Black Mist sat at the table with Vector and his family, which was one of the wealthier families in the kingdom, more known as the aristocrats. The Barian was confused as to why he was here, but the prince promised to explain everything while they ate.

"What an honor it is to have you here with us, Prince!" the mother exclaimed. She smiled. "Would you like something more to eat?"

Black Mist shook his head. "Nah. Also, you can stop with the formalities. They make me rather uncomfortable."

Vector cleared his throat. "So, Black Mist, what brings you here? You haven't ever come to my house for breakfast."

Black Mist scowled and picked at his food with his fork. "My cousin is over today for 'lessons on etiquette' or something."

Vector nodded. "Ah." He knew about Black Mist's loathing for his cousin since he's always ranted about him for such a long time. "So, you expect all their time to go to him?"

"Yes."

The father made a concerned expression. "Why do you think that, my prince?"

"Because all they ever do when Kai comes over is pay attention to him! Whenever I do something worth admiring when he is here, all I get is criticism, and not the good kind!"

The father nodded. "I see."

"Well, you are welcome to come over any time!" the mother said with a smile. "Just as long as you don't wreck the house."

That lifted Black Mist's spirits, and he chuckled. "Thank you!"

Vector smiled. "Hey, that means we can spend more time with each other! Ever since you reached your teenaged years, we haven't been able to hang out."

Black Mist nodded. "Yeah."

Suddenly, the door opened, and a guard of the Obscure Kingdom came in. "I have a message from the king and queen!" he said in a demanding tone. "They request the return of their son, the young Prince Number 96 Black Mist, to come back to the kingdom as soon as possible!"

Black Mist huffed. "Nope." He said it flat out, which surprised the family and the guard. Vector, however, just laughed.

"He told you!" the Barian chuckled. "There's no use in getting him back when he doesn't want to. There's no use using force either. He's stronger than you think."

Black Mist grinned. "Damn straight." He stood up. "If you want me to go home, then Kai has to go back home and never show his face again." He flew out the window before allowing the guards to even get a word out.

That was when he was caught by Kai, who trapped him in an electric cage that he made himself. "Oh, dear cousin," he sighed, shaking his head in a disappointed manner. "There are still so many things you need to learn. Firstly, you do not dine with the commoners. That is very improper of you."

Black Mist stuck his tongue out. "Well, it is also a mistake to capture a 96 in a cage like this!" With that statement, he turned into ooze and easily slipped out. Then, he turned back to his normal form and escaped into the forest, which was a place he liked to go to for fun or to get away from other people.

He soon reached a hidden cave system, which he dug out, in the forest. He sat there for a long time so that no one could find him.

~.Cosmic Kingdom.~

Astral spent the day in the garden of his castle. He walked along the rows of roses and lilies, using some of his magic to help those that were withering. At the moment, Astrid was training with their mother on the use of herbs and potions, and their father was out with the scouting team, so he had nothing to do, really.

What could that vision have meant? he wondered. If it was a suggestion to stop the war, how do I do it? He sat down on a bench with his cloak spread around him. He sat cross-legged on the bed and closed his eyes to see if he could finish that vision. Instead, another one showed up.

He and another one were fighting vigorously. The one he was fighting was completely black with sea-green markings and hair that arched forward, much like Astral himself. He had black and gold eyes and was an exceptional fighter. No matter how many spells he performed, the black version of himself kept blocking and counterattacking.

"Well, it looks like you and I are going to have some fun!" he exclaimed. "Tell me, what's your name, prince?" He smirked.

"My name is Prince Astral, son of King Zeon!" he answered with confidence. Blue and white magic surrounded him. "And you?"

"Me? I am Prince Number 96 Black Mist, son of King Pluto."

Prince!? He was about to attack again when-

Astral's eyes snapped open before he got a chance to see more of it. His head throbbing, he got up from his place and walked around some more to clear his head. He soon got to the fountain that adorned the whole garden.

He stood in front of the fountain and allowed the sound of the water to clear his mind.

Astral started mumbling to himself, "What could this one have meant? It was most certainly in my time since my name was involved. But if it is something that may happen, who was that other one? Number 96 Black Mist..."

"My prince?" someone asked from behind.

Astral jumped and whipped his head around to see who it was. To his great relief, it was just Number 39 Aspiring Emperor Hope. He was a man who lived in the village, not a guard or anything. Since he had close ties with the king, he was allowed inside the castle walls.

Hope was a tall Number, standing at six feet and six inches. He was taller than the king! His skin was white with golden streaks down his golden eyes. He wore a brown cloak over his commoner clothing, and his hair reached up to his waist.

"Ah, Hope," Astral sighed. "I thought you were someone else."

"Prince, you said the name Number 96 Black Mist, correct?"

Astral blinked in mild surprise. Why would Hope be interested in this. "That is correct. Why do you wish to know?"

Hope sat on the rim of the fountain and patted the spot next to him. "That Number is the very Number of the royal family in the Obscure Kingdom and the enemy of your father."

"Really?" Astral sat next to his father's friend and looked up at him. "I had a vision concerning that very Number. It was a very normal one for once."

"Normal? How do you mean?"

"I mean that it was merely the battlefield sometime in the near future."

"I see. Well, be careful, then. You may have to face off against the Number, and let me tell you that he is powerful!"

"Okay." That only made him even more concerned. What if he ended up fighting him and lost? He couldn't help but wonder what happened next in his vision.

The prince got up, his golden cloak flowing behind him. "I will go on a walk. Please, inform my family."

~.Obscure Kingdom.~

After sitting in that cave for a while, Black Mist got out. While he didn't want to go home yet, he decided to go for a walk around the forest. He rather liked walking around.

He didn't really like paying attention to where he was going, and that normally led to him to getting horribly lost, but he didn't care.

This time, however, he would meet someone on the way.

He soon arrived at the edge of the forest he always hung out in.

He then saw in the distance the Cosmic Kingdom. It seemed to be shimmering in the background, and it made him sick.

A small gasp beside him, somewhere far off, made him turn his attention to that place.

There, an Astral Being stood there. For the most part, he looked exactly like Black Mist, except he was blue with green markings instead of red. He had a golden cloak, which was flowing softly in the breeze, around him.

From that alone, he assumed that this was his mirror spirit. Most Numbers had one. This one was also the prince of the Cosmic Kingdom.

The Astral Being was looking in the distance with awe mixed with fear in his eyes. The Dark Number looked behind him and saw his own kingdom. He was used to it, so it didn't even faze him.

He looked back at the one staring at the kingdom. While he was in awe, Black Mist took the time to take a good look at his features.

Black Mist never told his family this, but he didn't much like girls. He was more into guys. Sure, he had some acquaintances that were girls, but that didn't mean that he wanted to date them. He never told his family this because, well, they we're judgemental. He had no problem telling Vector this, though!

The blue being looked rather cute despite looking almost exactly like the dark prince. With that faraway look in his eyes, he looked so innocent.

Black Mist sat behind a tree and kept watching the being. So cute.