-Monday, The Hub, Meeting Room-

Guardian summoned the Radiant and ordered them to report to the Hub and remain until further notice. As they sat, Jake pondered why the urgent call. Was it about the people of Rye? Did something happen to Pilot? Did the Count escape? Whatever the reason, it made him worry. He was not the only one concerned; the others were curious about the important meeting, except Lina, who was napping in her chair. Usually, Guardian would summon them to join for a meeting, but they were told to stay here until they were called upon. They needed something to bide their time.

"Christina," Ryu spoke up. "You look miserable."

With her head resting on the table, she raised it, appearing annoyed. "I'm fine."

"Is it the results from the podcast? You did tell them to be tamed with the names, and surprisingly, the listeners... listened."

"I'm over that. I have another problem, and it concerns my uncle. He has another dumb idea and wants me involved since I am a teenage girl."

"And he wants you to recruit more teenage girls to create a middle-aged boy band or man band." Ryu remarked, crossing his arms. "Yeah, his face won't bring the profit he's looking for unless you and the others in this room fake interest or he gets plastic surgery."

"Hush, porcupine." She rolled her eyes. "It's hair extensions that dye your hair when you attach them."

"I'll pass," said Tanya. "I am not testing anything on my hair unless everyone else has."

"Why profit from hair extensions?" asked Jake.

"Did you decline?" asked Amy

"He's an idiot, and yes, I declined. I hope my Dummy Doll refuses again if he visits."

"Until the next scheme." chuckled the Jake

They continued discussing until Jin entered the room, saluting them, to which they returned the gesture.

"Salutations, young warriors!" said Jin. "We'll move to the Lab in a moment."

Blair tossed a fried candy bar at Lina, and Lina woke up immediately once it hit her nose.

"Did something happen?" asked the fire warrior.

"Nothing too dire at the moment."

"Is Pilot okay?" asked the light warrior.

"There is no update on his status, but let me get to the point." The knight looked at them with pride. "Young warriors, you have all done a great job, but I need to let you know there will be times when your missions will take you into the abyss, lead you to moments that may question if you made the right decision or if your resolve is stronger than your vacillation."

"Did something happen to the people of Rye?" asked Blair.

"You all know their current state." He sighed. "However, we learned one of the elderly civilians passed away on Saturday."

Surprise flashed across everyone's faces before switching into either anger or sorrow. Lina scowled and grasped her face. "It happened sooner than I expected. The rest of the elderly will soon follow."

"No." Amy whimpered. "Are you sure there is nothing we can do? Anything?"

"We have done all we could," growled Jack.

"This leaves a bad taste in my mouth." Jake grasped his face.

Blair gazed down with a saddened expression, wishing she could have done more.

"We will continue to monitor Rye for the foreseeable future." Jin gazed at them. "Luka has requested assistance in monitoring them. Guardian will send three medics in the coming days to monitor them, and they will rotate every three months.

"Luka is a super birdwoman. She needs help?" said Ryu.

"This particular event stirred unpleasant memories." He sighed. "She wanted another set of eyes."

"Where is that dreadful man?" Tanya spoke with venom in her tone.

"Reinstar and Selen-ja just left to transport him to Galvania and will assist with transporting him to prison. Normally, Guardian would transport a powered individual, but the two have to attend to personal errands. You won't see them for a week or two.

"Oh." Blair appeared saddened. "I hope they will be okay."

"I feel he needs to be punched again." Jake slammed his hand on the table. "Blazing Fist would've been better than Crimson Knuckle."

Jack snorted as his eyes narrowed, thinking of improving his Quake Fist and learning another adroit while Blair contemplated if things would have turned differently if she made a different choice.

"You did all you could." Jin nodded. "Jake, Jack, Blair, you three braved an unfamiliar world and tried to adapt to it. The rest of you distracted the speculums so that Javo could sneak in and assist the rescue. l can tell you there were times I have failed and allowed a foe to escape." He scowled. "We learn, we grow, and we put in more effort. You can talk to us if you have grievances."

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

They nodded, understanding his statement, but they all felt they could have done more during that time.

Jin turned around. "There is something else you need to know. Follow me to the Lab."

The Radiant exchanged glances before following the canokian to the lab. After they arrived, they found Luka and Javo standing before a 4x4 steel safe coated in green mana. They noticed the jolly giant had a menacing expression while the bird woman's posture indicated she was uncomfortable. Jake frowned deeply at the scene, feeling the hairs on his neck stand up. The atmosphere around them grew tense.

"Radiant," Javo spoke gravely, putting the group on edge. "We have told you some details about our world and what you will be up against. Do you remember?"

"We are the Warriors of Order to fight against the Agents of Chaos," said Christina. "So far, we have dealt with those who represent chaos, right?"

"But there is more." Jack narrowed his eyes on the safe. "Right? I felt an itch in my neck since standing in front of this thing."

"More like a knot in my gut," grumbled Sam.

"Not quite," said Luka as she exhaled softly. "Chaos predated life. Order has existed to counterbalance to prevent reality from descending into a ruined landscape. However, the essence of chaos often slips through, threatening to dominate."

"From the archives, before the Radiant, those that challenged chaos held their own," said Jin. "They were capable enough to challenge the forces that stemmed from the abyss."

"Until someone went too far." Javo stared at the safe. "That someone with lust so palpable that he became the architect of chaos itself."

"Valcron," said Jake. "The Tyrant you speak of."

"He who shall not be named," said Ryu. "He's not going to appear if you say his name three times in front of a mirror, right?"

"Nothing that preposterous." scoffed Jin. "If you don't know the name, you don't know the history. There are artifacts he left behind."

"To remind you, artifacts are items enchanted by various forces," said Javo. "This artifact is among many left behind and hidden by Valcron to empower those with his essence."

"Or, as some theorized, increase the likelihood of his return," said Luka. "This is what I believe wholeheartedly and many others."

"And others believe he left them behind for an eternity of vengeance for his defeat and for chaos to continue," said Jin. "Each time the Radiant were awakened, it was thought to be because of Valcron's impending return."

"They reacted to other threats that were infused with his essence." Luka eyed the container. "It's as if the crystals sensed Valcron's presence ahead of time and acted to find new hosts. Valcron's manuscript was discovered, the crystals reacted, and new Radiant emerged to quell threats before they grew too dangerous."

"And Valcron has not been seen or heard since." the flora warrior rubbed her chin. "Fascinating, but why choose us humans? We are training to become competent enough to face obstacles we have not seen yet. Could the crystals or the Order have foreseen the current threats here, or perhaps it saw potential in us? Mistress M, the Piper, and the Count were threats but possibly were not on par with Valcron's power. If left unchecked, they could cause irreversible consequences."

"Are you saying this manuscript empowered them?" asked the ice warrior. "Magaret was strong but sought the dreadful rage gauntlet."

"The Piper was not satisfied with the flute," said the terra warrior. "And sought a place to give desires to the world."

"The Count w-wanted to rule," said the shadow warrior. "He thought the Mirror Dimension was the safe route."

"And we meddling kids thwarted them," the lightning warrior laughed. "Their hubris led to their downfall. They wanted the shortcut but were... cut short."

Everyone either rolled their eyes or awkwardly chuckled.

"I have a question." said the light warrior. "Which among the three was empowered by the manuscript?

"After interrogating the Count, he and the Mistress were empowered by the manuscript." said the physician. "Remember, Mistress M spoke about it during the confrontation."

"And the Piper discovered the flute that empowered him," said the knight.

"But the flute is an artifact," said Jake. "Could it have been enchanted by the manuscript?"

"No," replied the physician. "Artifacts are enchanted by various forces: Order, Chaos, or others. Valcron's Manuscript only entices people into accepting his power." She sighed. "Those who don't resist tend to fall under the influence."

"Other times, it will cause deep-seated fear upon those who contact it," said Javo. "It might be selective on who to corrupt."

"Selective?" Jake raised his brow. "What do you mean?"

"My guess," said the physician. "Those who will likely commit deeds in his name or those who are easily influenced. Who knows."

"Maybe it searches for those who have had the worst day." the lightning warrior suggested.

"Or if they have the same, if not close to the lust of Valcron." said the flora warrior

"You said there are a number of them," said the water warrior. "How many?"

"Who knows, every time we believe we removed them all, a new manuscript manifests somewhere else. Like they are dormant until they appear where we least suspect to." said Javo

"That sounds annoying." said the wind warrior. "Like a cockroach that refuses to die."

"Correct," said Luka. "We want you all to observe and steel yourself. Reports indicate that it will challenge you because you are the Radiant. Pilot wanted all of you together to observe this, to know what you are truly up against."

Jake grimaced and looked at the others, noting their apprehension regarding the manuscript. They wondered about its power and influence. Would the crystals reject them if they were enticed? How troublesome would this manuscript become if it challenged them? If this was a sample of the Tyrant's power, they had to know what it would do and how to face the upcoming threats that empowered it and other dangers. Jake shook his head and faced Guardian.

"I'm scared," he admitted with a weak chuckle. "Honestly, this is a lot."

"You don't have to look at it today," Javo reassured him. "But you need to know what it is and how it influences everything around us."

"Then..." the fire warrior smirked. "Sooner or later, we have to confront it. I'll observe." He looked at the others. "What about you all?"

Everyone, apprehensively, agreed to participate. Sam, Christina, and Jack held resolve as they prepared themselves. Ryu adopted a defiant stance, arms crossed in readiness. Tanya flicked her hair and struck a confident pose, showing her readiness. Lina leaned forward, curious about it. Amy clenched her fist and linked arms with Christina in solidarity, exchanging nods and smiles. Blair grimaced and nervously fidgeted with her hair until she felt someone's arm wrap around hers. She perked up and turned to see Amy grinning ear to ear at her. The shadow warrior returned a shy smile as she joined the friendship chain.

Jake watched as Luka operated a console, deactivating the barrier. She pressed her mana-coated hand on the safe, and a faint aura briefly manifested around the safe before it opened. The group held their breath, muscles tensing in anticipation as the door opened fully, revealing Valcron's Manuscript, a bronze stone tablet that looked to be carved by an expert artist. In the middle, four rectangles were encircling a blood-red eye.