I was in my Gramps' arena.
"You seem a bit distracted San. Is anything the matter?" my Gramps asked.
"Can I take a break Gramps?" I asked.
He sighed.
"Well, we've been going at it continuously for almost five weeks now. You deserve a break. Besides, we won't be able to achieve much with you distracted as you are now" my Gramps said.
I smiled.
"Thanks a lot Gramps" I said and walked out of the arena and into the Castle's Courtyard.
During the five years after Zanböngfar's defeat that my Dad remained in the Dream World, he, my Gramps and my Granny had worked hard with the Dream King to merge certain elements of the Realm Of Dreams with that of the Realm Of Nightmares so the Nightmare Realm had many lands that were beautiful in contrast to the days of conflict between both realms when it was completely terrifying.
In the Courtyard were a number of gardens. I sat on a bench in one of the gardens. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the mini representation of Christopher Concordia had given me. I smiled.
In Great Dreamers' High, it was Friday and Arlene continued to tutor Ciella. As Arlene taught Ciella more about sigils, Ciella's mini representation of Christopher began to ring. Ciella removed it and saw that it was a call from me. Her eyes lighted up in excitement.
"It's from San!" she said excitedly.
"Can I answer it?" she stared at Arlene imploringly.
"Of course, let's take a break. You've been working really hard these past few weeks" Arlene said.
"Thanks!" Ciella said and answered the call.
My face popped up.
"Hello Ciella. It's been a while. Concordia handed me a mini representation of Christopher so that I could stay in touch with you guys" I said happily.
"San! It's you! It's really you!" Ciella said excitedly.
"Of course it's me. How have you been?" I asked.
"Your siblings, Concordia, Arlene and Mitsuki transferred to our school" Ciella said.
"Concordia told me a bit about that. But where are you guys now? The background doesn't look like a classroom setting" I asked.
"We're not in a classroom. We're in an old library on campus. Mitsuki, Arlene and Concordia formed a club. I joined shortly after" Ciella explained.
"Wow, things sure got interesting while I was away" I said with a laugh.
"Arlene has been teaching me a lot about the Dream World for the past five weeks. I've began to understand a bit more about sigils" Ciella said.
A look of concern flashed across my face. Ciella noticed it.
"Don't worry, Arlene already explained the risks to me and I'm determined to become a Dream Knight" Ciella said seriously.
Part of me knew that I was the reason Ciella had decided to take such a risk and it worried me. I also could not deny the determination in Ciella's eyes so I didn't protest.
"I can't afford to slack off now" I thought with a serious expression on my face.
"San, you look so serious. Is something bothering you?" Ciella asked.
She felt that I might be against her decision to become a Dream Knight.
"It's nothing" I said with a smile.
"Dad must have sent my siblings, Concordia, Mitsuki and Arlene to protect Central Dream City but I'm grateful they're close to Ciella as well. Ordinarily, I should be against Ciella's decision to become a Dream Knight however, now that she can perceive the Dream World, Dream Beings and Nightmares, facing antagonistic Nightmares might soon become a part of her daily reality. The best way to ensure her safety is to equip her with the knowledge and skills she needs to defend herself from malevolent Nightmares. Knowing how Spartan Arlene is, she would never have agreed to tutor Ciella if she perceived even the slightest doubt in Ciella's resolve to become a Dream Knight" I thought to myself.
"So how have you been San?" Ciella asked with a smile.
"At the very least, I'm now able to control my movements naturally. My stamina has also greatly improved so you don't have to worry about me nearing the brink of death whenever I go all out" I reassured Ciella.
She sighed in relief and smiled.
"That's great news" she said.
"Yeah, not being able to control your own strength is the worst. Can you imagine the number of walls I've crashed into?" I said with a laugh.
Ciella laughed.
"Will you be returning soon?" Ciella asked.
"Unfortunately Ciella, I can't tell just yet. I'm only two parts done with my training. Actually, I'm yet to commence the practical part of the second phase of my training. Once that is done, I'll have five more phases to complete" I said.
Ciella looked disappointed.
"However…I may return occasionally for short visits" I said.
Ciella's eyes lighted up.
"Really?!" she asked.
I nodded.
"Let's hang out for a bit when that time comes" I said.
"Okay" Ciella nodded happily.
"I want to speak with the others as well" I said.
"They're on the Ground Floor. Just give me a moment" Ciella said.
Moments later, the faces of my siblings, Concordia, Mitsuki and Arlene appeared in the mini-representation of Christopher I held.
"Hi guys" I greeted.
"San!" my sisters called.
"Looks like there have been some interesting developments while I've been away" I said with a laugh.
"You mean the club?" Saito asked.
"Uh huh" I said.
"If it's so interesting, why don't you hurry back home and join?" Saito teased.
"I'm certain you guys came up with that club to enable you to carry out your Dream Knight duties discreetly. You've probably been sparring against each other while I've been gone. If I joined your club now, I'd be at the losing end of every match" I said.
They laughed.
"You're just being modest. Concordia told us you fought her Kraken Andromeda to a draw. According to her, you and Keiran are the only ones to have successfully defended against her Kraken Andromeda in Dream Realm Border Wall Defense Mode" Mitsuki said.
"Keiran did?" I asked in surprise.
"Yeah, Arlene even recorded the match. Here are some of the highlights" Saito said and began to play scenes from the match.
"Let's start with Arlene's top moments shall we?" Concordia said as scenes played.
I watched the opening scenes of their battle.
"Keiran, if you intend to get serious, it would be best to ensure that Ciella and I are not making contact with the ground" I saw Arlene advise Saito's team.
"The hell does that mean?!" I saw Keiran yell.
"You shouldn't be giving anyone tips Arlene! That's unfair!" I saw Concordia protest.
"I didn't tell them what they need to do. I only gave them a clue and I'm also taking Ciella's safety into consideration" I saw Arlene chuckle slightly.
"Fine, I will listen to you then. If your advise was enough to get Concordia rattled, it must be helpful advise" I heard Keiran say.
"Well, it may or may not be helpful to you depending on how creative you can be" I heard Arlene say.
"And this was Arlene's top moment" Mitsuki said as the scene transitioned.
"Arlene! Any tips for us too?" I saw Concordia ask.
"I thought you said that was unfair" I saw Arlene grin sarcastically.
"You don't have to tell us what to do. Just give us a clue like you did for the other team" I saw Concordia say.
"So you basically admit you're losing to them" I saw Arlene chuckle. "Fine, I guess it's only fair" I saw Arlene say.
"Hey! Whose side are you on anyway?!" I saw Keiran roar.
"I'm not really on anyone's side. However I will admit that I am a bit interested in seeing how each side will overcome the obstacles in their path. You can call that one of the eccentricities of being an information specialist" I saw Arlene say with a smirk.
"She just turned dark" I saw Mitsuki and Concordia say.
"About that clue?" I saw Concordia ask.
"Two simple words, 'Black Holes'" I saw Arlene say.
"The hell is that supposed to mean?!" Concordia roared angrily.
"Exactly what I said" I saw Keiran say with a smug expression.
"Mitsuki might get it. It may or may not be useful advice, like I said earlier" I saw Arlene say.
"Here are team Mitsuki's top moments" Concordia said as the scene transitioned.
"Mitsuki?" I saw Concordia call.
"Right" Mitsuki said and stretched her right hand forward.
"Here it comes Keiran! Brace yourself!" I saw Saito warn my siblings.
"TORRENTIAL PUSH OF THE MOON'S GRAVITATIONAL FORCE!" I saw Mitsuki call as my siblings were weighed to the ground.
"And here, we had Saito's team do a voiceover since most of their dialogue occurred telepathically via your family's Pyrostellis Luminares" Arlene said as the scene resumed play.
"Keiran, you've noticed the variations in the intensity of gravitational force acting on our team and on Concordia's team right?" I heard Saito ask.
"I'm impressed, Mitsuki actually has precise control over her ability to utilize the moon's gravitational force. It was obvious to me watching her weigh down the rampaging Nightmares without weighing San who was fighting them down" I heard Keiran say with a smile.
"In a sense it's also scary" I heard Saito say with a serious expression.
"The force acting on us is strong enough to weigh us down but for Mitsuki's team, it's strong enough to allow them to regain their footing" I heard Keiran say.
I saw Concordia equip her sigil 'aesthetically' and aim an arrow at my siblings.
Then the scene transitioned.
In the next scene, Mitsuki stretched her hand forward.
"TORRENTIAL PUSH OF THE MOON'S GRAVITATIONAL FORCE VER. BLACK HOLE!" I heard her call.
I saw streams of flame streaming from Keiran's hands get weighed to the ground.
"SHE WEIGHED FLAMES TO THE GROUND?! SCARY!" I screamed in horror.
Mitsuki smirked and made the symbol for victory with her hands. She also had a smug expression on her face.
"You weighed my flames down with gravity?" I saw Keiran say in surprise.
"Black holes have the power to strip stars off the flaming gases burning around them. They are also powerful enough to absorb light rays through their torrential gravitational pull. You know what that means don't you Keiran? Elemental attacks are now useless against us" Mitsuki said seriously.
I gulped.
"I'd better be careful in duels against Mitsuki" I thought seriously.
"And here's another Arlene moment" Concordia said as the scene focused on Arlene.
"Wow, it's amazing how this fight quickly evolved from a simple training session between rival teams and finally pulled into play the forces that sustain the universe" Arlene said expressionlessly.
"You don't say" I said with a funny expression on my face.
"And here are team Saito's top moments" Arlene said as the scene transitioned.
It returned to the scene where Concordia had aimed her arrow at Saito's team.
"Keiran!" I saw Saito call.
"I know" I saw Keiran say as Concordia released her arrow.
I saw her arrow miss and fall to the ground.
"I missed?" I saw Concordia say in surprise.
I recalled evading Concordia's shot by tripping. She had the same expression then. I chuckled to myself in amusement.
"Keiran's altering the flow of wind around them. Accuracy in archery can be affected by the direction and intensity of the wind. The wind circulating around them must probably be flowing in a circular fashion around them. If he had merely created a wall of wind in front of them, the streamlined nature of the arrow would have dulled the wind resistance and your attack might have hit. By controlling the air in a circular rotation around his team, he managed to knock it off its trajectory" I saw Mitsuki explain Keiran's defense to Concordia.
"In that case, it would be best to resort to brute force! KRAKEN ANDROMEDA! FORMATION DREAM REALM BORDER WALL DEFENSE!" I saw Concordia call as countless arrows manifested in the space around them and aimed for my siblings.
Concordia's Kraken Andromeda fired repeatedly from multiple angles.
"Concordia seems to be attacking your field of air from multiple angles in hopes of discovering points where the wind resistance and degrees of alteration in the trajectory of her arrows are less" Saito explained.
"Well in some of the books Mom and Dad keep in their library…" Keiran was saying when Saito interrupted him.
"Which books?" she asked.
"You know, the novels Mom and Dad keep referring to as training manuals, the villains usually defend against attacks of this nature by doing this" Keiran said with a mischievous smirk.
"Okay sto-op! For dramatic effect, I did some editing to the images here" Arlene said as cat ears, fangs and whiskers materialized on Keiran's face.
"That's a full-fledged nekomimi mode! And I always thought you were the serious brother Keiran!" I laughed.
Everyone laughed as well as the rotation speed of the wind surrounding Saito's team in the scene increased. Concordia's arrows were repelled and a few of them were reflected at her team.
"You're resorting to a villainous technique?" I saw Saito ask with a bored expression on her face.
"A simple rule of battle…understand the villain's techniques to counter the villain" the Keiran in the image said.
"That is certainly true" I agreed. "Though Keiran's intentions were questionable" I said.
"He just went cat mode" I saw Saito say.
"Should that surprise you? After all…our family's totem is the lion which predominantly hunts by weighing down its foes and sapping their life force gradually by strangling them…" Keiran said.
"Actually, it's more like it severs their spine killing its prey instantly after weighing it down" I corrected.
"Minor difference of opinion" Keiran argued.
"And here's where it gets better" Saito laughed.
"We could also resort to the spider…an intricate web that turns our foe into their own enemy" I saw Keiran say.
"A great darkness has just descended" I commented.
With the edits Arlene had made to Keiran's image, it was even more hilarious.
"Now you're just being malicious" the Saito in the scene said. "If we did that though we'd be bordering on Zanfar's territory. For now, this should be enough" I heard Keiran say.
"And I thought San was trouble" I heard Ariel say.
"Concordia! Stop shooting! The powerful spin of Keiran's technique is hurling your attacks right back at us" I saw Mitsuki caution Concordia.
I saw Concordia downgrade her sigil to its bow and arrow form.
"It's pretty impressive that they can defend so well against our attacks even while immobilized" I saw Mitsuki say.
"The Nightbane Family really is scary!" I heard Concordia say.
"Keiran, isn't there anything in your arsenal of elemental attacks that could negate Mitsuki's gravitational field?" I heard Saito ask.
"Well, in one of Dad's training manuals, there was something about nullifying one's natural limitations through creativity. I think the proverbial saying went along the lines of 'learning to fly without necessarily eliminating the force of gravity'" Keiran said.
"And how does that help us here?" I heard Saito ask.
"I cannot erase Mitsuki's gravitational field…however…" I heard Keiran say as he stretched his hands forward.
Iron panels began to coat the walls, ceiling and floor of the library. Iron vests coated Saito, Keiran and Ariel as well.
"…I can nullify the effects of her technique through magnetism!" I heard Keiran say with firm resolve just as intense electricity began to flow through the iron panels.
Concordia and Mitsuki suspended in the air with Mitsuki's ability to avoid electrocution.
Keiran and Saito stood up.
"In spite of how heavy our iron mail is…my body feels strangely light. I'm impressed…stupid big brother" I saw Saito say with a smirk.
"They nullified my gravitational field?!" I saw Mitsuki exclaim in shock.
"And finally, this is how a legendary rivalry was formed" Arlene's face popped up.
She had an expressionless look on her face.
"Interesting, you've nullified my elemental attacks with your gravitational field. I didn't think your field could be this strong" I saw Keiran say with an impressed look in his eyes.
"You're pretty sly. You say all that yet my field has no effect on your team cousin. You're also nullifying its effects through magnetism though I doubt magnetism could have an effect on raw elements. Its effects are pretty specific" Mitsuki said with a smirk.
"In that case, I suppose it comes down to who's stronger in hand to hand combat" Keiran challenged.
"You sure you want to bark up that tree?" Mitsuki challenged.
"Saito, we really should go with the 'Spider' battle style" Keiran said with a smirk.
"Keiran, there are some lines we shouldn't cross regardless of how desperate the situation becomes" I saw Saito say.
"What's this 'Spider' battle style you talk of?" I saw Concordia ask.
"When my Dad uses it, it's all about connecting people. When Keiran uses it, it's a Nightmare bordering on Zanfar's territory. We'll forfeit for now. We've got enough practice and learnt quite a lot. Thank you for training with us Concordia, Mitsuki" I heard Saito say.
"But seriously? What's this 'Spider' battle style that Keiran kept going on about? If Saito actually went so far as to prevent him from using it, I doubt it was merely a bluff" Concordia asked.
"It's a family secret at the class of a bloodline limit" my siblings and I said together with smirks on our faces.
"Hey, you guys, I recorded San's training session as well. Anyone want to see it?" Concordia asked.
"YOU DID?!" everyone exclaimed in excitement.
"Of course, to overcome a strong rival, you need to study their fighting style" Concordia said with a smirk.
I glared at her suspiciously.
"Well, I can't complain. I've seen your fighting styles as well so it evens out" I sighed.
A scene popped up showing my Gramps' Arena.
(Note: Since Arlene's Christopher is a sigil, it can capture images of the Dream World and anything associated with it exactly as they are).
My siblings stared into the scene with Concordia, Mitsuki and Arlene.
"I don't see anything except for Concordia's arrows firing all over the place" Saito said.
"WH-WHAT'S THIS?!" Mitsuki exclaimed in shock.
Arlene also appeared shocked.
"What do you mean?" Saito asked.
"Let me slow it down for you" Arlene said as the scene gradually slowed down.
As it slowed down, my siblings gradually became aware of a shadow flashing about all over the place. Arlene continued to slow it down and then the shadow gradually became more apparent. It was an image of me evading Concordia's arrows and deflecting them with more of her arrows.
"He's countering your arrows with your arrows!" Mitsuki exclaimed in shock.
"Is it really that surprising?" Ariel asked.
"This is just like the records of your Dad and my parents' initiation into Dream Knighthood. Ordinarily, it should be impossible for a Dream Knight to wield another Dream Knight's sigil. That would be the equivalent of holding the other Dream Knight's soul in your hands. It appears Dreamweavers are an exception to this rule" Concordia said seriously.
"San! Think you can evade a simultaneous attack from the entire formation?" my siblings and friends saw Concordia call.
"Why don't you try it and find out?" they saw me say with a smirk as I extended my arms in front and behind me and widened my stance by crouching slightly.
"His stance changed!" they saw Concordia say as her arrows began to head towards me.
They saw me commence my defense by performing sequential one-eighty degree sidesteps and gradually observed my spin increase.
"GOUEN TATSUMAKI SENPU! (GRAND FLAMING HURRICANE WHIRLWIND!) FULL BODY VERSION!" they saw me call as the friction caused by the speed of my technique exerted on the surrounding air caused the air to ignite transforming my body into a great spinning blazing whirlwind.
Concordia's arrows turned into ash the moment they made contact with the whirlwind. Keiran smirked.
"Great minds think alike don't they San?" Keiran said with a smug expression.
"Certainly" I said with a smirk.
"You'd better hurry back home San or you'll miss all the fun" Saito said.
"Can't wait to join your club. For now I need to speak to Ciella for a bit" I said.
The others nodded. Soon, Ciella and I were left alone.
"I'm certain Arlene will help you awaken your sigil. I'm glad to see you're happy with my siblings, Concordia, Mitsuki and Arlene. Take care of yourself" I said with a reassuring smile.
"I will, you too" Ciella said.
I nodded.
"I've got to go now. See you later" I said.
"See you later" Ciella said and the screen went blank.
I sighed.
"I'd better rest up for the day. Tomorrow, I'll have to resume my training" I said and lay on the bench in the garden to rest.