Hideo barely dodged his brother's attack as the latter's claws sliced through the air, cutting the ground with the air pressure alone. His eyes widened as the cracks went on for several more meters.

"Well, with that, I'll be taking my leave," the girl said, running past the shocked Hideo. "Perhaps if The Lightning King hadn't taken down our other members, this fate could've been avoided. Alas, your brother's body is needed to make up for at least some of our losses."

"You're that low on manpower as to rely on a kid? How pathetic..." Hideo snapped. The bowman spun around and shot an arrow at her, but he quickly regretted turning his attention away from Dante.

Hideo gagged as blood pushed its way up his mouth. His green eyes peered down. Running through his side were black claws.

"Dan...te," Hideo whispered as he collapsed to the ground. Dan gave him a cold-look. The kind and shy little brother he once knew wasn't there anymore. What had they done to his soul?

Dante pulled his claws out of Hideo and walked away to catch up to his 'mistress'.

Damn, I cannot die here. I cannot! I need to save my brother! I need to rescue Dante! Hurry up, stupid body, move! Come on, move! Move! Oh, Divine Couple, please, help me stop Dan. I need to rescue him!

Hideo suddenly felt a hand fall on his side. His vision was blurry, but he could see a red-haired kid dressed in white robes, yet who had no shoes on. In the boy's hand was a wooden staff that glowed bright green. Accompanying him was a little girl who had the same look in her eyes as his brother.

He tried to move his lips to ask the two who they were, but he could barely breathe due to all the blood in his throat, less alone speak.

"I thought I felt you two," Hideo heard a familiar voice echoed. He glanced up and saw the outline of a black-cloaked man donning a mask approached the two from behind.

Kuroshi.

"Master," the girl said in a stoic tone as she bowed. "Yuko and Nori came here upon the orders of Serrano."

The man hummed. "Right, I foresaw your arrival on this mountain. He sent you here to spy on that boy accompanying the princess, didn't he? The angel of Ximena was your guide, was she not?"

"How did you know? And how do you know, Miss?" Nori asked.

Kuroshi chuckled. "Agnes."

"Agnes?" Yuko asked, tilting her head.

The man nodded. "Correct. You know, the wielder of Aventine was right to ask you to come here. That raven-haired boy, as well as the one currently training Tetsuya, are both highly suspect. I want you two to take this boy to Eiji once he's healed. However, before you do so, call Serrano and Tetsuya to come here. I think this will be a good time to test out the Agnes Knight."

Yuko nodded as Kuroshi handed her a purple and black cellphone, which strangely already had Serrano's number. The man turned his back to the three and walked forward.

"Where is Master going?" Yuko asked as she put the phone against her ear.

He laid a gloved finger against one of the black stone walls of the cavern. "I sense an eerie power at work here, someone has cast a dark art."

Hideo pushed himself up. "Someone is controlling my brother!" the teen said as he wiped the blood off his lips. "The one behind it has to be deeper in the cavern. How did you three even come here?"

Kuroshi chuckled. "After Ximena's Olivine showed Nori and Yuko to the mountain, Yuko here created a new cavern from the left side of the mountain. I simply followed it."

Nori looked at him uneasily. "Master was following us all this time?"

"Well, not all this time. After splitting ways with Rosa and Roa, I did."

Yuko narrowed her eyes at him as soon as he mentioned Roa. To her knowledge, the two hadn't met.

Hideo turned his eyes toward the cavern wall that Kuroshi had been touching and saw that there was a hole large enough for an eight-foot-tall adult to walk through.

"Wow. This little girl made this?" he asked, looking at Yuko.

Yuko stared at him as she pressed redial on the phone after Serrano failed to answer. "Should Yuko be hearing this from a little boy?"

"Little?" Hideo said, stepping back. "Why you little... You're shorter than I am!" He grunted. "Argh, it doesn't matter right now! If you excuse me, I'm going to go save Dan." He stomped on ahead, but Kuroshi grabbed the back of his shirt's collar. "Huh, what are you doing?"

"Go with these two to meet Eiji. You can't hope to win with the way you currently are."

"Why should I meet that Seven-Hill?" Hideo asked, glaring at him. "Move aside, I have to rescue Dan!"

Kuroshi sighed. "If you go with these two, then you'll have access to a new power, one that might help you save your little brother."

Hideo grew quiet. A new power? What kind of power could that man offer me? But he is one of the Seven-Hills and easily defeated those other rebels. Whatever power he has to offer, it must be strong.

"Alright, I'll go with them," Hideo said, making his way to the path Yuko had made. "But you better make sure nothing bad happens to Dan meanwhile I'm gone, alright?"

Kuroshi nodded. "Don't cha worry, those of us who are here will keep him safe."

Hideo smiled and ran off. Kuroshi glanced over at Yuko. "Has he answered yet?"

***

[Elitia University]

Tetsuya was sweating profusely as he traded punches with Serrano while Etsuo watched from a distance. "Hmm, no change," Etsuo said, rubbing his chin while he watched the cousins move around the field at breakneck speeds. "What we're doing isn't going to help him awaken Agnes at all..."

"Hey, Serrano, your phone is ringing," Ximena said, as she jumped down from the domes. Serrano and Tetsuya stopped as Ximena walked over to them to hand over the phone.

"Strange," Serrano said as he took the phone and glanced at the number. "I've never seen this number before."

"Could it be spam?" Tetsuya said, looking over his cousin's shoulder.

"Maybe."

"They seem to have called repeatedly, though," Serrano said, glancing over his call log. He raised the phone to his ear. "Hello, who is this?"

"Yuko. Serrano and mister are needed here. The princess is being attacked by rebels."

"Rebels?" Serrano said, eyes wide.

"Huh? What rebels?" Etsuo asked.

Tetsuya, who had overheard, spun around. "Come on, we need to go save the princess!"

"Wait!" Ximena yelled. "You going could make things worse. You still have yet to activate your weapon."

The brunette grunted. "That may be, but right now, Rosa and potentially Yuko and Nori are in trouble. We need to save them."

Ximena sighed. "Alright, but I'm coming with you."

"I will come with you too," Etsuo said with concern in his voice. "Roa might be in trouble."

Serrano extended his right hand out toward the center of the tiled field and closed his eyes. "This should make our trip there a little quicker." The three of them watched as the space-time in front of the Seven-Hill rippled. A dark blue vortex the size of a massive gateway opened in front of Serrano. "Run!"

The three didn't hesitate to follow him through the portal.

"Woah," Etsuo said as they found themselves in the middle of a courtyard with a snow-white statue of a dove spitting out water. All around them were houses that seemed to resemble villas with some smaller places the farther away from the center one went. "Where are we?"

"This is the capital of Makkuroyama," Serrano said as he stumbled forward.

"Serra!" Tetsuya yelled, catching his cousin before he could fall face-first into the dark-silver cobblestone floor of the courtyard. "You alright?"

Serrano gave his cousin a reassuring smile. "Yeah, it's just portal fatigue, nothing too major. I should be fine soon."

Ximena glanced at the tallest mountain in the outskirts of the city. "I sense the princess and Roa in that direction! Yuko and Nori are there too!"

"Wait, you can sense them from this far?" Tetsuya asked.

The young woman giggled. "Yeah, surprised? I guess you would be." She touched her silver rosary, causing a blinding green light to cover the four of them. "Olivine, come forth!"

An angel with olive hair materialized out of thin air. "You called, Mistress?"

Ximena nodded. "I trust that you escorted Nori and Yuko safely?"

Olivine nodded. "Yes. I aided them in keeping an eye on the princess. Fortunately, this area is brimming with plant-life, making it easy to find my way around. Though, inside that cavern, I'm useless as a guide."

"That's fine. I have a feeling that those kids can find their way around it." The Kasai no Ki girl turned her eyes toward Serrano, Etsuo, and Tetsuya. "Tetsu, go with Etsuo. I'm going to have Olivine guide you as she did Nori and Yuko. In the meantime, I'll take care of Serrano until his fatigue fades."

Serrano shook his head even as he struggled to stand up on his own. "I-I'll be fine."

Ximena narrowed her eyes at him and sighed. "Yeah, sure. You are too exhausted! Now, sit down by the fountain and rest!"

Tetsu walked his cousin over to her. "Here, he's all yours."

"Tetsu," Serrano grumbled. "I can-"

"No," Tetsuya said, turning his back to him. "I know this part of you. You claim to be fine when you aren't, both of us do it. Been doing it since we were kids."

Etsuo chuckled. "Really now? Roa's the same way." His smile faded. "Roa..." The snow-white-haired youth dashed ahead without Tetsuya and Olivine.

"Hey, wait up!" Tetsuya yelled, chasing after his coach.

Ximena snickered. "Olivine, please keep an eye on those two."

"Especially my cousin," Serrano said, snickering.

Olivine smiled. "Don't worry. Once I have finished my job, I will return."

"Thanks!" Ximena said, smiling. She glanced at Serrano. "Meanwhile, I'll be keeping an eye on this one. I can't have him running around with his mana this low."

Serrano sighed.

***

[Cavern, Right Tunnel]

Reno gasped. "The mana, it shifted just now," Reno said as he stopped in the middle of the cavern. "Space-time warped just now, but it seems it wasn't the master of these lands who did it. No, it was from farther, from the direction of the town below."

He shook his head and continued on his way. He had to capture the princess at all costs, including at the expense of his life.

"Dan, attack him!" he heard his sister scream.

"Stop it, Dan!" he heard the duke yell.

"Seems that my sister is giving the duke a hard time," he said, grinning. "I should go help her out." Suddenly, a powerful pressure covered the entire cavern. He directed his eyes toward the ground where tiny pebbles bounced up and down. In fact, the whole system of caves was being shaken by the mysterious aura. "This power, where is it come from? It's heading in the direction of my parents. This is bad... Is there a Seven-Hill or someone with equal power whom we failed to account for?"

"Reno!" he heard his sister scream. He looked up and saw his sister dodge a swing from the duke's staff. "You felt that, didn't you?"

Reno nodded. "Yes. There's someone else with the power at the level of the older Seven-Hills here." He watched as Dan tackled the duke. The man could've easily knocked out the child, but he couldn't bring himself to hurt his own son.

"Stop this!" Hideaki yelled as he grabbed his son by the back of his neck. He pulled him off of his back and pressed Dan against the wall. "Dan, come to your senses!"

Dan growled at his father in frustration. Using his claws, he slashed his father's arms, drawing blood. Unlike with Hideo, they couldn't penetrate past his skin. A layer of green mana was protecting him.

"You can attack me all you want, but I won't let go!" Hideaki yelled, tears in his eyes.

Dan roared. His father's words had no effect on him.

"Seems he's distracted," Reno said, stepping back.

Suzuki nodded. "Right. Let's take this chance and go after that princess. Our parents should be able to take care of themselves."

Hideaki swung his staff in front of the two, but they both managed to jump over it. With only one arm, he managed to keep Dan from escaping. "You two won't be going anywhere until you return Dan back to normal!"

"Sorry, old man, but we have other matters to attend to!" Reno said, sticking his tongue out at him. Reno jumped as the duke threw his staff at them.

"You stupid kids, I am not playing around! You toy with my son's life, and I won't hold back!"

Suzuki grumbled as the ceiling of the cave shook. The small golden torches lighting the way flickered on and off. "Recall what I told you? If you kill us or even go as far as knocking us out, then my mother won't hesitate to shatter your son's soul."

Hideaki looked back at his rabid son, who was kicking and screeching. There seemed to be no way to reach him. No matter how much one called out his name, the boy had no reaction at all. He closed his eyes and hugged the boy tightly. "Please, stop it, Dan. Stop!"

"Gwaahhh!" Dan yelled, causing the earth to destabilize further.

"It won't work," Suzuki said, giving him a pitiable look. "Only way is to surrender, so do it already."

The duke cried. "I would give my lands if it meant regaining my son, but to give it to people who would use a child? I can't bring myself to do that! If I did, then Dan would hate me!" Hideaki said as he held out his hand, recalling his staff. He swung it at them again, this time with a wild spin.

The sibling rebels gasped as the staff struck both of them in the stomach, knocking them into the darkness of the cavern

"Fighting those two is useless. The one I need to take down is their leader," the duke said as the staff returned once more. He stared at Dan and hugged him again. "Don't worry, son. We'll get your soul back real soon, you'll see."

***

Reno winced. They had been sent so far back that he couldn't see the duke nor Dan. In fact, they had been sent flying countless feet, all the way to the entrance of the third tunnel.

"That guy is going to pay!" Reno growled. He stopped as he felt a hand pull him back.

"Calm down, even if he goes, our parents should still be able to fend both him and the owner of the mysterious aura off." She gasped and turned around.

"What's wrong?" Reno said, shaking his head.

Suzuki closed her eyes, averting her brother's gaze. "We must hurry, we cannot allow for Eiji to come. While our parents might be able to fend off two people at that level, they cannot do so with three."

Reno kept his eyes on his sister. Something else seemed to be on her mind, but he couldn't quite make out what it was. Was it frustration? Sympathy toward the enemy? Or something else?

He put his hands behind his head and strode ahead of her. "We'll be outside soon. Whatever is bothering you, brush it aside. We got a princess to capture, remember?"

"You won't be capturing any princesses!" a voice roared. Reno leaned back, barely avoiding the tip of an earth spike that had emerged in front of them.

Reno stepped back as he stood up. He snickered as he saw a hazel-eyed girl glaring at him. "So, you've come. That saves us the trouble of hunting you down, Princess Rosalba."

Rosalba glared at him. "Where is the boy you rebels took?"

"That is no way to extract information from the enemy," Roa said, taking a step forward. He cracked his knuckles and moved his head left and right. "Now, which of you two will like to take me on? Or maybe, if you'll like, you can both attack me. How's that?"

Reno grabbed his crystal necklace, pouring a significant amount of energy into it. "I like the spirit you have! Allow me to take you on!" He snapped his necklace off his neck and swung his right hand to his side. "Rise forth, Alabaster!"

**Solar Note: Surprised by the double update? This is all to celebrate 17 months since I first published Ep. 1 of the original version of RoaGA on this site :3. So, what do you think of Dan's condition? Think they'll be able to snap him out or rescue him? Are you excited to see Roa in action? After all, it will be the first time you'll see him fighting ;).**