The Masters Of Jo-lan sat in the Temple on the Central Island.
"Regarding the Mind Of The Phoenix, we are also quite impressed since reports regarding him termed him the most immature amongst the three Successors however we are quite certain that his exploits have severely damaged Souryu's power. How it has damaged his power is something we are yet to see" Master Andrea recalled the words the three elders of the Phoenix Clan had spoken to her when she first arrived in the Hidden Phoenix Village with the Students.
"What is wrong Andrea?" Master Ayumi asked.
"The letter we received from Bane prompting us to journey to the Hidden Phoenix Village. It strangely coincided with the timing of the development of the Mutating Several Layered Zone Of Absolute Defense and when we finally arrived in the Hidden Phoenix Village, the three elders of the Phoenix Clan informed me that Harry's exploits had somehow damaged Souryu's power. These words echoed Bane's own words. I'm beginning to think the damage to Souryu's power may somehow be tied to the Mutating Several Layered Zone Of Absolute Defense" Andrea informed the Masters.
"Josec seemed to suggest that we might find clues pointing us towards Souryu's vulnerabilities within the Common History Of Jo-lan" Master Ayumi noted.
"We should probably review the Common History Of Jo-lan then" Master Kyem agreed.
Meanwhile the Students prepared to go to bed. It was nighttime within the Book Of Jo-lan. Harry took out his Book Of Jo-lan. Josec noticed this.
"Harry, you want to review the Common History Of Jo-lan now right?" Josec asked.
Harry nodded. Josec called out to the others.
"You guys! Harry intends to review the Common History Of Jo-lan. We should all probably check our own Books to see whether we can find any clues pointing us towards Souryu's vulnerabilities" Josec said.
Everyone agreed.
"So what do you want us to look for Harry?" Estelle asked.
Harry thought deeply.
"Consistencies" he said seriously.
"Consistencies?" Buern asked.
"Matching tales, matching accounts, records in one text that are verified in another. The Unique History may not have obvious connections but there may be hidden links somewhere amongst some of our histories" Harry said.
"This strangely echoes the trial we undertook in Master Andrea's Cave. We were required to seek out the one common trait in her entire History. The theme of her trial was 'Oneness', the fact that one person may be what supports the entire building" Josec noted.
"But at the same time we must exercise caution. Master Fencer cautioned us that there are two ways to destroy what is built but one way makes you forget the pain of building. We can't afford to wreck our discovery. We should take it apart piece by piece" Buern noted.
Everyone nodded.
"So how are we going to start?" Jason asked.
"I'll begin by reviewing my Common History" Harry said.
"Is there any specific reason for that order?" Jason asked.
"Hieron is the reason. Hieron's tale precedes the discovery of Jo-lan and the Three Founding Families. And Hieron's tale connects to Lucas Bane so the earliest records of Jo-lan's Common History will most likely be written in the Banes' Books Of Jo-lan" Harry said.
"I see. Makes perfect sense" the others agreed.
"Okay, here I go" Harry said as he opened his Book Of Jo-lan.
He accessed the Unique History Index and shifted the earliest records into the Joki Sharing Index then linked it to the other Students' Histories. In an instant, the Students were all transported into Harry's Book Of Jo-lan.
"It looks like there are deeper realities in the Book Of Jo-lan. That explains how we can enter the Book even while still in the Hidden Phoenix Village that is already within the Book" Harry explained to the others.
The scene around them showed a desolate wasteland. The Students looked around and saw an injured Gryphon. Towering over the injured Gryphon was the Black Dragon Souryu.
"For how long will you continue to resist me Gryphon? Our battle has lasted two long years and for two long years I have crushed you, yet you refuse to despair. Why do you remain so adamant? Most humans have already given up and even Psychorages cower yet you continue to fight!" Souryu stared at the Gryphon with blazing eyes.
"For now maybe…but I feel that if I continue to resist you, eventually everyone will recall that there were better times before the carnage you wrought on us and eventually…they'll hope for those times and fight to see them return. I feel if I fight for just one more day…you will lose" the gryphon said and lost consciousness.
"At the very least I'll say this gryphon…that you were a worthy adversary" Souryu said and flew away.
The Students noticed a boy concealed behind rocks and watching from a distance.
"I hope the gryphon's not dead. Though no one's willing to resist Souryu openly, we all secretly wish that the gryphon will win" the boy said.
Suddenly, the Students noticed a fiery object descend from the skies. As the object approached the earth, the flames surrounding it spread out and formed two fiery wings.
"A fiery crimson bird?" the Students heard the boy mutter.
"Could that possibly be the Crimson Phoenix?" Harry wondered in awe.
The object landed close to the Gryphon and the flames surrounding it slowly faded to reveal Ryu.
"Ryu?!" Josec, Harry and Buern exclaimed in shock.
"So that's Ryu huh?" Jason asked.
"I hope I wasn't too late" Ryu said and laid a hand on the gryphon.
"Hieron?" Ryu called silently.
The gryphon remained still.
"He's severely weakened. He appears to have exhausted almost all his energy in the battle against Souryu. You resisted Souryu for two years and still haven't despaired. Well done" Ryu said as he began to channel his own life force into the gryphon.
The boy who had been watching from a distance approached slowly.
"You're concerned about Hieron aren't you?" Ryu asked.
"Hieron?" the boy asked.
"That's his name" Ryu said.
"I don't know what you're talking about" the boy said.
"Don't lie. You've been watching Hieron's battle for two years but you're also scared of Souryu. You must have been nursing his wounds secretly all this time. If Hieron dies though, defeating Souryu will become much more difficult. Don't you think it's better to gamble on the slim chance that Hieron might win?" Ryu asked.
The boy thought deeply.
"Only Psychorages currently possess the ability to battle Souryu and even they cower under Souryu's power. What chance have we humans got?" the boy asked.
"Even if you had all the power to confront Souryu, without the courage to fight, it would all be useless" Ryu said.
The boy nodded and approached Hieron.
"I suppose you're right. Let's take Hieron to my cave" the boy said and along with Ryu's help, the two carried Hieron to a cave near the site of the battlefield.
"You're brave…uh…" Ryu was saying when.
"Lucas…the name's Lucas Bane" the boy introduced himself.
"I have a gift for you Lucas" Ryu said as he removed four stones.
"I knew it" Harry suddenly said.
"What?" Josec asked.
"The Stones we reclaimed from Souryu's generals. If they were handed to the first generation Phoenix Clan by Ryu, then they could be…they must be the Seven Stones Of Virtue from Zan's homeworld. For now, let's observe these events" Harry suggested.
Everyone paid close attention.
"Here, you can have them" Ryu said as he reached out to Lucas.
"What use are jewels if you might not live long enough to spend the profits earned from selling them?" Lucas asked.
Ryu laughed.
"That's true. But I am not giving you these stones so that you can sell them. These stones represent four elements, the elements of Light, Love, Courage and Hope…" Ryu said.
"Light, Love, Courage and Hope?! Wait a sec Harry, aren't those the Four Elements God was said to have presented to mankind?!" Josec exclaimed in awe.
"Yeah, the Four Elements which when united with the art of Jo-lan inspired in mankind, the comradery that resulted in the birth of the Crimson Phoenix. Jo-lan kept emphasizing that mankind only stood a chance against Souryu once these Four Elements were brought to birth" Buern noted.
Harry nodded.
"Let's continue to observe the events occurring in the Book Of Jo-lan" Harry suggested.
Everyone remained silent.
"…With these you will stand a fighting chance against Souryu but you cannot defeat Souryu alone. On two other continents are two people very much like yourself who also hope for Souryu's defeat. You must find them Lucas. I'll entrust these stones to you. By the time you find them, you'll know what these stones represent and I'll entrust this Book to you as well" Ryu said and handed Lucas a Book.
Lucas opened it. It was completely blank regardless of how many times he flipped the pages.
"It's blank" Lucas said.
Slowly, an image appeared on the first page of the Book, an image of a fiery bird. Lucas flipped the page. The image of him and Ryu carrying Hieron was on the second page. On the third page were images of the four stones and on the fourth page was the image of an island. The scene transitioned and the Students found themselves in the Temple on the Central Island except in that era, the island was a lone island surrounded by sea. Within the Temple was a library filled with vast shelves containing blank books. In the next instant, the Students found themselves back in Lucas' Cave.
"You will eventually defeat Souryu Lucas. With each new experience, the pages of this Book will gradually fill up and by the time the last page fills up, the empty island within the Book will become a vibrant world and Souryu will have been defeated" Ryu said.
"Who really are you?" Lucas asked.
"Tell Hieron this, he will fight a great battle with the rest of humanity against the Black Dragon. He alone shall become the Phoenix's consciousness and though he will triumph no one will ever recall his deeds. No one will recall the one who united them and led them towards hope. In time, all that will remain of him will be a myth that will fade away" Ryu said.
"What was the Crimson Bird you flew on?" Lucas asked.
"When you find the other two who share the same hopes as you, you will come to understand its nature" Ryu said as he slowly disappeared.
The Students found themselves back in the Temple on the Central Island in the present.
"That's it. That's Lucas' and Hieron's tale" Harry said.
Buern opened her Book Of Jo-lan next. Within it was a record written in words.
"Hmm, this record seems to have been written by Victoria Vern. It says, '…today, I met two men, William Fenix and Lucas Bane. After a long conversation in which we shared our hopes of a world free from Souryu's dominion, Lucas showed me a world concealed within a strange book that appeared to be blank. The Book contained a Temple situated on a lone island. Within the Temple was a vast library filled with blank books. Lucas presented me with one of the Books. Immediately I took the Book in hand, the events of the day appeared within the Book though I hadn't recorded the events myself. I encountered an old man within the Book who went by the name of Jo-lan and was granted a Jo-lan Class entitled 'Warrior'. Over time, Lucas, William and I have encountered many others who share the same dream of a world free from Souryu's malice. We've shared the contents of the library contained within the Temple in the Book with them. We've also began to realize that the time flow within the realm contained within the Book is a bit different from the time flow of the natural world. We've taken advantage of the infiniteness of time granted by the Book to study and strengthen our abilities and we have slowly began to come to a comprehension of a mysterious art granted by the Book which we've termed 'Jo-lan' named after the old man within the Book whose name appears to be derived from a word in our tongue meaning 'to give life to'. It appears our creative abilities have been brought to life. Not only are new locations and islands appearing within the Book but communities are being formed and the realm within the Book has become a refuge for many. Every now and then, we leave the realm within the Book to hunt down the Black Dragon but so far we've come no closer to defeating Souryu'" the record ended.
"Wow, it's quite similar to what's happening now" Estelle noted.
"You're right" Harry agreed.