As we drew closer to home, we decided to get out of the bus and walk instead to get our blood pumping.

Stalks of wheat danced around us like rolling waves never hitting shore, sending their seeds and earth-like smell into the wind to mix with the sweet smell of the nearby wildflowers. Insects of various kinds from bees to butterflies buzzed overhead, moving away from one sea of tiny multi-colored flowers to the next in search of pollen.

"This place is different from the city," Setsuko said as her brown eyes gazed at the mountains in the distance. A cloak of green covered their bases which eventually gave way to silver peaks which reached for the heavens. Her eyes traced the river cutting through their verdant vestments and ultimately led to the valley we were in.

"It's amazing!" Nori said, his red eyes shimmering as he took in all of the nature around him.

"This is Master's home?" Yuko asked, staring around at the quiet countryside as we made our way toward my house.

"Yeah, mine and Serrano's, also Xime's old home too."

"I missed it so much," Ximena said, taking in the crisp morning air.

"I can see why. It has a calm and relaxing feel to it," Setsuko said, closing her eyes as she felt the cool valley breeze. "I wouldn't mind living here."

"It's boring is what it is," Hideo said as he kicked up some dust. He ran on ahead and turned toward the group. "How much farther do we need to walk?"

"We're actually here," I said, pointing at the tiny black house in front of him.

He turned once more and blinked. "Oh. Your house is sadder than I had expected."

I curled my hands into fists and grinned. "And you're as annoying as always."

Hideo raised an eyebrow. His lips quivered. "Uh, I am. Aren't I?" His eyes darted to the sheep munching away on the wildflowers in front of the house.

That's odd. I thought that he would've reacted differently. Seems that what happened to Dan is still affecting him, even though there is a small chance he might still be alive.

"I find it relaxing," Rosa said, smiling at me. "Feels like barely anything has changed..."

"You've been here before?" Hyosetsu asked, raising an eyebrow.

Setsuko chuckled. "Yeah, but back then we were visiting..." She turned to look at Serrano and stopped. She gasped and redirected her gaze at her sister. "Actually, wasn't it around here where you jumped to save Bear-woof?"

Rosa chuckled, nervously. "Yeah."

I sighed. "So you were that girl who I saved that day."

She lowered her eyes toward her bear-woof which had mysteriously appeared in her hands. "Yeah..."

I smiled and patted the plushie's head. "This is what brought us together, that first time."

Rosalba's face turned completely red.

I pulled my hand away. My face warmed up just like hers. "Not that it matters anymore," I whispered.

"Good, you're all here," a voice called out. Walking out of my house alongside my brother and sister was none other than the queen of our entire realm, Saya no Mikoto. She wore a loose fitted white blouse and a flowing flower print skirt.

"Your majesty," we all said, bowing down.

"It's been awhile," Setsuko said, looking up at the princess.

"Tetsuya!" Teresa said, rushing over. She embraced me tightly, getting her long black hair all over my face. "I missed you so much!"

"It's good to see you up and about," Takuya said, standing to the side. "You really worried us back there in Kyuu Seishin."

I looked down. "Sorry," I said.

Teresa pulled away from me and patted my shoulder. "We're just glad that you're alive, Tetsu."

My face reddened. "I told you not to call me that," I said, pouting.

Serrano who stood by his fiancée snickered.

That guy. I chuckled.

It felt like deja vu, like the day that I left home and started this hellish and confusing journey. If only I could go back, go back and tell my old self to refuse Agnes.

I glanced down at Yuko who was as amazed as Nori to be surrounded by nature instead of concrete and steel.

Gazing at Queen Saya, I asked, "What brings you to my humble abode, your highness?"

The High Queen raised a hand to her mouth and chuckled. "I came over to see your training, as well as for another reason. Come out, my lovely son."

A blond haired youth walked out of the house, accompanied by several others. From the group I recognized Akane, Maki, Zyunni, Eri, Feng. The others I either didn't know or at least I didn't remember meeting them.

"Hello. Nice to see all of you again," he said, brushing his long bangs away from his eyes.

"Likewise, Prince Ryonoko," I said, smiling. "Uh, what are you all doing here?"

"These folk were chosen by us Dimensional Rulers to accompany you on your upcoming journey to the Abyss," Lady Saya said with a grin. "Now divide yourselves into groups. Once you have then we'll begin our training camp."

"Training camp?" Hideo asked as his jaw dropped. "I hope that you don't mean chopping wood and all other kinds of manual labor intensive stuff."

The queen snickered. "Yeah, I do. Though, that'll be for later."

"Great," Eiichi said, sweeping his long blond hair back. He glanced at one of the girls in the group who stood by quietly like a soldier awaiting her next command.

"Hey, isn't that the girl who you were with during the Mahoulympics?" Hideo asked, pointing at the young woman with long green hair and bright blue eyes.

Eiichi looked away. "Yeah. But I don't know why she's here."

"Now, all of you join one of the five knights!" Queen Saya said, swiping her hand through the air.

"This is going to be fun," Kohri said, grinning as he glanced at a girl with short brown hair.

The girl smiled as she made her way over to us. "Long time no see!" she said.

Kohri chuckled as he started to fidget. "It wasn't that long ago. We saw each other during the Mahoulympics."

Yuko tilted her head at the young woman. The glint in her eyes was like that of someone seeing someone familiar.

"True, but it feels like forever, though," Kohri's friend said. "We barely got to even talk."

Kohri scratched his head. "Sorry about that. If it weren't for Tetsu's Agnes breaking then I would've had more time."

Oh, so it's my fault now...

"Hey, Amira told me to check up on you," the prince said as he rushed over to Yuko.

"Yuko is doing fine now that Master is doing well! How's Yuko's cousin doing?" Yuko asked with a grin.

The prince returned the smile. "Amira is doing fine. The baby is too. It's due in a few months. Hopefully, this conflict will be done before it's born."

Yuko grinned. "Yuko hopes so too."

It was nice seeing Yuko smiling brightly. It nearly made me forget what had happened at the end of our stay in Xeleria. Never did I wish to see that again. That's why I needed to get stronger. I needed the power to protect those close to me.

"Tetsuya."

"Hanketsu? What's up? You sound worried."

"There's something... never mind. I'll tell you later. For now focus on your training."

"I plan to."

Something pulled against the sleeve of my shirt. Yuko's brown eyes met mine. "Are you alright?"

"Me? I'm just a little dazed is all," I said, pushing my long white hair back. My hair, it was a reminder of what had happened in that world. It was only thanks to Rosa, Yuko, and Hanketsu that I could stand there with the other knights, getting ready to train for what possibly would be our final battle against the creatures of the Abyss.

Now that I think about it, I still don't know for sure who Hanketsu meant when he said that someone was in pain while I was escaping. How did me leaving cause them pain? I should ask him about it later. If it's connected to the reason the enemy has been gathering energy after all, then it might just help give us an advantage.

***

I surveyed my team as we all decided on a team. It consisted of Rosa, Kohri, Taku, Nico, Tere, and Yuko of course in addition to Ximena, Nori, Eri, Ocarina, Feng, Kohri's friend, and a tall, silent white haired guy with a spear.

Ryonoko meanwhile went on ahead to join Setsuko and Serrano's group. Seemed he wanted to know his doppelganger better.

"Seems like a good team," I said, grinning. "Though, I was sure that you would go with my cousin."

Ximena glanced over at Serrano and Setsuko. "I rather not make things awkward for them."

Is she giving up on him?

"Nori is just glad to be in the same group as Yuko," the red haired boy said, smiling at his friend.

Yuko nodded. "Yeah! Nori and Yuko were separated for a long time. Even in Xeleria they barely got to catch up."

"Yuko and Nori can definitely do that now!" Nori said. "Uh, though they already did on the train."

Yuko giggled. "Yeah."

"Seems like a bunch of small reunions," Kohri said, eyeing his own tanuki friend.

"Sure does," she responded. "So, should we introduce ourselves?"

"Sounds good," I said. Me and my old members introduced ourselves leaving only Eri and the others.

"I'm Eri Mikado, a student at Trono High," he said as he put hands behind the back of his head and smiled.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Ocarina Rios, crown princess of Rios" a blue haired girl with bright sapphire eyes said as she bowed her head. She gave off the same vibe as Yuko, Rosa, and Harmonica did...

"So you're a princess too?" Rosa said, grinning.

Ocarina grabbed her hands and smiled back. "Ahh, a fellow princess? How exciting!"

"Uh, are these two twins?" Eri and I asked one another at the same time. We both chuckled.

"Well, we better continue or else we'll be stuck with introductions all day. I'm Feng Lan. Uh, there's nothing really all that interesting about me other than that I'm the father of triplets," he said, chuckling.

Tere gasped. "Triplets?"

Feng nodded. "Yeah! My wife is currently back home taking care of them and my two foster siblings."

"My siblings, Yuzuki and Hikaru," Eri added.

"Aww, too bad that she couldn't join us," Rosa said, letting go of Ocarina's hands. "I would've loved meeting another one of my doppelgangers."

I snickered. "I think we got enough with you two and Yuko."

Yuko glanced up at me and gasped. "Wait, Yuko and Rosa are doppelgangers?"

Rosa scratched her head. "We are?"

Eri tilted his head at them. "Interesting..."

"What is?" Ocarina asked, furrowing her brow.

"It's just that you and your doppelgangers seem different than us guys. You're more splintered," Eri explained.

"Is that so?" Ocarina asked.

"Yeah..." he said. He turned toward Kohri's friend. "Anyway, we should probably continue with the introductions."

"I'm Onami Akiyama," Kohri's friend said, smiling.

Yuko's eyes widened. "B-big sis?" she said, stepping closer to her.

"Yeah," she said, suddenly hugging her. "I'm your older sister! Oh Yuko, I missed you so much! You don't know how overjoyed I was when uncle told me about you. I wish that I had the chance to greet you in Xeleria, but Kohri here tasked me with gathering the necessary materials for fixing Agnes."

"I didn't know that you had a sister," I said.

Kohri nodded. "Onami here ran away from Takeshi. She spent years wondering the streets of the capital until..."

Onami frowned. "Yeah, until he saved me. Saved me from that life of suffering."

Is she talking about Conrad? Or someone else?

"Onami! Long time no see!" Eiichi yelled, waving at her. "I heard that you were traveling across Xeleria. The journey certainly didn't hurt your complexion. In fact, you look more gorgeous than before."

"Wasn't he just flirting with me a moment ago?" asked Koukyuu as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"That's just who that guy is," Hideo said, sticking his tongue out.

Onami stepped forward and head-butted Eiichi in the forehead. "Get away from me, you creep!"

Eiichi rubbed his forehead as tears formed in his eyes. "Creep? You're still on about that?"

"I bet that you're the one who did what Tetsuya was accused of."

Rosalba stepped back, hiding behind Yuko and Ximena. Her arms and legs started to quake.

"Your own sister distrusts him and for good reason too!" Onami said.

Eiichi chuckled. "You really shouldn't accuse others of serious crimes, especially with little proof. You weren't even at the ball. Plus, it couldn't have been me. I was in the ball at the time that the event allegedly happened. King Osamu and I were talking, just ask him."

"I will," Rosalba said. She eyed Hyosetsu and Hideo.

If Eiichi is telling the truth then it had to have been one of those two. The four of us were the only males allowed to assess that hall of the castle, in addition to Serrano who was with Setsuko.

"It wasn't me," Hyosetsu said. "I was talking to my mother over the phone at that time of the alleged events. Kohri was on the other side, so he can prove that my words are true."

"Yeah. Like I said before, it's not Hyo," Kohri said.

All of us knights, plus, Serrano and Kohri turned toward Hideo.

"What were you doing that night?" Rosalba asked, stepping toward him and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. "Tell me now or I'll slice you apart!"

Hideo stared at her with shaking eyes. "I was in the balcony, playing video games."

Rosalba's fist tightened. "Were there any witnesses? Tetsuya had me witness him go to bed, Eiichi supposedly has my father whom he was talking to, Serrano had my sister, and Hyosetsu had his brother listening in to his conversation with their mother."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "But... my device records the time."

"Where is it?" she asked, shaking him.

"Let go of him," Saya's firm voice resounded. "I don't know what's going on here, but we have more important matters to..."

"You butt out of this!" she screamed. A collective gasp filled the air. Slowly, Rosalba's fingers uncurled until Hideo fell on the floor. "S-sorry..."

Setsuko walked over to her younger sister and hugged her tightly. "Please forgive my sister, she had to deal with a life shattering situation a few weeks back."

Saya glanced at the sobbing girl and turned around. "Whatever she's trying to figure out, she won't get the justice she seeks if the world fades into darkness. Meet me at Forest Hill once things have settled down."

I pulled Kohri's arm. "Hey, who do you think is telling the truth?"

"All of you are," he said, puzzled.

"Huh? How is that possible?"

"None of you appear to be lying. But, nor is Rosalba."

"But the markings on the wall were definitely from something resembling your weapon," Hyosetsu said, walking over. "Whoever did it had to have been familiar with the design of the weapon. The only ones who saw it up close at the time with enough time to make out the details were us knights and my brother. Normally, all blame would turn on my brother if he weren't home at the time. Seeing how he is a blacksmith and has the best knowledge of the weapons apart from your father."

"Good thing that I stayed home to avoid the blame," Kohri said, sighing. "Seems that we aren't any step closer to... wait. There is one person with extensive knowledge of the weapons and that's their creator, Takeshi."

I frowned. "My dad?"

"Mean mister was watching over Yuko and the others all day," Yuko said.

Kohri glanced down. "That's... then just who was it? Someone has to be lying... why can't I tell?"

Hyosetsu snickered. "So, even you have your limits. Then the blame naturally shifts back to the original culprit, this scumbag here. The owner of the real shield."

I shook my head. "No. It wasn't me."

Rosalba whispered something like, "I believe you."

"What's going on?" Ryonoko asked, walking over.

"It's best not to get involved," Ximena said.

"Let's begin this training camp thing," Zyuuni called out from several meters away.

"Okay," I said.

"If it's fine with you, Rosalba is going to be on my team," Setsuko said as she hugged her sister again.

I nodded and walked with my group to the hill overlooking the forest.

Just who is telling the truth and who isn't? Everyone seems so guilty... and yet innocent at the same time. But Eiichi and Hideo, those two seem like the biggest suspects. I need to verify their words as soon as I can. Then there's the chance that Hideo left his device on to make it seem like he was telling the truth. As for Eiichi, King Osamu might have allowed him to... No. What am I thinking? Even a guy like him wouldn't be that cruel, especially toward his favorite daughter. Plus, Kohri should've been able to tell as Eiichi would still have been lying.

Though, Etsuo did manage to deceive Kohri through the use of white lies... what if he was speaking with the king but left shortly after? Wait, how does Eiichi even know what time the event supposedly happened when no one discovered until the day after?

Serrano walked over to me. "There is one other suspect. One who has reason to hurt both Rosa and you. One who would seek to drive a wedge between all of us."

I looked up at him and gasped as it clicked.

"You mean Satoru?" I asked, eyes wide.

He nodded. "Yeah. Satoru seemed to know a lot more than he should have. Though, it's possible that he too has an alibi. We'll need to contact Roa and Etsuo to figure out if they know what he was up to after our battle in Grand Crater."

I curled my hands into fists. If it turned out that fox did it... I'd go into the depths of the abyss and make sure that he is dead!

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter, if so then click on that star! Thoughts, theories, predictions?**