School of Zodiacs: Book II: The Rising Storm

By Valdeara Wallberg

Nightmares and murder roam the halls of the ancient School of Zodiacs, and the warriors must rely on a teen detective to find the killer and free their leader so that they can push the approaching darkness back. As time grows short, they begin to wonder if the young detective will close the case in time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9798889823926

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

About the Author

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School of Zodiacs

Book II: The Rising Storm

Valdeara Wallberg

Copyright © 2023 Valdeara Wallberg

All rights reserved

First Edition

Fulton Books

Meadville, PA

Published by Fulton Books 2023

ISBN 979-8-88982-391-9 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88982-392-6 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

To all the people struggling in life.

May light be shed upon your journey.

Chapter 1

~Ace~

Ace was too engrossed in the storm that was brewing to notice that Devalin had come to check on him until the man rushed over to pull him away from the window.

Master Ace! he gasped and suddenly slammed the window shut. It's an ominous storm that's brewing. You shouldn't have the window open. Bad energy it is.

Wha…? Ace asked, confused. He felt as if he had been in some sort of trance. How long had he been watching the storm? He could still feel the chill of his spine as he glanced out the window toward the school. It seemed to be the center hub of the storm. School had just started, and already, creepy things were happening.

Alright. Ace gulped. Are the others going to be okay?

There's no telling, Master Ace. What they will face is no longer known to me. I only know it will most likely be… Devalin stopped in what he was saying when he noticed the worried look on the young boy's face. All I can say is may the Gods be with them, he quietly finished then left the room, leaving Ace to ponder the meaning behind the guy's words.

*****DEEP IN THE FOREST*****

Yenji! Yojiro shouted, grabbing a hold of his twin brother's shirt and pulling him along as he leaped through the freshly opened rift.

Their companion, Warashi, dove through behind them verily making it before the rift snapped shut. All this rift jumping is getting irritating, Warashi growled, rolling onto his back to steady his rapid breathing.

The moment the twins hit the ground, Yenji looked at the handheld machine he was still holding. He exhaled and let his hand drop to the ground as he lay on his back. The machine had been damaged in the mad dash toward the rift. Zombies were fascinating creatures, but a herd of two hundred or more was no laughing matter.

This is unfortunate, he flatly said, and to add injury to insult, large raindrops suddenly started pelting the land, soaking them in seconds. This day couldn't be any more disappointing, he mused in his monotonous way.

Are you kidding me? Yojiro shouted, slamming his fist into the wet ground as he pushed himself to his feet. Not only did zombies try to eat my face, but we jumped through a rift right into the middle of a raging storm. He motioned toward the flashing sky as thunder rolled across in loud clacks. Deadly lightning, earth-shaking thunder, oh, and in a forest nonetheless. To top it off, this is definitely not Mira-No-Mura. Yet again, we have failed to get home. This couldn't be any more disastrous!

Yojiro's sarcasm was lost on Yenji though. Well, the fact that there are no zombies here wanting to invite us to dinner, it's rather boring, don't you think? Yenji gave a dismissive wave.

Oh yeah, because we were all dying for that special invitation, Yojiro snapped. And why are my damn clothes falling off of me? He continued shouting as he pulled his shirt back onto his shoulder.

With that, Yenji sat straight up and looked at himself while Warashi, who had remained silent, also started investigating his own appearance.

FU—! Warashi shouted, but his word was drowned out by a sudden clash of thunder. I did not want to be eleven again! he yelled at Yenji.

Yenji, on the other hand, was looking at his hands, smiling as he ran scientific possibilities through his head. Given the fact that Yenji was an emotionless sociopath, seeing him smile like that was unnerving, even to his brother, who had spent his entire life with him.

Imagine the possibilities. Yenji's grin widened.

Oh, now he learns how to smile, Yojiro grumbled.

FIX IT! Warashi angrily growled, grabbing a hold of Yenji's shirt and jerking him to his feet.

Yenji countered by slipping out of the now-oversize shirt. There is nothing that can be done, Yenji evenly stated. This machine is DNA coded to my immortal sixteen-year-old self. The only thing that is going to be able to fix this is for time to catch up to itself. Which means until I am sixteen again, there is no possibility of attempting to fix it. Even then, there is no guarantee that our DNA will revert back to what it was.

You mean we are going to have to experience PUBERTY again? Warashi asked in a deadly tone.

That's what I'm saying. I guess you're not as stupid as you appear to be, Yenji casually answered. Maybe you will be able to do it better this time.

Okay, okay…, Yojiro spoke up, holding his hands up to stop Warashi's advances on his brother. What are we supposed to do until then? he asked Yenji.

What we were trained to do back in the academy—blend in. Yenji gave him a stupid look. Wasn't it obvious what they should do? But then there is the option of going to that castle in the distance and investigating why this magnetic storm is centered on it, he flatly suggested when lightning lit up the castle tower peeking out over the trees.

Fine, but I want more shoes, Yojiro demanded as he pulled his shoes off his feet. They were way too big for him now. This sucks!

You even sound like a kid, Warashi growled at Yojiro. His annoyance was evident at this point.

Well, you two figure it out. Yenji started toward the castle. I'm going to that castle. He pointed at the looming building in the distance. He wasn't waiting for them to hash out their issues. Instead, he left them behind without a second thought.

Man…Yenji, we need to stick together! Yojiro called after him as he jogged to catch up to him.

I really hated them when we were eleven the first time, Warashi grumbled and quickly followed the twins.

*****A RIFT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FOREST*****

Keiko shot through the forest surrounding Mira-No-Mara's borders. She stopped briefly to search for the best escape route to take in order to get away from the enemy that wasn't far behind her. The rain was pouring, and lightning was flashing. There was a weird feeling in the electric energy that rippled through the area. It made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She couldn't think on it too much though, since she had to warn the village that the enemy was approaching.

She wiped the rain that was running down her face off with her shirt sleeve. Looking back up, able to see a little bit better, she noticed a good-sized badger den hidden under a lush bush just ahead. She heard the enemy growing closer and knew she had to act quickly. She smirked, bolting toward it at max speed using precise timing and accurate calculations. She dropped into a slide and effortlessly slid into the opening of the den. Sometimes it was good to be small. Just when she thought she was home free, the ground dropped out from under her, and she was plummeting into darkness.

Sh— She almost cursed when she saw the swirling colors of energy directly below her.

Every hair on her body stood on end, and her skin tingled as she dropped through it. Somehow, she was able to right herself and ended up landing in a crouch on some solid ground that had not been visible in the first place. Exhaling, she slowly looked up, trying to ease the sensation of electrically charged cells in her body. She felt as if she had been whipped around in a spiral wind and really didn't have time to analyze it. She darted toward the first opening she was able to see and ducked into it. The opening led her into a tight-fitting tunnel that had her moving through it on her stomach. She was relieved to see an exit at the end of it when it started to gradually slope upward. The closer she got to the exit, the more normal she began to feel and was able to make good time getting to it.

She came to a stop just inside the hole and cautiously peeked out, hoping that she had not lost valuable time in making it to the village before the enemy. Other than the rain pounding ruthlessly against the ground, the forest was eerily silent. The angry flashing lightning spiderwebbing across the sky and the occasional violent clash of thunder did little to ease her worry.

Covered in mud from the water running down the narrow tunnel during her climb, she slowly crept out in a catlike manner. Nothing seemed familiar to her, and she carefully scanned the area. The trees were fairly large, but they were short compared to the trees that surrounded Mira-No-Mura.

Where did I get turned around? she quietly asked herself.

Her sense of direction was usually flawless, yet here she was, lost, and the atmosphere was filled with a static charge. Once she scanned the area around her as thoroughly as she could through the rain, she rapidly climbed up a tall nearby tree to get a better layout of the land. It was probably not the best idea in a storm like this, but she needed to get her bearings somehow.

She carefully climbed high enough to see over the canopy of the trees and looked around again. She narrowed her eyes, wishing that the storm clouds hadn't made the night so dark. As if her wish was being granted, lightning struck a nearby tree, setting it on fire. She instantly threw her arms up to shield her face from the flying splinters of wood and turned inward toward the trunk of the tree she was on. When the debris cleared, she turned to look at the flaming tree with wide eyes. Just past the burning tree, she was able to see the faint outline of a castle in the distance.

Wha…? She breathed, confused by a castle being in the middle of the woods. Before she could make any sense of it, a loud clash of thunder rolled across the sky, startling her out of her thoughts. Fueled by the fear of being struck by lightning, she rapidly dropped through the branches of the tree as if she was an acorn breaking loose from the upper branches. Coming off the last branch, she landed in a catlike crouch on the saturated floor of the thick forest. Knowing that lightning usually followed the thunder, she looked up at the canopy of trees. She could almost hear the rapid racing of her pulse as she waited to see if the lightning would strike another tree. She lowered her eyes when she felt a shift in the surrounding atmosphere and scanned the area. She slightly tensed up when four men and two women stepped out of the shadows, surrounding her.

I found it, a female purred as she sniffed the air in Keiko's general direction. The woman was of a creepy sort, to say the least, but Keiko had been trained by the best, and she wasn't about to show any weaknesses to these strange people.

Her blood! Look, she is wounded, one of the men said with a look of crazed hunger in his eyes.

Wounded? Keiko mentally questioned his sanity. She slowly scanned their faces, keeping her own features impassive. All she had were a few scrapes and bruises. She wouldn't call that wounded.

Her heart is racing. She must be scared. The other female maliciously grinned.

Keiko narrowed her eyes and subtly armed herself. She was already forming a strategy for the best plan of attack should they attempt to come at her.

Now now, let's not frighten the kid. We wouldn't want to cause her to lose any more precious blood, a guy said, taking a step toward her.

She tensed to strike, and he abruptly stopped.

Oh, calm down, child. We only want to help you with the bleeding, he sweetly stated, causing her to cringe.

Did he really think that this tactic would work on her? And who the heck was he calling a child? It never failed; older warriors always underestimated her—hell, most people did—just because she was small. Some things never change.

Please, little girl, let us tend to the bleeding, he continued, and she gave him a warning glare.

Why is he so obsessed with stopping the light bleeding of a small scrape on my elbow? Sure, it's a little tender, but it isn't that bad. So why waste so much thought on it? she suspiciously questioned. These people are strange. She quickly wove ninja stars between her fingers and charged them with her wind energy. I wonder… She purposely nicked herself on one of the sharp points of the ninja star and watched them closely. She hadn't caused enough damage to seriously hurt herself, but it was enough to make her bleed. She managed to keep her surprise hidden when most of them started acting like cats that had been sniffing catnip for hours.

What the hell? She breathed, scanning each of their faces. Are they some type of blood-drinking cult or something?

Realizing just how beneficial her little test had been, she let a small devilish smirk cross her lips. They were losing control and would soon charge at her without thinking. It was only a matter of seconds before the first one couldn't stop himself from charging in.

With split-second timing, she launched the ninja stars and dove into a roll, successfully dodging the attack. Coming out of the roll on one knee, she saw that all six of the ninja stars that she had launched had found a home in the body of the enemy. Their screams echoed briefly before a roll of thunder drowned them out. Lightning flashed across the sky, and she was able to watch four of the six attackers crumble to dust before the flash faded.

That was a pussy move, the charger whined as he regained his balance and composure.

In the process of the encounter, she had been able to discern which one was most likely the leader. Knowing that she had a few seconds before she would have to deal with the charger, she didn't waste time in palming a throwing knife out of her tool belt and fluently sending it straight at the one she believed was the leader. He somehow vanished a fraction of a second before the blade struck home, leaving a bloody ninja star to drop to the ground where he had just been.

Shit, she mouthed, then snapped her attention back to the charger.

He was turning to face her again when she teleported away and reappeared behind him, her energy-coated hand plunging deep into his back.

What…? was the only thing he was able to say before she ripped his heart out through his back.

Meow, she calmly said as he dropped to his knees, crumbling to dust. The bloody heart in her hand turned into dust as well mere seconds after the body had. She nonchalantly let the dust trickle through her fingers as she slowly scanned the trees for the final enemy. She wondered if this was going to become a game of cat and mouse with her being the cat. I love this game, she whispered as a devious smile graced her face. Unfortunately, her prey was long gone. She couldn't even sense his energy anymore. Figures, she scoffed and darted in the direction she had seen the castle in.

She only went a short distance before she had to stop and reshape her shoes to her feet. They had somehow gotten stretched out during the fight and were too big now. Luckily they were adjustable sandals, and it wasn't all that hard to fit them to her feet once again.

After making sure her sandals were secured on her feet, she continued onward, ignoring the poorly made clothes she was wearing. It was a little disappointing that mud could stretch her clothes out to the point of swallowing her.

She wasn't sure how much farther the castle was, but the storm grew steadily worse, and she knew that she would have to find shelter soon. Lightning spiderwebbed across the sky, allowing her to spot an old cabin hidden by trees and underbrush. It appeared to be empty, so she jogged toward it, slowing down as she approached it. She cautiously walked around the outside of it, looking in the cracked dirty windows and some windows that had completely been broken out. She couldn't see too much of what was inside, but she managed to see enough that she was certain it had been empty for a very, very long time.

She silently crawled through one of the broken windows and investigated further, only to confirm what she had already figured to be true. Nobody had been in this cabin for years. There was at least an inch-thick layer of dust on just about everything as far as she could tell in the dark. She slowly moved through the rooms, only catching glimpses of what was in them when lightning flashed, slightly illuminating the area to a degree.

Deciding that she should set up traps around the perimeter, she slipped out the old wooden door at the front. Its hinges whined and creaked in protest, only allowing her to open it enough for her to fit. She set up the traps as best as she could before darting back into the old building and pulling the door shut. The hinges only squeaked a little when it was being closed, but it was still a nerve-racking sound.

Deciding she need some sort of constant lighting, she pulled one of her kunais and some gauze out of her tool belt, then she wrapped the gauze around the end of the blade to make a torch. Once she was satisfied at how secure it was, she reached into her tool belt again and pulled out a small box of matches. It took her three attempts to get one of the matches to light, then she used it to light the makeshift torch. That in itself proved to be rather difficult as well, but she finally got it lit and held it up to look around. Having light now, she was able to see that the main room had less dust in it than the rest of the house had.

Weird, she whispered and started walking around.

There were paintings on the wall covered in thick layers of dust and cobwebs. A couple were even shredded, as if someone had taken a knife to them. On one wall, there was a large fireplace that looked like it hadn't been used since the medieval ages. There was a short overstuffed couch in front of it, but it looked like it had been flattened over time.

There wasn't a whole lot more to see in the front area, so she started toward one of the other rooms. Suddenly, her attention was drawn to a narrow door that was slightly ajar. She hadn't seen this room on the outside of the cabin, so she moved toward it first. Reaching out with her free hand, she opened the door a little wider. At first glance, she could see that it was a small room without windows, but when she lit the area up with the torch, she could see that it was a bathroom. It was simple in design though—a wooden toilet sitting over a deep dug-out hole, an old porcelain tub that had four legs holding it up off the floor, and a counter with a basin sink sitting in a hole on the top. On the wall directly above the basin was a dirty glass mirror that looked like it was trimmed in ivory and gold. She noticed the sconce on the wall near the door last. The sconce was oddly shaped into an oil lamp of some kind, and she could see that it was still three-fourths of the way full, so she used her makeshift torch to light it.

The stench of crackling cobwebs and spider nests burning filled the room with a nearly nauseating scent. Suffering through the smell, she put out the flame of her torch and set it on the side of the basin sink. Then she tried to wipe the years of grime off the mirror to look at her reflection.

What the… She gasped when she saw her ten-year-old self staring back at her. Impossible, she hissed and looked down at herself. OH MY GOD! She smacked her palms against her flattened chest. Dammit, those took forever to grow. She groaned. What kind of twisted trick is this? She was mad now. If they think that turning me back into my ten-year-old self is going to stop me, they have got another thing coming.

She angrily snatched up the makeshift torch she had set on the edge of the sink before she spun on her heels and stormed back into the main room.

Folding her arms, she plopped down on the dusty couch, sending a cloud of dust into the air. This was by far the worst thing to happen, but she wasn't some fresh impressionable rookie anymore. She was a renowned warrior, and she would complete her mission no matter what. However, she had to figure a way out of this peculiar situation first though.

If she was somehow moved through time, she just needed to survive until time caught up with itself, then she would still have time to warn Mira-No-Mura of the pending doom. In fact, this twisted little turn of events may very well have given her more time to complete this mission. Whoever did this to her was an idiot if they thought she wouldn't find a way around this…affliction.

I can work with this. She grinned as a strategy began to form in her head.

If she was correct about being transferred back into the body of her ten-year-old self, then she would have five years to come up with a flawless defense strategy that would protect her village and help the leader turn the tides of this war. She also had to consider being thrown into a parallel dimension, and if that was the case, she would, of course, have to find a way to get back to her own dimension.

If this second scenario was the issue, then that castle she had seen in the distance would be on the exact sight of Mira-No-Mara's academy. This was another thing she might be able to turn to her advantage because opening a rift there would put her directly in the center of her village instead of several days away. The question she had to answer now was how was she going to reopen a rift that would guarantee returning to her reality and not some other random one?

Stupid fools. She softly laughed as she stretched out on the couch to rest. She would head for the castle first thing in the morning to figure out how to execute her forming plans.

*****~DANGER~*****

Leaning against his dorm room window frame, Danger folded his arms across his chest, watching the storm rage outside. His energy seemed to be all over the place, searching for something, but then it would return to him as if he was holding it captive. He found it annoying even though it wasn't really a big deal to him. The only thing it did was keep him from sleeping. However, he was used to not getting much sleep, so even that wasn't a huge deal to him.

His eyes shifted from the sky toward the forest that surrounded the school, and his attention fell on a fire deep in the woods. Lightning must have struck a tree since it seemed to be toward the top portions of the trees. He narrowed his eyes and focused on it for some reason. After a few minutes, he realized that it was a warning that something new had arrived on the island. He couldn't be certain if it was good or bad though, and that made him more than a little nervous. It could be a new threat they would have to face in the future right alongside the vamps they were facing now, or maybe it was help coming to aid them in the future fight. The only thing he was sure of at this moment was that whatever it was, it was different from the norm of this world.

Something bothering you, man? Peanut, his dorm mate, asked, walking in the door. He let the door shut behind him and immediately started pulling off his shirt.

As far as Danger was concerned, this boy was the most annoying one out of all of Raleek's adopted children. Out of all the water house students, first year or otherwise, the headmistress had decided to room him with this one.

He rolled his eyes as he turned his sharp gaze to the boy for only a moment so that he could see how irritated he was with him asking stupid questions. He then shifted his gaze back toward the fire in the woods without so much as saying a word to the boy. You would think that he would get the point that Danger wasn't interested in socializing with idiots.

Hot in here, isn't it? Peanut whistled, plopping down on his bed to sit there and leaned against his headboard. Then he pulled out the swimsuit edition of The Top Ten Sexiest Pirate Women.

No, Danger coldly answered. It was actually a little warmer than it should be, but Peanut just annoyed the hell out of him, and he didn't care to carry on a conversation with the kid.

You want to check out these hotties? Peanut asked, trying to establish some sort of communication with him.

No, Danger answered, not bothering to say anything else on the matter.

Something must be messed up with you if you don't want to check these girls out. Peanut whistled.

There is bigger things in the world to worry about than girls, dimwit, Danger growled, walking over to the bed that was farthest away from Peanut. Deciding that he would attempt to get some rest, Danger pulled his own shirt off and tossed it on top of his small personal dresser.

Upon seeing his back, Peanut's eyes widened, and he slid into a straighter sitting position. Dude…, he breathed. What happened? That is a wicked scar you have there.

Mind your own business, Danger warned, giving him an icy glare. He didn't care to tell people about his experiences, especially about the one that caused that scar on his back. He didn't want to talk about how the vamps had turned his mother, and she had tried to kill him since he was from an esteemed line of supernatural hunters. That was something he didn't care to let people know. Hell, he couldn't even remember the details. All he knew was what his father had told him.

Sure, whatever, man, Peanut quietly said, returning to his magazine.

Danger rolled his eyes and stretched out on his bed using one arm as a pillow while he rested the other one on his stomach. He closed his eyes and focused on calming his energy. Eventually, the mystery behind the mysterious arrival would be revealed to him, but only if he could establish some sort of peace within himself. So that was what he concentrated on trying to achieve.

*****IN THE CASTLE CATACOMBS*****

Yenji tiredly rubbed the bridge of his nose. He had forgotten how it felt to be tired, and now that he was mortal again, the feeling was kicking his ass. He briefly wished that he was his immortal sixteen-year-old self again, but he wouldn't reveal that to his companions. He had jumped through time once to save Yojiro from dying in an explosion, and in order to do that, he had to inject the serum he had invented into his twin before the explosion. The serum had turned Yojiro immortal, just like it had turned him when he had injected himself with it as an experiment. He had been trying to find a way to enhance the warriors of his village during the beginning of a demon war. His couldn't experiment on innocent people, so he had experimented on himself and accidentally created a serum that made one immortal. He never shared it with anyone but Yojiro though. The idea of making people live forever didn't sit well with him, so he had discontinued the creation of the serum.

Warashi, on the other hand, wasn't sure how he had become immortal at the age of sixteen. All he could determine on that fact was that it had something to do with the bow-and-arrow tattoo that had appeared on his body out of nowhere.

To be honest though, he really didn't care about any of that. In fact, he wasn't even interested in investigating that sort of science anymore. The three of them had been traveling through dimensions for over a hundred years now. They weren't really friends, but they were like family. That sense of loyalty had formed some weird bond between them. He still found them annoying and intellectually challenged; in fact, they seemed to be a hindrance more than anything, but they were still his family, which meant it fell on him to watch over them and protect them. Sometimes, he even had to clean up their messes, but he had long since accepted that as part of his existence.

But that wasn't what had his mind preoccupied at this time. He had stayed awake to run scientific equations through his head, trying to figure out how he could modify his machine. Given the amount of Mira-No-Mura energy flow he sensed here, they had to be close to the correct dimension. If he could modify the damn thing to work with his mortal DNA, the next jump could very well take them home to the time frame that he had set in order to help Sota win the War of Pirates. He was trying to go back in time to change the outcome of the war when they had first jumped through a rift.

Life for their world had become bleak and dark, full of suffering. He had started this journey on his own and had even made it to Mira-No-Mura once, and that was when he had saved his twin while somehow collecting Warashi in the process. He wasn't entirely sure how that had happened, not that it mattered. They hadn't been able to make it home again though; something had shifted and started sending them through different dimensions instead of just through time. He kept this information to himself though, never sharing anything he knew with his companions.

Damn it, he quietly cussed, tossing the machine onto the stone floor next to him. He hadn't felt frustrated like this since he was ten, but it had never happened again once he originally turned eleven. In fact, he hadn't felt much of anything since then, and the fact that he was feeling frustrated now was strange. Maybe if I just rest for a minute. He breathed, wiping his hands over his face before he folded his arms on top of his knees and cradled his head in the folds of his arms. He slowed his breathing and let himself doze off.

*****

Yenji leaned against a tree outside of Mira-No-Mara Academy, staring at the bracelet he had made. It was uneven. The leather was braided in different sizes and the beads were asymmetrical, but it was the cat dangling from it that held his attention. It was a silver Persian with sky blue stones for eyes. He did notice that the eyes were a little lopsided, but he still felt proud of it. Today was the day that he was going to confess to his older sister's friend. He had decided to greet them here at the school and walk home with them.

Who's the bracelet for, Smenji? the captain of the Water Hoops team mockingly asked as he snatched it out of his hand.

It's Yenji, now give it back, he calmly responded.

Before he knew what was happening, he was shoved back against a tree, and the kid's whole friend group was coming at him. That was when Chiro Gakuska appeared between him and the group right before the boys reached him. He was a couple of years older than Yenji, but he had already mastered most of the warrior skills that the academy taught. He could have easily passed the graduation exams and advance quickly through the ranks, becoming a master in a matter of months.

Give it back to him, Chiro evenly instructed with his hands in his pockets. He was very relaxed for someone who might end up fighting, but why wouldn't he be? There wasn't many who could defeat him in battle.

Hey, what the hell is going on? Yenji's older sister, Yokenyo, and her friend Keiko had come out of the academy and was now rushing toward them.

Give the boy back his bracelet, Chiro evenly told the kids again.

I don't think I will, the captain challenged.

Oh, I think you will, Keiko growled, coldcocking the kid as she said the words.

Yokenyo had rushed over to look Yenji over since she was an overprotective older sister, and that caused Yenji to feel a little embarrassed.

Keiko was small and verily taller than Yenji at the time, but he saw her as the prettiest girl in Mira-No-Mura with her long golden curls and sky blue eyes. Rumor had it that she was a direct descendant of a renowned leader from the world that the people on this planet had originally came from. No one really knew anything about her though; she didn't even know about herself.

That wasn't important to him though; he liked her for who she was on the inside. She was highly skilled and scary fast too.

She had snatched Yenji's bracelet out of the boy's hand before he went stumbling back into his friend. Nobody even saw her do it. In fact, the only reason he knew about it was because he could see it dangling from her hand in front of her.

Everything flickered, and he found himself standing outside of Yokenyo's bedroom door. He was listening to her and Keiko talking.

You have been crushing on him for a year now, so you should just confess, Yokenyo evenly said.

Yeah right, Keiko sighed. It's not like I can just walk up to him and say, ‘Hey, Chiro, remember me from when those bullies were terrorizing my best friend's kid brother, Yenji, last year? Yeah, I think you should drop Chiki and come to me because I really like you.' No thank you, Yokenyo. Besides he probably doesn't even remember me. Keiko sighed again.

The memory or dream, whatever it was, faded away, and Yenji slowly raised his head up to find himself back in the catacombs of the castle.

The bracelet, he breathed. It was made from raw materials native to Mira-No-Mura, and he still had it. Why didn't I think of it before? he asked himself as he dug the bracelet out of the inside pocket of his shirt.

It had only a slight sign of wear and tear. Once he had noticed the condition it was in, he had used his energy to preserve it, so it still remained in fairly good condition.

He had kept it since that day outside of Yokenyo's room. That was also the last time he really felt anything at all, if he was going to be honest with himself. He couldn't pinpoint when exactly it was that he had started subconsciously transferring it from one set of clothing to another. It was just something he did without thinking about it. Now it was always in whatever shirt he was wearing at the time and always in the inside pocket. He hadn't looked at it or thought about it in years.

His mind went blank as he sat there looking at it now. It was as if time had frozen for a moment, and the sky blue stone eyes of the cat were staring at him, beckoning for him to see what was hidden behind the eyes of the cat itself. He ran the pad of his thumb over the stone eyes and recalled that it had taken him three years of time and energy to make it. He had poured so much of himself into it, even though he didn't have the slightest clue about making something like this at that time. He was masterful at creating things like this now, but he lacked the interest in doing it.

What's that? Yojiro yawned as he sat up.

Nothing, Yenji evenly answered, then quickly put it back into his pocket. Go back to sleep.

Shut up, you two, before we're busted for being in here, Warashi quietly growled, his eyes still closed.

Too late, boys, a man about twenty-six years old said, stepping into view. You should be in your houses at this hour. Guess a visit to the headmistress is in order. The man folded his arms.

The three of them looked up at the man with curly dark brown hair that hung halfway down his back. His dark brown skin made it hard to see his features clearly in the dark though.

Who are you? Warashi casually asked.

Gregarious, house leader of the Earth House. I assume that this is your first year in our school, the guy stated, eyeing them all intensely.

Uh, yeah, we just got lost, Yenji said, palming his machine as he stood up. This was perfect; this guy thought they were students. Playing along would give them the advantage. They would be allowed to explore the castle, making it that much easier to find the nexus point he needed. That was where he would find the energy convergence that he needed in order to make a new contraption if he couldn't fix the one he had. Not to mention that he had a feeling that finding the nexus was the only way he was going to get them home and in the time line they needed to return to.

Very well, follow me, the man said as he turned on his heels and started to head down a tunnel.

They exchanged looks and fell in step behind him, allowing him to lead them through the catacombs.

Several minutes later, they were ushered into a tower room that was dimly lit with torches and told to wait for the headmistress, then Gregarious left them standing there alone.

Let's look around real fast, Warashi quietly suggested, but Yenji remained perfectly still, folding his arms across his chest as if he knew something that they didn't know. Sad truth was that they knew he probably did know something they didn't. He always did, and he never shared his insights with them unless he felt they needed to know in order for something he planned to work out.

Good idea, Yojiro agreed with a nod of his head.

Idiots, Yenji boredly stated.

Rolling their eyes, they attempted to move but couldn't. They looked at their feet, confused. It was as if they had been glued in place with some super strong adhesive.

Yenji remained silent, letting them struggle to get free until they decided that it was pointless.

Yenji? Yojiro questioned.

We're in a school of supernatural energies. Do you honestly think they would leave us, as students and strangers, in a room that obviously holds vast amounts of historical knowledge and secrets? He motioned toward the large floor-to-ceiling bookshelves hidden in the shadows that lined three out of the four walls. Without taking certain precautions that ensure we tamper with none of it? he evenly asked them, arching a brow that indicated he thought that they were stupid to believe otherwise.

Well, why didn't you say something? Yojiro snapped at him.

What would be the point in that? You two idiots don't learn anything without having to be showed. I simply thought I'd spare myself the effort and skip the part where I explain things to you, and you still do whatever you want to do. It's more effective to let you just jump in headfirst, or in this case feet first, into the lesson you will ultimately be taught, he flatly answered his twin's question. Besides, you are a warrior, and we were all taught to observe the details of our surroundings and discern the potential outcome of a situation. He added in a matter-of-fact tone.

You know, I really do hate you. Warashi glared at him, and Yenji rolled his eyes.

The feeling is mutual, I assure you, Yenji flatly countered.

You could have warned us. Yojiro still ranted about Yenji not telling him that they probably couldn't move.

You should have been able to figure it out on your own, Yenji casually stated, looking up toward the far wall when he heard the nearly silent scraping of stone on stone. Perhaps you should go silent and greet the headmistress.

A tall woman soon gracefully entered the room from the shadows and took a seat behind the desk hidden in the shadows. Well, this is interesting, the woman smoothly said as she snapped her fingers, and some candles on the desk lit up, revealing its presence to those who might not have seen it. You're not from this world, and you are not students, yet you managed to get through my barrier, which means that the school itself wants you here for some reason. She thoughtfully looked at each of them over. Her eyes lingered longer on Yenji than the others, and she slightly tilted her head, as if she was seeing something that nobody else could see. Interesting indeed.

Warashi and Yojiro exchanged looks, but Yenji kept his gaze focused on the headmistress's gaze. He was intrigued by the knowing in her eyes. He knew what she was seeing, but that was something he had kept to himself for his entire life.

Since even I am not at liberty to discern the wants of the school, the only liable solution is to make you three students until further notice. In order to do that, I must first place you in houses, so if you would approach my desk one at a time, I can calculate where you are meant to be, the woman calmly said, motioning for one of them to approach.

All three of them attempted to move, but only Yenji was able to walk up to the desk while the other two remained locked in place. He rolled his eyes at how dim-witted they seemed to be. It was painfully obvious that she had intended him to approach first, but still, they failed to notice it.

Place your hand on the orb and state your name please, she said in a businesslike fashion. A quill pen and a scroll suddenly appeared on the desk in front of her. She picked up the quill pen and placed the tip onto the scroll, then she looked up at Yenji expectantly.

He boredly placed his palm on the orb and instantly felt a wave of energy run through his palm. Yenji Yamanaka, he evenly said trying to hide any sign of feeling the sensation of the energy transference may have caused.

The House of Air is the house you will belong to. Your intellect is highly regarded in that house. You should fit in perfectly. You may return to your place now, she explained and dismissed him.

A little annoyed by her vagueness, he returned to his place and felt the energy lock him in again.

Next, she called.

This time it was Warashi who was allowed to move forward, and Yojiro groaned over the fact that he had once again tried to move, only to find out that it wasn't his turn to do so.

Idiot, Yenji whispered. He couldn't understand why it was so hard for them to notice the changes of energy that held them in place.

Yojiro quietly growled at him and glared at his back.

Place your hand on the orb and state your name, the woman instructed Warashi.

He plopped his hand on the orb and slightly jumped when the surge of hot energy flowed over his hand. Warashi Hatase, he quietly relented, unsure of what had just happened.

Odd, you show more signs of earth energy than you do fire. However, the orb has decided that you should join the House of Fire for some reason. Perhaps it sees something in you that you haven't yet developed, she mused without looking up at him. You may return to your place.

She finished, and he hesitantly returned to the center of the room, wondering what the orb had seen in him.

Now you. The headmistress motioned toward Yojiro, and he quickly walked forward. He didn't bother hiding his feelings on the matter at hand. He didn't wait for her to instruct him before he dropped his hand on top of the orb.

Well, you're definitely water, the headmistress stated, shaking her head at his abrupt action. State your name, please.

Yojiro Yamanaka, he obliged.

The House of Water it is, she confirmed then waved at him to return to his place. Well, now it's all sorted out. You will remain here until the leaders of your houses come to retrieve you. The woman then stood up, snapping her fingers. The scroll and quill pen vanished as she faded into the deep shadows of the room.

More waiting, Yojiro complained.

Please be quiet, Yojiro. No one is in the mood for all of your complaining. Yenji yawned, and they all fell silent.

The minutes slowly ticked by and soon felt like at least an hour before three adults walked into the room, grumbling about being woken up at this time of night.

Yenji Yamanaka, come with me, one of them called, and Yenji was released from the adhesive energy.

Yojiro Yamanaka with me, another called, and he was released.

That means you're with me, the third grumpily stated, and Warashi was permitted to follow him.

Once they were in the entry room of the castle, they were led in separate directions in order to be taken to their houses.

*****~DANGER~*****

*****WATER HOUSE*****

Both Danger and Peanut looked at the door of their dorm room when they heard the soft clicking sound of the handle being pulled. They were curious as to who would be coming into their dorm at this time of the night.

When it opened, the house leader stepped in, pulling a boy out of the hallway, then she calmly pushed him into the room, causing him to stumble forward a couple of steps before he came to a stop and straightened his stance.

Boys, this is your new roommate, Yojiro Yamanaka. Play nice with him. He needs some serious help getting over his dependency issues, she casually stated.

You don't understand, you have it all wrong. I need to be with my brother, Yojiro said, bouncing back toward the door.

My point exactly. She sighed, catching him and pushing him back inside the room, then turned around and left. She closed the door and locked it so he couldn't get out. I'll unlock it in the morning, she called through the door, and they could hear her footsteps leaving.

Hey, let me out of here! Yojiro shouted, pounding on the door to get the woman's attention.

Hey, loser! Danger loudly growled at him. Shut up and sit your ass down! Danger hated the idea of being locked up for the night with these two.

The name's Yojiro Yamanaka! Learn it, Yojiro growled back as he slammed his palm against the door one more time before finally moving to sit on the middle bed. He assumed that since the two were on the other beds, this one was going to be his.

Peanut chuckled, shaking his head, and turned his attention back to his magazine. At least that was what he led them to believe. The dark look on Danger's face and the glare on Yojiro's face had him curious as to which one of them would strike first.

You want to go! Danger roared, jumping off his bed and balling up his fist.

Yojiro didn't hesitate to stand up and face him with just as much intensity. Sit down and shut up, moron. You don't stand a chance against me, Yojiro warned in a deadly tone.

Peanut could see that neither one of these two were afraid of the other in the slightest. From what he had seen of Danger and the proof of what he was capable of, the fact that this new kid wasn't afraid in the slightest made him ten times scarier than he would have been if he was just a normal stranger.

Alright, guys, let's just calm down and get some sleep. We're stuck together for the year, so, uh…let's make the best of it, huh? Peanut nervously got up and held them apart, hoping for the best possible outcome in the situation.

Whatever, both boys grumbled, deciding to return to their beds.

Peanut exhaled in relief and returned to his own bed. One issue diverted for now, he thought to himself as he picked up his magazine again, but he made sure that he remained silent. That seemed to be the best thing to do for now.

*****~DIAMOND~*****

*****HOUSE OF AIR*****

Diamond sat on the windowsill of the dorm room's only window. He shared the room with a boy named Kamashi Hatase. That boy was strange to say the least. It was late, and Kamashi was in the shower, which didn't seem like the smartest place to be during a storm like this. The storm was unpredictable, hostile, and by far the most severe storm he had ever seen. These unknown pirates who just mysteriously showed up didn't seem like the smartest lot. He heard Tornatus, their house leader, explaining something to someone as he came up to the door.

This will be your room for the year. You will have two roommates that you can get to know in your own time, Tornatus said, opening the door and stepping aside for a newcomer to enter the room. Be in the house common room by curfew, and don't cause trouble.

Right, the kid evenly stated with the slightest hint of a smirk on his face.

Do you have any questions? Tornatus asked, a skeptical glint in his eyes.

No, you have explained it well enough, the boy flatly answered.

Good night then. Tornatus shrugged and exited the room, letting the door swing shut behind him.

What a fool, the kid quietly said, rolling his eyes, then looked up at Diamond. Which bed is mine?

The middle one, Diamond quietly said, suspiciously eyeing him.

The boy didn't respond; instead, he went to the farthest bed and claimed it by tossing Kamashi's stuff onto the middle bed.

Uh…that's Kamashi's bed, Diamond informed him.

Is it? the kid flatly asked as he stretched out on the bed as if he didn't care what Diamond had to say about it.

Diamond just rolled his eyes and pulled out a pocketknife. He started sharpening it, paying little to no attention to the new kid. This year was really going to suck having these two as roommates.

Move the sharpening stone along the blade at an angle. You'll get better results, the boy flatly said.

Diamond looked at him to see that his eyes weren't even open, and he didn't appear to be paying attention either.

I know how to sharpen a knife, thank you, Diamond coldly said.

Then why are you dulling out the blade instead of sharpening it? the kid boredly stated, causing annoyance to shoot through Diamond.

What would you know, and who the hell are you anyway? Diamond snapped.

Yenji…Yenji Yamanaka! Kamashi excitedly, said coming out of the bathroom.

Ugh…Kamashi Hatase, Yenji evenly answered. Another Hatase idiot. I have landed in hell. He was muttering to himself.

Dude! How did you get here? Is there a way back? I'm really hating— Kamashi paused briefly as he glanced at Diamond. You know…being like this. Kamashi rapidly shot off questions. He approached the bed where Yenji was relaxing with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.

Yenji simply glanced at him but didn't answer his questions. Puberty kicking your ass? he dryly mused, changing the subject.

Well, uh…I didn't like it the first time, Kamashi confessed.

First time? Diamond thought as he secretly glanced at them. He was somewhat confused about what they meant by those words.

So do it better this time, Yenji evenly responded.

Wait a minute. Kamashi narrowed his eyes at Yenji. Did you cause this?

Did I? Yenji opened his eyes back up and gave Kamashi an unreadable look.

You're still a loser, man, Kamashi growled. He had forgotten how infuriating Yenji was until now. This is my bed.

Is it? Yenji asked, narrowing his eyes, daring Kamashi to try and take it.

Eh…forget it. Keep the damn bed, Kamashi growled, pretty sure Yenji had something to do with all of them being eleven again. This is why you never had any friends back in school, you know that?

We're still in school, dimwit, Yenji countered in that calm, infuriating tone that Kamashi had always hated about him.

Screw you, man! Kamashi growled, grabbing some clothes and stomping toward the bathroom again.

Men don't do it for me, Yenji flatly responded right before the bathroom door slammed shut.

Diamond shook his head and went back to doing his own thing. These two were hiding something; he was surer of it now more than ever. For now, the best thing to do was just carefully watch them. He would eventually figure out what their secrets were, and he had a whole year to do it.

Chapter 2

***HOUSE OF EARTH***

~CYPHER~

Cypher sat the last of Bramble's stuff near his bed and gave him a friendly smile. Bramble, Boulder, and Rustle, the occupants of this dorm room, were late arrivals to the school, and he had volunteered to help them get settled in.

I think that's it. Cypher smiled as he dusted off his hands.

We appreciate it, Bramble evenly stated as he claimed his bed.

But you're use to serving others, aren't you? Rustle smugly said, openly looking at Cypher's scarred hands. I assume you were a slave at some point.

Thank you, Mr. Cypher, but unfortunately, we should probably rest. It is rather late. Perhaps you should go, Boulder formally stated, giving Rustle a dirty look.

Yeah, sure, Cypher calmly said, hiding how much Rustle's comment had bothered him, then he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Everybody has their own scars, man. I wouldn't let that smug shit bother me if I was you, Kenjoko Yamanaka calmly said. He appeared out of nowhere, startling Cypher somewhat, but the kid was his roommate, and he seemed to be a nice-enough sort. He felt a little bit embarrassed that the guy had seen him looking at the scars on his hands.

What would you know about it? Cypher quietly said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Kenjoko took a deep breath through his nose and turned his back toward him. He pulled the back of his shirt up to reveal a mesh of faint scars. Scars that didn't go away when he reverted back to his eleven-year-old self.

Cypher's eyes widened slightly. Even his scars weren't that bad. Kenjoko's back looked like it had been turned into minced meat at some point in his life. What happened? Cypher blurted out, immediately regretting his blunt question.

The pirate's code, Kenjoko answered, shrugging his shirt back into place.

That's an awful code, Cypher softly relented.

That's the pirate's life, Kenjoko casually said, facing him once again. So you shouldn't let that guy bother you.

Right. Cypher breathed, realizing that compared to the scars Kenjoko had, his were minor. We should probably get back, he calmly added.

I guess you're right. Kenjoko sighed. He hadn't been able to find a way out of the Earth House, and it was getting pretty late. He gave Cypher a friendly smile and motioned for him to walk back with him.

They walked back together in comfortable silence as Cypher processed what had happened. He occasionally glanced at Kenjoko, who carried himself with an air of maturity and wisdom. Before he realized what he was thinking, he found himself wondering where the boy had come from and what kind of life he had been living.

Can I ask you a question? Cypher asked, unable to help himself.

Sure, what do you want to know? Kenjoko said, turning his head to look at him. His tone was smooth and relaxed.

Where are you from? Cypher asked him.

A far, faraway place called Mira-No-Mura, a village hidden deep in a vast forest. It's the most beautiful place I have ever laid eyes on, Kenjoko explained with so much love for the place that Cypher almost felt the intensity of it too.

Sounds amazing. Cypher smiled awkwardly.

It is. Kenjoko grinned as they came to a stop. Then he reached out and opened the door to their shared dorm room, motioning for Cypher to go in first.

Thanks, man, Cypher replied and went inside.

Kenjoko followed him, letting the door shut behind them.

Where have you two been? Gem, their other roommate, flatly asked as he sat up on his bed.

Out, Kenjoko said, exchanging a look with Cypher before moving toward his bed.

Whatever, Gem grumbled, lying back down. Those two were up to something, but he figured that it wasn't any of his concern. Hell, he had his own secrets, so theirs were just drops of water in a bucket full of other people's secrets.

Kenjoko spread out on his bed and fell asleep almost immediately, and Cypher smiled, shaking his head as he got ready for bed as well. This was already turning out to be a strange new experience for him, but he couldn't help but wonder how Dragon was adjusting to their separation. His smile faded when he remembered how Dragon had told him goodbye, and it wasn't entirely a pleasant sort of way. He pushed it from his mind and lay down on his own bed, closing his eyes, attempting to fall asleep.

*****~HURRICANE~*****

***HOUSE OF FIRE***

Welcome back, Hurricane Heavenburn. How was your visit with Mother Headmistress? Tsumemasa brightly smiled when Hurricane came through the door. For a mysterious pirate, the kid was pretty weird. He had come in on The Poseidon, one of the ships of legends, and Hurricane wasn't quite sure how to address him. He wasn't like most