"...For the fate of of the world? Seriously??" I ask.

"I'm afraid so.." Oroshi says.

"Oroshi..we don't know that yet...hell we even don't know if the gates exist!"

Autrey says.

"They do my friend...The families have been keeping them a secret from even the IMSA, the legend couldn't be hidden but their exact location could...For now it doesn't matter, as you said we still don't know if the Black Moon is behind all of this...Still we have to investigate.." Oroshi said.

"If the legends are true then that means you are the..." Autrey looks at Oroshi.

The? The what?? What are they talking about??

"Yes, I indeed am the reincarnation of the first Hatagano, the original Keeper, and I shall protect the gate with my life." Oroshi says.

"Very well...I shall believe you Oroshi, the IMSA will help you in every way possible."

Gramps is that keeper guy from the story?? Wow okay. This is way too much for me...I stand up and leave them talk about their politics.

I don't have the time for this, I'll just prepare for school tomorrow...Isn't the tournament tomorrow..? Meh...I don't participate anyway..

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"I'm off mom!"

"Don't forget the milk Velysar!"

"I won't!~" Vely says as he leaves his house. It was a chilly evening but that didn't seem to bother him.

"Wow...the finale is tomorrow...I wonder if we'll even make it...well even if we don't, I wish he was fighting with us...Maybe he even will, but I hope this time someone else gets knocked out by a dirty surprise attack---" Vely sank deeper and deeper into thoughts as he was walking down the lonely street surrounded by plains, forests and an occasional lonely street light..

He started feeling uneasy. Something was off...Something was definitely---

"Hello there Vely." A masked man appeared in front of him. Vely immediately jumped away and got into a stance.

"Who the hell are you??" He asks.

"Pff.." The masked man dismisses the question as a large energy fist formed over his own. He jumped at Vely at an amazing speed, sending him flying into a tree with a punch to the chest.

A dust cloud rises from the impact and...silence, the man looks to the clearing dust, expecting to see a knocked out Vely bud his stare is met by several icicles flying his way.

"Damn!" He puts his energy fist over his body defensively and manages to defend most of them but his shoulder gets hit, getting him out of balance.

Immediately after, Vely runs out of the smoke, clapping his hands together. He then smashes them into the ground which makes water come out of that spot, creating a small wave that reaches the thung in no time.

The two were now connected by a small puddle. The man tries to jump away but is stopped by the water which was acting like a semi-dry glue now.

"You won't get away...Now tell me who are you..?" Vely said as he panted, obviously injured by the punch. He still held his hands on the ground, likely controling the water itself by doing so.

"Tsk...I underestimated you.." The masked man said as he struggled to free himself. He looked to his feet, noticing that the water was now slowly climbing up.

"This water is infused with my mana...it's like an extension of my body. You're not going anywhere and if you wont talk then I'll slowly swallow you with the water and turn you into ice.."

Vely smirked, knowing he completely outsmarted him. But all of a sudden his smile disappears and his eyes widen, he slightly turns to his left and takes his left hand out of the water but can't do much as another energy fist hits him, sending him flying into the woods yet again.

"Took you long enough." The man who was trapped just a second ago says, looking at the water which fell off of him.

"Sorry..Let's get him.." The similarly dressed masked man said as they ran into the forest.

They found Vely on the ground, unconscious. One of them was just about to grab him but he stops. The sound of a solid breaking is heard, both of them look at Vely's body which starts getting paler. They were confused but one of them gasped and suddenly jumped away from the body. The other man couldn't react as the body exploded into pieces which flied in all directions, many of them hitting the masked man.

"Shit! My eyes!!" He shouted as he tried to cover his face from the projectiles.

"It was a damn ice substitute!" The man who jumped shouts. "Watch out!"

Vely started running out of the dark forest towards the injured one. "Shit...I can't create any water.." he think. He starts touching every tree he passes by. By each contact his hand glows a bit and some water comes out of it.

After a few seconds he reaches the man with a good amount of water in his right hand as amassed as a buble, he jumps at the man, ready to take him out but gets punched into the stomach yet again by another energy arm, this time only flying to the first tree which he hits with his back and falls to the ground.

There were 3 masked men now, all wearing the same clothes. The only slight difference was in their height.

"I thought I could leave you handle this failure alone..but you two failed...disgraceful." said the guy who just showed up, he talked like he was their boss and that was only confirmed when they just apologized.

As he talked, Vely had stood up. completely dizzy from the last hit, he started limping away from that spot. The man who was just scolding his partners notices that and slowly starts following him. After a few seconds Vely reached a small clearing.

"My stomach...I can't breathe...I can't chain my mana..." Vely thinks to himself as he falls to his knees. He looks to the ground but then looks up as he notices a shadow in front of him. There he sees another masked man, he turns his head slightly to the right, noticing he was now surrounded by four men.

"This magic...It's you guys...what do you want...?" Vely barely manages to mumble out.

"We want a very special person...someone close to you, and for that you need to disappear." The boss says as a big red energy fist appears around his right arm.

"I see...well...If this is how I'm dying, then one of you is coming with me!" Vely shouts as he looks up, grabbing a handful of the grass. A deep blue magic circle appears beneath them with Vely being in the center.

"Watch out!" One of them shouts as all of them jump out of the range of the circle. Vely kneels up, raising his hands and extracting the water out of the ground surrounding him, leaving only dark dead grass behind.

He looks around one last time and then moves his hands, creating a spinning ball of water around him.

"What are you waiting for?! Attack him!" The boss shouts as his three partners create energy fists. They start punching the water ball but the strong water flow blocks most punches.

As the seconds go by, the men keep punching the ball, meeting less and less resistance, almost playing by this point. With every punch, muffled groans can be heard inside as the silhouette gets hit.

"I don't know if I'll make it...it doesn't matter...go get them...

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Kazuki.."

Suddenly Vely spreads both arms and legs, sending the water flying in all directions, knocking the attackers off their feet. After a few seconds of confusion, all of them slowly stand up, trying to understand what even happened. They notice Vely is nowhere to be found.

"It's just a dirty trick!" The boss shouts. "He couldn't run off too far in his condition, find him!"

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"What a day...way too much info, I can't even enjoy my novels.." I think to myself as I close my book. It's getting late, guess I should head to bed.

I get a strange feeling..a chill runs down my spine...something happened..Something is going to happen...

I jump off the tree I was lying in and walk back into my backyard. What a quiet night. Heh...I'd probably sleep outside on that tree if there wasn't the risk of a wolfbat knocking me off and eating my face off.

As I enter the house I see Baba still up which was rather unusual.

"Wow It's 9pm and you're still up..?" I say.

"Waited for you, dinner's on the table and...Your girlfriend visited." She smirked.

"Who."

"Why Ayame of course, who else silly? Oh well...She didn't stay long, just left a little love letter for you loverboy." She shows me a small letter as her smirk widens.

"Eh- Give me thar!--" I say as I snatch the letter.

"Don't worry Kazu I didn't read it although It was hard to resist." She said as she yawned and stood up. "I really gotta sleep now..don't enjoy your letter too much my brave warrior." She says as she leaves the room.

I walk to my own. "Why would she write me a letter? She could've just talked with me..." I think to myself as I open the letter.

"Dear Kazuki

I just couldn't look you in the face after that night and after what...My brother did...Still I couldn't live like this either. I don't know what you're going through but you don't have to do it alone. I don't think we can be friends. I love you too much for that...Yes Kazuki, I love you, I always did. If you feel the same way, let's meet at the hill, where we met for the first time, at 5pm. If you don't show up...well..I got my answer..

Love,

Ayame."

"...."

Wow...This is...I have no Idea what it is..

I keep rereading the letter over and over, getting more tired ans slowly dozing off.

I can't deal with this.

This is messed up.

I need help, someone to guide me.

..Yes..guide me..

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..This room again..The darkness here was always so mysterious but It didn't feel lonely, I always had light...I always had her...

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"Where are you?!" I shout.

"Why the fuck did you leave me?! I thought you said you'll always be there for me!! Keep your promise!!"

"No one understands me! No one can help me...I'm scared...I'm alone...I'm in the dark....Fine! I don't need you! Screw you! You were just a voice in my head anyway! I'll fucking take care of myself!..."

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Morning..It's bitter..It's cold...It always was, but now I can't lie to myself...

I get ready for school and head there with Dan. Well, it's not really school since we got no classes, Today are the finals eh..? Well, that and the match for the third place.

Most of the students are gathered on the stands. I sit down with Nico and Dan as we look to the field where the teams are getting ready...

"Welcome! To the finale of the Lurigo Magic Academy Tournament!" Duke walks to the center of the field. He was dressed up rather nicely. He always took this way too seriously...

...Ayame...she's loiking at me...I can see it from here...I can't let our eyes meet it'll be awkward..

"What do you mean Vely didn't show up?!" Daren shouts.

"Well he just didn't, he wasn't in the locker room when we got ready and he isn't here, so yeah---" Baaya says.

"Damn! This isn't good.." Daren looks away.

"Is there a problem 2/B?" Duke asks.

"Oh...what's the matter..? You seem stressed Daren-Senpai~" Eiden says as he and his team walk to the field, ready.

"Vely is missing!" Daren says. "We can't fight without him!"

"Oh...that's unfortunate...well..." Duke says.

"Wait a sec, every team is allowed to have one person as a reserve right...and if I'm correct which I always am...Kazuki Hatagano is their reserve so they don't have to surrender right..?" Eiden smirks.

"Well...that is true. Come on Kazuki you're in!" Duke looks to the stands.

....I get up and walk to the field without saying a word.

I didn't even notice Vely was missing...he'd never miss something like this...something happened.

"Tsk...I'm doing this only because I can't stand that prick Eiden...Just don't get in my way humanimal..." Daren says.

"Alright we're still in!" Jack shouts.

"Splendid~...shall we?" Eiden says as he gets into a stance.

This bastard Eiden...he waited for this...I'll teach him a lesson.

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