Kamen Rider Page

by Blackvvater

When a struggling writer stumbles across an ancient book, he finds himself drawn into a conflict from a thousand years ago. With the help of a medieval knight, he works to stop the monsters unleashed on an unsuspecting world and to correct the mistakes of an era long passed.

51. Session 48

Session 48

J.J. was sitting in Gary's tavern, his fingers laced together and his chin resting on them, as he stared intently at his computer screen. He was murmuring softly to himself when Susumu walked in, beaming at him and Tristan, who was sitting across from him. Gwen, sitting by his side, perked up as well as the mechanic strode towards them.

"I've got good news!" he announced cheerfully. "I ran some tests on your bikes, and I finished installing the upgrades. Properly this time."

"Properly?" J.J. asked, frowning as he raised an eyebrow. "Was there a problem with them?"

Susumu's smile faltered slightly. "I mean… did you notice a problem?"

"…No?" J.J. replied slowly growing more suspicious. "Everything seemed to work perfectly, at least when I was using it."

"Ah! Well, good! No harm, no foul then!" Susumu exclaimed. J.J. narrowed his eyes, noticing that Susumu's grin seemed a bit forced.

"Why…?" he asked slowly. "What was wrong with the original setup?"

"Oh… no, there's no reason to worry about that," Susumu replied evasively, looking away. "Like you said, everything worked perfectly! I was just a little worried, since I hadn't had a chance to field test them, so I had a few worries about the devices… malfunctioning when they were under stress."

J.J.'s frowned deepened at the way Susumu said the word "malfunctioning." "Right. And what would have happened if they had?" J.J. asked suspiciously.

"Eh… well… it could have just not worked… or the bike might have shut down from the energy overload…." Susumu said uncomfortably. "Or there was a tiny chance that the dashboard might have… exploded. In your face."

J.J. stared at Susumu, turning pale. "What."

"But like you said, it worked perfectly!" Susumu added quickly. "And I've made sure there's no chance of that happening now! So don't worry about it! What… what're you guys watching?" he added, quickly changing the subject.

J.J. continued to stare at him silently, until Susumu cleared his throat. Finally, J.J. answered through gritted teeth, "I just got an email from my mom. Everything's good to go with the book, and final editing is done. I've been looking over the final product and just okayed it. So… the book is set to hit shelves within the next month or so."

"Really? That's awesome!" Susumu exclaimed, his smile turning genuine as he looked over J.J.'s shoulder at his computer screen. "I'm glad to hear it!"

"We'll just have to see how this one turns out," J.J. added cautiously, though he then smiled faintly. "But I have a good feeling about this."

"I do too. I've read it, and I really liked it," Gwen added, nudging him with her shoulder and smiling warmly. "I think it'll do really well."

"I hope so. After everything that's happened lately, I could use some good news for a change," J.J. murmured.

Gwen's smile faltered, and she squeezed his arm, leaning into him. J.J. smiled to himself and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, giving her a little half-hug before releasing her. At that moment, the door to the tavern swung open. His smile faded slightly as Abby stepped inside, ducking her head as she did. When she spotted J.J. and Tristan, she nodded faintly to them and glided over, keeping her head down.

"There she is," J.J. said gently, pushing a seat out for her to sit down. "Want a drink? I'm buying."

"Whiskey," the teenager said immediately. J.J. stared at her, then let out a snort of laughter. Abby grinned sheepishly at him.

"Coffee it is," J.J. said. "I'm glad to see you have a bit of your humor back at least."

Abby smiled faintly as she took the seat and folded her arms on the table. "It still hurts, but… I don't want to lock myself in my room forever."

"That's a healthy attitude to take, but you don't have to push yourself," J.J. replied softly, reaching over and squeezing her arm. "If you need more time to yourself, take it. I know how hard it can be to get over what you went through."

"Thanks," Abby said quietly. She then sighed and sat back a bit more in her chair. "What I'd really like to do today, though? You think we have enough time to run a session?"

J.J. glanced over at Gwen, who grinned at him, and then at Tristan, who nodded. J.J. smiled lightly and slid his hand into his pocket, pulling out his phone. "I'll call up Ryan and see if he's available. Sound good?"

"Yep," Abby replied, pushing herself up and walking over to Gary to order her coffee. J.J. stood as well and walked to the other side of the tavern, pressing Ryan's number as he did.

Gwen followed him over to the corner, standing silently with her hands behind her back as he spoke to Ryan. When the call finished, he hung the phone up and glanced over his shoulder at her, winking. "He'll be along shortly," J.J. explained. His slight smile faded when he saw the serious look on Gwen's face. "What's up?"

Gwen shook her head, smiling up at him. "Just doing what you were doing for Abby. I wanted to check up on you, see how you're handling… what happened a few days ago."

J.J. bit the inside of his cheek, and his expression turned thoughtful for a few moments. "I'd be lying if I said I was completely okay," he replied finally, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "I feel guilty that I didn't have the strength to save Zack. I've caught myself wondering if there was anything I could have done differently. If I didn't run through that crowd of ghosts, would my suit have failed? But if I had avoided the ghosts, would I have gotten there in time to help Abby if Zack had tried to attack her? Did my presence actually push Zack over the edge?" He shook his head, smiling wryly. "I went in circles like that a few times before deciding that asking 'what if' wasn't going to get me anywhere."

"You're probably right," Gwen agreed.

J.J. nodded, then looked away. "I think what worries me the most, though, is that I'm not as affected by Zack's death as I thought I would be." When Gwen tilted her head at him curiously, he elaborated, "I mean… sure, I didn't know him very well. He's Abby's friend, not mine. And this time, I wasn't the one who stabbed him. Even so… I'm worried that because I feel more distant about what happened to him, I'm becoming numb to this war. Does that mean I'm becoming numb to the people I'm trying to help, too? Do I care about them less now?"

Gwen shook her head. "I don't think you do," she said firmly. "For one thing, like you said, you were less personally invested in this guy than you were with Kelsie. So, yeah, you're probably not going to feel as strongly about his death. Even more than that, though… the fact that you're asking yourself those questions shows that you do care."

"Yeah… but I did still have a hand in Zack's death," J.J. protested.

Gwen pressed into him, wrapping her arms around his waist and gazing up at him. "Alright, yes, you did," she conceded. "Maybe there's more you could have done, and you can even go so far as to claim that you were partially responsible." She then reached up and tapped his forehead. "And it's commendable that you're taking responsibility for your part in it. But you also shouldn't wallow in misery because you think you might have done more. Accept that something terrible happened and move on." She lightly poked his forehead again, smiling faintly. "Like you already said, if you play the 'what if' game, all you're going to do is tie yourself up in knots."

"Yeah… you're right," J.J. admitted with a sheepish grin. "Sorry."

"Don't be. And don't try to take all the blame on yourself," Gwen added, her smile turning somber. "After all, I'm the one who got you wrapped up in all of this in the first place."

"And I'm the one who continued to follow that path," J.J. said firmly. "So if anything, we're partners in this, and we'll share the blame." His grin spread slightly as he tilted her chin up. "Sound good?"

"It'll do for now," Gwen replied, standing on her toes to kiss him. Before she could, however, the door opened, and J.J.'s attention was immediately drawn to the man standing in the doorway, glancing around warily.

The man was bald and had a powerful build; he was almost as large as Tristan. He was still wearing the same leather outfit from the last time J.J. had seen the man, though it seemed a bit dirtier and more disheveled. When his eyes fell on J.J., they lit up, and he jerked his head up by way of greeting. Silently, he began making his way over to J.J., who frowned deeply.

"That's… not someone I expected to see again," he said softly, putting a finger gently on Gwen's lips. She pouted up at him, but when she saw the man striding towards them, she pulled away, staring at him in confusion.

"It was… J.J., right?" the man said.

"Yeah. Trent?" J.J. replied, folding his arms over his chest. "What're you doing here?"

"Wait… Trent? You're the thief J.J. helped a while ago?" Gwen asked, eyeing him warily. Tristan glanced up from the other side of the bar as the name caught his attention, and he began walking over.

"Yeah," Trent confirmed, turning his attention to J.J. "I'm glad that I managed to find you here. Sorry for barging in like this."

"I mean… it's not like I own the place," J.J. admitted, still regarding the thief cautiously. "More importantly, what're you doing out in the open like this? I'd have figured that you'd have skipped town by now. Aren't the cops supposed to be after you?"

"They are," Trent admitted. J.J. noticed that he was indeed looking around furtively, as if expecting to be caught at any moment. "But I'm willing to take that risk. I have some information that you guys might find useful."

J.J., Tristan, and Gwen all traded skeptical looks. J.J. shrugged, turning his attention back to him. "Alright, what've you got?" he asked, deciding to take the bait.

"I know where you can find that crown the Fool wanted," Trent said.

J.J. felt a jolt of surprise run through him. Gwen's eyes widened, and Tristan raised an eyebrow. "Really now?" J.J. asked. "How'd you manage to find that out?"

Trent walked over to a chair, turning it around and leaning over the back of it while the other three stared at him. "Let me start from the beginning. I've been trying to track it down for a while now," Trent explained. "See… I figured that whatever that clown wanted it for, it couldn't be good. But if the man in black wanted it that badly, and he turned me and my brother into monsters to get it, he had to be up to something too. You guys, on the other hand, helped me, and I pay back my debts."

"Hm! Who says there's no honor among thieves?" J.J. quipped. Gwen elbowed him, though Trent chuckled.

"You did me a good turn, and I haven't forgotten that," Trent assured him. "Anyways, while I knew the man in black had it, I didn't know where he was hiding it, even though I've been tracking him for days. And hiding something from me takes some skill – like I told you before, I'm a damn good tracker, but he's always surrounded by security, so I couldn't get too close to him. I caught a lucky break a few days ago, though.

"The man in black-"

"Call him Blake," Gwen interrupted in an annoyed tone.

Trent nodded. "Blake," he amended, "got a call from someone, and he dropped everything to go see them. Security got him into a limo, and I had hell following him on a motorcycle, but I was able to keep up. He met up with this big, red-haired guy near the city walls, and the guy explained that he'd just gotten done with a fight, but that he'd managed to get another jewel for the crown."

J.J. glanced over at Tristan. "If this was a few days ago, this must've been right after we'd lost against Agnar."

"Blake asked this guy to hand him the jewel, and then he pulled out a briefcase," Trent continued, ignoring the aside. "The crown was inside, and he put this glowing grey gem in one of the open slots. Blake then told this guy that they only had one jewel left. To ensure that the crown wasn't taken or destroyed in the meantime, he was going to barricade himself in 'the tower.' He said that he wanted to watch over it personally, to keep it safe, while the red-haired guy retrieved the final jewel for him."

Cold dread started to creep into J.J.'s stomach, and Gwen and Tristan both looked equally worried. "He only requires one more D-former to utilize the crown?" Tristan repeated. "I had not realized the situation was so dire. I was under the impression that we had more time."

J.J. glanced over at Gwen, shoving his hands into his pockets. "He mentioned a tower. Do either of you know what Blake is talking about?"

Both Gwen and Tristan shook their heads. "The only tower that I can think of was my father's tower," Gwen explained. "It was where he originally experimented with alchemy, before he was made a lord and granted his manor. After that, he rarely used the tower again. For some reason, he preferred a warm, comfortable mansion over a cold, drafty tower," she added with a wry smirk. "Besides, the tower was destroyed in the Fall of Almencia, and I didn't bother transporting it to Marville, since it was nothing but rubble. I did search through it to see if anything alchemical might have survived, but everything of value had been destroyed."

J.J. tapped his fingers against his hip. "Then I don't suppose there's an invisible tower somewhere or something?" he quipped. "Because a tower's kind of hard to hide."

"Actually, I already know where it is," Trent chimed in. Three sets of eyes immediately snapped to him. "He hid it underground."

J.J.'s eyes widened, then he turned around. "Abby!" he called out. She glanced up, surprised, and shuffled over to them. "Out of curiosity, when you were searching through the underground, did you stumble across a tower anywhere?"

Abby shook her head, seeming confused. "It's a little hard to miss something like that. I would have mentioned it before now," she responded.

Gwen looked away. "Maybe Blake constructed it himself," she murmured thoughtfully. "He could have built it so that it was disconnected from the rest of the Almencian ruins I brought with me. That'd make sense if he wanted to hide it."

J.J. nodded, turning back to Trent. "You said you know where it is, though?"

"Yeah. There's a hill near one of the city walls. I followed him and his guards to what looked like a completely empty patch of ground. One of them opened some sort of trapdoor, and Blake went inside. I didn't see him come out again," Trent explained.

J.J. and Gwen traded looks while Tristan tapped his fingers against his bicep. "Can you provide us with any further information about this supposed tower?" he asked.

"Of course. That's why I didn't come to you guys immediately. I wanted to spend a couple of days scouting the area," Trent said confidently. "There are several guards, though they try to seem like they're not. They're all in plainclothes, acting like landscapers, gardeners, even just people passing by. But they always keep an eye on the nearby foot traffic, and while they haven't had to tell anyone to stay away from the area yet, they're clearly on high-alert. I also spotted some cameras in the trees – and no, they didn't catch me, so don't worry. As far as I can tell, there's also only one entrance into and out of the bunker. I've seen guards enter and leave through the same entrance, and I scoured the area for alternate routes in or out. There's just the one."

J.J. chewed the inside of his cheek, then shook his head. "Alright. Well, at least we know where he is. So, thanks Trent," J.J. said. "We'll keep that in mind for the future."

Tristan glanced over at J.J., blinking at him. "Page, it sounds as though you wish to dismiss his information, rather than acting upon it."

J.J. stared at Tristan. "I'm sorry? I mean… what're we supposed to do about it?" he asked.

"I would suggest that we storm this tower while we are provided with the opportunity," Tristan replied simply.

J.J. continued staring at his partner, then slowly shook his head. "Tristan, that's a terrible idea," he said slowly.

"Elaborate," Tristan invited him.

"The main reason I can think of? This sounds like a trap," J.J. said. "Let's start with the obvious reason – why would Blake tell Agnar exactly where he's going to be, out in the open, where anyone might be able to hear him? Why wouldn't he pull Agnar into some secure location and go over the plan with him there?" He glanced over at Trent, adding, "No offense – I know you're a good tracker. But do you really expect me to believe that Blake was completely unaware of your presence for days at a time? Especially with security around him at all times?"

"Hey, now!" Trent protested, lowering his voice to a whisper. "If they'd seen me, I'd have had the cops after me!"

"Yeah, but we're talking about the richest, most powerful man in the city, with magical powers and a near-omniscient sense of what goes on in the city," J.J. insisted. "Plus, the tower itself worries me. Neither of you have ever heard of it, so it's a complete unknown. One way in, one way out? That sounds like it was designed to entrap people."

"Yet our foe has left himself open," Tristan insisted. "We cannot afford to not take advantage of this opportunity."

"Has he, though?" J.J. countered. "Blake loves his chess metaphors, right? So… in chess, there's a move known as castling, wherein the king hides behind a rook – or a castle, if you prefer. Now, on the one hand, it backs the king into a corner, limiting his options as to where he can move, and on the surface, it seems to put him at a disadvantage. Yet, it also gives the other pieces a lot more flexibility to move around, and the king is far more protected. I think that's what Blake has done."

Tristan listened quietly with his arms folded across his chest, and when J.J. finished, he nodded. "Very well, page. Then pray, what would you suggest we do instead?"

"For one? I think Agnar is still the bigger threat," J.J. said. "We should focus our efforts on taking him out. Blake made Agnar his champion because he thinks we've gotten too powerful to keep creating Diemons without someone backing them up. Agnar suggested as much himself. Even better, Agnar has the Black Seraph's jewel. So, if we manage to beat him, we remove our biggest threat and take control of the Black Seraph's soul. In essence, that'd be checkmate."

"A sound theory," Tristan conceded. "However, I also believe that it is flawed. The main problem is the fact that Agnar has proven that he is more than capable of dispatching both of us simultaneously. Your plan hinges upon us matching him evenly, at best. Much as it pains me to say it, I believe that if we were to fight him directly, at present, we would suffer yet another defeat. Thus, it is prudent to consider other strategies."

J.J. tilted his head. "That's a switch. I thought you'd be on board with fighting him head-on. Isn't it dishonorable to back down from a challenge?"

"Were he to challenge me directly to a duel, yes," Tristan admitted. "Thankfully, he has not. Furthermore, capturing the enemy king to end a war is seen as an honorable action as well, particularly if it saves more lives in the process."

J.J. sighed, tapping his fingers irritably against his arm. "What about the problems I mentioned with the tower itself, then?"

"I confess, I also fear that the Black Seraph possesses a major advantage by remaining within his lair," Tristan agreed. "You are not incorrect in your assessment. Yet, I still believe that the potential victory we could attain by successfully assaulting his stronghold outweighs the risk of failure. Furthermore, you are not considering one other crucial factor that underlines our need for haste."

"And that is?" J.J. asked.

"Trent mentioned that the Black Seraph only requires one more jewel to complete the crown," Tristan said. "Thus, even if we defeated Sir Agnar, the Black Seraph would still remain our primary threat. I have no doubt that there are still other Diemons lying dormant in the city. He would only require one to achieve Apotheosis for him to complete the crown, even with the threat of Sir Agnar nullified."

"Right, but suppose that we go after Blake, and Agnar shows up in the tower?" J.J. hypothesized. "Like Trent said, we'd only have one way out, meaning all he'd have to do is cut off our escape. If you're so worried about Agnar being stronger than us, why should we attack a place with only one way out and make it even easier for him to box us in and beat us?"

"Once again, because of the potential reward of dispatching the Black Seraph and ending the war while the opportunity is available," Tristan insisted. He shifted his weight to his back foot, inclining his head slightly. "Now, obviously, I would recommend we attempt this only when we are certain that Sir Agnar is not present to guard the Black Seraph. Thankfully, his lord has also instructed him to retrieve another D-former, meaning he is leaving himself unguarded."

"And what if Blake's able to beat us on his own?" J.J. asked. He glanced over at Gwen. "Since I'm using your D-former, do you feel any weaker?"

Gwen glanced between the two men, then shrugged. "A little, maybe?" she replied evasively. When they both stared at her, she added, "It's tough to tell, honestly! While my 'self' is in the jewel and not this body, it's not like I've gained or lost much energy. I haven't felt any different since J.J. started using my D-former. Since my father's Drivers could be used in conjunction with D-formers, there haven't been any side-effects. The only real danger to us comes from putting our lives literally in someone else's hands, since we the risk we run of someone else taking our gems, or even destroying them. If either our bodies or our gems are destroyed, we'd cease to exist, so giving someone else our D-former doubles the chance that we could die – more than that, even, since with someone else holding our gems, we don't even have control over that part of ourselves. That's why we've only given them to people we trust unconditionally," she added, giving J.J. a soft, fond smile.

J.J. flushed and cleared his throat, turning back around to face Tristan. "Anyways… there you go. The Black Seraph seems to be as strong as ever, even with Agnar using his gem. Be honest – do you think you could beat him? Or that I could?"

"I would favor facing the Black Seraph in combat over Sir Agnar, frankly," Tristan replied bluntly. "I believe our chances of triumphing over him are greater than attempting to defeat Sir Agnar in combat."

J.J. chewed the inside of his cheek, tightening his grip over his left bicep. "I still don't think-"

"Page, your caution does you credit, and I thank you for pointing out the potential difficulties we might face," Tristan interjected. "However, I believe that hesitating will be to our detriment. We have been presented with an unprecedented opportunity to end this war in one fell swoop. Conversely, if we do not act now, we may lose the war altogether." He pinned J.J. with a severe look, adding, "Consider this – are you not once again succumbing to overcaution, when bold action might yield a triumph you might otherwise let slip through your fingers?"

J.J. grit his teeth, his grip on his bicep tightening as he looked down. "But if we fail, if we get trapped in there…."

"We might fail if we fight against Sir Agnar as well, page. In fact, we have twice already, ever since he obtained the Black Seraph's D-former. At least by taking this risk, we have a chance of reaping a greater reward," Tristan said emphatically. "If we destroy the Seraph's body, not only do we win the war, but Sir Agnar loses his access to his Prestige Class, and if he continues to pose a threat, we are more than capable of defeating him if he is only using his Dragoon Class."

J.J. tapped his fingers irritably on his arm, then let out a long, slow breath. "Fine," he said finally through clenched teeth. "But I really don't like this idea."

"Your concern is noted, page," Tristan replied simply. "And I assure you, we shall take every precaution to ensure that your misgivings do not come to pass."

"I'd like to come too," Gwen piped up.

J.J. glanced down at her, raising an eyebrow. "'Every precaution' includes not intentionally putting you in danger, you know," he commented.

"Actually, by keeping me at your side, I'm safer than if I was out here with Agnar running around," Gwen pointed out. "If you two can make a blitz for Blake, he can do the same with me. If I'm tagging along, at least you can personally protect me." She exhaled, adding in a softer voice, "Besides, I want to check out this tower that Blake's supposedly constructed. I don't like that he's been able to build it without me noticing, and I have a sneaking suspicion that there's something more to it beyond just being a simple bunker."

"What're you thinking?" J.J. asked warily.

Gwen shook her head. "I don't know, and that's what worries me."

"Uh-huh. That's just making me even more stressed," J.J. replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry," Gwen said quietly. "Either way, though, mind if I come with you?"

"Sure. While we're making terrible gambling decisions, why not go all in?" J.J. asked. When Gwen peeked up at him through her hair, he softened his words with a slight smile and a wink. "Alright. I'd love to have you along," he amended himself. "Honestly, it'd make me feel better too if you came with us. At least then I'd know you weren't getting in trouble," he added with a cheeky grin. He then had to duck out of the way as she swatted at him.

"Very well," Tristan nodded, turning back to Trent. "Would you be so kind as to guide us to the entrance of this tower?"

"Yeah. Just make sure that this time, you properly get revenge for me," Trent replied.

"If this works, we'll get a lot more than that," J.J. murmured. "If this works."

---

After a short drive, the group pulled into the parking lot of the park and dismounted the bikes. It was past sunset, and the sky was overcast, allowing them to slip into the park with little fear of being spotted. J.J. felt Gwen gripping his hand tightly as they followed Trent across the parking lot and into the dense treeline leading into the woods.

As they crept along, J.J. glanced around and noted that the forest had been trimmed back to normal since Irene had become the Dryad Diemon. Despite himself, a slight, wan smile crossed his lips, and he looked down. The forest held bitter memories for him – after all, it had been where he had first met Kelsie, which had led to one of the darkest moments of his life.

Gwen noticed his downcast expression and gave his fingers a light squeeze. "You okay?" she asked softly.

"Just remembering the last time we were here," J.J. replied quietly. "Don't worry about me. I'll be alright."

Gwen glanced towards the woods and nodded faintly, looking down. "I'm sorry if this is bringing up bad memories," she said quietly. "Really, you shouldn't blame yourself. If anything… it's my fault. Mine and Blake's. If it weren't for the two of us, there wouldn't be a war in the first place." She seemed to shrink into herself. "Especially you. I've put you through so much…."

"It's not entirely your fault," J.J. said gently as they walked. "It takes two to fight a war, after all, and you were reacting to your brother's aggression. Sure, you could have handled recruiting me a little better," he added with a wry grin down at her as she glanced away. "But you also saved my life by giving me my D-former. And you've gone out of your way to do better since then. So, no hard feelings."

Gwen smiled shyly up at him. "Thank you," she murmured. "That's more kindness than I deserve."

"I mean-" J.J. began, leaning a little closer to her.

"Up ahead," Trent announced, interrupting their conversation. The two pulled away quickly, hurrying over to where the thief was crouched near the edge of the treeline. In a clearing up ahead was a small hill, virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the terrain. What was out of place, however, were the pair of police officers patrolling back and forth. There was no reason for them to be in the area, especially that late at night. Moreover, their patrol path was narrow; the hill never left their sight.

Trent held a finger to his lips, then pointed up at a nearby tree. Hidden in the branches was a small camera, its lens pointed squarely at the hillside. He motioned for the trio to follow him, and he crept deeper into the shadows of the trees.

"I'll disable that camera for you, and then I'll provide a distraction for the guards," he whispered. "Don't worry – I doubt they're even real cops, so if I can't get them away, don't feel bad about knocking them out or something. The guard detail does get lighter in the middle of the night, so you don't need to worry about another shift showing up for a while."

"What about Agnar, though?" J.J. frowned. "If he's still in the tower, this whole thing is going to get a lot harder."

Trent shook his head. "Like I told you, I've been scouting this place out for the last several nights. Agnar works in shifts. He starts his day at six in the morning and leaves the tower unguarded until noon. Then he returns there for an hour, before departing again, and he's gone from one in the afternoon until midnight. Don't worry – I'm sure he's away. Especially since I saw him leave at one before I came to grab you guys."

J.J. chewed the inside of his cheek, glancing up at the camera in the trees again. He then sighed, rubbing his eyes. "If we're going to do this, let's get on with it, then," he muttered reluctantly.

Trent slunk over to the camera and took out a small knife. He cut the wire of the camera, pausing to see if an alarm had been tripped. When it hadn't, he held a finger to his lips and motioned for them to remain where they were. He then crept along the treeline, remaining in the shadows until he was out of sight.

A few minutes later, an alarm blared across the park grounds. The two guards glanced at each other, and one ran off to go investigate, while the other remained behind, drawing a pistol as he did so and looking around suspiciously.

"Guess that's our cue," J.J. commented. He paused for a moment, then pulled his diary out of his pocket and flipped to his stats page. He then held it up to his cheek and announced, "Henshin!"

His Driver appeared around his waist, and he snapped the book shut. Seeing this, Tristan reached for his own shield, but J.J. held up a hand and shook his head. The less noise they made, the better, and he had an idea about how to distract the other guard. After slotting the diary into his belt, he gave his amber D-former a quick spin.

"Adventure: Begin!" his Driver shouted. He was surrounded by an amber die, which spun around him as trumpets blared. A few moments later, he was wearing his familiar leather armor. As soon as his transformation ended, however, he gave his blue and black D-formers a quick spin.

"Reroll! Multiclass: Bard!" his Driver shouted, and a sapphire and onyx crystal appeared around him, coalescing into a single amethyst gem. A violin played a few notes as his armor split and lengthened into a flowing purple longcoat, and when the spinning stopped, he held his finger to his lips, then turned towards the remaining guard.

J.J. focused on a spot a few feet from the guard. A shadowy figure flickered into existence, and a moment later, a copy of himself in his Adventurer Class appeared in front of the guard. The man gasped and raised his gun, while his illusionary double held his arms out, daring the man to do something. As this was going on, J.J. motioned for Gwen and Tristan to get moving, while he followed them.

The guard raised his pistol, shouting, "Don't move!" at the illusion. J.J. grinned cheekily as he made his double floss-dance in front of the guard. The man grit his teeth and began firing rounds at the clone, though of course the bullets phased through it, leaving it unharmed. His clone casually brushed its shoulder off, taunting the man.

With his back turned, the guard didn't notice J.J. climbing the hill. He began to search around, fumbling around half-blind in the dirt, and after a few moments, his gloved hands closed around a door handle. He grunted softly as he lifted the hatch, leading to a wide circular opening that was too dark to see into.

Tristan was the first one to scramble into the entrance, noticing that a ladder descended into the dark room. He quickly lowered himself down the ladder. Gwen followed him a moment later, scurrying down the rungs of the ladder. J.J. paused for a moment, glancing up at the guard who was running after his double, which was moonwalking away from the furiously shouting man. Suppressing a laugh, he ducked into the room, shutting the hatch behind him.

J.J. landed lightly on what felt like a marble floor, and once he had his bearings, he took a moment to scan his surroundings. The interior was dark, but as he gazed around, the room began to glow with an eerie blue light. The area was slowly illuminated to reveal an ornate throne room. They were standing in the center of the room on a dais, where a carved crystal throne with plush blue cushions sat elevated above everything else. The room was lined with tapestries and shields, strongly reminding J.J. of Quintus' manor, though the decorations seemed modern, or at least suffering from far less wear and tear. As the room brightened, J.J.'s eyes widened as he realized that the walls and floor were made entirely of shimmering blue crystal, carved at gently sloping angles to give the impression that they were standing inside a massive sapphire. The ceiling was held up by twelve ornate columns, also apparently carved out of crystal.

"Impossible," Gwen whispered beside him. J.J. glanced over at her and noticed that she was staring, wide-eyed, at the room around them. J.J. frowned and reached over, squeezing her shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

Gwen shook her head, turning to face him. "This… I can't believe Blake spent all this time constructing this." She held out her hand, and a small, clear crystal appeared in her palm in a flash of light. "You know we can create D-formers, of course, but we can also create small bits of crystal that have no power. However, we can only create small amounts at a time. To create something this large… it would have taken him years, and if this is a tower with multiple levels… he must have spent decades constructing this in secret!"

J.J. frowned at her. "How'd he make this under your nose, then? You said you can sense D-formers if you're close enough or spend enough time around them, right? Shouldn't something like this be obvious?"

Gwen shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. It's the energy in the D-formers that I can sense. This is just crystal. I can't sense it any more than you can sense a piece of granite. But the sheer time and effort it took to make this… why? If he wanted a base, why not just commandeer one of the Almencian ruins under the city?"

J.J. was silent, unable to answer. They were interrupted when Tristan cleared his throat. J.J. looked up to see that the knight was standing beside a staircase leading to a lower level.

"We can ascertain the Black Seraph's intent once we locate him, correct?" Tristan said. "In the meantime, we must make haste. While Trent claimed that Sir Agnar operates on a strict schedule – and I believe him – we would do well to ensure that we conclude our search while we are certain he is not within the tower."

"You're right," J.J. nodded. "Do you want to transform really quick?"

Tristan inclined his head and reached into his jeans, pulling out his shield. He briefly touched it to his chest, then held it out in front of him as he announced, "Henshin!" His Driver appeared around his waist, and he slotted his shield before giving the blue D-former in the central slot a spin.

"Steel yourself! Class: Cavalier!" his Driver shouted, and Tristan was briefly enveloped in a steely blue crystal, which spun around him rapidly as cymbals clashed. When the spinning stopped and the crystal disappeared, he was clad in his steel-blue plate armor, though he didn't immediately drop his hand to his belt to summon a weapon, to J.J.'s mild surprise.

"I shall take the lead, if you two would like to follow," Tristan announced. J.J. and Gwen traded amused glances as they followed the knight down to the next level.

As they walked down the staircase, an inky darkness began to envelop them. J.J. felt Gwen put her hand on his shoulder as he began to lose sight of her, and Tristan began to fade from view, even though he was only a few feet from him. At last, J.J. called out, "Hang on a second, Tristan. If you go any further, we're going to lose you."

Tristan paused, and J.J. gently motioned for Gwen to step back as he put his hand on his red and black D-formers, then gave them a quick spin. "Reroll! Multiclass: Paladin!" his Driver shouted. A pipe organ played as a ruby and ebony die coalesced around him to form a single silver die that spun rapidly. When the spinning stopped, he was clad in silver chainmail, which he wore under a grey tabard. His rapier had elongated into an elegant halberd, and he closed his eyes for a moment, focusing his energy. When he opened them again, the blade of his halberd was glowing with a bright, silver-white light, faintly illuminating the area around them.

The second level consisted of a short, narrow corridor, constructed from obsidian crystal that seemed to swallow the light shimmering on the blade of his halberd, so they could only see for a few feet in any direction. J.J. motioned for the others to follow as he walked to the end of the corridor and glanced to his left and right as the path branched off. To the left, the path sharply turned right, while the right path led to two more branching paths. J.J. groaned under his breath.

"A maze. Lovely," he sighed.

"An annoyance, but hardly an effective deterrent against intruders," Tristan said thoughtfully. "Any traveler could eventually find an exit, no? This merely delays our progress."

"Mazes aren't hard to figure out anyways," J.J. remarked. "Easiest way to solve them is to keep your left hand on the wall and follow it. It'll eventually lead you to the exit-"

As he put his hand on one of the dark walls and began walking, he felt the panel slide under his touch. On the other side of the wall crouched a Shard, its hollow eyes staring at J.J. with what he swore was as much surprise as he felt.

"…And this just got a lot harder," he commented dryly.

The Shard suddenly lunged at him, and J.J. barely managed to raise the staff of his halberd in time, blocking its claws with a quick defensive maneuver. He then swung the halberd over his shoulder, blocking another blow, before lowering his weapon and piercing the creature with a quick jab through its stomach. The Shard crumbled to dust, though J.J.'s heart was still racing from the sudden scare.

"J.J.! Tristan!" Gwen shouted, pointing towards another wall.

Another panel slid down, and the light from J.J.'s halberd illuminated two more Shards charging towards them. J.J. raised his halberd, but before he could move, Tristan charged ahead, pressing the hedgehog icon on his shield. Spikes erupted from the face of his shield, and he stepped in, bashing the hollow crystalline creatures. They staggered backwards as Tristan pressed the bull icon, and a bovine bellow echoed through the maze as his mace appeared in a flash of golden light. He grabbed the weapon and swung it around, smashing through one of the Shards' heads.

J.J. took a step forward to help him, but before he could move in, another panel suddenly rose out of the ground, cutting them off. J.J. stumbled backwards, and Gwen put her hands on his back, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Tristan!" J.J. shouted. He could hear the sounds of the fight continuing on the other side of the wall, though they stopped a few moments later. He then heard Tristan fumbling against the wall, followed by the ringing peal of something metallic smacking into crystal.

"These walls appear as impervious to my weaponry as the Shards' crystalline bodies," Tristan remarked, sounding almost infuriatingly calm. "Nor do I see a direct path back to you and Lady Marks. It would seem that we must make our own way through the maze. Keep her close, page, and we shall rejoin one another shortly."

J.J. hesitated, glancing over his shoulder at Gwen, who nodded at him. J.J. sighed and shouted back, "Alright. Keep yourself safe in the meantime."

Gwen gripped his shoulder, and the two began jogging through the narrow corridors. They could barely see five feet ahead of them, even with J.J's halberd lighting the way, and twice J.J. had to skid to a stop and catch Gwen before they ran headlong into a wall. Worse, panels in the walls continued opening and shutting around them in a seemingly random fashion. Sometimes Shards appeared from behind the walls, while other times they simply formed new corridors. Either way, J.J. was on edge as he and Gwen wandered through the maze.

"You sure there's no way for you to sense a way out of here?" J.J. asked ten minutes later. Though he was growing frustrated, he was careful to keep his tone with Gwen light.

"Nope. And it's not like I have a map of my brother's secret strongholds in my head," Gwen grumbled. She turned around and yelped as she ducked under a Shard. J.J. growled, swinging his halberd around in a short arc, slicing through its body. As it crumbled to dust, he shouted, "Tristan! You still here?"

"I have not succumbed to the Shards!" Tristan's voice shouted in reply, though it sounded like it was coming from hundreds of feet away. "Yet I must confess, I am quite perplexed as to how to successfully navigate this room!"

"J.J.!" Gwen shouted suddenly, tugging his arm. J.J. turned, bracing himself for another Shard to attack, but his eyes widened when he saw a panel slide down, revealing an ebony staircase leading to another level, illuminated by a cluster of white crystals and guarded by a trio of Shards. The three monsters immediately charged at him, and Gwen shrank back as J.J. stepped in, bracing his halberd against the floor as he met their charge.

The first Shard, a short specimen with two pointed dirks for hands, tried to duck under his spear and close the distance. J.J. shifted his halberd a bit, catching it on the shaft of his weapon and knocking it away. With it out of the way, he took a step back as a second Shard with a spear-like arm jabbed at him, though his own halberd was longer than its arm, and he was able to avoid its two blows. Before its companion, a Shard with a heavy mace-like arm, could follow up, he stepped in and jabbed at the spear-Shard in return. It managed to block the first blow with its claw-like hand, but the second attack pierced its neck, and it collapsed to the floor.

Before he had time to catch his breath, the mace-Shard suddenly stepped inside his range. All he could do was grit his teeth as it swung its arm into his shoulder, knocking him to the side for a step. The dirk-Shard, meanwhile, closed in as well and jabbed him twice in the stomach. Both times, his armor protected him from serious harm, but he still felt the sting of their attacks. He grunted as he kicked the dirk-Shard in the chest, knocking it back a few paces, and before it could recover, he swung his halberd around in a short arc, decapitating it and reducing it to a pile of ash. The mace-Shard closed in on him again, but J.J. continued to use the momentum of his swing to turn himself around and raise the haft of his polearm to block its heavy overhanded blow. He then pushed up against the Shard's mace. The shift of his weight threw the Shard off-balance, and with its guard down, he jammed the point of his halberd into its chest, reducing it to dust.

Gwen grabbed his arm, and just as the panel began closing, she half-dragged him through the corridor towards the staircase. The two barely managed to leap over the rising panel, and though it closed behind them with a heavy thud, the staircase to the next level was at their feet. J.J. nodded to her in thanks, then turned to shout back at the maze.

"Tristan! We've found the staircase to the second level!" he yelled. "Follow my voice and-!"

"I am preoccupied, page!" Tristan shouted back. In the distance, he heard the clanging of armor on crystal, and surmised that Tristan was still fighting Shards in the maze. "If you have found the exit, proceed without me! We shall reconvene later!"

"That's a stupid idea!" J.J. snapped back. "If Agnar catches us-!"

"If he discovers our location now, we shall still be separated and at as much of a disadvantage!" Tristan pointed out. "If you can continue deeper into this tower, then venture onwards! I trust that you are powerful enough to face the Black Seraph alone if need be, especially with Lady Marks aiding you! Now make haste, for we do not know when Sir Agnar will return! I shall rejoin you as soon as possible!"

J.J. glanced down at Gwen, who shrugged helplessly. J.J. sighed, then yelled back, "Alright! We'll see you in a bit!" He then squeezed Gwen's hand and hurried down the staircase, arriving in another circular room.

The room brightened as soon as their feet touched the crystalline floor. The walls glowed with a warm yellow light, illuminating a room filled with spikes jutting out of open holes. As J.J. and Gwen watched from the safety of the only platform in the room that didn't have spikes on it, the spires of crystal extended towards the ceiling, floor, or opposite walls in a random sequence, before sharply retracting.

"Not going to lie. If I was playing a tabletop game and a game master put me in a room like this, I'd probably throttle them," J.J. commented.

Gwen folded her arms across her chest, narrowing her eyes. "There has to be a way across," she said. "My brother had to get to the lower levels himself, after all. There's no point in making a security system that kills its creator."

"Unless he has a way to cross these rooms without them hurting him," J.J. pointed out.

"Well… yeah, I could see him doing that," Gwen admitted. "Even so, the fact that these spikes aren't all shooting out at once suggests that he designed it to be passable, even if it's hard."

"Alright," J.J. sighed, putting his hand on his Driver. "But let's be smart about this and run some tests first. An illusion can't get impaled, after all."

J.J. switched back to his Bard Class, and for the next few minutes, he guided his shadow across the field of spikes, jumping from one space to another and trying to discern a pattern that he could exploit while Gwen watched patiently. When he managed to get his shadow across three times with no apparent injuries, he dropped his hand to his blue D-former and gave it a quick spin.

"Reroll! Class: Thief!" his Driver shouted. A sapphire die surrounded him, and a saxophone echoed off the walls as his longcoat shortened to a navy blue jacket and a scarf wound its way around his neck. When his transformation was finished, he held an arm out to Gwen.

"Oh, you're going to carry me across?" she teased him, leaning against his side. "What a gentleman."

"I could always make you walk across by yourself," J.J. replied drily.

"Tempting, but I'm not quite fast enough," Gwen said, her grin widening. "Are you sure you're going to be able to carry me, though?"

"I'm not that weak," J.J. replied in a self-deprecating voice, tactfully avoiding the joke about her weight that she'd been trying to bait him into.

"Good boy," she praised him for his response. Then her grin faded. "Be careful."

"Nah, I was thinking I'd be a reckless idiot and throw all that planning out the window," J.J. retorted tartly. He then took a deep breath, waiting for the nearest spike to retract into the ground. Just before it disappeared fully, he took off at a run, darting forward and lightly tapping his toes against the flat panel before pushing off at a diagonal angle. As soon as he did, he landed on his left foot and jumped into the air, extending his hand. He grabbed the smooth, cylindrical side of one of the spikes just as it extended, and he swung on it for a moment before releasing his grip. A spike narrowly missed skewering them, and Gwen let out a surprised yelp as he jerked to the side. The tip did scrape across his forearm, but he ignored the pain and instead focused on landing on the smooth side of another spike.

As soon as he touched the spike, he jumped back slightly, narrowly avoiding a pair of spikes that jutted out from the ground and ceiling simultaneously. At the same time, he extended his hand backwards and grabbed the side of spike that he knew was behind him. He waited for half a second, counting under his breath, before pushing off as hard as he could. He dove through five spikes that extended up from the ground, ceiling, and walls at the same time, clutching Gwen tightly to him as he narrowly squeezed through a hole they formed. At the last moment, he straightened out and landed lightly on his feet, setting Gwen down safely on the other platform as he did. Then he took a moment to put his hands on his knees, his arms shaking slightly as he realized what he'd just done.

"You going to be alright?" Gwen asked gently, grinning down at him.

"There is… no way… I just pulled that off," J.J. muttered. "Back when I first got these powers, I could barely clear a crevice."

"Well, you've come a long way," Gwen remarked, putting a hand on his back. "But we can't stop here. On to the next floor, then?"

"…Yeah," J.J. agreed, sucking in a deep breath and straightening up. The two hurried through the doorway and down the next flight of stairs. The room slowly illuminated as they reached the bottom of the stairwell, the walls and floor glowing pink. J.J. paused and glanced suspiciously around the room, frowning as he did. The room appeared empty, which made him even more wary. He felt Gwen lay her hand on his shoulder, glancing around with an equally worried look on her face.

"There's no way there's not something in this room trying to kill us," J.J. remarked.

"No, but there's only one way forward," Gwen said slowly.

"Yeah, but I don't want to step on the floor and get electrocuted or something," J.J. pointed out.

As soon as he finished speaking, the walls began closing in around them, while a panel of crystal rose up behind them, sealing the door. J.J. and Gwen traded looks, then immediately began running for the remaining exit on the opposite side of the room. Once they stepped off the platform, however, they sank knee-deep into the floor. J.J. grimaced as he looked down. The seemingly crystal floor was actually a viscous liquid that, while not causing them to sink, ensured their movement was slowed dramatically. More than long enough for the walls to close in and crush them.

J.J. glanced at the encroaching walls and made a split-second decision. He dropped his hand to his Driver and put his hand on the red D-former giving it a quick spin. "Reroll! Class: Warrior!" his Driver shouted, and as a war drum began playing, he was enveloped in a ruby crystal, which spun around him rapidly while his blue armor thickened and extended into a heavy suit of red lamellar armor. Once the transformation was finished, he turned to face one of the walls, gripping his warhammer tightly.

With a shout, J.J. swung his hammer as hard as he could, slamming it into the wall as it approached him. Gritting his teeth, he twisted his body, throwing his weight behind the blow. The wall slid backwards several feet, and J.J. exhaled, continuing to trudge through the thick crystal water.

A grunt behind him caught his attention, and he glanced over his shoulder to see that Gwen had waded back to the platform and pulled herself out of the liquid. Her body then disappeared in a flash of white light, and a moment later, she stood on the platform as the White Seraph. J.J. tilted his head at her curiously, though he didn't stop wading forward.

"There's no point in me walking through this stuff when I can fly over it," she explained as she took to the air, opening her wings. She glided above his head, frowning down at him, before adding, "I'd carry you if I could, J.J., but I'm not strong enough-"

"It's fine," J.J. grunted, turning and slamming his hammer into the wall again as it began to inch towards him once more. To his disappointment, he noticed that it didn't slide backwards as far. He was getting tired. Gritting his teeth, he added shortly, "Just get to the other side and I'll join up with you."

Gwen stared down at him from above, then shook her head. She began hovering a few feet above him, adding, "I'm going to help you."

"Gwen-!" J.J. began to protest, but he didn't have time to say any more as the walls began sliding towards them again. He hadn't quite caught his breath, and he grunted as he tried to bring his hammer around. However, the blow wasn't strong enough, and this time the wall barely moved. As the other wall slid further towards him, he clenched his teeth and held his hand out. To his surprise, however, the wall suddenly stopped. Looking up, he saw Gwen hovering above him, protecting herself with a white, crystal shield in the shape of a twenty-sided die, which spun around her, grating against the crystal surfaces of the walls. He could hear her gasping and straining, but the walls were no longer closing around them.

"Move!" she hissed. "I can't hold this for long!"

J.J. nodded, but then slung his warhammer across his back. He reached both arms out, touching the walls with his hands, and he grunted as he braced himself, pushing against them before resuming his slog across the thick liquid. Gwen realized what he was doing and shrank her shield slightly. J.J. noticed she wasn't straining as much as a result. The two of them slowly made their way across the room, panting with effort, but also supporting each other as they held the walls apart. They almost seemed to be trying to outdo each other, J.J. thought wryly, attempting to prevent the other from wasting too much energy.

The walls continued to rumble against them, pushing against his hands and her shield, but eventually, J.J. managed to reach the other platform. He glanced up at Gwen, who nodded and let out a short cry. Her shield expanded rapidly, and in that split-second, J.J. hoisted himself out of the water and rolled onto the platform. At the same time, Gwen dove between the narrow gap in the walls and landed beside him. The walls crashed together with a heavy slam, and the room shuddered, then fell still. Then, slowly, the walls began to slide apart again, and the door on the other side of the room once again opened.

The pair collapsed onto the platform, both dropping to their hands and knees to catch their breath. After a few moments, J.J. looked up and grinned weakly at Gwen's golden-masked face. "Thank you," he panted. "I couldn't have done that without your help."

"Well… now we have a problem," she replied between breaths. "Tristan's going to have to face all of that on his own now."

J.J.'s heart sank, but then he shook his head. "You're right. But he's probably got it easier than we do," he said, sitting up as he caught his breath. "Once he gets through the maze, his Aurion will likely be impervious to those spikes, and while his armor is heavier than mine, it's also stronger, so holding those walls apart won't be a problem for him."

Gwen tilted her head at his optimism, but didn't say anything. Once their breathing had slowed, she pushed herself up and offered her hand, which J.J. took, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet.

"You said Blake had decades to put this tower together, right?" J.J. asked as they descended the next stairway. "Did he always have a thing for deathtraps or something?"

"A flair for the dramatic, certainly," Gwen said thoughtfully. "But you've been in Almencian ruins. When we wanted to protect something, we would set up traps. He's just following what he knows."

"And since the crown is the most important thing he has…." J.J. added. Gwen nodded to him.

"Exactly," she confirmed. Then she giggled, though her face was unreadable behind her golden mask. "Thus, the most dramatic, most protective thing he could come up with." She shook her head, sighing as they reached the bottom of the staircase and entered the next room. "Case in point," she added, motioning to the setup before them.

The ceiling and walls glowed with a bright, lavender light, but the floor was shrouded in shadow. They were standing on a narrow platform, raised far above the floor. J.J. crept cautiously to the edge of the platform and looked down to see the bottom of the room was more of a pit, lined with sharp spikes that just barely poked out of the shadowy bottom. The opposite platform lay across a yawning chasm, far too wide for J.J. to jump over. Thin sheets of lavender crystal hovered in midair. The sheets were less than an inch thick, but a few feet wide and tall. They also seemed rather slick, so J.J. doubted that jumping and grabbing them was a viable option.

"Well… at least this'll be easy for you," J.J. commented, glancing over at Gwen. "Just fly across."

"Yeah, but like I said, I can't carry you," Gwen murmured, folding her hands and looking down, seeming ashamed of herself. "So…."

"So… I think I have an idea. But do me a favor first?" J.J. asked. "Can you fly over to one of the platforms and tell me if they rotate?"

Gwen blinked at him, but flew up to one of the platforms. She grabbed one of them and tried to pull it down, but though she grunted and strained, it barely moved. After a few moments, she shrugged, shaking her head.

"If it does, it'll take a lot more strength than I have," she admitted.

"That's fine. I've got an idea," J.J. said, dropping his hand to his red and blue D-formers, giving them a spin.

"Reroll! Multiclass: Ranger!" his Driver shouted. A hunting horn resounded off the walls of the room as a red and blue crystal coalesced into a single emerald die around him and spun rapidly, while his heavy armor softened into a green leather cuirass. A long cloak fluttered over his shoulders as his warhammer bent inwards and a vine sprang out to connect the two ends of his weapon, creating a longbow. When the spinning stopped, he slipped his hand into his belt pouch and pulled out a handful of seeds.

The seeds sprouted in his hand, becoming thorny arrows. J.J. nocked one of the bolts and drew it back, motioning with his head for Gwen to float out of the way. She drifted backwards as J.J. targeted the top of the sheet with an arrow, then released the missile, exhaling as he did. The arrow streaked through the air and slammed into the platform, impacting it with enough force that it did a full rotation before coming to a halt at an almost-horizontal angle.

"See? Easy enough," J.J. shrugged, drawing another arrow. "And Ranger Class has the best jumping stats of any of my classes, so no big deal making my way across."

"Are you sure these things will support your weight?" Gwen asked warily.

"If you couldn't move them using all your strength, I'll probably be fine," J.J. assured her, shooting another platform, which rested at a more diagonal, but still serviceable, angle. "And even if I'm wrong, I'm pretty sure I can jump off quickly enough that it won't be a problem. Just give me a little time to set up a path and I'll meet you over there."

Even though her mask was expressionless, J.J. felt as though Gwen was giving him a concerned look. Regardless, she began flying across the chasm. As she did, however, sharp darts of crystal began flying towards her from tiny holes in the walls. She let out a yelp and immediately threw up her shield, and the fragments of crystal slammed into the holographic barrier before disintegrating. J.J. held his breath as she managed to make it to the other side under the hail of crystal, only exhaling when her feet touched the other platform. She then turned around, folding her hands in front of her.

"Be careful!" she shouted to him. Then she hesitated. "If you want, I can try to-!"

"I'll be fine!" J.J. shouted back, sighing as he glanced towards the walls. An idea struck him, and he pulled out a few more arrows. Narrowing his eyes, he focused on the small holes nearest to him, then loosed his arrows. The darts slammed into the holes, plugging them. He doubted they would hold for very long, but it would at least buy him enough time to make it across before the first barrage of darts hit him. He hoped.

J.J took a deep breath, then jumped to the first platform. As soon as he touched down, he drew an arrow and jumped towards the second, facing one of the walls. He loosed an arrow at a hole ahead of himself, while trying to balance on the platform, but the slick surface made it difficult to find his footing. He managed to hit the nearest dart hole, but he heard a whistling sound behind him and only narrowly managed to duck in time. Swearing under his breath, he unsteadily pushed himself up before jumping down to a lower platform. His feet barely touched the surface before he pushed off again, and he heard fragments of crystal shatter behind him. The fourth rotating platform was at more of an angle, however, and he slipped. In the split second it took him to regain his balance, a crystal shard tore across his thigh, opening a bloody gash. He hissed and growled thorugh his teeth, forcing himself to ignore the pain in his leg as he gathered his strength and jumped again. When he landed on the fifth platform, he turned towards one of the walls just as a shard of crystal flew towards him. He drew an arrow of his own and fired at the same time, and the bolt slammed into the crystal dart, knocking it out of the air. J.J. took an extra second to regain his balance before jumping to a platform below him, and then immediately hopped off and leapt towards the stable platform on the opposite side of the room.

Unfortunately, as he jumped, he felt a sharp pang in his leg, and he let out a gasp as he mis-timed his jump. He sailed through the air, but suddenly realized that he was going to fall. He let out a short scream as he narrowly missed the platform, but then a pair of hands grabbed his flailing wrist. He immediately stopped struggling and dug his feet into the smooth crystal wall to steady himself as Gwen grunted, pulling him up onto the platform. His legs scrabbled as he pushed himself up as well, and once he was safely on the platform, he rolled onto his back and let out a sigh, trying to steady his racing heart.

"Hate… your brother… so much," he gasped. He turned his head and managed to grin at Gwen from behind his helmet. "Have I mentioned that I'm really glad you insisted on coming along?"

"What would you do without me?" she answered cheekily, letting out a relieved laugh. "Are you alright?"

"A little scraped up, but I'll live," J.J. sighed. He pushed himself to his feet and looked over his shoulder, shaking his head. "On to the next one, I suppose. Can't be much farther to your brother, right?"

"Don't jinx us, please," Gwen sighed. J.J. straightened up and walked beside her down yet another staircase, the pair now moving far more slowly and cautiously. As they descended, J.J. could feel the air growing warmer, even through his suit. Dread began to well up in his chest as they followed the spiral staircase down, and when they stepped into the next room, his heart stopped.

The room was lit by brilliant orange crystals, but J.J. wasn't sure if that was the crystal's natural color, or it merely reflected the swirling, raging inferno that filled the room. A wall of fire stormed in front of them, roiling and flickering as it crackled loudly in the air.

"How…?" J.J. squeaked. "This is impossible!"

Gwen shook her head, staring transfixed into the fire as well. "Alchemy involves creating and manipulating elements. Even a few molecules could burn if tuned properly." She glanced over at him warily. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Not really," J.J. murmured, taking an involuntary step away from the flames. Even after all this time, fire still terrified him. Despite the heat, he felt a cold sweat running down the back of his neck, and he struggled to control his breathing as he fought off a panic attack.

Gwen looked over at him and quietly slipped her hand into his. He turned to look at her, and she pressed her forehead gently against his own. "Breathe," she said softly, soothingly. "You can do this."

J.J. took a deep breath, forcing his heart rate to slow, and he reluctantly nodded, dropping his hand to his black D-former and giving it a slow spin. "Reroll! Class: Mage!" his Driver shouted, and a set of chimes echoed just above the crackling and snapping of the flames as an onyx die surrounded him before spinning rapidly. His leather armor softened further into a black tunic, while his bow straightened into a smooth ebony staff.

Even as the transformation ended, however, J.J. realized that he didn't feel any safer. Normally, he could rely on adrenaline to push through his fear of using fire while in Mage Class, but this was too much. Worse, to cast his spells, he had to rely on the proper emotions, either burning anger, or cold fury. But all he could feel staring into the firestorm was pure fear.

J.J. shook his head ruthlessly. He had lived with fear for the past several months, he told himself. He could control it, face it head-on. Slowly, he forced himself to calm down, to focus on his breathing, He shut his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, letting the cold anger burn in his chest, and he let out a growl as he unleashed a wave of ice and freezing water towards the raging inferno.

The ice slammed into the wall of fire, but almost immediately evaporated, swallowed up by the raging blaze. A fine, steaming mist erupted from where it struck the flames, and J.J. felt his heart catch in his throat again. The stream of ice slowly died away as fear overrode his forced anger. He could feel his hands trembling as he slowly lowered his staff and tried to fight off his returning panic.

Suddenly, Gwen reached out and grabbed his shoulders, squeezing them firmly. J.J. turned towards her, and she took his face in her hands, staring into his eyes. In a soft voice, she said, "J.J., listen to me. I'm not going to tell you not to be afraid. But don't look at the fire. Instead, look past it. Think about my brother, on the other side of those flames. Think about everything he's planning to do to the people of Marville. Think of all the death he's caused, all the people he's hurt. This little firestorm is nothing compared to what you've gone through because of him. And you're stronger than it."

J.J. swallowed, listening intently to her. He knew she was right, and he tried to do what she'd said. As he imagined the faces of the people Blake had turned into Diemons, had killed, a simmering anger began to burn in his chest, and he realized what Gwen was encouraging. Despite himself, he smiled, and he allowed himself to grow increasingly furious, which slowly pushed the fear to the back of his mind. Adrenaline began running through him as he turned back towards the roiling flames, and with a furious shout, he unleashed a stream of fire directly into the blaze.

As he had hoped, the firestorm suddenly parted in the wake of the hotter thermals erupting from the tip of his staff, opening a path for them. For a split-second, he was amazed, but he pushed that thought to the back of his mind as he began walking forward, still yelling with fury. A tunnel opened in the flames, and he and Gwen walked, unharmed, through the inferno. It took them thirty seconds to cross the room, and in that time, J.J. could feel his strength ebbing away. Yet, he continued to focus on his anger, which ensured that his spell burned hotter than the fire around them and repelled the room's searing flames. At last, they reached the opposite platform, and J.J. cancelled the spell, taking a deep breath. Sweat was pouring down his face and his legs were trembling, both from the amount of energy he had expended, and the thought of how he'd managed to literally walk through fire.

Gwen laughed and wrapped her arms around him from behind, staring up at him. "That was amazing!" she cried. "I'm so glad that worked. I wasn't sure if you could pull that off."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," J.J. said sardonically. He took a moment to enjoy her embrace, before gently pulling her hands off and squeezing them. "And sincerely, thank you for talking me through that. I know I should be stronger than that, but-"

"We all have things we're afraid of, no matter how often we face them," Gwen assured him with a nod. "It's not weakness to grip a railing when walking across a high bridge, or to step away from an angry rattlesnake. So don't let the fact that you're still afraid of fire – and may always be – get you down. You still got through it, didn't you?"

"Right," J.J. sighed, taking a deep breath. He then put his hand on his amber D-former and gave it a quick spin, reverting to Adventurer Class. "Come on, then," he added, wanting to hurry out of the room. "Let's go see what death trap your brother has planned for us next. You think it's going to be a row of guillotines, or a giant spider?"

"Where would he get a giant spider?" Gwen mused.

"I don't know. Where'd he get a wall of fire?" J.J. shot back, trying to dispel his lingering fear with lighthearted dismissal of it. Gwen chuckled, taking his hand again and running with him down the next flight of stairs.

As they entered the final room, the first thing J.J. noticed were that the walls and pillars were clear, making it seem as though they'd stepped inside of a flawless diamond. Little rainbows danced across the walls, where the light of the white gems above them streamed through the facets of the crystals. Eight pillars in the center of the room formed a straight line, between which lay a long blue carpet, which drew the eye to an ornate crystal throne near the back of the room. Sitting on the throne was the Black Seraph, his leaning comfortably back against the blue cushions of the throne with his fingers laced together. Though his golden mask was unreadable, his stance was unmistakably calm as he gazed at the two visitors to his throne room.

J.J. hesitated for a moment as he gave his sword a little twirl, but before he could approach the figure on the throne, he saw a dark shape emerge from behind it. His blood froze as Agnar slowly walked around to the side of the throne, clad in his black plate armor, and he set the tip of his blade into the smooth floor, resting his hands on the pommel of his sword. Beside him, he heard Gwen gasp softly, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw her take a step back.

The Black Seraph chuckled softly as he leaned forward on his throne, placing his elbows on his thighs, and resting his chin on his laced fingers. "Welcome, sister," he said in a smooth voice. "And greetings to you as well, Kamen Rider Page. I've been expecting you."