"Clifton was kidnapped?!" Snow asked Sparkles in shock.

"What happened?" asked Lariel.

"I don't know. We were playing at the back of the orphanage and then—"

"Woah-woah-woah, wait. You were at the back of the orphanage?" asked Intellizo.

"Mhm," Sparkles nodded in response.

"That seems to be a dangerous place. Should we go after it?" asked Billie.

"I'm not sure, but if it's one way to find out where Clifton is kidnapped, then I agree with you," answered Bashiri.

"Same here. Whatever situation you're in, it's up to the Royal Guardians to get him back," said Leo with a serious and determined expression on his face.

Leo could hear footsteps walking to his left side. By the voice he had heard, he assumed that the person walking to his side was none other than Lariel. "I'll go with you guys."

He turned his head to her with his eyes full of concern. "I'm sorry, Lariel, but I think it's best if you stay here."

"Why not?"

"The mission could be dangerous. You might end up getting in trouble or in extreme cases, killed."

"Well, whatever you say, I have my bow and arrow as my defense weapon. We can help protect each other along the way during this mission."

After a few moments of deep thought, his lips stretched out a smile on his face. "Very well, Lariel."

"Sweet! The Royal Guardians are back in action! This time, with a new addition!" said Rover.

"It's not official yet, Rover or Nixue as I should call you," said Leo.

"Nah, no need to be so modest. I just wanted to be called 'Nixue Spage' in public, so that the world will never forget it," said Rover.

Leo playfully rolled his eyes in response.

With that being shown, you could hear Snow's response, "I'll stay and look after the orphanage just in case something else bad happens."

Leo nodded in response. "Very well." He then, turned to Lariel and the Royal Guardians. "Let's go."

With that being said, the Royal Guardians and Lariel preceded Sparkles to the back of the orphanage, with the other kids and young teens sending them encouragement and support.

At the back of the orphanage...

The Royal Guardians, Sparkles, the other few kids and Lariel were gathered around in the scene where Clifton was last seen. Right before them was a tall grass.

"This is where we heard a yelp from Clifton," said Sparkles.

"He was pulled by some sort of kidnapper. We don't know who would do such a thing. Possibly one of the Underworlders?" one of the other kids asked.

"Maybe, but we can't jump to conclusions yet. Sure, it's possible, but we have to keep looking for clues," said Leo.

Just as they're about to scatter for the first clue, a familiar voice snapped their attentions towards where it came from.

"Guys, guys! We got news about the next step of being the Royal Guardians!"

Once they turned around, Solenan was seen running rapidly towards them. Once he arrived, his hands were on his knees and his head looked down. Now, Leo recognized it as the moment to breathe.

Once Solenan was relaxed from the running, his head looked up at Leo and the others.

"It seems you have discovered the new chapter. What's the next step of being the Royal Guardians?" asked Leo.

It took Solenan a few moments before simply answering, "Unlocking your role as a Royal Guardian."

The first thing he noticed were confused expressions plastered on their faces. Even Leo didn't know what he meant by unlocking the Royal Guardians' roles.

Solenan's eyes gestured to the kids, "You might want to go back to the front yard and play with the other orphans. It's personal."

Sparkles nodded in response. Then, she turned to the other kids. "Come on, guys."

With that being said, she and the other kids ran back to the frontyard.

"Okay. Now, will you please tell us? How do we know if we discover our roles as the Royal Guardians?" Leo asked Solenan.

"You will see yourselves unlocking your full potential and right behind you, the audience will see the shape of the shield with a symbol at the very center representing your role as the new Royal Guardian. Some even have the role of protecting the other parts of this land," said Solenan.

"How do we know if we experience something like this?" asked Billie.

"I don't know, but there are other kingdoms who know more about the Royal Guardians than we do," answered Solenan.

Now, everyone else's faces were plastered with confusion.

"Really?" asked Leo in wonder.

"Yes. They seem to know a lot about having a specific Royal Guardian role. Let's first check out the kingdom called 'Shinōkoku,' the combination of 'shinobi' and one of the Japanese words for kingdom, 'ōkoku.' They seem to catch a lot of early signs for your full potential."

"Shinōkoku? That's my home," said Bashiri.

All heads turned to Bashiri in quite a surprise. You could hear a chuckle escaping Billie's mouth.

"No wonder you're the only ninja in the Royal Guardians."

"True. I had asked the emperor if I could leave and protect the Leone Kingdom from harm. He said it is one of the best ways to live on my journeyed path as the ninja," she said as her lips stretched out a smile. "Right now, I'm happy to hear we're travelling home for a mission. I haven't seen the details ever since I left."

"What about Clifton?" asked Lariel. "He's been kidnapped."

"I'm not sure. Perhaps, I was never there when someone named Clifton got kidnapped. It's possible if Pound and a few others kidnapped him," said Solenan. "But I'm sure you'll figure things out."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Lariel.

"Let's get to Shinōkoku," said Rover.

With that being said, Lariel and the other Royal Guardians headed outside the orphanage, but not before Leo turned his head to Solenan.

"Solenan, you stay in Leone Kingdom just in case something bad happens to it."

"That's what I'm about to say, Leo. Go. Your mission with the Royal Guardians awaits."

With that being said by Solenan, Leo nodded in response as he kept uphis pace with the others outside the orphanage. Before they left, they bid theirgoodbyes to Snow and the other orphans especially Lariel. After they left,their journey to know the signs of unlocking the roles as the Royal Guardianshad just begun.