Reis leapt into the air baring his blade. The Silver Moon turned crimson and gleamed off the edge of his blade as the apparition of the Kaignis King; a flaming terrifying wolf appeared behind him.
"CRIMSON MOON KAIGNIS SLASH!" Reis roared as he released his attack.
Moments earlier, he had defeated the Kaignis King in battle and recovered from the poisoning of his blood by the blood of the Kaignis King. Now he wielded the powers of the Kaignis King who embodied nature itself for Ryugaeia. Packs of Kaiser and Kaignis Wolves chased the rest of the bandits out of the village and pursued most of them till they were out of sight.
Reis' attack created a powerful force of flame and wind, strong enough to send the three leaders of the Maelstrom gang spiralling into the air. They screamed in pain and fell to the ground severely weakened and slightly scarred with burns.
Reis landed smoothly and sheathed his sword. The false dragons disappeared, the Maelstrom Prison technique was shattered and day returned to the Village Of Shades. Reis approached the leaders of the Maelstrom gang carefully.
"Im-Impressive Reis Dragonhäart. Surely, we underestimated you. But Erikkus Di Devilli doesn't. We've been cursed to die if we ever lose to you. I suppose our time has come but before we die, I want you to listen..." the one called Suiryu motioned to Reis to draw closer to him.
Without dropping his guard, Reis approached him carefully. As he did, he began to notice that the pain of the Maelstrom gang leaders was growing immensely.
"R-Reis D-Dragonhäart; beware...the Wyverns; captured rangers still alive...dragon rangers...destruction...soon. Beware most of all...the generals of the spirit fusion!" Suiryu said and then he became still and silent.
"Hey! What do you mean?!" Reis asked worriedly.
"Don't bother, they're already dead" one of the remaining bandits said.
Some of the other bandits were still brave enough to hold their ground against the wolves till Reis ordered the wolves to retreat.
"Wh-What did he mean? Wh-What are Wyverns? What did he mean by captured rangers?!" Reis demanded an answer.
"Heh! Like underdogs like us would know anything about that! If you're going to kill us all then just get on it with it" she scoffed disapprovingly at Reis.
"And what would I gain from doing that?! I just wanted some info. If you don't have it then get lost already!" Reis yelled at her.
"That Di-Devilli. I'll never forgive him. This is the second time now that he's toyed with our lives. Of course our leaders were dumbasses for attempting to play with a snake once bitten but they still deserve a decent burial" the girl bandit said as she motioned to some others to carry the body of their leaders.
"She's one heartless lady" Reis thought with a scared expression on her face. "She sure reminds me of someone else" he said without realizing he was thinking aloud.
"Oh? I'd be interested to know who that other person is" he heard a familiar voice behind him he definitely didn't want to hear at that moment.
"Uh-oh" he muttered in fear and turned around slowly.
"I must say though, considering how strong you are, if you ever need help against Di Devilli, don't hesitate to look us up. We're usually around Novatio but wherever money is, there you'll find us lingering and if you can't find us, just wave some money around" the lady said.
"What are you, money hounds? Whatever the case you're definitely no role models. I guess some info would be nice so could you please look into this whole Wyvern business?" Reis asked.
"Pay up" the girl bandit said.
"You sure are one nasty girl" Reis said as he reached into his pockets. When he felt the cloth of his pockets, he pulled out his hands and sighed. "I'm sorry to say this but I'm broke so I guess I'll just have to investigate this entire thing on my own" he said.
"I'm not so unreasonable we can't negotiate. Usually I'd charge fifty Novatian gold coins for this kind of service but I'll offer you a freebie for now. Consider it community service. But when we meet up, I'll disclose my findings for a hundred Novatian gold coins so make sure you're not broke next time" the girl laughed.
"Damn you, that's not a freebie at all. It's just me paying twice the original price. Well, we'll weigh that against the value of your info" Reis said.
"I like how your mind works" the girl smirked and walked away.
"Tell me you were not just flirting with a bandit" Aurora glared at Reis.
"I'm scared to even wonder where these wild assumptions of yours surface from" Reis muttered.
"Hey Reis! Reis! Over here!" Erasa called as she ran towards Reis.
"Hey Erasa! How are you doing?" Reis asked.
"I always knew you could do it. I knew you could save my family. You truly are a Guardian Angel" Erasa said as she tried to suppress tears of joy.
"Don't call me that. It's kinda embarrassing" Reis said shyly.
The others walked towards him.
"Hey Darak. It appears you're already losing to me, heh heh!" Reis teased with wicked pleasure.
"You idiot! Who was it that killed the Kaignis Wolf that bit you! I gained thirty eight kills and you were stuck at thirty six so think before you open yer trap you blabbermouth!" Darak yelled angrily.
"Sheesh, you get so irritated easily" Reis said as he rubbed his ears nervously.
"Reis Dragonhaart" Mistress Kira called with a serious look on her face.
"H-Have I done something wrong?" Reis asked with a scared look on his face.
"Well done" Mistress Kira said with a satisfied smile.
"Th-Thanks" Reis said unsure of himself.
He looked at Aurora. She looked angry.
"Um…Aurora, are you okay?" Reis asked nervously.
Aurora walked closer till she was right in front of him.
"Uh…Aurora, I don't like the look on your face. It's worse than Kyla's evil stare" Reis said nervously.
Aurora raised her hand.
"Aurora, what are you doing?" Reis stared with a scared expression on his face.
Aurora's hand was trembling violently and she was getting angrier by the minute.
"N-no, no, no Aurora don't…" Reis was saying as he guessed what Aurora's next move was going to be,
"REIS YOU JERK!" Aurora screamed and slapped Reis with everything she had.
"Why on earth!" Reis screamed in shock.
Then Aurora hugged him.
"Reis, please do not put us through such an ordeal again" Aurora said as she burst into tears of joy.
Reis stood there in even more shock, not knowing whether to wrap his arms around her or stand still.
"Aurora, why are you acting like this?" Reis asked still standing still as a statue.
"Tell me how I should act after watching you nearly die because of me" Aurora said.
Reis finally found the courage to embrace Aurora in return.
"It's alright. You don't need to feel depressed. I am alive after all" Reis said with a nervous laugh.
Aurora left Reis and stepped back.
"Thank you Reis for saving me!" she said with a respectful bow.
"You don't really need to thank me. I moved on impulse" Reis said seriously.
Everyone seemed surprised to hear that.
"Let's get back to Dr Gensai's house to see how Team Senshiiro is doing" Mistress Kira said.
As they walked along the road leading to Dr Gensai's house, the villagers cheered them on, and bowed respectfully to them. Soon, they were in Dr Gensai's house. Erasa's mother, Ethan and Effuien were resting. Erasa went to the room they were resting in to be with them.
When noon arrived, Team Senshiiro was awake. They had fully recovered thanks to Dr Gensai's medicine. Reis was still sleeping.
"I think we should return to the Ranger's Guild now and report the success of our mission" Mistress Kira suggested.
Darak kicked Reis who was sleeping on the floor.
"Wake up sleepy-head! We're leaving!" Darak called roughly.
Reis sat up, confused and wiped his face.
"Sheesh, can't we go later, I'm totally beat" he sighed in exhaustion.
"No, we're leaving now!" Darak yelled.
"What a grouch!" Reis grumbled.
"Did you say something?" Darak growled angrily.
"Never mind" Reis said as he stood up. "I guess I'll just catch some sleep while we're riding the dragons" Reis said with a yawn.
"Mom, Ethan, Effuien, I'd like you to meet the newest member of the Dragon Rangers. He's Reis Dragonhaart, my Guardian Angel and the one that saved me and got rid of the bandits" Erasa introduced Reis.
"Erasa, will you please stop calling me a Guardian Angel?" Reis pleaded.
"Reis, this is my mom, the dark haired boy is Effuien and the brown-haired one is Ethan" Erasa introduced her teammates.
"Nice to meet you" Reis said with a sheepish grin.
"The pleasure is all mine" Erasa's mother said graciously.
"Thank you so much for all that you've done for us" Mistress Kira thanked Dr Gensai with a respectful bow.
"No, we should be thanking you. If Jinrai were here, I know he would have been a happy man because the legacy he left behind will one day be the hope of Ryugaiea" Dr Gensai said with a joyful smile.
"What do you mean?" Aurora asked.
"Aurora, Jinrai must have really cared about you, so much to even transcend death in order to protect you" Dr Gensai said with a smile.
"H-How did you know that Sir Jinrai and I were close" Aurora asked in surprise.
"She doesn't know? How could she not realize?" Dr Gensai asked himself. "Anyway, you will soon find out" Dr Gensai said as he waved them goodbye.
Justin escorted them to the village gates where they summoned their dragons. They all mounted their dragons, all except for Reis who stood watching them nervously.
"What are you waiting for Reis? Come on up" Erasa motioned to him to mount Terra.
"Thanks Erasa" Reis said as he climbed unto Terra's back and sat behind Erasa.
"You don't need to thank me. We're friends after all" Erasa said with a smile.
"Yes we are" Reis said.
Soon they were in the air and over the Village Of Shades.
"I hope we don't have to go through the Forest Of Shades again" Aurora said nervously.
"No, we don't. We'll go right through Kaehum-dactyl territory" Reis said confidently.
"What are you saying? Don't you have any idea how dangerous the Kaehum-dactyls are?" Ethan asked.
"We'll get through them with no problems" Reis said confidently.
"You're either too strong or too foolish" Effuien said with a laugh.
So they rode on through the air. Reis fell asleep on the way. Soon, he was lost in deep slumber. It was when he left the last states of consciousness that the Kaehum-dactyl's appeared. They were giant flying gray reptiles with large wings and fearful jaws that extended into something that looked like a beak but wasn't for it was filled with razor sharp teeth. They also had fearsome talons and they attacked by blowing large gusts of wind from their jaws and with their wings. The Kaehum-dactyls shrieked fearfully as they flew around the dragons.
"Erasa! Wake Reis up!" Mistress Kira ordered.
"I'll try" Erasa said as she shook Reis to wake him up. But Reis remained fast asleep.
"He's not waking up!" Erasa called over the noises that the Kaehum-dactyls were making.
"Try harder!" Mistress Kira ordered. "Perhaps I should have allowed him to rest a little longer" Darak said.
Erasa tried everything to wake Reis up but he was not waking up.
"I've tried everything!" Erasa sighed hopelessly.
"Try slapping him!" Aurora suggested.
"What?! I can't do that!" Erasa yelled angrily.
"Do you have a better idea?!" Aurora asked.
Erasa remained silent.
"Come on Erasa. Just imagine that there's a mosquito flying around his head… and it lands on his cheek and starts to…" Aurora was saying when a loud hitting sound broke the air.
"WHY ON EARTH?!" Reis' voice sounded and in the next instant his eyes flew open but they were not the usual peaceful green. His eyes were glowing silver like lightning.
Reis stood on Terra's back and opened his mouth. A very shrill shriek filled the air. The others had to cover their ears because the sound was hurting their ears. The Kaehum-dactyls responded to the sound by flying away.
The wind became calm and Reis' eyes returned to their normal colour. Reis sat down on Terra's back and folded his arms angrily. He didn't speak till they were over the Kingdom Of Novatio.
"Reis, you're not speaking. Are you angry with me or something?" Erasa asked nervously.
"You're damn right I'm angry! Sheesh! Why do girls think slapping is the only way to resolve problems?!" Reis yelled angrily.
"Sorry, I didn't want to but I tried everything and you didn't wake up…" Erasa apologized.
Reis remained silent for a while.
"The next person to slap me will become firewood, got it?!" Reis yelled again.
Everyone laughed because they had no idea of Reis' magical abilities.
Soon Novatio was out of sight and they were flying over another dense forest.
"The Rangers' Guild is just a few minutes away" Erasa's mother said.
"I'm so excited! I want to tell everyone what we've been through, especially dad!" Erasa said excitedly.
"Aren't you excited Aurora?" Erasa asked.
Aurora looked at Reis and smiled.
"I don't think I can narrate all that happened in detail" Aurora said.
Reis looked at Aurora and their eyes met.
"Is it just me or is Aurora being much more friendly towards me" Reis wondered.
Aurora noticed that she was staring at Reis and turned away.
"Um…Erasa? What happened while I was still unconscious?" Reis asked curiously.
"Aurora cried" Erasa whispered back.
"She did?" Reis asked in surprise.
"You should have seen her. It was such a pitiful sight. She didn't want to believe that you were dying, if you want to know more, why don't you ask her yourself" Erasa said.
"If only I could" Reis sighed.
Soon after, they could see the Rangers' Guild in the distance.
"We're finally home" Ethan said with a grateful expression on his face.
"The Rangers' Guild has never looked as beautiful as it does today" Erasa's mother said happily.
"I'm glad everything turned out well and it's all thanks to you Reis" Erasa said gratefully.
"I already said don't thank me. We all did it together" Reis said.
"You shouldn't be always be so modest. When you win against overwhelming odds, you must acknowledge it" Mistress Kira advised.
"If that's what you think, then I say it's all thanks to Aurora that this mission was a success" Reis said.
"Me? What do you mean by that?" Aurora asked in surprise.
"If you weren't attacked by the Kaignis King, I would have had no need to save you and get myself bitten instead" Reis said.
Aurora frowned.
"Is that your way of saying that I'm weak?!" Aurora said angrily.
"I didn't mean it that way. I'm only saying if you weren't vulnerable at that moment…" Reis tried to explain himself.
"Vulnerable?!" Aurora yelled angrily.
"You're not always vulnerable…I take that back…It's normal to feel fear…" Reis was saying.
"Fear?! Are you calling me a coward?! Reis, if you were riding with me, I'd drop you now!" Aurora threatened.
"Forget that I said anything" Reis pleaded.
"Jeez, you have no sense of delicacy at all" Aurora tried to calm herself.
"Those two get along really well" Erasa's mother said.
"Is that supposed to be some form of sarcasm?" Darak said emotionlessly.
"No, I see it too" Mistress Kira admitted.
"You two couldn't be farther from the truth! Reis is just a…Saggeesian jerk" Aurora said but her tone seemed to suggest that she was unsure of her words.
"Yeah but without jerks like us, life would be boring wouldn't it?" Reis joked.
Everyone laughed in response.
"It's okay to call me a Saggeesian jerk 'cos that's what I am. Say it and say it…" Reis said with a smile.
"Sure you Saggeesian jerk!" Aurora teased.
"That's until…I turn you into firewood!" Reis said giving Aurora the diabolic stare.
Everyone gasped in horror.
"Of course I'm kidding! Gotcha!" Reis laughed.
Aurora couldn't help but laugh as well. Reis smiled.
"It's nice to see everyone so happy, especially Aurora. To make sure that everyone can remain happy, I must become stronger and stronger. Strong enough to defeat Di Devilli! Strong enough to defeat…Armageddon!" Reis thought silently as the dragons descended.
"We're here" Erasa sighed.
"Team Senshiiro! You're safe!" one of the sentries exclaimed happily.
"Yes, thanks to Team Kira" Erasa's mother said.
"The Dragonlord is waiting for you" one sentry said.
"The Dragonlord is very considerate. We seek his wisdom to find light" Mistress Kira said.
"We seek his wisdom to find light" the sentries responded.
Then Team Kira and Team Senshiiro left for the Rangers Headquarters. As they neared the Rangers HQ, they saw Captain Hiru pacing up and down the entrance to HQ.
"Dad!" Erasa called.
Captain Hiru stopped walking and turned towards them. He saw Erasa, his wife and the others. He ran towards them happily. His wife ran towards him and they embraced.
"You're alright! You scared me Suzuna. If I'd lost you, I don't know what I would have done" Captain Hiru said with a trembling voice.
"I'm sorry Hiru. I was also scared that I would never see you again" Erasa's mother said.
"We've got to give our report to the Dragonlord so I will see you at home" Erasa's mother said as she began to walk towards the entrance to the Temple.
"Kira, let's go in" Mistress Suzuna said.
Mistress Kira beckoned to the others to follow her. They walked through the corridors and finally reached the Dragonlord's chambers. They opened the door since they already knew that the Dragonlord was expecting them. Soon, they were in the Dragonlord's presence.
"Team Kira reporting, Operation Rescue Team Senshiiro was a success. Mission Completed Sir!" Mistress Kira saluted.
"I see that. I want a report of your mission now. Tell me every single detail and hold nothing back" Mistress Kira sighed nervously and narrated the entire story.
"I see, so Reis was bitten by the Kaignis king and gained the powers of nature" the Dragonlord said calmly.
"I'm sorry for my recklessness Sir! If only I was more vigilant, this would never have happened!" Mistress Kira said with a regretful bow.
"No, if the Kaignis wolf had bitten Reis while he fought against it on his own, that would have been recklessness but since it bit him because he sacrificed himself to protect Aurora, it was not recklessness. Reis followed his heart…so it was destiny" the Dragonlord said mysteriously.
"Are you saying that saving me was Reis' destiny? That's ridiculous!" Aurora exclaimed in disbelief.
"All I'll say now is that your destiny and Reis' are intertwined" the Dragonlord said.
Everyone was thinking of what the meaning of the Dragonlord's words could mean when the Dragonlord told them to go home and rest for the day.
"Thank you Dragonlord" Mistress Kira said gratefully and they left the Temple.
"I guess I'll catch some sleep, I'm totally beat!" Reis sighed tiredly.
"What?! You slept in the Village Of Shades and on the way here!" Aurora and Darak exclaimed in shock.
"Well what can I say, boys will always be boys" Mistress Kira said.
"Catch you later!" Reis waved as he walked away.
"Reis! Let's have a duel tomorrow at school to settle our previous match!" Darak called.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say!" Reis said as he walked away from them.
"Sheesh, was he even listening?" Darak frowned angrily.
"I'm sure he heard. Darak, let's also be on our way" Aurora suggested.
"You're right, I'll have to prepare your lessons for tomorrow…and Darak; if your duel does take place tomorrow, don't take it personally" Mistress Kira advised.
"I'll try…maybe" Darak replied with a smirk.
"Why am I not convinced? Anyway let's get going" Mistress Kira said and they left for their home.
Reis had finally arrived at Master Jin's residence. He tried to open the door but it was locked. It's locked, damn!" Reis yelled as he kicked the door angrily.
"Sheesh! I'm so tired, I guess I'll rest here" Reis said as he leaned on the door, slumped to the ground, yawned, shut his eyes and fell asleep.
Meanwhile, classes were over in Dragon High. Shin and Kyla packed their books and walked out of class.
"I wonder how Reis is doing" Kyla said worriedly.
"Don't worry about him. He's strong enough to take care of himself" Shin said in an attempt to make Kyla feel better.
"I'm not really worried about that" Kyla admitted.
"Aurora huh?" Shin guessed.
"Yes, you see how hurt Reis is whenever she treats him like dirt but he always had us around to make him feel better. Now he's on a mission with none other than Aurora and Darak, two people that hate him very much. Can you imagine how he feels now?" Kyla said hysterically.
"Heh! You'll be shocked he's asleep at this very moment" Shin said in an attempt to be sarcastic.
"Now's definitely not the time to get smart-mouthed with me Shin!" Kyla scolded him.
They were nearing Ayenhayze residence.
"What's worse is I heard that the Dragonlord made him a permanent member of Team Kira!" Kyla said worriedly.
"Well what can you expect from the old geezer" Shin said in a way that showed that he was quite fed up of the Dragonlord's decisions.
"On top of that Reis…" Kyla was about to say when she silenced herself.
"Do you hear that?" she asked Shin.
"Yep, someone's snoring. It seems to be coming from the doorway" Shin said as they ran to the doorway.
"N-No way, he's actually sleeping" Kyla said with a funny expression on her face.
"Told ya! Well what do you expect, I'm psychic" Shin tried to sound cool.
"Why is he back so soon? I thought he'd be gone for a much longer period of time" Kyla said.
"Don't tell me…?!" Kyla and Shin exclaimed at once.
"Jeez! For crying out loud! Why is everyone trying to interfere with my sleep! First Darak, then Erasa, now you guys?! Haah, why was I even born? To be so unlucky that I can't even rest for two hours. Is it my fate to be unlucky or am I cursed? I know whose fault this is…" Reis was saying.
"H-H-He's in a bad mood" Kyla said nervously.
"It's your fault…Kyla!" Reis accused.
"What?! Why me?!" Kyla defended herself.
"You cursed me with the evil eye. Ah, why was I even born to be cursed like this? What was my mistake? Did I kill a prophet in my past life?" Reis kept talking gibberish.
"Huuunnhh?! Is he drunk?" Kyla wondered.
Shin shut his eyes and placed his forefinger and middle finger on his forehead and looked into Reis' mind. Shin saw the Kaignis King resting peacefully in Reis' mind, then he saw a legion of dragons and a figure that resembled an archangel battling a huge black dragon that was bound in heavy shackles and was trying to break free.
Shin opened his eyes in shock.
"Shin, what's wrong?!" Kyla asked because Shin was shivering uncontrollably and breathing quickly.
"What's wrong?! Shin, speak to me! Hey Shin! I'm talking to you" Kyla called desperately.
In the next instant, both Shin and Reis collapsed to the ground and lost consciousness.
"Shin! Reis! Hey guys, this is not funny! Shin! Reis! Wake up!" Kyla screamed hysterically.
Still, both boys remained unconscious. At that moment, Master Jin arrived and saw Kyla trying to revive the unconscious boys.
"Kyla, what happened?" he asked.
"Sh-Shin and I arrived from school and found Reis sleeping at the doorway. He woke up and was acting strange so Shin decided to read his mind. I don't know what Shin saw because Shin looked very scared, then both boys suddenly lost consciousness" Kyla said worriedly.
Master Jin and Kyla carried Reis and Shin into their bedrooms.
"I've got some work to do Kyla so I'll leave the boys in your care. Try to find out what Shin saw" Master Jin said as he entered his room.
Kyla was confused.
She didn't know what to do so she stood by the doorway watching over Shin and Reis. Shin began to stir.
"Shin!" Kyla called and ran towards him.
Shin woke up and looked at Kyla.
"Wh-What happened?" he asked as visions of what he saw came back to him.
"I remember, I saw…" Shin paused.
Kyla sat on his bed.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.
"I must, if I don't I think I'll go mad" Shin said.
"It's that serious" Kyla asked.
Shin nodded grimly.
"Then tell me Shin, what did you see?" Kyla asked.
"You'll think I'm crazy Kyla but here goes…listen carefully because I'll only say this once. Reis is a Kaignis wolf…a legion of dragons, a Drakengaard and…" Shin paused.
"Wait, wait, wait are you trying to tell me that Reis is the long prophesied Dragonhaart returned to us?" Kyla asked.
Shin shook his head.
"I don't know, he might be but Kyla…Reis is also…" Shin paused again.
"Reis is also what?!" Kyla asked eagerly.
"Reis is also Armageddon!" Shin exclaimed.
"What do you mean?!" Kyla asked in utter shock.
"It's kinda messed up but I think…Reis is both the Dragonheart and Armageddon!" Shin said.
Kyla opened her eyes in horror.