After completing the Gate of Pride, Kaden found himself in the space between spaces for the first time. A place that has reached out to him several times before, but it has never actually been entered by him.
"It's about time we've met Kaden. The pleasure is all mine." N stated as he continued to stay hidden from sight.
"I've heard this voice before." Kaden stated as he paced around in a circle. "When I failed the gate the first time, it was this voice that woke me up. And a few times in my dreams before that, you were calling out to me. Who are you?"
"I'm gonna skip over that information for right now since I don't know how long I'm gonna have you here for. If you really want to know, then you could ask your friend Aaron Cooper."
"Aaron?"
"Yeah, me and him are best buds now. We actually meet here every so often." N replied enthusiastically. "And while I'm going to continue needing his assistance, it's really you that I need help from."
"What do you need my help for?" Kaden questioned.
"It's better if I don't say at this moment."
"So you expect me to help you without even knowing what I'm getting myself into?"
"Precisely." N replied as he appeared in front of Kaden, scaring him to the point of stumbling backwards and nearly falling down.
Kaden examined the unnaturally tall and slender man who seemingly had no face within his hoodie.
"What are you?" Kaden asked as he caught his breath.
"I'm getting some serious deja vu here." N replied. "Like I said before, you can ask Aaron about that if you're really interested. Let me cut to the chase. You are an anomaly in this world. Even I can't give you an answer on how exactly you got here, but you did. And because of that, you have acquired abilities that I can't afford to just let go to waste."
"Abilities? Like using the four essences?"
"You can use all of the elemental essence types, which also means you can unlock all of the gates."
"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Kaden questioned.
"You only can open gates which you have the essence type for. For instance, the Gate of Pride is on the water continent, so you need water essence to unlock it. The Gate of Gluttony is on the fire continent, so you need fire essence to unlock that one. Therefore, a regular person in this world would never be able to unlock all seven gates. That's why I need you."
"They told me if I completed all of the gates, then I'd be able to go back to my original world. What would you get out of that?"
"Completing the gates would grant you the ability to do much more that. Actually, you-"
Crack!!
A large crack suddenly appeared in the roof above Kaden and N.
"Hmm?" N said as he and Kaden gazed up towards the distraction.
The color of the room around the crack slowly began to fade from a pure white to gray.
"That's interference." N said to himself.
"What's going on?" Kaden questioned.
"Think about what I told you. It seems like our time together is coming to an end. For now, at least. I'll leave you with this, I suggest you take on the Gate of Greed as fast as possible. Soon enough, you won't be able to relax like you have been doing so freely."
"I feel like you told me so much and yet so little in a short amount of time."
"Well, let me tell you one last thing." N stated as the room faded more and more into a dark gray color. "When you open your eyes again, there's gonna be someone there who you can learn from. Allow them to teach you, and at the same time, you should stand beside them."
.....
"How long did it take for him to come out last time?" Aaron asked Kenzo.
"About twenty minutes." Kenzo replied.
"Well, it's been about thirty already."
"Let's be patient, gentlemen." Treya stated. "We don't know what he's going through in there, so let's give him all the time he needs and hope for the best."
Aaron moved out into the open and began stretching while doing a breathing exercise, Via had taught him that would help expand his lungs.
...
"KENZO!"
Without hesitation, Kenzo ran off into the treeline towards Damien, who had called out for him.
"Is he in trouble?" Aaron questioned while readying himself to run behind him.
"Wait!" Treya exclaimed. "Look."
She pointed upwards toward the top of the gate, where the light was beginning to diminish.
"He's coming out now."
.....
Meanwhile, Kenzo readied his ice blade as he approached the area where Damien's call came from. Nobody knew this, but Kenzo was eagerly awaiting the day Kaden chose to attempt the gate again. He felt as if he would be able to get his rematch against the water essence user they encountered during the previous attempt. While him nor anyone else that was present at that time was injured, Kenzo still felt that he was completely outclassed by the other swordsman. Inside Aestus, Kenzo is revered as one of the strongest sword users, but in recent months, his improvement has plateaued. Of course, this was partially because of the lack of an actual threat. With nothing pushing his abilities forward, Kenzo fell into a zone of comfortability and became stagnant. However, his encounter with the Luminents showed Kenzo that the dangers of this world are a lot more than he can currently handle at his present strength. That realization became inspiration to become stronger.
"Over here, Kenzo!" Damien called out from just beyond some bushes.
Kenzo leaped through the bushes and landed into a fighting stance, but almost immediately dropped his guard.
"You got here quick." Damien said, standing over Nakayla and Shaedon, who were both drenched with water.
"Who are they?" Kenzo questioned.
"Don't know. I saw two shadows in the bushes and immediately trapped them in a water sphere."
"Please hear us out!" Nakayla exclaimed.
"I'm listening." Damien replied.
"Wait, not here." Kenzo interjected. "They're definitely from Ignus, but they're also only kids. We should return to Elder Treya first as she is unguarded right now."
"You run ahead then, I'll bring these two back."
With a nod of his head, Kenzo acknowledged the orders and swiftly returned to Elder Treya and Aaron. As he approached the gate, he realized that there was no longer any light emitting from the archway.
"Elder Treya." Kenzo said to announce his return.
"Kenzo, we have a predicament." Treya stated as she and Aaron faced the gate.
"Did he fail again?"
"...Well it's hard to tell..."
Treya stepped to the side and revealed that Kaden wasn't anywhere to be seen.
"Where did..." Kenzo struggled to say because of his confusion.
"If he isn't here, then where could he have gone?" Aaron asked as worry filled into his body.
.....
"Who're you?" Kaden asked the person standing before him.
"I could ask you the same thing." Jayson replied in a dry tone.
"Di- Did that guy just come through the gate?" Trill asked herself. "What the hell is going on here?"
A Few Minutes Earlier
"So, what's your story?" Trill asked Jayson as they walked down a beaten path.
"My story?" Jayson repeated as he glanced back at Tarver, who was following closely. "... Like I said before, there's a message that I need to deliver to the elders of Aestus. The faster I can get there, the better."
"A declaration of war?" Tarver questioned.
"I don't know what the message is."
Trill glared back at Tarver, who immediately averted his eyes to the side.
"Is this Noya's home?" Jayson asked out of curiosity.
The mention of Noya again surprised Trill, which caused her to hesitate before answering.
"It's nearby. We couldn't have brought you back to the village now, could we?"
"Mmm."
"... Is she doing well?" Trill asked.
"I'm not sure how to answer that question. Jayson replied. "She isn't human, is she? Both her and her sister had a certain presence, unlike anything I've ever felt before."
"You saw Moya too?" She asked with a hint of excitement in her voice, which she quickly covered up. "... You're right. Those two aren't human, at least not anymore. They're what we call 'Nigi Mitama', or in basic terms, kind spirits."
"Spirits?"
"Yeah, they lived with us in Karusuto, the settlement just around the valley. And they were always happy and nice to everyone, despite their conditions."
"Wait, they were born and raised here, right?" Jayson questioned.
"Yeah."
"But didn't Noya use wind essence while we were fighting the golem?" Jayson thought to himself.
"Unfortunately, no matter how optimistic the both of them were, life kept throwing challenges at them." Trill stated.
"We're here." Tarver exclaimed as the three approached a large waterfall that was flowing out of a cliff face. Next to it was a two story wooden building.
"My belongings are here?" Jayson questioned.
Trill nodded her head and said: "Tarver run in and grab his things."
"It doesn't hurt to say please yanno." He replied while still doing as she said.
Jayson stared into the waterfall as if something on the other side was forcing him to give it his attention. An abnormal feeling was dragging all of his focus towards whatever could be behind the wall of water.
"Is-"
"One of the gates is behind there." Trill answered before Jayson could've asked his question.
"The Gates of Sin?"
"Yeah, Greed to be specific."
"... Can I see it?"
"Honestly, I don't feel like stopping all of that water to uncover the path." Trill replied while crossing her arms.
"So if I can stop the water, I can take a look?" Jayson questioned while walking away.
"Be my guest."
There was no way that Trill could have known the things Jayson was capable of, but she was about to receive a proper introduction into who exactly he was. Jayson stood on the path just before the waterfall and focused on the energy he was feeling in the air. He raised his right hand in the air and treated the waterfall like a curtain, directing the flow of the water off to the right with ease. Trill stood there stunned as Jayson carried on into the cave that was hidden behind the waterfall.
"Did he not say he was from Ignus?" Trill thought to herself. "H-Hey, wait!"
The cave itself was shallow but vertically impressive. The roof was as tall as the gate, which was carved into the back wall of the cave. This is the first time in Jayson's young life he is seeing one of the gates with his very own eyes.
"Hey! I told you to wait!" Trilla exclaimed as she ran in behind him.
"... You don't feel something in the air?" Jayson questioned as he turned to face her.
"The Gates absorb light essence from the air during the daytime. That movement is probably what you're feeling."
"Light essence? In that case, is it possible to-"
Without warning, the gate activated and began to emit a bright white light, illuminating the cave along with its two unsuspecting visitors. Both Jayson and Trill quickly covered their eyes after being flashed with such an intense light. When their eyes finally adjusted to the brightness and they looked back up towards the gate, they noticed a shadow standing amidst the light.
"Does this normally happen?" Jayson asked to Trill.
"Th-This has n-never happened." She replied shakily.
The shadow slowly stepped out towards them.
"Who're you?"
.....
"Sayu... you have to promise me you won't make a sound." Avery nervously and quitly said to the young child as she covered her mouth.
Fear was painted all over Sayu's face, but she still lifted one of her hands onto Avery's while nodding her head to agree to comply. Avery then removed her palm from Sayu's mouth and instead hugged her from behind.
"Maybe it'll go away after it gets bored."
The two found themselves seeking refuge in a shallow cave of their own, but just outside the entrance, slowly slithering around the perimeter was a fifty foot long green anaconda.
"Of all things, a snake, why a snake!? And it's huuuuge!" Avery thought as she tried to keep her composure.
Sayu peeked her head around the corner and looked around for the large serpent, but she didn't spot anything.
"I think it left." Sayu said softly.
Avery hesitantly joined her in peering around the corner and thoroughly inspected the area.
"Alright." Avery stated as she loosened her hold on Sayu. "Let's get out of here as fast we can, but we need to stay quiet. Light footsteps, okay Sayu?"
"Got it."
They silently crept out of the cave and examined the area as they came out more and more. They made it a few meters away without noticing any sort of movement in the vicinity.
"Phew. Looks like it went away..."
As those words spilled out of Avery's mouth, she gazed up and made direct eye contact with the giant anaconda, which was hanging from a tree branch. Avery's fight or flight instinct immediately kicked in, and it only took her a split second to make a decision. She lifted Sayu by her legs and dashed out of there.
"A-A-Avery!"
"Don't worry Sayu, we should be able to outrun a snake." Avery responded while trying to keep pace.
"It's catching up!" Sayu exclaimed.
"What?"
"It's really catching up!"
Avery glanced over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of something that would probably give her nightmares for the next few nights. As the snake was slithering after them, it was forming ice under its own body, which allowed it to move much faster than the average serpent.
Due to her getting distracted, Avery tripped over a tree branch, but before landing, she was able to cradle Sayu against her own body and take most of the impact from the fall.
"Ah, Avery, are you alright?" Sayu questioned.
"I'm-"
Sssssssss
The snake did not hesitate to try and attack the seemingly defenseless prey, but just before it could have caught them...
"Kálymma!"
In the blink of an eye, the serpent became ensnared by several vines that held it back from moving any further.
"You shouldn't move quickly around snakes yanno." Via stated confidently. "They're usually very shy and would leave people alone once you stay still or move slow. If you move too quickly, then it'll get scared and try to attack. Especially if it sees you're running away."
"You're quite knowledgeable, aren't you Via." Elder Claire said as she and Mai approached from behind her. "Now then... who might you be?"