"You're late, again!" Karus shouted back as he waved his hand seeing Lime entering their usual open field training spot. He has been sitting for the good hour and a half on top of the large man-sized boulder in the far edge waiting for her. He has half a mind to think she bolted after two long grueling days of torment from his impossible training. "What's the excuse this time?"

"Sorry master," she shouted still running to his spot with great haste, "It's hard to sneak out of the heavily fortified Palace what with the Palace being all crazy since yesterday when the Grand Princess announced her horrifying news."

"News?"

"Oh! You haven't heard?" she said as she hastily moves her feet now reaching his master. She dropped down the ground to sit panting in her never-stopping jog from the Palace to their training spot.

"Haven't heard what?" he asked jumping off from the boulder to sit where she's at.

Lime was jolted. She was wis.h.i.+ng to catch her breath for a few seconds, but his master was so eager robbing her time to breathe. She had no choice but to explain panting still. "Well, the Grand Princess has been rounding up all the military Generals today briefing them about the search for that evil a.s.sa.s.sin."

"What a.s.sa.s.sin?"

"I'm surprised you didn't know this. No disrespect, but you're a Daomagarian Master, right?"

"Oh!" Karus hurriedly crammed for an explanation. He's truly a master swordsman, that part is true. Dal'Gur has written his name in the Hundred Sword Elite's Guild Records under an alias but he is not in the military roster so information coming from the Queen might be difficult to obtain - and a Daomagarian Guild Master who is in Nagozul without being placed in a military division is highly unlikely. "I-uh- I've been a.s.signed secretly to patrol the highlands last week! In fact, you're the only person I've seen since then and up to now, that's why I'm not yet informed."

"See! I told you your messengers are not that perfect!" she smiled wryly trying to prove her point.

They have been discussing this week that nothing is perfect especially the idea about message delivery in the military. There would still be a lag time for about a day or two in pa.s.sing off messages even in the absence of war-like situations. Karus has been trying to argue that their system IS rather perfect but since this proved her point, which would not count in reality since he's just posing as a Daomagar, he doesn't really have any choice but to give in.

"Okay I yield to your point, princess. Now, about that a.s.sa.s.sin?"

"Don't be alarmed. I know this will disturb you," she stopped for a second confirming Karus's nod and then continued, "From what the soldiers told my father, a certain Nagozulian Group tried to a.s.sa.s.sinate the Queen in her chambers yesterday morning."

"What!? Why!? And more importantly, HOW!? It's rather difficult to get in and out of the Palace undetected. What happened?"

"I'm not sure about the intricate details but I overheard them say that somehow they got past the security and managed to creep in and out of her chambers without alerting someone. From the looks of it, they thought it's an inside job but that's just their theory."

Karus dwelled for a few seconds in deep thoughts trying to explain what happened. He knows it cannot be the Easterners since the Queen, even in her prime age, can incinerate their entire army just as easily as lighting up a match. A quick flash of idea blinked to blame Prodea and Sarram's, but he just ignored it. Prodea and Sarram may be wicked to him and his brothers but they are not that heartless to attack their own mother, he thought. He just jumped right into the conclusion that maybe they are finally having an actual radical Nagozulian group forming in their kingdom. It's bound to be considering they invited panic to the hearts of the Holy Sentinels all around the Holy Lands the moment they opened the gates of Nagozul to foreign mortals.

A brief thought surprised him in his mental wanderings. He suddenly remembered the Prophecy. He tried hard ignoring the thought that maybe this is the unraveling of his grandfather's vision and that this serves as a warning, alarming him that the time of his transformation being the White Demon grows imminent. This lingering idea scratched his very consciousness bringing forth terror in his eyes until Lime interrupted his train of thought.

"You know, I forgot to mention this, but I was a bit scared yesterday. I woke up early to find out that the sun disappeared for about an hour shrouding the skies to dark red - much like having a tint of blood. As if the heavens..."

"Wait, that happened again?" Karus asked now surprised to hear the Gigantic t.i.tan of the Sea rising once again from its earlier appearance just a day ago.

"Yes. Our people call it the Mourning of the Heavens - a very ominous warning from G.o.d I might add."

"Though it is in fact true that it is a very ominous warning, it is not what you think of. The turning of the pitch-black skies with the b.l.o.o.d.y moon is the magic of the Nanreben - our protector of the seas. It starts in its awakening, giving forth high tides and maximizes all Water Caster's elemental energies by giving them ease in manipulating the flow of water. It only ends when it dives back to the seas to sleep. It's the third time this year. I wonder why it's being awakened at an unusual interval."

"Oh! Is that what it is? You mean that huge serpentine monster. The one who obliterated our cargo s.h.i.+p three days ago? That sea dragon frightens me and everyone from Leonus - and I think everyone in the Palace is as shocked as we are too."

"So, you're the reason for its grand appearance?" He asked in all seriousness startling Lime.

"No, actually not. It's the first time it attacked us. When we came up here, the ports are wide open to receive us. Actually, I haven't had the chance to see this horrifying creature up close - I wonder what it looks like..."

"So, he destroyed your cargo s.h.i.+ps twice?" Karus persisted interrogating even though Lime has been trying to hint to change from this dreadful topic.

"No, just the first resupply cargo s.h.i.+p," she answered curious. "I swear, seeing the blackened sky is just frightening. I thought we lost another s.h.i.+p but luckily no one is due to arrive yesterday."

"Oh. What's up with its erratic awakening? I wonder why it has been acting up strangely this year. Only Bakunawa can call to it. If he destroyed your cargo now, then why did he let your s.h.i.+p pa.s.s when you arrived?"

He paused contemplating trying to a.n.a.lyze what is happening till Lime smiled and posed a question changing his mood almost immediately upon noticing.

"Who's Bakunawa?"

"Oh, nothing. He's just the gate keeper," he smiled giving a wide beam. He doesn't want to end up lecturing her about things she shouldn't know so he controlled his urge to share information, however powerful they may be.

"Hey! I thought you told me you were patrolling? Why haven't you noticed that unusual phenomenon?"

"I-uh- I might have dozed off for a while yesterday morning," he tried explaining. Though it is not a common practice for a master to recount the exhibition of laziness in the line of duty, he did sleep soundly yesterday until midmorning, so that explanation can be both plausible and true - he is indeed a young master after all, he thought, so that excuse can work.

Lime slowly stood up with eyes that looked askance with Karus's alibi.

"Alright, alright," she said smiling, removing her sling bag and throwing it to the sides, "I know you're not the lazy type but I believe you and I'm sure you're not going to doze off while you train me, right? Just try and you'll receive a special surprise from my new lovely purple gauntlets."

Karus grinned for a bit. He smiled not because of her joke but because of the thought that he just found a naïve spy in his employ. He doesn't need to visit shops to hear gossips which he loathes more than ever. Now that he's got an inside man, nay an inside woman, in the Palace, he doesn't really need to stop by there once in a while which is a boon practically worth thanking for. In the meantime, he must figure out a way to explain what he's been doing in his free time to Kayzar, wherever he may be, so that he can switch about places for him to actually train with swords since he's been burning a lot of time training her instead.

"Master?" she said interrupting his thoughts yet again, "Are you alright, you are awfully preoccupied today. We could postpone training today so that you can report to your General about this..."

"Oh no! I'm fine," he replied cutting, "I'm just thinking of something important. Shall we commence?"

"YES MASTER!" she shouted bowing low.

"Now I know that I promised yesterday that we will now start with blade training. But before anything I would like to give you a quick lecture about wielding its power."

Lime bowed low again and then sat slowly on the ground, making herself comfortable while she waited for Karus as he dashed off to get a sword from his gear near the huge boulders and then went back. He unsheathed the sword in front of her and pushed the blade, a normal looking katana, down to the earth. He stepped back and unsheathed the long sword from his side, the same curvy katana but with a golden hilt and an orb ruby gem encrusted on the end as its pommel, he feigned slas.h.i.+ng about in the air for a couple of seconds to demonstrate and then he started.

"This is one of the hundred types of swords available in our world. As you know, the Master of the Hundred Sword Elites takes pride in their mastery of the best one hundred sword blades known by mortals. Training for the mastery of every sword type requires diligence, perseverance, wisdom, and most specially patience. Knowing every type of blade and its properties is one of the paramount responsibilities of a Sword Master.

"Each Master is designated a defining primary weapon. The one hundredth position in our clan is designated for the katana so I'd say it chose me. I have come to love this blade specifically for its efficiency in combat as well as its defensive and offensive capabilities allowing its user to wield its power to attack quickly from every corner and to defend from it just the same.

"You must always remember that each Sword Fighter must Master at least two swords, a long sword and a short sword, and must always remember to never forget them especially in combat. A sword fighter treats their swords as a part of their body and as such must always bring them at an arm's length or else, they will be an inutile cripple in battle. Your sword is your Sandata, your weapon, your life, and without your Sandata you are worthless."

"Master," she interrupted pointing to his other sword dangling on his side attached to his leather belt. "I know that your long sword is a Katana but what is your short sword. I have read many books about swords, but I don't recognize that type of short sword."

The unusual sword she is pointing to have a wide gold-plated wooden scabbard with a golden hilt and a fierce serpentine dragon with sharp fangs protruding its gaping open mouth as its pommel.

"Oh, this? It is one of the best swords in existence but unfortunately, it's not that popular because it's really hard to wield. This is the Kampilan. I was inspired by its dual-point tip and unique blade structure, being wider at the point than its base, making it a perfect weapon for hacking things off easy. Although it's usually a long sword, I fas.h.i.+oned it to be a one-handed short sword. Now, in its short form, it's called the Kampilan Bolo. I've been eyeing this myself but since it's reserved for Number One in our clan, I can only carry a short sword type - which by the way can be anything."

"Oh! Right! I know Kampilan swords and I originally thought that to be a Kampilan too but seeing its blade measuring to only a foot confused me. Good thing the pommel is shaped like a mythical dragon. That gave it away."

"Not just any dragon. It's Dal'Gur's depiction of the Nanreben - the mighty sea serpent. And yes, great job for noticing, the Kampilan's unique signature is a mythical creature's wide opened mouth as its pommel."

"And what about that third sword?" she asked pointing at the sword in front of her just resting on the ground where he pushed it earlier.

"Ah! As you have noticed," he pointed at the other sword standing like a totem, "That would be your blade. That is a normal novice Katana. As my apprentice, you will first master this blade before any other blades."

"But, Master?" she raised her hand with confusion in her eyes, "This type of blade is somewhat foreign to me. It shows a remarkable resemblance to the weapons of our enemies from the Oriental regions of the Gnarshu. I think I might have to pa.s.s up to..."

"Silence young apprentice," he snapped interrupting her to continue, "My word is law and it is final. If you are going to be my apprentice, you might as well get used to my designated sword. D'ya think I enjoyed mine when it was first given to me?"

"Hey, don't get so grumpy and all," she said pouting crossing her arms, "I only said that because it would be weird training for the enemy's weapons first before our traditional long sword."

"Hey! Don't get smart at me, young apprentice," he crossed his arms too almost stuttering, "Remember what you promised! You can't refuse my commands!"

"Well, why can't we try our traditional sword? Why do I have to train on that weak thin sword? Soldiers will make fun of me even more! They will think it's a woman's sword. They will never treat me as their equal."

"Hah! Don't be fooled by its exterior qualities. Speed is the art of battle. Understand that in a sword fight, whoever can wield their swords to be the fastest, to a point that they can outmaneuver their opponent's moves, wins! It's not about how big your sword is, it's about hitting your enemy at their weak spot with precision and control just as the birds-of-prey dives thousands of feet to capture their unwitting victim on the ground. Quick, precise, and deadly."

"You mean to tell me that that silly thin katana can outwit a claymore or a broadsword in combat?"

"Well, in a Daomagar to Daomagar fight, it all depends on their level of mastery of the sword..."

"You see?! I told you it..."

"BUT!" he interrupted, "When we're talking about your kind of mortals, then I would bet my stored bullions, heck, I will bet my t.i.tle as a master proving that point."

"Well, that's easy for you to say. You are a Daomagar, and you don't feel what it's like to be weak like us other kind of mortals."

"Hey, hey, don't get offended by that. I'm just stating the truth. Given a chance that both parties have two different swords and they both master these two swords, the Katana's maneuverability and precision literally takes advantage over your wide and c.u.mbersome long sword anytime.

"Sword fighting is basically cut between attacking and defending. Every attack opens your body to grievous harm so you must always be able to switch back from an attack stance to the defensive stance. The time lag between changing from these stances is critical in combat. Wrong positioning and an opening might be too visible to the enemy and that might result to inviting a fatal wound to your body.

"A Daomagar has strength, speed, and power beyond your kind of mortals that's why the battle between us cannot be quantified by swords alone. Your kind of mortals is bound by somewhat different rules making each of our case different so there's a dissimilar take on both points.

"Simply put, you are not blessed with our powers, so our normal battle principles don't apply to your kind. What you can improve though is your skill on handling the weapon. Thus, I arrived at the conclusion that with two combatants achieving skills equal to that of a master, the Katana, with its maneuverability, trumps the heavy long sword anytime. Plus, in the long run, when two of those masters have been going on fighting for quite some time, the master using the claymore will tire out his arms raising that c.u.mbersome sword. By then, the match will be over, and you would've won."

"Okay, okay..." she grumpily said standing up, pulling the sword from the ground, "I'm sorry. I just want to be great at this thing."

"Believe me, I'm the Sword Master. I know these kinds of things."

Lime lightened up with his a.s.surance and was immediately filled with spirit making her sword stance.

"So, Master, shall we commence?"

"Well, did you bring your training tonic? The one that I gave you yesterday?"

"Yes Master!"

"And have you taken up your dosage today?"

"Yes Master!"

"Are you sure? The last time I told you to take it you forgot, and I end up spending White Angel on you."

"Yes Master. I don't want to have any broken bones again. I don't want to experience that kind of pain ever."

"Good. Prepare yourself. You won't get any rest today."

"Yes Master!"

-------ooO0Ooo-------

"Yosh."

"Yes, King Kyrin?" he said arriving at the opened front door of his chambers being befuddled to his great senses knowing he's there before he even tried to knock. He saw him tinkering something on his table at the far end which he deserted immediately after seeing him there standing.

"I'm afraid there has been terrible news," he said standing up inviting him to enter, "I think you should sit down first before you hear it."

Yosh gently walked inside his grand room. It is wide and s.p.a.cious with bright lights as if the sun is s.h.i.+ning in every window-like opening, which is surprising since they are underground in the lair of the Dwendells. He stopped and noticed roots forming up transforming into a wide chair. He sat hurriedly so as to hear the urgent news and got a little distracted as he noticed the unusual softness of the roots as if it has perfectly mimicked a cotton upholstered divan which is quite impressive. He was about to give commendations, but he remembered why he was sitting.

"What is it King Kyrin? Did I do something wrong again?"

"Oh, dear Prince Yosh, no. You did not do anything wrong, except - well - I told you to call me just Kyrin. You've been ignoring that for days now."

"I can't help it, sir. It feels awkward having to talk to you like an equal - you are king after all. And besides, I'm not raised to talk like that. Mama will beat me senselessly losing those words of respect."

"Yes," he smiled trying to contain his laugh, "your mother. She's merciless and violent to her enemies yet kind and loyal to her friends. Very few people lived to tell how they dared to be on her bad side. They even gave her the name Destroyerto commemorate the kind of utter destruction only she can do when she is in a rage."

"You know my mother?"

"Yes, but we unfortunately met under different circ.u.mstances. You know that I have to fight her when we first met just to keep my son Iyom alive after he accidentally poisoned Prince Artemus. But that is a story I would glad to reminisce some other time. I'm afraid I have the responsibility to relay to you what's happening on the other side."

"What happened?" asked Yosh being alarmed with Kyrin's seriousness.

"Yosh, your kingdom is going through a difficult situation right now and honestly, I'm afraid keeping you here would make me selfish and petty."

"What's going on?"

"Your father is ill; Very ill to the brink of death as my sources confirmed."

"What!?" he stood up concerned almost frantic.

"And that's not all. Your grandmother, well, she's been hanging by a thread because someone tried to a.s.sa.s.sinate her in her own quarters. Though my sources cannot confirm this, the fact still remains that the Queen's presence haven't been seen for quite a while now giving weight to the alleged a.s.sa.s.sination."

"Well I have to get out of here! I have to know what's going on!"

"Even as we speak, Dwendells that are in charge for your departure have been stacking up supplies for your journey home. We know you need to go to your family in this difficult time, so we've readied you up with a month-long ration for your journey back to the north."

"How did you know?" Yosh beamed squinting, suspecting he heard something about what he and Nine discussed during lunch yesterday.

"That you don't want to go to the Palace? Don't worry Nine didn't tell me this. It's something I've known for quite some time."

"And what about your people? Who's going to protect your life trees?"

"Thanks to you, the harvest of our life tree has been averted this year. It'll take a long time for them to try again. And besides, we got Iyom and Nine for that. They are not called the unrestricted Dwendells for nothing so they can manage to help us when needed."

"Alright. So, when can I leave?"

"Now would be a perfect time to leave. But before you go, there is one thing I would like to impart to you."

Yosh's eyebrows creased with curiosity as Kyrin stepped back and grabbed a fist sized yellow topaz orb. He chanted in a weird language making the orb illuminate an intense yellow blaze much like an Amplifyer being activated.

"Because of your selfless act of protecting the Dwendell people, I, King Kyrin of the Dwendell, will bestow upon you the Eagle Eyes if you so wish it."

"Really? Wow! Yes, great king! That would be totally awesome! But can I learn that? I mean I am a mortal."

"Yes, child. Your elemental essence surpa.s.ses any Earth Molder in existence so in theory you are viable to attain this skill."

"Wait. Viable? Then it is a gamble, right?"

"Yes. We have not been able to impart this rare gift to any mortal, so it is a gamble. But we do know that you are one of the chosen one so you will most likely succeed in a.s.similating this technique with much ease."

"Whoa, that t.i.tle again? No disrespect, your highness, but you have been calling me the chosen one for days. And I didn't really ask persistently then but I won't take no for an answer now. What is it that you mean by that?"

"I regret to inform you that you don't have enough time to learn this now. But don't worry. You'll find it out eventually," he smiled as he steps closer getting near him. "So, the question is, are you ready to accept the powers of the Dwendell?"

"Yes sir! But know that you owe me an explanation next time!"

Kyrin nodded smiling. "Well then, close your eyes and prepare yourself mortal prince."

The orb illuminated bright pulses of light that even with his eyes closed, he can see bright white. Within seconds this continued and then, with the final most powerful pulse, it all turned black.

"Open your eyes, Prince Yosh," whispered Kyrin which he did follow automatically.

"Hey, I can't see anything. Am I blind?"

"Wait for it..."

"Yeah... I can see a dot of light, going brighter and bri.... Ahhhhhhhh!"

Yosh fell down squirming on the ground, pressing his hands to his face in excruciating pain. The faint dot has become a bright beacon blinding him even more with its suffocating vivid array of wild colors forcing its way into his head causing all of his body to feel pain to spread out in every inch of his body.

"Control the light Prince Yosh. Master the light. The more you panic, the more confusing it will be for your brain to process that much light coming into your eyes."

Yosh tried opening his eyes and experienced the unbearable pain once more as if all the nerve of his body is calling out for help in sheer terror, stimulating all his senses with sharp torturous stings.

"Focus your eyes Prince Yosh," instructed Kyrin feeling confident still standing in front of him like nothing is wrong, "Concentration is the key. Demand control over your vessel. Your vessel is not the master of your soul. Dominate your eyes and force it to your bidding."

Slowly, Yosh stood up shaking, still in pain, and gently opened his eyes to see the blurry King smiling in front of him. He smiled too as his body gradually returned to normal ridding himself of the pain he is feeling.

"That's some wicked thing you did to me King Kyrin," he said joking, "What is that painful bright thing happening in my eyes?"

"See for yourself."

Kyrin moved his hands and, like magic, a tall mirror appeared behind him revealing Yosh with his eyelids engulfed with black outlines, the same as what Nine had but with sharper edges to the sides. He went near inspecting the tattoo like marking on his eyes running down his fingers to see how it feels. His eye color changed from brown to bright yellow making him smile a bit thinking how it matches the embedded Amplifyer on his forehead.

"I can't believe it! It actually feels as if it's not on. How do I activate its powers?"

"You must only concentrate your eyes to the object you wish to see or the direction you want to inspect." He pointed at the far corner of his room to a lonely jar of bright colored flowers on top of a wooden desk. "Try concentrating there. Focus your eyes to magnify that vase."

Yosh turned around and squinted a little. Within seconds his vision suddenly zoomed forth as if he dashed right in front of the desk and saw the intricate designs of the vase with its contours and texture. He immediately loss all balance and fell down blinking for a couple of seconds returning his eyesight to normal view.

Kyrin laughed hard seeing Yosh fumble down as if he twirled for fifty times in a dizzy spell. "In time you most certainly can master the Eagle Eye and you could focus your vision to longer distances but before that, you should really train your balance first. Your eyes are magnifying objects too far that your brain gets confused on the horizontal plane making you lose your stance."

"Yep, didn't see that one coming," he mumbled looking again at the mirror being conscious about his looks. "Hey, King Kyrin. How can I disable this skill? I can't just walk around looking like a racc.o.o.n everywhere."

"You have to will it to deactivate much like you willed it to activate. You have to relax your eyes." He extended his arms helping him to stand up. He smiled as if giving him praise and encouragement - a sense of respect that Yosh felt, feeling proud of what he now has. "In time you will differentiate the feel of having that skill activated and also the feel of having it without. By then you wouldn't be able to activate it accidentally, say - when you're reading a book or thinking something hard."

"You ready now, crazy kid?" whispered Iyom behind him appearing out of nowhere. "I got plans today, Dad, so you better hurry up."

"Thanks again great King! I will return when I can." Yosh said after carrying the backpack Iyom threw to him. He then bowed low which Kyrin did too. "You still owe me that one other technique and I'm going to be here someday to collect."

"I know you will," he replied with a beaming jolly face, "and I'll be looking forward to that day." And then everything was torn apart as if being dissolved and in just a blink of an eye he was transported back to the sunny fields of the northern regions of the forest.

"Hey, Iyom," shouted Yosh stopping him from leaving, "I know we had a rough couple of days, but you are a great friend and I would like to get to know you better someday."

Iyom got irritated and went near him almost furious, "Hey! Have I given some sort of signal that confused you, just a teeny bit, making you a.s.sume that we are now friends?"

"You didn't... I'm talking about how you are with Nine..."

"Oh!" he mumbled trying to compose himself almost humiliated with his outburst.

"But I would like to..." he said immediately extending his hand for a shake, "if you want?"

Iyom slapped his hands and went close to him pointing his finger almost three inches near his face. "I don't trust you one bit, mortal, and I'm willing to eliminate you if you do anything close to hurting Nine or any other Dwendell! And..."

Yosh wrapped his arms around and tried to hug him smiling wide without malice in his eyes. This disturbed Iyom making him jump away being interrupted in his livid speech.

"WHAT THE INFERNAL TEY'ARN ARE YOU DOING!? Shees.h.!.+ You mortals and your hugging! You're all weird!" and with this he disappeared leaving Yosh alone with Luna by his side and Stella now arriving at Yosh's right shoulder pad, flapping her wings to comfort, bobbing her head cooing, giving his master a welcome.

"Mrreeaoooow..." whispered Luna looking up to his Master as if complaining.

"What? I didn't go overboard!" shouted Yosh now walking away from the woods which Luna followed almost immediately, "That kid seriously needs a hug and I'm the only one who can provide it. Look how stiff and stressed he is. He might explode into pieces any minute."

"Mrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..."

"Yeah, I know. But I don't regret doing it. Mama said one hug is better than a ton of medicine."

"Cruuoouuu... hooou... couuu hoo..." entered Stella hooting, tilting her head to almost a hundred twenty degrees to her right.

"You too Stella? Geez guys, enough alright. I only thought hugging him was the only option. He looks like he's going to cry, and I felt sorry for him."

-------ooO0Ooo-------

"DECOMISSIONED FROM ACTIVE MISSIONS!?" shouted Reus furiously crumpling the letter of notice in front of his grandfather Narra who is sitting behind his father's desk trying to sort all of the paperwork that was left behind. "WHY!? What have I done wrong!?"

Narra stopped for a moment to attend to the infuriated Reus. He smiled as he removed his spectacles trying to relieve his tension headache for building even more.

"Sit down General Reus. Please. I don't understand how your father can put up with this work. The sun has come down hours ago, the papers seem to have a life of its own growing exponentially by the minute, and then dealing with hysterical soldiers like you? Practically, you're really not helping me out one bit."

Reus grabbed a chair in front of his table and grumpily sat almost with a loud thump in protest. "Now! Can you please reconsider to repeal this order? I was doing great at the North! There are so many things still left to do there, and..."

Narra extended his palms stopping him to go any further. He is so stressed he wants to conserve what little energy he has left on completing the mountains of paperwork that was due yesterday. "It's not me, it's your father. I don't know why but he has explicitly stated that if, in some twist of fate, he falls incapacitated - like now - you all will be collected here in this fortress until we can figure things out."

"What!? That's absurd gramps! What are we? Children?"

"Practically you are!" he shouted now getting annoyed, "You are basically acting like one! Your father is gravely ill and what you want is for you to be a.s.signed to some far away regions of the north!?"

Reus stopped for a second and mumbled shakingly, "It's just... I-I don't want to see him like that. I-I don't want to be held here helpless. I want to be occupied for just a while, at least until he's better. Even the greatest casters around can't figure out why he's in a deep sleep state. What am I supposed to do?"

"This isn't meant to happen," he whispered trying to ma.s.sage his face with his hands sitting back.

"Beg your pardon?"

"Nothing," he smiled dodging the idea, smiling to his developing trait of uncontrolled mumblings, "All I want is for you to be here for your father; be here for your mother; most especially for your brothers. You are the eldest; it's your duty to keep them all safe. If you're not here, then who's going to take care of them? Yosh is still missing. Your twin brothers are missing. With all these problems with the rebels acting up again at the North, we have to keep a united front here at the encampment. This is the Citadel. We need to maintain a certain level of morale to keep our soldier's spirits alive. You can do a ton of things just by being here. You're helping me, your family, the army and, most specifically, your father."

"Well, if you put it that way." He grabbed a file folder and started reading reports. He pulled a pen inside his vest and began writing on it helping his grandfather with the work. Narra smiled as he wore his gla.s.ses and continued reading the opened four-inch file in front of him.

"But really?" Reus interrupted after a minute or two, "The twins are missing? That's rather a usual topic, right? It'll be a miraculous day seeing them supervised and located at all times."

"I believe they managed to lose their shadow guardians while they were traversing south of Kulog Pa.s.s. They were last seen at the Cotton Villages but, knowing their potential, they are most certainly not in danger so that'll escape our worry for a bit."

"I'll be surprised if they aren't," laughed Reus, "They're always in danger, in fact, they try ways to be in it which surprises me even more. It's amazing how they can enjoy living in their world of extensive pain and torture."

Narra stopped for a while removing his reading spectacles once more, "What troubles me is Yosh, he's nowhere to be found and it's been a month."

"Nah, he'll be here in about a week or two."

"Really? How'd you know?"

"My falcon tracks his owl. I know where he's been and seeing the direction he's taking now. It won't take long till he comes home."

"What!? You've been wasting your mother's time searching for your brother!? You should've told us!"

"You know, I originally thought he's going to be found early on his runaway tantrums, but I guess I was wrong to underestimate his hunting skills. The twins didn't call him the greased monkey for nothing after all. I bet I was at the wrong there."

"You bet!? You are totally in the wrong there! You should've at least told somebody about that!"

"And make my falcon forget me? No thanks gramps. He's weird with animals. He's wired my falcon to turn on me, twice, just to teach me a lesson meddling with his affairs. And I'm not going to go through with that with my new Peregrine Falcon. It's hard to train one of them you know and I'm not going to waste my time again training for my fifth!"

"I'm just going to have to tell this to your mother!" he stood up disappointed shaking his head in dismay.

"No! Gramps!" he pulled his sleeves stopping him from storming out the door, "Please, don't tell on me... Please?" he forced a smile trying to charm his grandfather, but it didn't work.

"No, I'll summon your mother back, alright. I would give you a favor and tell Anagea to keep this a secret. It'll be hard for her and will be rather a pain for you seeing how furious your mother will get but at least Piks wouldn't be replaced with a sixth version."

Reus nodded sad removing his grip on his grandfather's sleeves, but he turned back and continued.

"Just promise me to tell every detail regarding your brothers in the future."

"Yes, I will," he promptly replied, "I will tell you all of the things that they are doing."

"Not all of them. I only want to know important things regarding their safety!"

"Yep," he promised almost delighted, "That'll be the deal!"

-------ooO0Ooo-------

"Ulrihis!" shouted the furious s.h.i.+hiku circling around in some deep cavern, "I have waited for a day for you!"

Grog is sitting on the corner looking gloomy with his head down. They have been mourning for Bakunawa for a day now. The death of their brother, a fellow immortal, ripped their hearts out and robbed them of any feeling of emotion except anger and fury. They have been trying to reach Ulrihis at the deep caverns underneath the seas of Nagozul where he usually lays to slumber, but they haven't been able to see him which troubled the outraged s.h.i.+hiku being more impatient by the second.

Finally, an echoing hiss grabbed their attention giving them the spirit to stand up awaiting the giant poisonous serpentine. Ulrihis entered slowly, with his tongue unusually being kept inside his mouth without being flickered with short intervals as if he already knows the bad news and too has been robbed with emotions.

"Why are you bothering me now Ss.h.i.+hiku..."

"Where have you been? We have been waiting for you since Bakunawa called upon the Sea t.i.tan!"

"The Nanreben? It'sss dead."

"Yes, we know," entered Grog, "I have commanded s.h.i.+hiku to stop thinking about retaliating, but he wants to have a second opinion from one of the elders thus we have been gathered here."

"YES! THANK YOU OH GREAT GROG! THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING FOR MY BEHALF AS IF I CANNOT RELAY MY OWN THOUGHTS!"

Grog just shuddered unresponsive. He doesn't really have enough energy to pick a fight with the childish s.h.i.+hiku, so he just sat again, head down.

"Isss that true?"

"Indeed Ulrihis. We must strike the mortals for killing one of our own and annihilating one of the last remaining t.i.tans..."

"Ssstop," said Ulrihis being lethargic and unsympathetic to his thought, "Being immortal comesss with great cossst. We are not sssavagesss, we have been primed by age to have wisssdom. We must not act ha.s.sstily on every sssingle wicked action perpetrated by the mortalsss. We are better than that."

"But what about Bakunawa's honor!? Are we going to leave his memory in vain? Do you think we would honor him by just sitting here and watch them eliminate us one by one!?"

"Sss.h.i.+hiku, is the fountain of life safe?"

"Y-yes?" he replied almost wary of his question.

"Then Sss.h.i.+hiku, for the last time, stand down and do not disssturb me with your petty grievanssses!" s.h.i.+hiku was taken aback with these cold shoutings. He was a.s.suming that Ulrihis will now see the light of his idea now that this tragedy has surfaced the Holy Lands, but he did not. "Toying with the deathsss of thousssandsss of sssoulsss isss not going to be my role here in the Holy Landsss. Bakunawa ha.s.ss sssacrifisssed himssself not to do what you have been ssso eagerly sssuggesssting ssso why can't you sssee that? Why can't you sssee what he ha.s.ss done!? If he wissshesss to dessstroy all mortalsss, he could've sssunken the Holy Landsss to the depthsss of the osssean floor, but he did not! He ha.s.ss ressspect for the livesss of every being created by Bathala. Ssso you have two choissses! Either ssstart learning from that exsssample and contemplate on your juvenile tantrumsss or end yourssself! It'sss that sssimple!"

After saying this, s.h.i.+hiku gurgled up some courage to spit some words but he couldn't. Ulrihis, with his disappointed eyes still mellowing with tears, turned back and slithered away making s.h.i.+hiku and Grog to turn looking at each other in surprise. Ulrihis normally doesn't speak in this tone. He's usually calm and receptive to anyone's idea but today, after all that's been happening, especially the death of one of his most treasured friends, he just flipped. He changed. His eyes told everything about how he now closed himself away for caring about mortals. He's abiding still with his oath on protecting life, but his eyes tell it differently. His eyes want revenge, revenge that can never happen.

"Don't say another word," mumbled Grog now standing up, "Don't speak or I swear to Bathala I will lash my wrath upon you."

And with this threat he disappeared blinking like a star leaving s.h.i.+hiku to ponder about what happened.