Everything changed that day, without warning. No one saw it coming – how could they? It was completely unexpected.

Maybe it would've worked out if he'd stayed home. Maybe it wouldn't have changed anything. But, what does it matter? He'd finally ran out of luck. The one day he really needed it, the Goddess of Fortune decided to go on a vacation.

Even so, he won't give up that easily. Maybe it's impossible to change the past, but there is always hope for the future. You might be asking what this all means. What is going on? What changed?

Read this at your own risk, but I warn you to be prepared. Who knows what you'll find? Who knows, what lies hidden around the corners and in the shadows? Who knows… what is the truth behind everything? There is only one way to find out. If you pull through to the end, that is. The truth might be revealed – but at what cost?

Let's continue on, now. Come on, don't be scared. We of the shadows will take good care of you. After all, we never leave one of our own behind. Are you ready for the next repeat? Are you looking forward to meeting my Master – he's a charming man, you know. He'll welcome guests like you warmly. I'm sure you'll… enjoy his company.

Or do you think you might be the one to find the heart? To hear about the crystals, to find out about our purpose? Why we, who never should've existed, are here anyway? To hear my Master's story?

Ah, but now we are getting ahead of ourselves. We don't want that, do we? I certainly don't. After all, where would be the… fun in that?

So, honored guest, come forward. Join us, enjoy your stay. I certainly hope you will find this story worth your time.

And in name of my Master, I will now welcome you. So welcome, honored guest…

...to the Maze.

~.0.~

''-up! Captain, please!'' he awoke to a desperate voice calling him.

Indigo eyes opened to the worried faces of his teammates. He blinked a few times, trying to remember what happened for him to end up on the ground, but the only thing he remembered was darkness.

Realizing it wasn't going to help him, he tried to sit up instead. Immediately the teammates closest to him reached out to support him. ''Careful, Yuu, you could be hurt,'' said his best friend, deep concern visible in his expression. 'How are you feeling, buddy?''

Yuu accepted his help and leaned on him, one hand rising up to his head. He winced. ''I have an awful headache, but other than that I'm fine,'' he said and he could see the relief on his team's faces. ''What happened?''

His friend stared at him with surprised eyes. ''You don't remember?''

The captain shook his head. ''No, nothing.''

That seemed to be even more cause for concern. ''That can't be good,'' muttered one of the forwards. ''Are you sure you're okay?''

Yuu nodded and gently pushed the supporting hands away. ''Don't worry about it, guys, I'm fine. Really.'' He could see they were not reassured yet, and sighed. ''If you are that worried, I'll go to the nurse, alright?''

That seemed to do it, if the relieved faces were any indication.

Despite the confident façade he put up, however, he was worried.

Something was telling him that this was not over yet.

~.0.~

Perhaps you are familiar with the story of how Raimon beat Dragon Link and won the Holy Road? Well, it has been five weeks since then. Five weeks ago, Gouenji Shuuya created the Soccer Education Program to teach about free soccer. Four weeks ago, Matsukaze Tenma left Inazuma Town in order to return to his home island of Okinawa and teach young children as part of the program.

But things have changed in the short month that he has been gone, and it's not a good change. And now that he is back, the reason for that change might finally be discovered.

On Monday morning, Tenma makes his way to Raimon Jr. High, where he hasn't been in a month. The moment he reaches the school, he is welcomed by Endou Mamoru, coach of the soccer club. The brunet walks towards him and the man nods in greeting, his usual bright smile missing. ''Tenma.''

The boy returns the greeting, just as serious as his coach. ''Coach Endou.''

He follows the man as they walk in the direction of the soccer club building. Soon they enter the coach's office. Endou closes the door and leans against his desk, a grim look settling on his features. ''Take a seat,'' he says as he nods in the direction of a chair. The brunet sits down quietly, looking up at his coach expectantly. ''Aki already told me most of the details, but I'd like to hear the whole story.''

Tenma starts to talk and Endou seems to become more worried with every passing word. Once the brunet has finished with recounting the events that have led to this, the coach is silent for a long while. A concerned frown decorates his features and his hands are gripping the edge of his desk so harshly that the skin turns white.

Finally he sighs and looks towards the brunet, a mix of unreadable emotions swirling in the depths of his dark eyes. ''I have already contacted Gouenji and Kidou,'' he says eventually. ''They'll be here within fifteen minutes, give or take. I want you to wait for them outside and stick close to them, while I go pick up the rest of the team.''

Tenma nods, quietly leaving his coach's office. He makes his way outside, shivering in the cold morning air. It's so early the sun is only just rising, casting an orange glow over the buildings and turning the sky a mixture of blue, purple, orange and pink. Clouds light up gold in the early sunlight, lazily drifting through the colored sky.

He loses track of time as he watches the sunrise, enjoying the peace and quiet. After all, he's pretty sure that everything will change soon enough.

The silence is broken by the sound of a car and his gaze shifts towards the vehicle coming towards the school. Soon it stops in front of him, revealing it to be the Inazuma Caravan. Two familiar figures exit the bus, scanning the school grounds in silence.

One of them, a white-haired male, catches sight of the brunet standing next to the entrance of the soccer building. ''Tenma,'' he says, notifying the other male of the boy's presence.

The brunet silently makes his way over to them, bowing politely in greeting. ''Gouenji-san, Kidou-san,'' he greets softly.

As Gouenji greets the Raimon player, Kidou nods in answer and takes the time to scan the boy. His usually healthy tanned skin is a few tints lighter, still considerably tanned yet noticeably paler if one is familiar with him. Dark circles can be seen under his eyes, which look tired. The determined fire that can always be seen in his greyish orbs seems to be extinguished, leaving them sad and weary.

Kidou's lips twitch downwards at his observation. ''Let's wait inside the bus,'' he requests, yet both know he is not in the mood to be messed with and follow his order without protest.

Once inside, Tenma immediately makes his way to a seat in the back of the bus. He curls up in the corner of his seat, leaving Kidou and Gouenji to quietly talk in the front. He lets his eyes close, exhaustion crashing over him. The next few minutes are spend in silence.

~.0.~

''A-Akira…?''

The breathless whimper broke the silence that ruled the darkness only moments before. The red-haired boy froze at the whisper, his gaze slowly shifting to where the sound came from.

A shiver went down his spine as his eyes locked onto a pair of dark orbs and the boy flinched back. The tense silence hung in the air until it was broken by a weak cough, coming from the figure huddled in the corner.

Akira flinched out of his stupor and cautiously moved forward, his eyes filled with suspicion. The figure's breaths were rasped and uneven, even though he kept his gaze on the inclosing boy. ''Aki-'' the other boy, for it was a male voice disturbing the shadows, was cut off by another cough, this one even harsher than before.

Akira couldn't help himself, worry filling his blue orbs. ''Hirota-senpai, are you alright?''

The other boy stopped coughing and breathed in rapidly, trying to get as much oxygen into his lungs as possible. ''I-I'm fine…'' he rasped out, leaning heavily on the wall behind him. ''Whe- where are… th'others…'' he muttered wearily, still breathing unevenly.

Akira shook his head, his eyes narrowing slightly. ''No,'' he whispered, taking a step backwards.

Hirota's eyes followed him. ''A-Aki… ra…'' he hissed, a furious undertone in his voice. ''Now's… not the t-time…''

The red-haired boy took another step backwards. ''No,'' he repeated, his eyes flashing towards the three possible exits before immediately shooting back towards the fallen figure of Hirota. ''I can't trust you, I don't know if-''

His words were cut off by the sound of a thunderclap, so loud that it made the ground shake. A sudden flash of white light accompanied it, coming from the left. The light flash lit up everything for a precious five seconds, revealing the roof of a cave far above and the grey, dirty walls forming something akin to a room, three open spaces that could hold doors leading to empty and dark hallways, stretching off into the distance.

Both boys were revealed as well, one with red hair, wearing a sloppy, darker red headband, and royal blue eyes, the other with dark brown, almost black, eyes and messy brown hair. He was sitting in a pool of black, the dark liquid staining the wall behind him, just like his clothes and skin. He looked absolutely horrible.

Then the flash died down and Hirota's weak yet alarmed voice ran gout through the shadows. ''Aki- Akira, go!'' he hissed.

Akira's eyes snapped back to him, his form frozen. ''H-Hirota-senpai, I-''

Hirota cut him off. ''Go! I- I'd only hold you ba- back,'' he coughed harshly yet pushed on. ''T-take that exit,'' he weakly gestured towards one of the empty doorways, left and slightly behind the blue-haired boy. ''Ju- just… l-leave me… here,'' hissed the brown-haired teen.

Akira shook his head, tears filling his eyes. ''No, I can't-''

''Idiot! I-it's coming! Just go!''

The red-haired boy hesitated for a moment longer but then turned around, throwing one last look at the figure of his friend before sprinting through the doorway, leaving the other behind.

Hirota smiled weakly as he heard the retreating footsteps of Akira. ''Ha… my j-job as his s-senpai…'' he muttered weakly, his head leaning limply against the wall. ''R-right… Sugita?'' with that his eyes closed.

~.0.~

Tenma's eyes blink open when the silence is disturbed by noise coming from outside the bus. A moment later, the source of the noise is revealed when someone enters the vehicle.

He easily recognizes the greyish brown waves of his captain. Shindou looks around the bus and takes a moment to spot him, curled up in the corner of his seat as he is. ''Tenma?''

The rest of the team fills in just as the brunet answers. ''Long time no see, captain,'' he says with a smile, though it misses its usual brightness.

Shindou's brown eyes narrow slightly, not missing the way his younger friend seems a bit off. He makes his way towards the brunet and sits down next to him, Kirino sitting down on his other side. ''Any idea what's going on?'' he asks.

Tenma nods and turns his eyes to the window as to avoid the game maker's sharp gaze. ''Yeah, I do…'' he says in a noticeably softer tone than usual.

''Tenma…?'' Shindou frowns, concern coloring his voice. The brunet notices and shoots him a warm smile. The game maker relaxes slightly yet the worry in his eyes is still there.

Despite that, he drops the subject as the rest of Raimon takes their seats. Once coach Endou enters the vehicle as well and finds a seat, Gouenji starts the bus and only moments later they leave the school terrain.

Tenma ignores the uncomfortable and confused looks that his teammates shoot him and instead curls up deeper in his seat.

~.0.~

It was dark. It was cold. He was tired and he couldn't get enough air in his lungs, yet he kept forcing his legs to move.

That was all he could register at the moment. He knew there should be more, he knew there was more than just darkness and cold here, but he didn't stop to find out what.

Run. That was the only thing he had on his mind and so he ran.

He'd been running for a long time already and it was only thanks to the training his team did every day that he managed to get this far. But in comparison to his teammates, he was weak. He'd always had a smaller, frailer body and it showed in matches. He didn't have as much stamina as the others.

And it showed now as well.

His breath came out in pants and his legs burned and he knew he wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer.

Yet the boy didn't dare stop.

But eventually the point came where his body screamed for rest and he tripped, landing harshly on the ground with a yelp.

He didn't move from where he'd fallen, arms in front of him in an attempt to catch himself and his eyes closed in exhaustion.

Everything around him was silent and he pried his eyes open. Now that he wasn't running anymore he could make out shapes in the very dim light that came from the center of the giant cave.

The boy could see the high walls and the even higher, rocky ceiling far above him. He could see his arms and his hair, looking a dark grey in the weak light even though he knew it should be a gentle lilac.

He knew he had to stand up, keep moving, but he was just so tired and he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.

He wasn't sure how long he laid there, completely exhausted, but he did know he opened his eyes again when he heard footsteps. They were soft and careful, but they were so close and it was so silent that it was hard to miss.

The boy turned his head slightly so that he could see the path in front of him. Not that there was much to see, it only went on for about ten feet before there was a corner.

He saw a figure round the corner and freeze. The male – for it was definitely a boy – stood unmoving for a moment before breaking out into a run.

Only a few moments later he dropped down on his knees to the frailer boy. ''Sora-kun…!''

~.0.~

''Where are we going?''

Tenma opens his eyes when he hears Kirino's voice. The defender is looking at their coach, clearly fed up with the way no one is telling them anything.

Endou turns around in his seat to look at the team, an uncharacteristic frown pulling at his features. The teenagers are all looking back at him with the same impatient and curious look as Kirino.

The coach hesitates, obviously not knowing if he should answer or not. Kidou next to him lays a hand on his shoulder, catching the keeper's attention. ''Tell them,'' says the Teikoku commander when dark eyes turn to look at him.

It's a sign of the amount of trust Endou has for Kidou when he doesn't question him and instead turns back to his team. ''Your parents believe we're going on our way to a surprise training camp,'' he tells them.

The Raimon team is not happy with that vague answer. ''From the way you're wording it, it doesn't sound like we're going on a training camp.'' It's a statement, not a question, and accompanied by Kariya's narrowed eyes it's clear that the defender wants a real answer.

Endou winces at the tealhead's sharp words and then sighs wearily. ''No, we're not,'' he agrees softly. The change in their usual enthusiastic coach is so drastic that the team shares uncomfortable looks, fidgeting a little under his dark gaze. ''We're going to a place… far away,'' he says finally. ''I can't exactly tell you where. Not yet.'' The soccer players look ready to protest, but the coach quickly continues before they can speak. ''I promise, we'll tell you everything later. But please, bear with us for now.''

~.0.~

He was running.

He had been running for only god knows how long and he could feel his lungs, his legs, heck, his whole body protesting. Despite that, he continued moving, not even wanting to think about resting. Only one thought echoed through his mind.

Find them.

He had to find them, find his team. It was the only thing he knew for certain, the only goal he could focus on.

The dark shadows reached for the teen as he raced past them, but he was too fast and they couldn't get a grip on him.

Eventually, though, he could feel his body failing him. He gritted his teeth, but he knew that if he kept this up, he'd collapse and be useless for his team.

So, even though he wanted to continue searching, the teen slowed down until he was moving at walking pace to give himself a chance to catch his breathe. He risked a glance around. Nothing but the dark corridor and the cave ceiling high above.

He'd attempted to climb up the walls before, to get a bird's view of the place, but they were too high. Besides, he was too exhausted to try it now. He hadn't eaten at all since coming here and his water bottle was almost empty. Sleep wasn't something he'd even consider. It was way too dangerous.

The teen sighed and paused in his walk. Instead he leaned against one of the walls, deciding to take a short break, and looked down at the yellow band around his arm.

''Some captain I am,'' he whispered in the silence. ''I can't even protect my own team.''

He shook his head. 'I can't think like that,' he decided firmly. 'I've got to find them. I have to.'

He sighed again and grabbed his water bottle, lifting it to his lips and taking a few small sips. 'Come on Koda, get your head in the game.'

The teen – Koda – narrowed his eyes in determination and looked to where he thought the middle of the cave was.

''I'll find them and I'll beat you,'' he promised softly. ''I have to.''

He walked on.

~.0.~

When Tenma opens his eyes again, it's to the sight of a forest.

He blinks, trying to wake himself up a little more, when he notices the bus has slowed. They haven't stopped yet, but they're definitely driving slower than before.

''You're awake,'' says a voice beside him and the brunet looks at the person next to him. Shindou smiles when he notices that he has Tenma's attention. ''You fell asleep a while ago.''

The younger boy nods in understanding. ''How long have I been out?''

The game maker shrugs. ''An hour, I think.''

Their conversation is interrupted when the bus stops. ''Alright guys, we're here!'' announces Endou and everyone hurries outside, unable to wait any longer for the mystery destination to be revealed.

''A… mansion?''

Shinsuke's words basically sum up everyone's thoughts as they stare at the large, white building. It's beautiful, to say the least, and could easily fit Aki's manor two times inside. The gardens surrounding it are filled with colors that would be lovely if it weren't a dark and gloomy day.

The air is heavy and cold and the clouds overhead threaten to bring rain. The teenagers are quickly led inside by Gouenji and they stare at the large entrance hall in awe.

''Welcome, Raimon Eleven,'' says a voice suddenly, pulling their attention away from the beauty of the room. A familiar, blue-haired man is standing at the top of the staircase that leads to the second floor, smiling warmly. ''It's good to finally have you here.''

Endou steps forward. ''Kazemaru, is everything ready?'' he asks as his friend starts to descend the staircase.

The young man nods. ''Pretty much. Everyone's here and prepared, and we're just working out the last flaws,'' he tells his captain.

Raimon's coach finally seems to relax a little at that. ''That's good,'' he mutters and turns back to his team. ''Alright, guys! It's pretty late and I'm sure you must be tired. Unfortunately, the day is not over yet so it'll be a while before you can relax again,'' he tells them. ''To start, everyone will get a map of this place that you can download on your phone and then I expect everyone to go to their rooms. Settle in, freshen yourselves up – there are clothes in the closet, feel free to use them. I expect you in the dining room at half past six, alright?''

The team nods, accepting the fact that they'll have to wait even longer for answers. They all look exhausted, though, so it's not such a surprise.

Soon everyone has downloaded the map and they start making their way to their rooms. They're all in the same hall, though the rooms are shared between two or three people.

When Tenma reaches the room with his name on it, he instantly recognizes the name of the other occupant. Before he can do anything like look for his roommate or enter the room, the person in question appears next to him.

''Seems like we're sharing a room,'' mutters Tsurugi. ''Come on, let's check this place out.''

There's only one way to describe the room. Gigantic. There are two big, four-poster beds, on either side of the room, with sky-themed beddings. The one on the left side is a dark blue, with hints of black and purple, and with countless small, white dots covering it, clearly representing the night sky. The bed on the left is a gentle sky blue with hints of orange, pink and purple. Instead of white dots, white smudges disrupt the flowing colors, giving the idea of cotton clouds in the sky.

The rear wall of the room is one big window, which shows the garden behind the mansion. Well, it would've, if there was a garden. Instead, it overlooks a soccer field.

Next to either bed is a nightstand and next to that are large, stylish, wooden desks with comfortable chairs. On the other side of the beds are bookcases filled with, as the name implies, books.

There's one big sofa with the back turned to the window, a small coffee table in front of it with comfortable chairs surrounding it. There's a large TV on one of the walls and on the other side there's a mini fridge.

There are two doors as well and, after a quick inspection, one shows to lead to a luxe bathroom while the second gives way to the closet Endou was talking about.

Tenma stares at the room in awe and then, with a quick look at Tsurugi, jumps on the sky blue bed. ''I claim this bed!'' he tells his friend excitedly as he sinks into the soft covers.

From his spot between the fluffy pillows and blankets, he can see the striker shake his head at his actions and then make his way to the night-themed bed. ''Idiot,'' mutter Tsurugi, though there's no real bite to it.

The brunet simply grins brightly in response.

They both quickly take turns with showering and soon they're both changed into clean clothes. ''It's almost time,'' says Tsurugi with a look of his phone. ''Let's get going, I'd rather not get lost here.''

The two friends make their way towards the dining room. Once there, they soon find that quite a few of their other teammates are already there and, surprisingly, some other faces as well.

Endou is talking in a hushed yet serious voice with not only Kazemaru, but also Hiroto, Fubuki and Midorikawa. They are soon joined by Kidou and Fudou, though Gouenji is nowhere to be seen.

A few minutes later all of Raimon's members have arrived and they take their seats at the large dining table. The adults leave the room through an easily unnoticed door, but before anyone can wonder where they've gone, they return, carrying trays of food. Gouenji, Natsumi and Haruna are also with them.

It doesn't take long for them to hand out the food and soon everyone is digging in, fully enjoying the meal when they find that Natsumi has not helped with the cooking.

Eventually comes the moment that everyone has finished eating and, with that, Raimon's curiosity returns. They have been patient so far, but it seems they can't keep their many questions at bay any longer.

Their captain gives his team one look and knows that now is the right, or rather the only, time to question the coach before they all start demanding answers. ''Coach Endou?'' he asks, and dark eyes move towards him. ''What's going on? What is this place?''

Endou sighs and lays his chopsticks down. ''I suppose we've kept you waiting long enough,'' he sighs and stands up. ''It's time to tell you the truth. But let's move to the lounge first.''

The team doesn't need any more encouragement and soon they're all scattered on the various couches and chairs in the room next to the dining area. It's as luxe and extravagant as the rest of the mansion, but no one pays any real attention to that as all their focus lies with Endou and the other Inazuma Legend Japan members present.

''It all started forty years ago, when my grandfather, Endou Daisuke, attended Raimon Jr. High.''

~.0.~

He opened his eyes to a bright blue sky with white cotton cloud drifting through it lazily. His ears easily picked up the tweeting of birds and the sound of the wind rustling the leaves of the trees surrounding him.

His head was pounding and his throat felt like sandpaper. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to fight the headache. Confusion pulled at his mind – something felt wrong – but he couldn't think clearly.

Suddenly it hit him.

Why was he sleeping in a forest?

Scratch that, with the way he was feeling, it's obvious that he was not sleeping. He pried his eyes open and sat up slowly, wincing when a sudden, sharp knife of pain went through his arm once he tried to lean on it.

Automatically he grabbed the painful spot and his eyes widened when it came into contact with something warm and sticky. He pulled his hand back and looked at it.

It was covered in half-dried blood.

With wide eyes he looked at his arm. Deep claw marks broke his usual smooth skin, covered in angry red. The sharp pain from a second before had reduced to a dull, pulsing ache, but he didn't dare touch it again.

He looked around for clues as to what happened or how he got there, but there was nothing other than the blood from his wound.

Suddenly, he heard a voice from the forest beyond. ''Saito? Saito!''

Another voice, as well, younger this time. ''Captain! Where are you?''

They both sounded alarmed and fearful. He heard footsteps and suddenly two familiar teens ran out of the forest. ''Saito!'' the oldest one immediately ran to his side and kneeled next to him. ''Your arm,'' he gasped.

Saito waved his concern away. ''It's fine. Where is everyone?''

''We've gathered them not too far away from here,'' said the third boy, and there was an anxious look on his face.

''What happened?''

The two new arrivals shared a look. The oldest shook his head.

''No idea.''

~.0.~

Hey everyone!

To those who have seen this before: Welcome back!

And to those who are reading this for the first time: Welcome!

So I've decided to rewrite this (it was definitely needed) under another name, with another cover and with some pretty important new points. A whole new story, basically.

Anyway, I hope you guys like this, even though it's pretty different now!

Because I didn't want to put at the front, disclaimer: don't own, except the OCs, etc~!

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! I have no idea where I'm going with this, so I hope you guys will like this in the future!

- Yara Meijer