"Is there something wrong with that necklace?" asked Kazuya.
Arisa dropped her gaze from the item and looked at the boy sitting opposite to her, blinking.
"You've been staring at it since this morning," he continued.
"Have I been focusing on it for that long?" she wondered.
Kazuya replied with a nod. Arisa tilted her head and looked back at the silvery blue orb that had a marine green spiral. She remembered the curious looking creatures she saw in her dream.
"I think it communicated with me last night," she said, breaking the brief silence.
Kazuya's eyes widened and he shifted slightly from his seat.
"How?" he asked, his tone surprised. "Wasn't it supposed to communicate with us through telepathy?"
Arisa rubbed the necklace's pendant, remembering the conversation she had with her mother in the Astral Sanctum. She had told her that once enough Guardians were gathered, Eklipta would communicate with them through telepathy.
"What did it say?" asked Kazuya, his tone curious.
"Nothing much," Arisa replied, sighing. "Though, I think it tried to give me clues as it introduced me to the Masters."
Kazuya's brows raised. "So you've met them; how were they?"
Memories of her dream washed her mind as she remembered the glowing forest and the blind boy with the curious looking beast by his side. Goosebumps crawled in her skin as she remembered the singing woman's cold words and how Arisa could still feel the pressure she felt underwater.
"Two of them looked like humans," she said, her tone quiet. "Though, one of them had a strange beast walking with him. I saw a huge dragon fly by and although I didn't interact with it, I suspect that it's also one of the Masters."
At the mention of the scarlet dragon, she took a deep breath, trying to imagine her team fighting a creature of that size.
"So we'll fight a dragon and two human-looking beings," said Kazuya, relaxing on his seat. "It doesn't seem like we'll have a lot of trouble fighting them."
A quick giggle escaped Arisa's lips. "Didn't aunt Elise tell you not to judge a book by its cover? Appearances can fool our eyes sometimes."
"I know," said Kazuya, folding his arms. "I just don't think that we'll have a lot of trouble."
Arisa shook her head, thinking that Kazuya's overconfidence was the one underestimating their future opponents. She remembered her grandparents telling her that having a bit of confidence can be good as it showed an individual's strength and independence. But seeing her childhood friend, Arisa couldn't help but think that too much confidence could also be an individual's downfall.
"Maybe we might not fight one of the human-looking Masters," said Arisa. "One of them had a large beast made of rocks and plants walking by its side, it called it Gaia and I think we will fight it, instead of the boy."
Kazuya raised a brow at the mention of Gaia.
"Salacia, the one I suspect was the Master of Water," continued Arisa, "can read feelings and manipulate them, so we shouldn't let our guard down."
Arisa touched her chest, remembering how the Master of Water awakened negative feelings. Even though that was only a dream, she still felt sorrow and sadness spreading in her veins.
"They are really strong," said Arisa, her voice quiet.
"Their unbelievable power is to be expected, though." Kazuya shifted a bit on his seat. "We were so smart to give the Elements a way to protect themselves in case they fell in the wrong hands."
"We," Arisa repeated quietly.
Even though several weeks had passed since she was told the truth, Arisa still couldn't believe that she was the reincarnation of Aries. The thought that she once was a star still shook her heart.
She wondered how her life was like back then, besides watching mortals and communicating with Oracles. An image of her embracing someone under the starry sky flashed in her mind.
I'm sure we will at least be good friends and we will always be there for each other.
She placed her hand on her chest as a feeling of missing that mysterious star gripped her heart. She sighed, wishing that the memories of her previous life could have survived the process of reincarnation.
"Did Eklipta mention where the Masters are?" Kazuya's soothing voice filled the silence. "It would be great to drop by that place right after we find one of your friends in London."
"No." Arisa shook her head. "Although, it told me to remember what I saw and heard in that dream."
Kazuya stared at her as if he was waiting for more details.
"I remember waking up in a glowing forest and meeting a boy with a large beast," she tried to explain. "Although we were in a forest, the boy told me he's waiting for someone to rescue him in a cave. I found the other Master singing on a pathway by the sea. It only told me that it was seen as a goddess in the world where she's trapped in."
"Those hints are pretty vague since there are so many worlds out there." Kazuya rubbed his jaw. "Let's hope the others can guess the location once you tell them the details and hopefully, Eklipta communicates with us giving us more hints."
Arisa replied with a nod and placed the necklace around her neck. As the cold chain met her skin, she wondered why she was the only one that had a dream with Eklipta.
The memories of her dreams flooded her mind again, showing her the events she went through.
Don't sleep.
Her heart increased its rate upon remembering those words. She wondered why she heard Zen's voice in a dream controlled by Eklipta.
"You know," she said almost in a whisper. "After I had that dream when I was called, I have wondered if my strange dreams are showing a possible future."
Her heart wrenched as she remembered the confusing dream she had on the night she was called. Everything she saw in that dream happened, including her battle against Zen.
"It's possible," Kazuya replied. "Your mother was from Altheya, a world that had its inhabitants with the ability to see through time. As your father was a Celestian, maybe you can only see the future through your dreams."
Arisa sighed. "It's a scary ability to see the future, especially if they only show terrible things."
"I'm sure that not all your nightmares are a premonition," Kazuya tried to comfort her.
Arisa smiled at him, hoping that he was right. After she was called to be one of the candidates to become a Guardian, she had been worried about the meaning of her dreams.
"Ah," said Kazuya, glancing at the window. "We're almost there."
Arisa peered on her small window. Her lips formed a smile as her gaze met wild tall buildings in the horizon. She placed her hand on the thin glass, her heart pumping joy in her veins. It had been several weeks since she last saw her hometown, yet it felt as if she had been away for far more time.
She remembered complaining to her grandparents, telling them she was bored of Aurora City and wanted to explore other places besides Moonlight Town. She never would have thought she would miss the city that was her home.
Despite her city being dangerous, thanks to the Eterians that flooded the streets and threatened to hurt whoever stood in their way, her town still had a special place in her heart. After all, it was the place where she grew up and met several friends.
"We'd better activate the rune," said Kazuya, checking his bag. "Aurora City is residence to most of the Eterians living in Celestia."
Arisa replied with a nod and quickly looked for her pen in her bag. As she found it, her heart sped, wondering how long she could handle the rune. She hoped that her grandfather was right and the reason why the spell ran out so fast that day was that she had been using her magic a lot.
She carefully drew the complicated looking symbols, as the carriage slowly approached their destination.
"Oh," said Kazuya. "You really have improved."
Arisa gazed at her front and saw that he had already activated his disguise. The browned-haired young man stared back at her with his brows raised.
"I spent most of the day practicing it the other day." Arisa smiled. "It would be embarrassing if I didn't show any improvement."
Kazuya chuckled. "I haven't seen how your disguise looks; let's see what kind of ugly monster the rune thought it would suit you."
Arisa glared at him and examined her hands. She then placed her palms on top of each other a bit closer as she gathered her element. An orange-red light appeared on her hands as heat focused on them. A second passed before the strokes of the 'identity' rune burned and increased more strokes, slowly shifting to the symbol of 'disguise'.
"Oh," said Kazuya. "Pleased to meet you, Nadia."
Arisa frowned. "Nadia?"
"That's your new name until we leave Celestia," he replied. "And I'm Matthew; my mother borrowed her father's name for this occasion."
Arisa blinked, remembering Kazuya's mother mentioning that name the day the Eterian soldiers found their house.
"So she's the one who found my undercover name," Arisa concluded. "I wonder who I'm named after."
"She named you after your paternal grandmother," Kazuya replied. "Queen Nadia Daela Azurea."
Her heart raced upon hearing that name. A little sorrow flowed in her veins, wishing she could have met her whole biological family.
"That was so sweet of her, naming us after our grandparents," she said, a smile spreading across her face.
"Yeah." Kazuya nodded. "I think she wanted to honor them somehow—oh, we're about to enter the city."
Arisa gazed at the window, her heart pumping excitement. She noticed several carriages stopping in the middle of the way and she could see several Eterians soldiers surround them. Her hands trembled.
"Seems as if anyone that enters the town will have to talk to the authorities first." Kazuya placed his hand on the surface where the rune of movement was placed. As his hand glowed with a marine green light, the carriage started to slow down. "Keep calm and act normally. Okay?"
Arisa replied with a nod. Even though she wanted to stay calm, her hands couldn't help but tremble. A knock on the small window made her jump lightly.
Kazuya opened the small window. "Is there something wrong, sir?"
Arisa glanced at him with her brows arching, amazed by how he sounded so calm and natural.
"No," replied a firm voice. "We want to ask you a few questions."
"Go on," said Kazuya.
"Very well," said the Eterian. "Who are you and where you're coming from?"
As Arisa's heart beat uncontrollably, she fought to remain calm.
"I'm Matthew Prox, and this is my fiancée, Nadia," said Kazuya, grabbing Arisa's hand.
Arisa's eyes widened at his introduction.
"We're coming from a small town called Io," he continued. "We're here to find better opportunities to improve our lives."
"Good luck with that," said the Eterian, uninterested. "May I see your documents?"
"Sure."
As Kazuya dropped his hand from hers to look for the documents, Arisa gained the courage to see the individual behind the window. She saw a slim creature in a red uniform. As the Eterian set his feline eyes on her, Arisa looked away.
When Kazuya handed the Eterian their documents, the soldier examined them quickly and returned the papers to him.
"Thank you," said Kazuya as he prepared to place the spell to move the carriage.
"One more thing," said the Eterian, showing them a poster. "Have you by any chance seen this girl?"
Arisa's heart froze upon seeing herself in the poster. An image that showed an inoffensive girl smiling warmly.
"Hm," said Kazuya thoughtfully, grabbing the poster. "I don't think we ever crossed roads with this girl, but then I have a short memory. Have you perhaps seen this girl, darling?"
Arisa shook her head quickly.
"And the hunting continues." The Eterian sighed. "Stay with that poster and if you see that girl, contact any Eterian soldier you can find. I'm sure the reward will improve your lives until death."
"Yeah," said Kazuya. "It's a tempting reward."
After several seconds, the Eterian walked away to let them continue their journey. Another minute passed before Arisa exhaled.
"You're really good in keeping calm," she said. "Since when we're fiancées?"
Kazuya chuckled. "Sorry about that; I had to come with the cheesiest excuse to avoid him asking any more questions."
Arisa gazed at him, astonished on how he could come with a strategy so quickly.
"It's amazing how he was able to draw a wanted poster of you," said Kazuya, disappointed. "Shows what a scumbag he has turned."
Arisa didn't reply; she wasn't in the mood to talk about Zen. She gazed at the window instead, admiring the dark tall buildings that made her feel small. As she admired the scenery, the smile on her face didn't take long to vanish.
She spotted several Royal Soldiers in between the crowd of ordinary Eterians and Celestian. She gulped, not believing that so many Eterian soldiers were wandering around the streets because of her.
"Don't mind the soldiers," said Kazuya. "Act normally; they'll never see your identity unless time runs out."
As she gazed at him, Arisa nodded and took a deep breath to calm her nervousness.
"I think the carriage will be fine in here," Kazuya continued as he placed his hand on the dark surface of their transportation.
As he summoned his magic, the carriage started to slow down. It didn't take a minute before it stopped in an area with several other carriages. The duo didn't hesitate and hopped off their transportation. The warm breeze messed Arisa's dark hair as the late afternoon sun illuminated the city. She examined her surroundings with her heart racing.
It really looks as if I have been away for a long time.
Despite seeing the same tall and dark buildings with sharp edges enriching their designs, her lips couldn't help but curve up.
As they walked through the busy street, Arisa felt small under the tall buildings. She tried to remain calm as her gaze would always meet creatures in red uniform in between the crowd that flooded the streets.
She walked with all attention, remembering that if she bumped on an Eterian would bring trouble. For a few minutes, her gaze only met several creatures hiding their identities behind a mask and a small number of her people trying to make a living with their colorful shops.
When they reached the main plaza, Arisa's heart froze upon seeing a familiar statue. The gray figure displayed a well-built man, sitting on a throne. His light wavy hair hardly hid his lightly pointy ears and the small stone-like features streaming above his right brow to his temple.
"Hey, Nadia," called Kazuya, grabbing her hand. "We have no time to admire this city's monuments."
"Ah," she said, walking alongside him. "Sorry."
As they slowly left the busy city, the number of masked Eterians decreased and only a few Celestians crossed paths with them.
The tall dark buildings slowly were substituted with smaller and simple ones. A familiar view distracted her mind as they reached a new area. Colorful buildings with roundish edges filled the neighborhood as the giggles of children playing around brightened the calm atmosphere.
She was back home.
"Mr. Dan said he would wait for us around here." Kazuya glanced around. "But I can't see him anywhere."
Arisa examined the neighborhood. "Could it be that he had a setback?"
"Hm," said Kazuya thoughtfully. "Or maybe we were late and he went somewhere to kill time."
For several seconds, the voices of children and adults walking by filled the silence.
"I know where he might be," Kazuya realized. "There's this place Researchers like to hang out; I'll check if he's there."
"Shouldn't we go there together?" asked Arisa, curious about that particular place.
Kazuya shook his head. "It's better if you stay around here in case he shows up."
"Alright." Arisa nodded. "I'll wait here, but don't take long."
Kazuya smiled. "I won't."
As Kazuya walked away, Arisa leaned her back against the wall of a building. The warm breeze blew past her as she admired her surroundings. A smile spread across her face as she watched several children chatting and playing. Some adults would pass by her view as she kept gazing at the spacious street.
"I wonder what the Soranos' granddaughter did for her to be wanted," said a woman passing by.
"I'm sure she's innocent," said another. "I hope things will settle well soon; I miss Karin and her herbal shop."
Arisa watched the two women as they walked further in the neighborhood, chatting.
Herbal shop.
At the thought of her grandmother's shop, Arisa instinctively walked away from the area with the desire of seeing her house for the last time. She passed a small number of colorful buildings and was careful not to bump onto children running around.
As she approached the area of her family's residence, her heart sank like stone. The familiar blue house of one floor was surrounded by beings in red uniforms.
Arisa stood there, shocked with the scene. She could hear whispers from Celestians passing by, who wondered what her family did for the King to guard their residence so heavily.
Flap.
That heavy sound and the sudden appearance of a large shadow covering the sun forced her to look up. Her heart pounded and her knees weakened as her gaze met a black dragon flying close by.
Leave, she told herself. Leave.
She tried to move but failed as she was frozen at the sight of the creature.
As the dragon flew in circles close to her house, she felt its gaze on her. Her heart hammered as it approached her. She closed her eyes, protecting them from the dusty wind the creature was causing.
Arisa could hear the dragon's quiet growl as it landed in front of her. She dared to open her eyes; she felt really weak on its presence, its size making her feel small.
As she shakily gazed at it, she could see its coal colored scales. Its spread dark wings made it impossible for her to have a glimpse of her blue house. Her heart wouldn't calm down as the dragon leaned its head towards her, its dark eyes examining her deeply.
Zen.
The dragon leaned even closer, sniffing her scent. For a moment, Arisa closed her eyes, hoping he couldn't see her through her disguise.
Her eyes remained shut and her palms sweated. A sudden flap of wings filled her ears and a light wind blew past her. Her heart still couldn't calm down.
"Are you okay?" asked a female voice.
Arisa opened her eyes and met a girl with long dark brown hair tied into a single braid. Relief calmed Arisa's heart as she recognized the girl with dark brown eyes.
"Jenna," she said.
Jenna frowned. "Do we know each other?"
Arisa gasped, realizing that she was still under the spell of disguise.
"No, sorry," she said, shaking her head. "I've mistaken you for someone else."
"It's okay," said Jenna, patting Arisa's shoulder. "Are you okay, though? That dragon always flies around here, but it never dared to land in front of anyone before."
"I'm fine," Arisa replied. "It didn't do anything to me, thankfully."
"I'm glad," said Jenna, smiling. "I wonder what happened for it to suddenly land in front of you."
Arisa didn't reply as she wondered the same. She asked herself if Zen's dragon's eyes and instincts could see through her disguise. But then, if he recognized her, for sure he would have taken her to his father. Something tightened in her chest as she thought that.
"And I wonder what happened to my friends," continued Jenna. "They suddenly disappeared without saying a word and now Arisa is a wanted criminal. I just hope that wherever they are, they're okay."
Arisa gazed at her, wishing that she could tell her that at least she and Kazuya were okay.
"Ah, there you are, Nadia," Kazuya called.
Arisa gazed at her right side and saw a short and lightly chubby man walking by his side.
"Ah, so you're the girl I've been hearing about," said the man, fixing his glasses. "Nice to meet you, I'm Dan, your companion on this journey."
Arisa shook hands with him. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Dan."
Dan smiled and quickly looked at his wrist.
"We'd better go," he said. "Our train will leave in fifteen minutes."
Arisa nodded and before she followed them, she glanced at Jenna, who was looking at them curiously.
"I'm sure your friends are fine," said Arisa. "Just believe in them and don't let your worries get the better of you; it's not healthy."
Jenna giggled. "Thank you; I'll be sure to think positive. Have a nice trip."
Arisa smiled and quickly joined Dan and Kazuya who were lost in a chat. As they walked, she examined her neighborhood for the last time. She placed her hand on her chest and sighed, hoping to return home soon.