The next morning, Atemu went about what will become his daily routine, and once he dressed himself, boots and all, he went to meet with his new friends in the dining room for breakfast. Once there, he took a seat by his beloved.
"Good morning Atemu." Tea said smiling. "I'm happy to see you up and about." Atemu smiled in return.
"Today is Sunday, so we're going to go to church this morning once we finish breakfast." Serenity said, "Then after that, most of us will be going to the training grounds to practice."
"It's a good thing too. I'm still not a full fledged Dragon Knight yet, but I've really improved in my skill." said Joey. While Scorch did some cheerful roars in congratulating his friend, Atemu looked up in interest at the mention of the Dragon Knights. Immediately he took hold of Tea's hand and did some writing.
"These Dragon Knights you speak of sound amazing!" Tea read, "Can you tell me about them? Why of course, Atemu! The Dragon Knights are holy warriors who are followers of the Divine Dragon, Bahamut. Have you heard of him before?" Atemu shook his head, so Tea continued. "Well, he's a very benevolent dragon god. You'll hear more about him when we go to church. Would you like to come with us?" A smile soon made its way on to the face of the former merman and he nodded.
"Okay then." Tristan said, "It's almost time to go anyway. We don't want to be late."
Once they arrived at the temple, Atemu silently gasped in awe at the magnificence of its elegant design. The building was made from white marble, carved with coiling Blue Eyes White Dragon statues. The doorway itself was decorated with resting dragons, as if to welcome all those who come with hearts pure with goodness. As Tea led him inside, Atemu felt a sense of peace. And if the building itself was amazing enough, the group entered the main chapel. The stained glass windows showed depictions of a Blue Eyes with a milky nebula in the background, topped with a five-pointed star. A larger version of this image was right by the altar, and Atemu's eyes widened in surprise when he saw who was there.
"Why hello there my friends!" Shadi greeted them, "I'm happy to see that you came early." The High Priest was wearing his usual garb, but along with that he wore a Bishop's Cap with a five-pointed star on the front.
"Good morning Shadi." Tea said. Shadi smiled when he took notice of a new face in the church.
"Ah, Atemu! I see you decided to come with them. May the Divine Dragon bless you on this day." Atemu only smiled. When Mass began, Shadi began with a greeting to all the people who were present, which was many. There was a choir there, which the former merman found impressive. After the introduction, Shadi read a scripture from one of the Books of Bahamut. Then the choir sang the song of the day, and Atemu listened with pride for that choir, with their voices of soprano, alto, tenor, baritone and bass groups all blending in perfect harmony. Though it saddened him that he would not be able to express his gift for a while, he was nevertheless mesmerized. Soon the song ended and Shadi began his sermon. Now when Atemu went to go to church in the sea god's temple, he just dawdled idly due to the fact that they had nothing to do with his own personal dogma. Here, however, he paid very close attention to the words of this benevolent god from the Realm Above. The teachings of the Blue Eyes Platinum Dragon described helping the needy, battling the forces of evil, and protecting and preserving all that is good from such forces. It spoke of Tiamat, the Fiendish Five Head, and of Bahamut's battle with her and ultimately, his triumph over the queen of wicked dragons. Finally, a god whose dogma shares the Prince's own ideals of chivalry and righteousness! He could not wait to see those Dragon Knights for himself!
After Church was over, the group had arrived at the training grounds of the Dragon Knights. Many knights-in-training were testing their skills of battle there, practicing with their favored weapons.
"A long time ago, an aspect of Tiamat terrorized the land," Joey said in explanation of the Order's origins, "That dragon burned down tons of villages and took many lives. But then, five warriors came and challenged the dragon. These five warriors were noble men and women riding dragons who opposed evil, the first Dragon Knights in existence. With Bahamut's aid, the five warriors vanquished the Fiendish Five's aspect with weapons and magic, and their noble deeds became legend. Soon after slaying that dragon, the five established the first Order of the Dragon Knights, for they knew that evil still plots against this world. And the rest is history."
"Joey wants to join the Knights and help them in their efforts to bring peace." Tristan said, "He's even memorized the story you just heard, so he can tell it to those interested." Atemu nodded in understanding. Looking to the side, he saw several dragons watching in a corner. One of them, with black scales and red eyes flew toward them stopping right just in front of them.
"Hey girl! How are ya doin'!" Joey said to that dragon as he walked towards it. It's quite obvious that he was very pleased to see this dragon. "Oh, Atemu! This is Obsidian, and she's what you call a Red Eyes Black Dragon. She and I have been pals since who knows how long." The dragon, Obsidian, growled in a friendly greeting to the new stranger. Atemu was amazed at the size of that dragon, but gathered enough courage to pet her. Such smooth scales she had as his hand ran across the dragon's neck!
"Ah, Mistress! We've been waiting for you and your friends!" said a sweet feminine voice that grabbed Tea's attention.
"Oh! Hello Lia!" she said to the elfin angel. Lia looked in Atemu's direction and smiled.
"I see that your friend has made a full recovery!" Lia said, "That's a big relief." Tea gently took hold of Atemu's arm.
"Atemu, this is Lia. She may be known as the Dark Witch, but she's very angelic."
"Such a beautiful name! It's a pleasure to meet you Atemu!" Lia said before turning to the princess. "Are you ready for your practice Mistress?"
"Yep," Tea replied, "I'll go get my spear and we'll do a practice spar." As the princess ran off to get her spear, another warrior approached the group. This man had an orange helm on his head, with a belt, boots, armbands, and a cloak all of the same color. The rest of his clothes were colored blue and in his hand he held a sword with a fiery yellow orange blade.
"Joseph! Ah, so you've come just in time!" the warrior said.
"Blaze! Glad to see ya today!" Joey said cheerfully, "I just figured out how to channel my long axe with fire!"
"That's my boy! You've finally channeled your weapon's inner fire!" Blaze replied with pride. It was at that moment that he saw the former merman. "Why hello there young stranger. Many know me as the Flaming Swordsman, but my closest comrades call me Blaze." The sword began to flicker with magical fire. "I received my title from this blade, for I have always been fascinated with infusing humanoid weapons with the fires of dragons. Now would you be so kind as to tell me your name?" Luckily for Atemu, Joey spoke on his behalf.
"His name is Atemu. He's basically mute, so he won't be able to answer even if he wants to."
"I see." Blaze said, "Well then Silent One, welcome to the Dragon Knights' training grounds." Atemu did a respectful bow in reply, which made the Swordsman smile.
"He's a very polite young man." he said to Joey, "I sure hope he decides to join the order. He has great potential."
"Well, anyway, I'll be going to go practice. You can watch if you want." Joey said. The prince nodded and as the blonde left, Tea returned with a spear in her hand. Atemu was amazed at the clothes she changed into. She wore shining silver chain mail, with white gloves and boots. Plated armor padded her shoulders and covered her whole chest, and it neatly shaped around her breasts to add to the beauty of the armor.
"Well Lia, I'm ready! Let's do this!" she said, and she and her partner went off to an open space. Tristan went elsewhere, leaving Atemu to watch his princess as she swung he spear ever so skillfully. So my Lady is also a capable warrior! he thought with an amazed smile, That's incredible! Looking around the arena, his eyes happened to spy four Blue Eyes White Dragons in the same corner as the other dragons. After staring at those dragons, Atemu's eyes widened in shock as he remembered a certain conversation.
"Seto's one of the Dragon Knights, isn't he?" Serenity asked.
"Yeah, and he's the proud owner of four Blue Eyes White Dragons." Tristan replied.
These must be the four Blue Eyes White Dragons that Tristan was talking about! Atemu realized, and he glared. This could only mean that Seto Kaiba is here too! With that in mind, he scanned the arena. Sure enough, there was Seto in the distance, aggressively thrusting his light cerulean sword. With skill that good, he must mean business when he faces the enemy. Atemu thought. It wasn't long before he spotted a lone sword, and with agonizing steps, he walked toward it and picked it up. It was a sword, quite different from a spear that's for sure. The blade, he knew, was longer than the hilt, in contrast to the long hilt and short blade of a spear. But what a beautiful weapon! The blade a bit large, yet it was as light as a feather in his hand, and the tip of the blade was topped with a single round sapphire. The hilt of the sword was decorated with the image of a dragon with wings spreading outward as if in flight. And in his hands, he could feel incredible power pulsing from it. Gripping the sword in one hand, he pointed it straight. As much as I hate the pain, perhaps I can use it to my advantage for a while. Since my Lady is a strong woman, capable of defending herself, the best I can do is fight by her side, and protect her when she does get in danger. He spied a straw dummy and began to shuffle his feet towards it. It was the first time he has ever used a weapon other than a spear, and he made some experimental thrusts.
"Hello there!" he heard a voice call to him. Pausing for a moment, Atemu turned to see a strong young man coming toward him. He wore mostly an earthy brown, with light tan pants, brown boots, and a blue cloak draped on his shoulders. Green armor rests on his shoulders, and his straight light blonde hair topped with a green cap decorated with two blades. But what Atemu found the most fascinating was the man's ears, for although they were not finned, they were definitely long and pointed. The man smiled in greeting to him. "I see that you are trying out that sword in your hand. Is this the first time you have ever used something like this?" Atemu nodded. "Well if you want me to, I can teach you how to use it. My name is Karim, I'm the Celtic Guardian of the elven woods. As you can already tell, I am one of the elves who live there. The Dragon Knights are staunch allies and I spend much of my time with them to further their cause. What is your name, by the way?" Atemu did not answer, but instead he placed his fingers briefly on his lips and patted his throat quickly. Karim understood immediately. "Oh I see, you don't have a voice. Well that doesn't matter, I'd be more than happy to teach you the ways of the sword. I've been told that those who tend to be quiet tend to be better listeners. So are you willing?" Atemu nodded in enthusiasm. And so part of the afternoon sped by as Atemu learned the ways to handle the sword, from the thrusts and parries and even the proper way to swing it. Karim was very much impressed at how quickly the young man learned, for in minutes he was almost like a pro. His swordplay was so graceful to watch that it attracted the other Knights in training, including Princess Tea and her friends.
"Hey guys, check it out! I didn't know Atemu can use a sword that well!" Tea said excitedly. Seto, in the distance, heard the crowds of trainees talking, and when he turned around, imagine his shock at what he saw. "Him again?" he muttered to himself, "And he can use a sword? That damn bastard! Let's see how well he can fight when he faces me!" But he knew that now was not the time to challenge his rival for the heart of the princess, in spite of the jealous rage building inside of him. So for the moment, he ignored his surroundings and continued practicing. Which was a good thing, because Tea had ran towards the former merman clapping.
"You were incredible Atemu!" she shouted happily, "I've never knew you can use a sword so well!"
"Atemu? Oh, so that's his name! It is my instruction that made it possible, Your Highness. I'm impressed at how he learns so quickly!" Karim explained. Atemu only blushed. But soon his face beamed with the pride of a warrior.
He wrote on Tea's palm, and Tea said for him in his silent words, "Thank you, Celtic Guardian." Just as I am willing to give up my tail in favor of legs, he decided silently, so too am I willing to give of my spear in favor of a sword.
Later that night, while everyone else was asleep, Atemu walked down to the beach in hopes of meeting up with his family and friends. And there they were, along with someone new in the group. He could not believe his eyes!
"Atemu! Over here!" Solomon called out. He had come with the others to see him! Atemu, tears in his eyes, ran over to the shore and there was much splashing and he and his grandfather embraced. "I was so worried about you!" the elderly merman said, "The others told me everything! Do you really want to be human for the rest of your life?" Atemu nodded. He took his finger and wrote in the sand.
Kisara, as Atemu's surrogate voice, read, "I would rather be human more than anything else."
"I see." Solomon said sadly, "Well what did you do today?" And so Atemu described going to church, and then going to the training grounds where his learned to use a sword for the first time. he even told in silence of the Order of Dragon Knights.
"Dragon Knights, eh?" Solomon said, "This sounds like and order fit for one as chivalrous as yourself. But who's going to protect you during all those battles, I wonder?" Atemu shrugged. To be honest, even he had no idea. That was when Mahaado made a startling suggestion.
"That's where we will come in. Mana and I will come to him and aid him in battle so we can help him protect his human princess and her world." he said.
"You and Mana?" Marik exclaimed, "But how? You guys can't go beyond the sea, otherwise the atmosphere of this world would kill ya!"
"Ever since I heard of the transformation spell from Pegasus, I got inspired. I making an experiment involving this sort of spell, only this one is not as dangerous as the one which Atemu is under. It's the first time I'll be putting this to use once we complete this experiment, so I'm not sure if it can work. But if it does, we'll become human as long as we desire." Atemu was shocked. His two best Dolphin Folk friends, humans? He could hardly imagine it. "We'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe from harm, even if it means we have to become human ourselves for a while. Please give us a chance Atemu!" Atemu hesitated for a moment, but finally he nodded his head to grant his friend his request.
"Well we'll see you later then!" Mana replied, "It'll take us a while to get this spell done, but once we succeed, you'd barely recognize us when you see us!" And so the merfolk went on their way, and Atemu went returned to the castle.