"We're here!" Marina said as she and Damien came to a stop. The three of us dashed over to them, causing Marina to jump. "So fast!"

Damien smiled. "You're just too slow."

"Hey, that's my line! No stealing!"

He snickered. "Really? When did you copyright it?"

"Uh, yesterday! Silas wanted to steal it too!"

Zafir snickered. "Liar."

Marina grumbled. "I was just kidding around! Way to ruin the joke, big bro!"

"It wasn't much of one," Damien said, chuckling.

She sighed. "Maybe Silas was right... I do have to work on my jokes."

Damien opened the door, revealing a sky-blue room with eight silver thrones around a ocean-blue table table. "Say, who is this Silas guy anyway?"

"Oh, he's a friend I made!"

If the guy were here, he probably would've denied that statement.

"Anyway, let's go sit down!" Marina said, running past him. She frowned. "Sadly, we only got one extra seat."

"The eighth one is for the ruler?" I asked.

Zafir nodded. He pulled up his arm, revealing a gauntlet. A blue-haired man wearing glasses appeared. "Can anyone tell me the conjugation of-" He stopped and turned around. "Oh, hey, Zaf."

"Daddy!" Marina yelled, tackling him.

"My little Mari!" the King of Mizu no Kin said, raising her into the air and spinning her around.

So, that man was the former Celestial King. He didn't seem like much, but looks and personality could be deceiving. After all, Kuroshi was like that. When I first went to the palace, he challenged me to a fight. Later on, he told me that out of the five, I held up the best. It was odd, though. Facing that guy felt familiar. That sensation helped me anticipate what he would do next, but it still wasn't enough.

"Off in your own thoughts again?" Mother asked.

I nodded. "Was remembering your old co-worker."

"Which one?"

I tapped Baldo.

"Wait, Takeshi?"

I nodded. "Yes. That guy was an odd one. Even without his mask, he was difficult to read. The revelations that followed after it came off made it harder rather than simpler."

Mother sighed. "He changed a lot."

"Talking about the cat boy?" a voice called out.

Mother smiled as she turned around. A woman in a white lace shirt and a deep-blue skirt strode toward us. "Long time no see, Mina."

The woman wrapped her arms around Mother. "How's my little sister doing?"

"Minami, too tight!"

I laughed. So, that's where Marina learned to hug from.

"Mommy, Daddy's here!" Marina said, pointing at her father.

My aunt smiled. "I can see that. You father isn't exactly short."

My uncle-in-law laughed. "Aww, I thought I was."

"Enough joking around," Zafir said, sighing as he sat down. "We're going to have a meeting soon."

"What exactly is it about?" Damien asked, leaning forward from his seat.

"About the abysmal threat."

The boy's eyes widened. "Did you say abysmals?" he asked, his voice devoid of the joy from earlier.

"You heard of them?" Marina asked, seating next to him.

"Of course I do. A creature called by that term took my parents' lives."

I turned away. Was that abysmal as strong as the one that killed my father and aunt?

Zafir's father crossed his arms. "Damien, do you still harbor feelings of revenge?"

Damien gripped his throne. "Of course I do." He glared at him. "I only became a knight to avenge my parents. Even if I don't face the same abysmal who killed them, slaying their kind is enough."

This guy is just like Hideo. Wait, he became a knight for revenge? But he got his angel tool at age five. Was it what drove him later in life, or did he have that desire at that young of an age?

Marina sighed. "I think you would be good friends with Silas if you were to meet. Both of you have to stop letting the desire for revenge cloud you."

He lowered his head. "So, their kind has harmed others. More reason to fight them."

"You'll get your chance regardless, but first we have to take care of the demons," Zafir said.

Damien glanced up. "Demons?"

"They're plotting to invade Zionia. The abysmals are facing a civil war, so right now the Seven archdemons are the main threat this realm faces."

He grumbled. "Fine. I'll wipe out those sinful creatures, then move on to those shadowy monsters."

Marina wasn't kidding. He and the Makkuroyama brothers were like peas in a pod.

"As determined as always I see," a female voice called out. We turned to the door Ranaa accompanied by a pair of girls. One was a silver-haired girl slightly older than Marina and Damien, while the other was a lilac-haired woman who looked to be in her twenties.

Marina waved at the girl who had spoken. "You finally made it, Nahla!"

She sat down and smiled. "I should be saying that. You were gone forever!"

The woman sat down. "So, what exactly were you talking about when we arrived?" she asked, crossing her legs.

"About the threats to this nation as well as the world. I want us to work together with the other three major kingdoms to defeat the demons and the abysmals," Zafir said.

She touched her chin. "Demons and abysmals? The latter are those creatures you went off to your aunt's lands to fight, no?"

Damien gasped. "Wait, you've fought them? How strong are they?"

"Very. Sir Eiji of the Seven Hills died recently in a rematch against the same one that attacked us in Kuroyuki."

My aunt glanced at my mother with wide eyes.

Miyuki nodded.

"I see," my aunt said. "Sir Eiji, he was among Kuroriku's strongest. If he's gone then we might be in trouble."

Zafir nodded. "That's why the rest of us have to do something. It can no longer just be me."

"You should've allowed me to accompany you to Kuroyuki," Damien mumbled.

"At the time, I wasn't sure about their strength."

Ranaa snickered. "So you underestimated the enemy in your hubris."

Zafir closed eyes and nodded. "Y-yeah. I did. Though, I hate to say it, I don't think that even if all of us were there, we would've stood a chance against that monster."

He had a point there. Adding more people would just have led to more casualties.

"Then why are you asking for our help now?" the lilac-haired woman asked.

"It's because the enemy has changed. Against the demons, your contribution does make a difference," I said. "Plus, Abyssia's leadership is growing weaker as time goes on while we've grown stronger. The next time we fight, we might actually stand a fighting chance."

"I see," Damien said, grinning. "Looking forward to it."

"It'll be my first real battle," Marina said, gripping her throne.

Nahla snickered. "Is 'The Invincible Mari' scared?"

Marina laughed. "No, but I am a little nervous." She gasped and turned to her left. Damien gave her a slight nod. My cousin smiled. "But I have you guys with me."

"That you do!" Nahla said, taking her other hand. "The three musketeers will show those demons what's up!"

"Uh, the only one who uses a gun is Zaria," Zafir said.

"It's a saying, big brother!" Marina snapped.

Mother giggled.

Seemed that the Seven Seas were as lively as the Hills and Flames. Hopefully, they would be just as useful if not more so in combat.

"What should we do to prepare? Do we know where the enemy will appear?"

"It'll be a good idea to start with guarding the one-hundred-ten-thousand-and-eighty-eight demons portals," Zafir said. "Based on what we saw in Kasai no Ki, the abysmals are also using those same paths to enter Zionia."

"That's a good plan," I said, smiling. My eyes shifted to Mother. "Are there still troops watching Grand Crater?"

She nodded. "Of course. Anis, Takuya, Akari, and Zafir helped put a barrier around it too. I also covered the top of it with snow that will freeze the opponent as soon as it's disrupted."

"Good, but the fire demons like Camio will likely go unaffected."

Mother sighed. "True, but it will hopefully make things easier on us."

The positive side of that giant vortex being close to Shirayuki is that we could house a decently sized army presence there. Without the proximity to the capital, the logistics of having them there would be difficult. It was what kept Kuroyuki independent for so long during the Warring States Period. It was only with the help of the Makkuroyama that Kuroriku was reunified. 

I snickered. Funny how things came around. Those who helped unify it threatened said union. It made me think of that saying 'make or break'.

"Then I better go and start making the preparations. Well, with your permission of course, Father," Zafir said, turning to look at the king.

The King of Mizu no Kin nodded. "Do what you must to protect our country." He crossed his arms. "That said, things aren't exactly well in Xeleria."

"Did the abysmals attack that realm again?" Mother asked.

He shook his head. "No, but I feel like one might be on the horizon. Those who stayed back are on their toes. For all I know, the Ziz has already been moved as a precaution."

Mother sighed. "That's a relief."

"Maybe we should send some people to back the up," I spoke up. "The demons could attempt to attack Xian too so that they can get the Ziz. Selena already said that Margaret took the Leviathan with her. If she gets the Ziz and the Leviathan, that only leaves the Behemoth in Reginald's possession. Defeating him would secure both the beast of the land and Abyssia for her."

"I have the feeling that we might be used by each fraction in the Abyssian civil war to get what they want," Zafir said with his brow furrowed.

I folded my arms. "Likewise, but doing nothing would play into the hands of the Archdemons."

"The only way to win is to be ready for everything," Ranaa said, glancing at me.

I nodded. "Exactly."

"I better go train," Damien said, walking past me.

"I'll join you as soon as I eat!" Marina said, smiling.

"Same. I can't spar on an empty stomach," Nahla said.

"I'll be fine on my own." The crimson-scarfed boy opened the doors and walked out.

Marina furrowed her brow. "Damien."

I scratched my head. "I'll go join him. I need a sparring partner anyway," I mumbled.

"Thanks, Cuz!" Marina exclaimed, grinning. 

Why did she think I was doing it for her?

"Damien should be in the dome in the center of the garden. That's where he usually spars," Zafir said. "Also, don't underestimate the guy just because he's barely a teenager."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," I said, waving at him and the others. I'd gotten to see Marina in action, but that was her using her powers recreationally. I would have to test her and Nahla another time. 

For now, I had to see what that fourteen-year-old boy could do. I smiled. Zafir's words gave me some hope he was at least on Hideo's level of power opposed to Silas's. If not, then I would have to train him up there. That was the true reason the king sent Hideo, Eiichi, and me to visit our neighbors.

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter ^^. Thoughts? Theories? Predictions?**