BEYOND THE BEYSTADIUM

Chapter 7: Blazing Colors - Part 1

It was morning now in Aether. The sun was rising, the birds were chirping in search of breakfast and the air was fresh, supplied by hundreds of trees that covered the land.

Three boys; Drum, Hyuga and Hikaru were packing up their stuff since they and their older friends must continue their journey to the heart of the mystical land that their partners called home.

Suddenly, Valt appeared at the door.

"Hey guys." he greeted. "Have you seen Aiga anywhere?"

At this, the younger three began thinking.

"Come to think of it, he was already gone when we woke up." Hikaru said.

"Yeah. Achilles was gone too!" Hyuga added.

The older blader scratched his head at this. 'Where could they be?' he thought. How were they supposed to continue their journey?

Luckily, Valt's worries washed away when he heard the voice of his partner.

"Don't worry, Valt! I have them right here!" Valkyrie called out from afar.

Valt turned around to see his partner walking out of the forest with Aiga by her side. Achilles was there too, but he was...

...floating in a water bubble.

The bluenette and the younger bladers were quite dumbfounded by this but what was most shocking to them was...

"Hey guys! Yes, I can breath in water. Amazing, right?" Achilles said within the bubble.

The children turned to Aiga, who only sweat-dropped. It took them awhile to remember that Achilles's mother was a sea spirit. It seemed that he had inherited her ability. It turned out that the red duo woke up really early in the morning and took a little jog through the forest.

At this point, they got it now. Aether was a place filled with magical wonders and unexpected surprises that their human minds must accustom to. They had seen the door that brought them to this world in the first place, the surreal battle between Valkyrie and Achilles, not to mention the latter's strange abilities.

Oh, and don't forget the black tears. That would be something that Aiga will never forget.

With all of the amazing yet bizarre things that they had seen, the bladers wondered if something even crazier awaited them in the heart of Aether.

The seven of them left the orchard for the magnificent castle that rested in the center of the land. As they left, Aiga managed to catch a glimpse of what seemed to be some writing carved onto a tree.

"Πάτροκλος"

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"I have sensed something peculiar, milady."

"What is it?"

"Souls. Not just any souls. Human souls!"

"Impossible! The gateways had been closed shut centuries ago!"

"Do you want me to investigate, milady?"

"Go ahead then. If there really are humans in this realm, kill them. Their existence will disrupt our lord's awakening."

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The journey continued on! As the the group made up of five young bladers and two powerful spirits slowly made their way to the heart, the grand tower of Suria Castle became more and more visible. During the journey, Achilles played a few tunes on his lyre to banish the boredom away.