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Resurgence
[A2] Episode 23 – Break Your Boundaries!

[A2] Episode 23 – Break Your Boundaries!

It was a bright summer's day in Leviere. The birds were chirping, and the sun was blazing. At the outskirts of the Leviere castle were a couple dozen medieval suburban-styled houses. Standing outside one house with his face staring at the front door was a short little human boy straightening out his plaid-pink t-shirt. His soft curly hair, khaki pants, and silky-smooth light brown skin made him look sophisticated.

The door in front of him slowly opened with a creek and on the other side was a short girl with straight black hair and a long light blue gown. She had bangs that perfectly blended with her hair and reached down to her eyes and blocked her vision.

Young Omar: [Sophia,]

A younger version of Sophia was staring at Omar with narrow eyes. She kept her small hands on the door and looked down at him with a mean glare.

Young Omar: [Is Alex–?]

Young Sophia: [No.]

Her careless, high-pitched voice surprised the young boy. Omar rubbed the back of his neck with a nervous cackle.

Young Sophia: [He left already. You're late.]

The sound of heavy footsteps charging downstairs faded in from inside the house. Confused, Omar tried peeking over Sophia's shoulder, but her hair slowly turned purple and Omar was sent several steps back. Walking out and shutting the door, Sophia crossed her arms and tilted her head.

Young Sophia: [You better get going before you miss your orientation.]

Before the purple highlights could reach the bottom of her luscious hair, the door behind her busted open. Standing on the other side was another boy with the same attire as Omar. The purple highlights faded away as the other boy ran by her.

He looked a lot like the elder Sophia with small differences in his stature. He had a small patch of black hair in a bowl cut, small brown eyes, square glasses, and a flat face. His name was Alexander.

Alexander: [WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE!]

Alexander ran past both of them and darted toward the castle. After glaring at Sophia for a bit, Omar followed Alexander. Sophia chuckled and walked back into the house.

As she closed the door, four figures appeared in the world as descending pixels coming from the sky. The older Omar and Sophia, along with Paladin Anderson and Vijan. Surprised to suddenly arrive in a weird place, Omar looked around.

RK Sophia: [Mental Abyss... successful.]

She collapsed onto Anderson's chest. Vijan joined Omar as they gazed around the suburbs. Vijan had a feeling that he had been here before but couldn't put his finger on it. There was a feeling of familiarity with the location. Omar, however, knew exactly where he was... and the day. The new cloth he had equipped faded away, leaving him with his tuxedo shirt.

Leviere, 10 Years Ago – Knight Orientation

Old Omar: [No... no.]

With a shake in his voice, Omar ran to the tall castle in the distance.

Old Omar: [No! I can't be here!]

Vijan stayed back with Anderson and Sophia.

Vijan: [What's a Mental Abyss?]

Anderson straightened up the unconscious Sophia on his shoulder.

Paladin Anderson: [I'm not sure. I think we went back in time.]

Vijan: [Why are we here, then?]

Paladin Anderson: [How am I supposed to know?]

The door behind them crept open, and a single eye peeked through.

Paladin Anderson: [Until Sophia wakes up, we might never know.]

Young Sophia: [I am awake... I'm right here.]

The door opened and the young Sophia walked through. She looked around but seemed confused. The three that were standing in front of her didn't seem to be visible.

Young Sophia: [Who's there?!]

Vijan: [The dude earlier called her Sophia.]

Young Sophia frighteningly turned in the direction of the voice but saw nothing.

Paladin Anderson: [Maybe it's her when she was younger. She looks so pure.]

Young Sophia's cheeks began to turn red as she frantically looked around to find the voices she was hearing.

Young Sophia: [Show yourself!]

Paladin Anderson: [Don't worry, we don't plan on hurting you.]

Her eyes teared up.

Young Sophia: [MOM! I'm hearing voices again!]

An older woman in a pink blouse and blue jeans walked up to the young Sophia and placed her hands on her shoulders. She had shorter hair than Sophia and Alexander, and she was a lot more mature in terms of body and expression. She resembled Sophia like an older sister.

Sophia's Mom: [You'll learn how to control these powers soon. Come inside.]

The two of them walked into the house and shut the door behind them.

Anderson and Vijan remained outdoors. After another look around, Vijan walked away without saying another word. Anderson curiously kept an eye on him while holding the older Sophia in his arms.

*

The older Omar ran his way to the castle gates, where he came into contact with a couple of guards in hot pink armor. They stopped him from entering the gate with long wooden lances that had a silver metallic blade.

Old Leviere Guard 1: [Can I get your name?]

With sweat pouring down his face, Omar glanced at the guard with his fangs out. A moment passed without either of them saying a word.

Old Leviere Guard 1: [Can I get your name?]

Old Omar: [I–!]

He caught a glimpse of the younger him and Alexander walking inside the castle with an older man wearing a bejeweled crown.

Old Omar: [No! I have to stop them!]

Running straight through the two knight's lances, Omar stopped and looked at himself. Even after running into lance blades, there wasn't a scratch on his body.

Old Omar: [What the?]

Crowned Man: [Omar, Alexander, I've been thinking a lot about you two recently.]

The deep voice came from the crowned man. A tall handsome man, approximately 6'4, and well-built, King Siris was the best king Leviere ever had. As the father of the current king, Didus, he taught Didus most of everything he knew. Siris had blonde hair and fair blue eyes, he dressed up in a white collar suit and had a pink cloth on his shoulder that wrapped around his neck and had the Leviere logo on it. His light smile and smooth skin would make any man or woman fall for him, but he remained loyal to his wife. Siris was and still is, the most respected and admired in the Northeast.

Alexander's face turned a bright red after hearing the king praise him.

King Siris: [Ever since Didus recommended the both of you, you've done nothing but surprise me.]

At the time, Didus was in his mid-twenties and was searching for a potential queen.

Young Omar: [Not to be rude, but you sound like a total creep right now.]

The king chuckled. His deep, powerful voice made him sound a lot more like a king than Didus. Talking to Siris was like talking to a friend for anyone that approached him, a feat most other kings struggle to acquire. Alexander's head shot up, bashful and embarrassed.

Alexander: [OMAR!]

King Siris: [Don't get angry, Alexander. We're just having fun.]

His smile seemed to have calmed Alex down a bit.

King Siris: [Care to follow me and chat?]

Young Omar and Alex nodded as the king moved toward the hall.

The older Omar followed behind the three as he was unseen by most entities but the NPC.

King Siris: [I requested that you two get here way earlier than the other knights because I wanted to know if you were down to uphold a promotion.]

Alexander: [But we didn't do anything...]

King Siris: [As you both know, the recent formation of the alliance has brought peace to all four kingdoms, and the forever-growing army is only making us a threat to others.]

Young Omar: [Yeah! Our power is what keeps these kingdoms together.]

Omar's smile always put the king in a good mood, as he thought of him as a newborn.

King Siris: [Believe it or not, but the two of you are far stronger than any other knight in the northeast. I know how much time you two put into making yourselves stronger. It's almost inhumane to your bodies.]

Alexander looked to the ground as young Omar glared at his badly bruised hands.

King Siris: [That's why I want to offer you the new position of Royal Knight. It would be an honor to me and the rest of the kingdom if you would accept.]

The three of them stopped walking. Omar and Alex looked up at the king and his bright smile.

King Siris: [There will be a party after the orientation with lots of food for the knights. What do you say?]

Omar and Alexander looked at one another.

Watching from behind them, Omar wanted to step in to prevent the future from happening, but his efforts were worthless. No one could hear him, sense him, or see him. None of their six senses* could pick him up.

Alexander: [Can we tell you our answers at the party?]

King Siris nodded.

King Siris: [I understand. Give me your answers whenever you're ready!]

King Siris walked away with two guards behind him. Young Omar and Alexander walked through old Omar like he was a ghost. The old Omar couldn't believe his eyes and stood in shock as they spoke.

Coming into the castle, Vijan looked around before spotting Omar standing in the hallway with his head down.

Vijan: [I found you! Hey, did those guards out there stop you too? I thought no one was able to see us...]

He ran up to him and looked at the two kids Omar was looking at.

Vijan: [Who are they?]

Old Omar: [Me and an old friend.]

Vijan: [Huh? Did you change your hairstyle or something?]

Omar looked at Vijan like he was an idiot.

Vijan: [What? The black guy has curly hair. Your hair is far from curly.]

Omar pulled on a string of his hair. Looking at himself now compared to his younger self gave him a sour feeling in his stomach. Like he'd eaten a rotten steak, he could feel a vomit making its way up his stomach.

Young Omar: [The king has noticed our efforts! That's amazing!]

Alexander: [What's amazing is the fact that we're stronger than most knights.]

Omar chuckled with him, both young and old.

Alexander: [I can't believe he actually thinks I'm capable of becoming a commander already.]

Young Omar: [It's all because our powers are superior to all!]

Alexander: [You don't even know what your powers are, let alone your class.]

Young Omar: [Well, I just proved that you don't need to know those in order to be successful.]

Alexander chuckled.

Young Omar: [My mana rates are off the charts, and no one knows why. Maybe I'm a god, bro.]

Alexander: [You've done nothing noteworthy to become a god.]

Young Omar: [I don't know man~! becoming a kingdom's commander at 10 years old seems noteworthy to me!]

The both of them shared a laugh. The old Omar watched them with a frown on his face.

Vijan: [You were way more of a happy guy back then, huh?]

The older Omar nodded.

Vijan: [I don't really know you that well, but I can tell that you lost something close to you... because of what you've become.]

Old Omar: [I'm not like you... Sadness wasn't my drive towards madness.]

Vijan turned back to young Omar. His bright smile made Vijan wonder what could've happened during the time they didn't know each other.

----------------------------------------

Young Omar: [I'm bored!]

Old Omar raised his head and looked at the younger him with frightened, hopeless eyes. He clenched his teeth and tightened a fist by his waist.

Young Omar: [Let's spar!]

Vijan: [Finally! Something interesting!]

Alexander: [I don't know... We shouldn't ruin our uniforms.]

Young Omar: [You brought spare clothes, right?]

The younger Omar opened his inventory and quickly changed into dark blue knee pants that had three light blue bars by the pockets. He then put on a blue and white striped t-shirt.

Young Omar: [50 minutes is more than enough time for a spar!]

Alexander: [We can't spar in here.]

Young Omar: [I have a teleport scroll to the training grounds. Ali made one for me for ten copper.]

Vijan: [A teleport scroll? Those were banned ages ago.]

Alexander: [Fine! Whoever wins, no holding grudges, okay?]

Alexander opened his inventory and equipped a plain white t-shirt along with grey long shorts. The younger Omar pulled out a scroll that had majestic mana-blue rods towards the top and bottom. He put his hand on Alexander's shoulder and the two of them instantly vanished.

Vijan turned to the older Omar, who was drowning in his own self-misery.

Vijan: [Where are the training grounds?! I wanna watch a younger you fight!]

Old Omar: [I already know how all of this ends up.]

Vijan: [Okay? I don't remember asking.]

Vijan ran out of the castle and began searching for the training grounds. During his trip, he bumped into Anderson, which was holding the unconscious Sophia in a piggyback. Vijan put no effort into talking to him and ran right past him like he didn't exist.

Anderson watched him jump on top of a building and run on rooftops like a ninja. The strands of black cloth hanging off his pants gave Anderson the Japanese ninja vibes, but the lack of a shirt instantly got rid of it.

Anderson: [What is he looking for?]

Vijan felt a sudden pulse of mana in the air, one that only a teleport scroll gave off. He climbed his way to the tallest building in the kingdom that wasn't the castle and looked westward, which was almost entirely barren.

This version of Leviere was nothing like the one he remembered. A prosperous kingdom came from an empty ghost town like this. Apart from the middle-class and rich neighborhoods, the rest of the kingdom was made up of torn-up and rundown houses that could easily be blown away by a heavy wind. There wasn't even a gate to prevent demons or ultras from entering outside of the urban areas.

Vijan hopped off the tall building and began to jump across rooftops until he found himself at the training ground.

The young Omar and Alexander were standing on barren land with their left hands behind their backs. Rather than an actual training ground, this area was nothing but plain land with a sign towards the entrance.

Young Omar had a smirk while Alexander looked concerned. Their mana was concentrated and created a steady blue force field around their bodies. They were performing the Kanzaki stance.

A hot pink interface appeared in front of both of them. It stated several rules, and at the bottom, it gave them two options. It read,

"[Player] Has challenged you to a spar. Do you accept?"

Both of them hit the accept button, and in between them, a hot pink number appeared in thin air. It began to count down from ten.

While he waited, Vijan searched for the perfect spot to sit and watch.

Once the timer hit 0, young Omar darted his way toward Alexander, leaving a cloud of dust and a trail behind. His speed was mediocre at best, running approximately 40 miles per hour the moment he lifted his first foot.

Unfazed, Alexander raised his hand, and a snowflake made of clear ice formed in front of him.

Omar clashed with it, punching it with all his force, yet only creating a large crack on it. The sudden stop in motion caused a gentle breeze to blow across the training field.

Alexander twisted his wrist 90 degrees clockwise and clenched his fingers, commanding the ice flake to wrap itself around Omar's right fist and spread onto his body. Not caring about the infection-like ice spreading onto him, Omar grabbed Alexander's collar with his left hand and pulled him closer to him.

Omar raised his right, ice-covered hand, and smashed it into Alexander's stomach.

Vijan flinched while watching.

Alexander was sent flying back after a shockwave passed through him. He crashed into a tree and the dust from the traction rose up. Seeing him through the dust was impossible. Omar celebrated as the ice on his hand cracked and crumbled to the floor.

Vijan: [So he's always been reckless?]

Suddenly, a dozen sharp icicles came flying from the dust toward young Omar who was still celebrating. Noticing at the last moment, Omar managed to jump over and duck under several of them.

Some of the icicles tore through his clothes and others scrapped his skin, taking some blood with them. While Omar was recovering from the previous attack, the sudden appearance of a 13th icicle caught him by surprise. Unable to move, Omar stood still with his blood leaking from his arms and legs.

The icicle, though moving at insane speeds, suddenly came to a stop the moment it nearly poked Omar's chest. Omar stared at the icicle and then looked toward the cloud of dust formed by Alexander's collision.

Walking through the clouds of dust was Alexander with his right hand out and left hand wrapped around his stomach. He, too, was severely hurt but he could manage to walk. Alex crouched down and rested his right hand on the ground. Four giant icicles sprouted from the ground and diagonally surrounded Omar without touching him.

Alexander: [It's safe... to say...]

He coughed.

Alexander: [I won.]

Omar frowned while looking at the ice prison Alexander made around him. Alexander stood tall from crouching and wrapped both his hands around his stomach.

Vijan: [Power?]

The young Omar smiled through his frustration. His lowered brows and a wide-open mouth made it obvious that something was up.

Young Omar: [That punch did a number on you, huh?]

Alexander raised his head and looked at Omar like he was concerned.

Alexander: [Shut up. You know you were holding back.]

Omar started laughing.

Young Omar: [It was only a spar! I can't go too hard or we won't make it to the orientation.]

The ice spikes that surrounded Omar disintegrated into ice cubes that quickly melted on the ground.

Young Omar: [Are you good? Can you walk?]

Omar progressively opened his inventory and pulled out a mini health potion. It came in a bottle different from the ones in the future, it was slim at the bottom and the shade was lighter. He handed the potion to Alexander and opened one for himself. Alexander thanked him as they chugged it down together. Their injuries healed but the condition of their clothes didn't.

Alexander: [What do you think about King Siris' request?]

Alexander began equipping his uniform.

Young Omar: [I'm going to accept it.]

The young Omar looked up at the clear summer sky. The bright blue sky cheered him up a little bit.

Young Omar: [It's about time someone acknowledges my efforts.]

Vijan: [Recognition?]

Alexander: [Then I guess I'll be joining you.]

Omar frowned and looked Alex in the eye. Vijan was only watching them from afar, but he could hear them clearly and Omar's expressions intrigued him.

Young Omar: [Why don't–]

The entire world began to glitch out and slowly fizz out of existence like it was a hologram. Vijan got up and looked around. It appeared to have been happening everywhere, even where Anderson was. With Sophia in his hands, he heard her moans and noticed she was waking up.

Her eyes trembled like a little kid that was having a nightmare, but at that moment, Anderson could only pay attention to her smooth, glossed lips. The NPCs around Anderson fizzed out of existence almost the instant the entire world started corrupting.

The old Omar, which was walking around the suburbs, began noticing the glitches around the world shortly after everyone else.

Old Omar: [Finally.]

As he closed his eyes and sighed, he felt a substantial change in his terrain. When he opened his eyes, he found himself back inside the castle with Anderson, Sophia, and shirtless Vijan.

Old Omar: [What the?]

----------------------------------------

They suddenly appeared in a crowded room with people walking around, music thumping, the smell of grapes in the air, and people wearing fancy pink dress clothes. The room was enormous and gold. It had strange patterns all over the walls and floors, large gold diamonds on the floor, weird three-dimensional curves and lines on the marble-like pillars between large glass windows, almost like they were sculpted, and gold squares that hung down from the ceiling. Bronze chandeliers hung from the ceiling to add a bit of extra illumination to the room. Tables were set up around the room that were filled with exquisite rare foods and Appi-juice in individual snifters.

Standing in the room made Vijan feel so small. It was like a royal ballroom.

Old Omar frantically looked around until he heard the king's laugh. He turned around and saw the younger him and Alexander looking up at the king with smiles.

King Siris: [Ah! So, you have your answers?]

The king gave a gold cup to a waiter and looked at the young Omar and Alexander with his back straight.

King Siris: [So, what have you decided?]

Young Omar and Alexander were wearing their orientation uniforms, but they seemed to have been a little dusty.

Young Omar: [I'm going to take you on for that offer.]

Alexander: [... So will I.]

Omar glared at Alexander from the corners of his eyes.

King Siris: [That's great!]

He stood up and placed his large arms on their shoulders.

King Siris: [Follow me, I'll take you to the Commander's council. They will evaluate you.]

The two followed under the king's hands. The young Sophia and her mom were watching along.

Young Sophia: [Alex and Omar are following the king.]

Both of them were wearing fancy pink dresses which made them fit right into the crowd. They were in the far left corner of the room that led to the backyard. The knight orientation had just ended and the king was throwing a party for the families and the new knights.

Everyone was showing their pride in the kingdom by wearing its colors, but there were people that had different ideas when it came to clothes.

Sophia's Mom: [You must control this telepathy thing.]

Young Sophia: [Sorry, that was meant for me,]

Her mom smiled and firmly grabbed her hand.

Sophia's Mom: [The king has big plans for those two. We should hope for the best. They deserve it.]

RK Sophia: [Mom...]

Old Sophia mumbled under her breath. Anderson was taken aback but noticed she was still unconscious.

Old Omar and Vijan ran after the king and followed him into the council room.

The first thing Vijan noticed was the large U-shaped tables, all put together and forming a circle around a lifted podium. All of the tables were full of people of all races, from humans to completely transformed lizard-men. The room was tall and had a decorative concave surface. With a hot pink, gold, and pearl white color scheme, it was obvious the kingdom was a little too patriotic. There were several quotes and faces carved into the ceiling. A beaming sun above a castle was one of the stranger images displayed, and it was kept in the center of everything.

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Young Omar and Alexander followed King Siris to the center podium and had all of the council members watch them like hawks.

Vijan overheard a couple of whispers from the crowd. A couple of the councilmen were wondering why the king was recommending little boys into the council, and others were whispering to one another about the power those two withheld. When the king brought the two to the center, every council member immediately went silent.

King Siris looked around at all the councilmen with a soft smile. Vijan could sense them shivering in fear. Whatever the council is made of, it had to be enough for Omar to call them weak and eventually leave entirely, or so Vijan assumed.

The older Omar turned around and stared at a dark knight that was standing by the door. Whatever his connection with them was, it had to have been close.

King Siris: [I believe you all know why I have called you here.]

He received silent mumbles but a sudden raise of a hand surprised him. Everyone's eyes shifted over to the only human councilman as he stood up and tightened his black robe. The sleep-deprived man with bags under his eyes and facial hair barely taken care of, stood up with grace and confidence. People began to mumble to themselves again.

King Siris: [Everyone! Let Tony speak!]

The councilman bowed.

Tony: [If I may, your highness.]

King Siris nodded. Tony stood tall and looked the king in his eyes.

Tony: [We were called to supervise the Knight Orientation, however, the nominees for the Royal Knight position have accepted the offer.]

King Siris: [That is correct.]

His Majesty placed his hands over Alexander and Omar's shoulders.

King Siris: [These two are valid candidates for the new project we're working on.]

Councilman 1: [ARE YOU KIDDING?! THEY'RE KIDS!]

King Siris: [SILENCE!]

The king shot a deadly glare at the sudden councilman. The man flinched but didn't give up.

Councilman 1: [WE CAN'T PUT THE LIVES OF OUR PEOPLE IN THE HANDS OF KIDS! THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO-]

SLASH

A spearhead spiked through the councilman's throat, gushing blood all over the place and covering the papers he was sitting by in his blood. Behind the councilman was the dark knight that was once standing by the door. Though his face was covered, Vijan could sense complete allegiance to the king. A man was just murdered in the council room.

King Siris: [I don't mind if you contest against my ideas, but you will not speak to me in such a manner.]

Present Omar and Vijan stared at the dead body with bland expressions, but young Omar and Alexander were mortified. Tony sat back down and straightened his robe.

King Siris: [Does anyone else contest my request?]

Another councilman stood up and stared the king in the eye. Unlike the last councilman, the king didn't look at him like a beast, but the councilman feared the king and his actions.

Councilman 2: [I... giving two children the responsibility of taking care of our kingdom is foolish.]

The councilman lowered his head and bowed.

Councilman 2: [If you were to acquaint any... older man to take the offer, I– along with everyone else here, would agree with your choice.]

The king looked around the room and noticed everyone lowering their heads and hiding their eyes. Omar and Alex were still stuck up on the dead body laying in front of them.

King Siris: [So age is your only concern?]

Councilman 2: [Not exactly.]

He raised his head again and looked the boys in their eyes.

Councilman 2: [We haven't figured everything out concerning the Royal Knight system.]

Anderson walked through the council room doors with Sophia on his back. He stood behind Omar and Vijan and didn't say a word.

Councilman 3: [If you don't mind me intruding,]

Another councilman stood up. This time he was behind the king and was covered in grey fur. Though he looked like a feline, he was wearing a clean black suit and red tie.

Councilman 3: [The Royal Knights system is still incredibly flawed and requires a lot more thought to be put into it. The way it works now is way too similar to the Paladin.]

King Siris: [We've had countless meetings on how to fix it. Did my suggestions not make the cut?]

Councilman 2: [Enforcing the Royal Knights to do nothing but come out during times of desperate need... isn't the brightest.]

The dark knight that killed the last councilman pointed his spear at the back of the second councilman's neck but was stopped by the king's raised finger. The gasp from the crowd of councilmen scared Councilman 2.

King Siris: [My initial plan with the Royal Knights was to make them the heroes of all wars. Two of the strongest Leviere warriors would come out whenever they are needed most and end the war. Whatever your people have done with that initial plan, not even I know.]

Tony: [The council has decided to make the Royal Knights more than just warfighters. They decided to have the Royal Knights on constant guard of the royal family.]

Siris turned to Tony.

Tony: [The problem here is that the council just gave the Royal Knights the same tasks as the Paladin.]

Councilman 3: [We couldn't just give the Royal Knights such a lackluster role in society, but considering the current nominees... we might just have to.]

Young Omar lowered his head and narrowed his eyes.

King Siris: [Alright then! That settles everything. Leviere's new Royal Knights have been decided.]

The king roughly patted young Omar and Alexander's shoulders.

King Siris: [The Royal Knights have the role of protecting the royal family and being our last offense during times of war! We'll begin the knighting ceremony in two hours. Be sure to be prepared. This meeting is over.]

The king released young Omar and Alexander from his grasp and walked over to Tony.

Both of the boys looked at one another after having been mortified and pale for over three minutes. A medic came into the room and transported the dead body to the royal graveyard pretty quickly. He made his way to the back door to not cause a panic outside.

Alexander: [That was... scary.]

Young Omar: [Yeah, but we're going to be Royal Knights, dude.]

Alexander: [Guards of the royal family and war heroes.]

Omar smiled.

Alexander: [We're getting a pretty big job, huh?]

After a simple nod, the two boys heard the footsteps of the dark knight heading their way. His spear was covered in blood and his face was masked by black metal armor. The two trembled in place but made no visible expressions. They stared up at the tall person with confidence and waited for them to make the first move.

Dark Knight: [Royal Knights.]

It's mana gave off bad a bad feeling that was fit for the name they gave it. It felt like this guy had killed thousands with no emotion. A real psychopath. Its voice was metallic and scratchy under the mask, but it guaranteed that the person under the mask was a man.

Dark Knight: [Your wish is my command.]

The Dark Knight crouched down to his knees and lowered his head. Alex flinched.

Dark Knight: [Since your rank is higher than mine, I shall do whatever you wish.]

Omar elbowed Alex and whispered in his ear.

Young Omar: [We got ourselves a servant, dude.]

Alexander: [Yeah, but what should we have it do?]

Omar stepped forward and looked down at the knight in front of him.

Young Omar: [Let me under your wing.]

The Dark Knight raised his head and stared at Omar's confident and burning eyes. The room fell silent. Vijan turned to the old Omar and watched as he averted his eyes and looked at the ground.

Young Omar: [You're strong enough to protect the king, so I want you to train me.]

The Dark Knight stood up and looked down at the light-brown boy. They stood silently for a moment and didn't give him a response until the back door closed.

Dark Knight: [If you wish.]

Alexander: [If that's the case, let me—!]

Omar threw his palm in front of Alexander, scaring him and forcing him to stop.

Omar: [Just me! You are not allowed to mentor or oversee Alex's training.]

Alexander wanted to say something, but the Dark Knight agreed to Omar's terms. King Siris, along with the councilmen, stood speechless as all this went on. The two boys had no idea what the reputation of the Dark Knight was, but Omar knew it had to be powerful to get its position.

Dark Knight: [We start early tomorrow morning. The Sunrise Grove at sunrise.]

It turned around and started making its way towards the front door.

Dark Knight: [Do not be late.]

Everyone remained silent until the Dark Knight walked out of the room.

The king walked in between the two and placed a hand on Omar's shoulder. Surprised, Omar turned and looked up.

The king somehow relieved the tension in the room with a single smile. An ability titled Euphoric Aura allows a user to immediately put whatever or whoever they've touched in a euphoric or happy state for a short period of time depending on the user's level. He used the ability on everyone in the room, and even the older Omar was affected.

King Siris: [Let us begin the knighting ceremony!]

The knocked-out Sophia let out a small exhale. Then the area began to fizzle out again.

They reappeared outside at the front gate of the castle. The sun was beginning to set, yet there was a huge crowd of humans gathered together and staring up at the castle balcony.

Behind a pink flag that had the Leviere L hanging, Young Omar, Alexander, King Siris, and the Dark Knight were standing tall in front of everyone. Alexander and Omar were wearing their pink plaid shirts, but over them, they had a hot pink crest on their shoulders that had the Leviere logo in white.

Young Sophia: [I'm gonna be like them when I grow up!]

Anderson looked below him and saw young Sophia staring up at her brother with stars in her eyes. Standing beside her was a light-skinned boy of the same height. He also had the eyes of dedication on him. Anderson looked back up at the two standing above everyone, then he noticed that the Dark Knight had placed a hand on young Omar's shoulder.

King Siris: [I would like to appoint Leviere's first Royal Knights! Please welcome, Royal Knights, Kulow and Do!]

(A.N.: 'Do' is pronounced as: Doe)

As Omar raised his hand and waved to the crowd with a wide smile, the older him was having the opposite reaction.

Within seconds, the entire area fizzed for the last time, leaving the four of them in an area of pitch black.

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Oblivious to anything that just happened, Anderson watched Sophia begin to open her eyes. He gently put her down and she stood on her own two feet.

Paladin Anderson: [You alright?]

RK Sophia: [Yeah... I think. That took a lot out of me, I'm sorry.]

Paladin Anderson: [It's alright–]

Omar suddenly appeared in front of the two of them and grabbed Sophia by the collar. Lifting her in the air, he had his teeth clenched and his eyes were beginning to tear up.

Omar: [What the fuck was that?!]

Sophia stared down at him.

Vijan: [Don't let your guard down!]

Omar: [Shut up!]

Paladin Anderson: [Get your hands off her!]

Anderson threw a punch at Omar and sent him a few feet away. Sophia dusted her clothes before choosing to respond.

RK Sophia: [Looks like you regret everything you did. What you did to the kingdom... and my brother.]

Omar: [SHUT UP!]

Omar turned his head and hid his face from the others. He grabbed onto his spiky hair and began sobbing.

Omar: [I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!]

Vijan was being shown a side of Omar he never knew existed, so every action and word blew Vijan out of his mind. The Omar he knew... was a fake?

Vijan: [You...]

RK Sophia: [I wish I could've gone deeper into your story, but that was the last of my mana.]

Sophia's Mental Abyss takes advantage of her memory as well as the events that constantly play in people's minds, the events they regret taking part in... or the events that caused them great joy. It is typically used to help cure people's fears or torture their sanity to a certain degree. It requires tons of mana to perform and if withheld for too long, could kill the user and anyone else in the spell.

Omar stood up while still enraged. With his back turned to the rest, he made fists to hold in his anger. Vijan noticed his nails growing longer and piercing through the skin on his palms.

Omar: [I never liked you.]

Sophia's lowered her eyes.

Omar: [I'll kill you with my own hands.]

Sophia made a fist.

RK Sophia: [If you insist.]

Anderson's eyes widened.

Paladin Anderson: [What?! I thought you–]

RK Sophia: [He killed my brother... I'm only doing what's right.]

Paladin Anderson: [You can't fight for revenge!]

Vijan: [Sometimes you need to break your boundaries...]

White cracks began forming from the dark abyss they were standing in. As they extended they eventually shattered apart, they were brought back to the front gates of King Roshan's castle.

Anderson smiled at the sight of the Paladin of Leviere. The people standing on the cliff looked down at the four that suddenly appeared.

Sean: [Where did they come from?]

Faith: [Can everyone teleport in this world but me?]

Paladin Zack: [Looks like they were in some sort of spell.]

Faith: [A spell that can mask their presence? Talk about balanced.]

Paladin Anderson: [Zack! Talk about timing! We need your help down here!]

Paladin Zack: [I'm busy up here! I'm sure you can handle it!]

Throwing a thumbs up, Zack completely dismissed Anderson's request and looked back at the leader of Hydra.

Ali turned to the four that suddenly appeared and his eyes widened. He instantly vanished and reappeared in front of Sophia with his right arm protecting her.

Faith: [Whats up with him?]

Parker: [I don't know. Maybe they're dating?]

Abrianna: [I thought Head Knights can't be in a relationship.]

Omar stared at Ali which suddenly became defensive when they laid eyes on one another.

Faith: [I'm confused...]

She turned to Zack.

Faith: [What exactly is going on here?]

Faith's initial goal was to come to the Hydra hideout and retrieve the princess. It was supposed to be a simple in-and-out job, but now it seems like things have changed for them.

After an explanation from Zack, Faith struggled to believe what he had to say. She looked around the battlefield with her eyes narrowed and a raised brow.

Faith: [There's no way... this is a war?]

A silent wind blew on their hair.

Faith: [I was expecting more.]

Paladin Zack: [The Aveay and Jime armies are fighting against the army Hydra formed not too long ago.]

Parker: [Who in their right mind would side with psychopaths?]

He and Abrianna were still healing OJ, but his condition didn't seem to be getting any better.

Heirloom: [WE AREN'T PSYCHOPATHS!]

Faith looked at Heirloom in sarcastic shock.

Faith: [Huh? Looks like you tainted his ego.]

Erma started laughing. Heirloom's face turned red.

Heirloom: [We have our motives for doing what we do!]

A few voice cracks slipped in his speech.

Heirloom: [We haven't exposed it to anyone, but there is one!]

Sean: [Where I'm from, that means you don't have one.]

The wizard turned to the sorceress.

Sean: [It's like how you faked having a girlfriend for a year.]

Faith flinched and her face suddenly brightened red.

Faith: [SHE ISN'T FAKE! SHE WENT TO OUR SCHOOL AND EVERYTHING!]

Sean rolled his eyes.

Anderson: [Hey! Not to ruin your schtick, but we aren't in the right situation to be acting casual!]

Faith's blushes faded away as she turned her head and crossed her arms. Erma calmed down after laughing for a minute and stood beside Heirloom with a tear in her eye. She was still giggling every now and then, but she was as serious as she could manage.

Faith: [Fine!]

----------------------------------------

RK Sophia: [Move, Ali.]

Sophia pushed Ali's hand out of her way and stared daggers at Omar.

RK Sophia: [This is my fight.]

RK Ali: [And that's my brother.]

The two of them looked at each other.

RK Ali: [He ruined everything my family built up. I have to bring an end to him.]

Ali built up all of his confidence and turned back to his brother with the same eyes he was giving him. The two of them had the same skin tone, eyes, and even body structure, but their hair and motives were different. Two brothers now turned against one another, good and evil.

RK Ali: [We were destined to fight.]

A silent breeze blew on Sophia's long black hair and Omar's short straight hair blew over his eyes.

Omar: [A family of weaklings doesn't deserve to have me around.]

RK Ali: [... What's your problem?]

Faith: [I feel like I've heard that backstory from somewhere...]

Omar: [I don't need to tell you anything.]

Omar's shirt turned blue again and the black coat formed around him again.

Omar: [I heard you've taken my role.]

RK Ali: [Yeah... I see that your training was successful.]

Omar reached for the katana that suddenly appeared over the magic circle on his back.

RK Ali: [I didn't think you could get any stronger.]

Omar swung his sword around to get a firm grasp of it. He turned to the shirtless ninja standing beside him.

Omar: [They will prove to be a challenge. Help me out, okay?]

Vijan smirked and then opened his inventory. After pulling a light katana out of thin air, he rested it over his shoulder. Omar hovered his hand over Vijan's katana and watched as it began to glow the same color as his shirt.

Buffs Applied:

Speed Boost

Power Up +

Durability ++

Strength

Vijan dashed ahead and then Omar followed.

Vijan: [Let's cut them into pieces!]

Ali and Sophia quickly equipped their lightweight armor and drew their heavy swords. Forming the Kanzaki stance, the little mana they had in them formed a concentrated aura around them individually.

RK Ali: [Let's break our boundaries!]

RK Sophia: [Right!]

The ground beneath Sophia began to rupture and tear apart. The pebbles and rocks that came from it began to float around Sophia as the bottom of her hair began to glow.

Vijan and Omar ran to opposite sides around Ali. Vijan covered the left while Omar jumped to kick him from the right. As Ali came to notice, he smirked and vanished just as Vijan's fist nearly touched him.

With his sudden disappearance, Vijan couldn't stop his fist and hit Omar in the abdomen with enough force to send him several feet back. Though he took a heavy blow, he quickly got back on his feet and charged back to the battlefield.

As Vijan stared at his fist, Ali reappeared above him with his right foot above his head. Vijan looked up and saw the bloodshot eyes of a man craving revenge. A shiver crawled down Vijan's spine as he watched.

As he wore his magenta-diamond shoe, Ali forcefully stomped his foot down. Vijan reacted quickly by freezing time and raising his glowing katana above his head. However, Ali's kick was so powerful that it shattered Vijan's time stop and collided with the side of his katana.

They created a large shockwave and a burst of wind strong enough to blow Sophia and stop Omar from their feet. Time resumed and surprised everyone that was affected.

RK Ali: [BREAK MY LIIIIIIIMIIIIIIITSSSSSS!]

Ali took his other foot and slammed it into Vijan's spline with the same force. Vijan bit his tongue to distract himself from that pain.

RK Ali: [PUSH THE BOUNDARIES! SOPHIAAAAA!]

Sophia let her hand out and all of her hair instantly shined purple. She increased the force of gravity around Ali, pushing his body down and in turn strengthening his kick. With the increased force of gravity, the edge of Vijan's katana began to crack.

Omar: [NO!]

He placed his katana on the magic circle on his back and got substantially faster. With a single step, he managed to vanish from sight and reappear in mid-air with his katana out.

Sophia noticed him and raised her other hand. Omar was suddenly blown away by a mighty force. Sophia used her telekinesis, but Faith saw it as something else. With her eyes wide open and a smile, she shouted.

Faith: [Force Push!]

Along with Omar, Sophia accidentally pushed Vijan away as well. She sent the two away from Ali, and his impact on the ground caused a cloud of dust to form around them. While the battlefield was masked, Ali quickly drank a mana potion.

RK Sophia: [Sorry about that,]

Her purple hair began fading away and returning to its original black state.

RK Sophia: [I didn't have time to focus my radius.]

RK Ali: [It's fine.]

With his sword drawn, Ali began to charge toward Omar. His stance and emotions triggered a dormant memory that Omar tried suppressing for a long time.

In a split second, he caught a glimpse of Alexander charging towards him, donned in the imposing Leviere heavy armor, with piercing eyes that seemed to penetrate his very soul. Omar was defenseless against the impending attack, which Vijan was quick to notice.

Using his cracked katana, Vijan jumped in between Omar and Ali. Vijan clashed swords with Ali and they both struggled to move each other away from one another.

Vijan: [OMAR!]

Omar came back to reality and saw Vijan struggling to keep Ali away.

Vijan: [WAKE THE FUCK UP!]

Vijan pushed Ali back and then swung his blade toward Ali's neck. Ali jumped away but came charging back.

Vijan: [I don't know who you really are, or what that was earlier,]

The shirtless ninja turned to Omar with narrow eyes.

Vijan: [but I do know that you can't move forward without letting go of your past! Either embrace what happened and stop being a nuisance, or grow some balls and pick a side!]

Omar looked at Vijan, his eyes widening in shock. Despite his efforts to keep his distance from the group, they always seemed to look at him without fearful eyes. Omar thought back to the times he'd spent with team Hydra, and the times he'd banter with Vijan. It didn't look like it from the outside, but that was their way of communicating and they clicked like best friends. However, the memories he had of the past held him back from making the decision.

After a moment of silence, Omar chuckled and smiled back. He raised his blade just as Ali teleported.

Within a split second, Ali reappeared beside his brother with his sword swinging straight at Omar's head. However, Omar's blade suddenly came in between them and blocked his strike. Sparks flew as Omar regained control of his emotions.

Omar: [You're right.]

Moving his blade and forcing Ali to move along with it, Omar released his katana and jumped. He grabbed Ali's collar and slammed him into the ground beneath him, making a dent and standing on him like a carpet.

Omar: [This emotional shit doesn't suit me!]

Vijan smirked just as Ali teleported again. Vijan turned back to Sophia and saw Ali standing with her.

Vijan: [That power is really annoying! Are you some sort of one-trick-pony?!]

RK Ali: [He's stronger than I expected.]

RK Sophia: [No shit. If they were easy, I would've won by now.]

Paladin Anderson: [Hopefully you two didn't blow through all of your mana.]

Sophia looked at Anderson from the side of her eye. His useless smile was beginning to get on her nerves.

RK Sophia: [Why don't you make yourself useful?!]

----------------------------------------

Paladin Zack: [We can't just stand here.]

Watching from the mountain made Zack impatient.

Paladin Zack: [Let's deal with the dragon tamer, guys.]

Sean: [I never signed up for all of this.]

Paladin Zack: [I'll make sure nothing happens to you.]

Sean sighed and then cast a spell around himself. Like the Kanzaki stance, this spell would amplify his spells and physical strength, but it wouldn't leave an aura.

Paladin Zack: [Let's do this!]

Sean: [Easier said than done.]

Sean took a large breath.

Sean: [Hỡi các nàng tiên của biển cả, hãy dập tắt ngọn lửa!]

Letting out his wand, a blue magic circle and a gust of wind rotated around him. Liquid particles from the air started gathering around the tip of Sean's wand. Zack watched as Sean concentrated on containing the liquid ball in front of his magic circle. Catching Heirloom's attention, he and Erma turned back to the Paladins and their friends. The water particles conjured by Sean were beginning to glow like the moon, and before he knew it, the water particles shot out like a laser beam in a forward projection.

Heirloom was surprised by the sudden shot of a light-speed water laser and only managed to defend himself with his glowing sword. Laying the sword in front of his chest, Sean's water laser deflected off of it and went flying elsewhere. Completely shocked, Heirloom stood speechless until Zack suddenly appeared in front of him. Erma took action while Heirloom couldn't move. She raised a wing and pushed Heirloom away from the strike.

Zack cut through her scales but was stopped by her wing bone. She let out a cry and collapsed. Her wing began to bleed.

As he jumped away, Heirloom ran to Erma.

Heirloom: [ERMA!]

He took a look at her wounded wing.

Heirloom: [Are you okay?!]

Her wing went back to her side as she looked at Heirloom with a smile. She was going through an immense amount of pain that her physical form could hardly manage. Heirloom couldn't watch Erma struggle to keep her beautiful smile, so he placed one of his hands on her forehead. Slowly moving his palm down her face, he witnessed her completely stop making any expressions and pass out.

Heirloom clenched his teeth together and looked up at Zack with his dragon pupils more slit than usual, and his eyes a darker red.

Heirloom: [I'll kill you!]

Abrianna suddenly turned away from healing with Parker and looked at Heirloom. She furrowed her brows and shouted.

Abrianna: [I sense more power coming out of him! Watch out!]

Sean and Zack nodded.

Heirloom grabbed his sword from the floor and dashed toward Zack. In one step, he managed to close the distance between the two.

Unfazed, Zack simply pushed Heirloom away with a heavy breeze. Zack adjusted the grip on his weapon as Heirloom came running back for a second round. His growls made Zack feel like he was fighting a wild beast that brought him great pity.

Zack raised his sword and swung it downward with the intent to kill Heirloom in a single strike, but Heirloom quickly evaded the straightforward attack, and with his blade, Winter's Flame, he slammed Zack's armor making a dent and sending him back.

Shocked, Zack looked down at his pink armor and was surprised he managed to tank that.

A bolt of lightning suddenly struck where Heirloom was standing, but he happened to dodge it before it could hit him. Now standing beside a patch of ash on the ground, Heirloom looked toward Sean, which flinched once their eyes made contact,

Sean: [UH! ZACK!]

Zack cut the air in front of him causing a blade of wind to form and immediately dart toward Heirloom. He didn't notice until the last minute, but he managed to jump over the wind blade with his wings.

Paladin OJ: [His senses...]

Surprised to hear him talk, Sean turned around and saw the healers still trying to fix him up.

Paladin OJ: [His senses and reflexes are... on another level.]

Sean: [Well no shit, Sherlock! He dodged a fucking lightning bolt!]

Abrianna: [He's a dragon tamer. It was only a matter of time before he could manage this anyway.]

Heirloom and Zack charged at one another.

Parker: [Aren't dragon tamers only supposed to be able to tame, raise, and ride dragons?]

Abrianna: [Anyone can ride dragons, but dragon tamers are capable of much more. Depending on their bond, a dragon and a dragon tamer are capable of mixing their skills and attributes. For example, a sun dragon would give its tamer the ability to control light and at max capacity, the sun itself.]

Concerned, Sean took his eyes away from the battle in front of him and turned to the four behind him with wide, frightened eyes.

Faith: [What dragons does this guy have?]

Paladin OJ: [Only the Crimson Dragon, Erma.]

Parker whispered to OJ to keep still and stop talking.

Sean: [What the hell is a crimson dragon?!]

Abrianna: [You two don't know much about this world, huh?]

Parker agreed with her.

Abrianna: [Almost like you came from another world.]

Parker: [We're not too sure about the details, but supposedly we are from another dimension. One identical to this one, only without magic.]

Abrianna: [No magic? Then how were you brought here?]

Faith: [You're asking the wrong people, ma'am.]

Sean turned back to the battlefield and held out his wand.

Zack and Heirloom clashed their weapons and made sparks fly. They stared one another in the eyes as they tried to overpower one another, attempting to put more force into their grip. While they did this, Zack tried his best to get Heirloom's sword into one of his blade's gaps.

Zack's weapon was designed to get a grasp of his enemies' weapons and break them with a simple twist of the wrist. As long as he could get the sword in the gap, he was guaranteed an unarmed enemy. He had it exclusively melded during the first month of his arrival as an award for bringing up the idea of projectile hand cannons (a.k.a handguns/pistols) during a convention in Aveay. He dubbed his sword, the Sword Breaker.

After countless failed attempts, Zack eventually managed to grab a hold of Heirloom's sword and restrain him from moving. Heirloom was shocked to see Winter's Flame suddenly locked up.

With all his strength, Zack twisted his Sword Breaker against Winter's Flame, but it wouldn't budge. After a short moment, the sword emitted a white flame, melting its way out of Zack's grasp. Heirloom pulled his sword back and threw a swing at Zack's head.

Paladin Zack: [This is bad!]

Zack jumped back.

Sean: [WATCH OUT!]

A sudden shout came from Sean's direction along with a chain of electric crackles.

A bolt of lightning suddenly came darting towards Heirloom from Sean's direction.

Sean: [This is for half a mill! This is for half a mill! This is for half a mill!]

The bolt caught Heirloom by surprise and shot through his shoulder like a harpoon. The bolt hit the ground as a rod of light while the lightning paralyzed him and made him shake as if he were tased. Sean threw his hands in the air and exclaimed.

Sean: [I DID IT!]

Zack stood surprised.

Paladin Zack: [This is my only chance! I need to cuff him before the effect wears off.]

Zack put his sword back in its sheath and pulled out a single handcuff. He ran towards the paralyzed Heirloom, and with the cuffs, he pulled his hands together and locked them in place.

The single circular stone cuff that wrapped around both of his hands, locked up, and created some purple lightning chain that stuck to the back of his palms. After a short period of time, Heirloom came back to his senses and looked at his hands.

Paladin Zack: [We did it!]

Heirloom couldn't perform any spells or call his sword, his inventory and mana were locked, preventing him from using any items or doing anything but walking. His eyes returned to their original shape and his wings descended into his back.

Heirloom: [What the fuck is this?!]

Paladin Zack: [Magic handcuffs. Designed to prevent you from accessing anything.]

Zack sat on the ground and took a breath. The fight against Heirloom and Erma came to a close and that made Zack feel relieved.

Paladin Zack: [Give an idea to Aveay, and they turn it into some magical masterpiece.]

Sean: [WE'RE GOING TO BE RICH!]

He turned around and noticed that Parker and Abrianna had completely healed OJ, but one of them passed out and lay peacefully on the ground. OJ and Parker watched Abrianna snoozing her heart away.

Parker: [It's finally over?]

Paladin OJ: [The Royal Knights are still fighting. Let's hope they succeed.]

Faith: [Why hope when we can help?]

Everyone turned to the sorceress that had made herself useless the entire fight. She stood up and grinned.

Faith: [I think I'll help them out.]

The other three looked at each other before allowing Faith to go out on her own.

Zack: [Don't be too reckless!]

Faith turned to Zack and gave him a warm smile.

Paladin Zack: [And don't kill them! We need to question them later!]

After a nod, Faith jumped off the mountain and dived towards the other fight going on. When she left, Zack went to pick up Erma and also put her in a different kind of cuff. Since she wasn't really human, she needed a power neutralizer via a needle.

When he returned, Abrianna was awake and talking to OJ with a frown.

Abrianna: [I didn't help heal you just for you to be useless!]

Parker sat back and didn't say a word.

Abrianna: [You're the only one that could possibly know where Ruby is!]

OJ closed his interface and looked at Zack, who shrugged back.

Paladin OJ: [I told Anthony to take the princess to King Devon, but he hasn't sent me any messages.]

Zack sat in between OJ and the elf, crossing his legs and turning to her with a smile.

Paladin Zack: [You look well,]

Abrianna turned to Zack with cute rage. Her elf ears became more apparent somehow.

Paladin Zack: [How was your nap?]

Abrianna: [It was fine!]

Sean: [Felix made a promise to her, so now she wants to make sure that it comes true.]

Zack sighed.

Sean: [The Paladin keeps telling her that he doesn't know where the princess is, but the quest giver remains persistent.]

Paladin Zack: [I can use an Omni-search to see if she's in the area.]

After a nod, Zack closed his eyes and collapsed onto Sean's shoulders. A moment passed of absolute silence, then Zack popped his eyes open and looked over north with concern riddled all over his face.

Parker: [Is something wrong?]

Zack turned to the four behind him.

Parker: [Did you... find her?]

Paladin Zack: [Guys... this isn't good. Not good at all.]

Abrianna began to tremble while Parker's heart started racing. Out of nowhere, his Golden Retriever appeared out of thin air and began to lick his cheek.

Sean: [What if we don't play 'Guess What's in My Head'?]

Zack looked at Sean.

Paladin Zack: [The Aveay forces are nearly wiped out.]

OJ's eyes widened.

Paladin Zack: [Head Knights Anthony and Leknath are in a conference room with five others, including the princess.]

Abrianna: [Wait, then that means... No...]

Paladin OJ: [WHY THE HELL DID THEY BRING HER THERE?!]

Parker: [They ignored direct orders by a Paladin. That can't be good.]

Paladin Zack: [We need to save her.]

Everyone nodded and began making their way on foot. At first, they wanted to use Sean's portal ability, but because he had never been there and no one had the coordinates, they had to run to get there in time.

*

Faith landed on the battlefield, separating the dust beneath her and creating a cloud around her. The fighting forces suddenly came to a stop and waited for the dust to settle.

Ever since Zack and Sean began fighting Heirloom, the other battle didn't stop for a second. Now with cuts and bruises all over themselves and blood streaming down their heads, the battle paused as Faith stood tall. Her concentrated evil mana and purple hair made Omar instantly recognize the sensation.

Vijan: [Who are you?]

Faith looked at Vijan with her eyes glistening in the moonlight. A gentle breeze blew on them which exposed Faith's amulet for a split second.

Faith: [I'm your worst nightmare.]

Unsure of who it was, Sophia attempted to get into its head but a strong force prevented her from making any form of contact. Sophia grew concerned and didn't know whether this person was on their side or not.

The dark mana and evil presence made Faith appear villainous, but there was a small sense of nourishment and care in her stature.

Her aura healed the two behind her while slowly dealing damage to those in front of her.

As Faith's silk cloth flowed with the wind and her body illuminated in the night sky, she appeared more menacing than ever before.

Omar: [You... that's the mana from the kingdom!]

Omar made a fist and smirked.

Vijan: [The mana you sensed but couldn't find?]

Omar: [Yeah,]

RK Sophia: [She's the one that was banished?]

Gazing nervously at the girl standing in front of her, Sophia began to get the chills.

RK Sophia: [Her aura is so condensed that it's impenetrable.]

She turned to Ali but kept an eye on the sorceress that intervened in their battle.

RK Sophia: [This is the power of an ancient fairy.]

RK Ali: [Ancient fairy? Don't bring up a child's tale.]

RK Sophia: [A child's tale that fits this strange character. Face it, it's impossible to have that much mana without the help of an external force! This girl and Zack give off the same powerful atmosphere.]

RK Ali: [That would explain why Zack is so fond of her. I don't believe you entirely, but I'll keep it in mind.]

Omar watched as Vijan walked in front of him and equip a black t-shirt. Vijan's hip-bands flew with the breeze and Omar's robe did the same.

Vijan: [Finally! A real challenge!]