Inside the S-1 Mansion…
Ayana paced back and forth in front of Squad S-1, all fully geared up, as they lined up before her, tapping her chin while she studied them.
"You guys are going to go into one of the most dangerous areas on the planet," she acknowledged. "Are you ready?"
"Yes!" they responded.
"Good. Let me get the quick rundown on you guys then," she said.
She walked in front of Marachii first. "Marachii."
"Yes, Ms. Ayana?" he replied.
"You're the tech guy, right?" she asked.
He nodded.
"Good. That'll work. Luca! What about you?" she continued.
Luca pulled out some beef jerky and crunched on it. "I turn into animals. Totally wild."
"Could be useful. Whatcha got, Saori?"
Saori raised up her hand, and a rainbow flew out of it. "Rainbow Magic!"
"That's cute! And you, Hikari?"
Hikari held out her hands, which glowed bright pink. "Well, you've kinda seen it, but I can heal stuff. I've also been practicing how to hurt stuff too!"
Ayana tapped her chin. "That's intriguing. What about you two?"
She looked at Akari and Aoki, who were standing close by each other but seemed to wish they weren't. "What's your bag of tricks?"
"I don't really think it's your business—-" Aoki stated, before Akari cut her off.
"I've got the power," Akari answered. "She brings the drama and conflict. Can't forget her lack of manners, too."
Aoki's eyes turned red, and she prepared to speak, but Ayana moved over to Fujii, carefully sizing him up and down. "I guess you don't need an introduction, do you, sir?"
"Nah, but it's fun!" Fujii laughed. "Try this. I'm Kenshi Fujii, an ultra-powerful warrior who's the strongest, sexiest, most handsome warrior in all of Voltiana! With a face as sharp and cool as ice, if I must say myself."
Aoki and Akari groaned.
"Well, thanks for that," Ayana remarked. "I think that's everyone. Now that you're all ready, the hard part can begin. Going INTO the Hallowed and finding Dachii."
"This Hallowed Land," Fujii wondered. "What is it? I've never heard of it before. And I've heard EVERYTHING."
Ayana pulled out a map, which showed a land that appeared to be both dark and luminous. "That's because it isn't a part of Voltiana. According to lore, it came millennia before its creation. A land deep beneath the ground, one that the Old Ones used to walk."
Everyone stared at her, confused.
"A land before our time?" Fujii questioned. "It's not a stretch, but if that's the case, why would it open up now?"
"That's the big question," Ayana said. "Since we're going to open it back up."
She put the map in the backpack on her back before preparing to walk outside the door. "Follow me!"
She walked outside, and the squad all hesitated before following her.
"Are we sure we can trust her?" Akari asked. "This is Dachii's life we're talking about, if she fools around or fails, that's it! No more chances!"
Aoki nodded. "I agree. I don't like her."
"She is a bit strange…" Hikari noted. "But she does appear genuine! After all, she doesn't have to help us save our friend, you know?"
"Yeah!" Saori agreed.
Fujii marched toward the door. "She's our best shot, and she's been really helpful so far! Let's give the girl a little faith, should we? Come on, team!"
He smiled and waved them over before disappearing out the door himself.
"I just want my brother to be ok," Marachii admitted. "So maybe this is the best option? If she's human, she can't be that dangerous, right?"
"But what if she's NOT?" Akari rebuked. "We've seen it before!"
"If so, that would mean she's posed as human for a long time," Hikari pointed out. "Ever since the arena. No plots, no plans, no attacks, not since the Ravos incident. That's way longer than any of the others."
"She smells human," Luca shrugged.
Akari slapped her forehead.
"We'll listen to Fujii," Aoki ordered. "But keep your eyes peeled. Don't let your guard down around her."
They nodded, but Akari still appeared uneasy, even as the others left the mansion. "Why won't they listen? Damn it."
Fido came from out of the hallway, wagging his tail. "Fido, at least you listen to me."
She gave him a pet. "Marachii will be back soon."
She begrudgingly left the dog and opened the door, stepping outside into the sun. While outside, a large crowd was waiting for them, headlined by Nishiyama, Tetsuya, Tsugumi, Arata, Yoritomo, and the other Generals.
"About time," Toru spat.
"That's…a crowd," Akari remarked.
"Sure is," Aoki said. "Let's trim it."
She drew her sword, but Fujii put a hand on her shoulder. "What are you guys doing here? I thought you were at the Castle!"
"We came to send you off," Nakada answered. "We're worried too."
"Is Dachii going to be ok?" Nishiyama asked.
"What was that thing that pulled him away?" Tetsuya asked. "That thing's a freak!"
Tsugumi tried to hide it, but her face was clearly worried. "…Please find him."
"Why am I even here?" Arata wondered.
Yoritomo walked up to Fujii. "This mission seems dangerous. You sure you wanna go down into whatever hellhole that is?"
"One of my own is down there, pal," Fujii replied. "It was never an option."
Yoritomo nodded. "Of course."
Ayana called out to the group. "This way, guys! We've got to go to the exact spot they took Dachii!"
"Off we go," Fujii said.
Atomu interrupted them before they could walk off. "Wait. Shouldn't all of our squads go? Wouldn't it be more effective in the search down there?"
Fujii shook his head. "If we all get trapped or stay down there too long, that leaves the entire nation without its main line of defense. You guys have to stay out here in case anything goes wrong."
Atomu sighed but relented. "Alright."
He looked at his sister, who gave him a quiet nod and stare. "Bye, brother."
As the rest looked on, Fujii and his squad followed Ayana to the area where Dachii was taken. Once they reached it, they noticed a few cracks still in the ground.
"They didn't close this up entirely," Ayana noticed. "Hey, can one of you smash this?"
The group shared a look before Akari raised an energy-charged fist and slammed it into the ground, revealing a luminous black crystalline wall below it.
"That's what we need to break!" Ayana realized. "Akari, can you hit it again?"
Akari glared at her before delivering another punch, this time nearly shattering the crystalline wall.
"One more should do it!"
Akari brought her fist down hard, and the wall shattered, knocking everyone back and revealing a bright luminous glow coming from below.
"There it is…" Ayana muttered. "The Hallowed."
She got up, peering into the hole. "Guys, we need to jump inside. We don't have any time to waste."
Before anyone could say anything, she took a deep breath and jumped into the hole.
"Now we HAVE to follow her," Luca said, matter-of-factly.
Marachii steadied himself. "Yeah…"
And without warning, he ran and jumped into the hole.
"Marachii!" Akari called out. "Damn it, damn it…!"
"Now we have to follow HIM," Luca added. "No use dragging it out."
Luca jumped into the hole as well. One by one the others jumped after them. Saori, Hikari, and Aoki, leaving only Fujii and Akari left.
"Having second thoughts?" Fujii asked.
Akari looked at the hole. "I just don't trust what's down there, and I don't trust her. But if Dachii really is in danger down there, we can't leave him, especially in his state."
"So, you're going to come with us?"
"Yes," she agreed. "I will."
"That's what I like to hear! Come on, Princess!"
Fujii grabbed her and jumped into the hole. Once he did, the ground shook, closing the hole up after them.
???…
Akari felt herself flying through the air, and eventually, she felt the cold, hard surface of the ground. But the ground she landed on didn't feel like "ground."
"Guys?" she called out. "General? Luca? Saori? Anyone?"
"We're here," a voice behind her replied.
She turned around, ready to attack, but she only found Ayana standing there, her hands up. "Hey, don't hit me! I'm just the messenger!"
"Did you lead us into a trap?" Akari accused. "Where's the rest of my friends?"
"I don't know!" Ayana exclaimed. "Honest! It probably split us up upon arrival! This is an unstable method of entering!"
"What, breaking holes in the ground?"
"No! Re-opening a closed gate!"
Akari put her hands on her hips. "You know a lot about this for a human. Care to explain that?"
"Because I study?" Ayana admitted. "That's how I knew about the Raijin Games and all the places I adventure!"
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Akari scoffed.
Suddenly, they both noticed another figure falling from the sky, landing face-first onto the ground. "Ow…"
"Marachii!"
Akari immediately helped him up, and he grabbed his head. "Thanks…are we here yet?"
Akari looked around. Everything from the trees to the lakes to the giant buildings in the distance looked darkened and luminous. Even the sky.
"I would say we are," Akari pointed out.
Marachii brushed the dirt out of his hair. "What do we do now? This place is huge!"
Akari pointed to the buildings in the distance. "We start there. Find some people to talk to."
She looked at Ayana. "Any objections?"
Ayana raised her hands in mock surrender. "No ma'am."
"Good. Come on."
They walked a nearby path leading to the city in the distance. While they walked, Akari turned toward Ayana. "Hey, bookworm. Is there anything else we should know before we risk our lives?"
"Not that I can think of," Ayana remarked. "Everything else is self-explanatory."
"Of course," Akari groaned, rolling her eyes.
Marachii sighed. "Is there something you two need to talk about? You know?"
Akari continued walking. "No. Keep moving."
Ayana leaned in and whispered into Marachii's ear. "I don't think she likes me very much. Did I do something wrong?"
"No, no," Marachii clarified. "Akari is smart and strong, but she's always wary. She was like this to me and my brother early on, skeptical and cautious."
"I see," Ayana moaned. "Is there any way I can be her friend too?"
"Well," Marachii thought for a moment. "It has to happen naturally, I guess."
"Naturally," she repeated. "Okay."
Akari held up a glowing white hand, illuminating the pathway ahead. "No traps. That's good."
"Awesome magic you've got there," Ayana complimented. "What is it, Light Magic?"
Akari didn't even bother to turn around. "It's not my Magic. It's my Element, obviously."
"Ahh, sorry, sorry!" Ayana apologized. "Do you have magic? I mean, I would assume you all have some form of it, but you don't ever seem to display it, you know—-?"
Akari whirled around, and Ayana immediately stopped talking. Marachii just slapped his forehead.
"This is hopeless," he thought.
The path soon ended, and they were at the entrance to a dark, broken, and overly dense city, with buildings that were as high as skyscrapers and bridges that spanned across the entire area.
"Do you know what this is?" Akari asked.
"Nope," Ayana replied. "No clue."
"Fine," Akari said. "We'll search this place ourselves."
Marachii tugged on Akari's shoulder. "That's a great plan and all, but LOOK!"
Marachii pointed at the heart of the city, where a group of hooded cultists were sitting, seemingly praying to a statue of a female entity.
Akari quickly grabbed Marachii and Ayana and pulled them behind a bush. "Shhh! Don't you guys make a sound!"
The cultists began chanting in a language Akari couldn't understand. Ayana tried to get up and listen, but Akari pulled her back down.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"What are YOU doing? Do you want to get yourself killed?"
"Look, I don't know what your problem is with me, but you don't have to control me like I'm some kid!"
Akari sized her up and down. "You're definitely not a kid. Probably some dangerous inhuman thing come to murder us all once we turn our backs."
"Are you serious?" Ayana exclaimed. "This is ridiculous, I should have just done this on my own!"
"Guys…" Marachii warned.
"Okay, then go," Akari snapped. "No one will miss you. It's crazy how as soon as all this weird stuff happens after six months, YOU show up!"
"Because I'm trying to help!"
"Guys…" Marachii insisted.
"How helpful have you been, sweetheart?" Akari mocked. "Trapped down here with no clue of where we are or what we're doing!"
"Okay, find him yourself!" Ayana stated.
"Guys!" Marachii interrupted.
They both turned towards him, and he gestured behind them. Once they looked, they noticed a swarm of cultists around them, each with a curious glint under their hoods.
"Interesting…" one spoke. "We have quite the catch."
And before anyone could make a move, the cultists attacked them.
—-