The Aura Wake Series

Marcus: *he looks up at the golem and covers his mouth, his eyes watering from the sulfur.* Well, now I'm in trouble....*his whole body glows and bursts into Aganon flames* CLOAK OF AGANON! *he takes off into the sky, the energy from the fire allowing him to fly.* Time to take it up a notch.


Ashcroft: *he staggers back holding his face. When he moves his hand, his face is cut and blood slowly trickles out from the wound* ....I see....then you leave me no choice....*his Burst Magic seals intensifly and he swipes his hands across the air* HORIZON BURST! *a line of explosions burst forth with Omoide being in the center where the explosions will meet.*


Noah: We can still try! Everyone, full power! I CALL UPON YE, ENVOY OF FLAMES! ATRONACH OF FIRE, FUEGO! *Fuego appears on Noah's back, holding his arms*

Fuego: I don't like that guy you're fighting, punk. I'll help you.

Shuriken: CRIMSON TORRENT! *the blood from his Estus Flasks form around his body in the form of two giant crossing rings of blood*

Mercer: FEL ARMOR AND DEMON SKIN! *Mercer's body is encased in both a demonic aura and sharper looking demonic energy.* BOUND RIPPER! *a large blade with 5 spinning star-like blades form in his hands. He grips them with two hands and readies*

Ai: WARD ARMOR! *a full-body ward forms on her and takes on the form of a suit of armor around her. Her boost magic also activates all over her* EXCEED! MAGE AROMOR! ACCUTENESS!


~Tara~

*the Arch Mage walks through the streets until he arrives at the palace. When he does arrive, he turns around and sees thousands of Daemons have come out from hiding*

Savanos: So...Tarnag was going to ambush them...*he holds his hands out and his aura flares* As Arch Mage, I will not let any of you daemons pass. This is between my students and Tarnag. *a bluish green portal opens and out steps a being made of pure energy. It has a male design, but no defining facial features* Auger of Magnus, I pray that you help me.

Magnus: .....I sense....a large collection of Wake Souls within....and one being who has given away his soul....there is also a Source Nexus that rivals even my power...What would you have us do, Savanos?

Savanos: Please...help the Wake Souls here on Erinn. Show them the truth on Erinn when they have been lied to. And give them the power to vanquish this enemy.

Magnus: *he remains silent for a while* We shall deliberate. *he takes a meditative stance and floats into the air*

Savanos: A Deliberation of Magnus? I see....so its that important that you must decide on what to do....*he looks at the Daemon horde* Then I will fight them and make sure they do not interrupt you.

Adriee: Well this is a nice suprise~

Omoide: *the explosions hit. but when the smoke clears Omoide has a hand up, a fire shield around her. The shield disappears and she charges icebolt, firing it rapidly.*

Aero: *she readies her trigger dagger and her ice wand, a icy aura eminating from her*

Marcus: AGANON'S WRATH! *the flames from his cloak form a blanket of flames, he punches the cloak with great speed. The spots where he punches become holes in the cloak as the parts that filled the holes rain down and explode all around and on Adriee*


Ashcroft: *he punches his fists together, making an explosion that counters each icebolt thrown at him. He then points his index and middle fingers at Omoide and slices up with them* TOWER BUST! *a large tower of explosions bursts forth, each one flinging Omoide higher and higher until the last one makes the largest explosion of them all*


Tarnag: ooooo......very impressive! An excellent display of power!

Noah: *he and Fuego light up on fire and fly at Tarnag.*

Tarnag: *he smiles and ducks under Noah's staff thrust. He then punches Noah so hard that the flames dissipate and flings Noah back.*

Ai: *she dashes and tries to impale Tarnag, only to receive a boot to the chest and to be put into a cracked crater in the ground thanks to her ward armor protecting her.*

Shuriken: *he fires off multiply blood flame rings at Tarnag*

Tarnag: *he uses the energy chains and spins them. The spinning chains form a shield and block the flames.*

Shuriken: *he uses this as his chance. He appears behind Tarnag and tries to attack, only to have Tarnag grab him by the hair, pick him up, and slam him into Ai as he flips away.*

Mercer: *he dashes forward and uses his Bound Ripper to try and slice Tarnag. Tarnag turns one of the chains into a hot pink energy saber and he engages Mercer in a blade fight. However, he kicks Mercer in the knee and then spins, laying his heel across Mercer's face and flinging the warlock to the side.*

Tarnag: Now for you, my dear...*he fires his chain at Aero, the clamp closing and opening hungrily in the air as it flies at her*

Omoide: *she whistles loudly, as a Thunderbird flies under her. The explosions hit her first, tossing her to the ground. The large bird catches her, letting her off a ground level* She is slightly burned, but there is an even greater fire burning in her bright red eyes. Her wand becomes a trinity staff. She hold it out in front of herself, concentrating. Snowy winds swirl around the staff then around Omoide. She swings the staff above her head, a large spiked ball of ice forming on the end.* Hailstorm. *She throws the ice, only for another ball to form.*

Aero: No thanks. *she slides to the side and grabs the chain, pulling with all her strength.

Adriee: *she is forced to a nee as she shields her face from the oncoming barrage of fire with her dragon shield. Once that attack was over, she growled. Her cylinder was preloaded with a wind crystal. She fires, a forceful blast of wind, flinging Marcus away fro her* Away with you...

Tarnag: A tug of war then? *he yanks the chain, pulling Aero in. He then lays his fist into her stomach, the sound of ribs cracking echoing out.*

Shuriken: AERO! *he gets up, his blood flames erupting from his wounds. This time, he was using his own blood. Tarnag turns and attempts to block, but find himself evenly matched at this level with Shuriken's blood flames' fury.*

Tarnag: I see...so the use of your own blood increases the spell's power? Very well then. I shall accomidate this fight! *the stone glows and a hot pink aura flashes out from Tarnag. He and Shuriken, who were grappling, begin to shift as Tarnag pushes the young blood mage down into the ground. Shuriken tries to fight back, but is only pushed deeper into the crater that Tarnag was forcing him into* Give up, children. There is no way in hell, heaven, or Erinn that you will ever defeat me! I am beyond life and death! Compared to you weak mages, I AM A GOD!


Ashcroft: *he is barraged by the hailstorm, blood streaking the ground where the ice shards cut him. He is left standing there, panting. Finally, he looks up, even more determined* I....won't.....I won't.....I WON'T GIVE UP ON YOU! POINTSETTIA! *a large explosive seal in front of both of his arms. He then makes an upside down cross with his arms, the cross connecting right above his elbow* BURST MAGIC! HOLDOUT BURST! *the explosion bursts forth from his body, anihalating everything around him. All the abandoned houses, the streets, everything.*


Marcus: *he catches himself in the air* Strong, for a young blood! But I didn't become an original member of Aura Wake or the right hand of King Xerxces of Avalon for nothing!

Aero: *She falls to her knees, holding her chest. Now it hurt to breathe. She couldn't give up though! They had to release Pointsettia*

Adriee: Does it look like I really care? My brother is dead because of Mages like you!
Luminere: *She runs out panting heavily* You're wrong, Adriee! I know what happened! I was there!!!

Omoide: *the blast finally clears. She's sitting on the ground, looking down. Her hat is gone. When she looks up, There is blood coming from the side of her head, where a flying stone had hit her. She uses her staff as a cane to help her stand, but barely.* You've gotten...... better...... *the staff switches back into her metal ice wand.*

Magnus: *the auger finally starts to glow brightly. Suddenly, an energy pulse flies off it* WE HAVE DECIDED! *energy flies up into the air* WAKE SOULS! UNLOCK YOUR TRUE POWER! SEE THE TRUTH THROUGH AURA! AND FEEL THE POWER OF MAGNUS! *the energy flies out in different directions to the different members of Aura Wake and the Wake souls on Erinn*


Ashcroft: *he stands there, panting. Suddenly, Ashcroft glows greenish blue and a large burst of aura erupts from him* What is this?! Its incredible! This feeling...The Arch Mage! He's brought this! With this much energy...Noah and the others can do it!

*energy also lands and enters Pointsettia. Inside her mind, she can feel her will gaining control of her body again. Tarnag's dark will was being destroyed by the light of Magnus!*


Marcus: *as he floats there, he feels the power of Magnus flow through him* Savanos! He did it! Magnus is with us!

*suddenly, Adriee feels a feeling of power well up inside her. And then, an image flashes in her head. Magnus was using the Soul Stream to reveal the truth behind her brother.*

~Adriee's Vision~
*first, it shows her brother as a mage, standing there with Thorn, Luminere, and Carabos. He's smiling and having fun. Then, it flashes to the palace where her father was. Near him is a dark figure*

???: That is right, sir. Your son...he's a mage!

*then, it flashes to the night that Dunbarton's magic school was sacked by the alchemists. It shows Adriee's father shooting his own son with a life drain shot from his cylinder*

Chief Alchemist: It is done....My family is cleaned. Thank you for the information....

???: *the dark figure removes his hood, revealing his face. Tarnag* Of course, my liege....hehehehehe.....

*the vision ends as Tarnag's laughter echoes off*


Tarnag: *he strides over to the kids, all of whom were broken and bloody* You have lost here, mages of the College. Now, be cleansed from my perfect world of True Life! *he forms Life Taker energy in the form of a giant orb above his head*

Noah: *suddenly, through all the students, even Shuriken, a large burst of greenish blue energy flies out and dispels Tarnag's orb* W-what? *Noah and the others feel their bones heal and their cuts close. They feel newfound energy bubble up inside them and the same aura that coats Savanos bursts forth, making cloaks of energy around them* This power!

Mercer: No way! This is amazing!

Ai: I've never felt this strong before!

Shuriken: Incredible!

Tarnag: No...IMPOSSIBLE! MAGNUS HAS GIVEN THEM POWER?! *he looks back to the shield over the runed stone. The shield cracks under the pressure from the Magnus energy and breaks, leaving the stone completely exposed* NO! And this feeling....I'm loosing control over Omoide?!

Aero: She stands up, feeling her ribs heal.* This power... is so great! *she narrows her eyes at Tarnag* Guess what this means~

Adriee: Wh-what?! My father... he killed Xilo?! *she slowly drops to her knees, closing her eyes* Then he deserved to die. Xilo was the sweetest kid you could ever meet...
Luminere: Adriee... I was there. Your brother was an amazing mage. He always entertained the class. He actually, along with my own brother, helped me be able to do this. *she jumps into the air and shines with a feathery gold light. When the light dies down, all you see is
this*


Adriee: why though... why did he hate mages so much... why did i go along with him...
Luminere: Because you were manipulated along with the rest of the Alchemists. There is a way for both mages AND alchemists to exist together. And I happened t find it when helping the Memory Mage with restoring books in the library.


Pointsettia: *She puts a hand to her head, feeling the blood, but no wound. She looks down at her hands, then looks around for her hat. It's nowhere to be found* What... what happened... Ashcroft? What are you doing here?! Where is everyone else? WHY AM I IN TARA?! *She feels something in her mind* OH!!! *getting up she runs into the castle* Aura Wake!!! While she runs, a cloud of darkness enshrouds her. The darkness quickly clears and running where Pointsettia was is this*



Pointsettia: *she runs into the Throne room where the fight was going on.* In the name of the Goddess, I order you to stop. If you do not, I will be forced to act.*
Aero: You should act anyway. This seems to be a bit personal...
Pointsettia: You have no idea...

Carabos: *he and Tangkath run to Adriee, Marcus, and Luminere* The daemons are retreating! Apparently some stuff's going down in Tara and Tarnag is calling all forces to him!

Tangkath: He seems desperate. I think Aura Wake may have finally backed him into a corner. We should move the rest of the army out and chase the Daemons down. According to our spies in Tara, the Daemons trying to enter the palace are being destroyed by the Arch Mage. We should give Savanos a hand.

Marcus: I couldn't agree more. *he turns to Adriee* So, what will it be? Will you fight alongside us, or are you still with Tarnag?

Cynder: *he runs over to Adriee with Thorn* Adriee!

Thorn: Head Adviser!

Marcus: Your friends are our allies in this. Will you stand with them?

Tolftier: I will go ahead with the rest of the army. Good luck, Marcus. *he runs off to head the rest of the army in the pursuit of the Daemons*


Tarnag: OMOIDE! OMOIDE! What.....why is the True Name not working?! No....her Wake Soul was activated by Magnus?! SAVANOS! YOU BASTARD! YOU CHANGED HER TRUE NAME!

Noah: And now we're gonna take you down!

Ashcroft: *he runs in and stands with the rest of them* All of us! Because we are Aura Wake!

Noah: Ashcroft! You're alright!

Ashcroft: Of course. I am the best in Aura Wake, aren't I?

Noah: Alright everyone! With this power, we can beat him back!

Tarnag: COME TRY IT! *his aura shudders and turns into a giant aura cloak in the shape of a dark knight much like Pointsettia's* WHAT MAKES YOU IDIOTIC CHILDREN AND HOPELESS FOOLS THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME!? AS I TOLD YOU, I AM A GOD!

Mercer: THERE ARE NO SUCH THINGS AS MORTALS BECOMING GODS, YA AGELESS TIDBIT!

Ai: NO GOD WOULD USE HIS POWER LIKE YOU DO! WE WILL BRING YOU DOWN!

Shuriken: ALL THE SUFFERING ON ERINN, ITS ALL YOUR FAULT! YOU WILL PAY FOR THE LIVES YOU STOLE!

Ashcroft: THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL YOU'RE WALKING AWAY, TARNAG! WE'RE GONNA PUT YOU DOWN, JUST LIKE THE ORIGINAL AURA WAKE SHOULD HAVE DONE!

Noah: ALRIGHT, TOGETHER! *their Magnus energy auras all fuse and form a giant shape of a white knight. As Noah and the others charge, they hear a voice in their heads*

Magnus: Use the my energy, Wake Souls....with it, you can create a lance that will drive through all evil and bring balance to magic....Magnus....

Noah: BEHOLD THE LANCE THAT WILL BALANCE MAGIC, BE IT MANA OR AURA! *the giant energy knight opens its hand and creates a giant spear made of energy. Noah and the others move in perfect synch with the knight, as if their movements controlled it since they were inside it* GO! MAGNUS....AURA.....LANCERG! *they fly with amazing speed and power right at Tarnag. The knight's whole being is turned into a giant lance head*

Tarnag: INTERESTING! WELL THEN, TAKE THIS! TRUE LIFE.....TAKER'S....LANCERG! *the large dark aura knight makes his own spear and flies at the aura knight, Tarnag controlling him from the inside as well. His dark knight aura form's entire being also turns into a giant lance head. The two lances fly at each other, everything around them being ripped apart. Finally, they collide and hold in a huge sparking deadlock. Everything around them begins to turn black as the energies seem to be taking sides in the push. Even outside the palace, the world begins to grow dark.*

Savanos: *he turns around, seeing that the only light is the energy from the lances* Incredible....the energy around them...its like all of Erinn is fighting for either side...

*finally, there is a large bust of energy as the palace is blown away by the sheer release. The lances expand, so somebody even as far as Dunbarton can see it*

Marcus: All that energy...This is overwhelming even for me!

Pointsettia: Thats what you think... *her body lets off a blast of pure white energy, fairly blinding at the least. When the light fades, Pointsettia stands there emitting a white aura, with immobile, translucent white wings. Everything about her was paler, including her red eyes* Demi-God. You can guess what this means, Tarnag.
Aero: My god... an actual Demi-God! Right here before us! I never even imagined this would happen!

Adriee: Then I shall stand by you along with my fellow Alchemists. *She looks in the direction of the energy* ._.
*Several dragons can be heard above. Upon looking up, the small group watches as three more elves jump off as the dragons disappear. A mint green haired girl with red eyes, a light brown haired boy with chocolate brown eyes, and Zyht.*
Luminere: ZYHT! XANGTAO!!! *She hugs the both tightly* I missed you!!!
Zyht: I know you did. I told you I would come back, didn't I?
Luminere: Well yeah, but why did you come see my when I was in Port Cobh...?
Zyht: It wasn't the right time. I had to track down Xangtao and Rionasu here.
Xangtao: Yep~ Tara at the moment is the worst place to be hiding, but it was good while I was undercover as a Synthesizer.
Rionasu: I was just used as a guard. Nothing beats my crash shot~

Tarnag: A DEMI-GOD?! IMPOSSIBLE!

Ashcroft: NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR AURA WAKE!

Tarnag: THEN I WILL FINISH YOU ALL HERE AND NOW! *his lancerg powers up and bursts through Aura Wake's lancerg. The giant knight deteriorates until its Ashcroft, who suddenly glows and lets out these large, black wings and black feathers grow from his body. However, the energy form around his new body breaks apart when Tarnag pushes. This leads to another energy layer that looks like Magnus, but this also breaks. Finally, he gets to the students. To Mercer, Noah, Ai, Aero, and Shuriken. However, his lance is stopped by the students, the most unlikely group imaginable to be able to stand up to Tarnag.* No....how is it that they were able to stop my attack without the power of Magnus?!

Noah: You just don't get it, do you Tarnag?!

Ai: With our friends here helping us, you were doomed the moment we collided!

Mercer: We'll never give up until we've beaten you! even if you break us! Look!

*outside the lancerg, it shows Ashcroft in Transformed form holding the lancerg back along with Pointsettia*

Ashcroft: This is for all the souls you absorbed and all the lives you destroyed, Tarnag!

Noah: We will bring magic back to this world! We will make magic free for all! That is Aura Wake! That is what we think it is to be what you called a "Wake Soul"! Our Auras.....WILL PAVE THE FUTURE OF MAGIC! *Aura wake, all together, fly through Tarnag's lancerg, breaking it apart as they fly up at him*

Tarnag: NO! KEEP AWAY FROM ME! *he lets out multiple chains at the students to try and stop them. But, the chains are of no avail. They break apart on contact to Aura Wake's energy. Finally, a lance appears in the hands of Noah, Mercer, Aero, Ai, and Shuriken. The five grip it tightly and fly right at Tarnag, impaling him through the chest and stomach. When they do, they fling him into the stone that was his source nexus, pinning him to it. The energy from the nexus cracks and begins to explode* No....No....NO! I.....I want.....TO LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE! *Tarnag, along with the source nexus, explodes in a great flash of hot pink and greenish blue light. Aura Wake now stands in the ruins of the palace. The Daemons all shriek in pain as they are ripped away from the dimension. Finally, the first one to speak is Shuriken*

Shuriken: .....is it....over?

*a small object lands in front of Aura Wake. Tarnag's mask, smoking and burnt from the energy. Tarnag, the enemy of the free magics of Erinn, was dead.*

Noah: *he smiles and leaps up, his fist raised in the sky* WE WON!

Ai: *she jumps up and down and hugs Aero* We did it, Aero-chan!

Mercer: Heh...great work, morsels.

Shuriken: *he smiles at the scene and turns to leave. But, he's stopped by a familiar hand on his shoulder*

Savanos: And just where do you think you're going, young man?

Shuriken: I have no clue.

Savanos: you are going to return to the College with us, Shuriken. As a blood mage, we must place you under arrest.

Shuriken: What?! But if you turn me in to the Magic Counsel I'll be-

Savanos: You will stay in Aura Wake's guest room. And Aero will be your guard.

Shuriken:......what?

Savanos: *his eyes behind his mask give away a loving smile.* You will also tell us the nature of that mission you mentioned.

Shuriken: I was planning on anyway...but we'll talk about it later. For now, lets enjoy this victory.

Savanos: Well said.

Carabos: *he is sitting on a rock, pouting*

Tangkath: What's wrong, knife-ears?

Carabos: Awww....Lumi's brother and boyfriend are back now. That means the Strongest Duo in Filia will be broken up!

Tangkath: Think of it this way, you can start your own adventure. Kill the Stone Horse Keeper or something.

Carabos: Ya know what, you're right, Tree-lobber! I'll become a great hero! All the ladies will want a piece of me!

Tangkath: Easy there. How about you start off by joining me? After all, there's a whole world to explore still.

Carabos: Ha! You're alright, Tangkath! For a giant...

Cynder: They did it! Tarnag's gone!

Thorn: I knew they could do it. Adriee, why not go over there and talk to the people that avenged your brother?

Adriee: We should probably go and join up with everyone now. *She turns and runs out to where the Aura wake is standing in the rubble*
Luminere: *she shakes her head and grins* The duo will never be broken! I'm just taking some time off to chill with my long lost family here. *She follows adriee, and Xangtao and Zyht follow her*
-------
Pointsettia: *Her demi-god and transformation dissipate in a white cloud of darkness, as she turns to everyone coming over* You all have done it... You brought back magic to Erinn!
Aero: Too bad we have to go back to the college so soon...
Pointsettia: I'm sorry that I wasn't able to teach you any of Erinn's Magic, Aero. But My daughter is going back to your college, and I'm sure she'd be able to teach you a thing or two. And I believe that Sparkai is still going to be teaching there...

Noah: This journey has been hard, but we've learned a lot. Now that Erinn has its magic back, I feel like everything here is right.

Mercer: That's just peachy, tidbit. Now, there are a few things I wanna know. One...How are we gonna get back to the College? And two........*his stomach growls loudly* WHEN ARE WE GONNA EAT NEXT?!

Ai: Mercer....you always think with your stomach!

Mercer: So? Its just how I am. Don't like it, tough!

Ai: *she hugs Mercer tightly* That's just how I like you.

Mercer: *he blushes brightly and a bit of steam comes out from his ears*

Ashcroft: *he looks over and sees Adriee* Adriee...

Noah: *he's almost immediately on guard*

Ashcroft: *he walks forward* I saw what happened in the Soul Stream. What happened to you...your brother...everything. I also saw it. You're a Wake Soul, like us. I don't know if your hatred for mages has gone yet, but if you need a family...*he holds his hand out to her* Why not join ours? After all, Aura Wake is open to any Wake Soul looking to change the future...

Marcus: *he walks over to Noah and pats him on the shoulder* Well done, son.

Noah: Dad!

Marcus: You and your friends were brilliant. I have to return to Avalon with Tolfteir now. But, just know that I am proud of you. So very proud. *he and Tolfteir walk through the portal that Tolftier opens*

Savanos: Now then, I shall open the portal to the College. Anyone who wishes to come back may do so at any time.

Adriee: Well, mom already said that I'm going to the college, so...
Aero: Wait... POINTSETTIA IS YOUR MOTHER?! SHE'S LIKE... 18!!!!
Pointsettia: Actually, I'm 23. It's called rebirthing. Adriee, I want you to well. Learn as much as you can, and teach Aero her Erinn's magic. The Aura Wake is now your family too. Love and cherish them as if I was there.
Adriee: I will. I promise. *She turned to Luminere* You said you knew a way that Mages and Alchemists could help each other. What did you mean?
Luminere: Well, if there is still a dry oven standing in Tailteann, I could show you.
Adiree: I have a portable one~ I never leave home without it! *She sets up the dry oven and steps back.* Now what?
Luminere: Ok. Pointsettia, come here and cast a full charge of Ice spear.
Pointsettia: *She stands in front of the oven and casts Ice Spear*
Luminere: Adriee, place a few water crystals into the oven, then put this in with them. *She hands Adriee several ripped up white herbs*
Adriee *She follows the directions, and there is a bright light coming from the oven. Everyone puts on a set of shades*
Luminere: Now. Go in and get the crystals.
Adriee: *She reaches in and pulls out several clear crystals with a small spear of ice within it.* An Ice Spear Crystal?!
Luminere: Precisely. You can take an advanced magic and use something called mana crystalization and turn normal crystals into advanced. Now you have the power of ice spear in crystal form. But be warned. The alchemy version is a lot weaker then the actual version.
Pointsettia: Lumi, you're a genius!
Luminere: I don't just do research for nothing, ya know...
Aero: If Adriee is an alchemist, then how will she teach me...
Pointsettia: She became an Alchemist after her brother was killed. Before that, she was an excellent fire mage.
Adriee: I don't remember anything of my mage life...
Pointsettia: Well then. Allow me to fix that. *She places a hand on adriee's head, visible silver wisps spinning around the two. images of Adriee being a fire mage drift around, soon disappearing.* That should be everything. You all should get going. Please feel free to stop by erinn again! I'd love a visit from you Aura Wakes~ *She summons her Ice Dragon and mounts. As she flies off, It begins to snow*
Luminere: Good-bye! *she and everyone else wave*
*They walk back through the portal to the college*

*a few days pass after the events on Erinn. Aero and Adriee train daily, and Aero watched over the captured Shuriken like a lovesick hawk. Classes went about as usual. Finally, the day of tragedy struck.*

Rex: *he opens the doors to the college. When he walks in, he is bloody, broken, and collapses on the ground* Get...the Arch Mage...

*minutes later, Morpheus, Sparkai, and Savanos rush in*

Morpheus: Combitere?! Gods' blood! What happened to you!?

Rex: It was....the Blood Mages....six of them...they ambushed me and Crimson. They took him....Arch Mage, they took Master Crimson! I would have died, but one of them stopped the others...he used blood red flame and had red feathers for hair....he stopped them and told them to spare me. The other blood mages turned on him and imprisoned him as well, leaving me to die. I wandered for days until I got back here. I had no magical energy left to heal myself...I had to get back on my own....

Savanos: Do you remember the name of the maleficarum that spared you?

Rex: His name was....Shuriken....

Savanos: *he turns to Sparkai, rage over what happened to Rex in his eyes* Tell Aero to bring Shuriken here. NOW. I want answers and I want them now!

Sparkai: YES SIR! *She rushes off to find Aero*

Adriee: ONCE MORE! You need to focus!!!
Aero: T~T...
Adriee: Quit whining. You'll never improve if you don't focus!!!
Aero: *She looks over to Shuriken who was sitting, watching*
Adriee: *She wacks aero over the head with her wand* BAD.
Sparkai: *she runs in* Arch Mage wants to see you and Shuriken, Aero. And I mean ASAP. He isnt very pleased...

Shuriken: *he stands up* Sounds pretty urgent. Lets go. *he and Aero rush of to meet the Arch Mage. When they arrive, Noah and the others are also there. Ai is working with Tolfteir on healing Rex. As soon as Mercer sees Shuriken, he walks over towards Shuriken*

Noah: Mercer, don't!

Mercer: *too late. He lays his fist right into Shuriken's face, sending him skidding into a wall* YOU BASTARD! YOU KNEW THIS HAPPENED, DIDN'T YOU?! DIDN'T YOU!? *he goes to attack Shuriken more, but Morpheus and Ashcroft both grab Mercer's arms and hold him back* LET GO!

Morpheus: Easy, Mercer!

Ashcroft: The Arch Mage said Shuriken tried to save Rex. Remember?

Savanos: SILENCE! *the college rumbles with his voice. Everybody stops and looks at the Arch Mage, fear in their eyes.* .....Noah. Go help Shuriken up.

Noah: Yes, Arch Mage. *he walks over and helps Shuriken up* You okay?

Shuriken: Man...Law's got one hell of a right hook....*he and Noah walk over to Savanos*

Savanos: Now, Shuriken. Explain yourself.

Shuriken: .....we were sent by Master Nahkriin on a mission to hunt down a powerful mage that was going on a mission from the college...

Savanos: Nahkriin is alive?!

Shuriken: Yes...and so are the other Blood Priests....

Savanos: *he puts his hand on his mask* Is....is HE still alive as well?

Shuriken: From what I heard, yes...and he is very eager for revenge on you, Arch Mage...

Savanos: *he mutters under his breath* Morrokei.....

Shuriken: The mission was to capture the red wolf battle mage and bring him back unthralled. Anyone else was to be killed. But, in the end, I couldn't do it. What Aero has taught me about compassion...it stayed my hand. I didn't want to see Rex die, even if he and I never met. When the other Squires saw this, they turned on me and captured me as well. But, it bought Rex enough time to escape...

Savanos: *he looks at Rex for the answer*

Rex: *he nods* Its what happened...

Shuriken: They want to sacrifice the battle mage to a monster in the ruins we made our base in. I have no idea what it is, but it sounds like a giant snake or something. And it has a lot of magical energy, since it did a number on Nahkriin...

Savanos: Could it be....*he looks right at Aura Wake* Students, though it has only been a few days, you now have a new assignment. Noah, Aero, Ai, Adriee, and Mercer are to go and rescue Master Crimson.

Shuriken: And me? You will need a guide to the ruins.

Mercer: HOW DO WE KNOW WE CAN EVEN TRUST YOU?!

Noah:.....I trust him.

Mercer: WHAT?!

Ai: Me too. If Shuriken-tan wanted to kill us, he could have done it on Erinn when Adriee attacked us in Dunbarton and we were weak.

Shuriken: I just want to make things right...

Mercer: What proof do you even have of the blood mages capturing you and turning on you?!

Noah: His wrists. I remember back on Erinn. When he showed up, his wrists were raw, as if he was in shackles.

Shuriken: I was in the dungeons in the ruins before Aero's crystal called out to me. I was going to be executed by Master Volsung himself...

Noah: Aero, you trust him, right? And Adriee? After all, you two are around him the longest.

Aero: *she has her hands clenched into fists and her eyes shut tight. Mercer was getting on her last nerves. Her eyes opend at his last question and she whirled around, punching him across the face* YOU. SHUT. UP. H did nothing to you, practically saved Rex's life and has been protecting us, and THIS is how you treat him?! Law, you are seriously getting on my last nerve. One more time... just ONE MORE, and I will NOT hesitate to beat your face in. *she turns away and takes several deep breaths, slowly calming herself down. Everyone could slightly hear her counting to herself in Iciauran*
Sparkai: ._.
Adriee: And I thought mom's temper was bad....

Shuriken: .....*he walks over and puts a hand on Aero's shoulder to comfort her* His anger towards me is perfectly rational...after all, I was your enemy at one point. And I'm a blood mage. I've come to expect that type of treatment.

Noah: Still, Aero's right. You've done nothing but help us after you got away from us. *he turns to Mercer* Aero's right, Mercer. If she goes to beat your face in, I'm not going to do a thing to stop her.

Ai: Just give Shuriken a chance, Mercer. He helped Rex...

Mercer: *he spits blood onto the ground and stands up* Fine. I'll give him a chance, but I'm watching him. That tidbit does anything funny, I'll rip him apart myself!

Ashcroft: when will they sacrifice Crimson?

Shuriken: We have until the next New Moon.

Savanos: That gives us three days...three days to save Crimson. You kids go rest up more. Tolftier, take Rex to the infirmary. Mercer, go soak your head and cool off. I will see all of you first thing tomorrow morning. Including you, Shuriken. *he turns and walks off*

Shuriken: *as he and Aero walk off he looks down* I'm sorry for causing so much trouble...

Aero: dont be. It's a part of life. You can never have a succuess without a failure.

Adrie: *She's already up in her room. She's just laying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, deep in thought. She went from fire mage, to Head Royal alchemist, which she still is, to being half Alch half Mage.*

Shuriken: you're right...

*the next day finally comes around. In the morning, Noah, Ai, and Mercer are all standing in the atrium ready to go.*

Noah: Look, Mercer, I don't want you picking a fight with Shuriken during this mission. He's been a big help to us. Plus, if you recall from Erinn, he's a Wake Soul, just like us. So just give him a chance?

Mercer: And if you recall, Tarnag was a Wake Soul as well before he turned all godly. I'm sorry, Noah, but I have to be skeptical. I'm not gonna pick a fight unless he betrays us. Until then, I'm gonna keep my eye on that bloody tidbit.

Ai: *she just leans against a column, thinking*

*in Aero's room, she and Shuriken are both laying down, asleep and cuddling. Then, Aero's alarm clock goes off. Shuriken wakes up peacefully and looks into Aero's eyes*

Shuriken: Good morning.

*as for Adriee, her alarm wasn't so peaceful. Before she left, Carabos had made her an alarm clock as a peace offering. When it activates, well....*

Carabos Clock: BEEP BEEP, MOTHERF%&#@^! TIME TO WAKE UP! *the message just repeats over and over again*

Aero: *she opens her eyes and smiles* Good morning to you as well~

Adriee: *she throws her fist out, punching her alarm right off the nightstand straight into the wall where is shattered to pieces.* If I ever go back to Erinn, Im stuffing the remains of that clock down that knife eared bastard's throat.... *Slowly getting up, she puts on her royal alch robes (something she couldnt bear to part with) and heads down, still yawning*

Shuriken: *he gets out of the bed and stands up. Blood swirls around him and his cloths form on his body while his pajamas disappear* We have a big mission today. *he looks back at Aero and smiles* Lets go save your teacher.


Noah: *he looks over and sees Adriee* Good morning, Adriee! *he smiles and waves at her, as if the fact that they had been enemies had never existed*

Mercer: Hmph....mornin, tidbit..

Ai: Good morning, Adriee-tan.

Savanos: So good of you to join us. Now all that remains is Shuriken and Aero. Mercer, remember to behave. Got it?

Mercer: Yeah yeah yeah...just as long as the bloody morsel keeps cool and doesn't turn on us.

Ai: Mercer-kun.....

Adriee: Meh... *he face said "Let me sleep of I'll pound your face in" while her upgraded cylinder still maintained its cheery blue glow*

Aero: *She just gets dressed behind a japanese curtain*

Shuriken: *while Aero gets dressed, he stands there thinking to himself* Bon Rai.....~I'm sorry, old friend. But I can't let Nahkriin get away with this. We need to save Crimson. We need to stop whatever is in those ruins...and I just hope I can at least get you and your sister out of there...~ Aero....Do you think the other Squires of Blood are beyond saving?