

“Um,” Rey and Neil mumbled. “Well…”

“Don’t bother. You know the penalty. The two of you will report to detention along with your partners,” Headmaster Devil ordered.

“Detention?!” Neil said, shocked.

“You’re seriously going to give us detention?!” Rey asked.

“Of course. You both have broken school rules,” Headmaster Devil said. “And if you both don’t show up, I’ll see to it you get even worse punishment. Do I make myself clear?”

Rey and Neil gulped and nodded in response. Headmaster Devil walked down the hall, while Aiden followed, eyeing Neil at the same time.

“Oh, great! Now we have to go to detention!” Neil whined. “Heer won’t be happy about that.”

“Please. Sana’s going to kill me now,” Rey sighed.

***

“You moron!” Sana yelled as she smacked Rey in the head, making him crash to the floor. It was lunch time where the gang were all seated at a round table in the cafeteria. And that was when Sana and Heer were informed about the detention notice they had received from Headmaster Devil.

“Could we lose some of the violence?!” Rey shouted back at Sana as he got up.

“I should get more violent on you! How can you two be so stupid?! Never once have I gotten detention before!” Sana shouted. “The library incident was one thing. Now you repeat previous mistakes and land us with real punishment. God, you two are such idiots!”

“Did you really have to try and sneak attack Aiden?” Heer asked Neil.

“Hey, I was just going to give my lousy brother a piece of my mind,” Neil retorted.

“Well then. Looks like the whole gang is going to be at detention tonight,” Krystal said.

“This whole thing started with you anyway,” Prince told Krystal.

“Shut up! All I did was oversleep. That professor doesn’t understand the value and time put into carrying off such expensive clothes every day,” Krystal replied.

“To hell with the drama,” Prince said.

“Where is the detention room anyway?” Rey asked.

“It’s supposed to be in the basement of the school if I’m correct,” Heer answered.

“And we’re going to be there for at least two hours,” Sana sighed. “And I have a ton of homework to do for my Elemental Study class.”

“Looks like we’ll just have to get through this together,” said Krystal.

“Not looking forward to that,” Prince said quietly.

***

At the end of the school day, while students had gone back to their dorms, Sana, Rey, Krystal, Prince, Neil, and Heer headed down into the basement of the academy for their session of detention. “So, what room are we going to?” Rey asked.

“Room two,” Sana replied. The gang made their way down the hall until they reached the room. Sana was just about to open the door until it opened by itself, freaking out the others. They went inside the room. But there was nothing inside. It was just a huge empty space with white walls and a white floor.

“This is the detention room?” Neil asked. “Is this the right place?”

“That’s what it says on our detention slips,” Sana replied.

“Then why is there no one here?” Rey asked. “Or nothing here to say the least.”

“Maybe they forgot! I say we get out then!” Krystal exclaimed.

As Krystal turned to leave, the door of the room had immediately closed shut.

“Okay…this just got even weirder,” Sana said.

The group turned around as a puff of black smoke emerged within the room. As the smoke faded, they were stunned to see Aiden standing before them.

“It’s Aiden!” Krystal exclaimed.

“What’s he doing here?!” Neil asked, annoyed.

“More importantly, where is everyone getting these smoke effects for entrances?” Rey questioned.

“Um…are we in the right room?” Heer asked Aiden.

“You are,” Aiden replied.

“Then where are we supposed to sit?” Sana inquired.

“That’s not the kind of detention you all are being put in,” Aiden said.

“What are you talking about?!” Rey shouted

“Watch,” Aiden said.

Within an instant, the group was surrounded by fumes of black smoke, which made Aiden disappear as well. Everything changed within seconds. No longer were they in the same empty room. The group had been teleported into an eerie looking version of a classroom where the six of them were all strapped to seats, unable to move. Aiden stood before them in front of a blackboard, holding a pointer to the board.

“Okay seriously, am I the only one who’s wondering where these special effects are coming from?!” Rey exclaimed.

“Welcome to MY version of detention,” Aiden announced. “It’s time for you all to learn a lesson.”

Books, fantasy, Volume 1

1. Welcome to RTA

January 8, 2025March 4, 2025 imeryli

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.”

Rey and Neil gulped.