Tag: stories

Books, fantasy, Volume 1, Volume 2, writing

35. What is Fire?

imeryli

“Hey, how are you doing?” Yashi asked on the phone.  

    The sky was bright early in the morning. Yashi along with Sana, Rey, Cyrus, and Adela were traveling in a hovership that she borrowed from the Ringmasters Society headquarters. While the others were still sleeping in their seats, Yashi had briefly placed the hovership on autopilot to take a call with Shuto. 

   “I won’t lie…I feel worse than when I’m hungover,” Shuto said. At his end, it was nighttime, and he was at home. A day had passed since the incident at the Ringmasters Society headquarters, and he along with other members had been ordered to not come into the building till an investigation had been conducted.  

    “Does your head feel at least slightly better?” Yashi asked. 

    “It’s not even that I’m concerned about. She wasn’t nearly as powerful the last time we saw her. It makes me wonder who this new gang is that she’s with.” 

    “Do you think they’ll come back?” 

    “I don’t know. All I do know is that Master Avalon isn’t going to take this lightly. We’re supposed to have a mandatory meeting soon.” 

    “I see. I’m just glad you’re safe. Is Runa asleep?” 

    “Yes, she went to bed an hour ago. How’s your journey going?” 

    “We should be arriving at the base soon. I’m still nervous about this.” 

    “I know, but you’ll be fine. Remember what you were like to Cyrus.” 

    “And what about telling them the truth?”  

    “It’s up to you what you want to say. Personally, I think it’ll help them feel not so alone with their circumstances, but you do what you feel is comfortable for you.” 

     Yashi looked over at Sana and Rey, peacefully sleeping in their seats. She allowed herself to breathe for a moment before she continued talking. 

     “Everything is going to be fine, love,” Shuto said.  

     “You’re right. I should go now. Let me know how the meeting goes.” 

     “I will. I love you.” 

    “Love you, too.” 

    Yashi ended the call. She took a deep breath, feeling slightly more at ease. 

*** 

    Two hours later, Yashi was taking over the hovership. As she monitored the course, Rey slowly woke up, noticing he was the last one to wake up.  

   “So, how long till we get there?” Rey asked sluggishly. “It’s hard to take cat naps in these chairs.” 

   “We’re approaching our destination soon,” Yashi said. 

   “Hopefully soon enough for him to quit complaining,” Adela said. “I swear, I didn’t realize you’d be this annoying.” 

   “Hey! I’m not complaining!” Rey exclaimed. “Also, does this base of yours have any beds? I need something comfy for these two weeks.” 

    Yashi got increasingly irritated with Rey’s chatter, and Cyrus could see it. He turned to Rey, signaling to keep quiet. Rey couldn’t help himself. He wanted to train so badly. Even his parents were happy for him after he told them that he was going for special training during spring break.  

    It didn’t take long till Yashi said, “We’re going to land soon.” 

    Sana and Rey looked outside as Yashi was preparing to land. Sana was astonished, seeing that they were heading towards the Kayalvizhi Ocean. It didn’t take long till the hovership transformed, shielded in a blue skin that covered its entire body as Yashi guided it underwater. Rey was taken aback, completely unaware that they would go into the ocean. As Yashi steered the ship through the waters, Rey looked at Sana and could see she was admiring the atmosphere. He looked outside, astonished at all the corals and colorful fish that were passing by. He had never seen anything quite like it before.  

   After some time, Yashi parked the ship beside some ocean rock. The ship connected to her base from the front. Sana and Rey got out of their seats to get a look at the base. The building was made of dark blue rock and there seemed to be few windows. It had a roof that looked like it was made of diamond, and there were purple corals surrounding the building. Yashi got up from her seat along with Cyrus and Adela. 

    “Okay, we’re here. Follow me,” Yashi said.  

    Yashi led the group through a hallway that connected from the hovership to the entrance of the base. Rey was finding everything more fascinating by the minute, and Sana could see that. At the entrance, Yashi put her hand on a scanner that was at the door. Once her hand was scanned, the door opened, and they all went inside.  

    Once inside, Sana marveled at the space around them. The walls had a glistening sheen to them, and there were blue couches and a golden shell-shaped dining table in what appeared to be a living room area. She found the place to be quite homely. 

    “Is it just going to be us, Master Yashi?” Cyrus asked. 

    “Yes,” Yashi said. “Since we just got here, you can each pick a room to stay in and get settled. Though, Adela, you may have to share a room with Sana. I’ll make dinner, and we can start training tomorrow.”  

   “Tomorrow? We gotta wait till tomorrow?” Rey asked. 

   “Well, I did fly us here. I need some rest,” Yashi said. “You have two weeks. That’s plenty of time.”  

    Rey pouted, and Sana rolled her eyes, thinking how impatient he was.  

   Sana and Adela went to the first room nearby. As soon as they entered, she transformed into her chibi form and dropped on the couch in the corner of the room, sleeping instantly. Sana didn’t blame her as it had been many hours since they could sleep on a proper bed. She too was tired, but she did think about calling her dad. Sana dialed Ryan’s number on her phone and within seconds he answered, “Sana! Did you reach there safely?” 

    “Yes, Papa. We just got here a few minutes ago.” 

    “How’s the place you’re at?” 

    “Definitely not what I expected. Though it is very comfortable.”  

    “That’s great. I miss you, jaanu.” 

    “Oh, Papa, it’s only two weeks. It’ll be over sooner than you think.” 

    “I know, but it’s so lonely here without you around. Still, I understand how important this training is for you.” 

     Sana didn’t admit it, but she was missing her dad just as much. His loving words meant a lot, but she also missed his warm presence.  

    “Anyway, I’m glad you’re safe. I’ll call you every day,” Ryan said. 

    “All right, Papa.” 

    “Good luck. I love you.” 

    “Love you, too.” 

    Sana disconnected the call. She sighed, wondering how Ryan would manage alone. She knew he was used to it since she was almost always living in the dorms, but she recognized how much her dad wanted to spend time with her.  

*** 

   Later, Yashi called everyone for dinner. Sana, Rey, and Adela joined her in the dining room. Sana admired the atmosphere of the room. It reminded her of her own home. It could’ve been because of the shared Indian heritage with Yashi, but nonetheless, she felt like she was at her own home. Sana sat down with the others in one of the elegant antique chairs. They were made of painted green wood that almost resembled the sheen of an emerald. She took note of the various works of Indian art hanging on the walls. At the table, there were a variety of dishes that reminded her of home. She recognized the sambar, idlis, and masala dosa. It had been a while since she had any of these dishes made by her dad.  

   “This looks so delicious!” Rey exclaimed. 

   “Thank you. I don’t cook often,” Yashi said. “I try my best when I do.” 

   “Does Shuto sir cook?” Sana asked. 

   “Quite often actually. I’ve even taught him how to cook Indian dishes as well,” Yashi said. “Now, do eat while everything is warm.” 

   Everyone started getting their plates ready, sampling all of the dishes on display. The richness of the spices mixed with the carrots and potatoes in the sambar made her taste buds soar. She could tell Rey was enjoying the food as well. That didn’t surprise her considering he himself was quite fond of Indian food.  

   “This food is amazing, Master Yashi,” Sana said. 

   “I agree,” Adela said. “I have to hand it to the people of your world. Many of your dishes are quite tasty.” 

   “Thank you, I certainly try my best,” Yashi said.  

   “Are we gonna get food like this every day?!” Rey asked. 

   “Not sure if I have the energy to cook every day. That’s why I make enough to last for the week,” Yashi said. “But you all can try cooking.” 

   “I wouldn’t let Sana near the kitchen,” Rey said. 

   “Oh, shut up,” Sana said.  

   “Guess I’ll be doing the cooking then,” Cyrus said.  

   “So, Cyrus, what made you become Master Yashi’s student?” Rey asked.  

   The room fell silent. Rey could see the expressions on Yashi and Cyrus’ faces change. 

    “Uh, did I say something wrong?” Rey asked. 

    “No,” Cyrus said. “It’s just…it’s a touchy subject for all of us, Rey.” 

    “How so?” Rey asked. 

    “Rey,” Sana said, knowing how awkward the situation was getting. 

    “Rey, I was a victim of Madame Naga just like you,” Cyrus said. “Krystal probably didn’t tell you since she thought I should, but that’s why we came to Yashi.”  

    The silence was back again. Rey was stunned. He knew Runa was a victim of Madame Naga, but he never could’ve imagined that there were even more people who were harmed by her in the same way. What made things more awkward was that Yashi got up from her seat and left. Rey wondered if he had offended her. 

    “Cyrus, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” Rey said. 

    “No, no, it’s okay,” Cyrus said. “I know you didn’t mean anything by it.” 

    Rey got up from his seat. As he did, Adela said, “Rey, where are you going?” 

    “I need to apologize,” Rey said.  

    Rey headed out while Sana followed him. The two went towards the light room where Yashi was. It was a room that had a huge window view of the water outside. The room had the most beautiful bright lights that shined from the ceiling.  

    Rey could see Yashi was hurting. He turned to Sana, who was nudging him to apologize.  

     “I’m sorry, Master Yashi,” Rey said. “I didn’t mean to offend you.” 

     “It’s fine,” Yashi said as she turned towards Sana and Rey. “I know you didn’t mean any harm.” 

     “I myself didn’t know the extent of Madame Naga’s cruelty,” Sana said. 

     “It’s beyond what you can imagine,” Yashi said. “That is why I had a hard time initially accepting you both as my students.”  

    Rey was puzzled. He wondered if there was more than what Yashi was letting on. It was as if she had her own connection to Madame Naga. He wondered if he should ask, but he also knew that he had done enough by asking his earlier question. Then, Sana asked, “Master Yashi, what’s your connection to Madame Naga?” 

   Wow, and I thought I was the one that had no chill around here, Rey thought. 

    Yashi sighed. She should have known that this would have been asked of her. She was possibly counting on it not happening so soon. Nonetheless, whether she was comfortable or not sharing, she realized she had to tell Sana and Rey as she was going to be their teacher for the next two weeks. 

    “I was hoping I could answer this later,” Yashi said. “But it looks like there’s a lot about Madame Naga that you didn’t know.”  

    “Like what?” Rey asked. 

    Yashi took a deep breath. She turned to Sana and Rey and said, “I was one of the first victims of Madame Naga.” 

   Rey was stunned. He could see Sana was as well. It was quite the revelation. One that he couldn’t quite understand. 

   “Hold on,” Rey said. “How is that even possible? How old are you then?” 

   “Excuse me?!” Yashi said. 

   “Rey, where are your manners?!” Sana exclaimed as she smacked Rey on the back of his head. 

   “Hey! I didn’t mean it like that!” Rey exclaimed. “I’m not trying to say you’re old! I’m just confused!” 

   Yashi sighed. She should have realized that they would want to know more about what happened to her. After all, they clearly weren’t aware of how complicated the situation surrounding Madame Naga truly was. 

   “I thought I would talk about this tomorrow, but I guess I have no choice,” Yashi said.  

   “Talk about what?” Rey asked. “Okay, I’m more curious than ever now. It was one thing with Runa and Cyrus, but you as well?!” 

    Yashi took a deep breath. She looked out the window, seeking refuge in the calmness of the waters outside. It was probably the one thing that could give her the strength to tell everything to Sana and Rey. 

    “Just like you and the others, I was very young when it happened,” Yashi said. 

    “Wait, how young are we talking?” Rey asked. 

    “Rey, let her tell her story,” Sana said as she shoved Rey in his arm with her elbow.  

    “As I was saying, since I was a kid, I trained under the tutelage of my master, Master Santhosh,” Yashi said. “After much hard work, I became his top student. It wasn’t long before many people in our village learned about my prowess. I was even going to enter the only ringmaster academy in India at that time.” 

    “Then what happened?” Sana asked. 

    Yashi took a moment to breathe. She had to get herself ready to remember the painful part. 

    “One day, I was playing with some of my friends in the fields near my house,” Yashi said. “We were playing a simple game of catch. The ball went far away, and I was the one that decided to retrieve it. Once I found it, that’s when she appeared in front of me.” 

    “Madame Naga?” Rey asked. 

   “Yes,” Yashi said. “She knocked me out instantly. For days, I was out of it, going back and forth between consciousness and unconsciousness. When I woke up, I learned what happened to me. You can’t even imagine how I woke up. The pain of her venom made me scream in my sleep. She kept me under observation for days, torturing me with one experiment and exercise after the other. She ended up deeming me unworthy and was close to killing me till Master Santhosh and his comrades showed up to rescue me.” 

   Yashi took a moment to breathe. She could feel all the pain from the memories rush back like a rollercoaster that wouldn’t stop. Sana could sense that this was a lot for her to share. She turned to Rey, who seemingly shared the same sentiment. Rey wanted to say something, but Yashi wiped the tears that ran down her face to continue talking. 

   “When I came back to my village, everything had changed for me,” Yashi said. “With these new dark powers, I lost control. I went from being considered a prodigy to a threat in my own village.” 

    “A threat?” Rey said. 

    “During those times, there was heavy stigma around dark magic because of the dark beasts,” Yashi said. “Even today, those powers are feared by many people. But at that time, it was completely different. People looked at me differently for something that wasn’t even in my control. Because of this, Master Santhosh and my parents helped me leave the village. We relocated to Banjaara, and I finished schooling there and ended up going abroad to attend Pytho Sigma.”  

    Sana looked at Rey and could see he was just as taken aback as she was. It was so much to take in. Considering how Yashi was unwilling to train them to begin with, she could understand why. Madame Naga clearly haunted her. There were far too many words to describe it. 

   “Damn, I’m so sorry,” Rey said. “I guess I understand why it was hard for you to take us on for training.” 

   “It’s nothing personal, but I guess even with everything I’ve done to deal with the trauma all these years, it finds its way back into my life,” Yashi said. 

   “When you were rescued, did they not manage to defeat her?” Rey asked. 

   “They tried, but she escaped. Master Santhosh wanted to hunt her down, but I was the one that told him not to,” Yashi said. “I just wanted to never see her again.” 

   “I’m guessing you haven’t seen her since then either,” Sana said. 

   “I haven’t,” Yashi said.  

   “I don’t understand something. How long could Madame Naga be doing this?” Rey asked. “Like, does she not age?” 

   “Something like that,” Yashi said. 

   Rey was surprised. He could see Sana was as well. He said, “Huh? I wasn’t being serious, you know!” 

   “After I relocated to Banjaara, Master Santhosh and I met other victims of Madame Naga. Their ages ranged from young to quite old,” Yashi said. “I didn’t visit her when she was arrested, but one of my colleagues did. When she described what she looked like currently, it matched exactly how she looked like when I was a child.” 

   “So, she’s been doing this for a long time,” Sana said. “But it doesn’t explain how she’s continued to live for so long. Is it even possible for her to die then?” 

    “Master Santhosh has heard a theory,” Yashi said. “He believes that an exchange of some sort happens. When transferring the venom from her system to her victim, there’s an exchange of energy that allows her to preserve her mortality.” 

    “You mean, she drained energy from me?” Rey asked. “Is she immortal now or something?” 

    “I certainly hope not,” Yashi said. “Anyway, I told you what you needed to know. Please know that my uneasiness has nothing to do with you.”  

    Yashi began to head out of the room. She could feel like Sana and Rey were looking at her, unsure what to say. She stopped and turned to them, saying, “Come back to dinner. You two need a good meal before tomorrow.” 

   As Yashi left, Sana sighed. Rey looked at her and said, “Damn. That was a lot.” 

   “Yeah. You heard her though. We should go back and eat.” 

   “What? How can we just eat when she just told us all of that?!” 

   “Fine. You can stand here and ponder over everything that was said, but don’t come complaining to me later about how hungry you are.”  

   “Oh, come on, Sana, I know you.” 

   Sana sighed. “Look, Rey, we can’t dwell too much on this. Let’s just do what Yashi asks of us.” 

    Sana headed out while Rey stood, dumbfounded. He thought that Sana would at least be as stunned as he was. Or maybe she was, and she was just putting her feelings on the matter aside. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that maybe Sana and Yashi were alike. Maybe that was why Sana didn’t want to sit around and talk about everything they had just heard. He realized that maybe he should just go ahead and get back to dinner.  

*** 

   After dinner, Rey was back in his room, trying to get some sleep. He had to get up early in the morning for his first day of training. He tossed and turned multiple times, but he couldn’t fall asleep no matter how many times he shut his eyes. Rey got up from his bed and left the room. As he went out into the hallway, he was surprised to see Sana outside as well. Her face illuminated in the light that was coming from the mini flashlight she was holding.  

   “Hi,” Sana said. 

   “Hey. You can’t sleep?” 

   “No. I’ve been restless. You?” 

   “Not at all. It’s pretty hard to sleep when your mind is overflowing with thoughts at a hundred miles an hour.” 

   “Is it about what Yashi said earlier?” 

   Rey sighed. Sana was so good at picking up what was on his mind. She was the ultimate mind reader. 

   “I guess I never realized how many people have been affected by Madame Naga in the same way I have.”  

   “It actually makes sense to an extent. Someone like her can hurt so many people.” 

   “So, you’re taking this better than I thought you would.” 

   “I wouldn’t say that. I think I’m just making sense of everything.” 

    “I see.” 

    Sana sighed. She was trying to lessen Rey’s worries even though she herself was feeling anxious. It was then she remembered about the promises she made to Rey.  

    “Don’t think too much about it,” Sana said. “We need to get as much rest as possible. Krystal went out of her way to seek out Cyrus and get us this training in the first place. We have to believe it’ll be worth it.” 

    With that, Sana headed back to her room while Rey began to head back to his. He hoped deep down that Sana was right. 

*** 

   Early morning came soon enough. Sana barged into Rey’s room, seeing he was still asleep, yawning loudly like a lawn mower. Annoyed, she tossed a large pillow at him, waking him up. He sat up and said, “What the hell was that for?!” 

    “You have to brush and eat. I’m not going to be tardy because of you.” 

    “Sheesh, you’re so aggressive.” 

    “You call it aggressive. I call it assertive. Now, get up. You don’t want to make a bad impression on our first day of training.” 

    Rey sat up, stretching his arms. As much as he’d rather be sleeping, he figured he should get up before Sana yelled at him again. Rey went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, freshening up. He headed to the dining room where breakfast was being served. After everyone finished eating, Rey eagerly asked Yashi, “So, what’s our first day of training going to be like? Are we going to do a simulation or go straight into combat?” 

   “Cyrus, is the training room setup complete?” Yashi asked.  

   “Yes, Master Yashi. The dome should be accessible to you now,” Cyrus said.  

   “Dome?” Rey asked. “So, we are doing a simulation?” 

   “You’ll see,” Yashi replied. “Everyone, let’s go.” 

   With that, Sana, Rey, Adela, and Cyrus followed Yashi down the hallway. Yashi led them all the way to the very end of the chamber room. She put her hand on the white screen by the door, and her hand was scanned, allowing the doors to open after recognizing her. As they entered, Sana found herself astonished at what she was seeing. Inside the chamber appeared to be a highly advanced simulation room. The academy had one as well, but it seemed to be a lot different from this one. The controls looked way more complex and there were so many of them that it scared her to even think what would happen if she touched anything by accident. 

   “Cyrus, I want you to manage the controls and settings,” Yashi said. “You know what to do if anything should get out of hand.” 

   “Yes, ma’am,” Cyrus said as Adela followed him outside. 

   “So, this is a simulation!” Rey exclaimed. 

   “Not exactly,” Yashi said. “Cyrus, get them their gear.” 

    Cyrus opened a shelf near the controls, pulling out two silver headbands. She handed them to Sana and Rey, saying, “Put these on before entering the simulation room.” 

    “Do I have to wear this?” Rey asked as Sana immediately put her headband on. “It doesn’t exactly work with my outfit.” 

    “You sound like Krystal,” Sana said. 

    “Listen, when you spend an ENTIRE day with her at the mall, you WILL start talking like her!” Rey exclaimed. 

    “You need these headbands for your training,” Yashi said. “We won’t be able to do the first session without them.” 

    Rey sighed and put the headband on. He headed inside the room with Sana while Yashi followed them inside. She instructed Sana and Rey to stand by the red circles on the floor while she stood on the blue circle. Once they were all in position, Yashi signaled Cyrus to start the simulation. Cyrus pressed the controls to begin the simulation and also turned a notch on the side to number three. 

   Suddenly, everything changed. Sana could see that the surroundings had changed. Sana saw the waves of the ocean before her, and her feet were nestled in the sands of what appeared to be a beach. She could tell Rey was seeing the same thing based on how excited he looked.  

   “We seriously get to train on the beach?!” Rey exclaimed. “If you had mentioned it, I would’ve brought my swim trunks!” 

    “We’re not here to swim,” Yashi said. 

    “This feels so real,” Sana said. “Is this a simulation, or did you actually take us here?” 

   “It’s teleportation magic,” Yashi said. “I have enough of it that allows me to take you to spaces like this for a limited amount of time. While this is a simulation, everything in the space will look and feel real.” 

   “Wait, so how long are we going to be here?” Rey asked. 

   “We have one hour in this space,” Yashi said. “Now, let’s keep the questions to a minimum and get started.” 

   Rey could feel Yashi’s sternness. With such a short timeframe for a training session, he knew he had to lock in.  

   “Listen to me carefully,” Yashi said. “Getting your dark energy and your fire energy to sync requires gradual balance. To achieve that balance, you must be able to use the energies individually and in unity.” 

   “Using dark energy alone seems dangerous,” Sana said. “I mean, Runa could barely control it herself.” 

   “But she has learned to, and she’s still learning,” Yashi said. “We only have two weeks to train, but by the time this is over, you two will have what you need to figure out the rest.”  

   “So, how does this specific space help us?” Rey asked. 

   “I’ll show you,” Yashi said. “Ready?” 

   Sana and Rey nodded. Yashi took a deep breath. She drew out two wands. Sana was intrigued by this sight as this was the first time that she had seen someone other than Krystal with two wands. Something was different though. Krystal’s regular wand and zodiac wand were clearly very different, but both Yashi’s wands looked like standard ringmaster wands.  

   Yashi tapped both wands at the same time. One wand transformed into a sword. Sana immediately recognized it as an urumi. She recalled seeing Ryan train with one briefly a few years ago. The sword blade was bendable with a round edge. It flowed just like the ocean waves, and it had a shiny gold handle to it. Her other wand transformed into anklets that adorned themselves around her ankles. Sana could tell they were ghungroos. They were an array of bells that were typically worn for traditional Indian dance forms. Sana was intrigued to see how Yashi would use the urumi and ghungroos together. She had never seen two weapons combined for battle. 

   Yashi took a deep breath. This was her first time demonstrating her powers in a while. She exhaled and stepped her foot deep into the sand with the ghungroo bells tinkling. She began waving her urumi around in circular motion as she continued to let her ghungroos move her feet.  

   As Yashi stepped continuously into the sand, the urumi spun a voluminous typhoon. It was a sight to behold for Sana. She was enamored with the way Yashi was coordinating her two weapons. Rey was curious to see what Yashi would do next. He noticed the vibrations of sound waves coming from the ghungroos. It was like they were driving he power of the typhoon, making it even more voluminous than ever. He wondered how Yashi could handle so much power all at once. Then again, she was a member of the Ringmasters Society for a reason. Rey and Sana missed seeing Tatia in battle against Lady Chameleon, so this was the first time they had seen a Ringmasters Society ringmaster at work.  

   Yashi directed the typhoon towards the beach waves. Before doing so, she had to show the last piece of this performance to Sana and Rey. She released a small bit of dark energy into the typhoon. The typhoon became more voluminous than ever. Rey felt intimidated by its presence, wondering if it would do any harm. Despite the sheer power it had, Rey could sense there was control in it, something that he found remarkable. 

   As the typhoon overpowered the beach waters, Yashi kept it intact with her ghungroos continuously at play as she continued to fuel their power from the movement of her feet. Sana observed Yashi’s movements carefully. It was like the sound waves from her ghungroos were keeping the intensity of the water in control.  

   “Get ready,” Yashi said. 

   “For what?” Rey questioned. 

   Yashi shot forth a small blast of dark energy from her other palm into the typhoon as she kept it going with her urumi in her other hand. A purple glow beamed through the water. Sana was astonished by how calm it was. It was the first time since seeing Runa training under Aiden that she saw the calm nature of dark energy.  

   Rey felt at peace upon seeing the full display of Yashi’s powers. It was like all the insecurities he felt about his newly found dark energy were distant. He felt like he was seeing a symphony. The harmony between the three powers at Yashi’s disposal was a sight to behold.  

   Yashi withdrew her weapons back to their wand forms, and the typhoon faded into glittery, watery dust. She turned to Sana and Rey and said, “So, tell me, how did it feel?” 

   “I’ve never seen such graceful harmony between multiple energies like that,” Sana said. “We’re trying to balance two power sets while you possess three. I can’t imagine how hard it was to master.” 

   “It’s certainly not easy,” Yashi said.  

   “Let me ask…how does it feel for you?” Rey asked Yashi. 

   Yashi was surprised by Rey’s question. She couldn’t recall anyone other than Shuto really inquire about her feelings pertaining to her powers.  

   “When you finally have control…everything feels right,” Yashi said. “That’s what I hope to help you both achieve.” 

   “But will be able to get to your level?” Sana asked. “I mean, we do have a shorter timeframe.” 

   “You don’t need to get to my level of control in two weeks,” Yashi said. “The important thing is that you two learn to use your new powers. For that, you must trust me and take your time.” 

   “So, how do we do that?” Rey asked. “I mean, you didn’t bring us to this space just to show off, right?” 

   “This space is the ideal place for you to train peacefully,” Yashi said. “It’ll also help you get clarity on your own powers.” 

    “Clarity?” Sana said, puzzled. 

    Yashi turned towards the water, admiring the beautiful glossy blue of the waves. She said, “Do you know the true meaning of water?” 

    “Is this a philosophical question?” Rey asked. “Sana is usually better at those.” 

    “It took me years to understand its true meaning,” Yashi said. “Before you can understand your new powers, you have to understand fire.” 

    Sana was surprised to find herself perplexed. What did it mean to understand fire? Of all the test questions she had seen, this was one unlike what she had heard before. She could tell from Rey’s puzzled expression that even he was confused. 

    “For the time remaining in this session, your focus will be finding an answer to that question,” Yashi said. “What does fire mean?” 

    “Uh, how exactly are we going to find that answer?” Rey asked.  

    “We’re going to get to that now,” Yashi said. “Cyrus, can you hear me?” 

    “Yes, Master Yashi,” Cyrus said as his voice echoed through the sky. 

    Rey was startled. Up until this point, he didn’t even realize that they could communicate with Cyrus and Adela on the other side.  

   “Good. Select gear four, level five,” Yashi instructed.  

   “You got it,” Cyrus said. 

   “Wait, what’s happening?” Rey asked.  

   Outside, Cyrus was changing gears accordingly while Adela watched him. She was curious as to where things were heading.  

   Suddenly, the space surrounding Sana, Rey, and Yashi began to change. Sana was feeling anxious, unsure of what was going to happen next. The beautiful beach had changed into a forest. The trees were tall and droopy, their branches hanging above Sana and Rey like claws reaching out to grab them. The sky had turned pitch dark. Sana felt as though they were suddenly shrouded in the darkness. 

   “Okay, what is with the change of scenery?” Sana asked. 

   “We have a little over thirty minutes left for this exercise,” Yashi said. “I want you to release fire energy without catching this forest on fire.” 

    Sana was stunned. The idea of releasing the slightest bit of fire in such a vast forest was unnerving to her. Even if it was just a space created for the sake of training, it was still real to some extent. She looked over at Rey and could see he was looking a little anxious as well.  

   “How does releasing fire energy here answer your question?” Sana asked. 

   “You’ll know when you give it a try. Once time is up, we’ll be taken back to the control room,” Yashi said. “You better get to it.” 

    As Yashi walked away to give Sana and Rey their space, Sana was unsure how to go about the exercise. One wrong move and the forest could catch fire. She looked over at Rey and said, “You ready to try this?” 

   “How? You remember what happened last time we tried an energy exercise.” 

   “So? That was then. That’s the reason we are here.” 

   Rey sighed. He knew Sana was right, but it didn’t stop him from feeling any less worried about what could happen. Before he could dwell on his doubts any further, he saw Sana’s hand extended towards him. He looked at her and could see in her eyes that even she was feeling anxious as well. But it didn’t stop her from trying. He knew they didn’t have a ton of time, so he had to act quickly. He held onto her hand, closing his eyes. 

   Sana closed her eyes as well. She said, “Remember, concentrate your energy into your hand and expand it slowly.” 

   Rey nodded. He took a deep breath, trying hard to focus. Sana began to imagine the image of a small flame. She allowed the image to guide her as she felt her fire energy flow through her into the palm of her hand. She could feel the flame form in her hand. It was small and light to the touch. Sana focused on the image in her mind as she tried to maintain the size of the flame in her hand. 

   Yashi watched both Sana and Rey closely. Sana seemed to be in control, maintaining a clear balance of the amount of fire energy she was emitting. Looking over at Rey, Yashi could see there was something different going on with him. She could see Rey’s fire energy flowing through his arm, but it wasn’t landing in his palm like Sana’s. 

   Rey had a hard time concentrating. He was initially able to focus on an image of fire in his mind. However, he started hearing a rattling sound that started to make his head throb. There was a distorted sound ringing in his ears as he started to feel slightly dizzy. The image of the fire started to blur. It seemed like it was shapeshifting into something else entirely. He could see a shadow-like figure emerge from the fire. The fire twisted into a man. Rey recognized this man as his face became clearer. It was Rey himself. Or was it? He remembered this face. It was the one that appeared in front of him and Sana during their second battle with Madame Naga. Seeing him again unsettled him. The big grin on his face made him feel uneasy.  

   As Sana continued to concentrate, she felt a disturbance. She felt her other hand that was holding onto Rey’s was rattling. She could feel something was wrong with him. Sana opened one of her eyes to see Rey’s fire energy was starting to engulf his entire body. The sight frightened her as she had never seen his fire get so erratic, and it seemed like he was unaware of what was going on.  

   Outside, Adela was feeling unnerved seeing what was happening. She wondered if she needed to step in and help. She turned to Cyrus and said, “Rey looks like he’s in trouble. Can you let me in there?” 

   “There’s no way I can do that,” Cyrus said.  

   “Why not? I’m their guardian. It’s my duty to help them.” 

   “Then as their guardian, you have to know the difference between when to help and when to let them be.” 

    Adela couldn’t argue with Cyrus’ logic. However, she was still uneasy seeing the fire surrounding Rey becoming more erratic.  

   “You’re not alone feeling stressed,” Cyrus said. “As much as I wish we could help, that would defeat the purpose of their training.” 

   Adela sighed as she looked back at Rey and Sana. She could tell Sana was concerned and scared. Come on you two, she thought.  

   “Rey! Rey, what’s going on?!” Sana shouted. Rey didn’t respond. It was as if he was frozen in his own fire. Sana panicked as she saw the fire was close to leaving his body and reaching the forest around them. She had to act quickly to bring him back. As she tried to figure out a plan, she looked at her hand and got an idea. She closed her eyes again, tightening her grip on Rey’s hand. Sana focused on her fire energy, trying her best to transfer it to Rey.  

   As Rey continued to see the other Rey, he could feel his image beginning to fade away slowly. He saw a light flashing before him. He couldn’t see anyone, but the overwhelming presence of the light made him feel at ease. “Rey, it’s okay,” a faint voice said. 

    The voice sounded like Sana’s. Rey focused on the light, letting it calm him down. He took a deep breath and let it out after a moment, repeating the process while the fire surrounding his body became more controlled. Yashi watched them both and was impressed at how quickly Sana was able to help Rey out. 

   “All right,” Yashi said. “Cyrus, take us back.” 

   Suddenly, Sana, Rey, and Yashi were taken back to the main room. Sana opened her eyes as Rey fell to the ground on his knees. She immediately went to him and asked, “Are you okay, Rey?” 

   “Yeah…I think I am,” Rey said. As he started to regain consciousness, he held onto Sana’s hand to help him feel stable again. He didn’t see any fire around him. It was bizarre as he knew he was on fire just a few minutes ago. How could everything change so fast? “It’s so weird…I remember I was on fire, but it still doesn’t feel real.” 

   “That’s how this type of magic works,” Yashi said. “It’s intense, but it’s necessary.” 

   “So, did we pass?” Sana asked. 

   “You did…barely,” Yashi said. “Sana, you acted quickly and did what you needed to help your partner. For that, you deserve much of the credit.” 

   “So, I guess I let us down,” Rey said.  

   “Rey, don’t say that,” Sana said. 

   “You don’t have to feel shame, Rey,” Yashi said as she let Sana and Rey out of the training room. “You were the one who was infected with Madame Naga’s venom. What’s happening with you is not unique.” 

   Cyrus felt as though he had a whiplash from seeing Rey during the exercise. The way his fire energy began to lose control was insane. It reminded him of the lack of control he had when he was first bitten. He didn’t have anyone other than Yashi to help him. But here, Sana did so much to help Rey. He felt like he was understanding how special their partnership really was. 

   “So, do you have an answer to my question from earlier?” Yashi asked Sana and Rey. 

   “Well, fire certainly is dangerous,” Sana said. “Although that was a given.” 

   “I don’t feel that way,” Rey said. 

   “Really, Rey?” Adela asked. “You were practically ablaze.” 

   “I mean, yeah, you’re right, but I saw how Sana’s fire guided me out from being consumed by my own fire,” Rey said. “Fire can be dangerous, but when used differently it can be someone’s light.” 

     Yashi was impressed by Rey’s answer. It was certainly what she was hoping one of the kids would figure out. While she was a mere spectator to what transpired during the exercise, she could tell Sana had a profound impact on Rey.  

    “I’m glad to hear this,” Yashi said. “It seems you have a newfound perspective on your powers.” 

    “I do. This crazy exercise actually taught me something,” Rey said. 

    “Are you insulting my methods?” Yashi questioned. 

    “Rey, don’t get us into trouble,” Sana said, lightly hitting Rey in the arm. 

    “So, now what?” Cyrus asked. “Should they go back in for the next session?” 

    “No, I think that’s enough for now,” Yashi said. “You both did good work today. Tomorrow, we’ll begin the real work.” 

    “You mean, you wouldn’t consider this real work?” Adela asked. 

    “They need to know how to control fire first before tackling the dark powers,” Yashi said. “That will be the focus tomorrow.” 

    “Man, you really got nothing for us for the rest of today?” Rey asked. 

    “Well, well, you’re certainly an eager one,” Yashi said. “I guess we can do some simple exercises in the meditation room. Follow me.” 

    Yashi led Sana, Rey, Cyrus, and Adela out of the chamber. She found that she was taking quite a liking towards Sana and Rey. Their eagerness to learn and grow felt earnest to her. After today, she was feeling more hopeful that they could handle the more challenging training sessions ahead.  

Copyright © 2026 Meryl T

All rights reserved. All illustrations created by Meryl T.

Volume 1

27. After Dark

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.

Copyright © 2021 Meryl T

All rights reserved. All illustrations created by Meryl T.

Volume 1

25. Darkness Rages

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.

Copyright © 2021 Meryl T

All rights reserved. All illustrations created by Meryl T.

Volume 1

21. Battle for The Chain of Leo

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!”

Copyright © 2021 Meryl T

All rights reserved. All illustrations created by Meryl T.

Volume 1

20. Conquest

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!

Copyright © 2021 Meryl T

All rights reserved. All illustrations created by Meryl T.

Volume 1

19. Harbored Feelings

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.

Copyright © 2021 Meryl T

All rights reserved. All illustrations created by Meryl T.

Volume 1

16. The Need to Get Stronger

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.”

Copyright © 2021 Meryl T

All rights reserved. All illustrations created by Meryl T.

Volume 1

13. Strike of the Naga

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.”

Copyright © 2021 Meryl T

All rights reserved. All illustrations created by Meryl T.

Volume 1

8. The Test of Teamwork

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.”

Copyright © 2021 Meryl T

All rights reserved. All illustrations created by Meryl T.

Volume 1

6. Into Detention You Go

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.”

Copyright © 2021 Meryl T

All rights reserved. All illustrations created by Meryl T.