The need was urgent; the spiritual realm was losing ground to the beast realm, which was trespassing their boundaries, and the Royal Army was suffering heavy losses.
In the camp of the Brethren of War, General Mekok called a meeting with the warriors.
"Great Brethren of War," Mekok hailed.
"Great!" they all shouted in unison.
"I know our training has been brief, but there is an urgent need for warriors. We all understand the current situation: we are losing to the beast realm, and if we sit idly by, the beasts will wipe out the entire spirit realm while the Royal Warriors fight alone." General Mekok paused for a moment.
"Sir, what is their aim in waging war against us?" Cora, one of the male warriors, asked.
"From the information I've gathered, they aren't after us directly; they seek the map to the special emerald," General Mekok replied.
"I know many of you are unfamiliar with it, but this special emerald is a precious stone capable of erasing the existence of any being with extraordinary powers. If it falls into the wrong hands, it could spell disaster for the spirit realm, the immortal realm, and parts of the beast realm," Muna added.
"General Mekok, what is expected of us?" Luna inquired.
"As I mentioned, our training is incomplete; we've only trained for two months. However, my mission for you is to return alive and capture the leader of the beasts," Mekok instructed.
"Remember, if only one stick of broom stands, it's easy to break. But if all the sticks stand together, it's much harder to destroy. I tell you this because if you work as a team, victory will be ours. Corey and Mira will lead Team A, Muna and Griot will lead Team B, and Ember Rose will head Team C. As I instructed earlier, you must ambush and be ready to fight. Ember Rose, your team is in charge of investigating the beast realm. Stay focused and alert, and always remember: your mission is to survive, no matter what happens."
After General Mekok's instructions, the team leaders began preparing their warriors for battle. Ember Rose was frustrated with her assignment; gathering information about the beast realm felt too easy. She longed to fight, not investigate. But she knew she had to fulfill her duty if she wanted her realm to survive.
Gathering information proved difficult; their efforts seemed in vain. "I thought it would be easy to investigate the beast realm, but it's much harder than I anticipated," Ember Rose said.
"Let's brainstorm a solution," Danlion suggested.
"If you have any ideas, please share," Ember Rose replied.
"What if we transformed into one of them?" Danlion proposed.
"And how do we do that?" Kain asked.
"I can transform you, but we'll need the faces of the beasts," Danlion explained.
"How do you plan to get those?" Ember Rose inquired.
"We need to kidnap some beast warriors. Leave the rest to me," Danlion instructed.
Ember Rose began preparations, and soon they successfully captured five beast warriors, determined to learn their faces and behaviors to understand their strategies.
Danlion started playing his flute, and Ember Rose, Kain, and three others transformed into the captured beasts. They sneaked into the beast camp under the cover of night, pretending nothing had happened. The beasts were unaware of the intruders, exposing their plans to the wrong audience.
The beast leader observed Ember Rose and the others, noticing their odd behavior. However, since they possessed the physical traits and voices of the beasts, he remained unconcerned. During one of their discussions, Ember Rose offered advice that seemed foolproof, communicating telepathically with her teammates.
The day of the fight arrived. The beast realm planned to ambush the spiritual warriors, unaware that their doom was imminent.
In the end, they defeated the beast realm and captured Tiker.
The Brethren of War were now allowed to operate effectively within the spiritual realm and were recognized as full warriors. Over time, they trained not only with swords and bows but also learned to cultivate their special powers. They were prepared for battles against seemingly more powerful foes. For the past two years, they had been victorious in every conflict.
Muna was promoted to general, Ember Rose became the chief investigator with Danlion as her assistant. Mira was the commander, with Griot as her assistant. Everything seemed to be going well, yet all of this did not erase the desires of their hearts. Muna struggled to suppress her feelings.