Note: Due to the broadness of Maplestory's general timeline, this story is set a few days after Black Heaven, but before the arrival of Kinesis in Maple World. Also, I will be using the name "Shade", rather than the Korean transliteration of "Eunwol".

All characters owned by Nexon.

Kyle heaved a sigh, and leaned back in his hammock. He casually glanced at his surroundings.

Toys and games strewn about, a mix of posters drawn in markers done at age 6 and posters drawn in markers at age 15. It felt weird to call a place like this "home", but that's what it was.

"Headquarters of the Heliseum Force..." he muttered. He pursed his lips and gently rocked the hammock.

It had been a grand total of 4 days after the battle.

Black Heaven. Gelimer's airship. Stuff about spirits and wishes and robots galore. Just thinking about the whole situation made Kyle's head hurt. It had been a big battle. The largest fought against the Black Mage's forces so far; that much was obvious.

The first few days after the battle had been pure euphoric celebration. The entirety of the Alliance; Resistance, Knights, Nova, everyone who was someone joined Angelic Buster for a concert. After that, everyone went home, and celebrated some more. On the third day, messages had been sent out to key people involved in the Black Heaven operation from the Empress. She essentially ordered every single person who had been involved to take a few days off, if possible, and relax. Kyle took that advice.

He sighed again.

Still though, there's a difference between relaxing and doing nothing. He half-wondered if he should go train a little, or sightsee, or do something to keep his mind off of the sheer boredom he was in.

"If your bored, why not go out for a walk or something?"

Kyle lazily turned his head and was greeted with the sight of his childhood friend, Tear. The orange-haired Nova girl was smiling cheerfully, and she was holding a lage pile of oddly-colored rocks, and had a smear of dirt on her left cheek, probably from digging up the rocks. She sat down with her legs crossed and set the pile of rocks down.

Kyle laughed a little. "Are you a mind-reader now?"

"Please, they could hear you sighing in Vulpes, you idiot."

Kyle tried to perform a shrug, but only managed to raise one arm. Tear began to lazily sort the rocks by color and size.

"You've got dirt on your face."

"I know."

"Oh. Okay, then."

Kyle lazily watched his friend. He noticed something he hadn't really noticed before. Tear seemed to pause a little, and made a face that was sort of the same face one might make if they were having a full-course meal cooked for them by Edea. She then shook her head, mumbled something under her breath, and resumed counting her rocks.

'Well, that was weird.' Is what Kyle thought.

Suddenly, Tear made a face that resembled what one looked like after having eaten the full-course meal cooked by Edea. She suddenly stood up.

"U-um! I forgot! I've got...something to do! Kylan needed me to...sort...stuff! S-sorry Kyle."

"Oh!" Kyle was surprised. "Ok then, good luck!"

Tear muttered a small apology and quickly ran out of their childhood playarea, turning a hard right as she exited the door.

Normally, Kyle would have brushed it off. Tear didn't lie. Not to him, anyway. But her reactions seemed different, and...

Wait.

Right. Why did she turn right? To get to Pantheon she would have to turn left, not right. Kyle sat up. He felt worried. It was probably nothing, but he couldn't help feel a hard tug in his heart that something was wrong. What if Tear was having some kind of problem? What if Tear was being tempted by Magnus? He didn't peg Tear as the type that would be lured in by the traitor, but after what happened with Velderoth...

'What if...Tear is being bullied?'

That definitely struck a chord with the blue-haired Nova. Tear was born without a tail and without magic. He had always been her friend and had stood up for her when she was teased, but he had also been spending a lot of time in Maple World recently. He hadn't been there to protect her. Maybe...maybe someone started picking on her while he was gone. And she didn't tell him because she didn't want him to worry, or maybe even because she was being threatened?

Kyle fumed at the thought. Threaten his best friend in the whole world...in both worlds...in all the worlds out there? Not on his watch.

With a flick of his wrist, flames engulfed his hand. He closed his grip and the flames solidified into the handle of the Kaiseron. He pulled the remainder of the blade out of thin air from a sheath of fire. He held the ancient sword in his hand. If Tear was being bullied, he wouldn't actually use the Kaiseron on them, but he would sure as hell threaten to use it on them.

He rushed out the door and made a right. He ran straight for a little while before he heard Tear's voice. It sounded like it was coming from behind a large circle of rocks.

Kyle circled the rocks until he spotted a small crack, whereupon he peered through and was greeted with the sight of Tear's back. She appeared to be speaking to someone he couldn't see.

"...ust why do you have to call me out like that?! At that time?!"

"Shut your adorable little mouth", Kyle heard an older voice say. He gripped his Kaiseron tighter. "We need to practice your routine, anyway!"

"But why?"

"Because I said so, that's why!"

"I don't want to!"

"Well, you have to!"

Kyle surpressed the urge to growl. This guy was forcing his friend to do something she didn't want to do. Maybe he would actually use his Kaiseron after all...

"Besides", the voice continued, "best to learn your routine for your next event anyway, right?"

Event?

"It's better for you to get it over with", said the voice. "Sing a few songs, then sign a few autographs, easy-peasy."

Autographs?

"I mean, come on, you're the one and only! The Idol of the Battlefield!"

Ido-wha of the huh-now?

Kyle heard Tear growl.

"I didn't wanna become the Angelic Buster, you know!"

...

HUH?!