A month has passed since the conclusion of war on the Central Continent. Peace has finally returned to the respective kingdoms, albeit accompanied with big changes. King Stormfury, despite being victorious over Miran, refused to reunite the 2 human kingdoms, believing that a strong, yet peace-loving Miran would be in Nirvania's greatest interest instead.

King Stormfury proposed to revamp Miran's political system, removing its old monarchy that was too deeply immersed in hatred for the Stormfury family and replaced it with a new ruling family, one chosen by the people of Miran. The chief instigators and generals of the Miran Army were all imprisoned for their war crimes, including the sole surviving member of the 5 Pillars of Miran, Annabel.

With regard to Nirvania's relations with the Sylph Kingdom, the first diplomatic meeting between the 2 Kings took place in the capital of Nirvania, on the backdrop of the royal wedding between Princess Nicolette and the Lightning Saint, Ray.

Even though it was a big occasion, on the request of both bride and bridegroom, the wedding was kept simple, with guests being only families and friends of the couple apart from the Sylph royal family, who were deemed invaluable guests.

Of course, Kai and his team were invited to the wedding since they were not only national heroes who had salvaged relations between the Sylph Kingdom and Nirvania, more importantly, Kai and Adeline were students of Ray.

Kai, who really didn't fancy parties, was dressed in his best looking suit picked up for him by his foster father, Arkad, who told him the importance of dressing for such an occasion. Upon reaching the ballroom, which was decorated appropriately to the mood of the occasion, the first thing that caught Kai's eyes was a stunning beauty with a blue hair and pointed ears all flashed out.

It was Adeline, dressed in a simple, yet delicate white gown that displayed her curves perfectly. Kai quickly went up to her and commended, "Wow…you're stunning." Upon realising it was Kai, Adeline quickly blushed and said, "Thank you for your compliment, that's a pretty neat suit too. It's been a long time since I needn't conceal my Sylph appearance, since the Sylphs and Nirvanians are now allies."

Suddenly, a gentle feminine voice teased, "Hahaha, look at these 2 lovebirds, makes you wonder who's really getting married, huh, honey?" It was Nikki, dressed in a captivating wedding gown that stole the spotlight of the occasion and beside her, firmly in her grasp was Ray, dressed in a suit similar to Kai's.

Adeline quickly replied, "Hahaha, Mistress Nikki, you look absolutely beautiful! Congratulations on your marriage with Master Ray! I wish you both a blissful marriage!" Kai could only mutter, "Congratulations, Master. I guess this means the end of your fooling around?"

Ray sighed, "You really do have a sharp tongue, my cheeky student. You're right though, I have a duchy to look after now, as well as a daughter. Come introduce yourself, Dawn." A small and adorable little girl stepped forward shyly between the newlyweds, gripping Nikki's dress tightly as she looked at Kai and Adeline with her cute beady eyes.

Adeline appeared surprised and asked, "Oh my, where did this cute little girl come from?" Nikki replied proudly, "She's our adopted daughter, Dawn. She was orphaned from the war and we took her in on the bequest of her late parents. She's really cute and obedient, my precious daughter indeed!"

Kai, who appeared more cynical than surprised, whispered, "Her parents were Miranians right? Knowing your personality, Master, you probably took her in out of pity and remorse for killing her parents, be it directly or indirectly. What will you do when she discovers the truth?"

Ray replied calmly, much to the surprise of Kai, "When that time comes, she will decide on her own, there's no need for me to be so paranoid and fearful of the future. Even if she decides to kill me, I would gladly accept it, for I'd already fulfilled my promise to her father by then."

Kai kept silent, having nothing further to add before he heard a voice, "There they are! Come, we got to have one final session together before we go our respective ways!" It was Julian and the rest of the team. Kai held Adeline's hand as they bade farewell to the newlyweds, linking up with the rest of the team.

At a table far away from the hustle and bustle of the ceremony sat the 2 Kings, who were actively discussing on the future. King Stormfury asked quizzically, "You guys know of the mysterious Chaos Legion too? To be honest, even though my Black Ops team have been keeping tabs on them, there's still so much that we don't know about them! However, now that we're friends, rest assured that I would share any information I have on them with you! They're an insidious global threat after all."

King Azir nodded ruefully and said, "You're right. We should exchange information and help each other out as much as possible on this new threat. Perhaps you can assist me in roping the Kingdom of Cameron as well? I believe they face the same predicament and would be an important ally for the future." Both Kings nodded as they continued their discussion, undisturbed.

Meanwhile, Kai and Adeline were sharing conversations with their peers, including Jonathan and Rachel, when suddenly, Shen asked, "What're you guys up to after this? I don't think you all are just going to return to school and live the old, carefree days, right? Not with the new threat looming over us, especially after I saw that immense disparity between us and that self-proclaimed Chaos General."

Kai nodded, saying, "I'm leaving Nirvania for at least a year as I'm headed for the Northern Wildlands with my biological father, Redmond, so that I can learn how to manipulate the power of the demonic blood within me. This is so that I can grow even stronger, and use this power to protect my loved ones."

Adeline added, "I'm also returning home for some time, apart from some domestic matters to settle, I'll also be training hard to become much stronger. After all, Father said that it was time to impart the ultimate power of the Luminos to me, but he'd warned me that it wouldn't be easy and would be time-exhausting, so it'll be a long time before I return to Nirvania as well."

Shen quipped, "Well, as for Jean and me, we're going to get more experience outside our comfort zones with Shaw and Keith, since we're joining them as official members of Saint Cross, which nearly dissolved with the exit of the Lightning Saint, Ray and his 2IC, Frost."

Julia said excitedly, "Well, we twins intended to go back under Master Frost, but he was non-contactable. Fortunately, Level Head Ms Scarlet recommended us to a sword master whom we can further improve our swordsmanship with. It'll be pretty exciting times, especially when Ms Scarlet said she'll be joining us with Mr Samuel to refine her swordsmanship skills further. What about you, Rachel? I heard you got a recommendation as well."

Rachel replied proudly, "Well, I'm glad to be given an opportunity to be an understudy of Sariel, the Child Saint, on the recommendation of Head Teacher Cassandra, since Ms Sariel is her master back when she was still a student. In fact, I heard that Ms Sariel actually taught Psycho too, who was then known as Pierre.

Hopefully my internship with G.E.M.S would improve my telekinesis to the next level. I'm more interested in what you're going to do, Jonathan. With Keane's passing, your desire for revenge should be extinguished already, right?"

Jonathan answered calmly, "Well, I'm glad that I wasn't consumed by blind vengeance and he died the way he wanted. I'm now focused on the future of my martial arts, as I've just registered with the Martial Arts Federationto become an official master to propagate my family's [Scalpel Palm Style]. Hopefully when you all return in one year's time, I would have been a true master with my own school, haha!"

The team continued to hold conversations with one another till it was time to depart. Kai and Adeline went to a corner in the palace where they knew they could be alone before they embraced each other tightly, with Kai the first to speak, "Take care of yourself, dear. I'll never forget our love, no matter how far and how long we're separated. I'll grow stronger for our sakes."

Adeline also closed her eyes as she relished the warmth of Kai's body, speaking softly, "I know you'll honour your promise. We've been through a lot together for me to know who you truly are. Let's become stronger in a year's time, so that we might secure the peace of our respective homes."

Kai could only nod tearfully before they departed separately, making their final preparations for their respective journeys.

Kai had been travelling with Clan Vizard for several days now, as he accompanied his biological father, Redmond, to their headquarters in the North. In the midst of their journey, Redmond began explaining to Kai the concept of demonic energy and how to use it.

Redmond said, "Watch my hand. This pure destructive energy you see before you is similar to mana, but it isn't the same. This is demonic energy, and one thing apart from its nature that makes it different from mana is the source of its power.

Yes, there's a pool similar to mana for demonic energy within our bodies, but unlike mana that is refuelled by the natural interactions with the living world around us, demonic energy is refuelled by dark emotions, largely anger and hatred.

Now, the key to mastering this power and preventing it from taking control of over you is simply emotional regulation. Just as how there can be light within darkness, there can be positive feelings within rage as well. An example would be the anger you feel when your friends are hurt and how much you want to protect them. Never forget these feelings when you utilise this power, or else you'll simply be consumed by darkness and the raging demon within you.

As I'll be busy with matters pertaining to the Chaos Legion, I'll leave my lieutenant, Akame, to train your foundations. She's my finest student as of now, and will be a good teacher. Right, Akame?"

Akame removed her mask, revealing a beautiful face spoilt only by a diagonal scar that ran across her nose. She turned to stare at Kai intently and said fiercely, "I don't care if you're the Chief's son, when you're under my charge, don't expect any niceties from me, is that clear? I'm so going to whip you into shape."

Kai could only laugh nervously as he feared how tough his training was going to be for the next one year.

Adeline walked proudly into the training room, dressed in simple combat attire. Already present were her father, King Azir and her aunt, Princess Charissa. King Azir spoke calmly, "My dear daughter, I'd much rather you don't learn about this ability, but in lieu of the dark times coming, I've no choice but to impart to you this ability, so that our kingdom may grow stronger and more prepared for the upcoming threat.

Yes, there is an ability that supersedes the Luminos, it is also known as the [Eclipse Luminos]. You may see it as an evolution to our normal Luminos and with this evolution comes far greater powers. Let me give you a demonstration to show you the difference between a normal Luminos and an Eclipse Luminos. Come, attack me."

Adeline nodded as she quickly activated her [Phasewalker], launching several blows at her father. To her surprise, her father had closed his eyes and dodged every single attack of hers, hardly moving from the spot where he was standing.

Feeling exhausted, Adeline backed off momentarily, smiling, "Father's [Future Sight] is as sharp as ever." Azir opened his eyes, his Luminos glowing brightly as he said, "Yes, this is my Luminos Ability, [Future Sight], which enables me to have a glimpse of the future, be it as visions or the next action of my foe. Now, for my Eclipse Luminos. Come, Adeline."

Adeline obliged as she jumped towards her father, aiming a powerful vertical slash. To her horror, her father took the blow head-on without mana armament, blood gushing out of his chest. Adeline stammered, "F-Father, what are you doing?", only to be stopped by Princess Charissa.

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Immediately, Azir's eyes displayed a more complicated pattern in his irises as the wound instantly closed up. Azir remarked calmly as though the wound didn't exist, "That was my Eclipse Luminos Ability, [Rewind], where I can restore my body or that of a living thing I choose to its previous, healthy state a few moments before. Of course, there's a far more advanced use of this ability, but I wouldn't want to go into detail.

Basically, what I hope to achieve in this demonstration is to teach you that the Eclipse Luminos can grant you an additional Enigma Ability, which can be either related or unrelated to your normal Luminos Ability, though if it's related, it will tend to be either an upgrade or has some sort of synergy with your current Luminos Ability.

An example of a related Eclipse Luminos Ability is my [Rewind] to my [Future Sight], while an example of an unrelated Eclipse Luminos Ability is your big brother Aeris' [Starforce Cloak] to his [Dominance].

Now, for the hard part. I believe you understand that not everybody can possess an Eclipse Luminos, and those who can must pass the first step of having the potential within their blood. This step is no problem for you, since everyone in our family, your brother, aunt and me, have all awakened our Eclipse Luminos.

The second step is the truly difficult one. You must confront your deepest fears and resist your strongest emotions in the Chamber of Trials, here in this training room. If you succeed in mastering your emotions and using it to aid your growth in the Chamber of Trials, a tool designed by our ancestors to awaken the latent ability within us, you'll quickly develop your Eclipse Luminos in no time.

Charissa here will be by your side to guide and encourage you throughout your training. You may step in once you're ready. Good luck, my daughter."

Azir hugged his daughter before leaving the room, Charissa remaining to oversee her training. Charissa teased, "You won't want that foolish foster son of mine to be too far for you to catch, right? Just remember those strong emotions of your loved ones regardless of what tribulations you face in there and you should be fine. All the best, Adeline."

Adeline nodded as she stepped into the shadows of the Chamber of Trials, beginning her training.

The Sword Saint, Van Renard, sat kneeling before a much older man, his sword placed before him. The older man, who wore a simple attire but nonetheless gave off a venerable aura, chuckled, "What's the meaning of this, my boy? Fancy having the greatest swordsman of Nirvania prostrate himself in front of an old relic like me, fufufu…"

Van, his head remaining bowed, spoke solemnly, "Vincent's death made me realise how haughty and how much I was lacking in terms of technique. I was too obsessed with power then, and the end result? I lost a close companion of mine. Hence, I beg you, Father, that you take me under your wing again, so that I may truly become a better swordsman. You're the previous Sword Saint after all, whose technique remained unparalleled all those years you stood at the top."

A female voice interrupted, "Yes, Father. You may be retired already, but your experience and technique are still the very best. I've brought a few companions to train under you as well, Father. I hope you don't mind, Big Brother Van?"

It was Scarlet Renard, and accompanying her were Samuel and the twins, Julian and Julia, who all bowed in reverence. The old man stroked his beard as he spoke, "Fufufu, I never imagined that I, William Renard, would have so many students past my prime. Van, I'll take you in on one condition. You must be willing to be treated as a student once more, rendering you the same status as that of all the rest that have come to seek my tutelage, including the youngsters over there. Is that alright with you?"

Van looked up in gratitude as he said, "Yes, Father. I'll do it. If it means not losing anyone ever again to my own arrogance." William nodded ruefully before requesting his son to rise, ready to coach the next generation of swordsmen once more.

Jonathan gulped nervously as he realised that he was surrounded by several martial arts masters of their respective discipline. He recognised some popular faces, including Mei Lin, 'Demon Leg' Kyo, 'Bear Wrestler' Kuma and the 'Graceful Death' Breeze.

Of course, he can never fail to recognise the upper echelons of the Martial Arts Federation, the Left Hand 'Daredevil Gambit' Delvin, the Right Hand 'Superhuman Kung Fu Master' Feng and the President of the Martial Arts Federation, 'Martial Duke' Ken himself.

Ken raised his hands in warm welcome as he announced, "Today, we invite a new master to join us, though he might be a tad young, let's give him a warm welcome before we begin the qualification test. Let's put our hands together for the master of the [Scalpel Palm Style], Jonathan!"

Jonathan bowed shyly as he was greeted by rapturous applause from all the martial arts exponents present, before Ken cleared his throat and continued, "Now, Jonathan, let me explain the qualification test you have to pass before you can become a certified master of your discipline.

Here, I have a candle which would burn for approximately 45 minutes. During this period of time, you may receive any number of challenges from any of the masters present here, though all duels are strictly 1v1 at any one time. If you remain unbeaten till the candle is burned completely, I would recognise your strength and grant you the official title of Master. Not to worry, the upper echelons including myself are forbidden to participate from this test, though we really much want to. Good luck!"

Jonathan stepped forward into the ring, clasping his hands together respectfully as he said politely, "Please go easy on me." A pale young man with white hair stepped forward, declaring, "Masters! There's no need to waste your energy on a small fry like him! If he loses to me, 'Vampire Brawler' Ryan, then he's not worthy of becoming a master in our esteemed Association. Come! I'll show you the power of the various disciplines I picked up here!"

The masters nodded in agreement, with one muttering, "Ryan may only be a student, but his talent and ability may far exceed anyone of us, not to mention that he has learnt from all of us. This would be the perfect test for the new kid."

Jonathan could only get into his battle stance, sweat trickling down his forehead as he readied himself for the highly anticipated test battle against the young man before him, who exuded an immense aura of intimidation.

Just like the royal wedding in Nirvania, there was also a royal wedding held in Cameron between Crown Prince Arthur and his beloved Fujika, who was recognised as a national hero for her contributions in the resolution of the pirate threat against Cameron.

Things were progressing smoothly throughout the wedding, with all guests enjoying themselves and the sumptuous spread before them. However, the ambient mood ended when one guest suddenly pointed to the ceiling, "Who the hell are those guys? When did they come in?"

Everybody looked up and much to their horror, there were 4 individuals hanging upside down from the ceiling, all dressed in dark ninja clothing with masks concealing their faces. Arthur quickly pulled Fujika close to his side, only to discover that Fujika's expression wasn't of shock, but rather of disgust, as though she knew those people.

Everybody else present began panicking as security started rushing into the ballroom, with Firen berating them, "How did you let those guys slip past you? Do you know how much danger you've put our Prince and his wife under?"

Merlin interrupted while calmly sipping her glass of red wine, "Don't be so hard on them, Firen. If those guys can be caught by ordinary guards, then the world wouldn't have any reason to fear the #1 assassination clan, the Blood Moon Clan, right, Lady Fujika? Gilbert told me everything before he died, those people are your family right?"

Suddenly, one of the 4 individuals descended from the ceiling and walked towards Fujika. Arthur could tell that the person was a woman and he instinctively stood in front of Fujika to protect her only for Fujika to push him aside. When the 2 women were only about a metre apart, the mysterious woman removed her mask, revealing a face markedly similar to Fujika, albeit older.

The older woman quickly embraced Fujika tightly, saying, "Congratulations, my dear daughter. I'd wanted to attend your wedding in an ordinary fashion, but when your father realised that you were marrying into royalty, he insisted that we display a show of power from our clan. He's really a stubborn old fool and I must apologise to everyone for that. Please forgive our sudden intrusion, everyone."

The older woman bowed in apology to all the guests present, which helped to ease tensions a little. However, this was only short-lived as everyone was horrified by the sudden darting of a shadow on the ground before the shadow emerged from the ground as a shadowy figure which later dispersed to reveal a 5th ninja. He appeared the most menacing out of all of them with his bloodshot eyes and sharp arm-blades.

The 5th ninja walked towards Fujika and removed his mask, revealing a scar-ridden, middle-aged face that appeared to have witnessed countless battles. Fujika said scathingly, "What're you doing here, causing such a ruckus on my big day! I'm fine with Mother being here, but I don't need you or any of those so-called brothers of mine! You've done enough to ruin my life already, Master of the Blood Moon Clan, my father, Zed!"

Zed's expression softened a little, as though he was stung by the words of his daughter. As Fujika's mother attempted to diffuse the tensions between the two, Zed merely raised his hand to stop her, saying, "There's no need for you to say anything, Kali. My daughter, Fujika, I just want you to know that everything I've done is to make you a stronger person that would not be taken advantage of.

My choice of entry is to serve as a warning to these so-called royalty that if they dare hurt you, their heads will be the one rolling by my blade in the darkness. I wish you a blissful marriage…let's go, Kenzo, Ginza, Kinza."

The remaining 3 ninjas on the ceiling nodded as they made quick successive leaps, disappearing from the ballroom in mere seconds just as their father melded into the shadows and disappeared. Kali hugged her daughter one more time, whispering, "Your father may be ruthless and extreme, but he really loves you a lot.

You should have seen how worried he was when he heard Night Wing was no more, fearing your death as he personally combed the areas you were last seen before finally obtaining a trace to your whereabouts in Cameron. That's how we got to know of this wedding in the nick of time. Anyway, all the best for your marriage and bear me grandchildren soon, hehe!"

Kali quickly disappeared from the ballroom in a similar fashion to her sons, much to the bewilderment of the guests who all wondered whether the moments which transpired earlier were real or not.

Fujika simply collapsed to the floor in tears as Arthur attempted to console her by hugging her tightly, while Merlin merely remarked, "What a pity they left so soon, the Blood Moon Clan could have been useful allies in the upcoming threat…"

Frost stood before a cold tombstone, one bearing the name of his twin sister, Snow Witch Freya. She was already dead and buried by the time he'd rushed to her place, with no trace of her and that of his nephew or niece in her house.

As Frost was packing up her belongings in her house, he'd chanced across a diary that she'd left behind in her drawer when she was still alive. Skimping through the pages, he realised that his initial conclusion of his sister dying of childbirth was wrong, since the diary documented how his sister had brought up her newborn daughter, a girl named Emilia.

However, there were still many questions left unanswered. How did Freya die? Who buried her? Where was Emilia? Feeling frustrated at his lack of answers to all these important questions, Frost was about to give up when he chanced across the final sentence in her diary, which read, "Emilia and I are waiting for your return from the North, my dearest Phenix."

Frost instantly realised that Phenix must be the mysterious lover of his sister, and that if he could find him, he may be able to locate his niece, Emilia and maybe even discover the truth behind his sister's death. Feeling a sense of rejuvenation and purpose, Frost quickly packed the diary into his bag, determined to find Phenix and fulfil his final promise to his sister as he rushed out of the cottage.

The sound of waves crashing against the cliff could be heard audibly as a tall, yet slim man was looking out into the sea. The man gave off an unnatural presence, one that felt stifling and overbearing as he merely continued to stare into the horizon.

This was the Chaos General of Pride, Lucius, leader of the Chaos Generals. A slightly tanned man with orange hair styled as a Mohawk approached Lucius from behind before kneeling, reporting, "My lord, the Chaos General of Wrath, Lord Amon, has fallen. Do we still carry out the plan or wait for his reincarnation?"

Lucius replied coldly, "That fool…no matter, there's no hurry to execute the plan anyway. We shall wait for a year, that should be more than enough time for that brute to find a new suitable host. In the meantime, I want you to inform the rest of the Chaos Generals and their respective lackeys to finalise their preparations in their respective footholds so that the plan may be smoothly carried out in a year's time. Can that be done, my lieutenant, Phenix?"

Phenix simply nodded before his body erupted into blue flames, transforming into a phoenix that flew across the sea into the horizon of the setting sun. Lucius muttered to himself, "One year more…and you'll be free at last, Lord Astaroth! Free to engulf this world in all your greatness, with nobody strong enough to stand against your might, hahaha!"

In a rather reclusive cavern, a hooded figure sat on his throne. Standing beside him was a Celestial with bright white wings to his left and a Demon with dark black wings to his right, a peculiar sight to behold.

The Demon was first to speak, "Lord Grimm, I urge you to give us permission to take action now! We can all sense that the balance is heavily disrupted by the insidious influences of those so-called Chaos Generals! Their actions have been breeding immense negativity, the energy that the God of Chaos and Destruction, Astaroth, feeds on which would only hasten his return to this world!

I understand that you're tasked with maintaining the delicate balance of the spirit plane, but if we don't purge these evils, when Astaroth returns, only destruction would await! I beg you, Lord Grimm!"

The Celestial berated angrily, "Balthazar! Watch your mouth! This is Master Haven you're speaking to! He knows what is best for all living things in this world, wisely choosing not to intervene for so long despite the Chaos Generals being around for over centuries! However, Master Haven, the demon does have a point.

The Chaos Generals today are far wiser and stronger than in the past, relying not solely on their powers but that of their impressionable henchmen as well, extending their influence far and wide throughout this world. If we don't do something soon to halt this corruption, the world would soon easily fall to Astaroth's hands without opposition!"

The hooded man could only sigh as he stated calmly, "Reina, Balthazar, both of you are right. It's time for me to take action against those who threaten the world created by my mother, the Goddess of Order and Creation, Amaterasu. For centuries, I've turned a blind eye, believing that the natural forces of good and evil would keep each other in check.

However, as the Chaos Legion grows stronger and more pervasive, turning good into evil just as ink dyes white paper black, it's indeed time for me to set this world back on the right track before it's ripped to the point of no return. My mother, in her current slumber, is in no state to sacrifice herself once more for this world.

Now, I shall perform her duty on her behalf, on my name Grimm Haven."

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