Episode 1: The New Starting Block!

Aeuropa Capital Academy, Aeuropa City, Planet Duniya
"Aeuropa-Victorian Fes: Evening Segment"
Year: 5223 A.D (During the Curse)

Hush, love
No, I'm not what you think that I'm made of
I'm a story, I'm a breakup
Just a hero on a bridge that's burning down

Artemis Patterson looked himself in the mirror at his waistcoat and calf length frock coat. His shoes were shiny black and light trousers. He held the top hat to the side while analyzing his hair before putting it on.

Life in Aeuropa City was indeed quite a busy yet a paradise. He was a third-year student at the ACA and a high-ranked member of his swim club. The last two years of doing this festival was indeed awkward as first and second year swimmers were assigned to wear women's fashion.

Thank god this is it, he smiled as he turned to the doorway, leaving the restroom and entering to the gymnasium where his fellow swim-mates were gathered.

"Alrighty ladies and gents! Remember your assigned roles and let us put on a show!" Kaoru Natsume said, "The rest of the school and the community will observe our culture! Show them your best!"

The first and second years grumbled mixed in with some yays while the third years gave their captain a round of applause.

"I wish I was a third year…" sighed Romio Hayahune as he looked at his cream-colored dress. The corset nearly choked around his waist with his collapsed sleeves, low neckline in v-shaped bodice.

"You'll be there soon enough," Artemis smiled.

"Yeah but you're gonna be gone!" said Shizuru Isurugi in his white dress made of silk in shape of a train with the skeletal cage crinoline holding the dress. His sleeves were wider than Romio's.

"I'll be sure to visit you guys," he answered.

"You better!" both Romio and Shizuru replied.

The five arranged themselves to their roles as Artemis danced with Romio while the other guys danced with their respective third-year partners. Aoba (dressed in his suit) was busy doing a lot of cooking with some of the other maids. Artemis, Aoba, Kaoru and Misaki were all third years (despite the strange school system that caused them to end up in the same year) while Romio and Shizuru were only second years.

Elegant music of the Victorian Era of Terra Magna and Iglis Magna were played by the musicians. In history, these two cities were formerly at war with each other until the Legend of the Six Stars ended the mess and brought the nations together.

Since then a series of different cultures spread across the world (save the Chirottori region as many feared of the supernatural events that the Magic Six were have said to have adventured through).

It had been at least 60 years or so when the world faced another apocalyptic mess but true love from other realms ensured that a happy beginning was now.

Everyone rearranged themselves for a group social dance as two lines were formed in a sequence. People spun in circles and clapped their hands before exchanging. The Swim Club managed to commission the music club for their dance as the atmosphere felt magical.

Artemis and the others danced for at least a half hour before getting their 15-minute break from the captain. They got some refreshments to cool off while sitting to the sidelines.

"Does this dress make me look fat?" asked Romio asked before Shizuru slapped him across the face.

"You guys are always in neck to neck even out of the water!" sighed Misaki, crossing his arms in his suit, "Let's not argue tonight ladies."

Romio and Shizuru took out their fans and smacked him with them.

"OI! We're gonna get in trouble if you don't behave lady-like!" Aoba arrived and reminded them before sighing, "Food will be served soon."

I'm out, Artems thought, getting up on his feet.

"A-Artemis-chan!?" Romio asked before beckoning the others to stop fighting and follow, "Where are you going? We can't leave the ballroom!"

"I'm just gonna check out the statue fountain…I think I figured out who it is," he said.

"EEEHHH!?" they gasped.

"That fountain hasn't been maintained…there's no way you could figure out who it is shaped into!" Shizuru said.

"I'm sure there were past photos…remember? They're gonna open up the time capsule soon," Artemis reminded them.

"But the dance…" began Aoba.

"I'll talk to the captain," Artemis smiled.

"Of course, he'd listen to you because you're a third year!" Romio answered annoyingly.

Artemis spoke with Kaoru and sure enough was given approval to visit the Time Capsule event. Kaoru didn't bother to ask why but as soon as he saw the others trying to follow, he yelled at them to return to their dancing positions.

Flashback: 18 Months Ago…
The Unknown Statue Fountain

Half-way into his first year, Artemis used a shortcut to the Natatorium and to the rest of the school through a special garden pathway. At the midway between the two facilities was a fountain that contained a large statue but over the years it was weathered and damaged. However, the Time Capsule has kept pictures of its foundation and completion for safe keeping.

The statue always fascinated him but no matter how hard he tried to inspect it, there was always a dead end. His biological father, Jordan works with architecture and history while his partner Joseph was a swimmer as well. Artemis never knew about his mother but never really bothered to ask. He was very content with his life.

Artemis arrived at the statue and once again took out his magnifying glass and a pair of tweezers to clear off some of the algae on the base of the statue. Despite being a prestigious, high-class academia, this statue and the fountain was always filthy.

He could almost make out a few letters of the name when he heard one of the hallway monitors heading in his direction. Artemis quickly fled the scene. Getting caught by the monitors is a serious violation in the academy.

Present Day: The Time Capsule Display

At the very same area of the fountain, a set of tables surrounded the fountain with merchandise, photo copies, as well as documents sealed in glass were shown. Artemis looked around through the crowds of people to find the photo of the statue. He finally saw one and asked if there was a name on the base.

"I'm not sure if we took a picture of this man's name…" one of the council members answered.

Artemis calmly analyzed the photo but upon seeing the details of the statues, a throbbing headache struck his head…

Awaken…the hour has come…

He looked around to see where the voice was coming from but shrugged it off. Despite his headache, he could see that the statue was a male figure probably of around his age (or an early graduate student) with a unique hairstyle and a pair of glasses.

"Does anyone know about this statue?" Artemis questioned.

"It was built actually to pay homage to him and his group of friends who were part of some sort of a legend," the other person said.

Could it be, Artemis thought, the old wives' tale…

He thanked them for the presentation before returning to the gymnasium and watching his fellow swim mates still dancing around. Artemis was about to go back in, but he wondered if it was a good idea. He wanted answers to his past…

I'm going to be graduating soon, he thought, if I don't research who I am…I'll be stuck living with the normality of this place…as much as I appreciate all of what there is to offer…

The Patterson Family Home, North Aeuropa

Jordan Crystal and his partner Joseph Patterson prepared an evening coffee for each other. The former went outside to the backyard and stared out at the stars while holding up a hand-held mirror. It was a gift he received from a friend whose original owner has already moved on but was passed down. How it ended up in his hands was a secret, but he knew that it contained special powers from its past usages.

The couple were gay since anyone's memory, but they had only met each other about 7 years ago, before getting married after 3 years of dating. However, Jordan kept several secrets from Joseph including his family and where he was from. The time wasn't here yet…or was it?

Lately crimes have been on the rise, he thought as the mirror showed the reflection of the stars.

"Hey darling, the coffee is ready!" Joseph called out.

"Can you bring it outside?" he asked, "The stars are really beautiful."

The mirror suddenly glowed a little as Jordan stared at it sharply. Joseph walked out and saw the mirror and nearly dropped the coffee.

"I know you don't believe in magic but…the time has come," Jordan said.

"W-what is that?!" Joseph asked.

"Magic…" Jordan answered, "From another land. This mirror is enchanted and now its foretelling a premonition…again."

"A-again?" his partner asked, "You know what…you've been acting strange lately?"

"Would you believe in me if I told you about everything I know?" Jordan replied.

Joseph set down his coffee and said, "The reason why I didn't want to believe is because I don't want to endanger our son…"

"Artemis is born from magic and he too will confront his destiny," Jordan continued, "Come with me…there's something I must show you."

"A-alright," his husband answered.

The Village of Iwamara: Suiei Temple

Three cloaked men arrived at the Suiei Temple where it was said that a group of previous heroes utilized it to time travel back to their homeland. They have recalled this also back home and how powerful it contains. How they grouped up and where they are from cannot be explained yet.

Their leaders entrusted them to go to this temple while they went to Aeuropa City on a simultaneous mission.

"Natsuya said that what we need is in here," the young, purple-haired one spoke.

"We can't activate it because we don't have someone of greater power to awaken this place," the second man spoke as he held his crossbow over his shoulder.

The third man turned to the altar marble table as two books rested: Iwatobi Suiei Gods and Eternal Swim Chronicle. Each book was a magical, living, breathing tale that has kept their worlds in existence both in past, present and future.

"I don't understand…if they all got their happy endings," Kotarou Terashima muttered as he unhooded his cover.

"This story is expecting Chaos to win at long last…and we might be too late to save everyone," Tsubasa Hoshikawa answered as he brushed his hand across the dust of the marble altar.

"Is it true that Chaos cannot be destroyed? Only banished to another realm?" Isana Kiryuu added.

"From what I understand according to the Magic Six, every time Chaos is banished to a new place, its power gets only stronger…and stronger. What's worse is that it might have found the ultimate weapon…" Kotarou replied.

"And do you suspect that it might try to return to these places with this…thing?" asked Tsubasa.

"…I don't have any doubts," Isana said, "We must prepare for the end of the story…"

"For now, we have to get to the city and find the boy," the blue-haired man answered, "He will be vital to our cause. Hikaru and Shin are waiting for us likewise."

"There's a lot we have to do once we get there…the boy…Asahi and Ikuya…and more importantly…the dark curse," Kotarou reflected from what the king spoke.

Aeuropa Capital Academy

Artemis was about to step into the gymnasium when the fire alarm went off. Everyone began to panic a little and evacuate but something else was coming. The walls to the west side exploded as a pair of strange monsters made of darkness and poison stormed into the place. They roared loudly and wreak havoc to the party, knocking down refreshments, tearing down the stage.

A-are they searching, Artemis observed mentally, they're not hurting anyone!

An explosive blast of water followed by electricity drew attention to the monsters. Artemis turned to see the source as two young men with unique hairstyles of teal and salmon-red stood. Their outfits were very unusual in design and their weapons looked like they could destroy the entire room.

Artemis's head throbbed again as he saw brief images of a group of heroes in silhouette. His body trembled before falling to the floor, entering a semi-conscious state…

The two super heroes combated the monsters down and approached to fallen student.

"Is it him?" the first one asked.

"…Yes," the other replied, "And now that we found him…we must give him the book."

"The one from his mother?"

"…it is time he awakens and joins the likes of our kind…"

The two could hear the police arriving. One scooped Artemis up in a bridal-like style while the other took out the book and they escaped together.

The evacuated students were escorted by security as the city police arrived to set up the investigation area. Aoba, Misaki, Shizuru, Kaoru, and Romio wondered where Artemis was at.

"God, I hope those monsters didn't…" Aoba began.

"Hey you guys!" Romio gasped at something flying high, "Look!"

"Is it a bird? A plane?" asked Shizuru.

"…I-it can't be!" gasped Aoba, "T-they're real?!"

"W-what are you talking about?" one of the other swimmers asked.

"I've heard an urban legend about these guys…" another one responded, "They're special forces of the police!"

"Wait, are you SAYING THAT'S…" Misaki began.

"Shion and Kaza…or rather, Super Shion and Super Kaza," Kaoru concluded.

"EEHHHH!? Coach you knew about them!?" Shizuru and Romio asked

"I've heard of them yes…but I didn't think they'd be real…I thought it was just a social media rumor," Kaoru replied.

Next Morning: The Patterson Family Home

Artemis opened his eyes and found himself safely back in bed. His fathers opened the door to check up on him.

"Dad…dad…" he breathed.

"Are you alright?" Joseph asked, holding his hand, "You worried both of us!"

"You were lucky Savior Kaza and Savior Shion brought you back home," Jordan said.

"E-EH?!" Artemis asked, "I-I thought they were…?"

"Urban legend? Oh no, they're just as real as you and I. However, when they dropped you off, they kept themselves to the shadows but told us that they are super heroes indeed," Jordan explained.

"Anyway, do you want to go to swim practice?" asked Joseph, "The captain called us that if you're still in a coma or just woke up, he won't push you."

"I'll go. Everyone is waiting for me," Artemis replied, grabbing his things.

"Shouldn't you at least eat something first?" Jordan suggested.

"I need to talk to Kaoru anyway," the young man shrugged before grabbing his bag and leaving. Joseph tried to stop him to get something to eat but he was already out the door.

Jordan looked at the mirror and saw a familiar face…of a great leader with a concerned look on its face.

Aeuropa Capital Academy
Men's Dorm Sector
Room 210

Shizuru was brushing his teeth while Romio was watching the news about the Super Kaza and Super Shion being interviewed by the police as they were explaining the incident.

"We have been investigating a lot of similar incidents with other high schools including Kazara, Northwest, East Johns, and Shioneko," Kaza explained.

"And are those names Kaza and Shion come from Kazara and Shioneko?" one of the reporters asked.

"They're not," Shion answered, "Our super names come from a different language entirely that this world is not familiar of."

"I didn't think they'd go for an interview," Romio muttered.

Shizuru walked out from the bathroom and said, "We better get going soon or else Coach will double our swim assignment."

"But I wanna watch thhiiiisssss…" Romio moaned, "We never got to hear these guys except for those internet rumors!"

The Natatorium (Coach Office)

Kaoru reviewed the roster of how the swimmers in the ACASC (Aeuropa Capital Academy Swim Club) were going to be assigned for the upcoming tournaments. He also received a copy of other schools and even a long distant community from the far areas of the world.

"The village of Iwamara…" he muttered, "Hmmm?"

He returned to his roster and checked off some of the progresses of the swimmers while circling some of their names for review. Today he received word from the advisor Lin about two new students enrolled to the program. Despite being close to the third years' upcoming graduation, he had to balance out the schedule.

Kaoru turned to see Artemis at the door. He opened for him to walk in.

"I see you decided to show up. You okay?" Kaoru asked.

"…Yes, you needed to talk to me anyway," Artemis answered.

"I've always been a great friend to you, Misaki, Aoba, Shizuru, and Romio. However, as your team captain, I'm a bit concerned about your latest performance. Something's bothering you," Kaoru explained.

"You're right. I have nothing to hide," Artemis said, "I haven't been like myself lately. I don't feel belonging here."

"That's silly Arty," Kaoru answered, "Why do you think so?"

"It's not about the swim team…it's me…I feel like I don't belong in this world to begin with," he replied.

"E-eh? You're not making sense?" Kaoru grew confused.

"I'm sorry…I must be exaggerating. The truth is…I don't know who I really am," Artemis said, "I don't have any memories of my mother…or even having a family. I have the love of my two fathers but…"

"You don't feel complete," he muttered.

"I love our swimming community here. I'll forever cherish it but…we're gonna be graduating soon and…" Artemis continued.

"Coach Kaoru, the new students are here," Aoba walked in.

"Very well, I'll round up our students," Kaoru answered before turning back to Artemis and whispered, "You'll find your answer after high school, I believe in you."

The students of the swim club lined themselves up from the pool as Artemis stood next to Romio, Shizuru, and Misaki and. Coach Kaoru, Aoba, and Advisor Lin Yang presented the new students to the team.

"Morning everyone, my name is Asahi Shiina, a swimmer from Kazami High and soon to be third year. I am a master of butterfly and freestyle!" he introduced first.

"My name is Ikuya Kirishima, from Shionezaki High and upcoming third year student. My specialty is the breaststroke and freestyle," he added, "Asahi and I were also friends from the Iwamara village since childhood."

The students awed in interest about the last sentence. Some of them have heard of the Iwamara village and the fact that they were soon going to send their high school swimmers to upcoming tournaments.

Why do I have a bad feeling about these two, Shizuru thought, narrowing his eyes a little.

Asahi smiled a wide grin while Ikuya kept his cool and silently stared at Artemis through his covered eye thanks to his hairstyle.

"Please welcome these gentlemen to the club," Lin said as the students clapped their hands for a few moments before returning to their training.

Artemis stepped onto the diving block and aimed himself for the water as Asahi stepped next to him, "Gonna race the butterfly?"

"I'm doing freestyle," Artemis said, readying his goggles.

"Heh, alright. You kinda remind me of someone who only does freestyle," Asahi chuckled as they both readied their positions.

"Is Artemis gonna face Asahi!?" Romio gasped.

"He's always headfirst," muttered Shizuru with a facepalm.

The other members gasped and stopped what they were doing to see this as Kaoru readied on the whistle.

On three, they both dove in, racing each other. While Artemis' freestyle was straightforward and fast, Asahi showed great stamina and swiftness, creeping up behind him.

Everything seemed well at first…until Artemis' mind flashed into the light…

He saw three worlds smashing together in an apocalyptic transformation

Two groups of heroes with the same faces but different style of clothing

A little kid resembling himself in the hands of a mother and father playing happily

Everything seemed beautiful until a new wave of dark magic tumbled down to paradise…

Artemis flipped over the wall with Asahi as the visions continued…

The swimmer gasped to see someone that looked like him but trapped inside a glass case filled with some fluid. He tried to reach out to the entity when everything around him changed and he saw what looked like a massive smoke roaring down through the entire city and its suburbs.

Horrified, Artemis took a breath and stood on his feet while Asahi reached to the wall to complete the race but gasped to see his opponent all shaken by what was happening. Everyone in the audience was in deep shock to see Artemis like this.

He's beginning to remember, isn't he, Asahi thought, will this be enough to…?

Ikuya stared at his partner while rolling his eyes slightly. This was not going to turn out as planned…

The other swimmer made his way to the wall as everyone muttered among themselves. Embarrassed, Artemis ran to the locker rooms to change while Kaoru approached to him.

"H-hey! Are you okay!?" he asked.

"LEAVE ME!" Artemis shouted, "I feel like I've gone mad! Just put me off the relay, okay!? I lost this race to a younger guy!"

"A-Artemis!" Kaoru argued but the other swimmer was already changed and left the room with his bag.

Aoba, Shizuru, and Romio walked in to see Kaoru watching Artemis leaving. He lowered his head in silence as recalled from a certain individual about this potential change…

"Is he going to be alright?" Aoba asked.

"He's beginning to wake up…" Kaoru muttered.

"E-Eh? What did you say?" Shizuru replied.

"Ah-ha! So you are aware of who he is…" a voice said.

The four turned to see Ikuya standing against the wall of the locker room.

"What are you talking about Artemis?" Romio asked.

"I had hope to keep this secret with me to the grave…" Kaoru said, "Even though I am not from your realm nor your kind, I do know the truth about Artemis…thanks to a friend from afar."

"Wait a sec, what's going on? Do you know what's wrong with Arty-chan?!" asked Shizuru.

"Artemis is a swimmer yes…but he's not from here…" Kaoru muttered, "He's from another land entirely…"

"What in god's name…" Romio and Shizuru were stunned.

"So, I guess you and Asahi aren't swimmers after all?" Romio added.

"Excuse you, we ARE swimmers!" Asahi snapped a little, "It's more like…we are gifted swimmers…"

"Gifted?! HOW SO!?" Romio replied, "What do you think this is…a fairy tale!?"

"You could say that," Ikuya stepped in, "Neither of us are even from this world. We came here to bring Artemis back to our homeland."

The Patterson House

Jordan watched through the mirror as he saw Artemis running through the school grounds, heading to the statue.

"So soon…huh?" Jordan muttered.

"What's gonna happen to us if he finds out the truth?" Joseph asked.

"My wish is that he finds his happy ending…like all others before him…" Jordan said, "But ever since the accident…"

Artemis arrived at the mysterious statue fountain, breathing heavily to calm down. He hoped that none of the hallway patrols were observing out here.

He looked closely at the statue and saw some moss covering up something. He reached down to brush it off just as he saw something written in a foreign name…

竜ヶ崎 怜

"T-Those symbols…" he muttered.

"Indeed, they are foreign to this land," the voice said.

The swimmer turned to see Asahi and Ikuya standing together as if they were anticipating.

"W-who are you guys really?" Artemis asked.

"Art thou ready to wake up?" Asahi asked, readying his wand.

"W-wake up?" he replied, "W-what are you…"

"KAZAMI CRYSTAL POWERRRRRR…MAAAKKKKKEEEE UP!" Asahi shouted, raising his Kazami Crystal Wand as it glowed in orange and purple dual combination as his nails glowed in lavender color. The background became white with orange with hint of melon, red, and gray.

Asahi skipped around in circles with a trail of fragmented crystals following him in the way of light. The crystal fragments fused together to form his sleeveless-hoodie vest in orange and white hues. Raising his fists up donned him his silver cuffs as well as the shoulder pads.

His Suiei Crystal appeared in the shape of a long, hexagonal-prism. He lifted one of his legs up, starting with the right and then the left as they gained his skirt-leather pants hybrid with multiple colors of black, orang, and purple. The ankle bracelets appeared afterwards followed by his harpoon cannon.

Asahi's forehead glowed a neon symbol of the Aries with two curved lines converging together at the middle. He opened his eyes and took his battle stance with a smirk on his face.

"SHIONEZAKI CRYSTAL POWERRRRRR…MAAAKKKKKEEEE UP!" Ikuya chanted as he raised his Shionezaki Crystal Wand, glowing in emerald green and reddish-brown dual combination. His nails glowing in red chestnut color. The background changed into a lime-green and lemon-yellow design with accents of white swirling around.

Ikuya silently walked with his hands clasped in prayer as the crystals followed him slowly before he unleashed a series of kicks with his legs in karate style. He punched to the left as the crystals formed his left sleeve followed by the right and its respective sleeve. His frontal side down to his waist remained exposed.

Kicking with his left land right legs in sequence, he donned his knee pads followed by his sash. He spun around as his shoulder pads were formed from the crystal shards decorated with peridot and amethyst.

Whipping his hair a little, he donned a pair of golden loop earrings as well as his bandana in green, gray, and black. His Three-Pointed trident floated next to him before grabbing it.

Ikuya's forehead glowed the symbol of Pisces with two curved lines and a single straight line cutting through the middle. He finally opened his eyes with a more serious tone facial expression and taking his battle pose of determination.

Artemis gasped at the two guys as he recognized their outfits from the social media.

"Y-you guys…" he breathed.

"Yes, we are Super Shion and Super Kaza but…" Ikuya began.

"Protected by the Master of Radiance, I am the Swimming Guardian who fights for Energy and Spontaneous! I am Suiei Shiina! Don't let my genius blind your ignorance!"

"Protected by the Master of Redolence, I am the Swimming Guardian who fight for Inspiration and Vision! I am Suiei Kirishima! You better be ready to face your fears!"

"Suiei…Kirishima….Suiei Shiina…?" muttered Artemis.

"The statue there that you've been observing…is another Suiei Senshi…Suiei Ryugazaki…or if you want, his civilian name was Rei Ryugazaki…" Asahi revealed.

"I've read from the time capsule that a special student was here to do a project but disappeared to discover a global secret of untold creatures…and it was this Rei!?" Artemis asked.

"Rei was the one who disappeared yes…but he returned with his teammates from another world for a short time before leaving entirely, going on missions after missions," Ikuya explained.

"W-who are these other people?" Artemis questioned, "Why am I seeing all these visions?"

"You definitely ask a lot," Asahi chuckled, "Have patience…everything will make sense in time."

"…what do you need from me?" he concluded.

"You are needed for a special mission," Ikuya revealed, "But it appears that not everyone in the town is awake. A curse brought them over and trouble is brewing into other lands…at a much exponential rate."

A-Awake? A curse? Artemis thought, they keep saying that…what do they mean?

Artemis' head began to throb painfully. In his vision, he could see the same sight of a child looming inside a glass filled with water marked by a symbol on its forehead.

Then it all turned black as he collapsed…

The young man opened his eyes and found himself back in his bed again but this time the others were there along with his two fathers. The swimmers were outside of the bedroom.

Ikuya and Asahi stood outside in the hallway with Kaoru while the others were talking in background.

"Tell me, how do you know about all of this?" Ikuya asked.

"…I have met someone who was from a powerful country made of crystals and water," Kaoru shrugged, "Well it was in a dream but I didn't think I could carry out on this mission alone and…"

"Neo King Julius…he must have told you so," Asahi muttered.

"But what is this curse?" Romio asked.

"A Dark Curse was cast…and it led to the creation of Hollywood Heights. It caused people to have fake memories of their lives and living in these lies.," Asahi said, "More so. A lot of these people are not even native to this world."

"If what you say is true, the why hasn't anyone acted up?" Aoba asked.

"Our enemy is making sure no one remembers anything or their existence," Asahi said, "But we have gathered enough information to start figuring out who casted the curse and the individuals involved."

"We've done several observations and found that a bunch of others were also cursed," Ikuya replied, "However certain individuals are also poisoned and should the curse be broken prematurely, those victims will lose lives."

"That's horrible," Shizuru replied.

"What's going on?" Artemis asked.

The two fathers looked at each other before looking back at their son. It was clear that the two of them were feeling different than they were normally.

"Artemis, we live in a time filled with tribulations and the stars of fate will test our destiny," Jordan said.

"I don't understand…what about college and…?' the young man asked.

"There are bigger problems that are yet to brew," Joseph said, "Thanks to your papa, I too remember who I really am and where we have come from."

The two kept it brief but explained to Artemis that they came from Atlantis and by the orders of their king that they were to protect him and try to give him a normal life. While Artemis had no clue on what they were saying, it was clear that weird things were beginning to happen more and more…and his quest about this "Rei Ryugazaki" and the "Magic Six" were starting to come together.

The others walked as they heard Artemis's voice. He looked at his fathers and his friends before making his response, "I need to leave. I don't feel belonged in this town."

"Arty why are you hitting yourself so much?" Shizuru asked.

"It's because Kaoru's right…I am too different for the team," he said, "I don't know what my story is..."

"Why are you speaking such nonsense?!" Aoba added, "This is reality! You are a great swimmer for our academy! The scouts will be here soon to evaluate us!"

"I hate to tell you all the truth here but yes…we are not from this world. We came here as payment to keep Artemis's life from dying. A tragic accident happened and to ensure that he healed his wounds, we immigrated here for several years," Jordan explained.

"The king told me that someone of a great evil is brewing up," Kaoru said, "Is that right?"

"He speculates that Chaos is returning slowly but we have no clue on where it can return and when it will strike again. The King has managed to reach out to…a friend of ours and we managed to live in Hollywood Heights for a bit of time before we were kicked out," Jordan continued.

"Artemis, we understand that you wanted a happy life here," Asahi said, "But your mother…she has been praying for you."

"M-mother?" Artemis asked, "I have a mother?"

"Yes," Ikuya replied, "We were sent by her to make sure you are doing well and that you will be ready to reunite with your true family."

"You don't remember because of the curse's effects to you but once its broken, you will remember everything," Asahi reassured.

"Then how do we break this curse?" Artemis questioned.

"Hehehe…well…that's not gonna be easy," Ikuya had a nervous sweat drop, "That's what we are trying to figure out too. Artemis Patterson, we be honored if you joined us on this mission."

Artemis looked at his friends and his fathers before looking at Ikuya and Asahi again, "W-Will I ever see them again?"

"Of course you will!" Asahi smiled a wide grin, "The people you spent time with will always remember you no matter how far you travel. Home isn't a place…it's the people in it and they will always be with you."

"There are plenty of worlds for you to learn…and stories to observe…" Ikuya said, "And when your story is finally told…you will have to decide."

"Decide what?" he replied.

"Ikuya…" Asahi sighed, "This is too much for him right now."

Asahi turned to Artemis and continued, "What Ikuya means is that you will one day be a great influence…a leader…a role model. But for now, we should gather some friends and find our teammates. And you will partake this with us."

"I…I don't know," Artemis answered, "I'm just an ordinary kid…about to graduate from my high school…if I just leave everything behind…"

"I understand how you feel," Asahi said, "We too made our own sacrifices, but I will promise you…no matter what you have to sacrifice…nothing will be in vain."

"So, let me ask you one more time," Karou asked, "Do you want to be off the roster and find your story?"

Artemis looked at his friends who were greatly concerned on his response. To be off the swim team would mean that they would never reach their dream together to swim in a medley team as high schoolers.

"Kaoru...Aoba…Romio…Shizuru…you've all been my friends. I have truly cherished our times together very much in our swimming careers. Now that I am beginning to evolve into an uncertainty…I need to learn myself," he answered, "Kaoru…please take me off the list."

"ARTEMIS!" Romio and Shizuru shouted as their faces began to tear up and crying on his shoulders while Aoba lowered his head to the side.

"I'm very sorry we put you under so much pressure," Jordan answered, "But take this mirror. It'll give you some answers you've been looking for."

Artemis took the hand-held mirror before looking at his reflection as the sweep of the journey was soon to begin. He looked at Asahi and Ikuya with a nod.

"Finish your school first and when you do, we will meet again and begin our investigation in Hollywood Heights," Ikuya instructed.

"Alright," Artemis nodded.

~Episode 1 END~

~Episode 2 PV~

Romio: We're gonna miss our senpai!

Shizuru: I know, but I have faith he will return to us! Let us get to nationals for sure even if we get new members!

Asahi: Artemis, what you are about to see is going to change your way of thinking.

Ikuya: No matter what someone tells you, go with your gut and you'll find who is your friend and foe.

Artemis: I just want to know the truth about my family…and this town that I lived in.

Pandora: Next Time, Free! A Mahotsukai's Life! I promise you…we will rebuild our family!