A/N: hello guys! I'm back from a ridiculously long hiatus (this thing isn't more than a week late so shhhhh :PP) I lab you all, and yissssssss this chappie is kinda up… off to the next Rune! I'm so sorry for being so late tho.. lots of problems are coming up, and I'm thankful that writing helps me forget the stress :)) go kyoten, and thank you all for supporting this! Starting from now on, I will answer some of the reviews herrrrzzzz::

Lordess Ananda Teenorag: Oh yisss , Sol has completely disappeared ! :D Lol HAHAH! Thanks so much for your compliment; it makes me happy to know that you totally appreciate my skills :) I hope to constantly improve :))

royano: your wish izz granteddd! yes, jude freaked me out too because I only found out a few weeks before i made crapter 10 that Jude's VA is the same as Wunderbar's in the Japanese version (idk about english tho), and I saw a legit comic with Jude in a Wunderbar suit, so yeah XDDD

problemhunter: Thanks so much for your continuous encouragement! Yes, I'm hoping to put more adventure in this thing, but I'm also wondering when Kyoten will have their alone time togedurrr :PP

guest who reviewed for Chapter 9 : Thanks so much! it's kinda sad that I can't PM you, but do know that I'm doing my best to update all the time :)) Thanks so much for your support! :))

I'm pretty sure that I answered the other reviews (i think lol HAHAHAHA) and let's get on to the story, shall we ? ;)

KYOTEN CRAP 11

Next thing they know, the San de Salvatorre are sitting in the reception area of the fourth floor. Arion just looks around at the ornate designs carved into the wooden legs of the chairs and tables, and at the beige walls lit by more torches. J.P is just tracing the floral patterns of the couch they're sitting on, and Victor is staring outside the window framed by red velvet drapes, faraway into the dusk powdered with stars.

Then, Lady Celia emerges from the hallway (which could be found if one turned left after climbing up the stairs) on their right, wearing a blue dress this time since the previous one got torn when she was trying to escape from the madness.

"Please follow me," she says, gesturing towards the hallway, and they do as they are told. The only sound that could be heard as they walk on the wooden floors are the weights of their feet and the odd tap-tap of Vladimir's cane. They turn left after passing through rows and rows of doors, until they are met with an oblong mirror with a silver frame at the end of the hall. Against the wall, set on the table, is a vase with beautifully arranged flowers of pink delphiniums, cymbidium orchids, and orange chrysanthemums. The woman continues to move towards the mirror, and the confused travellers have no choice but to follow.

"She does realize that she's walking into a mirror, right?" Eugene whispers to Doug, who just scoffs and shrugs his shoulders. Lady Celia comes to a stop in front of it, and she whispers some Latin words before taking off her ring and inserting the garnet stone into the depression at the bottom of the frame. She turns it to the right, like a car key, and the surface of the mirror starts rippling to their surprise.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Jump in," she says with a smile, making way for Victor. The henchman just grunts lightly in distaste, stepping back from the front of the line a little bit.

"Jump? In there?" Arion asks, and the lady nods. "But it's a-WAHHHH!"

Arion has no idea that Wanli has pushed him in. He readies himself for shattering glass, but instead, he feels as if time is slowing down. It's like passing through gelatin with a humming noise in his ears, and the next thing he knows, he's flat on his belly, leaning forward, forward, forward until he zooms down the slide with a speed faster than a meteor. It takes his eyes forever to get adjusted to the speed and the dark, and he screams in thrill even if his voice is carried away from the force. As he continues accelerating down the slide, he finds himself speeding down curves and turns. And if he thought he was going too fast, he hears a soft buzz in the background grow louder and louder as a flash of blue green zips by.

"I DON'T LIKE THISSSS!" He could hear Aitor screaming ahead, and some others also speed by, just like Wanli and Vladimir (Arion doesn't even know how the guy can do all this without a cane.).

Then, when his eyes could finally see something, he strains them further to see something glittering below.

'DON'T TELL ME IT'S WHAT I THINK IT IS-!' He screams in his head as he nears the shining blackness. And he braces himself for the blow, barely having enough time to breathe before he dives headfirst into the ice cold water. For a moment, he is suspended in the bright blue, until he feels something tugging on him. It's stronger than he thought, and despite his resistance he is pulled along like a rope is tied to his arm. He is about to scream but he realizes that he's underwater, and his eyes widen even more when he sees a huge circle growing closer and closer and closer and FHWACK! With a flop, he lands on his stomach on some kind of rubbery mat. He gets into a coughing fit, gasping for air. All the water is gone, and behind him, he sees the circle, the space rippling with glitters like the mirror. He doesn't want to touch it, for fear that he might be sent back.

"Are you alright? I'll admit that it's not a conventional mode of transportation, but we get used to it," the voice of Wunderbar asks, and Arion gratefully extends the arm outstretched in front of him only to look up and jump back a little to see a human way taller than the adorable bear. Oh right, he's the Warlock Jude Sharp. A warlock with funky green shades. And dreads.

Trying not to let the weirdness make him lose his sanity, he follows the man down the hall, seeing that his other companions have gotten sucked into other 'fast-travel air straw' like the Warlock has described. Most of them are coughing, the ladies (especially Jade) are just trying to fix the most of their wet hair, and Rick is helping out the people who have just arrived. Lady Celia looks like she hasn't even gotten wet. Victor is at the far end, helping Vladimir up.

"Did you injure yourself?"

"No, I'm fine," the elder one replies, retrieving his cane from Celia after he takes off his drenched coat. Victor also takes off his coat, and his shirt as well, seeing that his somehow got more wet.

'Isn't he ever conscious?' Arion asks himself as he stares at the torso. He's seen it dozens of times, but it's annoying how he just can't get enough.

"Follow me," the warlock's voice rings out at the end of the hall, and the company does as they are told. The metal, circle-shaped doors slide open, the light above it glowing green as a huge circular table comes into view.

"It's like we're in a submarine," Adè says in wonder as he takes his seat like the rest.

The room is mostly a light shade of metal, illuminated by bright lights of white and yellow. A couple of orbs, presumably cameras and projectors, are around the room. On a side, metal plates and contraptions like models of submarines are placed.

"My brother is quite the fan of strange contraptions, actually," Lady Celia says with a laugh while distributing super absorbent woolen towels to dry the others off, and the rest of the company stares at her in shock.

"You're...siblings?" Arion asks cautiously, to which Jude replies with a laugh as he enters.

"Isn't obvious, huh? Harry is just the nephew of my master," he adds as he sits beside Celia. "Now, going to business..." His face is set straight serious as Lady Celia pulls out a box from behind her.

"This is the handle of the Sacred Moon Mirror, which I retrieved from Simeon after he had passed out," she says, holding it up for them to see. She gives it to Victor when he politely requests for it, and he, his brother, and the rest of the company examine it closely.

"Those are the correct Tamara Runes," Vladimir says as he runs his finger along the surface of the cross. "If I'm not mistaken, it's supposed to be a clue to the next Sacred Rune, which is called Atlas."

"Iez busem, iez fuez, tera zi bruthen tera zi opozi aksh, tera zi opozi ilumen los." Jude cuts in. "Those are the words on the handle. In English, it translates to this: "it is a friend, it is an enemy, earth's offspring has been swallowed by earth's brethren, earth's offspring has lost its light". I have been thinking of it for years, and it has not been so long ago since I have discovered it's only possibility."

"But why?"

The question is hanging in the air. Victor never questions elders or those in authority out loud, but none of them seem shocked.

"The question is, why not?" The evasion is obvious. "Do you want to know?"

They are all silent, and the man takes this as a sign to continue.

"A friend and a foe. A very vague line, but when connected to the next, there is a possible interpretation to that. Earth's offspring has been swallowed by earth's brothers. There are three of them: earth, land, and air. What could be earth's offspring? Land, nature, plants, trees, and animals. There are too many of them that they hardly stand out, but which of them could have been so special that water or air would swallow it? Then, I started reading old legends and myths. I was sure that it was supposed to be a long-lost hero, until I came across a book about tales of the sea, and something caught my eye. It was the lost City of Etlancis."

"You mean-the myth?!" Gabriel's eyes widen as he hears the words.

"You're a fan too? Why am I not surprised?" The warlock laughs as he pours a drink of water for the pink-haired male. "Are you thirsty?" He says as he hands it over, and the male accepts it with a tinge of wariness.

"Yeah...I know quite a lot about it," he says, eyes never leaving the emerald tints.

"Could you enlighten us, then?" The warlock suggests, and Gabriel could feel a glint hiding in those eyes.

"It's a lost city, nestled at the bottom of the trench nearest the Bermuda Triangle. Many sailors and ships have mysteriously disappeared there before, and it is rumored that the sirens of the City of Etlancis are the ones who cajole the stranded ones into their underwater caverns." Gabriel pauses to take another sip of his drink. "Many of you right now might be thinking that I'm mistaking the city for Atlantis. The truth is...there are two of them-Atlantis and Etlancis. It is said that it was part of what Arion's people now call Puerto Rico, until a devastating earthquake split off the peninsula of Etlis, subsequently becoming Etlancis. But the occurrence of the events was so mysterious, that the native survivors that time wrote it in an ancient language that no other could understand-the Tamara Runes, which explains why the Runes on the handle aren't in Latin even though that's what the language of Galaxia is.

"Going back to the mysterious events-researchers have found the writings, and they have deciphered that the calamities were done by an evil sea witch. She had decided to separate the land when 'the foreigners doing trade there just became insufferable'. Until now, she is said to be alive, reigning as queen and bringing the people-who she had enchanted into merpeople, by the way-constant prosperity."

"Marvelous! Bravo, bravo!" The applause rings through the room, and they are all reminded of Lord Wunderbar. "Your friend is right. That is the next destination. The sea witch's name has not been uttered in such a long time, for fear that something evil might awaken, so I do not know her name. She has the next Deus Relic."

"So all we have to do is warm up to her and get it," Jade says, and the warlock nods. Jude then turns to Arion, and regards him with those weird shades.

"This task is very perilous, and she will test you whether you are aware or not. Do not let your guard down, Arion Sherwind," he says coolly, to which the boy responds with a nod and a gulp.

"I have a question," the Seraph calls out before Jude could turn away. "What happened to Fey and Simeon? Was this planned, or...?"

"Fey is one of my friends. He had come to me for assistance, knowing you would come. He says that he would have given you the handle, but the handle he knows of is not the real one. He is still sleeping, and when he wakes, Simeon and I will tell him that it wasn't the handle at his mother's shrine; rather, it was the charm his mother left him."

"But what about the Alpha Simeon was talking about?" Victor asks. "Back at Pentasect, Commander Austin was called Beta. No one knows who Alpha is," he says while pinning the warlock's gaze with his own.

Jude shrugs. "Simeon often speaks of strange things," is all the man replies before shifting the topic.

"Anyway-"

"One last question!" Arion blurts, making the warlock pause patiently.

"Go on."

"Why are you helping us?"

"That is nothing of your concern," the man says, as if almost on the verge of getting impatient.

"Just tell them, brother," Celia urges him, but Jude says nothing.

"Tell us what? Is there something we're missing?"

Jude sighs.

"Aside from knowing the location of the next Rune, I know someone that you must meet. He is very difficult to find, for he knows that Zabelle searches for him day and night, and very difficult to persuade. But once you gain his trust, you will have a formidable ally. Zabelle will be threatened-that is, if you are able to find this man."

"Please tell us, Warlock," Arion pleads, but Jude merely laughs as he shakes his head.

"You are still children, I see. Very hopeful. But this man-he was my friend. I do not know what Zabelle wants with him, but something happened between them and I had not been able to contact him in a long time, until a few weeks ago. He says that she is stepping up her game, especially ever since she's figured out that Victor had double-crossed her. His name is Mark Evans. He's like a ghost-there are nearly no traces of him, but since we've talked I am positive that he will help you. Be alert."

The warlock pulls out an orb from his robe sleeve, and it fogs momentarily before it clears up and reveals a picture of a man with tan skin and brown hair, wearing trekking clothes. They all embed his face in their minds before the image disappears.

Victor makes a noise of acknowledgement. "Understood. Is there anything we must know?"

"There is-CLANG!"

A huge crash makes them all draw their daggers and weapons while looking around.

"Uhhmfff..." A sound comes from the clatter of metal submarine models at the side of the room. A tiny hand pops out, and Lady Celia rushes to it.

"Harry! I told you to go to bed!" She chides gently, digging out the metal toys and pulling up the boy. She straightens his shirt, fixing his hair and checking if he is injured.

"But I wanted to know what uncle was saying!" He argues, squirming in her grasp as she brings him to the door.

"Young man, you are grounded for the next three days from your spellbook. Jude, you're also grounded from your spellbook and toys," she calls out over her shoulder, but Jude just smirks and laughs.

"Try me, Celia," he says before she disappears.

He puts the sphere back in his robes.

"I have requested my servants to prepare you supplies for your trip, as well as transportation. You may also visit Simeon and Fey before you leave," he says courteously, but all of their eyes widen at the word transportation.

"Transportation? Like a ship?!" Arion wonders aloud, and Jude smiles.

"No, not a ship. More of a...submarine, should I say?"

Arion's eyes widen with delight, and he gasps.

"I've always wanted to go on a submarine," he says, and he looks at J.P who is also excited about the idea.

Distantly, they hear the sound of arguing, and Lady Celia is raising her voice as the scuffle of fast footsteps draw nearer. The door alarm rings, turning green before the doors slide open and Harry runs to the warlock before Celia could catch him.

"I almost forgot," Jude says as he pats his nephew on the head. "I have one request for you."

"What is it?" Victor asks as he leans forward a little.

"Please take my nephew with you. It seems as if he has outgrown my mansion and the city," he says a little wistfully, but Harry and Celia gasp in shock.

"REALLY, UNCLE?!"

"REALLY, JUDE?!"

Both say at the same time, but he just laughs as he ruffles the dark blue hair of his apprentice.

"Yes. I have decided that you must enjoy your own adventures."

"NO. Jude, I thought we talked about this. He's too young, and this is a deadly adventure with that madman Austin and a bunch of experienced travellers unlike himself. Harry can't handle it."

"That's what you think, Celia. I've been sending him on magical quests while making you think that he's on a journey to the marketplace," Jude admits, to which Celia turns red and shoves her brother off his seat.

"Jude!" She fumes, crossing her arms.

"Celia, you have to let him go. Master Dark, his biological uncle, would've wanted the same thing."

Celia stays silent for a moment, contemplating on it. With a defeated sigh, she takes the boy in her arms and takes a seat.

"Alright..." She musters quietly as she kisses the little boy's cheek. "But he has to come back," she adds later on.

"I promise, auntie!" He beams brightly before hugging her, and he hugs his uncle as well.

"Thank you, both of you! I promise to bring back lots of stuff and be alive," he says gratefully before turning to the company and bowing respectfully.

Jude stands up from the floor, dusting off his robes, and he regards the company once more.

"Time is of the essence, but you must rest. Stay here for another day. Right now, I will take you to Simeon and Fey."

They all stand up, and follow him once more to the shelf where Harry suddenly appeared, with clattered submarines around it. Jude pulls the shelf aside to reveal a set of stairs.

"Why didn't we just use that?" Jade huffs in annoyance, gesturing to her soupy hair. They trudge along anyway, walking up the winding path until they reach a door. When they open it, a gust of icy wind rushes past Arion's face, making him shiver.

"I-i-it's c-cold-..." He says between chattering teeth, and he follows Jude outside.

It looks like the hallways on the third and second floors, except that it's literally snowing. Everywhere is full of white, with green and red ribbons and streamers to liven up the bald trees growing indoors. On a nearby tree, scarfs, coats, mittens, blankets, and other winter clothing are hung. Everyone except for Victor gets something, and Arion, thinking that it's because there's nothing left, offers his coat to the henchman.

"I don't need it," he declines coolly, wrapping Arion in it instead. "I'm variably ectothermic, so my body's temperature adapts easily to any environment."

"Ah..." Arion says, wrapping himself in the coat further.

They walk through the frosty hallways, all of them in awe as penguins come out of nowhere and slide on their bellies. The younger ones are waddling around them, staring up at them with huge eyes, and Harry gives each of them some fishes.

"You can feed them with these," he says, throwing one of the fishes to a nearby penguin. "My uncles love them. A lot."

Arion stops as a cute baby penguin waddles around him in a circle. He laughs with joy, kneeling to hug it, but when he looks up, he sees the other penguins huddling around him, too.

"I guess they like the Holy Seraph too," Aitor says with a laugh as he throws his last fish. Arion does too, trying to move along until he notices that the babies are mainly coming to him just to escape the scary hostile vampire at the front of the line.

'Poor Victor,' Arion thinks to himself as he sees the lonely henchman without penguins. Everyone is at least looking at or hugging one-even the stoic Rick is, and so is Vladimir even if the guy looks exactly like his brother.

So, the brunette picks up as many penguins as he can in his arms and hobbles towards the lackey. Then, at a safe distance, he puts them on the ground, pushing them towards the man even though they're whining and hiding behind the angel's legs.

"Go on! Go to Victor," he encourages the flightless little birds, but to no avail. Then, one brave little soul waddles to the man and hops in front of him.

"What?" Victor seethes and his eyes narrow at the fuzzy ball at his feet. He tries to push it away, but it's so persistent and annoying that he gives it a small fish. The animal claps its wings together and dances happily, kind of like a hyperactive baby as it eats the food. Then, it just hops around the henchman more.

"Move-get-" he tries muttering to the bird, but since the babies see that he isn't so bad, they start flocking to him as well.

Victor growls, but makes no attempts to stomp on the cute things making a circle around him. Instead, he huffs, a small cloud coming from his beautiful lips before he picks up all of them in his strong arms and carries them along. The babies seem really happy, and so do Arion, and the angel catches up to the man.

"Not a word," the henchman utters once the boy is at his side. Arion chuckles, and Victor's eye twitches. For Victor, just hearing the boy's voice is enough for a head turner. Then, his mind flashbacks to the last time he was alone with Arion under the moonlight, when they were in the ballet room and when they were in his old bedroom, committing sacred acts of love and hiding it from prying eyes. Yes, sinful, but Victor would like very much to relive those moments seeing Arion's face twist in pleasure, seeing the boy's premature body writhing under him and begging for release.

He stops himself once more. He has to stop doing that.

They turn at the next bend, and they see a set of oaken double doors at the end of the hallway. When they enter, the room is surprisingly cozy, with two beds at the left side, a fireplace at the right, two chairs on opposite sides of a small round table just across the room and near the huge bay window. The glass panes are slightly open, making the curtains sway and the warm fire flicker as the silver-haired madman from earlier that day (well, 9 PM is earlier than 11:30 PM if Arion assumes that they follow Earth time) is sitting at the window, tossing a coin. His tattered coat is at the side, and although his arms are swathed in bandages, he still refuses to take off his white gloves.

"Oh, you're here!" He says cheerily, waving at them with a smile. "When do we get our end of the deal?"

"We'll talk about that later, Simeon. Right now, we have to wait until Fey wakes up. You still have to explain things to him, remember?" Says the warlock.

The boy just huffs, turning his attention to Arion.

"It's finally nice to meet the Seraph in person. After all, you're the one who's taking care of our relics, right?"

Arion looks around nervously. "I wouldn't really put it that way..."

"Oh so you don't know exactly what you're doing here, are you?"

"Leave him alone, Simeon AYP."

The voice makes them turn their heads to the left side of the room. The tuft of green hair is moving around sluggishly, and they could sense the Sentinel's annoyance as he tries to cover his ears with the pillow. "Stop monkeying around."

"That's a good one, Fey!" He says in between laughs, clutching at his stomach. Then, he returns to normal, and walks over to Victor to hold a penguin. "Are you gonna sleep again? Awww, stop being such a spoilsport. Don't you want to know the truth?"

Fey's head instantly shoots up from the covers, tired and baggy eyes staring at him sharply. "What do you mean by 'truth'?"

Even the members of the San de Salvatorre are perked up. Simeon smirks.

"I knew you'd be interested," he says playfully, but afterwards his face turns serious. "Everyone in this room needs to keep it a secret. It's about the first relic."

Everyone keeps quiet, as if an unspoken oath has passed between them all.

"Your mother was the Golden Shrine Maiden. She was the original Celestial Sentinel, but something happened. I will tell you the story.

"Once, a there was a water nymph who lived by the river. She had no friends, for despite the fact that she was magical, she cared for the humans more than the other magical creatures did. Then, as she was tending to the lilies and the fishes, she saw a boy by the riverbank. He was playing by himself as well, with a ball. She was curious about this young boy, and about this ball game he played. And every time he took a rest under the willow tree, she would put fresh fruits, flowers, and water in a reed basket, letting it float from the other side of the river to his side so that he would have something to eat when he'd wake. She watched him grow up, until he was ten years old. He was playing again, but he misfired, and it was aiming right at her. Frightened, she kicked the ball like she watched him do so many times before. He, puzzled, called out, and she revealed herself to him. Then, years went by and they slowly developed a friendship. He even put up a hut nearby, so that he could spend a night or two there. Only then did she know that she was falling in love.

"She knew, however, that he was only a mortal and that she would live to watch him return to dust. She couldn't bear it, so she pleaded to the gods to allow her to be with him. So they gave in to her request, on the condition that she would never return to the water nor leave the land no matter what. The two of them fell in love.

"She lived with him in the city-what we now call as Galaxia-and the maiden was loved by many. She called herself Alexi, for she was the defender of human beings. Then, the boy's grandfather became ill. The boy set out on a search for a stone that could make one live forever, a stone that would make one powerful by controlling a person's time. His grandfather told him of the curse of the stone, that an evil witch will take hold of it. But he set forth, leaving Alexi to keep the house safe and keep the people happy.

"He eventually found the stone. But in order to do so, he had to pay a price-before he could take it, Fate asked him if he would pick the entire human race over his dearest Alexi. And he, being selfless and compassionate, chose the former, believing that his beloved would understand. He didn't know what he had done, for when he returned, the curse befell upon him. The town had been stricken with disaster, and the people had to evacuate by sea, off to the neighboring island. He had to choose whether to stay with Alexi, who he knew couldn't go, or to save the princess of the kingdom, who was the only one who could restore the people and use the stone properly. He chose the princess.

"Angered and betrayed, Alexi felt nothing but bitterness and sorrow. Then, her wrath could no longer take its toll on her body. She went into a fit of rage, and wreaked havoc on the people who were waiting for more rescuers, as well as the lands nearby. She morphed into a monster, breaking the seal the gods used on her to call forth monsters of the water and cause the worst tidal waves and storms. She destroyed everything in her path, never stopping until the land was barren and the burning trunks and rubble of houses were everywhere as children screamed.

"The boy heard about it. He came back on his boat, trying to calm her down, but she wouldn't listen. She knew that he was just going to leave her. So, she fled back into the forest. And she was never heard of again."

Simeon chugs down two glasses of water, exhaling loudly before continuing.

"Now, connecting that extremely long story to your mother, she was the one from the villagers who attacked Alexi. Before she fled, your mother used her novice bow and arrow, causing a gash on the nymph's shoulder. They say that it is still there, whenever travelers come across a woman with bright gold hair bathing in the river. Your mother was made the protector, and because of that, the gods bestowed upon her the first Deus Relic, the handle of the Sacred Moon Mirror, as a sign of her power. For fear that it might get into the wrong hands, she split it into two, one she gave to you as a lucky charm, and one to me, since you and I were childhood friends. Of course, you don't remember that because I wiped your memory so that the bad guys would have no idea that I had the other half."

"You...WHAT?!" He screams, leaping from the bed and throttling the silver-haired guy. Simeon, caught off guard, grabs Fey's hands and tries to pry them off, but the angry Sentinel refuses to let go until Arion stops them.

"Enough! Fey, you have to listen! There shouldn't be any fighting."

For once, the words ring loud and clear. Even Arion had no idea what he just did. It's as if his voice was like the ringing bells of a sweet nightingale, making everyone stop and listen.

Fey slowly lets go, but Simeon is still gripping on the Sentinel's wrists gently.

"I had to, okay? It would've been better if you didn't know so that there would be no reason for you to get captured. She had to keep you safe. I had to keep you safe."

Fey lowers his head, as if accepting the reasons. Simeon smiles at him, and silence fills the room once more.

"How are you feeling?" Vladimir suddenly asks the both of them to break the ice.

"Oh I feel much better now. My wounds are healing pretty fast even if those were .77 Crusade Caliburs."

"What are those?" Arion and J.P ask at the same time in confusion.

"Those are bullets specially crafted to injure gods and other beings with the same power, and they have unique features for each," Victor readily responds. "They come in different forms, all in the Calibur set. The Crusade bullet has tranquilizer. The Cross one has paralyzing agents, and the Calvary one has poison and dehydration simulators."

"Knowing Zabelle, I'm still puzzled why she only chose Crusade Caliburs knowing that the other bullets have 'harsher' effects, so to speak," Adè says while doing a 'quote on quote' gesture at the word harsher.

"No. Commander Austin picked those because of Fey's speed and agility. The Cross bullets don't last as long as the tranquilizer ones, and aside from wasting less ammo, it would've been more convenient if Fey couldn't see where they were taking him," the warlock mutters, hand on his chin. "He is a formidable opponent when it comes to war strategies. That should be one of the reasons why he is 'Beta'."

"That's why we must hurry. I think that we all deserve rest," says Riccardo. "Lord Wunderbar-I mean-uh-"

"Commander Sharp will do."

Celia tries to stifle an awkward giggle at the statement. Since when did her brother call himself commander?

"Commander Sharp, is there any place we can stay?"

"Oh yeah, Commander Sharp is lonely here! He's got lots of rooms for you," Simeon says cheerily, to which Jude glares at him, as the silver-haired madman grabs a banana from the bunch in the nearby fruit bowl.

"Since when did you get so cocky?"

A voice bites. They all turn to the doorway, but Jude just facepalms, rubbing his hands all over his face in exasperation as the newcomer strolls in, penguin in one arm and a banana in the other hand.

"Caleb, you're just like Harry," the warlock mutters as the little boy runs up to his other 'uncle' (as the boy called him) and hugs his legs too.

"Well duh, I taught him the secret of the Purple Penguins," he says, letting Harry feed the purple penguin in his hands.

"Whatever," Jude says, waving a hand at him. "Can you at least show these travelers where to go?"

"Aye aye, captain," he drawls on lazily, motioning to the chilly hallway with a dip of his head. "Step right up, kiddies."

"Kiddies?" Kaiser mutters to himself but follows the others and Lady Celia anyway, for his body is about to betray him with tiredness.

"Can the Seraph and the Edward Cullen stay? I need to talk with them. The emo guy can stay too." says the madman, banana still stuffed in his mouth.

"What did you call me?" Victor seethes as he spins on his heel, facing the goggled nuisance with those golden eyes.

"Never mind that," Arion says, dismissing the remark about the famous vampire back at his place. Was Simeon a fan? (Either way, Arion does not want to know.)

When all the others have left, only Arion, Victor, Riccardo, Fey, Simeon, and Jude remain.

"You must've been the only ones to hear my remark about the Alpha," he says as he fished around for something in his pocket. The others wait anxiously, and seeing that they're all ready, he takes a deep breath.

"It's because of this."

He brandishes a banana in their faces. It's Fey's turn to facepalm, and he groans in frustration before sinking back into the pillows.

"Go away. You're making my migraine come back," he scowls.

"Wait! There's more."

Fey gets up again, annoyance evident in his knitted brows, but gets replaced by an appalled expression when Simeon releases his grip on one side to let the peel fall on its own.

"You make us stay to watch a browning banana's skin peel by itself? Simeon, that's a disgusting thing to keep in your pocket for days."

"I know, Fey! But it's not the banana. Jude had called me a few weeks back, just to fill all of you guys in with the details. He had anticipated that Victor and the Seraph would be arriving according to his ridiculous crystal ball of the future. So after he sent the invitation to Vladimir, he called me up to tell me that it was time that Fey and I reunited," says Simeon as Jude shoots a burst of electricity from his pointer finger right at the guy's arm. The madman hisses and jumps, but just laughs cheekily before continuing.

"Anyway, since Jude didn't send me a guard's uniform like he promised, I attacked one of the old man's guards three days ago so that I'd have a disguise to get in the Grand Gala. After I got the guard uniform, I saw the banana in the fruit basket he was carrying, so I got it, and I was to peel it open, but dropped it in shock when the peel just fell like that. I was thinking 'what kind of moron wastes a good banana by opening it and returning it to the basket untouched?!' Then, I saw the stuff on the inside of the peel."

He flips it open, and they all gasp or make a face when they see words on it, burnt into the peel using something like a matchstick.

Jude grabs the peel, scans it once, then reads it out loud.

"'The sunflowers are dying. Love, Alpha'. It sounds like this man has a poet friend."

"But who would send something like that on a banana peel? It must've been a secret message," says Victor as he analyzes the words.

"But sunflowers? Really? What could those mean?" Riccardo asks, as he looks up in thought.

"I just wanted to share it to you guys. We should all get some rest now; we can think about it in the morning," Simeon advises, and they all nod before departing.

"Oh, one more thing!"

The four turn to Fey and Simeon, mostly at the madman who called out.

"The basket was for Victor, Vladimir, and Arion's room."

They all contemplate on this fact for a while, but they push it to the back of their minds, for sleep is taking over.

"I normally don't send fruit baskets...maybe they requested for it," Victor heard Jude say under his breath, but it doesn't ring a bell.

Arion follows them to the secret staircase, and when they get on their floor, he suddenly remembers something.

"The mask! Victor, I don't think I had it with me when we ran up the stairs," he says in alarm. "I'll go check the garden."

"I suppose you can at least have your space. Just be careful."

Arion nods gratefully before running off to the ballroom. He descends the flight of stairs again, and sees the mask where he last left it on the bench.

"There it is!" He beams to himself, picking it up and looking at it under the moonlight.

"You look better without it."

Arion squeals and turns around, hands gripping at his chest, and he sees a familiar carrottop stepping out of the sunflower bed.

"SOL?! What are you-"

"Shh...Victor will find out," he whispers as he holds a finger up to Arion's lips. "Did you get my message?"

Arion's eyes widen.

"You're the Alpha?..."

Sol smiles before nodding his head.

"It was very vague, but I just had to get the idea of sunflowers in your head. Of course, I found out that Simeon had discovered the message, so I just had to wait for you here until today. Well, a while ago was perfect, after Fey had left, but Zabelle's men attacked, did they not?"

"Yes. What was so important that you had to send me a message in a banana?"

Sol laughs mirthfully. "I just want to tell you that we're ready to save you."

"Save me?! From what?" Arion asks in confusion, trying to not let his voice go louder.

"From Victor," comes the reply.

Victor. Arion could think of nothing that he needed saving from in the form of the misinterpreted vampire.

"But Victor isn't doing anything to me. With Victor, I feel-I feel...safe."

Arion just says what has come to his mind. He didn't even filter it.

Sol blinks, then shakes his head.

"Arion, that's what he's making you think. It's not true. You'll realize it when we rescue you later on. Right now isn't the perfect time."

"Arion? Are you there?"

They both look around in alarm.

"I have to go now. But I will return, Arion. Do not forget that," Sol bids to the angel, stepping into the shadows before Arion could stop him. The angel turns towards the staircase, seeing Victor descending the flight.

"You were taking longer than I thought you would." Is all the man says.

"I-I just fell into the flowers while looking for the mask," Arion fibs in an instant, handing over the mask to Victor. "I'm sorry for worrying you. Let's go."

Victor looks at the patch of flowers behind Arion.

"Sunflowers..." he says to himself, looking at Arion with those melting eyes. "Are they your favorite?"

"Ah-yes, actually," the boy says, rubbing the base of his neck sheepishly.

Victor walks towards the flowers and plucks one off, breaking the stem to just the right size, and pushes it into Arion's hair.

"Let's get you out of that costume," he says before turning and walking ahead. Arion's cheeks turn a deep pink, and he follows without a word.

After Arion finally takes off the costume and showers, he is snuggled under the covers, ready for bed. Victor is just beside him, facing the other direction, and Arion is thankful that the vampire can't see that the angel is still cradling the beautiful flower in his hands.

"Save me? But Victor..." He says under his breath before he falls asleep, holding the bloom close to his chest. Before slipping away to slumber, the last thing he thinks of is what he finally admitted to himself earlier that day, the time that he couldn't kiss the man he had never taken his eyes off of.

I think I love him.

The next morning, after breakfast, they check the attendance. Then, after bidding Simeon, Fey, and Lady Celia goodbye, they march behind Jude towards the forest, along with Uncle Caleb (who is now carrying a purple, a red, and a black penguin) and their newest friend, Harry.

They stop at the seashore.

"Where's the ship?" Jade asks, scanning the horizon with her binoculars.

"Take it easy, Eager McBeaver," Caleb answers as he tickles the tummy of the black penguin. It squirms, but it still doesn't stop flipping its fins at the purple penguin like it kept doing for the past ten minutes.

Then, a deep rumble could be heard, like that of a whale calling. They look towards the horizon, at an oddly shaped wave, and they just gasp like tourists when a huge splash of water shoots out.

Slowly, a shape of a whale rises to the surface of the water. It comes closer, and they realize that it's actually made of metal.

"Whoa! I'm going to adventure inside Uncle Jude's whale?" Harry asks, turning to Caleb.

"Correction, it's Uncle Caleb's whale," he says with a smirk as he ruffles the boy's hair. Jude just doesn't mind it.

"Step inside; we have no time to waste," says the warlock, and the members start filing in. "I'll be joining you, because I'm the only one who can drive 'Uncle Caleb's whale'."

Some of them laugh, and Jude steps inside his Wunderbar costume once again. (Apparently, it also doubles as a wetsuit.).

Just as Harry is about to board, they hear a shrieking in the distance.

"WAIITTT!" It screams, and a person with long silver hair runs up to them.

"CALEB! You didn't wake me up!" He screams angrily, whacking the man's shoulder.

"Well I'm sorry princess, but you just wouldn't get out of bed," he snaps, and the purple penguin in his hands immediately starts attacking the red penguin.

"David, Caleb, stop it. Why did I choose to live with you guys again?" Jude laments, to which Harry just responds by hugging all three of his uncles.

"Of course I wouldn't forget about you, Uncle David. I promise to take care."

"Promise, okay?" The man's only eye tears up before hugging the little boy.

Harry nods, before running off and waving to his uncles. Jude is already inside, flipping on the master controls here and there. The San de Salvatorre also wave goodbye and say thanks before buckling up as the Commander requests on the intercom.

"Next stop," the electronic voice blasts through the speakers as Arion looks outside the window, "is Etlancis City. It's going to take days, so try to get along."

The last thing they all see is the two uncles before the submarine drifts away to deeper parts, descending in a mass of bubbles and into the heart of the ocean. They're a step closer to the Seraph's destiny, but the enemies know too, for just a few minutes after they have travelled, another stealthy enemy prowls out from the shadows, following their trail.

A/N: How did all of u liekk dis? please leave a review or PM me! Thanks ! ps, for the new series of shorts I'm uploading, you can also review/PM me any word or phrase or suggestion or request which will be the topic of the next drabble :) Enjoyyyyy :))