Chapter II: STRANDED

The first thing Chase sensed when he came to his senses once again, was the unusual dimness that was caused by his surroundings. His eyes slowly opened, his body arching with slight pain from sleeping on the hard surface of the ground. Chase rose and scratched his hair, letting his eyes scan his environments to give him an idea of where he was, because it was definitely not the same forest. He found himself to be in an abandoned train station, similar to the one they'd seen at Westward City. Everything was out of order; the windows were broken, the walls had giant holes pierced through them and the same held true for the ceiling. Even the floor he was sleeping on was dirty beyond recognition. Chase hurried to get up and searched for an exit to find his friends again.

The sound of his own footsteps echoed through the empty train station as he exited through a giant hole in the wall that led outside. He instantly zipped his jacket shut when a rush of cold air blew across him, causing him to shiver. Where was he? His eyes widened when he saw endless mountains of ice before him, as well as a stretching landscape of snow that went on for miles.

How had he gone from the thick forests in south to the icy mountains of Northern Mandala?

Perhaps his friends could provide him with a rational explanation for how he'd been transported all the way there. And maybe include what had happened to him during the encounter with the Hand of Destiny. He fished out his phone and dialed Bren's number, though, what greeted his ears wasn't the voice of his friend.

The number you have dialed is not a working number.

Chase was left dumbfounded as he received similar responses when dialing Jinja and Dax' numbers. Were all their phones busted? He even attempted to call his father, confident that surely he would be able to connect despite his location.

No answer.

Chase stared at his phone, fear bubbling from the pit of his stomach. He sighed deeply and ran a hand through his dark locks to calm himself down, picking up a random core from his pockets. He couldn't stay here long, he needed to go back.

"Nitestone! Launch!"

His third Monsuno came alive and roared loudly in a whirlwind of blue energy released from its core. It bowed down before its Controller who jumped up and settled upon its back, comfortably engulfed in the warmth of his Monsuno. Then, it moved through the ice and rocks with a steady speed in the directions that Chase would think of via their connection through the Monsuno Sight.

Chase frowned in deep thought. He knew that it would take days, maybe weeks before he found his friends again. Especially if they decided to go looking for him as well. They might as well be complete and utterly lost or bickering their heads off as usual. Or something could've happened to them while fighting with the Hand of Destiny. They did look as if they were losing right before he was consumed by that strange green energy. He'd never forgive himself if something bad had happened to all of them and those thought alone fueled him to continue his way out of the ice deserts.

Suddenly, a faint sound could be heard, and Chase could spot a helicopter in the distance. He smiled in relief at the prospect of finding someone who might be able to get him back to civilization. Chase started waving his hands in the hopes of getting spotted and he did.

That's when he noticed the canons on the helicopter began shooting at Nitestone when they were within close range. The electric blasts crackled dangerously as they passed by Chase.

"Wait!" Chase shouted in confusion. "Stop! What are you doing? We're friendly!"

A STORM solider came into view from the side-doors of the helicopter, holding a megaphone before his mouth. Their suit somehow looked different than usual.

"Get that Monsuno back into its core, boy! You're arrested for breaking section fourteen of rule number Two in the Destiny Laws; No Monsunos are allowed to be launched under any circumstances!"

With the wind whipping his hair and stealing his breath, Chase almost couldn't believe his ears. Since when was it illegal to launch your Monsuno? Since when was the World Government involved in this matter? And what the Crag was a Destiny Law?

"What..?" Chase whispered in disbelief.

"I repeat: if you don't return that Monsuno back to its core this instant, we will be forced to do it ourselves, Marked or otherwise!"

Rays of electricity continued to shoot out of the cannon and Nitestone snarled at them in anger. Chase couldn't believe what he was hearing but decided that taking out this helicopter was a higher priority than figuring out what was happening.

"Nitestone; Fire Spear Barrage!"

Nitestone released bullets of electric blue energy from its mouth that immediately hit the helicopter, causing it to spin out of control and explode from the impact when it collided into the ground. The pilots had already evacuated and drifted away into the distance with their parachutes. Chase neared the mess he'd created from his attack and gaped upon what he saw.

A green mark was displayed on the ruins of the wrecked aircraft. A mark that belonged to the Hand of Destiny.

Chase glanced at his companion and held out its core. "Go and get some rest, buddy."

The Monsuno gladly accepted and surged back into its home within the blue core. Chase decided that if he didn't get some answers soon, he'd go insane for sure. So, with that thought, he spun out another core.

"Evo, launch!"

Evo's time limit had just been reached when Chase leapt from the back of the hybrid and onto the snow. He held out his core so that Evo could easily retreat inside and put it back in his pants pockets. He was now standing before the big monastery where Beyal had been raised and where Master Ey currently lived. The only ally of his who he knew was sure to be here. In all likelihood, Master Ey could already have predicted Chase' arrival and as such, would be the ideal person to answer the questions that seemed to multiply as time passed. Chase knocked on the gate and waited patiently for the short old man to appear before him.

Though, he definitely didn't expect a little dark-haired girl to answer the door.

She was clad in a yellow and orange monk dress that pooled down on the floor –obviously too big in size – and gazed at him with big brown eyes, clutching the door tightly with her tiny hands. Sensing that she was afraid of him, he bent down to her eye level and smiled sweetly.

"Hi there. Say, is Master Ey home?"

She shook her head, black bangs jumping from side to side and gazed confusingly at him. "Who're you talking about?" she asked quietly.

Chase blinked. "…Uhm. Master Ey? You know…pretty short, with a long beard and a big cane? Looks really, really wise? Also, he bakes great cookies."

The girl smiled brightly at the mention of cookies. "Do you mean Master Beyal? He's really, really wise! And he bakes cookies too!"

Chase beamed at the mention of Beyal. "Oh! You know Beyal?"

She nodded excitingly. "Mm-hm! He's the best master ever! He reads us bedtime stories and plays with us and he says that we'll all be like him when we grow up!"

Before he could ask who 'we' included, a bunch of kids showed up before the front gate, ranging seemingly from the age of ten to fifteen, all wearing the same robes. They looked at Chase with variations of wonder and caution in their eyes, surveying him as if he was an odd specimen.

"Who're you?" a guy with messy blond hair asked. He was crossing his arms, looking around the age of fourteen. Chase couldn't fathom a reply, all but staring at each and every one of them. What the Crag? Who were all these people? Didn't Beyal say that all the monks had perished years ago, with him and Master Ey as the last survivors? Then, who the hell were these kids? Just then, the door opened wider to reveal an adult he recognized instantly…and at the same time, it was as if he didn't know him at all.

The man before him was considerably taller than him, long locks of white hair reaching to his back and his eyes a deep grey color. A small lotus tattoo was marked on his forehead and he was clad in a black shirt and long black pants. Though, the thing that was recognizable on him was his old monk robe and necklace. The young man gazed at Chase in disbelief, looking every bit as confused as Chase.

A spitting image of someone he already knew.

"Go back inside, my students," the man said hoarsely.

They obeyed him instantly and were out of sight in seconds. Chase stood rooted at the spot, speechless as well as he stared at the master of those children. It couldn't possibly be. . .

"Beyal?"

The man didn't respond in any way and Chase feared that he'd get a door in his face instead of a confirmation. But he was greatly surprised when arms wrapped around him and he found himself hugged by the taller man who was now sobbing with joy. He was clutching the young boy so tightly, as if to assure himself that he wasn't dreaming. Chase oddly found himself trembling as well, hugging the man back with a genuine smile on his face.

"Beyal."

"Where am I?"

Chase was seated on a mat on the usual room that he and his friends occupied visiting Master Ey. The spot where the old man usually sat and drank herbal tea was replaced with the image of an older version of Beyal who drank his tea in a similar manner. It was an odd phenomenon to witness. Chase bit into one of the cookies that were laid out on a silver plate and found himself agreeing with the little girl from earlier. These were good.

"I could see that you were not from this time, my friend," Beyal replied. His voice was deep but still retained a soft-spoken quality. "I suppose a little history lesson is in order. Fifteen years ago-"

Chase choked on his cookie but drank from a cup with steamy green tea to ease his throat. "Fifteen years! So, you're what," Chase quickly counted with his fingers. "Thirty! This is year two thousand and twenty-eight?" Then he stuck his tongue out due to the ugly aftertaste of the tea. Tea was the worst.

Beyal frowned. "Yes. Fifteen years have gone by and I am indeed thirty. Now, I could applaud you for your mathematical skills, but I would prefer that you did not interrupt me when I am in the middle of a story. Even my students have better manners than that."

Chase pouted a little, crossed his arms and motioned for his friend to continue. Beyal inhaled softly before beginning.

"Fifteen years ago, you vanished in the middle of a battle with the Hand of Destiny. We were much damaged and our Monsunos did not stand a chance. So, we distracted the Hand of Destiny with a quick maneuver and retreated somewhere else. We had no clue for where you had gone to and thus, we set out across the world to find you. We informed Jeredy about your disappearance and he used every technological option he had to find you as well. Our search continued for months before…" Beyal paused, averting his eyes.

"Before we knew we could not find you. We had to come to terms with that fact that you were gone for good. That one way or another, you had been killed in combat."

Hunger was quickly forgotten as Chase felt a lump in his throat. He cleared his throat before letting Beyal continue. The monk didn't look as if he wanted to.

"The team crumbled. Bren and Jinja were especially devastated by your supposed death. None of us could truly process that you were dead. But the worst case was surely Dax. He blamed the existence of Monsunos for the deaths of all of his loved ones. His parents, his city and now you."

"What…what happened?" Chase asked, eyes wide. Beyal glanced at him with a look full of hurt.

"Dax said that he did not want to be a part of this team anymore. So he quit and…he relinquished ownership of his Monsunos and gave them to me," Beyal closed his eyes, discomfort written on his face. "I do not think I have ever seen Jinja cry as much as she did that day. Chase…she clung to him tightly and begged him to stay. She begged him. But he refused. I could see that it was about the most difficult decision in his life."

Jinja...Bren, Chase thought sadly to himself. Jinja had been the driving force behind the search for his dad and Bren the glue that kept them together. It hurt him to think that their group would be disbanded like this. And it shamed him to remember his last words to them.

"I don't like where this is going," he said, shamefully looking away.

"I wish the story could end here, my friend," Beyal nodded. "Truly. But here comes the hard part."

Chase looked back at Beyal with fearful eyes. Beyal continued nevertheless.

"Dax' departure did not sit well with Bren. Understandably, Bren was not in a clear state of mind nor was Dax, and they began to insult one another. Bren about Dax' lacking maturity to stay in the team and Dax about Bren's lacking ability to…protect you and have your back. They began to fight. I tried to stop them, but the damage was already done. Dax broke Bren's arm and finally left when I launched out Glowblade to scare him away. It was," Beyal shook his head. "truly a dark day for team CoreTech. We all stood divided because of your death. We had all exited each other's lives the worst way imaginable."

Chase felt a numbing cold spread from his abdomen, throughout his entire body. What…had he done to his team? Was Team CoreTech no more in the future? He was almost too scared to ask for more details, the shame and guilt slowly eating him up from the inside.

"…and now?"

Beyal let his eyes wander to a window. His eyes looked tired. "Everyone with the exception of myself had decided to continue their lives as if Monsunos had never entered them. Dax went back to his home in the Lowlands and Jinja and Bren had likewise gone home to their respective families. Jinja contacted me for a little while before she inevitably stopped. After that, none of them tried to keep in touch with me regardless of how I tried to keep us together."

"Wow, that's...harsh," Chase frowned. "I'm so sorry for you."

Beyal smiled. "The loss of a loved one can do much to a person, Chase. Since Monsunos were a finished chapter in their lives, the Hand of Destiny could easily gather victims who possessed the Monsuno Sight and become their Keepers. They had more than enough power to conquer the planet and outpower even the combined forces of Charlemagne, Professor Tallis and Klipse. The population of the Earth is now under their mercy."

Chase could feel a bead of cold sweat running down the side of his neck. "Is that…why there are Destiny Laws?"

Beyal rose and calmly gazed outside the window. Chase turned his head to follow him. "Those are the laws implemented by the Hand of Destiny that every Marked one shall follow, and it is the duty of the World Government to make sure that they are maintained. For instance, the law prohibiting the use or possession of Monsunos. Before you ask; Marked ones is a term used for those whom have succumbed to the rule of the Hand of Destiny and wear the mark of their tribe. They can continue their lives as normal but will be forced to always worship the members of that tribe as their Gods. Those who refuse to wear their mark have no choice but to leave the borders of civilization where the Hand of Destiny rule and are left to survive on their own. Or perhaps they're simply imprisoned."

Chase almost spilled his tea with how fast he went to stand up. His lips were quivering. "Are you saying…that Bren and Jinja…that Dax have…"

"Jinja has. She told me right before her communication with me ceased for good," Beyal's head hung slightly. "She sounded…awfully tired last time I spoke with her. I know very little of what Bren and Dax are up to. However, knowing Dax, it would not surprise me if he had decided to join the MR."

"The what?" Chase asked dumbfounded.

"MR. The Monsuno Resistance. It is a large group of rebels who actively oppose the rule of the Hand of Destiny, as well as Monsunos. They are gaining a lot of attention as of late, but their clashing against the now renewed STORM military might cause more harm than good."

Chase nodded, thoughts whirling inside his head. "You sound pretty updated about what's been happening, Beyal."

He smiled. "My visions tend to help. They have become more frequent in these dire times. I have decided to let my tribe have their peace and have studied to become more skilled in my abilities as a monk. And I have taken in these wonderful children as my students. I take it you have already become acquainted?"

"I guess you could say that?" Chase said, scratching his head. "Where did they come from?"

"They are children who have lost their families when villages nearby were raided by STORM soldiers years ago. It is only inevitable after all. The children showed up at the monastery, clearly in distress. I decided to take them in and since this place is considered abandoned, nobody would think to look for them here."

Beyal twirled a lock of his long hair around a finger, absentmindedly. "They remind me of myself when I was their age. They are only kids and deserve better. Since Master Ey passed away fourteen years ago, I had to read up on all of these books by myself and help them as much as I could," he sighed.

"I only hope that I am even half as good a master as my Master Ey was. May he rest in peace."

Chase felt a smile bloom upon his lips. "I'm sure that you're doing a great job, Beyal. The little dark-haired girl even said so."

Beyal chuckled. "Yes, Mai has proven herself to be one of my more keener students. I am sure that she will do just fine when she becomes a skilled monk herself."

Chase' smile faded away, making way for a mask of seriousness to settle in its place. This was no time to stand by idly and eat cookies with an old friend. A veil of darkness had been cast over the world, a darkness that threatened the existence of hope, freedom and the coexistence of humanity and Monsunos, that he and his friends had been fighting for. "Beyal. We need to stop this misery while we still can. Say, have you tried to fight the Hand of Destiny in this future?"

Beyal stared at Chase with a blank expression. "Surely, you must have heard just an ounce of my long explanation just now? I cannot imagine that I let out the part where they conquered our world. The entire world, Chase," he stressed. He paused for a moment, head turned to the sacred marks of the five tribes on the wall. "It is not my business to stop this world domination of theirs."

Chase scoffed loudly in disbelief. "Not your business? Beyal-!"

"No. It is certainly not my business. Once upon a time, it may have concerned Team CoreTech. However, that team has long since perished."

Chase was silent. His eyes roamed the same wall that captured Beyal's attention, thinking it was not that long ago that he and his friends had their hands pressed to a similar wall made of ice. Five strong individuals, united as one. Chase' eyes were closed, recalling the good old days. He had to do something. He had to make this right.

When Chase opened his eyes, they were gleaming with a strong resolution.

"In that case, I think it's time for a little reunion."