Shinar Jasper cleared his throat once more; all the meeting's participants ceased their idle banter and directed their attention to The Overseer, "With all topics being discussed this evening, I'd like to take the time to debrief and discuss the next steps of this succession process".
The Demon Lords all nodded their heads in agreement.
"Now, as Lord Chronos has already pointed out, the books before you belong to one of the seven candidates chosen by Fate to become Demon Lord," Shinar Jasper finished.
"Wait, but there's only six of us," Eros budded in. "Who is this seventh?"
Chronos and Shinar Jasper exchange a worrisome look, "The One of Chaos," Father answered.
The entire room grew cold and silent, "You cannot be serious," Lady Hypnos stated with concern.
Father continued to stare down at the ground.
"This Banquet has been let down after let down," Lady Hypnos yelled, throwing her hands in the air.
"Are we done with the interruptions?" Shinar Jasper asked causing the room to break into a cold sweat. "Now, each Demon Lord Candidate, or DLC, for short, will awaken, and upon awakening, their book will begin to fill with text... Unfortunately for everyone in this room, there is no way to find out who your respective candidate is".
"In my experience, I've noticed the Time Candidate usually awakens first," Father stated.
Shinar Jasper nodded his head, "A sign of a possible awakening is the manifestation of an Aspect or in this case, access to an ability held by a previous Demon Lord..."
The Demon Lords were each handed a book by Jade; upon examining the book, they noticed that there was no name or text anywhere on the pages or cover.
"Be mindful that the candidates can awaken at any time," Father advised, "so do keep an eye on these books..."
The Demon Lords all nodded their heads as the meeting comes to an end. The room then began to shift once more and spacious meeting hall returned to the original damp dungeon. Father mad his way over to me as I stayed sleeping on the gurney, picked me up and rubbed my head. He looked at me before shooting daggers at his sister, she returns the glared with a cheeky giggle before the two part ways.
Days later
Several days later, I woke up in the infirmary room trying to recall the results of the tournament, "I can't shake this feeling... Like I'm forgetting a part of myself..."
Every memory from the tournament seemed like a blur, and when I though about it even more, I felt like I couldn't remember most of my academic year, let alone the past eight years; Iniko enters the room with a enormous smile, "Yo!"
Iniko and I exchanged a brotherly handshake, at least I can still remember my family and friends; Iniko sat on the bed next to me, "Hey, Niko! How did everything go?"
"The tournament was cut short, obviously," Niko stated, "but we resumed the missed matches yesterday..."
"I hope you put that brat Socodka in his place..."
Iniko chuckled as he recalled the events of the bout.
One Day Prior
The arena was once again packed to capacity for the remaining fights, "AND WE ARE BACK WITH ANOTHER EXCITING DAY OF ADVANCEMENT MATCHES!" shouted the announcer.
The crowd cheered and the remaining students chanted their classmates names.
"AFTER THE UNEXPECTED INTERRUPTION, I CAN CONFIDENTLY SAY THAT WE ARE BACK ON TRACK! THE RESULTS OF THAT PARTICULAR MATCH ENDED IN A DRAW, DUE TO A UNFORESEEN INTERFERENCE!!"
Minerva folded her arms and pouted, "Is that what they're calling it?"
"Shhhh," Renata hushed, "he's about to call on Niko!"
The two girls directed their attention to the battlefield, "HAILING FROM CLASS 1-A, WE HAVE CALIBURN'S VERY FIRST PUPPET ARTS MASTER, SOCODKA GEERIDA!!"
The crowd cheered and chanted Socodka' name, "HIS OPPENENT ON THE OTHER HAND IS A RATHER UNIQUE STUDENT... IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THERE IS NO SIGNATURE NOR ELEMENTAL AFFINITY PRESENT? That can't be right-FROM CLASS 1-B, INIKO WYLLT-KALIF... IT SAYS HERE HE'S PROFICIENT IN CQC... A MAGE VERSUS A NON-MAGIC USER, SHOULD DEFINITELY MAKE FOR AN INTERESTING MATCH!!"
[he match horn sounded and the two students pounced towards each other.
Present Day
My eyes grew larger in anticipation, "Well?! What happened? Who won?!"
Iniko gave me a devious smirk, "We both had each other on the ropes, but in the end, I saw through all his tricks!!"
"That's exciting!!" I yelled leaping with joy. "I'm sure that weenie and his lackeys will finally leave us alone!"
Iniko snickered and looked down at hands, his face had a somber expression that left me feeling uneasy, "Everything alright?"
Iniko shook his head, "It's nothing, just, when you were taken, the rest of us were really worried... Weren't sure if you were going to make it back alive..."
The room immediately filled with an intense silence, "But when Father Chronos came carrying you, we knew you were safe..."
I let out a major sigh of relief, "Yeah... But, something does feel off... Like a whole part of my everything is just... Missing..."
Iniko gave me a confused expression.
"It's probably nothing, whatever it is, I'm sure I'll remember when the time is right..."
I shrugged my shoulders and stood up, and stretched my back and sticking my hand out to help Iniko up; we chuckled and made our way out of the infirmary.
Niko and I found ourselves at the classroom's front door. Iniko flashed me a quick smile before walking inside. Our classmates were listening carefully to the professor's lecture. We groaned and drug our feet to our desks, "So lovely having the two of you finally make an appearance," chirped Professor Greenwitch.
The rest of the class quietly giggled, "Eh, it doesn't really matter... Especially after the news I just got..."
We grew extremely silent, "Oh, what's this? I've got your attention? We'll the results of the Advancement Tournament just came in and..."
We collectively leaned forward, "AND?!?" Minerva yelled.
Professor Greenwitch smirked, "Wouldn't you like to know..."
We groaned once more, "Sir Dmitri!!" Renata said, putting her little foot down.
Professor Greenwitch was taken aback by Renata's outburst, she glared at him with fire in her eyes.]
Professor Greenwitch laughed nervously, "My apologies, Lady Renata, I just can't help myself but to tease you all! But, as a class... You all passed!"
Simultaneously, we all sighed with relief and spoke amongst each other regarding the past year in school. Minerva and Renata made plans to continue their friendship over the transitional period; the two are soon joined by me and Niko.
"Now we have to spend time over the break with each other!" Minerva said with excitement.
"Mother and the other staff has a special camp that they're enrolling me into." Renata stated. "It's supposed to further evolve my Signature, so I don't think it'll be possible..."
The news caused Minerva to pout, "Don't get discouraged now!" Professor Greenwitch exclaimed. "I heard that the camp is still accepting students! And besides, knowing your father, I'm sure you're already enrolled!"
The two girls instantly got amped up for the break and began making plans. Niko and I listened in on their conversation and decided we should to make plans for the break as well.
Professor Greenwitch sat at his desk watching his students enjoy our last day of class and glanced at the window. He took the time to think about the year and the recent Walpurgis meeting; he directed his attention to me, With everything that has happened this year, I'm finding it easier and easier to this child will usher in a new era for the Demon Lords... The professor thought. Enjoy this down-time while you can... The road paved for you lot is a dark one...
The professor abruptly stood up at his desk, catching the attention of the class, "Now, seeing as how you all were able to grasp my magnificent teaching style, I want to let you in on a little secret,"
We class listened in carefully, "This camp you'll be attending is not like what you're thinking. You see, it's being sponsored by Western Dragon Empire's free guild, Jawgress. Which means this will not only be a type of "Summer Camp" but also an internship..."
Most of the class stared at Professor Greenwitch with a confused expression, "Meaning! You'll get the opportunity to become full fledge adventurers! Remember the Party Emblem you needed to enroll here?"
We all looked at the Party Emblem on our right hands, "That's where these come into effect... Each person in your party with this symbol will be able to communicate with each other, as well as sharing a Mana Corridor for energy transferring. It's common for only a few classes to participate in this "camp," so don't be surprised if you see some other students attending!"
My eyes darted over to my sister, making eye contact with her. From the quick glance, we instantly knew our biggest rivals could potentially make an appearance at the program. We sighed heavily and continued listening to the professor, "Lastly, to address the elephant in the room..."
Everyone's eyes immediately shot towards me, "Given the bizarre turn of events at the tournament a few days ago, Lady Eos is issuing an instructor for each party, you know what that means?" Professor Greenwitch teased.
Minerva and I slumped further in our chairs, whereas Iniko and Renata lightened up with joy, "You're going to be our instructor for the guild camp?!" Renata probed.
Professor Greenwitch smirked and bowed slightly forward, "That's right Lady Renata! Think of me as like a coach! I'll be there to make sure you lot don't get yourself in any danger!"
"A glorified nanny is what it sounds like..."
The class started to snicker at my remark, much to Professor Greenwitch's annoyance, "Call it what you will, but you'll regret not having me around!"
We all simmered down and the professor continued his lecture.
Later That Evening
Niko and I were in our room packing our belongings, I sat my things on my bed and reminisced on my time enrolled in Caliburn, "Niko, this has been one hell of a year..."
"I can definitely agree with you," Niko remarked. "But look where it brought, the best class in the school. With literally one of the most skillful swordsmen Caliburn has seen!"
"I wouldn't say I'm the most skilled, but yeah, all that did come with some perks... But enough of the somber mood, Jade is outside waiting on us!"
We finished packing and made our way outside the dorms. We were greeted by Father, Mother, and Jade, along with a a restless Boudica, eager to see her siblings, "Brothers!"
My baby sister climbed out of Mother's arms and clumsily sprinted towards me. Both of us were overjoyed to see our father and mother. We were soon met by Professor Greenwitch, Minerva, Renata, Monspeed and Meliodas, each were excited to be leaving school for break. I greeted the rest of my family and party and we entered the bicorn drawn carriages to head to our destination, The Western Dragon Empire.
The trip was filled with laughs, storytelling, and a few brief training lessons. The adults monitored the our training and our surroundings closely to make sure we weren't being followed.
Professor Greenwitch approached Father, "I don't think we have anything to worry about during the break..."
Father exhaled sharply, "You say that now, but the future holds uncertainty..."
The professor shrugged his shoulders and directed his attention to his students, "I'll admit, I did let my guard down during the tournament, however, I do intend on keeping your children safe. I swear this on Lady Eos' name..."
Father chuckled slightly, "No need to be so dramatic, I trust you... Honestly, I don't blame you for what happened... Things started making sense shortly after we spoke... The dots began connecting..."
Professor Greenwitch shrugged his shoulders once more; he then took a bow and returns to assist the children with their training.
The Next Day
Our journey took a total of three days to make it back to my childhood home in The Chronos Domain. The outside of manor was decorated with gold trim and white marble columns. The garden and landscape was neat and kept as well as the many fields of vegetation. We all exited the carriages stretching and yawning; we were greeted by Shinar Jasper and Rubella, "Welcome home, Lord Chronos, Lady Twyla, Young Masters... A feast is being prepared for your arrival Young Ones..."
We all leaped for joy at Shinar Jasper's announcement; Rubella guided all the children to our rooms and the adults made their way to the courtyard.
That Evening
The festivities for the evening could be heard and seen from both the Northern and Southern halves of the region. The night was filled with idle chatter, laughs, children playing and good spirits. Shinar Jasper and the other maids stepped outside to the courtyard holding several large platters of food: Roasted Elkboar, Fried Ravenhawk, Ripe Lych Berries and many other dishes; everyone in attendance cheered as the maids set the food; the night continued on and the us kids eventually wore ourselves out.
The feast ended and all the children were tucked soundly in their beds, "What a night!" Jade sighed as she walked into the manor. Father and Mother approached her with a concerned expression on their faces.
"Jade?" Father asked, "do me a favor..."
Jade directed her attention to Father and Mother, "M'Lord, M'Lady?"
"Jade sweetie, we know you're strong," Mother responded.
"I need you to watch Myrlin's party," Father continued, "Dmitri will be there, but I'd feel more comfortable if I had you there as well."
Without questioning her masters, she complied and started making her way back to her room, "And Jade," Father called out, "Don't let anyone see you... Report everything you see back to me..."
The battle-maid quickly faced the pair and curtsied before making her exit. Father held his wife closely and tightly, "My Love, I will not rest until I can guarantee your safety and the safety of our children."
Mother gently closed her eyes and kissed Father on the cheek, "I fear anyone that attempts to harm your loved ones again, and you can rest easy knowing that Myrlin can step up if you're not able too."
The two embraced each other once more before heading to their room.
The Next Morning
The maids all assisted us children with getting our things ready to leave for our internship; Lilac helped Minerva and Renata, Rubella assisted Monspeed and Meliodas, while Jade aided me and Iniko. We finished our packing and made our outside to the carriages where our professor awaited us. We had a short journey to the nearby town of Jawgress, where the internship was to be held.
We made our way to the Jawgress Guild Hall untouched and said their goodbyes to Jade and the other battle-maids. As the party entered the guild hall, Jade gave both Lilac and Rubella a quick nod before walking into the shadows of a nearby ally.
Inside The Guild Hall
The Mystics party waited at a table while our teacher spoke with the guild's receptionist. He returned holding six cards; Guild Licenses and handed each of us a card, "These are your official Guild Licenses! With these, you're allotted all the privileges any other guild member has."
Our eyes began to sparkle as we read the information on the card, "However, since you're all students, they're not going to allow you to rank nor advance your current "intern" status," advised the professor.
And since we were all chatting up a storm and getting excited to go on our first guild mission as "Intern-Adventures", we didn't even hear his advise, "Figures... I did manage to get us a guild request!"
Like a mousetrap, he caught our attention with that statement, "That got your attention... The request came from the Guild Master, they want you to go to the LeFey Forest and investigate the monster activity."
"Oh," sighed Niko "That place..."
Renata looked at us with a puzzled expression, all of our heads hung low at the mention of The LeFey Forest, "You have nothing to worry about... Besides, after that little mishap, The Western Dragon Empire and the City of Avalon worked together to clear the forest of any sketchy people..."
Niko forced a reassuring smile, I know it hurt him, it was the place where we met and where Mother almost died.
That Afternoon in the LeFey Forest
Our party scouted a small section of the forest; the area was eerie and quiet.
"Psst, Niko!" I whispered and gestured him to follow; we ended up splitting from the rest of the group and continued our scouting. We came across several small animals and Elkboar; as we continued to survey the area, my ears began to slightly twitch. I stopped Iniko from continuing further and pressed my finger to my mouth, directing him to listen; we could overhear a fire crackling in the distance.
Through the forest's foliage, we could barely make a large campfire with at least twenty hooded individuals circling it; we tried to listen closely, however we couldn't make out what they are saying, "I can't hear anything, can you?"
Niko shook his head and pointed at one of the hooded figures, "Look," he whispered.
The hooded being took off his hood and we were horrified by what we saw; the person taking off the hood had several horns and spikes protruding from his face. The other attendees follow suit and each person had an equally bizarre appearance.
Niko and I exchanged a worried and frightened expression and decided to report our findings to Professor Greenwitch. We slowly turn around and were greeted by one of the hooded figures, "Ah yes, we've been waiting for you, Child..." The cultist places a hand on both of our shoulders.
To be Continued...