The dark blue armored knight glanced out of the window of the airplane to take a look at the clouds below. In his hands was a gray cylinder with the creature's crystal inside.

He touched his back with his left hand and winced. "Wonder if I should ask Teresa for another message. Though, doing so might be bad manners, considering how upset she looked last time I saw her..." the soldier said. He took a deep breath.

What do I do about my feelings for Akari? Perhaps I should try to move on?

"Roa, Etsuo," the crystal called out in a tired voice as if it were dreaming.

"Roa? Etsuo?" the young man asked, turning to look at the crystal. Those are the names of Rosalba's new guards... How does she know them? I need to contact Osamu right away. They might all be in danger.

***

['Present'- Imperial Palace's Lobby]

"So Zafir was sent to the north," Teresa said, rubbing her chin. "Hopefully, he makes it back safe and sound."

"I'm still surprised that you know him," Tetsuya said, rubbing his neck.

His sister put her hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes at him. "And I was surprised to learn that ya knew Princess Rosalba and that Serrano was engaged to her older sister."

"Touche," Tetsuya said, chuckling.

"So you are awake already. Are we going to get to see you fight the princess today?" someone asked. Tetsuya, Teresa, and Nico looked up. It was Roa. He descended the stairs with Etsuo.

Tetsuya tilted his head at him. "I've been awake for a while, was in the dome most of this time. Came downstairs to eat. Say, are ya feeling alright? Ya're usually the first one who eats."

Roa smiled slightly and rubbed his neck like Tetsuya. "Yeah, I was a tad tired. Kinda slept in."

"Really, it doesn't look like ya slept well," Teresa said, a hand still on her hips.

"I've had those days," Nico said, laughing. "One sleeps for hours but wakes up feeling and looking as tired as if one had only slept for five, or less."

"Yeah, it has to be something like that," Roa said, laughing. "Hopefully, a nice meal will get me pumped up."

"So you are already awake, good," a voice boomed overhead. The five of them glanced up the stairs again.

Setsuko, Hyosetsu, and Eiichi each lead their groups down while King Osamu lead Miyuki, Eiko, and Eiji. Every single one of them was wearing armor, and most had their angel tools in weapon form.

"What's going on?" Etsuo asked in a nervous voice. "I thought the plan to go north was canceled. Did the expedition fail?"

"On the contrary. Zafir captured the creature terrorizing those lands. It was an abyssmal as predicted," King Osamu. "Strangely, he reports that the creature has been mumbling your name and that of your companion." He narrowed his eyes at them. "Tell me what connection do you have with it."

"We haven't even met this creature you speak of," Etsuo said, wrinkling his brow.

"It seems he's telling the truth," Kohri said as he made his way toward them with Rosalba. "It could be that they have met this creature before and don't know it's the one terrorizing the north. Or somehow the creature learned of their names." He lowered his eyes to the black floor. "Though come to think about it, the attacks began on the day we met."

"You mean, your brother's birthday? Maybe something about him turning twenty-two triggered it to attack," Roa said, snickering.

"You're deflecting now," Kohri said, staring at him in the eyes.

"I'm going to have to ask you two to go be interrogated," Osamu said, sighing.

Roa and Etsuo exchanged glances.

"So you two are suspicious of not only us but those two? I mean, I get why you doubt us. But what's so suspicious about them?" Reno said as he jumped down from the top of the stairs.

"To be honest, I'm suspicious of all of your entire group apart from Kohri and my daughter," King Osamu said, narrowing his eyes at Tetsuya and Teresa.

"Dad! Roa and Etsuo are trustworthy. As are Tetsu, Tere, and the others," Rosalba said, stepping forward. "If the former two weren't, they would've killed me while fighting the rebels as well as have struck down Tetsuya and the other knights while they were injured following their tournament."

He crossed his orange armored arms over his chest and scoffed. "And if they did that to gain your trust? Don't be so naive, Rosa. At the very least, this will be a precaution."

"Alright, you may interrogate us," Etsuo said, looking at King Osamu in the eyes. "We have nothing to hide."

Osamu kept his eyes on him. "Hmph. Rosa, Kohri, knight, keep an eye on the two of them. If they should prove to be spies, eliminate them on the spot," the king said as he continued to descend the stairs.

"Hmm, those two are suspicious," Kohri said in a low voice as he crossed his arms. "I feel as if they're hiding something big from us."

Rosa frowned as she stared at Roa, who was glaring at her father. "Like what?" she whispered.

Kohri kept his eyes on Etsuo. "About where they're really from."

"They said they came from Tora..."

"Yeah, I sense they were lying about that."

Rosa gulped. "Then, maybe I should keep an eye on them, after all... But, I don't think they're bad people."

Kohri smiled. "Nor do I. But the enemy isn't always evil. It's overly simplistic to think that conflicts are all black and white."

"So true," Suzuki said, pulling her hair behind her ear.

"Where is everyone off to?" Hideo asked as he rushed over to them.

"You stay here. You will only end up dying," King Osamu said as he turned around. "You and the Agnes Knight are to remain here. Your fellow knights will be off to battle in the Abyss. I will be having a meeting with the leaders of the provinces."

The youngest knight stared at Eiji, Eiko, and Miyuki. That made three of the five. "Wait, so my father and the leader of the southern province are coming here?"

"The leader of the south is already here."

"He is?" Teresa and Tetsuya asked. Few had ever seen the Southern Grand Duke's face or even seen him at all for that matter.

"Yes. As for Hideaki, he should be here very shortly. In the meantime, those of us here will show the others to the Abyss. If your father arrives before our return, tell him to wait here."

"Alright," Hideo said, smiling.

"Good luck, sis!" Rosa yelled.

Setsuko looked over her shoulder. She smiled and waved good-bye. "You too!"

"You better come back safely! You hear me, Serra?" Tetsuya yelled.

"What? I didn't hear that last part!" Serrano said with a playful smile.

Tetsuya chuckled. "I said, 'Serrano'!"

"I thought so!" he said as Hyosetsu's group walked out of the golden gate.

"So Duke Hideaki is coming here," Rosa said as she watched her sister and the others exit the palace.

"Wonder if he'll bring Dan with him," Hideo said as he glanced toward the golden ceiling.

"How is he doing?" Rosalba asked as she ascended the stairs. "Last we saw him, he seemed out of it."

Hideo lowered his eyes toward the mosaic and clenched the golden rails tightly. His lips quivered.

Suzuki kept her head down as they all made their way toward him. "That poor boy..." she mumbled.

"Oh, you feel sorry for him now? Because you sure didn't when you kidnapped him!" Hideo shouted, slicing the air with his left hand. The action sent a blade of wind toward her and the others.

"Hey, calm down!" Tetsuya said, shielding Suzuki with his shield.

"How do you expect me to calm down, peasant? How would you feel if someone hurt your sister or brother?" Tears dripped down Hideo's eyes as he fell to his knees. "I was too weak to help Dan! If it weren't for the adults, we likely would've lost!"

Tetsuya and Rosalba exchanged glances. They knew he was right. It was fortunate that Hideaki and Kuroshi had managed to defuse the situation. They could barely handle Suzuki together. They certainly couldn't have taken down both of Reno's parents on their own.

"Even now... I lost against Sir Eiji's son. Then there's Kohri's brother. Even Setsuko is likely at their level if not higher... Is it because they're the kids of Seven-Hills that their talent defeats mine?" he asked, his hands sliding down the golden bars.

"Hideo," Rosalba said, walking over to him. She reached a quivering hand out to him.

"Talent?" Tetsuya said, clenching his hands into fists. "It certainly seems like there are people who have it easy in this world, huh? I may not know the other knights to speak of them, but I know someone who people see as talented... yet he wasn't always called that..."

"Who?" Hideo asked, glancing up at him.

Tetsuya smiled slightly as he arrived at the top of the stairs. "Serrano."

Hideo's eyes widened. "Serrano? But he's the strongest of the three Seven Hills of this generation. People even say he's the next Takeshi. How is he not talented?"

The shield knight chuckled. "Let's just say that he put a lot of work into gaining that title."

***

[Fourteen Years Ago]

Tetsuya glanced around his aunt Selena's house. The place was a small wooden two-story house. The furniture itself was almost all wood too. If not for the strong disinfectant smell, Tetsuya wouldn't have minded living in such a place.

"So you're Tetsu. It's been so long since I last saw you. Back then, you were a ball of a baby," Selena said, snickering.

Tetsuya's face turned red. "Hahaha, I sure was," he said, putting his hands behind his back.

Her smile faded, replaced by a sad look. "If only my big bro was here to see how much ya've grown."

Anis placed a hand on top of her son's head as the kid lowered his gaze. The mood had become somber. "Actually. We're here because of what your brother left behind," Anis said, trying her best to smile.

"Ohhh? What could that possibly be?"

Tetsuya's mother held a closed hand out to her sister-in-law. Once she opened it, Selena gasped.

"Th-that's my brother's Aventine... Why are you giving it to me? I am not much of a fighter, you know that. I can't be one of the Seven-Knights. Plus, I got Serrano to raise."

Anis shook her head. "This is actually for him, for Serrano."

"I see," Selena said, grinning. "Serrano! Come downstairs!"

It took a while for Serrano to come down.

"Hmm, what could be keeping him up?" Selena said, standing up. She curled into fists. "That boy, don't tell me he's influencing him."

Tetsuya jumped off of his seat and took the earring from his mother's hand.

"Tetsu!" Anis yelled.

"Don't worry, I'm not keeping this for myself," Tetsuya said, grinning. Though he wished he was... Why had his father instructed his mother to give it to his cousin? It should've belonged to him. He was his son. He should've been one of the Seven, not his cousin.

He ran up the red oak stairs super fast, arriving at the top in no time. The future shield knight gasped as he saw a blue-haired boy sniffing by a door. Had he been crying?

"Hey, you okay?" Tetsuya asked, tapping the boy's hand.

"Leave me alone!" the boy yelled, slapping his hand away.

Tetsuya stared at his arm. "That didn't hurt..."

Did Papa really pick this wimpy kid as his successor? I am far stronger than him!

"Who are you anyway?" the blue-haired boy said as he took a deep breath.

The brunette kid flashed him a broad grin. "I'm Tetsu! Uh, I'm your cousin."

"Cousin? So you must be my uncle Takeshi's brat," Serrano said, lowering his arm from his eyes.

Tetsuya narrowed his eyes. "Who are you calling a brat?"

"S-sorry," Serrano said, sniffing. "W-what do you want, though?"

"Mommy was told to hand this over to you," Tetsuya said, showing him the purple-blue crystal in his hands.

Serrano gasped. "Wait, isn't that my uncle's..."

"Yup! It's Aventine," Tetsu said, grinning as he turned his back to his cousin. "However, I ain't giving it to you! You aren't worthy of it."

"Give it to me?" Serrano said, stepping back. "Wait, for real? You guys really plan to give that to me?"

Tetsu gave him a smug smile. "We did, but not anymore. I can't hand this over to a crybaby with such a weak slap!" He chuckled. "Since you failed to be much a knight, guess I'll have to take your place and become Aventine's owner."

"Tetsuya!"

Tetsuya jumped as he turned over to see his Ma make her way up. "Mommy!" Tetsu said, his smug smile vanishing.

Serrano chuckled as his aunt took the earring back from her son. "Your pa wanted this be his when he turned seven. Didn't you promise me that you would honor his wishes?"

Tetsuya turned around. "He doesn't deserve it! I am more worthy!"

Anis took a deep breath and slowly let the air out of her lungs. "Tetsu, you got to learn to be more humble. Your pa had a way of seeing into the future. Surely if he chose Serrano, he had to have had a reason."

"Whatever it was, something must've changed! This kid clearly isn't knight material!"

"Nor are you," Anis said, putting her hands on her hips.

Tetsuya lowered his head. "I will become a knight, no matter what. Even if Aventine isn't mine, I promise that won't lose to this guy!" he yelled as he pointed at the blue-haired kid.

"Huh?" Serrano said, giving him a puzzled look.

Tetsuya smiled at him. "I will stay here and train you myself! I will make you the best knight in the world, after me, of course!"

"You really are a brat," Serrano said with a deadpan look.

Anis nodded. "I might've spoiled the kid a little too much."

Tetsuya's face turned red. "I'm not spoiled!"

Serrano chuckled at his reaction. "Are too!"

Tetsu turned away and grumbled.

***

['Present']

"First of all, I'm surprised that a loser like you is the son of Takeshi. Second of all, Serrano was weaker than you? For real?" Hideo said, giving him a skeptical look.

"Yeah. Though after a while, he caught up to me. That guy, he worked harder than anyone else," Tetsuya said, grinning. He glanced at his silver shield. "Though one of these days I will catch up with him. I won't allow him to defeat me! Even if I can't inherit my pa's Aventine, I will inherit his title as the strongest knight of my generation!"

The sniper knight exploded in laughter. "You? Seriously? You almost as weak as me!" he said, pointing at him as he tried to stifle a laugh.

Tetsuya walked over to him and held out a hand. "Slap it."

Hideo stood up and gave him a smug smile. He slapped his fellow knight's hand with all he had. The emerald-eyed young man jumped back and rubbed the hand he had just used.

"Ouch! The heck? Why did that hurt me? Did you use some kind of power to reflect it back to me?"

Tetsu sighed. "No, though that would be an awesome power to have! It's kinda amazing how soft your hands are. I expected a guy who can handle a rifle to have stronger hands."

"Come to think about it, Hideo did struggle with the recoil from shooting Donato when he first came to the palace," Kohri said as they surrounded Donato's knight.

Hideo crossed his arms and grumbled. "Hey, physical power is one thing, but I bet I can beat this guy with my prana attacks!"

"Yours definitely are stronger than mine based on what I've seen," Tetsuya said, nodding. "However, you can't beat me even with them if you can barely shoot with that thing."

"But he shot well during our battle," Suzuki said, giving her cousin a puzzled look.

Hideo grumbled. "Yeah, I did! Eiichi just threw me off with that crazy speed of his!"

"Perhaps, but by training your body, next time you face Eiichi, you should have an easier time shooting," Tetsu said, grinning.

The young man turned his head away from them and ran off. "Whatever, let's get going!"

"Where to?" Reno asked, glaring at him.

"To train, of course!" he yelled. "I need to become stronger! I won't let a peasant boy outshine me! Nor will I allow that stupid flirt to do so!"

Rosalba giggled. "Seems like you lit a fire under his belly, Tetsu."

The shield knight put his hands behind his head. "I hope that he improves. He has talent, he just needs to work on it."

"Much like you two," Roa said as he walked beside him. "By the way. Thanks for standing up for us, Princess."

Rosa smiled. "I had to do it. I couldn't watch my father accuse you two like that. Though I do find it strange how the creature knows your names. You two honestly have no idea how that could be?"

"None," Etsuo said, his shoulders slumped.

"How strange," Kohri said, raising a hand toward his chin. He glanced up and looked around. "Where are the others? Have they still not woken up?"

"Yuko and Nori stayed back in the dome," Tetsu said. "Mom gave them some snacks. Currently, she's teaching them how to do math." He grinned. "It's nice to see her do what she loves for once."

"You're really close to your mom, huh? I kinda envy you," Rosa said as her shoulders slumped.

"What about your dad? Aren't you his favorite?" Reno asked, copying Tetsuya by putting his hands behind his head.

Rosa scoffed. "So they say, but I don't think he likes either one of us much."

"Maybe he does, and just has a hard time showing it for whatever reason," Tetsuya said as they arrived at the staircase. One could hear Hideo already on the third floor.

The princess raised her head and sighed. "Maybe..."

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed this chapter. I published it on this day (7/15) as it's both RoaGA's 19th month on Wattpad as well as my 24th Birthday ^_^! I hope to update as much as I can within these next 31 days . My hope is to wrap up this book by August 15th (I'm aiming for 72 chapters for this book) to that way begin on my rewrite for Book 2: The Shadow of Justice.

So, how much longer do you think that Roa and Etsuo will be able to hide their secret? Think that we'll see Dan again? What do you think the kid is going through that would make his big brother break down the way he did?**