Where The Elves Are...(Well...Sort Of...^^;;)

AUTHOR'S NOTES: It's been quite a while since I've uploaded here last, gomen to all readers out there. Asato meets his Chibi -Shikigami-, the truth about Elene's mysterious appointment into the Arcane, Tatsumi's -Shadow- powers, Hisoka's psychic attributes, Watari's Clow Cards (OO;;),Wakaba's miko prowess, Terazuma's terrible oni curse, Kazutaka's -Dark Shikigami-, Oriya's -Spirit- swordskill, and...Grein singing Elbereth Gilthoniel....?! OO;; What is this world coming TO?! Oh well. R/R PLEASE~~~!!!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Yami No Matsuei, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings. They are owned by Youko Matsushita, J.K. Rowling, and J.R.R. Tolkien, respectively. So no SUING~~~!!!

Asato was pulling on his socks in the hospital ward later that evening when the doors to it opened and he looked up. He sees Grein talking to Madame Pomfrey, with a still shy Elene Falcrest at his side. Grein came up to his bed a few minutes later.

"Feeling OK, Asato?" Grein greeted him.

Asato nodded.

Yutaka was still staring at Elene, who retreated further behind Grein's back. "Is she really going to be our Arcane classmate, Silverbough-sensei?"

"Yes, Watari-kun. I do hope you'll all get together well." Grein nodded. "The rest of the class is already waiting for us in the Transfiguration classroom. Everything all packed...?"

"Yes, Silverbough-san," Asato replied.

"Good." Grein took out his wand and waved it over at Asato's still unfinished candy shop and Elene's still untouched gift (^^;;). "Sentire Portalis."

The unfinished candy shop and Elene's still untouched gift popped off into thin air.

Asato was wide-eyed. "Hey...where had it all gone TO?!"

"I've sent it to your room, don't worry," Grein told him as he put his wand inside his robes again. He nodded at the 2 of them. "Well, shall we?"

"..." Yutaka and Asato both nodded.

Then, saying goodbye to Madame Pomfrey, the 4 of them left the hospital ward and went down the vast corridors leading down the hallway.

Elene was very quiet as she walked behind Grein, her head bowed down low. Yutaka nudged Asato, who was staring at Elene's back right in front of him.

"Eh?"

"Hey, Asato...do you think it strange that she's Arcane, just like any of us...? I thought Asia's the only region in the entire planet that's classified as being totally Rune-Grade..."

"Excuse me...?"

"Rune-Grade...you know, being accorded with several mysticisms and being so wonderfully gifted at that. Africa, some parts of Southern America, and some parts of Europe and the United States are just quite a handful of Rune-Grade places they could possibly delve into...but then again, the times are so modern right now, the people think that these handful of Rune-Grade sites are just so totally...old-fashioned and outdated. These beliefs...voodoo, shamanism, the belief in nature and in spirits, mostly...the people of the modern times call it taboo, and most wizards think it grossly aligned with the Dark wizarding world, when in truth, it's not." Yutaka frowned. "See how the other students reacted when we first arrived here at Hogwarts for the Sorting...? They thought us a bunch of mini Dark wizards out to topple the foundations of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry because of our innate abilities. To them, it's abnormal to have these gifts. It's like we're thrown back into the Middle Ages again."

"So...that was why they were all acting funny." Asato looked at Yutaka. "But we're not bad, or Dark wizards, for that matter..."

"Exactly. That's what's Professor Dumbledore's been trying to say these past 15 years." Yutaka's eyes became sad. "Sadly, the Muggles and the other wizards don't think that way, because in their eyes, we're demon spawn. All thanks to those Death Eaters."

"..." Asato blinked. "Yutaka...you mean to say that... even though the people in this palace could cast magic..."

"Oh, we're VERY rare. Wizards casting magic is one thing, but wizards with OTHER talents beside casting spells is another. As with the rest of our other classmates at the Arcane...we each come with 'gifts' uniquely our own. That's why...not all wizards welcome the idea of starting this Arcane class. It's as if we're to start a Dark wizard army or something like it."

"But...that's unfair!"

"Yeah, try telling them THAT. It took several years for the entire wizarding community to accept this idea...15 years, to be exact. I mean...5 years that we were having peace, we don't need any of these classes in order to be able to survive."

"I see..."

Soon, they were standing right outside the doors to the Transfiguration classroom. Asato's eyes were thin little slits. "I just remembered, I have a whole week's worth of homework to look forward to after this session..."

"Eh, you can do it!" SD Yutaka was grinning. "And don't worry, Bon and I are to hit the study tables too after this, so you won't feel too left out."

"Yeah, thanks." Asato couldn't help grinning back.

Grein opened the doors to the Transfiguration classroom, and everybody quieted down at once. The 4 of them went in without another word.

"Good evening, class."

"Good evening, Professor Silverbough."

"Alright. I trust you're all in?" Grein went towards the teacher's table and put down his leather bag (the kind the Japanese junior high school students use) on it. Grein smiled at Asato, Yutaka and Elene. "Well, children, please take your seats. We have a lot to discuss for this very first session alone."

Asato, Yutaka, and Elene went forward to take their respective seats in the classroom. Asato and Yutaka sat together, while Hisoka blinked and made room for Elene.

"Yes. Perfect." Grein opened his bag and got out a series of thick books inside his bag. "Well, before anything else, Ms. Falcrest would be your classmate here in the Arcane, for this session and the rest of other sessions thereafter. The inclusion of this Arcane class with your workload as Hogwarts first years for now might be a little too daunting, but otherwise still manageable; you really don't need to worry too much, these classes are devoted to awakening your capabilities as being Chosen, and for understanding its many strong points, as well as its many limitations. More focused work would continue into your second to your fourth years...these would be devoted to the mastery of your abilities, and from fifth to seventh years...that would be devoted to your specialization."

"Errh..." Asato blinked. "Specialization...Silverbough-san?"

"Yes, Mr. Tsuzuki, specialization. You could choose to become a rogue Chosen or get into the Council of High Wizardry as the first Chosen team, to work closely with the Aurors. The possibilities are endless." Grein then extracted a sheaf of parchment from his bag. "OK, before we start...I'll begin with a roll call. Please just raise your hand once I call out your name." Grein clears his throat. "Excuse me. Well then...first up. Falcrest, Elene?"

Grein put the sheaf of parchment inside his bag, closed it, then looked at each and every one of them a little while later. "Good, now that's over, we would begin with the formal introductions of this special class. Could somebody please tell me what the word Arcane stands for...?"

Hisoka raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Kurosaki?"

"Arcane, from the Latin word arcanus, meaning secret or hidden," Hisoka replied.

"Very good." Grein nodded. "Arcane, secret, hidden. Hidden secrets, mysteries...whatever meaning you choose, it still means the same. Hidden. Cloaked. Veiled." Grein opened the first thick book on the top of his desk. "It is the only way we could describe what we are to study here tonight. Any idea why?"

Elene raised her hand timidly.

"Yes, Ms. Falcrest?"

"It is because...what we are to study here has been...kept hidden in secret for hundreds of years," Elene answered. "This...knowledge...when put into the wrong hands, could spell great disaster to the whole wizarding kind. And, because of other wizards branding this kind of knowledge as taboo, nobody has been really known to practice this in full view of the high wizarding authorities without proper sanctions from them for doing it like so. They believe...that this kind of knowledge has a lot to do with the Dark wizarding kind."

"Very good." Grein nodded. "Hidden in secrecy for hundreds of years, this branch of ancient magic has been sealed to those who are deemed unworthy of even possessing this knowledge...as, the saying goes, with great power comes even greater responsibility. Imagine aetheria being spread amuck, with no people around present to be able to fully handle it. Everybody who knows these kinds of things should take proper caution as not to let it go out of hand. If everybody could do something like THIS, or could practice this kind of knowledge without proper training and discipline, I could imagine complete bedlam. It's like dropping a still lit match onto a dry patch of grass, and it would spread like mad, reducing an entire forest to ashes. It's like that, in a way. Handling something that's too much for you to handle would only get you burned in the process."

He then got his wand, then waved it at the blackboard. "Hidden for hundreds of years...the practitioners of this almost lost kind of art have kept this knowledge to them, only passing it to those who were deemed worthy of even possessing such power. But in order to even BECOME worthy enough of wielding such unimaginable power, one must know the great many things possible that could lead to either harm or good. It is by knowing one's limitations could one only be truly powerful."

Grein's beautiful handwritten script appeared on the blackboard.

"As with other branches of magic, aetheria has a long background to it, and it has survived through the worst times, and also thrived through the best of times. True aetheria stemmed from what you could possibly term as true blue magicians of old...the Enchantress Circe, the daughter of the Goddess of Magic herself, Hecate...the oracles of Apollo...the shamans of the North American Indians...and, to be close, there's old reliable Merlin, King Arthur's magician par excellence. Now what do these magicians have in common...?"

"They...have their own unique gifts...?" Yutaka ventured.

"Precisely." Grein gestured to the blackboard, on which was written a paragraph. "The Enchantress Circe was particularly gifted in transfiguration, the oracles of Apollo were gifted with the Inner Eye or what we call precognition and communicate with the ancient gods living in Mt. Olympus, shamans have the gift to be able to communicate with the spirits living in all things, while Merlin...well, he could do ALMOST everything, building that Round Table, moving those stones from Ireland...and the list goes on and on. It is for these powers that they were both revered and shunned. Ancient times have treated what they were really good at as works of the Devil, for it is considered abnormal for even mortals to possess such powers, and they honestly believed that these powers came from the Devil himself. Such blindness led into those infamous witch hunts in the Middle Ages, and in so doing, several innocent people were instigated and persecuted...for a time the Muggles were so scared of the real wizarding kind that they treated everything that was out of the ordinary as a cause for rumor, and eventual persecution."

He pointed with his wand at the blackboard.

"There's magic, and there's true magic. Magic involves the use of spells, for the conferring of charms, hexes, curses, brewing of potions, and the like. And there's true magic. It is what we are all gathered here tonight for. This is what I am going to teach you." Grein nodded. "Hogwarts could only teach you so much by means of magic. But true magic, which I am going to teach you, is way beyond any book that claims full authority over it. As it is a very obscure branch of magic, with the way of Divination...people gifted with these unique capabilities are VERY rare indeed, and true accounts or whatsoever are even rarer, for the Council of High Magic has barred its existence in the very wizarding world we all live in. For a good cause, for this branch of magic is very dangerous." He waved his wand again. "True magic, aetheria. What does it mean...? As you recall in your past lessons, the ancients thought of aether as this imaginary substance as filling all space beyond the sphere of the moon, and making up the stars and the planets. But in our studies, we would identify aetheria as the boundless energy that fills everything, everyone, waiting to be tapped, waiting to be called forth. The spirits that live in each and every one of us, of those that surround us...the very air we breathe, the trees that grow tall and shade us from the sun by means of their leafy branches, the water that surrounds us, the fire that keeps us warm, the earth which we trod upon for support and nourishment for this is where all our plants lay in wait before being called forth by Spring. Aetheria is nature, the connection we have to the planet, the connection the planet has to us."

Grein started pacing about his desk.

"For aetheria, the living soul of all things...the material world is divided into 5 elements: Air, Water, Fire, Wood, Earth, in the matter of some Eastern-style mysticism; in some aspects only Air, Water, Fire, Earth; and in Chinese mysticism, there's Air, Water, Fire, Wood, Earth, Metal...the list goes on and on, but all in all, these many essences constitute one whole picture. One could control these elements to their bidding, but in order to use the full effects of these elements, one must be totally disciplined and should take great precaution in using them. For using aetheria means 'borrowing' these powers for a controlled amount of time, and, left unchecked, could very well mean chaos in spite of your noble ideals. Controlling the forces of nature is a very daunting task, and it is why aetheria was limited to only a few people who could use and control it very effectively. In channeling your aether force...it is most wise that we are not to use wands in this course...rather, the use of rods or staves are more efficient, for only they could harness the full potential of your aether force without shattering, as wands could undoubtedly do so, in some surges of aether force that would be much too powerful for it to handle. You MUST remember that we are 'borrowing' nature's powers, and I can safely say that wands could only do so much in borrowing a little of its power in order for it not to shatter."

"'Aether force' means the set energies that you were all born with. Greater aether force means greater power, but that doesn't mean those with aether force which are lesser couldn't defeat someone with a greater aether force than he has. It's all in the matter of training and disciplining oneself and knowing one's strong points and limitations could he truly surpass all aether expectations. One is born with that given amount of aether force, though, and in that point, one could not really heighten it to one's liking. Too much power borne by one soul would prove to be so great a burden on that unfortunate soul...for being too powerful would make people very afraid of who you are."

Grein waved his wand at the blackboard again.

"Knowledge of each specialized aetheria is passed down from generation to generation within families with such known talent. Generations come and go, and this knowledge isn't lost...although, in some very rare cases, aetheria channeling skips 2, 3, even 5 generations, in order to be born in an heir or heiress with even more frightening capabilities, as heightened by the generation 'gap'. In order to preserve their aetheria, clans marry within the confines of their familial circles as not to have their given aetheria diminish in power. Cousins and cousins, aunts, uncles...incestuous they may seem, but it's the only way to preserve their heritage, in their opinions. Even if there are SO many specializations out there, aetheria could only be separated into 2 divisions, under which your specific gift could be listed under. These are the Light and Dark Aetheria."

Grein's beautiful handwritten script was skating across the other blackboard again. "Light Aetheria is used mostly for healing and support type of Aetheria. They include Earth, Water, Air, Wood spells, summoning. Also included in Light Aetheria are the Forbidden Aetheria: Life, and Light, the highest of the order. Dark Aetheria, on the other hand, is used mostly for combative purposes, and deals various 'ailments' on the offender in question. They include Fire and Metal spells, necromancy. Also included in Dark Aetheria are the Forbidden Aetheria: Death, and Shadow, the highest of the order."

Grein looked over at his students again. "Forbidden Aetheria were so called because their powers are really frightening, to say the least...to have control over Life and Death, the Light and the Shadow...only a handful of people know about this, and it's safer that way. Included in the list of Forbidden Aetheria are Lightning, Tone, Ice, Gravity, Poison...they are 'mutations', so to speak, of spells between Light and Dark, and to harness such abilities, one must be very powerful, indeed."

Yutaka raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Watari?"

"Um...Professor Silverbough, how do we know if...well, for example..." He gestured towards Hisoka. "He possesses psionic powers...is he of the Light or the Dark Aetheria...?"

"It is a choice of what he would prefer. If he uses it for helping people, he is of the Light...for hurting people...he is of the Dark. But there are some cases in which one could help and leads to more disaster, and one hurts and leads to doing kindness towards another. But all he has to think of for the moment is how his actions would benefit and harm those people surrounding him...as with the rest of us all here." Grein nodded. "Any more questions?"

"Um..." Wakaba raised her hand.

"Yes, Ms. Kannuki?"

"So Hajime-chan...he's..."

"Well, it's a matter of which he prefers. As he's in his 'untapped' form and doesn't know what he's doing at the moment, he's not bad. But if one should be aware of what he's doing, and that means hurting people...he has a lot of serious issues, and he may be bad."

Seiichiro raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Tatsumi?"

"Does that mean if we could do nasty things, but we're born with it...does that mean we're bad?"

Grein sighed. "As to that, I could only say this. As I've said earlier that there is not one book in this world who could fully explain aetheria and its many intricate connections with each other and each and every one of us, one must not limit himself to the context of separating Light from Dark. They were separated so that we could learn it easier enough, but in reality, one could say that the Light is in some ways like the Dark, and vice versa. The books could only do so much in explaining what the difference is among each and every one of them, and that is all. To be branded as evil or dark because of these powers, whether good or thoroughly evil...it's always been the same sweeping generalization, and my Uncle Albus wants to change all that. It's not what we can do that would make us either evil or bad...it's what our intentions ARE during that course of action that says who we truly are. But some people are only understanding us so much without fully understanding what drove us in order to do that...and the cycle goes on and on again, without any chance for respite, until all gets muddled and in the end, we truly defeat ourselves."

The whole class was quiet.

Grein looked around the room. "Well? Any more questions...? None...? So, let's proceed." He nodded at each and every one of them. "In order to get the feel of aetheria, we need a little trip outdoors. I'll be giving you quite a visual show of what aetheria is all about...so, all you need is your cloaks, your staves...and we'll be off. Once we're outside though, don't stray too far off from me. It's nighttime, and we should all practice caution in going outdoors at this time of night."

"I lugged your stuff from the dormitory," Hisoka told Asato as they all went to retrieve their stuff from the Vanishing Lockers at one end of the room. "I think you owe me a new back for this."

"Forget a new back, you ought to demand a full body payment, so to speak." Yutaka grinned. "Last one out's a rotten EGG~~~!!!"

It was quite unnerving, to say the least: Hogwarts certainly looked kind of menacing in the nighttime than it did in daytime. Grein exchanged a few pleasantries with the roving ghosts on patrol, and had a run-in with Argus Filch, who was giving Hajime a real terrifying death glare that almost sent him running for the hills.

"Must be remembering that sweet run-in you had when you turned into that oni, Hajime," Yutaka said with a laugh.

"Shut up, Yutaka, it's bad enough being tailed by HIM wherever I go," Hajime shot back.

They soon emerged in the peaceful little settlement of Hogsmeade. It was quite different in the nighttime, as the shops that mattered to the Hogwarts students were closed for the night, and the only signs of life came from the many taverns that had sprung up around the place, filled with lots of people. They could hear the raucous singing and laughter from quite a long way off.

"The most famous taverns here include The Three Broomsticks for their very famous butterbeer, and the one quite popular with the seedy crowd has got to be Hog's Head," Grein told them as they went up a hilly climb that had several open taverns along it. "Unfortunately, it's not until you reach third year would you be finally allowed to step in Hogsmeade with the rest of your classmates."

"Why? We're not to go around amuck with just a few bottles of butterbeer, right?" Yutaka said. "Besides, sake's got THE kicker."

"School rules, and I have the right mind to say that it's quite a useful rule, to boot. Mr. Filch reckons that it delays the evils of being growing adolescents. The key word is 'delays'." Grein blinked. "Oh, we're almost there! Do watch out for hidden rabbit holes."

They were going up a steadily rising hill, and Grein was just starting on that sentence when Hajime fell into a rabbit hole. Yutaka and Asato fought back snorts of laughter as they helped him out of it, to which the dark blue haired boy gave them a look that was a cross between irritation and bursting into tears.

"What were YOU ogling at, anyway, Hajime? The path's like a mile wide in front of you," Yutaka gasped.

"He was staring at Wakaba." Asato burst into a fit of hysterical giggles. "Don't worry, she's in no danger from either of us. You have to keep watch over Seiichiro, though...I think he's just getting a little too close for comfort."

"Shut UP~~~!!!" Hajime yelps, his face a bright shade of red.

"Oh look everyone, we're here." Grein nodded. "Please make yourselves at home."

Elene's deep brown eyes became wide. "WOW!"

"Wow" was an understatement. Seeming to sprout right out of the hill in front of them was the most magnificent house they had ever seen in their entire lives. It was built of a silvery kind of wood, and it blended so perfectly into the backdrop of the trees that grew behind it it was impossible to tell it was a house, save for a pair of glowing lamps up front. Even in the dim glow of the full moon that hung over them in the night sky, Asato could see that the front lawn of the house was planted with lots of flowers in strange shapes and sizes, and there were tiny floating multicolored spheres of light hovering over them. Grein then reached out and pushed the silver-wrought gates open, to which the tiny floating multicolored spheres of light scattered about the many flowering bushes.

Hisoka went over and stared at one of the glowing lamps up front very intently, to which he discovered that they were lit by tiny Faeries that looked like many bits of fluff. Wakaba stared at the ground, where she found out that all of them were stepping on a very colorful cobble-stoned path, and the effect was like they were all transported to the wonderful land of Oz, except that it was the Rainbow Brick Road. Yutaka peered at the many curious plants that grew about them in abundance, his mouth a tiny O as he looked at them with wide eyes. Seiichiro was looking around for any evil waste of a Knut, and seeing there was none, proceeded to investigating a contraption made of crystalline glass that stood by the porch leading straight to the house itself. Asato was busy looking at the tiny floating multicolored spheres of light, while Kazutaka and Mibu Oriya were whispering to each other a few feet away and threw glances at Asato every now and then. As for Elene, she blinked then made her way towards the many shrubs where Asato was staring at, then held out her right hand. Several of the tiny floating multicolored spheres of light floated towards her hand, and Asato straightened up to gaze at them, mystified.

"How...how did you do that?" Asato asked.

"..." Elene blinked, then turned to look at him. She smiled shyly with her eyes closed. "I don't know. They just...come."

"Wow..."

"Our practical lesson would be out back." Grein looked at the boys, who were still busy checking out the place. "Do try to keep close to me, though, the unicorns are out prancing tonight, and you do know how they don't prefer the company of 'evil' men." He then reached out and got the crystalline glass contraption Seiichiro was staring at a while ago and the bound tall piece of cloth (OO;;) that leaned against the doorway. "Let's go."

They went down the Rainbow Brick Road, and the children all marveled at the many trees that grew on the sides, protecting them from curious stares of any passersby that may wander down this way. They were very tall, had a silvery bark, and to Wakaba's delight, had delicate glass leaves and tiny startling white flowers that made the trees look like they were festooned with many white Christmas lights.

"Elodil," Grein told them. "These trees thrive in the land of my mother's kin. It's very rare to see one in full bloom somewhere beyond the shores of Essena in the Western Seas..."

"Essena...?" Asato blinked.

"Uh...what's that..." Yutaka's eyes became little beads.

"The place of the Elves as mentioned in Nature's Guardians, the magical land of no death and the place of eternal radiance." Kazutaka nodded knowingly. "The place where it all began. The place where aetheria is still used pretty much up to this day and age."

"But...isn't it only legend?" Wakaba asked.

"Oh, it's very much true. These trees couldn't really thrive in Muggle land without the able help of an Elf...or Half-Elven, as in my case. My mother and I are the last ones of our kin that has remained here in the Blue Star, which we call earth." Grein nodded. "I'm related to the current headmaster of Hogwarts by means of my father, and..." He gave a goofy little grin. "Their love story is the kind of stuff what fairy tales are made of. Suffice it to say, my mother chose the life of being Bound and here I am, to save the withering remains of aetheria before it's totally lost into oblivion."

All of the children blinked. So, Grein really IS Half-Elven~~~!!!

Grein nodded. "Alright, stay together now and follow me."

They made their way down the elodil planted path and soon emerged in an area which was protected at each side by a tall post of silvery wood and carved with a flowing script quite unlike anything they've ever seen before.

"Pillars dedicated to Goddess Earth. Elves are known to be very staunch protectors of the wood and vale, and they respect all living creature in nature as their highest praise to the earth from which they sprung." Grein held out the crystalline glass contraption. "I will call to the spirits of this sacred wood, in order to ask permission to borrow their powers just for tonight."

The crystalline glass contraption began to glow with a faint light.

"Softly as these gentle woods sleep,

We come hither as Earth's humble children,

Seeking solace in your leafy boughs

And learn your secrets that had chosen to remain hidden.

As all is known to thee...

Unclose now and let the aetheria soar free."

The woods in front of them seem to clear up with a mystical light. As the children watched, openmouthed, they saw several tiny floating spheres of light that flitted about the trees, which darted away if they get a little too close for comfort. They then followed Grein, who still held the crystalline glass contraption aloft, and Asato could now see that it was a lamp of some sort.

Wakaba blinked, and let out a squeal of delight as she pointed to the trees beyond the path they were taking. The children all looked up and saw a couple of full grown unicorns standing by the shadows of the trees, so startlingly and brilliantly white they were it was as if stars had suddenly fallen down from the skies to be with them this close. And as they all stopped to get a clearer look, one of the unicorns neighed, then the rest of his fellow unicorns disappeared into the safety of the shadows beyond the trees, their star-like brilliance fading like a sudden camera flash.

"Unicorns are very intelligent and can sense danger from quite a long way off," Grein told them. "They are also quite wary about humans, wizards and Muggles alike...quite understandable, for we almost hunted them down to extinction a long time ago, when the days were dark and a shadow was creeping upon the land. They've been protected by an Elder Wizarding Edict of 1345 ever since. Unicorn horns were used for a variety of uses, from panaceas to taking out poison in drink...and, unicorn blood which could save a man on the brink of death. But it comes with a price: once the blood touches their lips, they would be cursed with a half-life. It is because it is such a monstrous thing, to slay something so pure and innocent for one's own purpose; for such a terrible crime against purity, one must be punished for his greed and insolence."

"Um...do you have unicorns over at Essena?" Hisoka asked.

"They run free throughout the entire land, but they keep pretty much to themselves, really. Mother reckons that there may be more unicorns than Elves on it. Unicorns were gifts of my kin to man, as with aetheria. And...quite a few others more." Grein's ice blue eyes twinkled over at both Asato and Elene. "Well. Shall we keep on going, then?"

They went down the path, and Yutaka could see a variety of plants and animals so magical it was as if they had all strayed into Elven-home, and those tiny spheres of light that darted through shrubs, flowers and trees seemed to follow them wherever they went. Yutaka looked over at Grein. "Professor Silverbough...what are these floating spheres of light, anyway?! They've been following us ever since we entered the forest a while ago..."

"Oh, don't mind them. They're just sprites. They're really curious magical creatures, and they love trailing after Muggles. Some of them could get pretty mischievous, though. They're responsible for St. Elmo's Fire and Will o' The Wisps who could let Muggles go astray in dark far-off woods."

"Do these trees in these woods also come from Essena?" Seiichiro asked.

"Pretty much, Mr. Tatsumi. Uncle Albus had been most kind as to give me this piece of woodland where I could grow the trees my Mother has brought forth from her home. These trees are the only ones known to grow and bloom forth east of the Western Shores." Grein pointed. "There's elodil, the ones you saw a while ago, then there's eyhrelein, athaelion, lienia...and a couple of others more. Our most beloved tree is the elodil...they remind us of the stars that were always a-flower over Essena. My mother says that the elodil come from the very stars themselves."

They soon emerged in a forest clearing. The sprites which were following them were soon encircling overhead like so many fireflies.

"Alright, spread around, gather in a circle about me," Grein told them.

They all went to their own respective places. Kazutaka tried getting himself beside Asato as much as possible, but both Yutaka and Hisoka beat him to it, which elicited a very murderous death glare from the pale silver-haired boy. After Hisoka, there was Wakaba, Hajime, Seiichiro (much to Hajime's chagrin), Elene, Mibu, and Kazutaka, who was still giving both Yutaka and Hisoka death glares.

"Every wizard or witch born into this world is unique, as much as the Muggles in the outside world. We are not different from them. We all have our own pains, joys, and problems quite like that of Muggles, and have our own personal traits and gifts. Some are especially gifted with charm work, others are particularly gifted in transfiguration, still others who are whizzes in creating potions and brews and pretty much everything else. Like them, those born into aetheria families are gifted with their own unique aether force, and are particularly suited to one type of aetheria than the others. To be all powerful in all aspects would be pretty unlikely and very farfetched...aetheria is divided among its many practitioners as much as their closeness to Goddess Earth would allow. It is by this closeness to Goddess Earth that one's aether force is determined, and what type of aether force you were all born with." Grein let go of the crystalline lamp he held, and it stayed aloft, while he reached out and got the cloth bound parcel he held in his other hand. "I will cast the Mirror of Edessa. Do not be afraid; it would only seek out the truth within your hearts and awaken what is to be tapped."

The cloth fell away, and the children all stared at it, their mouths little O's, their eyes wide. It was quite a magnificent-looking staff, made of a silver wood that seemed to glow with its inner light, bound by many fine silver chains about the top, from which a white crystal was superimposed.

Grein raised it with both his hands above his head, his ice blue eyes deadly serious.

"Mirror of Truth, Mirror of Light,

Hear me then, Mistress of Arcana...

Reveal thy bonds to thee!"

A slowly revolving silver-colored sigil appeared beneath Grein, and they all looked down at it. There was a lot of beautiful graceful script written about the circular design, along with a stylized rendering of a silver tree and 3 stars about its leafy crown. Rays of a 6-pointed star shot forth from about the circular design, along with many strange symbols arranged in 10 small circles about the smaller circular design within it. A soft wind started blowing about their feet, to which Wakaba and Elene held their skirts down, lest their skirts get blown away.

Grein then immediately struck the ground sigil beneath him with his staff.

"Come forth! Unseal and stand before me!

EDESSIAN REFLECT~~~!!!"

The silver sigil glowed even brighter, and a furious wind started about their feet. Yutaka was holding back his wavy mop of corn blond hair away from his face, staring up at the spectacle before him, his eyes wide behind his glasses.

A woman appeared above Grein, wearing a very filmy dress made of a silvery and crystalline material. She had very long, straight jet black hair, bound with gems about her brow, shaped into moons and stars and tiny very beautiful flowers, and her long tight sleeves bound at her middle fingers by a strange light. She held a crystalline mirror in her hands, decorated in many intricate-looking swirls of silver and crystal.

The sigil beneath Grein erupted in a flurry of spectral glass shards as soon as the woman's mirror emitted a strange white light, and soon, the shards were scattered about each and everyone of them, and Hajime was beginning to panic.

"Is that...an -Eidolon-...?" Hisoka breathed.

The spectral glass shards changed in color as they started swirling about each and every single one of them. Asato blinked, as the swirling spectral glass shards became a kaleidoscope of color about him: red, blue, white, green, purple...it was as if he was trapped inside a gigantic kaleidoscope itself. Yutaka was surrounded by yellow glass shards; Hisoka, light blue; Wakaba, pink; Hajime, deep green; Seiichiro, gray; Elene, white; Mibu, violet; and Kazutaka, black. The shards swirled about them over and over again until Asato couldn't take it any longer because he might get sick and closed his eyes from the furious swirling of color. Then, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped, and all of them looked very windswept, indeed.

"Oooohhh....I think I'm going to be SICK..." Yutaka moaned.

Wakaba blinked, then clapped enthusiastically, her chestnut brown eyes wide. She was laughing. "OOOOOHHHH~~~~!!! How PRETTY~~~!!!"

The rest of them blinked their eyes open. Yutaka's glasses were foggy as he surveyed the many intricate looking long cards that floated about his head, a huge sweatdrop on his head. Hisoka looked as if he swallowed a whole light blue klieg light. Wakaba had a pair of Faeries floating above her, whizzing about her with their wings looking as if they were living pyrotechnics. Hajime had a huge bead necklace that was floating above him, his eyes little beads (think Anna Kyouyama's bead necklace). Seiichiro had a chibi-looking gray sprite that looked a little bit like a Moogle. Mibu had this strange glowing scabbard floating above him, tasseled and sealed with many o-fuda and intricate-looking silver chains. Kazutaka had several black spirit orbs floating about him. As for Asato...

"Hey, where did all those disco shards go TOOMMMMPPPHHHHH~~~~"

A red and a white blur suddenly came at him from nowhere, glomping him and knocking him over, much to the surprise of both Yutaka and Hisoka. Yutaka's glasses became even more foggy. "T...THAT'S your...-SHIKIGAMI-~~~?!"

"Wha~~~" Asato blinked his eyes open, and his hair stood on end. "GAAAHHH~~~!!!"

Chibi Suzaku was giving Chibi Kouchin a death glare as she hugged Asato, her eyes devilish little slits. "Unhand him, you HARLOT~~~!!! Master Asato only needs MY protection and that includes protection from your 'magical' HANDS~~~!!!"

".." Chibi Kouchin gave her a death glare back, frowning. "Eat my foot, you overgrown CHICKEN~~~!!! Master Asato is MINE~~~!!!"

"Not so fast, you wannabe POP PRINCESS FREAK~~~!!!"

"My ass and yours you FOWL FIEND~~~!!!"

"PERVERT~~~!!!"

"JACKASS~~~!!!"

"Uh...ladies, LADIES~~~!!!" SD Yutaka was waving his arms in the air frantically. "Stop ARGUING~~~!!!"

"It won't do. They've been at it even since Master Asato was born, and they haven't let up ever since," Chibi Touda remarked. Chibi Rikugou was nodding, holding Chibi Chibi Kijin and Chibi Chibi Tenkou in his arms, Chibi Chibi Kijin sucking at a pacifier while Chibi Chibi Tenkou was waving her Chibi Chibi Chibi Bloudeuedd (my Rheingeld RPG chara-mech! ^o^) around, gurgling for all its worth.

Chibi Genbu was trying to look at them through his overgrown eyebrows and beard. "I thought I heard the chicken squawk somewhere...where has she gone to...?"

Chibi Suzaku hurled a huge tanuki statue at him from nowhere, to which poor Chibi Genbu was thrown off. "You are NOT qualified to call ME a chicken you old MAN~~~!!!"

Chibi Touda sighed, a small cloud coming out of his mouth. "You're nowhere near a chicken Suzaku. You're an undercooked turkey."

Chibi Suzaku had a very burning aura flare about her as she waved her arms over at Chibi Touda. "And I AM NOT AN UNDERCOOKED TURKEY~~~!!!"

Chibi Touda turned around, a black aura hanging about his head. "Whatever."

"OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH~~~~" Chibi Suzaku growled, several gargantuan twitches popping about her head.

"~~~" SD Hisoka blinked. "Are these children YOURS, Asato?"

"..." SD Asato turned chibi puppy.

"..." SD Seiichiro's glasses turned foggy. "Why have they all turned CHIBI?!"

Chibi Souryuu meanwhile was fighting with one of Kazutaka's black spirit orbs, Chibi Byakko sleeping a few paces away from them, his tail curled up about him, like the chibi neko he was. SD Kazutaka was twitching. SD Wakaba had her hands to her mouth, while her 2 Faeries blinked.

"Uh...Professor Silverbough..." came Elene's shaky voice.

"???" Grein blinked. "What is it, Miss Falcrest?"

Wobbly-eyed and tears pouring down her cheeks, SD Elene slowly pointed upward. Grein looked up, along with the rest of Elene's classmates.

And discovered a huge flying spaceship that was covering the entire moon from where they stood.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~~~!!!" SD Yutaka and SD Hisoka yelled, grabbing each other, their eyes very wide; SD Wakaba had her hands pressed to her face; SD Hajime's outline had gone all out squiggly; SD Mibu turned white as sheet; and SD Kazutaka merely blinked.

SD Seiichiro was also wide-eyed. "What on EARTH is that?!"

"..." A huge sweatdrop appeared on SD Grein's head. "I guess those -Eidolons- overdid it...they had been cooped up for God knows how long. I have to bring them back here, lest the entire Hogwarts Castle staff start shooting it down with Banishing Charms..."

"-E...Eidolons-...?" SD Hisoka blinked.

"There are only 2 known Fayres of the aetherian world, the Tsuzuki and Falcrest clans, given power over -Shikigami- and -Eidolons-." SD Grein nodded. "Well, I guess I should bring them back, where they belong...to their mistress, that is."

He swipes his staff again and the huge spaceship disappeared with a pop and appeared right beside SD Elene, along with 15 other Chibi -Eidolons-.

SD Yutaka poked the now tiny spaceship, which floated like a cute tiny toy dirigible. He blinked. "Actually, they look kind of cute..."

"..." SD Hisoka had a very disgruntled look on his face. "They weren't SUPPOSED to be cute, Yutaka, THEY'RE supposed to look intimidating."

"Oh."

"..." Grein nodded over at his students, smiling angelically. "Well. Now that you've been introduced to each of your aetheria...would you mind taking your staves out, please...?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

AUTHOR'S NOTES: THIS IS MY LONGEST CHAPPIE~~~!!! Poor Asato. What happened to his awesome-looking -Shikigami- cast and HOW did they get afflicted with the dratted chibi curse?! Oh well. HAIL, MIGHTY CHIBIS~~~!!! ^o^ ^o^ ^o^