November 09, 2020:

Hello, everyone! Hope you are doing great!

So... weird stuff happen last week. I posted last chapter on Monday, but for some reason I couldn't see it, even if I got the notification that the chapter was up, and that it was on the list. Tried to upload it again next day, but the same happened. Seems like a weird glitch on the site or something. I hope you managed to see it.

Anyway, next chapter is up. This will be the last of the Library arc (Sure many of you are happy to hear that), and after that, is other stuff on their way to the Fire Temple. Hope you all like it :3

No soundtrack today because I'm lazy :V


Chapter 43: Unexpected meetings and goodbyes.

It was time…

The two weeks have passed by, and the main group have reunited on the lobby of the Library. It's been some days since a few of them have seen each other, and they were glad to see each other again.

"So Steve, how went the training?" asked Kuarzo, looking at the young mage, who's face showed he didn't get enough sleep.

"It was hell." Said the mage, taking a deep breath. "Master Duncan was VERY strict and serious. I had trained in a few days what I didn't do in weeks."

"As it should be." Said Duncan, crossing his arms, smiling. "Now you are on the level that you should be if you trained during these past few weeks. Imagine how strong you would have been if you DID train before."

"I just want to sleep more…"

"Aww, poor baby Steve wants to sleep?" said Kuarzo, before she grabs her own breasts and push them together to make them look bigger. "Say, what to use them as pillows? I'm sure they are comfy."

"Fuck off! I don't want to sleep on your saggy tits!" Steve exclaimed, causing Kuarzo to get angry.

"My tits are NOT saggy, idiot!"

"Besides, I thought they were for your 'Alan-kun'. What happened? Tired of him?"

"I won't get tired of Alan-kun! I was just wondering if you still think the same. Yep, the same Steve I know."

"Are you messing with me?"

"Mayyybeee…?"

"…bitch…"

"…bastard…"

They looked at each other, before they just laugh because of the silliness of the situation. Close to them, Kristal, Dinara and Iridia were looking at them, and the blondie one just sighed.

"Those two have an interesting friendship." Said Hinoka, as she got close to them.

"Yeah, they have been like that since they were kids." Said Kristal, releasing a small laugh. "And they are still kids."

"So that is the friendship they share?" asked Dinara with intrigue.

"Yeah, and they do have a good one." Said Iridia releasing a smile. A smile that disappeared when she heard Steve talking again.

"If I wanted a soft pair of breasts to use as pillows, I will ask for Kristals or Iridia's! Dinara's boobs are good too! Heck, even that banshee Hinoka has a good pair."

"Hey! Who are you calling a banshee, you idiot!" exclaimed Hinoka, as she was furious, just like Kristal, Dinara and Iridia. This caused Steve to look at them in fear.

"Damn, how did they hear me?!" Steve exclaimed, causing Kuarzo to look at him with indifference.

"You were just screaming right now." Said the busty blondie.

"I was? I thought I was speaking low!"

"You never speak low when talking about a girl's breasts or ass." Kuarzo said, just as Castanea stood on her head.

"Same old Steve." Said the Kuriboh. "The same pervert than before."

Close to them, Duncan and Strum were watching their students interact with each other.

"They seem lively." Said Strum.

"Like any other day." Commented Duncan, sighing a little. "Well, good to see they haven't changed."

"They did become stronger. Iridia, Kuarzo and Kristal grew up without our help. They are smart girls. I can see a bright future for them. Steve too, he just needs to be less lazy."

"I know, I know."

Duncan then noticed something: Sapphire, Vivian and Rubina were a little separated from them, speaking to each other. He noticed something in their faces, like they were…sad.

"The three Sages seem depressed." Commented Duncan, studying their faces. "Does it have to do with what you told me at night?"

"Yes, old friend." Said Strum, releasing a sigh. "I'm sure they will tell us soon, as soon as Alan arrives. Speaking of, where is he?"

"Patience, old friend." Said the Dark Magician. "I'm sure they will come soon."

A few more minutes passed, and the group continued to talk to each other. Since Alan and David haven't arrived and it seems it will take more time for them to do so, Duncan and Strum decided to show what Strum has been working on.

"Alright, everyone, come here." Said Strum, calling everyone's attention. "I have something special for you all."

"What is it, Master?" asked Iridia in confusion.

"At Duncan's suggestion, I have been working on some talismans to increase our magical energies." He answered, as he summoned several talismans around him.

They were small orbs, like Materia, but they were surrounded by a semicircular stone object that keep the orb in place. They came in three colors, Green, Blue and Yellow, each one representing the elements of Wind, Water and Lighting respectfully. Inside the orb were a triangle, similar to the 'Spell Counter' logo, on it. The great majority already knew about it, but they were still surprised by it.

"So those are the talismans you were working on, Master Strum?" asked Kristal with intrigue, as she had already seen those orbs before.

"Exactly." Said the green clothed mage. "I managed to make several of them, so each one will take three."

"How do they work?" asked Steve, very thankful for being saved from the girls that wanted to kill him.

"It just works as a magic enhancer. Every time you use a spell, this talisman will activate, allowing you to use less mana than you will normally use. It also lets you use spells that you would not normally have enough energy to cast."

"So it reduced mana consumption and cost?" asked Dinara with intrigue, while Kuarzo behind her smiled in excitement.

"Indeed! You can always overcharge it with your own energy over time, so in some moments, you can use the energy you store it. Just be careful, since overcharge it will also affect your own body."

Everyone took three of those talismans, one of wind, one of water and one of lighting, and placed them in some place on their uniform, mostly in the belts and on their wrists, like Alan uses his wristwatch. However, both Dinara and Castanea didn't take any of them.

"I don't think that would work on us." Said Dinara. "We don't use magic, so…"

"We thought about that." Commented Duncan, and smiled. "You don't use magic, you use your life energy, right?"

"Uh, yes, yes I do."

"Well, we created these one's for you." Said Strum, as he summoned other three talismans, these ones were of a dull blue, different from the three elements, and with a dragon emblem on it. "We combined the fragments of the Crystals with some strange stone we found in the library, and we used it to create these ones. These talismans will react to your own energy, and will work as the Crystallum Talismans that we created. I called it, Draco Talismans."

"Really, Master? Dragon Talismans?" asked Kuarzo, not believing what she heard. "You couldn't think of a better name?"

"Well, it was made of a stone named Dragon Stone, so… it makes sense…"

"Really, Master…you are BAD at naming things." Said Iridia, releasing a sigh, causing everyone to laugh.

Meanwhile, Dinara took the talismans and place them on her body: one on the belt and two on her writs, hidden by her long sleeves.

"Thank you, Master Strum." Said the white dragon lady. "I will be sure to use them properly."

"Sure, I hope it helps!" said Strum, nodding in agreement.

"So…" started Castanea. "What about me? I don't think you have some of those talismans for me, right? I can't use magic…"

"Ah, but you have weapons." Said Duncan in response. "Please, summon your weapons."

Castanea did so and place them on the floor. It was a short sword, a short spear, and a small shield, all of them in the typical iron color. Strum summoned nine smaller orbs, probably the size of a marble, in the 3 colors of the elemental crystals themselves. Duncan used his magic to make them levitate and Strum used his to send the orbs into it, three for each one. The orbs fused with the weapons: three orbs of different colors fused on the blade of the sword in a parallel line to the blade, close to the handle; three on the blade of the spear in the same formation as the sword; and three to the shield, forming a triangle in the middle of it. As this happened, the three weapons glowed, and transformed from iron into silver.

"Ohhh, mystical." expressed Castanea with some 'fake' surprise. "So, what did you do with my weapons?"

"We gave you the ability to cast spells, create elemental attacks and absorb magic." Said Duncan, surprising Castanea, for real this time.

"Oh? Really?"

"Yes." Strum answered. "We know you can't use spells, so we decided to help you on that. For the Sword and Spear, you can activate an element and your weapon will be powered by it. You can also use either Wind, Water or Thunder attacks. Just yell the spell and it will be used."

Really?" Asked Castanea, grabbing her sword and looking at it…before she pointed it at Steve. "THUNDER!"

A lightning bolt flew towards Steve, who didn't expect that, and got shocked by the attack. The young mage fell to the ground in pain.

"It works!" exclaimed Castanea in surprise.

"W-why you did that, f-furball?!" asked Steve, as he recovered from the attack.

"Because you are a pervert. Believe me, this was the best 'punishment' you could receive."

"…point taken, that didn't hurt THAT much."

"Anyway…" continued Strum. "Those spells have the potency of a Level Two, -RA level spell, so you have some options."

"And the shield…" Duncan continued. "…will absorb all of the magical energies that are thrown against you. It will be easier to absorb wind, water and thunder energies, but it can absorb other elements too."

"Ohhh! Neat!" said Castanea, looking at her enhanced weapons. "But why silver, though?"

"Because it's mythical." Answered Strum, causing everyone to sigh in disappointment.

"Anyway, thanks for that, boys." Said the Kuriboh, as she dismissed her weapons. "I will use them for good."

"Alright, then that is all." Said Duncan. "I hope you like them."

"We all did, Masters." Steve answered in annoyance. "Now, if only Alan just got here already…"

"Actually, I was already here for a while."

Suddently, everyone turned to look to the stairway and they saw that both Master David and Alan himself were in there.

"Yo!" exclaimed Alan, announcing his presence.

Before anyone could even answer, one blondie just dashed towards him.

"ALAN-KUN!" exclaimed Kuarzo, as she immediately closed the distance between them and jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly, and obviously, pressing her body tightly on his. "I missed you SO MUCH!"

"Woa! Hey, Kuarzo! Calm down!" exclaimed Alan, actually glad to see her.

The blondie girl hugged him, having missed him for so long. However, as she hugged him tightly, she noticed something…different. She used her body to examine him, something that was quite enjoyable for him. Kuarzo noticed many different things, specially once she separated from him.

He was thinner.

Alan was a robust man, more on the chubby side, mostly because he himself said he did almost to no exercise on his world. However, the Alan she was seeing was thinner. The baby fat on his face was gone, and when she hugged him, couldn't feel his belly. Most notably, his arms feel… firmer, like if they…

"Alan-kun, remove your jacket."

"Uh? What? Why?" asked the confused human.

"Just do it!" exclaimed the busty blondie, before she removed his jacket on her own, despite his protest.

Once she removed it, she saw what she wanted to see: muscles. Alan's arms now had more defined muscles, where once they were more flaccid.

"Ohhh! Look at those muscles!" she exclaimed, as she decided to hug Alan's right arm, sandwiching it between her breasts. "Ohh! It even fells different!"

"K-Kuarzo, what are you doing?" asked Alan with embarrassment. While he DOES like the sensation of Kuarzo's breasts pressed against him, it was still strange.

"Wait!" she exclaimed. "If your arms are like that, then…" she said, before she lifted Alan's white t-shirt…and what she saw made her purr.

Abs…

…Not exactly big, but they were starting to become a little notable. What was sure is that his belly was gone.

"Wow, Alan-kun! What happened to you?! You look GREAT!" Exclaimed Kuarzo in surprise.

"Uh…what?" he asked in confusion

"Is he? I want to see!"

Suddently, the rest of the girls surrounded him to look at him, and they were surprised to see him, not only because they haven't seen him in two weeks, but because of how much changed he was.

"Wow! You look so thin!"

"And now you have muscles, Master Alan!"

"What kindz of training ye did, friend Alan?"

"Woa! Girls! Calm down!" exclaimed the confused human, although glad for all the attention.

Kristal was probably the one who keep more of her distance, and while she didn't say anything, she took a glance at Alan's stomach and arms when one of the girls wanted to take a look. She couldn't help to blush a little.

Meanwhile, both Duncan and Strum looked at the event with intrigue, but not only because of Alan's new body shape.

"Did you noticed?" asked Duncan to his friend.

"…No, I didn't." answered Strum with intrigue.

"Exactly. When did he arrived? I couldn't detect him."

"Me neither. I understand of Master David, but not for him. How?"

"He learned how to conceal his aura."

Both magicians turned back in surprise to see that David was behind them.

"Master David?" asked Strum with intrigue.

"Sorry to surprise you both." Said the older mage. "But yeah, Alan has learned how to conceal most of his aura. It's still not perfect, but if you don't expect it, you wouldn't be able to feel his presence."

"What kind of training did you gave him?"

"That is only between him and me." The older mage answered. "But if you want to see the results…"

"What do you mean?"

"You will see." David answered, before turning to look at Alan, who was still surrounded by girls. "Alan! Why don't you power up and show them the results of your training?"

"Uh? Oh, right."

At his request, the girls that were surrounding him gave him some distance. After that, Alan closed his eyes and…suddently, his aura flared up, and the pressure in the area increased considerably, surprising everyone in there. After a few seconds, his aura disappeared, and he returned to normal.

"It can't be!" exclaimed Steve in surprise. "If that was your aura, you are as strong as Master Duncan when we entered this Library!"

"Oh, it was nothing." Said Alan, laughing nervously.

"Nothing?! You are AS STRONG as Master DUNCAN when we arrived here! Do NOT underestimate that!"

"This is so awesome, Alan-kun!"

"Ye ar so ztrong now, friend Alan!"

The human was really moved by this. It was really a long time since someone praised him like that, especially if those were busty cute girls like the ones in here.

"Damn, human! You are indeed strong!" exclaimed Hinoka, as she slapped Alan's shoulder with all her might.

"Ow! Hey, I'm not made of rubber!" Alan exclaimed.

"So, Alan…how was the training?" asked Duncan with intrigue. Alan just sighed in exhaustion.

"It was INTENSE!" he expressed. "I only sleep four to five hours a day and the rest was for training, all of that during a month and I was be-"

"Wait!" exclaimed Kristal. "A month? But we only stayed in here for two weeks."

"Not at all, miss." Said David. "We trained in a special room where we applied a Hasteza spell on it. Inside the room, time passed twice as fast as in the outside."

"WHAT?!" Vivian asked in surprise. "You mean Mister Alan was training for a whole month?"

"Indeed. And unlike the rest of you, he couldn't leave the room until the training was done, or else he would have wasted that time."

"WHAT?!" asked Kuarzo now. "You mean Alan-kun was alone for a whole month?!"

"Geez, man!" expressed Castanea, before turning to look at Alan. "How did you manage to survive that?!"

"Meh, it wasn't that hard." Alan answered, shrugging as everyone look at him. "Back on Earth I was very Asocial, so I stayed home on my computer. For me, staying alone for a large amount of time is nothing as long as I had something to do that I like. Besides, Master David was with me, so I didn't go crazy or anything."

"You…are weird, meatbag."

"Says the big eyed furball."

The minutes passed and everyone was getting ready. They have prepared their supplies and took everything they needed. David was looking at them, and smiled.

"Well, seems like it's time for you to depart." Said David.

"It seems so, Master David." Said Duncan. "Thank you all for letting us use the Library and its knowledge."

"It was a pleasure, my friend. I hope it helps you with your mission, and that you will save this world from darkness."

"I hope it does."

Close by, the female mages Kristal, Kuarzo, Iridia and Hinoka looked at each other, and say their goodbyes.

"Well girls, it was an honor to train with you." Said the redhead Hinoka.

"It was, miss Hinoka." Iridia answered. "It was so much fun."

"Yeah, and we learned so much!" exclaimed Kuarzo.

"We are grateful that you managed to help us." Kristal said.

"Oh, don't worry, it was fun! I just hope you girls could stay in here more, but oh well."

"Yeah, it was fun. Hope to see you again, Hinoka."

"You bet! And next time, we will have a rematch, blondie!"

"Of course we will!"

After saying their goodbyes, the group reached the door of the Library, ready to depart, and continue their adventure...

…or so they though.

"We…we are not going…"

The group stopped and turned back to look at 3 of their group who didn't move with them to go out of the Library.

The Three Sages…

"Girls?" Alan asked, as the three had their heads low. "Are you alright?"

"I'm sorry, Mister Alan…but we can't go with you." Said Vivian, rubbing her arms.

"Uh? But why not?"

"Zorry, frien Alan, but it's something we most do…" expressed Rubina with sadness.

"What? How? What do you have to do?"

"…"

Duncan looked at the girls with intrigue.

"So you are going to do it?" asked the Dark Magician, calling the attention of the 3 girls.

"Mister Duncan, we…" started Sapphire…but she didn't finish.

"Sorry, it was because of me."

The group turned to look at the staircases, to look at a beautiful, and busty, blondie magician, with pale skin and purple/violet robes. The woman, a little older than the young ones on the group by two years, had her hood on her head, and was walking down the stairs reaching the lobby where she meets everyone.

"Oh? So you decided to go down here? What for?" asked David with intrigue.

"I had to do something, Mister David, or else I would never live in peace." Said the woman, as she walked towards the group. She took her hood of to reveal her face. "Hello, my name is…"

"Sister Kunzita?!"

The whole group turned to look back at the one who said that…

The Mahoro Sisters, Kristal and Kuarzo.

And many of them were extremely surprised.

"Wait…what?!" asked Alan, being one of the surprised ones.

"S-sister?" asked Steve.

The blond haired mage smiled, as she saw the other two blondies.

"Kristal…Kuarzo…it's been so long…"

"Sister Kunzita!"

Both blondies immediately flew towards the other girl, and hug her tightly.

"Were have you been, Kunzita?!" exclaimed Kristal in surprise. "We haven't seen you since we were 5 years old! Why are you here?"

"I'm sorry, sister Kristal, but I had no choice." Expressed Kunzita, hugging her tightly. "I was send here for a reason, and that is why I couldn't contact you or the rest."

"But we thought you were gone!" exclaimed Kuarzo, with tears in her hands. "When you disappeared back then, we thought the worst!"

"I'm sorry, Kuarzo, but it was for the best."

"What do you mean?" asked Kristal in confusion.

"I have so much to tell you, girls, but we are short on time. I am just glad you girls are ok."

"So do we, Kunzita-neechan!" exclaimed Kuarzo.

As the girls stop hugging each other, and turned to everyone.

Alan was surprised. The new girl look EXACTLY like Kristal, just a bit more mature. She could pass for her twin, unlike Kuarzo.

"Everyone…" started Kristal. "Let me introduce you all to Kunzita Mahoro, our long lost sister."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Said the magician girl in purple robes. "Like my sister said, I am Kunzita, and I have been living here for the last 12 years."

"Oh, so Kunzita was your real name?" asked Strum with intrigue, the woman smiled in response.

"Exactly. Sorry if I never told you about it."

"You know Master Strum?" asked Kuarzo in confusion.

"I do, as he was one of the people who escorted me here."

"What?!" Kuarzo exclaimed in surprise, before looking at her teacher. "MASTER! Why didn't you tell us you KNEW where Kunzita-neechan was?!"

"I didn't even KNEW her name; let alone she was your sister." the master protested, although she still gained Kuarzo's angry look. For some reason, Iridia did the same, although in less intensity.

Alan was looking back and forth. The Sages saying they don't want to come with them and a new sister for Kristal and Kuarzo was too much for his mind.

"Ok, this is getting confusing." Said Alan, feeling a headache coming. "Does ANYONE else have a secret that they are willing to share?"

"I'm sorry, but we should discuss all of this." Said Kunzita, as she took a deep breath. "I…I was send here by order of the leader of the Spellcasters."

"Our Master?" asked Duncan with intrigue.

"Yes. It was because I have a particular ability: the power to see more clearly into the future."

"The future?" asked Alan. "Are you some kind of seer?"

"More or less. Every spellcaster has the ability to see the future in their dreams. However, it is very basic, and it shows only a small portion of them. I, on the other hand, can see more deeply into the fabric of the events. So, to polish my powers, I was send here in a secret mission, hence why I had to leave my home very quickly. The Master of the Spellcasters selected a team to send me here, and Strum was part of that team. We have known each other since then."

"Yeah. I must say she was pretty weird, not knowing her name and anything." Said Strum, scratching his head. "It was one of the first missions I had with my Master and teammates."

"So that was the secret mission you went when we were 16?" asked Duncan with intrigue.

"Indeed, old friend. That was it. I must say it was…interesting."

"So that is why you left, Kunzita?" asked Kristal, looking at the blondie besides her.

"Indeed, Kristal." Said the lost sister. "I am sorry for worrying you all, but it was for the best."

"You have so much to explain, Kunzita-neechan!" exclaimed Kuarzo, puffin her cheeks in anger.

"I know, but everything will be done in time. Unfortunately, I can't come with you yet."

"Why not?"

"Well, since I have been here, I have perfected my ability to see into the future…and when the Crystals started to shatter, I decided to see what the future of this world was."

"And?"

"…You will all die…"

This shut everyone up, as they centered their eyes on her.

"W-what?" asked Iridia in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"What you heard me." Expressed Kunzita. "Everyone in this group of yours will all die at the end of this journey. I have seen the future and all the events that will lead to it. No matter what you do, it will all end in the same: you all die…by Exus' hands."

"You mean… Exus will be released?" asked Castanea.

"Exactly. That is the sequence of events that will happen."

"I don't believe it!" exclaimed Alan in anger. "The Future is NOT written! Even if there are things that we are destined to do, not all of it is set in stone. We MAKE our own future!"

"That I want to believe, Alan from Earth." Said Kunzita, confusing the human. "Yes, I know about you, and what you are destined to do. You are the last hope this world has, because you yourself…are a variable."

"A variable?"

"Yes. For some reason, I CAN'T see your future, therefore, every future that has to be with you is an enigma. I can only see the possible causes, but with you close, they are harder to do. Well, that is normal, after all, Chaos is the Destroyer of Destiny."

"Chaos is…the Destroyer of Destiny?"

"Yes. Chaos doesn't care about Destiny. He is a wildcard, as its name sake, chaos. So you, as the vessel of Chaos, are a wildcard. You write your own future."

"I do?"

"Yes. To be fair, everyone can write their own future, but still, we are ruled by our fates. Chaos is not. He does his own future, his own destiny. So you are the best chance we have to save this world…and to increase those chances, I have decided to do another thing."

"What is it?"

"It has something to do…with them." She said, as she pointed at the three Sages. "I saw the future of you all, and even if you all die at the end, there is a ray of hope. And for that, I need the three Sages."

"For what reason?" asked Strum.

"To get the Rokuyosinkan."

The group looked at each other in confusion.

"The Roku-what now?" asked Alan in confusion.

"Rokuyosinkan." said Kunzita. "Also known as the Six Element Seal."

"Master Duncan…" started Steve. "Do you know about that?"

"I remember hearing about it once…" said Duncan, trying to remember. "But I do not remember what is that."

"It's simple, Master Duncan." Said David. "The magic spell known as Rokuyosinkan was the spell that used the Crystals to seal Exus away in the first place."

"What?!" asked Steve.

"Well, it's obvious." Said Duncan. "After all, he WAS sealed the first time."

"Exactly." Said David. "It is also translated as 'Seal of the Six Elements', and it is one of the only spells that we don't have in here… because to learn it, you NEED to be at one place."

"And where is that?" asked Dinara with confusion…before she understood. "Wait…don't tell me…"

"Yes: The Palace of the Crystals."

Everyone opened their eyes in surprise after hearing of that place. Alan, however, had no idea of what is happening.

"…what is the Palace of the Crystals?" questioned the human in confusion, one that Strum helped to remove.

"It's the place where the three Ancient Gods and the twelve Golden Warriors created the Crystals." Said the green tunic mage. "After their creation, a Palace was created in their name, and it is filled with magical energies."

"Yes, and in there, there is a spell to seal even the most powerful darkness using the power of the Crystals." Expressed David. "It's a spell that can only be learned in there, and only by the Sages."

"That is right." Said Kunzita. "And that is my plan: to take the Sages to the Palace of the Crystals so that they can learn that spell. It's the only thing that could seal or weaken Exus. That is why I talked to them yesterday, and why I plan to take them with me to that place."

"You are going to the Palace of the Crystals?" asked Strum with intrigue.

"Yes, and I have to take the Sages with me, so that they all can learn the spell. There are only 3 Sages, but I am sure it will be enough to at least weaken Exus enough to beat him."

"And we said yes." Expressed Sapphire, looking down. "I'm sorry, everyone, but this is something that we must do."

"We…We want to change our future!" exclaimed Vivian, also looking down.

The group looked at each other to see what to do, and after a few seconds, they just smiled.

"We understand." Said Duncan. "It is a very important mission."

"Yeah, it will be sad to see you go, but if it's important, then we understand." Commented Iridia.

The three Sages sighed in relief, when Dinara walked towards them.

"We didn't know each other THAT much." Said the dragon lady. "And while this is so sudden, I appreciate all the time we passed together with, and will hope you come back to us."

"Oh, ye betcha!" exclaimed Rubina. "We'll be back in no timez!"

"So…" Alan started. "Where is this Palace of the Crystals?"

David used a spell to summon an image of the world, showing the continents and where they were at that moment. He signaled a point north of where they were.

"On a large island, north-east from here and directly north from the Port City of Balm, there is the entrance to the Palace."

"So the Palace is on the island?" asked Alan, and David just shook his head.

"No, it's just the entrance. You need to go there, since the place where the Palace truly is located is…in another realm."

"You don't mean on another planet…right?"

"No. It's in the sky."

"The Sky?"

"Yes: it's an island in the sky, where the Valkiries and the Archlords reside, in the middle of the ocean between the three continents. In there, is the Palace of the Crystals."

"I…I see. Sounds a very important place."

"It is." Said David, as he turned to look at the Sages. "In there, you will learn more of the Crystals, so I hope it benefits you all."

The Sages all nodded, still a little sad because they have to leave their friends.

"Master David." Said Kunzita, as she approached the older mage. "I know I and the Sages are more than enough to handle any situation, but I request if you could help us with someone to go with us."

"I do agree, and I know what to do about it." Said David, before he turned to a certain redhead. "Hinoka, I have a mission for you."

"Master?" asked Hinoka in confusion.

"Your mission is to go with lady Kunzita and the Sages, and to protect them from anyone who will try and attack them. You will be their guardian. That will be your mission."

"A-Are you sure, Master?" asked Hinoka, with some fear. "I-I have never got out of the Library, so…"

"It will be fine. You need to see the world of our ancestors, and you will learn some things that you wouldn't in the Library. You can't stay in here all your life. You need to live. And once you learn about the outside world, you will decide if you want to stay in here or go explore the world. I believe you will make the best choice."

"Y-Yes, Master David! I will not fail you!" Exclaimed Hinoka, before she went to prepare her supplies.

As the redhead mage disappeared into the Library, Castanea turned to look at the group.

"I think I will go with them, guys." Said the Kuriboh, confusing the group.

"But why do you want to go?" asked Steve. "You have nothing to do with them."

"They are low on swords, so I will like to help them in that." Said Castanea.

"But Hinoka has her halberd…"

"Yeah, but they are also low in numbers. You guys have two masters and the Keyblade Champion…although he looks lame."

"Hey!" exclaimed Alan in anger.

"We get you." Said Strum. "Alright, if you think that is for the best…"

"It is." said Castanea. "My Heart tells me it is."

As they waited for the redhead mage, the group began to say their goodbyes. Quickly, Kristal and Kuarzo got near to Kunzita, with Iridia very close by.

"It was good to see you again, big sis." Said Kristal, still not believing she had meet her lost sister.

"Yeah! We're glad that you are ok!" expressed Kuarzo, not managing to contain her happiness. "I just hope you could come with us."

"Me too." Said Kunzita. "But do not worry. We will meet again soon."

"Does that come from your vision?" asked Kristal.

"No…it comes from my Heart." Said the older female, placing a hand on her chest. "I just know we will."

"We will!" Kuarzo exclaimed, before noticing something. "So…do you have other clothes or you are going to leave in those robes?"

"Oh? Right, I forgot." Said Kunzita. "I see you girls managed to become Magician Girls. Dark Magician Girl and Apprentice Illusion Magician, eh?"

"Yeep! And we were on top of our classmates!"

"I see. Then we are all the same."

"What do you mean?" asked Kristal with intrigue.

Kunzita just smiled, before snapping her fingers. Immediately, her clothes transformed: they weren't mage robes anymore, and in its place, she wore clothes similar to Kristal's Dark Magician Girl ones… only in black and silver.

"I am a Magi Magi Magician." Expressed Kunzita, now with her new mage robes that, just like Kristal and Kuarzo's, empathizes her figure…specially her large breasts, that were a bit larger than theirs, probably Sapphire's size. Also, her clothes revealed a tattoo on an ankh, some sort of Egyptian cross, over her breasts.

"Ohhh! You look awesome, sis!" exclaimed Kuarzo in surprise.

"Yeah, those clothes look similar than mines." Commented Kristal with intrigue, as her clothes were mostly similar to her's, with some changes.

"It's kind of an evolution of the Dark Magician Girl ones." Said Kunzita. "It was good that we all have the same or similar."

Kunzita then turned to look at Alan, who was bickering with both Steve and Castanea, something about he being lame or something.

"So…that is Alan, the human from another world, right?" asked Kunzita with intrigue.

"Yeah, that is Alan." Said Kristal. "He is a good man. I meet him close to the Wind Temple."

"Alan-kun is the BEST!" exclaimed Kuarzo. "He was so cool before, but now he is even cooler! And manly, now that he has trained!"

"Is that why you like him?" asked Kunzita. "I noticed you named him 'Alan-kun', in here and in my visions."

"Yep! Also because of his sad past, but he has something that I love!" the brown skinned mage expressed, before smiling maliciously. "Say, now that you are here, maybe we all can share him!"

"W-What?!" Kunzita asked in surprise, obviously taken back by this.

"Don't say stupid things, Kuarzo!" exclaimed Kristal in anger.

"Aw, but come on, Kristal-oneesan! I'm sure Kunzita-oneesan will like him! And he will like her too!"

"W-What makes you say that?" asked Kunzita, kind of not wanting to know the answer.

"Because Alan-kun LOVES large breasts. And Kunzita-oneesan's breasts are huge too! He will love them!"

"W-what?!" Kunzita asked, unconsciously placing both of her hands over her cleavage, trying to hide it.

"Yep! And since Kristal-oneesan likes him too, we can all love him!"

"Stop it, Kuarzo!" exclaimed Kristal. "D-Don't say stupid things!"

"Uh?" asked Kunzita. "So, you like him?"

"Eh? W-well… a little…" said Kristal, slightly blushing while evading her older sister's look. "He…is not that bad, just a bit silly…"

"Kristal-oneesan just denies she likes him too." Said Kuarzo, causing Kristal to blush more.

Kunzita turned to look at Alan, who still was discussing with Castanea and Steve. Without saying a word, she began to walk towards him, confusing both of her sisters. The two men were still discussing with Castanea, when they noticed the newcomer, and immediately noticed her change of look, something that surprised both of them.

"Oh. Y-you are Kristal and Kuarzo's sister, right?" asked Alan, trying REALLY hard to look at her face and not down… mostly because that ankh symbol on her chest pulled his eyes there.

"Yes, I am, Alan from Earth. My name is Kunzita, I am Kristal and Kuarzo's older sister. It is an honor to finally meet you in person." Said the purple eyed magician, something that confused the young man.

"So how do you know me?"

"I have seen you all in my dreams and prophecies. Like I said before, you are the key, the wild card, the variable that could save us. I wanted to meet the vessel of Chaos and see who he is in person." Said Kunzita, smiling a little. "And since I know my younger sisters appreciate you, I know you are a good person."

"Oh, I see." Said Alan, laughing nervously.

Then, Kunzita did something that Alan, Kristal, Kuarzo and Steve didn't expect: she put her hand on her cleavage and pull out something: a medallion, that she offered to him.

"I-I want you to have this." Said Kunzita, looking away while blushing. "It's a charm that I have prepared, infused with my own energy."

"Uh… T-thanks." Said Alan, taking the medallion. "Uh…Is there a reason why you had it between your breasts?"

"D-don't take it the wrong way." She said, still evading his eyes. "The reason is because I had to keep it close to my Heart to give it my energies, so…"

"Ah, I get it. Well, I have only talked to you this time, but I do appreciate the gift. Thanks, I will keep this close to me."

"I-It was an honor to meet you." She said, as she quickly turned back and returned to her sisters, while Alan looked closely at the medallion, that had a feather covering an ankh symbol behind it.

Back with her sisters, Kunzita saw that both her sisters looked at her with different reactions. Kristal with surprise…and Kuarzo with malice.

"Kunzita…what was that?" asked Kristal in confusion.

"Hehe, so Kunzita-neesan fell in love with Alan-kun too? Fufufu" asked Kuarzo.

"I-It's not like that." Said Kunzita, looking away. "It's just that I HAD to give him that medallion. It was part of a vision I had to stop the destruction of the world."

"Really?" asked Kristal, arching an eyebrow. "And does that vision included pulling that medallion from between your breasts?"

"Uh… not really, but I just forgot it was there, and…well…"

"Suure…and it has NOTHING to do that it was just when Kuarzo said he like large breasts, right?"

"No, not at all."

"Hehe, this will be fun." Said Kuarzo. "If we all love Alan-kun, he will be extremely happy! Oh, we should convince the others!"

"NOT NOW, KUARZO!" exclaimed Kristal in anger.


Minutes passed and Hinoka returned, now with her supplies. And so, the group divided in two.

The Crystal Team, composed of: Kristal, Kuarzo, Iridia, Dinara, Alan, Steve, Duncan and Strum.

The Palace Team, composed of: Kunzita, Hinoka, Castanea, Vivian, Sapphire and Rubina.

"So…this is it then." Expressed David, looking at the two groups.

"It seems so." Said Duncan. "This is where we depart."

"I will open a portal so both of you can get out of the forest and don't need to walk the rest of it, since we are in the middle of it."

The two groups looked at each other, and nodded.

"We wish you good luck, on your adventure." Expressed Strum. "May our paths cross again."

"It will." Said Kunzita. "Our fate is to meet again."

As they said their goodbyes, Sapphire and Vivian approached Alan.

"So…this is a goodbye, Sir Alan." Said Sapphire, a little sad about it.

"No, this is not a goodbye." Alan answered. "It's an 'until we meet again'."

"We will miss you, Mister Alan." Commented Vivian, crying a little.

"So do I, girls. We have been together for some weeks already, but I will always have you in my heart."

"Mister/Sir Alan…"

Without warning, both girls got close to him… TOO close, pressing their breasts on his body, while also giving him a kiss on both of his cheeks. This caused Alan to turn completely red, and the other girls to look at this in surprise.

"Girls…" said Alan in surprise.

"We hope we will see you again, Mister Alan." Said Vivian, smiling cheerfully.

"And next time, we will win your heart." Said Sapphire.

"That is…what our heart is telling us." Both of them said that, as they smiled and then began to walk away.

Alan stood still, not knowing what to do. He knew he had to do SOMETHING after what he just got, especially since those two have been with him since forever. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Time to have more courage.

"Wait! Sapphire, Vivian!"

The two girls turned around to look at Alan, who was approaching them.

"What's wrong, Mister Alan?" asked Vivian with confusion.

"I just can't let you leave like that after what you did." Said Alan. "If I do, I fail as a man. I will give you something too."

"Like what?"

"This."

He grabbed the Harpie Girl by her shoulders and also planted a kiss on her right cheek. This caused her to turn as red as a tomato.

"M-Mister Alan!" She exclaimed in surprise.

"Consider this as my 'see you later' gift." Alan said, before turning to look at the other girl. "Now, Sapphire…"

"W-wait, Sir Alan, I-…" she couldn't finish, as Alan also kissed her in her left cheek, blushing like mad after that.

"I will miss you both, girls." Said Alan. "But I know we will all be together…because our Hearts are connected." He said, placing a hand on his chest.

"Yes, our Hearts are connected." Said Vivian, as she too placed a hand on her chest, same as Sapphire.

"Until we meet again, Sir Alan."

"I'll see you soon, girls." He said, before being jump hugged by the Oni redhead. "I will miss you too, Rubina."

"Rubina will miss ye too, Friend Alan!" Exclaimed Rubina. "When we came back, Rubina will let ye play with her boobs ALL ye want!"

"Uh, you should think before you speak, Rubina…"

"Nah, Rubina meanz it. Friend Alan loves them, so Rubina will allow ye to play with them!"

"Uh…ok then!" said Alan, laughing nervously. Closely, Kunzita and Hinoka saw this.

"Wow, so those girls ALSO love him, eh?" asked Kunzita.

"Yah, and he isn't even trying, for what I hear." Said Hinoka.

"Seems like that is the meat bag's charm." Said Castanea, calling both of their attention. "And surely, you will fall for him too."

The two girls looked at each other and laugh, as they thought that wouldn't be possible.

After saying their goodbyes, the group looked at each other, before the Palace Team jumped into their portal, leaving the Library.

"Thank you again for letting us train in here, Master David." Said Duncan.

"It was my pleasure, young Master." Said David. "Let your Hearts guide you through these dark times."

"They will." Said Strum. "We will prevail."

"We believe in you, my friends. Now go, and fulfil your destiny."

The Crystal Team began to walk towards the portal, entering into it, leaving only Alan left.

"It was an honor to be your apprentice for a month, Master David." Said Alan.

"The honor is mine." Said David. "To train a Keyblade Champion is something I believed it wouldn't be possible again. Now go, Alan. May Your Heart be your guiding key."

"Thank you master. Until we meet again."

And with that, Alan jumped into the portal, that closed behind him. Leaving David smiling.

"Until we meet again…"


Alan appeared on the other side of the portal, and saw that he was now back on the outside world. It was morning, so they had all day. Behind him was the exit of the Forest of Illusions, and in front of him, a plain, and a road.

"We are out of the forest, eh?" asked Alan.

"Yeah, that is what Master David told us." Said Strum.

"Alright! Then let's go! To the fire Crystal!"

And with that, the now smaller group began to walk west, towards the Fire Temple, that was only a few days from there.

Their quest continues…

End of Chapter 43


Chapter 44 Preview:

Alan: Hello! Alan here! We left the Library and continue our quest to the Fire Crystal. We arrive at a town where everything seems normal but...why do I have the feeling something is not right with me?

Kristal: Why are you awake so late? To train?

Don't miss the next chapter of The N-Warriors: Shadow Realm Saga: Encounters at Dawn

Alan: Shall we train?

Kristal: I would love too!

?: H-help...

Kristal: Who is that?!


Author Notes:

AND DONE!

Well, the library arc is over. In the original it was only of 2, max 3 chapters. This one was of 8, extended for more lore and to see how the heroes react and learn. This does not include the Chronicles of Reed one.

Alan is thin now! No more comments on this XD

So, the character is revealed to be...one of Kristal's sisters, Kunzita :D

This name came from the reviewer Acacia Sgt who said if I were to add another sister after Kuarzo, she should be called Kunzita. It's Kunzit, if you don't know.

So...yeah, I have to divide the group. It's becoming larger, and I will eventually add even more in the future. Then again, the 'Palace of the Crystals' thing I was going to use it eventually, so I just decided to divide the group and let one go there, instead of having the group as a whole go in there. Would be the same, eventually.

This also means I will write some "Chronicles of the Sages" chapters in the future, since we have to see what they are doing.

Anyway, I hope you like this. Next chapter will be next week. Hope you can see it :D

See ya next time!

-SaiyanX logged off!-