The plane ride was unsurprisingly quiet.
Taylor surveyed the silent jet.
Kuro was stretched out on the couch behind Taylor, one arm dangling off the edge, the other over her eyes. Across from her, Christina laid on the other couch, staring at the ceiling.
Down the aisle, Ryuto and Kakeru sat in two chairs, across from Lucas and Nero. The younger Tategami was gazing blankly out the window at the dark sky.
Meanwhile, Lucas was fiddling with his ebony right, gaze distant as Nero quietly spoke to him.
"Well," Hunter sighed as he sat in the seat across from Taylor. "These next few months are gonna be fun."
"I have a feeling our definitions of fun are the opposite," Next to Dynamis, Nefertiti stated. Her arms were crossed and eyes stormy, "Now... tell me about this legend."
"Why don't we wait until we land-" Ariana started, but winced when Nefertiti growled at her, "... Dynamis?"
"Nyx was the goddess of the night, in ancient Greece," Dynamis spoke, hands folded in his lap. "She was one that King Hades worshipped, and was a loyal follower to Nemesis as well. She was one of the reasons as to while it essentially became an eternal night."
"So last year...?" Nefertiti frowned.
"She wasn't even at full power yet," Dynamis shook his head. "The legend from the old times states that she needed a host to walk the earth... it was nearly two years later that she managed to find a suitable one. When she did, she came on to the ancient people with a vengance. The sky was dark, and because of the fact that the sun no longer shined, she brought unbalance to the seven elements."
"Death, Life, Nature, Fire, Air, Water, Earth," Nefertiti repeated. "... Because the sun wasn't shining, crops could grow, and that lead to death. Life was disappearing... the moon and its gravitational pull is a factor for the ocean tides. The change in atmosphere would have affected the air... I got nothing for the elements of Earth and Fire, though."
"The tectonic plates coorelate with the earth, and as an extension, volcanic activity," Hunter spoke up.
"I fail to see how the moon could affect earth and fire, though,"
"The earth was still recovering from Nemesis... the final two elements would have still been unstable, and just the slightest shift would have affected them again," Hunter finished.
"Okay, well that answers that question... who is who among us?" Nefertiti frowned. Upon the looks she got, she rolled her eyes, "We wouldn't be here if Dynamis hadn't called us out at the party."
"You're the element of Life," Dynamis said. "By historic accounts, you can heal any injury a person or yourself gets with a single touch. Supposedly, you can also raise the dead."
"How fitting," Nefertiti sighed. "So... in this case... we can use our elements?"
"It will be needed, to defeat Nyx, yes," Dynamis nodded. "Your training over the following three months will allow you to connect with your Spirits so that you may harness the power they possess."
"And to prevent what happened the last time Nyx walked the earth," Kelsea muttered.
Nefertiti narrowed her eyes, turning to the brunette, "Say again?"
"It's nothing to worry about-" Ariana began.
"Only the fact that we could be erased from existence because our bodies are too weak to handle the power our Beys have," Kuro said, from behind Taylor.
Taylor startled, tilting his head back to stare at Kuro, whose arms were crossed over the back of his seat.
"How did you-" Hunter gaped.
"I know this story, just under a different name- Chang Xi," Kuro stated. "In that story, she was defeated without the assisstance of the Spirits associated with the Seven. Though, Chang Xi managed to break the seal, and the Seven were too weak to fight back, so the Spirits took over their bodies and finished the fight. In the process though... the Seven's souls and minds were destroyed from the amount of power... it was too much for them to process."
"You're not wrong," Dynamis nodded. "That did happen."
"But that's why we'll be training you," Taylor said. "The stronger your bodies are, and the more used to harnessing your element you are... the less likely you are to... vanish."
"But there's still that risk,"
Taylor leaned into the aisle, blue eyes meeting the crystal blue gaze of Nero Konzern. Despite the information just dumped on him, he seemed oddly calm.
"Yeah..." Taylor nodded.
"Well..." Ryuto leaned over the arm of his chair, craning his head over his shoulder. "Like Gingka said before we skipped town... some risks need to be taken. " A dry smirk crossed his expression, "So what the hell? I'm in."
One Month Later
Christina jumped to the side as Kuro's shadow stretched over the lawn towards the blonde. Tapping the ground with her foot, Christina called upon here element, smirking as the grass stretched up, winding around Kuro's legs.
"What the hell-" Kuro started, yelping as she was flipped upside down, "Wait, no-"
Christina flicked her hand, and Kuro was hurled out of bounds.
"Crissie wins!" Ariana called, "Sorry Kuro."
"Ugh," Kuro groaned, sitting up. "Okay, I can handle that loss."
"Only a month in, and you two have excellent control over your elements. Christina, good work using the grass to trap Kuro. Kuro... your shadow control could use some work."
Christina grinned.
"Ryuto, Kakeru, you're up!"
The two boys stepped into the ring, staring each other down from opposite sides of the lawn.
"On your mark..."
"Get ready..."
"... Start!"
Ryuto moved first, firing off a sharp blast of air that arced towards Kakeru's head.
Kakeru ducked and rolled, throwing up a wall of Earth to block the air blast. He stared as the air cut the solid three foot thick wall in half, before disappating.
"A combination of atmospheric pressure and making the air dense enough to turn into a weapon of mass destruction," Ryuto stretched his arms over his head, cracking his knuckles. "Took a while to master, but then again... I've been training. Have you?"
Kakeru's eyes narrowed as he slowly stood up.
Ryuto smirked.
Kakeru bolted across the lawn, low to the ground.
Ryuto tensed, eyes narrowed.
Kakeru stopped short of Ryuto, dropping to the ground, and made to deliver a roundhouse kick.
"Oh please, you're too far away- Ahk!"
The ground erupted, circling Kakeru and following the line of his foot. Pillars of earth grew, and slammed into Ryuto's side, nearly knocking him out of bounds.
Damn. Not enough, Kakeru thought, standing.
Ryuto sat up on his hands and knees. He turned his head, glaring at Kakeru. A cut arched over his left eyebrow and down his temple.
"I stand corrected," Ryuto stood slowly, swaying a little.
Possible concussion, Kakeru deduced.
"Well, let me show you how it's really done," Ryuto grinned, eyes flashing from amber to a glowing teal.
The air shifted, and Kakeru choked at the sudden pressure. The air smelled of ozone, and Kakeru swore he saw Ryuto's already sharp fangs become longer. Briefly, Kakeru was reminded of Ryuga during the final battle of the Battle Bladers tournament, and it sent a shiver down the younger's spine.
Kakeru stepped back as lightning crackled to life around Ryuto.
Ryuto stretched an arm out towards Kakeru, his hand posed in a finger gun.
"Bang," Ryuto smirked, voice barely heard.
The tension in the air snapped, and the lightning was released, shooting towards Kakeru.
If I get hit with that, I'm dead, Kakeru thought. Quickly, he yanked his hand in an upwards motion, summoning a pillar of earth under him and rocketing into the air. A second later, he realized his mistake as he looked down.
The ground was still wet from Luke and Nero's earlier battle. And where ther was water when electricty met it...
"Oh fuck you Katashi!" Kakeru yelled as he threw himself off the wall. He hit the ground, rolling as the earth pillar exploded when the lightning met it.
"Ryuto wins- Kakeru out of bounds!" Ariana called.
Kakeru stood and looked down- sure enough, he'd landed on the wrong side of the white line.
Kakeru whipped around as Ryuto's eyes returned to normal.
If looks could kill, Ryuto would have been dead.