It only took Seth a couple of minutes to run the hundreds of miles to the mansion that he knew was waiting for them. He hopped over the front gate that made up the entrance to the massive estate. As he started walking down the gravel driveway that was more like a long road that led to the main building. Seth stopped in the round about end of the driveway and dropped the bag to the ground, unzipping the main pouch.

The group didn’t even need to be told that they were there, they simply started climbing out of the bag. Kasakierin was the last and shouldered the bag once he climbed out. Everyone was a bit on edge as they realized just how silent the area was. Then there was a light clicking noise and a thud that emanated from Seth’s forehead. When he rubbed the spot, a kind of powder wiped off onto his finger. On the ground next to his foot was a small piece of metal that had struck his head. He picked it up and chuckled.

“Someone just took a pop shot at me.” Seth stated, before looking to the far corner of the roof and throwing the piece of metal at the person lying there.

Everyone heard a high pitched yell and a thud as the person fell off of the roof and landed on the ground. They all were on edge, thinking that they were in some kind of ambush. Then they calmed as Seth started walking toward the mansion with a smile.

Then Seth stopped and turned toward the line of shrubs that were to his right, “You can come out now Max. I already know your history so there is no point in hiding behind the scenes anymore.” He crossed his arms as he waited for him to appear.

To everyone’s amazement, a massive Rottweiler came bounding out of the shrubs, tackling Seth to the ground and covering him in kisses. Seth wrestled with the Rottweiler in the gravel and dirt, laughing all the while with the barks and growls. After a time, Seth slowly stood and patted Max on the head.

“Everybody say hello to Max.” Seth scratched behind Max’s ear as he looked over to everyone else. “He’s my childhood pet and has been following us since I left home.” Seth leaned over and chuckled, “Why don’t you go say hello to Jessica?”

Max shot forward with surprising speed for his size and skidded a full three-sixty around Jessica, coming to a stop in a seated position in front of her. He was panting with his tongue lapping left and right s she smiled up at her, which wasn’t far. His eyes were almost at the same level as Jessica’s. He nudged her arm with his snout then leaned into her, trying to get as much of her attention as he could. Jessica eventually caved, laughing as she scratched his chest and behind his ear. In no time at all Max’s leg was beating against the ground in a solid rhythm.

Seth chuckled and started walking back toward the mansion again. Everyone else started falling in behind him and they all stopped at the front door. Seth knocked once and the door slowly slid open. He heard a light hissing sound and he lifted a hand to catch a knife that had been thrown at his head. On reflex, Seth threw it straight back where it came from. There was a thud and a yelp that came from behind the stairs that he could see. He strode over to where the sound had come from with a smile on his face and found a young woman, standing in terror behind the stairs. The blade was embedded in the wood not an inch away from her ear. “It was a good throw but the rotation was off by about half a second. If it had been anyone else, they would probably be dead.” Seth said as he patted her on the shoulder because asking his question, “Where is Condolore?” After he asked, Seth clasped his hands behind his back.

She slowly straightened her uniform and then pointed up the stairs, “He should be in the study.” She stammered the last couple of words as she realized who she was talking to, even through he was back in his original form of five and a half feet tall.

Seth smiled, “Good, thank you for being honest. Would you please go and help the group at the door get acquainted with their new surroundings, Emy?” Seth gave her a nudge toward the door before heading up the stairs with Kasakierin and Jessica at his sides, heading straight for the study.

When Seth opened the door, he found an elderly man that seemed fit for his age hunched over a stack of books and maps. He was at an average height of about five foot nine inches, with black hair and brown eyes, with more than a few grey and white hairs peeking through. He wore a set of red and black robes with a pair of knee high combat boots. There was also what appeared to be the end of a rapier peeking out from the bottom folds of his robes.

Condolore suddenly spun around and waved his arms out wide, “Seth! You’re early.” She rolled his shoulders back and the robes fell to the ground revealing a bright white blouse and a pair of black trousers that had been under the robes. He held out a hand and shook Seth’s hand vigorously. Then he slapped his hands together and chuckled, “So, who you got for me to train?”

Seth chuckled and waved a hand to the door, “They’re waiting down stairs.” He turned and strode back out of the room coming to the top of the stairs, where Jessica and Kasakierin had stopped to wait for him. “Here you go.” He waved his arms out wide over the group that was gathered at the bottom of the stairs.

Condolore patted Kasakierin on the shoulder as he passed him, “It’s good to see you again Kasakierin.” Then he started looking over everyone that was present. “Hmm, I thank that a couple of you should be good when it comes to training, like the demon over there.” He passively waved a hand toward Gonza as she hugged Griffin closer. Then he saw Griffin and a confused look came over his face, “Have I met you before?”

Griffin thought for a moment before his eyes opened wide, “You were one of my instructors weren’t you? In the ninja academy under the monster hunting administration.”

Condolore snapped his fingers, “That’s it! Good to see you again, I think you should be good as well.” He continued to look over everyone and noted everyone’s strengths and weaknesses. “The demigod and runic warrior don’t need training either because they have already been trained in a style of combat comparable to themselves.” Then his eyes fell on Kaythanos, “Ah, a prince of the high council. It will be my honor to train you.” He was nodding his head as he finalized his plan in his head and turned to look at Seth, “I’d like to start them off tomorrow. There are plenty of rooms here in the mansion, but I think you and Jessica would prefer the guest house outside. Sound good?”

Seth nodded, “Sound good to me.” He nodded to Kasakierin, indicating the bag that he had slung over his shoulder, “Make sure that everyone gets settled in and their gear gets sorted.” He strode the couple of feet to Jessica, taking her hand and leading her down the hall toward the guest house, “Why don’t we go take a look at that guest house?” He took her other hand and slowly rocked back and forth while they strode down the hall.

Jessica giggled and skipped along with him, “I guess we could see how comfortable it is.”

Everyone watched them go with a smile of their face, happy for the both of them. Then they all looked expectantly at Kasakierin. “Alright, it’s early afternoon and the last few weeks have been nonstop training, so take the rest of the day easy and try to relax. Everyone goes in one at a time and gets whatever they need before heading to their room. Emy said there are rooms on every floor of the North wing, but to make sure that we remain close by, keep to the ground for for now.” Then Kasakierin saw the looks that were going between Griffin and Gonza as well as Ali and Borris. He sighed before continuing, “I don’t care if you guys decide to share room with each other, just try to get some rest. I don’t think that Seth would have a problem with it either.”

After that was said, everyone started pairing up. Jade locked her arms around Kaythanos’ arm. Jason and Alex high fived each other and did a little handshake. Mathos stepped next to Austin and she didn’t seem to mind the pairing. Anne looked to Kasakierin and shook her head, he understood that she wanted to room on her own.

Kasakierin shrugged and nodded to Anne, “Ok, that was quick.” Then he looked around and couldn’t find the two couples that he had first saw. “Where did those four go?” He strained his hearing so that he could hear every possible sound within a mile, then he blushed and lost focus, “Ah, I guess they wanted to test out the beds in their rooms.” He cleared his throat and brought up the bag for everyone to start getting their stuff.

As they walked down the hall, Jessica slowly got closer and closer until she wrapped her arms around Seth and hugged him into her chest. The guest house wasn’t that far away, being at the end of a long gravel path that led to the front door. Seth kicked a leg back and the door came flying open while they meandered inside, clinging to each other. Their faces less than an inch away from each other, Jessica wrapped a leg around Seth’s waist and kissed him.

“You want to see if this bed can hold us?” Jessica asked as they fell into bed, straddling Seth while rubbing against him with all that she had.

Seth nodded his head breathing heavily. He clothes dissolved into nothing as did Jessica’s. She sat up on top of him and ran both her hands through her hair. She could physically feel Seth pause to bask in her beauty. She giggled and rubbed up against him, biting her lip with the fire that was building in her soul.

Seth was in a state of ecstasy as he ran his hands over Jessica. He skin was smooth to the touch and her supple breasts were a wonder to behold, simply intoxicating to his senses. They rolled over and Seth slowly kissed her neck then her breasts. He moved down her stomach inch by inch until his head was solidly between her thighs. Jessica couldn’t take it anymore. She gripped his head and pulled him up to her face to face kissing him roughly on the lips, rolling back over to straddle him once again. She sat up and gripped his member, “Time to test the springs.” She moaned as she planted him inside of her and started grinding back and forth. They both were lost in the ecstasy of making love and lost track of the rest of the world. They didn’t even know if they could stop for they went mad in the heat of passion.

As everyone went to their rooms with their gear, Kasakierin was looking out one of the main windows, seeing the vast fields blowing with the end of day winds. Then he dug into his pocket, pulling out a locket with a picture of a wolf’s head engraved on it. It was his most prized possession and the one thing he knew Seth was the only other being that even knew it existed. He flipped the locket open and sighed at the picture of a beautiful woman that had changed his life for good. Tears began to well up in his eyes as they always did when he looked at her picture. He clamped it shut and thrust it back into the bottom of his pocket. He clenched his fist with determination as he looked out into the fields again, “I will find you when I return. I promise, Annabelle.” He wiped his face with a forearm and made off for his room. “No matter what it takes.”

Kasakierin sat on the bed and removed his coat and baldric, looking over his tattoo in the mirror that lay against the far wall. “I haven’t looked at you in quite a while have I?” He stood from the bed and walked over to the full sized mirror, twisting his torso and lifting his arms to see just how far the dragon had grown. The dragon itself took up the entirety of his chest and half of his abdomen with wings that curves around to his back. The skulls were what worried him. The pile of skulls that was around his body gave him fear. There were skulls from the bottom of his abdomen all the way up to his neck behind the dragon and halfway down his biceps. He grimaced, “Just how many lives have accumulated upon my skin? How many lives have I ended? But most importantly, when will it all end and I will have no way of coming back from the dragon?”

Kasakierin strode back to the bed and sat cross legged on the floor in front of it. He concentrated on his breathing and placed his open palms on his knees. He was doing an exercise he did every night to try and control his heart rate. It was basically a safeguard against him transforming in his sleep. If that happened, he was pretty sure that everyone would die and no one but Seth could even stop him. Thanks to the soul binding, Kasakierin remembered all the times that Seth had been there to help him understand his unique condition. Emotion was the driving force behind the dragon and if he could control that he could control when he transformed.

After a few minutes of concentration, he opened his eyes again and looked at the bed with disdain. He rummaged through his own pack and pulled out a hammock. He went over the corner and pushed nails in the places so that he could hang up the hammock. Once it was up, he climbed inside and waited for his nightmares to begin.

Jessica and Seth lay in each other’s arms under the blankets of their bed, simply enjoying the company. Seth was wide awake, while Jessica had long since fallen asleep. No matter how hard Seth tried, he couldn’t take his eyes off of Jessica. Seth had no idea how he’d fallen for her so quickly. He’d never even been in a full relationship because he had trouble finding a connection with people, but there was something different about Jessica. He felt at home whenever he was around her. Maybe there was something to the whole only one person that he could love thing. She was huddled into his chest, with an arm wrapped around him and a leg wrapped around one of his. Jessica was completely vulnerable in his arms. He slowly and gently brushed the hair away from her eyes.

There were footsteps coming from just outside of the door, so Seth painstakingly removed himself from Jessica’s grasp without waking her. He threw on a pair of pants and strode over to the door. He opened it to find Kaythanos about to knock on the door. He still had a balled fist in the air about to knock on the door. He stepped back when he saw Seth. “What’s up Kaythanos?” Seth asked as he leaned on the doorway. He had reverted back to his original height, so he was about the same height as Kaythanos.

Kaythanos gathered his thoughts for a moment before answering, “Uh, dinner is ready whenever you guys are ready.” He looked over Seth’s shoulder and saw Jessica passed out and completely naked. He went beat red and turned around as fast as he could.

Seth gave him a little nudge forward toward the main building, “Go and let Condolore know that we’re on our way.” He waited for Kaythanos to get going before turning back into the guest house. He put his hands on his hips as he strode back over to the bed and took a seat next to Jessica. He brushed hair out of her face again before giving her a peck on the cheek, “It’s time for dinner. We need to get dressed and head inside.” He chuckled when she groaned.

Jessica stretched out her arms with that groan grabbing Seth by the arm and pulling him back into bed to straddle him once again, “So, what are we having for dinner?”

Seth rested his head in his hands and sighed, “Based on my sense of smell, it’s a full course Italian gourmet dinner.” He reached out with one hand and materialized a button up shirt, but didn’t like the design so it shifted to something that he liked. He waited for Jessica to get up off of him and was about to put the shirt on, but got caught up in seeing Jessica’s backside.

Jessica walked over to the corner and opened a drawer to the dresser and pulled out a blouse, shorts, and a tank top. She shimmied into the blouse and tucked it into the shorts before putting the tank top on over the blouse. Then she turned back to Seth with a confused look, “Why Italian? Aren’t we in France?” She strode over to where Seth was and helped him put his shirt on, since he was still gawking at her figure. “Hey, we’ll have plenty of time for more fun later.” She gripped his jaw and planted a kiss on his lips. “Did you even hear my question?” She giggled.

Seth hugged her close and buried his face in her chest, “Yes, I heard you. I think it’s because Condolore is actually Italian and still prefers the food from there.” He popped his head out of her chest and looked up into her eyes, “Shall we go then, beautiful?”

Jessica smiled before planting another kiss on his lips, “I guess we can.” She sighed dramatically as she started to saunter away from him. Seth caught up to her and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin up on her shoulder. He kissed her shoulder and they made their way out of the guest house.

They came into the dining room hand in hand, while everyone was waiting for them around a massive dining table that could probably fit well over thirty people. The table was loaded with food though, with turkey, pork, pastas, pastries, pizza, and loads of garlic bread with sea salt. Everyone seemed pretty eager to dig into the food that lay in front of them, but they were all waiting for Seth and Jessica out of respect for them. Once they were seated, Condolore stood up on the other end of the table, “Now that everyone is present, dig in!” He laughed and shouted the last of it, which was basically a start to a race.

Just as everyone was about to fill their plates, however, Austin stood and shouted, “Wait!” Which made everyone freeze where they were. She looked to Condolore with a scowl, “What about saying Grace?” She crossed her arms and waited to hear his excuse.

Condolore just scoffed and ripped off a turkey leg, “There is no need, because God is giving thanks to Seth being so far ahead in the schedule.” He bit into the turkey leg without waiting to hear what else Austin had to say, eyes locked with Austin in challenge.

Hesitantly, everyone started eating again. There were a few that controlled themselves, but most dove right in with reckless abandon. Mathos simply moved his plate out of the way and maneuvered a whole turkey over to where he was. He clapped his hands together before starting to rip into it and devouring it whole. Kaythanos had brought a set of metal chopsticks and was taking his time picking what he wanted and placing them on his plate. He made the tradition thanks for the meal before taking a single bite.

Then there was Seth, who’d basically made up for the twenty days that he hadn’t eaten, piling everything that he could onto his plate. Once his plate was full, he’d instantly devour everything on it and fill it up once again. After he had his fill, which was roughly six plates later, he started looking around to see how everyone in the group was getting along. All of them seemed to be getting along pretty well. Ali was hand feeding Borris while on the other side of the table, Jade and Kaythanos were holding hands but were looking away from each other while they ate. Close to the same was happening with Austin and Mathos, except that Mathos continued to seem emotionless while he held onto her hand. Austin’s cheeks were bright red as she kept her eyes on her plate. Seth had to stifle a laugh when all of their thoughts hit his head. Then a single thought embedded itself in his mind. A dark and painful thought that he did not appreciate. How easy would it be for him to manipulate their lives?

Seth’s mind was filled this terrifying thoughts of how he could influence them and he cringed at all of them. His expression darkened and he stood from his seat to walk outside, to the railing on the balcony. He hadn’t realized it, but his change in mood had physically affected the light around them and the weather in the area. The lights dimmed and a storm was brewing up in the sky. He also failed to notice that everyone had ceased all conversation and were watching him stride away with worry in their hearts. Not a soul moved to accompany him to the balcony, not even Condolore who was the most experienced being in the room.

Once outside, Seth planted his hands on the railing and leaned on it with a downcast look to him. The anger that was building inside him only had one recipient, himself. The temperature was falling fast and the sky was bumbling and rumbling with thunder. The he squeezed the railing so forcefully that it exploded out and away from him. A ten foot swath of the railing had been obliterated.

After a time, Seth felt more than heard footsteps coming up to him from behind. He turned to find Condolore slowly striding up to him with his hands clasped behind his back. The look in his eyes was that of sympathy and with an intensity that Seth knew that he wasn’t going to be able to turn him away. He resigned to crossing his arms and turning back around to look out toward the vast fields. “I know exactly what you’re thinking, so there’s no need to voice it aloud.” The scowl on Seth’s face deepened once more.

Condolore stopped just to his side and nodded his head, “Then simply take it as advice to be heeded.”

Seth grimaced, “I don’t think any of them truly understand what they got themselves into, aside from Kasakierin, however, it’s more like what I got them into.” He lowered his arms to his sides and grimaced again, taking an aggressive step forward. Just as he was about to leap into the sky, he heard more footsteps coming up to him. He clenched his jaw and without warning was in his massive form. “I can hear all of your thoughts and know all of your pasts, even influenced them. Do you even know how much that alone give me to manipulate you however I please?”

Without warning, a small pair of arms wrapped around his waist and a head buried itself into the small of his back. “Of course they understand that. They just trust you is all.” He heard a sniffle from Jessica behind him.

Seth’s eyes widened and he spun around to embrace her in a comforting hug. All signs of anger and despair gone from his features. The skies calmed in an instant. He could feel every tear that was running down her face and tears began to well up in his unblinking eyes. “Please don’t cry. Out of everyone in the world, you’re the only person that I can’t handle crying.” A single tear fell down his cheek. He buried his face in her shoulder and stood there shaking for a time as they both let their emotions go bare. Finally, Seth looked up from Jessica’s shoulder and faced the solemn faces that watched him. “Even though I have all the memories of the earth, I am still young and will make mistakes. You all may believe with undying loyalty that I am ready to lead but I do not.”

Jessica lookup up at him with a smile and gripped his head in her hands, her eyes still red from her recent tears. “That is what makes you a good leader, you care for those that follow you more than yourself.” She hugged him again and buried her head in his chest, “Why can’t you see that for yourself?”

Seth chuckled as they fell to their knees together, “I’m an idiot. That’s why.”

Jessica giggled, “Yes, but you’re my idiot.” She stood up on her knees and kissed his forehead, before hugging his head into her chest.

As they sat there together, Seth slowly stood to cradle her in his arms. “I think that’s enough for tonight.” He stated as he started walking off of the balcony, seeing all of the approving nods from everyone in the group. Just as he stepped off of the balcony, he teleported to the guest house, laying on the bed with Jessica still cradled in his arms.

As Seth disappeared, Condolore stepped up to the obliterated railing and sighed, “Ok, everyone back to your rooms for the night. You start training early in the morning for those of you that I am training.” He looked to Kasakierin and nodded his head, “The rest do your own training.” He turned back to the fields and waited for everyone to head back inside. He sighed and tapped his foot on the balcony with a smile on his face, “He’s even greater than I could have imagined.” Then he promptly spun about and strode inside after everyone else.

Everyone headed straight to their rooms and got ready for the next day. Kasakierin came into his room with a sigh, his hand resting in his pocket with the locket. The only things that were in the room were his pack and his hammock. He’d never had many belongings, aside from all his weapons, two long swords, six throwing knives, six throwing stars, and then his longbow and quiver with two dozen arrows. Other than his weapons and pack, his traveling cloak and baldric were on the bed as well.

He sat down on the bed and noticed something in the closet that was off to the side. He found one of the many packs that they’d found in Russia. “It’s about time I saw what these things have in them.” He unzipped it and was surprised to find a new cloak and baldric with more sheaths for throwing implements of all kinds. He picked the bag up and sat cross legged on the bed as he set the new items to the side and carefully dumped out the rest of the contents. He set the empty bag beside him and started to take an inventory of all his new equipment. He found a long hunting knife that had matches in the hilt, a one handed hatchet, a compass, two sets of camouflaged clothes, a pair of long johns, three pairs of thick boot socks, a few protein blocks, two MREs, a single nutrition block, and at the bottom was a peculiar trench coat. Kasakierin picked out the trench coat and stepped off of the bed. The trench coat didn’t have sleeves and it had a hood that was thicker and larger than most cowls on a cloak. When he pulled it on, he was surprised that it fit perfectly, even the hood which fell perfectly over his head but left enough space for him to see outward. The hood was perfect in the fact that he was pretty sure that no one could see his face while he was looking out observing everyone else. A smile crept onto his face, “Thank you, Seth.”

In the other rooms, everyone was finding some kind of gift that Seth had sneaked into their rooms. Mathos found a Norse themed fur vest that reminded him of home, while being flexible enough to use in combat. Jason was happy to find a trench coat with spikes popping out of the shoulders, which he thought looked awesome. Alex found a pair of shorts that were extremely flexible to the point that he could wear them when he transformed. Borris found a ring that had an inscription on it, ‘Forever an Angel of Darkness’. Ali found another ring in their room and gave Borris a wistful glance when she read the inscription on her ring, ‘My Knight of Darkness’. They placed the rings on each others fingers and lay down together. Austin found a combat uniform that fit her like a glove that had comfortable boots and gloves sewn into it. Jade found an old leather bound book that she was wondering what it was for, until she saw that is was a book on magic written by her mother. Griffin and Gonza found some rings of their own with engravings that described them perfectly, ‘My Fair Demon’, on one and, ‘My Griffin of Hope’, on the other. They giggled about it for a time before falling into bed together.

Kaythanos, on the other hand, found something that surprised him. He found a letter addressed to him, hidden in the top of the pack.

If you're wondering who this was from, you should know by the time you're done reading. Everyone has received a gift that was specifically chosen for them, something that fulfils a desire or a reminder of a glorious past, all except you. You are a different case. Out of everyone in the group, you are the only one with a Noble standing out in the dimensions. I believe that you know what this means. Normally, you would be given special treatment but I decided something that would make more sense for you, an opportunity to change your life. It is an opportunity that has upsides and downsides but the final decision is yours and yours alone. I simply want you to know that you have to start making decisions based on what others need over what you need, so that you can become a proper noble.

Kaythanos looked over his shoulder to find Jade reading her book with her bag still at her side. He couldn’t help but think about how beautiful she was. He smiled to himself and turned back to the bag, reading the rest of the letter.

Condolore will make sure that you earn every part of your training, but you will be tested down the road. There will be times that you will doubt yourself and those around you. To that I will only say this. Follow your heart and be true to yourself. If you can do that, you will become not only a great leader, but a great man. P.S. The scroll of information that you wrote on me, in your pack. You can send it to your father if you wish, but it won't change how he sees you and what he expects of you.

Kaythanos’ eyes welled up with tears and he lowered his head to his knees. He put a hand over his mouth so that he wouldn’t alert Jade, leaning hard against the wall. His attempt to hide his emotions failed though and Jade was at his side in a moment. “Kay what’s wrong?”

He wiped his face to try and get rid of the tears, laughing all the while as he flipped the letter over in his hand, “Absolutely nothing.” He looked down to find that there was more writing on the back of the letter. He looked over it carefully.

Also, I would advise you to take it slow with Jade. She likes you more than I've ever seen her like anyone, but tread carefully. Also, look in water pouch of your pack.

Kaythanos cocked his head to the side and smiled as he looked over to Jade, who was now seated next to him, her head resting on his shoulder. He noticed that she wasn’t even reading over his shoulder, her only concern was him. He waved a hand toward his pack and chuckled, “Could you hand me that? Seth seems to have left me something else aside from this letter.”

Jade only nodded, grabbing the bag and handing it to him. He started rummaging through the pack until he felt something that was at the bottom of the water pouch. When he pulled his hand out there was another sheet of paper and a vial of some kind of liquid. Kaythanos hastily read the sheet of paper that was attached to it and his eyes went wide.

He looked to Jade with his eyes still wide, “It says that the contents of this vial is exactly what I think it is, but completely refined and ready for use.” His breathing was coming in quick excited gasps as he held the precious vial in the palm of his hand. He stood and started pacing throughout the room with a wide smile on his face, until he stopped in front of a concerned Jade, “Do you have any idea what this is, Jade?”

Jade took a seat on the edge of the bed and shook her head, “No, should I?”

Kaythanos took a seat next to her and held the vial up to the light, “It is a formula that my family has been experimenting with, for the specific purpose of producing the greatest sword fighters throughout the dimensions.” He stood up again and chuckled, “Right now, if I take this I will essentially become a mix between a vampire and a succubus.”

Jade tilted her head to the side, “That seems like a weird combination for a swordsman.”

Kaythanos chuckled, “Yes, but it gets rid of the endless hunger for blood that comes from being a vampire.”

Jade thought for a moment before her cheeks flushed red, “Doesn’t it replace it with something else then?” She was getting fidgety as she thought of what a succubus would replace that with.

Without thinking, Kaythanos answered her question, “I would feed on the emotion of love and sexual desire.” His eyes went wide and his face flushed beat red the moment he said it. He took a hasty step back and gulped, “Um, I mean … t-that’s only if I take the vial. I h-haven’t actually d-decided yet.” He had gone from complete confidence in what he was saying to stumbling over every other word in a sentence. However, after a few moments of thought, Kaythanos squared himself with resolve and strode up to Jade. Both of their hearts were beating faster by the second, until he reached out and placed the vial in Jade’s hand, closing it around the vial. He noted the confused look on her face and sighed, “That is why I am leaving the decision to you.” He stepped back and clasped his hands behind his back shyly. “You are the only person here that I have come to care for and I trust your judgment. I don’t want to hide anything from you any longer, so take your time. Know that no matter what you choose, I will be with you either way. I am the only one who can safely take the contents of that vial since it is linked to my genome. God help anyone who takes it aside from myself.” He took a knee and placed his hands on his knees as he waited to hear her decision.

Jade simply sat there staring at him with the little vial in her hand. Then a small smile came to her face and she giggled. She looked over to where Kaythanos was smiled, “You’re really pouring the heroic persona on thick aren’t you?”

Kaythanos flushed red once more and pouted comically, “So what if I am?” He rubbed the back of his head with a chuckle and suddenly found the ceiling to be rather interesting.

Jade giggled again, “It’s ok. It just shows how much you care about me and how serious your taking all of this.” She held up the vial and looked it over, “How exactly would you … feed on love?” She gulped and blushed as she asked the question, guessing what his answer would be.

Kaythanos audibly short-circuited, “W-well … y-y-you kn-know.” He couldn’t even say what was on his mind.

Jade’s eyes widened and she averted her gaze out of embarrassment. “Well, I guess I’ll have to step up as a girlfriend.” She glanced over at Kaythanos and giggled inwardly at the bewildered look on his face. She leaned back and reached into her bag that was on the bed. Then she got off of the bed and strode over to him, burying her head in his chest and snuggling up to him. “I’ve always wanted to find a knight that would protect me. If Seth trusts you, especially when he has your past laid out in front of him, then I trust you.”

Kaythanos wrapped his arms around her and let out a sigh of relief, resting his head on hers. “He’s like everyone big brother isn’t he?”

She nodded into his chest, “Ever since I met him, he’s done nothing but look out for me and make sure that I was doing alright.” She backed up and sat down in front of him. “Question of the day.” She held the vial up at eye level and sighed, “What would happen if we both took something like this?”

Kaythanos straightened and became very serious, “You mean if there was one for each of us?”

Jade nodded, “Yes.”

“Well, in theory, we could live off of each other’s emotions … forever.” A small gleam appeared in his eyes at the thought of being with Jade for the rest of time. Then it diminished, “But that we would need not only another vial but one that was genetically printed for you.”

Jade tossed something to Kaythanos and he caught it, opening his hand to see an identical vial to his, but it had Jade’s name on it. He looked up to Jade with smile, “He just knows everything doesn’t he?”

Jade chuckled, “Yeah, I guess he does.” Jade scooted over to where Kaythanos was and traded vials with him. They shared a glance and a nod before Jade said, “On three?”

Kaythanos gulped, “The transformation is not pleasant. It will be very painful.” As he stated it, it popped the cork off of the vial.

Jade popped the cork off of her vial and took his hand, “Then I guess I’ll just have to hold your hand.” She shuffled closer and they lay down next to each other. She snuggled up into his chest and sighed, “One.”

“Two.” He stated as he lay his head on hers.

“Three.” They said together and downed the vials in their entirely. The moment the last drop was in their system, the two of them started convulsing on the floor. Their skin thickened and hardened to that of stone, however it didn’t lose the feeling of skin. Their eyes went black before shifting to a white like that of a glowing star, then settling into a deep glowing ocean blue. Their hair flashed through the rainbow before going jet black then brightening to a pale white. They could actually feel the changes happening to them and it was severe in every aspect, down to their very atoms. Their muscles became denser and leaned out, their eyes flashed between different color spectrums, their reflexes and body control became sharper, however something else came that drove everything else out, a need for each other’s company.

As the transformation ebbed and the pain began to subside, they slowly cuddled closer and closer together. The transformation ended and they lay there being able to feel the warmth and feelings of each other. Each of them began to get lost in the other’s gaze, until they were simply enjoying the fact that they were together.

When morning came, everyone was groggy from a good nights sleep, until there was a loud siren that came over the intercom system, with Condolore’s voice, “Up and at ‘em everyone!” Everyone but a few jolted awake and fell out of bed like a sack of potatoes.

Once everyone was finally able to get up and get their training gear on, they made their way outside to a courtyard that Condolore had cleared for their training. They found him waiting in a simple pair of trousers and a white button up shirt, with tall riding boots on. He was also in the center of what appeared to be an improvised ring for combat. Off to the side of the ring was a young man in a military uniform, it seemed like a combination of a could countries combat uniforms, with camouflage trousers and a black T-shirt that was skin tight.

As the group made their way to the edge of the ring, Condolore stepped up to the edge and looked over them, “You guys are really going to have to get used to waking up early. Why can’t you be like Kasakierin?” He jutted his thumb over a shoulder to where Kasakierin was doing push ups with a single finger and his body completely straight up in the air. What really surprised everyone was the fact that he was balancing a boulder on one foot while he was doing it.

Alex and Jason were surprised by his balance, but everyone else seemed to simply be shocked. Austin was chuckling, until she saw Mathos at the edge of the forest in deep meditation. What she noticed was that all of the trees weren’t blowing with the wind, which meant that his concentration was holding them in place.

Jade and Kaythanos weren’t even paying attention, still only thinking about each other. Then, there was a loud clap that got everyone’s attention.

Condolore looked them all over and chuckled, “It’s time to start your training.” He squinted at Kaythanos and Jade before continuing, “You two, who took the famous Akamon formula, will still be participating in the training whether you like it or not.”

Kaythanos chuckled, “Oh come on, we don’t need training now that we have the strength from my family’s formula.”

Condolore chuckled and back farther into the ring, “So then you think you can defeat me in a one-on-one fight?”

Kaythanos cracked his knuckles and stepped into the ring, “Yes, I do.”

Condolore tossed him one of the two swords that he had on his back and brandished the other. “Then it’s settled. If you can best me you won’t have to train.”

Kaythanos snatched the sword out of the air and twirled it around like it was a toy. The two of them began circling each other, Kaythanos leisurely swinging his sword about and Condolore holding his with both hands behind his back. They both were assessing the other for opening, which Condolore found many making a note of each. When Kaythanos saw an opening, he lunged straight for it. He thrust that he was trying for was aimed at Condolore’s rib cage, however, all he found was air. Condolore had sidestepped into his blind spot and slammed a fist into the side of Kaythanos’ head. He wasn’t knocked unconscious but the ground cracked and his sword went sliding around the ring. Kaythanos grimaced as he rolled onto his back and rubbed a hand on his head, “How did you do that?”

Condolore leaned over him and chuckled, “That piece of information you will learn in our lessons.” He helped Kaythanos to his feet and turned to everyone, waving a hand to the young man that was at the edge of the ring, “Everyone, this is Alex Donovin and he will be training alongside you.”

The boy stood and walked over to Condolore’s side, hands in his pockets, “Aye.”

Everyone seemed confused, but accepted it none the less, “Alright, I want everyone to pick up a practice sword from the rack and we can start on drills.”

As everyone got their swords and started following along with Condolore’s drills, Seth appeared up on the roof that was nearby. He sat cross legged and began to meditate. He was still able to observe everyone while looking deep inside himself for answers. The event that happened the day before was the first time that he’d ever lost his temper. He never wanted that to happen ever again. He had thousands of years of memories to look through for an answer, so he wasn’t worried about finding one. Then he saw a memory from Kasakierin’s life and his sighed. “Of course that would be the answer.” He stood and decided to worry about the matters at hand. So, he started evaluating everyone while they were training.

Based on what he could see, everyone was gradually advancing in combat ability, some more than others. When it came to the group that Condolore was training, Alex and Jason were still a bit behind in technique but were eager to learn swordplay. Austin was extremely focused as she sparred with Alex Donovin. He had a feeling that Austin was trying too hard but that was up to her. Jade and Kaythanos were a blur as they utilized their new strength and speed to spar. They still needed work on their form but were having fun stealing a kiss from each other now and again.

When it came to everyone else, Jessica was off to the side of the ring swinging a sword around like a master swordsman, but Seth noticed that she was switching between style as fluidly as any expert. He looked up into the sky to find Anne still shadow fighting up in the clouds. She was determined as ever to advance in strength. Griffin was weight training with boulders while he flew in formations. Ali and Borris were playing an intense game of tag in the forest, using the shadows to hide from each other.

Then he noticed that Kasakierin had ceased training and was walking along the stone paths that led through the gardens. He was wearing a pair of trousers and the cloak that Seth had made for him, his hands in the pockets as he wandered the paths. He was staring at the stones as he walked. Seth didn’t even need to hear his thoughts to know that he was thinking about Annabelle.

Seth sighed and teleported to his side. He walked with his head down and his hands clasped behind his back. “I know what’s on your mind and I know that you don’t want to talk about it.” Seth stated as they turned around a corner.

Kasakierin stopped dead in his tracks and grimaced, “I can’t get her out of my mind. Every time I see a flower or even come outside and see the forests that surround this place, I am reminded that she is not with me and I cannot go to her.” He crouched down and plucked a rose from a bush and sighed. As he stood, the red drained from the flower and became white in front of his eyes. “These are her favorite. I can’t use much magic but I can still use some. Small tricks but nothing usable in combat.” He turned to Seth sadness in his eyes, “I know that I have no need to worry but …”

Seth nodded his head in understanding, “But now that things have come to light, you realize how dangerous the situation is and how bad it will get.” He patted Kasakierin on the shoulder, “Don’t worry, they are doing just fine and they will remain so. I promise.”

Kasakierin sighed and smiled, “Thank you, Seth.”

“No problem.” Seth put his hands in his pockets and took a few more steps before stopping. “Could I ask you a favor?” He looked back over his shoulder while he asked so that he could see Kasakierin’s reaction.

Kasakierin put his hands on his hips and grimaced, “Of course you can. I am your servant through soul binding, remember. I will do your biding until the end of time.”

Seth chuckled as he turned around, “I know, but it’s still impolite not to ask.” He looked up into the sky as he thought about what he was about to do. “Could you let everyone know that I’m going to be gone for a few days?”

Kasakierin chuckled, “Alright, but do you know where you’re going?”

Seth sighed, “If I’m being honest, I’m going for a walk through the dimensions.” Then he teleported away to somewhere Kasakierin didn’t know. For a time, Kasakierin just stood there, staring at the place Seth had just been.

“I wonder where he’s planning on taking a walk.” Kasakierin shook his head, perishing the thought of following him. “He’s got more on his mind than anyone. I have no right to question the decisions that he makes.” He turned back for the training grounds and sighed, “I guess I should show them why I’m known as the conqueror.”

As he approached the training group, Condolore set everyone on a break. He walked over to Kasakierin and stood next to him. “You look like a man that just contemplated his entire life. What’s on your mind?”

“Could you gather everyone together? I have something to show them.” Kasakierin said, before walking out away from the ring. Condolore obliged and gathered everyone around, even calling Ali and Borris out from the forest. Once everyone was ready and waiting, Kasakierin began his explanation. “First off, Seth will be gone for a few days.” He looked to Jessica solemnly, “He said that he was going for a walk through the dimensions.” He nodded his understanding as Jessica turned away and walked to the edge of the main building. “Also, I have something to show you all.” He took off his new cloak and vest, before stretching his limbs. He removed his undershirt as well, revealing his nearly body covering dragon tattoo. Everyone except Condolore was surprised at the sight of it.

Condolore gave a resigned sigh as he stepped up to Kasakierin, “So you’ve decided then?”

“Yes, I have to show them if we are going to be apart of the same team for a while.” Kasakierin continued stretching his limbs as he looked over the group. “What I’m about to do is very dangerous and I’m not entirely sure that I can control it. I never have been able to before. As far as I know, there is only one person that can calm my other form down and they are very dear to my heart. One a few of you would survive an attack from me, so keep your distance and don’t let your guard down.” Kasakierin crouched down and placed a single palm on the ground before him.

As he concentrated, a dark aura appeared around him and the ground began to crack below him. As everyone watched, the dragon tattoo began to move around on Kasakierin’s skin, shifting and growing. The skulls at the dragon’s feet melted away and became a storm around the dragon. Then Kasakierin himself began shaking and growing. He started morphing, wings sprouting out of his back and his skin hardening into scales. The scales were a deep red that was eerie to behold. Claws grew out of his hands and a tail emerged from his lower back. His eyes went black and a diamond pupil appeared in both of his eyes.

When the transformation ended, Kasakierin let out a massive roar that shook the surrounding area with its volume. He stood well over fifty feet at the back and had a wing span over a hundred feet. At first, the dragon didn’t notice the tiny shocked forms in the bottom of his vision, but when he did everyone felt the magical fear that emanated from a dragon’s eyes. Another roar emerged deep in the dragon’s throat and everyone was violently shaken from their terror. Not a person waited a moment to make a run for it, until it was only Condolore that held his ground.

Condolore slowly drew his rapier and faced the dragon before him, “Ok Kas, it’s time you calmed back down.” He slashed the air and a blast flew to slam into Kasakierin’s side. The blow simply bounced off of the thick scales and the dragon’s attention was now on him. The dragon raised a massive clawed hand and swiped the ground. The ground Condolore was standing on erupted around him. The dragon let loose another roar which blasted Condolore into the wall of the main building.

Someone caught Condolore when he fell from wall and placed him against the building. The figure was cloaked and emanated an aura of overwhelming power. The dragon saw the figure and clawed at the ground, almost like it was nervous. The figure started walking toward the dragon with it’s fists balled up and the dragon slowly crouched down before the figure. The figure placed a single hand on the dragon’s head and it slowly began to shrink and morph back into Kasakierin. He was left panting and doing his best to hold himself up on his knees.

The figure threw the hood back and Seth looked down at Kasakierin, placing his hands on his hips, “I thought that you were going to do this, so I didn’t leave yet.” He crouched down and watched Kasakierin carefully, “I’m heading out now. If the need arises, then use that ability of yours.” He turned toward the group of unconscious bodies and found Jessica among them. He strode over to her and kissed her on the forehead, placing his forehead to hers, “I love you.” Then he teleported away.

Kasakierin sat back on his heals and closed his eyes in concentration. He relaxed and began to calm back down to his eerie demeanor. “He’s even stronger than I could have imagined.”

As everyone woke from unconsciousness, it became clear that Kasakierin was the only one who had seen Seth. He explained to everyone what had happened, until everyone was ready to continue their training again. However, there was one major difference when they began training again. They were all determined to become stronger than Kasakierin’s dragon form, which he knew that they more than likely couldn’t accomplish.

Everyone began different kinds of training. Kaythanos requested that Borris train him and Jade in the full capabilities of their new forms. Mathos had strode off into the forest and began a kind of body hardening training, striking and kicking trees. Alex and Jason continued their training in earnest with the sword. Griffin added more weight to his flight training to the point that he was tying several boulders that weighed thousands of pounds in total. Since Gonza’s strength was stagnant, she began using her knowledge of dark magic to create scenarios for everyone to train with, making monsters appear for them to fight. Anne never left the clouds, using her ability to control clouds to make immortal training partners. Ali worked with Borris and the others because she had some knowledge of the formula as well. Mathos and Austin started sparing with their fists, Mathos learning that Austin was far stronger than she let on.

Jessica wandered the mansion and its gardens, looking over all the beautiful sights. She was at peace with what was going on because she had found something in the guest house. It was a letter from Seth.

Hello there beautiful.

I just wanted to let you know that I am going recruiting in some of the other dimensions. I think it will take a couple of days, but you shouldn't worry. I'll be back before you know it. I love you.

Forever Yours Seth

Jessica hadn’t had to worry about him before, but now she was contented with the fact that the man she loved had a higher calling. There was no way that he could always be around. He was in total confidence of himself, which made her all the more happy for him. According to Condolore, Jessica’s mind was connected to all the military and combat training in the world, which meant that there was no reason to train. Jessica had decided to spend her days exploring and learning about everyone. There was no need to read because she would be done with a series in a few seconds, knowing the entire thing by heart.

Every so often, Jessica would pull someone aside and ask about their lives and what they’ve been through. She learned all that she could until she felt a family connection with them. Anne had talked about her father and how she had a complicated relationship with him, wanting only to find him so that they could talk. Kasakierin explained, to an extent, about his relationship with Annabelle. Jade and Austin talked about how Seth was growing up. Alex and Jason told stories of life at an orphanage. Kaythanos told her about his life living as a prince in a kingdom that demanded obedience. Ali talked about life in the background of the Ninja academy and guarding the council members. Mathos spoke only a few words but with such emotion that it almost brought Jessica to tears, telling her about how he came to be branded with runes. Borris was the only one who met her with complete and utter silence. She’d poked and prodded to the point that she almost gave up, never receiving anything in return for her efforts. He never said anything about his past only that he was busy with his training. According to Ali, they had met a few hundred years before but Jessica knew that was just a fraction of his life. In the end, she decided to let it be.

Then, during one of Jessica’s walks through the garden, Borris was standing in the path in front of a bush covered in lilacs. She approached him cautiously with his hands clasped behind her back, “Hey Borris, what brings you to the garden at this time of night?” She stopped just next to him and started watching the lilacs with him.

Borris sighed as he plucked a lilac from the bush, “Just looking at my mom’s favorite flowers. She used to love lilacs.” A grave look came over his face and he turned to Jessica, “I’m finally ready to tell you about my past.”

Jessica released her hands from their grip and became very serious, fully immersed in the conversation, “What is it that you are ready to tell me?”

“How much do you know about me Jessica?” He clasped his hands behind his back as he asked.

“Well, Seth said that your father is Hades and that your mother became the Raven Queen soon after you were born. He also said that you are brothers with Death himself.” She turned back to the lilac bush and sighed, “That’s as far as my knowledge goes aside from your relationship with Ali.”

Borris chuckled, “That’s the basics of it, but things weren’t always so bleak.” He put his hands in his pockets as he also turned toward the lilac bush. “My mom used to be a human who owned a flower shop where she also sold exotic birds. She loved the common things in life the most though. Her favorite bird was the Raven. Something that she would always tell me was that Ravens were the bringers and messengers of life and death, cousin to the crow known as the living reaper. I was lucky enough to know her before she had died.” His shoulders sagged and he took a long deep breath before lowering his head. “She was killed by my father. Though it wasn’t really his fault, through her death she became the Raven Queen. She’s now known all over the dimensions as the goddess and symbol of death. She was never the same after that.”

Jessica sighed and squatted down, hugging her knees to her chest, on the brink of tears. “I saw my own parents beaten to death in front of me. They were fighters in an underground gambling ring that was ran by gangsters. They usually kept a low profile, losing the fights that they were ordered to and winning all the others. Then they told them that they wanted a few of their opponents to die in the ring. When my parents didn’t accept, they sent a death squad to our apartment.” She looked up to Borris with a solemn expression on her face, “I was ten years old at the time.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “Sorry, I always get emotional when it comes to that and hearing other peoples lives.”

Borris snickered a bit before crouching down to accompany her, “I can understand that. I was thirteen when my mom died. I was heart broken and traumatized for at least fifty years.” He patted Jessica on the shoulder and sighed, “Unlike me, you have people here that love you and will do whatever they can to help you through it. I didn’t have anyone. None of the many brothers that I have even knew that I existed at the time. Though, I highly doubt that you will take as long as I did, simply because of the fact that you have company.”

Jessica wiped more tears from her eyes, “I can’t even imagine what it would be like to be all alone.”

Borris stood up and they both began walking through the garden again, “I hope that you never have to.” He put his hands on his hips and sighed, “I’m glad that I had this talk with you. I haven’t told anyone about that in over five hundred years.” He lowered his head, “Isn’t that right Ali?”

Out of the bushes behind them, Ali emerged and jumped over to bury Borris in a hug. “I’m glad that you decided to tell her.” She let go and turned to Jessica with a smile, still holding Borris’ hands, “Take it personally, cause it took me fifty years to get that out of him.” Jessica smiled and got to her feet and gave Ali a hug. “If you ever need to talk about something just ask, that’s all it’ll take.”

Jessica nodded her head and wiped more tear from her eyes. It had been quite some time since she’d been so emotional. “I will and thank you. I haven’t ever told anyone about that.”

Ali hopped and linked arms with Borris, “I’ll even drag this guy along with me.”

Borris gave a dramatic sigh, “Oh come on, do I have to?”

Jessica put her hands on her hips and pretended to be very upset, “Of course you do.” They all shared a glance before bursting into laughter. Once they regained their composure, they all walked back to the training area.

When they got there, they were surprised to find that everyone was still outside, but everyone was taking a short break, except for two people. Austin and Mathos were in the middle of workouts and training with gusto. Mathos was boxing the trunk of a tree that he’d set up in the middle of his own section, bare handed. The bark was flattened all around the trunk in three solid lines from high, low, and midsection strikes. With every strike, the tree shook and the runes that covered his body glowed with a faint blue, pulsing to life with his power. Austin was doing combination strikes on one of the many dummies that Condolore had set up for them. She had filled some of the dummies with rocks or stones that she found, which were the ones that she was doing combos on. She was almost done with her combinations when she delivered a roundhouse kick to the middle of the dummy and it was ripped in half.

Austin was soaking wet with sweat as she shoved the dummy aside and placed another one in front of her. She hoped around to loosen up a bit before continuing with her strikes on the new dummy.

Then, Jade came up to her with a concerned expression on her face, “Why don’t you take a break for a bit?”

Austin didn’t even stop her combos as she answered, “Because of Seth.” She delivered several more combos, feeling the impact of every strike and noting whether it was adequate of not, “He’s taken care of me my entire life and all I’ve ever done is annoy him as his little sister. I believe that if I learn how to take care of myself, he won’t need to worry about me anymore.” Then she delivered a strike with the first bit of full effort that Jade had seen, uprooting the post that the dummy was attached to and sending it flying nearly thirty feet. She turned to Jade with a scowl, more for herself than anyone else, “If he’s always keeping an eye on me, he’ll never be doing the best he can. I don’t want him to be in trouble because of something that I could have prevented. I don’t want him to worry anymore.”

Jade appeared next to the dummy on the ground and inspected the many dents and now powdered rocks that were inside of it. Then she looked back to Austin with her arms crossed, “I know what you mean, but don’t you think that’s what we’re all doing?”

“I know … but …” She tried to find the words before striding over to the dummy and putting it in the ground again. “I want to be close to as strong as Seth, or at least Kasakierin, but I’m starting to think that that’s impossible.”

Jade hugged Austin tight and sighed, “Don’t worry, I think either way he’ll be proud of you and love you no matter what. We know him best out of everyone here.” She held Austin’s face in her hands and looked deep into her eyes, “Do you really think that if you do surpass him that he will ever stop looking out for you?”

Austin sighed, “Yeah, you’re right. Even if I was the one who was going to become a god, he would look out for me all the same.” She hugged Jade again, “Thank you Jade. Your always known what to say to calm me down. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.” For a bit, they simply enjoyed the loving embrace, until Austin decided to get back to training. This time, she found a perch up in a tree and started to meditate. Jade went to find Kaythanos because she getting a bit thirsty. Austin chuckled a bit when she saw the little skip in Jade’s step as she went inside. She shook her head and went back to focusing on her own body and mind.

Everyone there had different reasons for being a part of the group with Seth, even though more and more were becoming personal matters. Austin was Seth’s sister, but she was more there to prove to herself that she was ready to take on the world. Jade had been taken from her family, but found happiness with someone new. Kaythanos had been sent by his father to gather information, but found a father figure in someone younger than he was. Ali had been sent as Kaythanos’ bodyguard and found an old flame that sparked into a wildfire. Alex and Jason had almost no hope in helping Alex control his form, but Seth gave them both an out for the situation.

Others had more of a commitment to their work. Borris was there simply because he had seen a glimpse of the future and Seth was the answer to all of his questions. Anne and Griffin were in the group simply because they knew that there was work to be done to right the world.

Then there were others that were simply in the right place at the wrong time. Gonza had been hunting in the Rocky Mountains but felt an extremely powerful presence and found Seth on his way to begin his great quest. Mathos had been asleep in the forest, being captured by werewolves in his sleep, then he was found my Seth and could see the power in him.

The main thing that made them similar was the fact that they all wanted to be there, no matter what happened in the future. Not a single person there wanted to leave for any reason, they just wanted to keep going. Everyone knew that Seth would be the future of the dimensions.

In the mean time, everyone trained and did their best to learn new skills and information. Condolore had been made sure that everyone had the basics in swordsmanship before letting them do their own personal training. Then, for those that wanted to, he ran a survival course out in the woods. For everyone that already knew how to live out in the wilderness, he kicked them out of their rooms to live off of nothing out in the forest. Most everyone was having a great time because they enjoyed seeing the stars at night.

After five days of training and being on a schedule, Jessica started to get worried about Seth. He’d said a couple days, not a week. Everyone could always find her up on one of the balconies looking over the courtyard into the tree line, looking for any sign of Seth’s return. Sometimes the girls would go up and join her, just for that extra bit of support.

Once a full week had passed, Kasakierin found a stack of letters in his room. Before everyone came to the dining table for dinner, he placed them out where everyone usually sat. Kasakierin had informed Condolore of the phenomena, so Condolore was the one who started explaining everything, “Last night, Kasakierin found these in his room, so we’re assuming that Seth was the one who stopped by to drop them off. Also, Seth came to my dreams this morning and basically trouble in on its way as we speak. We’re going to need to move soon. I don’t know what is going to happen, but lets find out.” He picked up one of the two letters that was in front of him, which was addressed to the entire group. He started reading the first portion off, “This bit is addressed to everyone so I’ll read it off.

To Everyone

I have run into something interesting in my walk through the dimensions. This is what has kept me from returning in my predicted time. I'm glad that all of you are trying to become better. I've given Condolore the location that I will be meeting you at. Condolore had books that cover the regions history and I suggest reading them before you head out. I think you'll have three days to get ready before they get there. This is sudden, I know, but I think that you're all ready for it. If you work as a team, I'm sure that you'll be just fine. Max will guide you as you go. Also don't underestimate him. He had his own secret skill set.

Good Luck

Seth

Condolore folded the paper back up and set it back on the table. “He’s instructed that each of you read your letters now.” Everyone picked theirs up and opened them before sitting back and reading its contents. Condolore finished first and waited for everyone else with his arms crossed. He was then trying to make sense of his own, which brought up a lot from his past. One by one, everyone sat in their chairs overcome with emotions.

Then, Kaythanos abruptly stood and walked right out of the hall. No one followed or even noticed, let alone move of their own volition. Kasakierin was tearing up from Joy, as was Anne. Jade was frozen in her chair with a bewildered look on her face. Alex and Jason were hugging each other as tears fell from their eyes. Austin was crying into her hands. Ali was sniffling with a small smile on her face. Mathos was sitting back in his chair deep in his own thoughts. Griffin was grinning and hugging Gonza in total bliss. Really, there was only one person who was indifferent, Borris. After a couple of minutes, he stood and walked to one of the windows.

“Well, I guess that this changes everything.” Borris stated, more to himself than anyone else.

Condolore came up beside him and sighed, “Yes, yes it does.”