-"People come in and out of one's life. Sometimes for worse, other times, for the better."

*Nyima*

"Do you hear something?" Adela asked as we were fixing our beds.

I looked up from my blue covers and turned around. Slowly, I approached the window as Adela pulled the navy curtains open by a notch. The sun was barely rising so a lot of things were covered in shadows.

"Is it a bird?" I asked, trying to see what was outside.

Adela formed some vines around the window, narrowing her red eyes. She was glaring at whatever, or whoever. was outside. "No way. What are they doing back here? Did they escape?"

I pulled the curtain away completely. Two teen boys stood on the balcony, though one of them had his eyes closed and was leaning on the other as if about to pass out. The other had circles around his eyes which made it look like he should be the one getting sleep.

The one with circles under his eyes waved at me with a slight smile on his face.

"Yuuta..." Memories filled of the time we had spent talking about crafting magical tools flashed back... but so did the pain of his betrayal. I had grown to trust him... trust that he was a friend. Even though it had seemed that we had truly grown close, that wasn't true. If it was then that friendship wasn't strong enough to dissuade him from attacking me and the others.

Adela's focus was on the other boy, Ren.

"Go and warn the others, I'll distract them." I cut the vines and slid open the glass door and raised my hands into the air.

"I didn't think that we would see each other so soon," Yuuta said as soon as I opened the door. He flashed me a gentle smile. The same gesture that would once put me at ease whenever I thought of the possibility that he was one of the eight who wanted to kick us out of Nine Petal Academy. An ease that was unwarranted, for Iah was right in having suspected them.

I took out a newly-made seal.

"What do you want?" I leered at him. "Four months have passed since we last fought. I think I can take you on by myself now."

He raised his hands into the air. "I'm not here for revenge. I came here under the orders of Prince Boukyaku's friends."

"Why would the prince send you here?" Was Boukyaku not actually on our side? Or was it Lucette who wasn't?

"Well, I'm not actually sure if they are his friends, but one of the girls who took us here told me that he asked them to watch over the darkness following the destruction of the tower during our clash four months ago. You see, a great darkness is heading to Nine Petal Academy from the frontier," he responded as he collapsed to the floor. "Please...believe us."

I dashed forward and caught him in my arms. "Yuuta? Hey, open your eyes. What do you mean by 'great darkness'? What happened to you?"

"We teleported here," Ren responded for Yuuta as he opened his eyes. "The others used all their strength to send the two of us to the Kyuu Seishinian capital. However, we were attacked by Mr. Obi. Currently he's fighting Yen and her friends. Some of them teleported us to this realm to retrieve you. They supposedly received an order from Prince Boukyaku to protect Kyuu Seishin from the encroaching darkness."

"Why should we believe you?" Adela asked, appearing next to me. She grabbed Ren by the collar of his shirt. "You eight did nothing but make our first days in Nine Petal horrible! Even until the end, you laid a trap for us at your secret hideout. Lei and Nyima nearly died! I told Mayu that if any of you dared to hurt Lei again that I would kill you! That applies to the rest of my friends as well."

I pulled Adela away from Ren. "Calm down. Let's hear them out before we do anything we can't undo."

"Good luck trying to convince the others to hear them out," Adela snapped. "Hikaru, Ulissis, and Wanikiya especially."

"We won't know until we try," Ren said as he readjusted his shirt. "Plus, Hikaru and Wanikiya already know what's going on. Wanikiya... does appear to be against us."

"Are you girls alright?" Iah asked as he barged into our room. Accompanying him were Ayawamat and Lei who had their wands out. Iah stared at Ren and the unconscious Yuuta as he made his way over to us. "You two... you're alive?"

"Hey, aren't those two some of the guys you fought like four months ago?" Ayawamat asked, raising an eyebrow at them. The guy had barely helped us in that struggle, nor did he interact much with any of the eight. Perhaps that was for the best. He didn't need to feel the same sadness and anger that Adela and I felt. Or the bitterness of not having been believed like Lei and Iah had experienced.

"What do you mean?" Adela asked, shifting uncomfortably.

Iah cautiously approached the Kyuu Seishinians. "I saw it on my phone just now. Their camp was completely destroyed the other day. There were no survivors. Everything was reduced to dust. No one even knows who did it."

I blinked. His phone worked in this realm? Mine couldn't call nor access the internet.

"There are plenty of survivors," Ren assured us. "The rest of the survivors are with the others." His brown eyes shifted toward the pebble floor. "Sadly, the instructors didn't make it."

"Yeah, that's what the report says," Lei said.

'Why wasn't he mad at them? He had gotten angry at me yesterday when I brought up his grudge on Ayawamat. Could it be that he rather not recall such painful experiences or something else?'

"I know I'm not in any position to say this," Ren continued, "but please help us warn the students. The others are spreading the message about the strange invaders while at the same time trying to not create panic. But at this pace, we won't be able to reach everyone before another attack."

"What exactly happened?" I asked, folding my arms together.

Ren explained the story of what happened to their boot camp. He told us about the strange creatures that no one knew about. Those creatures, the way he described them, they sounded familiar.

Mother once mentioned something like them, creatures from a realm known as 'The Abyss', the realm of infinite darkness. As soon as I understood that, I knew what I needed to do.

"I'll tell them, but I want you two to come with me. Despite what you have endured, I can't risk you two running free either."

"We were prepared for this," Ren responded.

"Those creatures...," Adela muttered to herself.

"The prophecy," Lei continued for her.

Did those two know about the prophecy too?

"You seem agitated," Iah said, holding my hand. "Do you know what those creatures are?"

I nodded. "They're creatures known as 'Monsters of the Abyss'. Their names give away where they're from... that realm has few links to our world. The borderlands must have one of those links."

"How do you seem to know more about them than any of us?" Lei asked.

I turned around, walking back in the room. "I normally wouldn't admit this. But, considering how you already know of the creatures, I'll tell you. Since long ago we, Taiyang, have protected this realm and others from the threat of the Abyss. Being the heir of our realm's Taiyang branch, it's my destiny to fight the shadows of the Abyss, even if I must die."

"So that's why that guy who captured Mayu reacted that way when we mentioned your name," Ren said, nodding his head.

What guy was he talking about? A friend of mine?

Lei took out the herb that Mr. Suzuran had given us months earlier.

"Stop raising death flags," he snapped at me. He held the herb toward Adela. "This is the ingredient for a potion to revive the dead. The other ingredient is the core of the Seven Star snake. Ask Mr. Suzuran to teach it to you. Give the medicine to Nyima before she goes and battles those demons."

"I was just..."

Lei looked at me with cold eyes. "No, I truly believe that you would go that far. From what little I've known you, I've come to learn that you're a headstrong person like me."

My face flushed. "I'm nothing like you!"

"Eh..." Ayawamat started.

I glared at him, shutting him up.

"I'll do as you asked," Adela said, putting away the ingredient. "I'll try to make enough for everyone. Please don't do anything reckless, even once it's in your possession. There is a chance that the potion will fail, especially if it's made by me the way I am now. I would've liked more time, but it does seem that Nyima is willing to go all the way."

I looked down and smiled. "Both of you, thanks."

Iah put his arm around me. "We won't allow anything bad to happen to you. We will make it out of this alive."

"You, too?" My face flushed. I glanced over at Ayawamat and waited for his assurance.

His face reddened. "I, I'll help you out. I can't have you dying on me without first giving me a rematch!"

"Sure." I grinned. at him.

He pulled his long bangs over his face. "Stop it. It's not like I'm doing this for you!"

Ren smiled. "How envious, having friends who care so deeply for you."

"Right, one of yours betrayed you," Lei said. "How can you even work with her?"

He walked into the room. "We might not have time to talk. Those creatures might already have arrived at the school."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why do you think they're coming that way?"

Yuuta opened his eyes. "Let...me explain. The tower we fought in, it's one of those spots you mentioned."

Right, I knew that. Mother had verified it as well when she appeared to save us from the fox.

"We should go fetch Ms. Zettai," Ayawamat suggested.

I nodded and rushed out of the room.

Koukyuu was waiting for us, along with three girls dressed similar to how Kun and Nahimana were during our battle at the Nine Petal island ruins.

In our teacher's hands was the same orb that she used to teleport us here. "Almost there." She glanced at the long corridor. "While it's charging, I'll let you say your goodbyes."

"You're leaving already?" a voice called out. It was Ryomi.

"Why did you wake us up for?" Ryuusei mumbled as he hugged his stuffed dolphin.

"We're leaving now," Iah responded, smiling weakly. "I wanted to say goodbye." He patted the child's head and held out a golden sphere. "Take this."

I smiled. Iah really would make a great father one day.

I summoned my silver cross necklace with a blue teardrop in the center. "Here, something to remember me by," I said, holding it toward Ryomi. "Consider it a constant reminder to strive for your goals. Don't disappoint me when we meet again. Okay?"

Ryomi hugged her bear tightly. Tears swelled up as she grabbed the necklace. "Th... thanks. I-I will be stronger when we meet again!"

I smiled and ruffled her hair. "I'm sure you will. You're pretty strong already."

"That necklace," Yuuta said, eyes wide.

I nodded. It was the same necklace that the two of us had made.

Ryomi glanced up at Yuuta. She sniffed the air between them. "You smell similar to Mommy!"

Yuuta smiled. "Do I? Is she a Kyuu Seishinian too?"

'Kyuu Seishinian?'

Ryomi nodded. "Well, Grandmommy is. She wasn't born there, though. But her ancestors did come from there."

'Wait, so my partner all this time was part Kyuu Seishinian?'

Yuuta patted Ryomi's head. "I get a sneaking suspicion that I've met your mother. That green hair of yours brings back memories. And your Grandmommy's story sounds similar to my daddy's."

Ryomi blinked. "Oh? Are we related?"

He chuckled. "I think we might be. If your mommy is who I think she is, then we sure are."

She giggled. "More family!"

Yuuta hugged her. "Seems like it!"

I smiled but turned away so that he wouldn't catch me.

"We're ready to go," Lady Koukyuu announced.

Lei, Adela, and Ayawamat finished giving their partners mementos of their own.

"Let's go!" Lei said, stretching his arms. "Time to save the world."

He really was being nonchalant about this, huh? Granted, we had gone through some pretty crazy stuff in our first weeks at Nine Petal.

Yuuta nodded. "If only we could go to Zionia before this..."

"What's there?" I asked, but before he could answer, we were hit by the bright light of the sphere.

The light vanished, and we were back in the plaza in front of the white castle.

"Let's get going. We're all in danger," said a white-cloaked girl. She was accompanied by another white-cloaked girl.

"You two made it back safely," Ren said.

"White cloaks?" Lei said, rubbing his chin. He gasped and glanced up at them. "Are you two friends of my brother, Kun?"

Suddenly the ground shook with immense strength. "No, it's already starting," I yelled. The shadows were wanting to escape their prison. A prison that they've spent the past eight years in.

"Your third test begins!" Lady Koukyuu said. "Your job is to fight the shadows and protect the school!"

"Hey, Nyima. On the way there, tell us what else you know about these 'spots'," Iah said.

"Alright, that'll save us time!" I responded.

We rushed toward the mountain where our dorms were built, on the other side of it were the ruins. The very ruins which could lead to the demise of not only Kyuu Seishin, but of our entire realm.

**Important Solar Note! : Sorry for the lack of updates these past few days. I have been feeling a bit under the weather as of late (still do, so the quality of this chapter might've suffered a bit...). Either way, I hope that you enjoyed it :3**