Within the Dining Hall, Lancer, Lanosis, and everyone else sat around a long wooden table. The two princes felt a little uncomfortable sitting on small cushions, but once Nell brought out the food, they quickly got used to it. She proved to be a fairly versatile cook and server, passing out dish after dish with her tentacle-like strands of hair.

Apart from rice and some basic vegetables, each plate consisted of food that the Leoto brothers had never seen before. That didn't matter all that much, though, since they ended up finding everything quite delicious. They would have ended up devouring everything in sight if it weren't for the manners their parents, namely their mother, Queen Lanalee, had taught them.

Dalquilae watched Lancer and Lanosis gorge on their meals with a look of disgust on her face. She stood atop a wooden, tree-like perch next to Zuken's chair, whom as Royal Legion West's Grandmaster, was seated in the center of the table.

"Could you please chew with your mouth closed, Lanosis? You're going to make me lose my appetite!"

Lanosis swallowed a ton of food in one single gulp and stared at her.

"Eh, you'll be fine. I'm pretty sure eagles don't need to eat that much, anyways."

Dalquilae deadpanned. "I am an Aquila, child! There is a difference."

"Potato potahto. Speaking of which..." Lanosis grabbed some cut up pieces of potatoes and stuck them in his mouth. "These are some pretty good potatoes, Master Nell. No hair in them too, which is an added bonus."

Nell groaned. "For the last time, dear, I do not shed pieces of my hair when cooking. And you're welcome."

"Yeah. Show a little common decency, brat. She doesn't normally make all this food in one night, so you should be grateful." Ralko snarled while eating from a plate of salad.

Lanosis sighed and rested a hand on his cheek in annoyance.

"Yeah, yeah. No need to hound me all at once, guys."

Lancer, while seated next to Kai, took a break from eating his food to divulge more information about Royal Legion West and the outside world as a whole.

"So, you mentioned that we're in some continent called Coligad. What part of it are we in exactly?" He asked.

Cadroka looked at him from her side of the table. "Not that it really matters, but our guild is situated in a country known as the United Colonies of Coligad, or the UCC for short. It's one of the most populous nations in the entire world, specifically in regard to Eunons."

"It's also a pretty popular tourist attraction! Thousands of people from the other eight continents visit all thirteen colonies every year." Nell added in an enthusiastic tone. "And with you two around, I guess that includes Snardentus as well. Pretty neat, huh?"

Lanosis stroked his chin. "Thirteen colonies in one country? Are they pretty big?"

"They vary in size, but Cole, the colony we live in, is the largest. Its capital, Eunotropolis, is the most populous city in the entire world, in fact." Kai explained with a wide, mischievous grin on his face. "That's where the real magic happens, boys. You haven't truly lived until you've gone there."

"Heh. Sounds interesting." Lanosis said.

"Please. You're only saying that because of the stupid Spellbound Rumble tournament they hold every few years." Ralko scowled. He took a sip of water and slammed it back down on the counter. "Commercialization and greed ruined that event a long time ago."

"Wow! I didn't think there'd even be a tournament like that. Gladiatorial matches were held back in the Gamma Kingdom, but they were banned before me and Lanosis were born." Lancer commented.

"Well, the Spellbound Rumble isn't nearly as gruesome as that, I assure you. It's a martial arts competition that pits Spell Casters across the globe against one another. The strongest of these contestants will hold the title of Spellbound Champion until another worthy fighter takes their place."

He smiled and lazily pointed two of his fingers at both kids.

"And I believe I know two worthy fighters who'd be able to do just that."

"Absolutely not! We will not be making a spectacle of these boys, Kai. I won't allow it." Cadroka snapped.

Dalquilae nodded her head in agreement. "Expertly put as always, Caddie. Magic is a gift that should be nurtured and developed at a slow, even pace. Using it for mere sport directly goes against that philosophy."

"Right, but Lancer and Lanosis did promise their uncle that they'd become strong Spell Casters. What better way is there to show off their progress than having them fight against other magic-users their age? The other Royal Legions have always took part in the Spellbound Rumble's festivities, so why not us?"

"Not always, Kai. The Valdanta Shamans openly denounced such an event, remember? Not to mention the whole fiasco concerning Royal Legion South and... whatever they are now." Ralko pointed out.

Based on what Zuken said about Royal Legion South 'being left to rot and decay', Lancer wondered if some part of it still existed. He hoped that the Gamma Kingdom wouldn't experience similar levels of degradation under Gammael's new regime, if he did, in fact, succeed in taking it over.

"My point still stands. There's no harm in letting these boys be boys, and have them practice their spellcasting abilities firsthand." Kai continued. He then stroked his beard and started to think. "What is it now? January? The next Spellbound Rumble should be held in about six months, so that's plenty of time to teach them the basics and get them prepared for the big leagues."

Cadroka shook her head and sighed.

"Don't be absurd. That kind of time crunch will squander these boys' potential, Kai."

"Whatever. I'm sure good ol' Zuken agrees," The lax Caster Master proclaimed. "We've always been on the same wavelength. Am I right or am I right, my man?"

Zuken shrugged. "We've had our fair share of disagreements, Kai, but this, I'm afraid to say, isn't one of them. Partaking in the Spellbound Rumble would be a feasible enough goal for Lancer and Lanosis to work towards."

Cadroka couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"B-But it allows any Spell Caster to participate, regardless of age or power level. Surely you can't be serious about this, Zuken!"

"The stronger the opponent, the better, Granny. This kind of challenge is exactly what me and Lancer will need to succeed." Lanosis said.

Lancer nodded enthusiastically. "I agree. I doubt either of us will win or anything, but it'll be a good learning experience... after we, well, actually start training, of course."

The Psychic Caster was left completely tongue-tied as she looked from Lancer to Lanosis in shock. Kai wrapped an arm around his new student and smiled.

"See? Look how in-tune we are as master and student already. You have nothing to worry about, Caddie." He chuckled. "With these boys around, we'll be able to give Royal Legion West the comeback it rightfully deserves."

"Gee. Way to put a ton of pressure on us." Lanosis grumbled.

Cadroka crossed her arms and huffed. She then glanced over at Kai and sent a telepathic message over to his mind.

That's what you said about Sepia. Did you already forget about what happened to her?

Kai's expression became a bit more downcast. He stared at Cadroka and pursed his lips.

"No. I'll never forget..."

His voice was quiet and sullen, but audible enough for Lancer to hear it.

"Forget about what?"

The carefree master purposely ignored him and looked up at a clock on the wall. It was carved into the shape of a large wooden eagle.

"Ah, would you look at the time! I think we should call it a night. You little rugrats have a lot of work to do tomorrow."

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Lanosis snorted. "Maybe for Lancer here, but you can't tell me what to do. Grandmaster Zuken's my instructor now."

"That may be true, but as long as you live under Royal Legion West's roof, every one of its Master Casters should be treated with the utmost respect." He then jerked a thumb at his side. "Even Dalquilae has some level of seniority over you."

"Aw, man. The bird too?"

"Especially the bird, hatchling. Maybe you should take a page from your little brother's book and learn how to treat a lady."

"I'll pass. Thanks." The elder prince grunted. He then got up from his seat and looked around. "Guess I might as well get to bed too."

"Rest well, you two. Master Nell will show you to your room." Zuken said.

Lancer respectfully bowed his head at Dalquilae and the other masters. "Okay then. Goodnight, everyone."

Kai waved at him. "Goodnight, kid."

The brothers then followed Nell, leaving everyone else alone in the Dining Hall. To their chagrin, Lanosis only nodded his head without saying a single word.

"Yeesh. That unruly brat's going to be in for a rude awakening soon." said Ralko in an annoyed tone.

"Don't be too hard on him. It's not wise to speak lowly of a boy who just went through some serious trauma." Zuken lowly advised. "Be patient. I'll find a way to soothe that temper of his one way or another."

Dalquilae glanced at Lancer and Lanosis's parting forms, frowning. Judging from their respective behaviors, she could tell that they were coping with this situation in different ways.

"I hope so, Grandmaster."

Nell slowly led them over to a hallway filled with multiple small rooms. These rooms only consisted of the bare essentials that a young Spell Caster would need, having a bed, some dressers, a closet, and a single window with blinds.

The living quarters that Nell chose for the boys, however, was a tad bit different. It contained a bunkbed, rather than two separate ones. Each of them had a comforter with the symbol for Royal Legion West sewn into it.

"Oh, great. Bunkbeds." Lanosis sarcastically uttered. He slumped his shoulders and took a look around to see what else the room had to offer.

"Make yourselves at home, boys! I'll be sewing up a few more copies of your clothes, so if you have any requests for something different, just ask."

Lancer smiled. "Thanks for the help, Master Nell."

"My pleasure!"

She then winked at him and shut the door behind her. Lancer and Lanosis were now left to their own devices; a sentiment that brought a great sense of relief to the latter.

"Finally. Some peace and quiet for a change."

"You know, you could have been a bit nicer to them. They didn't have to take us in, yet they did it anyway." Lancer exclaimed. "That seems pretty trustworthy to me."

"Trust is a two-way street, bro. Why should I blindly trust these guys if two of them don't even want us to be here?"

Lancer sat on the bottom bunk and kicked his feet a little.

"I don't think they're against us or anything. Master Cadroka seems to have gone through a lot in the past and was just acting cautious at first. Kai probably went through something similar."

"Right. Cautious, my foot. They're hiding something from us." Lanosis assumed. "How else do you think this ancient temple became such a dump? And why they relied on some bossy, talking eagle to find new students?"

"Sure, maybe they're a little secretive, I guess, but they're spellcasting masters, Lanosis. They must have gone through some pretty serious business in the past."

Lancer looked at his hands and smiled.

"I'm just grateful that they agreed to train us. We'll need all the help we can get if defeating Gammael is something we actually want to work towards."

"Baby steps, dude. Let's aim for that Spellbound Rumble thing first." Lanosis reminded him. He then slammed a fist into his other hand. "I'm looking forward to smashing some heads there. I need to take my anger out on something badly and Master Zuken's training just isn't going to cut it."

Lancer scratched the back of his head. "You haven't even started it yet."

"You've seen what Zuken's like. He's not the type to allow me to cut loose as much as I want. None of them are."

"Well, Refugus wasn't the biggest fan of your temper either. Maybe Zuken can lead by his example and help you control it."

"Yeah. Maybe you're right." Lanosis then jumped up to the top bunk and rested his head on the bed's pillow. "You gonna try communicating with that Spell Spirit living inside you again?"

Lancer tucked himself underneath the covers and said, "Not sure. You think sleeping could help with that?"

"That's something you'll have to find out on your own. Goodnight, Lancer."

"Goodnight..."

The youngest Gamma Prince looked up at the ceiling's currently dim lantern. It flickered on and off with magical energy until, through sensing the lack of activity in the room, shut off by itself. He then closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

One name was quietly uttered from his lips as he fell into a state of total unconsciousness.

"Ridmos."

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

The moment he opened his eyes, Lancer found himself standing in the center of a massive thunderstorm. Towering black storm clouds completely surrounded him on all sides, making any attempt at escape null and void. He couldn't even think straight as bolts of lightning struck and bounced all around this metaphysical realm.

The boy shielded his eyes and tried to figure out what was happening. He didn't have the ability to sense Eun yet, but it was pretty obvious that this violent storm was Ridmos's doing. The energy and atmosphere were just far too similar for it not to be.

"Hello? Is anyone there?!"

"I am."

In a massive clap of thunder, a blue and yellow lion flew across the sky using his large dragon wings. He powerfully roared and stuck a landing in front of Lancer, looking as menacing as before.

"Wow. It's you."

"Hello again, Lancer Leoto. I've been expecting your arrival." Ridmos greeted. He casually stood atop the storm clouds and looked down at his new host. "I'm assuming you're wondering what this place is, correct?"

"Among a few other questions, yeah."

"This thunderstorm is what could best be described as your personal Mindscape. It is a representation of both your subconscious mind and your potential abilities as a Spell Caster." The spirit explained. "As my current host, I inhabit this inner world, monitoring your actions in the Mortal Realm, or Bitu, and helping you in any way I see fit."

"So that's why my hand looked like yours when I fought Master Kai."

"Correct. You hadn't received enough training to use any of your own Eun yet, so I transferred some of mine over to you."

He then narrowed his green eyes, causing the frequency of lightning strikes to increase.

"Don't get used to it, though. It is your responsibility to grow stronger and learn how to cast magic. I will not tolerate a weak host who relies upon my strength for everything, whether it be simple fights or life-threatening situations. Is that clear?"

Lancer, to the Spell Spirit's surprise, showed no fear or distress. He simply nodded in agreement. "That's fine with me. After seeing how much pain Uncle Refugus had to go through just to protect me and Lanosis, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I became a burden to any other person. That's why I want to challenge myself and become a Spell Caster that people can rely on."

Ridmos looked pleased by this response, but not enough to earn his favor. "Actions speak louder than words, young Lancer. Once I see the progress you've achieved from Kairo Aguwa's training, I'll consider granting you more of my own abilities, including magic spells exclusive to myself and previous hosts I once inhabited."

Lancer grimaced. "You mean spells that... Balthazar Zolto could have used?"

The storm spirit's expression darkened at the mention of that name. He bared his teeth and let out an irate growl.

"As much as I detest hearing that name, yes. You will, at one point, obtain spells that the Warlord once used in battle."

"Sorry if that upset you. He's just the only host of yours that I know about."

"It's nothing to concern yourself with. I've had hundreds of hosts in the past, but he... he was the worst of them all bar none. He went out of his way to use my powers for needless destruction and nothing more." Ridmos snarled in disgust. "A bond between a Spell Spirit and their host should never be that detached. I do hope you'll keep that in mind, child."

Lancer felt taken aback by this response. He knew Balthazar Zolto was evil, but openly severing his bond with the very deity that gave him power wasn't something he expected to hear. It, surprisingly, made him look less human than a giant lion-dragon creature did.

"I'll try my best, Ridmos. You won't have to worry about me doing anything like that." He assured the magical creature. "I'll never be like him."

Ridmos smirked and gently rested a paw on Lancer's head. This sent some electric sparks shooting through his yellow, flame-like hair.

"Big words for an eleven-year-old boy, but we shall see what happens." The Spell Spirit proclaimed in amusement. "Quite ironic that you're being trained by the same person that felled Zolto in combat. A funny turn of events, I'd say."

The prince's eyes widened from shock. "Wait, what?! Master Kai defeated that guy?"

"Defeat isn't exactly the most accurate word to describe what happened, but we can discuss that another time." Ridmos muttered as he removed his paw from Lancer's head. "I need to warn you about something."

"Warn me? About what?"

"Royal Legion West has been targeted by a dangerous enemy for many years now, Lancer. They hold a personal grudge against its Master Casters and thus, have gone out of their way to target any new student they decide to take in. It has happened before and it may very well happen again." Ridmos forewarned. He crouched down to look at Lancer face-to-face. "So I suggest you and your brother proceed with caution. Your training will intensify much sooner than you think."

Lancer didn't like the sound of this new 'enemy' or their actions. Whoever they were, it appeared that they were the reason behind Cadroka's cautious attitude.

"But why Royal Legion West, specifically? It doesn't make any sense."

"You'll find the answer to that question soon enough, Lancer. But until then, keep training as much as you can and follow Kairo Aguwa's every instruction. I look forward to evaluating your progress at a later date."

"Alright. It was nice talking to you, Ridmos." Lancer said. "You seem pretty nice for a... giant lion-dragon monster thing."

The Spell Spirit rolled his eyes.

"Liogon to be exact, but no matter. You're about to wake up, anyway."

"Really? How did you—"

All of a sudden, Ridmos vanished in a blinding flash of light. This light engulfed Lancer and every single storm cloud that surrounded him until, finally, he bolted upright in his bed.

"...know that?"

He took a few deep breaths and clasped his forehead. It was caked in pools of sweat.

"Weird. Guess that dream affected my body in the real world too."

He got out of bed and looked at the window. The sun was beaming through the glass, showing that it was, in fact, no longer nighttime.

"You could have woken me up a little sooner, Lanosis." He grumbled. He looked up to see that Lanosis wasn't there anymore. "Huh? Is he training already?"

"That's right, sleepyhead. Zuken and Lanosis got started a few hours ago."

Kai was leaning against the entrance with an amused, slightly impatient expression on his face. He playfully tapped a finger on his wrist as if he were wearing a watch.

Lancer pouted. "Typical. He never gives me a wakeup call when I sleep in like this."

"It's all in competitive fun, Lancer, my boy. Mind if we skip breakfast and catch up to those two right away?"

Lancer pumped one of his fists in newfound confidence and determination.

"Yeah. Let's do this, Master Kai."

"That's the spirt!" Kai beamed. "Or Spell Spirit, I should say."

For a second there, the boy could feel someone audibly groan inside his subconscious. He then left his room and followed Master Kai, laughing at the thought of Ridmos hating such an innocent thing as puns.