Refugus’s teleportation chamber, upon exiting the barrier placed between Snardentus and everywhere else, continued to sail across the sky. It glowed a faint purple amongst an ever-encompassing mass of darkness, which was only lit by distant cities and the stars above them. Moments continued to pass by as Lancer and Lanosis stood completely broken beyond repair.

Neither of them could shed any more tears at this point. Lancer simply sat down with his face pressed against his knees while Lanosis burned holes into the floor. They didn’t even bother looking outside the chamber to see where they were going.

All the two could think about was their uncle, Refugus, and how he sacrificed himself to ensure their own survival. It was a brave act, but, unfortunately, all it did was tear them apart inside.

Why? Lanosis clenched his teeth together. Why didn’t he come with us?!

Lancer peaked his head up to look at his brother. He frowned, not knowing exactly what to do or say that would comfort him. After all, his mental state was just as bad, if not a little worse than his.

It was times like this that Lancer wished he could hug his mother. Even when compared to his father, the former queen always knew how to comfort him during times of great stress and sadness.

But now, in his greatest time of need, he had a feeling that such a moment could never happen again.

Please be alive. Please. Lancer mentally pleaded for his mother’s safety, wherever she might be.

A few more moments came to pass until suddenly, the teleportation chamber came to an abrupt stop. It slowly transported itself lower to the ground before vanishing in an opaque torrent of purple electricity.

Upon touching the grass beneath their feet, Lancer and Lanosis looked around in confusion. This entire environment, whatever it was, felt much different than Snardentus, including its skies, sounds, atmosphere, and even smells. What was even stranger about this part of the world was that both of them felt a tad-bit lighter than they did in the Gamma Kingdom.

It felt similar to the power Refugus’s Eun gave them, yet a little less potent.

“So this is the outside world, huh?” Lancer asked. He stood up straight to gauge any changes his body might be experiencing.

“Yeah,” Lanosis grunted. It seemed to be far bigger than Refugus made it out to be. “It’s gonna take some getting used to…”

Lancer shook his head.

“No, being on our own is what we need to get used to. How in the world are we supposed to survive out here?”

“Don’t start, Lancer. Complaining isn’t going to solve anything.” Lanosis glowered.

“Well, what do you expect me to do? We have no food, no water, and no idea where we even are!” Lancer expressed his frustrations. “Heck, I don’t even know where we are in comparison to… home?”

His eyes widened in surprise. Lanosis quirked a brow, not expecting his brother to stop whining and complaining so soon.

“Uh… what’s up? Your brain run out of things to go on a tangent about?”

“No, the Gamma Kingdom… It’s gone, Lanosis! I can’t see it anymore.” Lancer shouted.

The older prince thought he was going crazy. There was no way a civilization as massive as the Gamma Kingdom could vanish just like that.

“What? You can’t be serious. It was right behind—”

Lanosis turned around. To his own shock, the area occupied by Snardentus was completely invisible. Now, in the distance, there was only an expanse of clear, black skies and some unknown body of water they have never seen before.

This must be what the barrier is for. It makes Snardentus, as a continent, invisible to everyone, but the denizens of the Gamma and Shadow Kingdoms.

If that were the case, however, him and Lancer were truly unable to return home. Neither of them, even if it did exist within their bodies, were taught how to properly harness Eun. They learned the most basic forms of martial arts from Refugus, but apart from that, magic was kept away from them.

“It’s still there, Lancer. It’s only invisible us.” Lanosis muttered.

“Then… that means we can’t get past it? Because we’re not Gamma Casters like Refugus, Dad, and the others?” Lancer said in a sad tone. He didn’t think it was possible for this situation to get any worse.

Lanosis bit his lower lip and nodded. “Afraid so.”

His brother plopped himself back down on the grass in sadness. He sat cross-legged and ran his fingers through each blade.

“Then all hope really is lost…”

Lanosis deadpanned. Tired of all this moping around, he crouched down to Lancer’s level and flicked him in the forehead.

“Ow! What was that for, you jerk?!” He growled.

Lanosis smirked. “For giving up so easily, idiot. Did you even listen to what Refugus told us before we left? He said he wanted us to thrive and grow stronger as Spell Casters, so no matter how bad it seems right now, we’re going to do just that. Usurping jackasses be damned!”

Lancer’s mouth hung agape. He didn’t expect to hear something so positive and uplifting come from his dour, hotheaded older brother of all people. It was effective enough to make him smile for the first time that day.

“You’re right. That’s my bad.” Lancer nodded. “Although, I don’t think Mom would appreciate that kind of language you were using.”

Lanosis rolled his eyes. “Well, Mom’s not here right now, so shut it.”

“Now, how would we even start becoming Spell Casters? Is there some kind of step-by-step process we need to follow?”

“Well, obviously, the first step would be to unlock the Eun surging inside our bodies. I recall Refugus saying that everyone in the Gamma Kingdom has Eun, even if they’re not exactly powerful enough to use it properly. And that includes us as well.”

“I mean, that’s pretty much a given. We are, after all, princes of the royal family and direct descendants of the Leoto bloodline.”

Lanosis narrowed his eyes. He silently walked over to Lancer again and bonked him on the head.

“Ow! Stop doing that!”

“Stop being a smart aleck and I will,” Lanosis replied. He then pressed a hand underneath his chin in thought. “I’m guessing the first step might be some form of mediation. Maybe calming ourselves will allow some traces of energy to flow through us.”

“You think that’ll work?”

Lanosis shrugged. “Beats me. But it doesn’t hurt to try, right?”

He looked around the area again. Based on his initial observations, they appeared to be standing in a field of some kind. He wasn’t certain how big this field actually was, but nearby, there were a few, tall trees surrounding it. Could there be some kind of forest they could walk through?

Lanosis chose to keep that thought in the back of his head. For now, unlocking Eun was their next best step in terms of progress and survival.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Okay then,” Lanosis copied his brother’s sitting position and crossed one of his legs over the other. “Let’s sit in front of each other like this, close our eyes, and take deep breaths. You can start first, Lancer.”

Lancer, although nervous, nodded his head in agreement.

“I guess it doesn’t sound too bad…”

“It’s simple, bro. Just inhale and exhale. Try to clear your mind of any negative thoughts. I know it’s going to be hard to do that right now, but just try your best.” Lanosis explained.

The young prince did as instructed and closed his eyes. It was difficult to endure the pain he was feeling inside, but with a bit of effort, he managed to push on through.

“O-Okay. Inhale… exhale…” He muttered to himself. “Clear… my mind…”

All of a sudden, his mind went completely blank. A mysterious symbol on Lancer’s forehead, which was once hidden by his unkempt bangs, glowed a bright yellow. It was a yellow lightning bolt with black, bone-like wings connected to each of its sides.

The symbol continued glowing, causing Eun to surround and empower his entire body. The electric nature of this energy caused his flaming hair and white scarf to flow against the wind.

“L-Lancer…?” Lanosis choked out.

He had known about the existence of this symbol for quite some time, but he never knew what it meant. Were Refugus and their parents aware that Lancer was capable of awakening this kind of magical power?

As Lancer continued meditating, Lanosis, for just a split second, could have sworn he saw some creature hovering over his body. It was a blue lion with green horns and a pair of yellow dragon wings. Green spikes presided along each wing, matching the color of this beast’s glowing eyes as well.

Strangely enough, it wasn’t a physical being at all. It was some kind of incorporeal entity that generated power from Lancer’s lightning bolt symbol alone.

What the hell is that?! Lanosis thought. He buckled under the pressure being exerted from this being and struggled to stand up straight.

The lion-dragon creature then let loose a powerful, earsplitting roar.

It echoed throughout the land, causing a stream of storm clouds to emerge. Lightning bolts, similar in appearance to the marking on Lancer’s forehead, struck the earth as rain began to pour heavily. Loud thunder boomed in tandem with each progressive strike of lightning.

Lanosis was left dumbstruck. He tried his best to stay dry, but to no avail.

Why is it storming all of a sudden? This doesn’t make any sense! The boy pondered in utter disbelief.

He then looked at the creature standing over Lancer once more. From the look of things, it was almost as if it was protecting him, rather than doing anything outright harmful. Lanosis just couldn’t begin to understand what it even was.

“Guess there’s more to the rest of the world than I initially thought…” He whispered to himself.

The storm continued to rage on and he had no clear way of stopping it anytime soon.

Quite a bit of distance away, a sacred forest, as Lanosis suspected, was present. It contained trees of many shapes and sizes, some of which glowed a luminous blue when touched by moonlight. This forest held special significance to a group known as Royal Legion West, the continent of Coligad’s central hub for all spellcasting matters and individuals. It functioned as an intricately designed maze of plant-life that could only be navigated by either those considered members of Royal Legion West or those who are guided by eagles, their founder’s sacred animal. Anyone else could end up getting lost or experience an even worse fate given the circumstance.

Some rumors even claim that people could be enchanted by the forest’s magical nature and transform into eagles themselves. However, such rumors were not taken all that seriously, especially by members of Royal Legion West themselves.

One such member, on the other hand, found them pretty amusing. Wearing a straw hat on top of his head, he was an old man with long gray hair and a beard of the same color. He wore a beige robe that both covered a pair of black pants and was tied down by a bronze sash. His feet were also covered by slippers that directly matched the colors of his outfit. Around his neck was a specially designed medallion which had the letter, K, engraved into its center.

This man was Kairo Aguwa, a Master Spell Caster who has served Royal Legion West for a few decades at this point.

He was currently balancing himself on top of a black bo staff. Positioned underneath a tall tree, he stood atop the staff on one foot while taking calm, delicate sips from a cup of tea. Normally, he’d be at the temple with his fellow masters, but Kairo, or Kai as he preferred to be called, decided that he needed some peace and quiet for a change.

Unfortunately, this moment of peace came to an end once he heard a loud, thunderous roar in the distance. He removed the cup from his lips and frowned.

“Hm. That Eun…” Kai murmured.

Just sensing this energy was enough to send a surge of electricity through his body. He had felt this kind of power once before. It was almost fourteen years ago, but something from as destructive of an event as The Caster War proved difficult to forget. Anyone who experienced its three-year long duration could definitely agree.

“It must belong to a Spell Spirit.” He surmised. A smirk was then etched over his lips. “And not just any Spell Spirit. It’s the one he used to have.”

Thinking back to the strongest opponent he’s ever faced; Kai felt a wave of nostalgia overtake him. They weren’t good days in the slightest, but getting that kind of challenge was still hard to come by.

He finished the rest of his tea and, using his own Eun, flipped off of his staff. Landing on the ground with relative ease, Kai placed his empty cup on the ground and grabbed a hold of his trusty weapon.

“I suppose Zuken won’t be too mad if I go investigate a little…” He whispered to himself.

Not bothering to inform the aforementioned Grandmaster of Royal Legion West beforehand, Kai surrounded his entire body in a blue aura and teleported himself to the source of this mysterious Eun.

He hoped that whoever created this storm would be worth meeting, for his sake and Royal Legion West’s.

As time went on, the storm got progressively worse and worse. Rain continued to pelt against the grass and, sadly, Lanosis himself. This meditation session proved to be far more effective than he ever intended. It made him wish that he performed the breathing exercises first instead, but it was far too late for that now.

At this rate, Lancer needed to be woken up. Unlocking his Eun turned out to be successful and all, but he obviously had no control over it. This lion-dragon hybrid seemed to have far more control over Lancer’s body than even himself and he needed to put a stop it.

Lanosis flinched at the sight of a lightning bolt striking the ground. Much to his chagrin, the lightning was getting closer and closer to where Lancer was sitting.

Suppressing the urge to leave his little brother behind and find shelter, he approached Lancer and grabbed ahold of his shoulders. The glow of his symbol was blinding, but Lanosis ignored it.

“Lancer, can you hear me? Wake up! This storm is getting out of control!” Lanosis yelled. His voice was difficult to hear because of the rain, so Lancer wouldn’t budge.

The older prince continued repeating the same thing to his brother. The longer he stood there, the more electric shocks from Lancer’s Eun were burning his skin. These injuries only served to make him even more angry towards this situation.

“Grrgh! Damn it all! I don’t care if some thunder god cat thing is possessing your body! I’ve had enough of this…” He scowled.

Without even being aware of it, Lanosis’s heightened fury caused his own Eun to be awakened. His body was surrounded by a dark blue aura that contrasted nicely with Lancer’s yellow one. Both of them, however, served to represent the traits of a common thunderstorm.

“WAKE UP!” He screamed. His Eun sent a jolt through Lancer’s body that caused him to open his eyes.

“Wah? Where am I?” Lancer stammered.

His lightning bolt symbol immediately stopped glowing. His Eun faded away at the same time, but the lion spirit encompassing it lingered on for a few more seconds.

It stood there just long enough for Lancer to catch sight of its appearance. He widened his eyes in a mix of fear and amazement.

W-Who… What are you? He thought.

The spirit maintained a neutral, yet fierce expression on its face. Rather than speaking vocally, it sent a telepathic message inside Lancer’s mind via Eun.

That shall be answered at a later date, Lancer Leoto. Until we meet again.

Before Lancer could ask anymore questions, the spirit faded back into his subconscious. He touched his symbol in utter confusion, wondering what exactly happened while he was asleep.

“Okay, I’m kinda lost here. Do you have any idea what just happened?”

Lanosis frowned. He looked up to see that the night sky was now completely clear without any sign of rain or clouds.

“Tsk. I should be asking you that, Lancer. You caused an entire storm to appear just by meditating.” He said. He then pointed his finger up at the sky. “And now, it’s gone just like that.”

Lancer was stumped. The last thing he remembered was closing his eyes and taking some deep breaths. Everything else was a blur to him.

“That’s weird. I don’t remember any of it.”

“I believe I can explain the reason for that.”

Lancer and Lanosis both turned their bodies around. They were confused to see that the source of this voice was some old man wearing a bronze straw hat.

Given that he suddenly appeared out of thin air, Lanosis had every right to be cautious. He protectively stood in front of Lancer and glared at him.

“You should be explaining the reason for you being here, old man.”

He playfully held a hand over his heart in minor offense. To play along even further, he hunched over and held his staff like some sort of cane.

“Yeesh. Easy on the elder abuse, kid. Words do hurt, you know?” He winced before clearing his throat. “Ah, but where are my manners. Allow me to introduce myself…”

He expertly spun his bo staff around and slammed it into the ground. The old man stood up straight with a proud, somewhat overly confident smirk.

“The name is Master Kairo Aguwa, or Kai for short. What are yours?”

The princes exchanged glances with one another. Lanosis shook his head as a sign of warning, but Lancer, as if getting a chance to briefly sense Kai’s energy, went along with the introduction, regardless.

“Lancer Leoto.”

“Hmph. Lanosis.”

Kai nodded his head in amusement. Those names sounded strangely foreign in nature to him. He wondered what continent or country they could possibly be from. Even their attire was far different from what was considered normal to the rest of the world.

“I see. Very, very interesting names.” He hummed to himself. A mischievous twinkle then appeared in his brown eyes. “Say…”

He placed his chin on top of the staff. Although brief, he ever-so-slightly caught a glimpse of the symbol present on Lancer’s forehead. It proved his suspicions about the Spell Spirit’s identity to be true.

“… one of you wouldn’t happen to be the host of a Spell Spirit, would you?”

The boys shivered at the mention of such a simple, yet ominous name. Lancer, in particular, wondered if the lion-dragon animal that spoke to him was one of these supposed spirits.

There was only one way to find out, he supposed. Maybe a creature, or monster, like this was the key to becoming a Spell Caster like Refugus wanted.

“Spell Spirit?”