When I came to, I was in a hospital bed. I blinked, and tried to figure out what had happened.
"Kaden? Kaden! Oh my god, Kaden you're awake!"
My mom was peering over me, crying.
"Mom, go home. Get Ella!" I screamed at her.
She looked at me, with utter confusion in her eyes. Suddenly, her phone rang. She answered it, and more tears sprung into her eyes.
"No... oh god no!" She shrieked.
She ran out of the hospital room, sobbing.
A nurse came in.
"Here's a change of clothes. I'll get you checked out of here."
Ella was gone. Taken by AIDA.
"Why..." I whispered.
I buried my head in my hands and sobbed.
I was in 'the World', of course, talking to Saku.
"Kaden, are you going to enter the Sage Palace tournament?" She asked suddenly.
"Why?"
"Well, it's just that... Endrance is entered, but there's something wrong with him..."
"Oh... well I don't know...I'm sort of weak, y'know."
"Please!"
I looked at her. She seemed really desperate.
"Okay, but I need to talk to Natsume and Alkaid first. Then, we need to find another party member."
"Yeah, that's cool. Good thing you don't have to give up your title." Natsume told me after I told her about Saku's request.
"Yeah..." I said to Alkaid. "Wait what!?"
Natsume and Alkaid exchanged worried glances.
"You do know who the Emperor is right now?" asked Alkaid.
"Of course she does, that's why she's entered." Natsume answered.
"Who?"
"Sakaki... and..."
"No, not again..." I whispered.
"Ella..."
"We couldn't beat her... We were without our Rogue y'know..." Alkaid said sadly.
"She didn't..." I couldn't finish.
"She tried, but luckily Alkaid realized that she was summoning AIDA and she threw the match..."
"But, Ella just disappeared two days ago."
"It was an AIDA copy... Cloaked, so it looked like her..."
"Damn! This can't be happening again!"