"I'm so glad you're here with us Ava. Please don't leave!"

Ava shook her head, much to Audrey's disappointment. The latter girl was missing home already, and Ava was only in the changed environment the six shadow-trappers understood their new lifestyle.

Their new house sat deep in the forest, hidden by the Shadows' dimension and thus safe from human interference. A clear, blue lake was situated a little distance from it, brightly reflecting the afternoon sun and each Ray seemed to alleviate a section of that tensed atmosphere. A heavy feeling overcame Ava as she saw Nature's potential in that simple scenery.

"We've got to get to work immediately since I return tomorrow," Ava declared, and Audrey's face fell immediately.

Ava removed a small, black device from her pocket, gesturing for the others to do the same. Elek and Galen were surprised by how light it was and shared a knowing look, agreeing to study it later. Trina noticed their expression and whispered something in Ava's years.

"Don't you dare dismantle the communicator, Elek and Galen. You do that, and Trina will dismantle you. You know she can actually do that."

Elek, gulped and Evelyn laughed hard, though Galen only gave Trina a wink.

"She knows it theoretically."

"That's enough for knowing you simpletons," Trina shot back, and Audrey chuckled lightly, feeling slightly better.

"You were about to show us something, Ava," Trina said, returning to the matter at hand.

The instructor gave a small nod and turned the communicator on, showing a map to them. As she stared at the thin square covering about half of her palm, Ava couldn't help but wonder if she finally ought to adopt such a lifestyle, too.

There is no way. No want, not need.

"This map shows the location and density of demonic creatures. The least density is denoted by a colour at the higher end of the electromagnetic spectrum, that is indigo. The frequency decreases with increasing intensity, and the most is shown by red. If the colour is bright, the creatures' power is less, and more if it is dark."

Ava's head momentarily shifted towards the ground, a look of heavy worry crossing her eyes. Her tone remained as firm as ever.

"You must never allow the colour to turn red. If you see a place with that colour, do not approach it, especially in your early years. It is far too dangerous."

The others nodded in understanding, though Evelyn didn't do it too sincerely.

"Anyway, you can also send your locations to the other members of your team either through a black dot, or through audio messages. There is also a button which allows you to contact the headquarters, though that is only in cases of emergency."

"What if you want to simply talk to someone?" Audrey asked, and the others paid attention with a hopeful look.

"I'm sorry," Ava apologised with a smile. "but through devices, it isn't possible. Electromagnetic radiations can give away our positions to unnamed enemies."

"Even though that's the energy that runs through us?"

Evelyn bit her lip, not wanting to argue, but she couldn't stay quiet.

"Precisely why. In that way, the use of human technology masks our presence."

Evelyn sighed, nodding her head. Audrey, however, was more concerned about the 'unnamed enemies'.

A low beep came from the communicator, catching everyone's attention. A blue glow was on the screen and Ava immediately headed for the door, calling the others to follow her.

The door was locked automatically the moment it was closed. Ava glanced at the device again, relieved to see the colour remain unchanged. She looked at the others with a curious look, waiting to see how they'd work.

"Evelyn, go check out the scene immediately. We'll catch up with you as soon as we can," Audrey said instinctively, though Conrad held up a hand.

"Trina should go too. She can shape-shift into a fast moving animal and help Evelyn analyse the situation until we join them."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Audrey couldn't help but admire Conrad's thinking.

Trina immediately shape-shifted her legs to be an Ostrich's thin ones and took off with Evelyn. Trina was still in sight, though Evelyn had vanished immediately.

The rest of them began to run after them, though Ava continued to give them instructions.

"For short distances, running is enough. If it's a long distance, there's a machine that allows you to fly at high speeds. You might remember the machine from training."

"What about road travel?" Conrad asked. He ran at the front of the group and barely panted.

"Road travel doesn't work as the Shadow dimension only allows us to be hidden from a human's senses. They can still know when big changes occur, and we can't blast our way through human traffic," Elek piped in.

The scene around whizzed across the shadow as they ran for a few more moments - the cars, the skyline, the people who walked, the children who played in the garden and other instances of life - before coming to a stop, standing in front of a school.

Tall demonic creatures surrounded the building, alertness on their stoic faces. They were built strongly, but they all stood with their backs hunched. Their arms were thin but their fists were enormous, and their faces had no noses. The trappers sensed some intelligence in them and they were no doubt strong, but their energy was much low as compared to their own. Audrey spotted Evelyn and Trina towards her right and moved as silently as possible, the others following her.

"There are about forty demonic-creatures here. The reason for distress is the students stressing about examinations, and these creatures are neither too strong nor too weak. They work in groups and surround their target, but how they're in battle can't be concluded until we fight them. Also, due to their large built, their movement will be restricted so they cannot move swiftly."

Audrey frowned, closing her eyes. She sensed anxiety and fear in the atmosphere, though snippets of confidence were laid around, too. One quick glance of the scene told her that it would take some time to render the creatures powerless. They had to work in groups.

Audrey nodded her head, confirming Trina's analysis.

"Trina, Galen and Evelyn will take on the creatures on the left. Conrad, Elek and I will take the right."

Everyone nodded, huddling as a trio to discuss their plans. They couldn't afford to waste time, so quickly wrapped up their discussions.

Evelyn crouched, a focused glare in her eyes. Her long blade was raised in her left hand as she carefully eyed her line of path. The demonic creatures stood in a circle, their harsh energy reaching the minds of the students. Evelyn surged forward, successfully hitting her target on its collarbone and continued to do so with the adjacent ones. She sighed with pain in her eyes as their remains dissipated into the wind, flowing against her wishes.

Suddenly, one creature took a step sideways and put his arm forward, stopping her. Evelyn hadn't thought they would to make an intelligent move, though she had anticipated it from the analysis and immediately stepped off her course, the attacker's dagger just creating a shallow cut on her side.

The creatures surrounded her completely, blocking her path. It was now a game of dodging as the creatures threw their blades at her. Evelyn glanced at Trina and decided to move according to the smarter girl's gestures.

Evelyn ran towards the left, slashing their collarbones as gently as possible. A few of them had blocked their vital spots. One creature's eyes were suddenly wide with alert, and it lunged forward, aiming at Evelyn's forehead. Evelyn made the mistake of trying to dodge it, her eyes widened at the sight of a sharp metal waiting by her right to pierce her skin.

She moved back to the line of the first creature but held her own blade up, blocking the attack, though a deep cut came on her hand. It burned a little, and she could feel her energy fighting the negativity. She looked around to see Trina fighting the demons on her right successfully, not a scratch of injury appearing on her. Evelyn made the mistake of underestimating the demonic creatures, but she would do it no more. She also felt some resistance within her, not wishing to fight, but ignored it for the moment. She bit her lip, determination to carry out her duty propelling her forward.

Relief flooded her as she noticed an invisible force sneak in, taking down the demons that crowded her. The overwhelming confusion began to leave Evelyn's mindand she could suddenly fight better, taking down demons with calculated moves.

Meanwhile, Audrey stood a fair distance away from her circle, keeping her mind calm as she entered the creatures' minds. On the surface there was absolute chaos, but beneath it was a sense of life that always stood as a barrier to her physical attack. She'd never tried this strategy before, but she was hopeful and confident.

The force pressurised her as she ventured into the dark atmosphere, distressing emotions laid before her. The demonic perception had ignored optimism completely, reaching towards the weakness of  the children to lower their morale further, but Audrey couldn't let that happen. She had faith in them, in their strength, and she would help them by first removing the negativity with the help of their own thoughts. She was grateful for the large amount of optimism that was scattered around.

No one could create an easy path in life, after all. Audrey sometimes didn't understand how most humans, or any individual could talk about their own problems endlessly, but when it came to understanding others' difficulties, they would turn a blind eye.

Stop, she thought to herself, shaking her head. Her own thoughts were contradicting each other, and it would stand as an obstruction in her work.

Audrey took a deep breath and let her positivity flow in as her surroundings begin to slowly lighten up. She reached towards each creature one by one, shutting its senses temporarily, causing it to fall unconscious. At first, she thought that it would be a painful process, but she realised that she only had to exert an amount of force that their minds couldn't handle, and they would then fall asleep as a result of their defence mechanism.

It worked. Of course it worked. She had learnt from Jay, after all. She'd be surprised to see him wrong.

Audrey didn't forget to eye her friends do their job, though. She admired Elek's precision despite his general clumsiness. Her eyes widened with awe when she noticed Elek handle his many blades carefully, though an uncertain look remained in his eyes as he carried out his actions in contrast to the determined look in Conrad's eye, not particularly caring about but responsibly hitting the demonic creatures in their painless spots.

Oh right, it's still fresh in his mind, Audrey thought, sadness filling her mind. Only a few months ago had Conrad's brother died, though no one knew what exactly had happened, not even Conrad himself. For the time being, Conrad seemed to blame the Demonic Creatures.

Suddenly, Audrey felt the negative energy amplify. She moved towards the minds of the students, sensing the fear of running out of time. Their fretting would only slow them down further, and Audrey realised that she would she and her friends had to work faster.

Audrey recognised the source of energy and moved towards it, the weight pulling her down with each step. She closed her eyes to find herself in darkness, dull blue floating in the atmosphere. Audrey took a deep breath, raising her hands to face the dark source.

The strength of her friends amplified her own as light began to surround her. She focused all of her power on one point, silence flooding in to block away the chaotic sound of high frequency. There was a sudden burst of light as the atmosphere lightened.

Her friends stopped in their tracks and backed away, a proud smile on their faces. The demons began to fall unconscious on the ground and the negative aura vanished gradually. Elek checked their communicator to see the blue dot was no more and nodded towards the others.

Conrad sighed and dropped to the ground, clutching his abdomen. Audrey sensed a peculiar energy come from it and rushed towards him, as did the others. Golden liquid moved on his palm as it came out of his abdomen, though the loss was minimal. Ava immediately removed a roll of a green fabric from her pocket, unveiling it to a certain point till she tore it with her bare hands. She gently put it on his wound, applying pressure until the fabric was literally a part of Conrad's skin.

"This will heal your skin and help your energy, if any harm is done to it. You'll have to rest as soon as we reach home, alright?"

Conrad nodded with a smile, though his weariness was evident. Ava felt the same great force Audrey felt propagate from his wound.

It was powerful, but unsettling.

Elek and Evelyn stood by Conrad's side as everyone walked to their home, though he handled himself well. A small smile was on Ava's face, her expression indecipherable, and everyone was anxious to know her thoughts on their work.

"You've all done very well for your first time. It will take time for you to understand how demonic creatures are in reality, and as time progresses, you'll develop an instinct or intuition that stems from your experience. Never make haste in these operations; one mistake, and they can have severe consequences. Always stay alert."

Hearing Ava's basic input resulted in signs of relief from most of the six, happy to know that they were fine. They had to work on it a lot, though. They even left the headquarters a year early, but it didn't mean that their moves would be reckless and swelling with overconfidence.

Ava smiled sweetly, looking ahead. For her to be anywhere other than the headquarters was rare but unsurprising, and two of her closest friends were present. She always found the six around her to be rather intriguing, observing each one's persona, admiring how perfectly they were compatible with each other.

It was those six, after all. For them to reunite for the second time, though...

She had no doubts. Something greater than defeating a foe had to be done, even if the 'enemy' was powerful already. The past mistakes had to be rectified by someone.

Ava sighed, walking beside Audrey now. She could sense the girl's powerful spirit as it were in a dormant state. Nevertheless, the energy that built up within the girl was something she couldn't fully grasp no matter how hard she tried to understand its composition. Though her ability wasn't special in that field, her senses certainly were.

Audrey removed the key as they approached their house. The familiar quietude of their house was unmistakable; faint ties of Sylva Vita's energy remained there.

Ava couldn't help but think of her sister. It was at times like these that she was reminded of the Nature-lover with a melancholic peace clouding her heart.

As she stepped in, she heard the sound of someone tripping, immediately turning towards the source.

"Conrad! Are you okay?"

Conrad's hand rested on the wall as he panted slightly, forcing a smile.

"I'm alright, just need a little rest."

Conrad walked towards his room with haste while reassuring the others that he was alright. The banging in his head increased with every second, straining his sight. He quickly shut the door to his room, laying on the bed as he closed his eyes.

His consciousness was immediately pulled into another realm as confusion overcame his thoughts. His exhaustion wore of immediately and he could now think clearly, confusion filling his mind.

"Hey, brother."

Conrad's energy coursed quicker than what he could comprehend. The voice was one he never believed he would hear again, yet here it was.

"...Clay?"

Conrad didn't want to get his hopes up, yet the consoling vibration was unmistakable.

"It is me, Conrad."

His emotions alleviated with joy, though his confusion remained.

"What happened?"

Conrad's tone was soft, though he couldn't hide the anxiety lacing the sound. Now that he had heard the voice, all he wanted was for his brother to be safe.

"There is much to be told, Conrad, yet not enough time is there. This connection is formed when one is wounded deeply by a Masada blade for the first time. Are you alright?"

Even in such a situation, Clay cared of his brother's well-being. A Masada blade was the basic blade that belonged to a demon, though how a demonic creature acquired was out of Conrad's knowledge and current interest.

"I'm fine, brother. I should be asking you that question. Where are you?"

"I'm in the Land of Chaos. Don't panic, Conrad, it's okay. I don't have much time, but listen to me carefully.

"Our world isn't as truthful as it seems. There are many things we are yet to discover, various secrets of the past. All I wish is for you to keep a vigilant check on everything. I know you are one who observes well and when the time comes, you will share your knowledge.

"Everything will be fine. I-"

The connection faded away as abruptly as it had formed. Conrad found himself yearning for time but he steadied his mind, taking deep breaths as he was pulled out of the space with a sharp flash of light.

His eyes opened instantaneously, the dark setting of the room providing relief for his eyes. His surroundings moved out of focus as he thought about what had happened but was unable to decipher any of it.

Conrad sighed, placing his fingers on his eyes. He didn't have the energy to do anything and simply wanted to rest for long, but he forced himself up, needing to convince the others he was fine.

His legs supported him with staggering moments as he stood up, taking deep breaths to steady his mind. Nothing made sense to him, so he decided to address the matter later.

The door opened to reveal a worried Ava stand a foot away. She smiled upon hearing the door open, her gesture settling the chaos in Conrad's mind.

"How are you feeling?"

Conrad hesitated, unsure of reality. He quickly nodded his head, returning the smile.

"I'm all right. Thank you, Ava. You feeling good too?"

Ava nodded, her smile melting further. Conrad nodded to her with gratitude, leaving the place in an awkward fashion. She followed his movements a little, turning her head as he walked before she too left with a sigh.

He's alive, after all. I knew it.

The relief that flooded Ava was greater than anything she felt before. She finally let a smile crawl up on her face, breaking her strict demeanour.

He'd been a very good friend to her in the time they'd trained together. She wondered if he learnt about anything new during these years, anything that would help their cause, but as she sensed their connection vaguely, she couldn't help but notice his presence there.

She realised it wasn't long before his awakening would take place, though the strong presence made her doubt if he wasn't conscious already.

Ava shook her head with a sigh. She would certainly look into the matter later, but at the moment she had to help the younger ones settle. If the six had existed at her time, then something great was going to happen.

The techniques of the past would definitely come back.

----- -------

After a long time did Audrey feel such joy. Though she could only guess the truth behind what was revealed, she felt relieved.

No matter what happened, she would always be there, though that didn't mean Audrey could rely on Ava forever. She needed to be independent.

But that aroused a question. What did Ava know?

Audrey couldn't guess the answer, but she had now come to realise that making judicious use of time was what she had to do. She realised the purpose of the stories. She existed to help bring change, yet she knew too little truth, and hence she'd need patience to learn the answers.

Audrey stood up, walking towards the main structure with a smile as she greeted the others. Her occasional visit to the tree was now known very well - she had been the leader for almost a year, after all. She never compromised the needs of her people, despite how 'greater' the truth was. The young woman knew she had two duties to perform, both interlinked with each other, but the one he granted her was her priority. Besides, Paliv Verasel showed everything in a matter of a few Earth seconds.

Audrey was soon joined by Galen and Trina as they shared a knowing look. They were both intelligent; one could see the depth of any existence and the other could deduce great facts. All her friends had decided to stay back and help her out at the headquarters, and she was grateful for that. Still, she couldn't share her knowledge until she pieced everything together.

Everyone reached the final destination alone, and Audrey herself had a long journey ahead. Once the soul reached it, it was free and united.