Chapter 60: All Together

Disclaimer:

This is a little bit late but my internet was acting up . We are finally on Day 5 and the final day of the 5-day update schedule! We are coming to the end of the arc but there are still plenty of things to solve. Hope you enjoy this one!


"Just what the hell happened to me there…?" Lucas thought to himself in his unconscious state. He had just been defeated by Rhya who was going crazy with Dark Magic.

The Dual mage was in an entire black space with no light. All he could see was himself and another figure in front of him, coloured in a bright blue.

"You… who are you and what are you doing here?" He pointed at the blue figure.

The silhouette pointed back and Lucas's reaction was that of shock. He examined the faceless body closely and saw that it had the same shape as Lucas, with the same messy hair.

Suddenly, the black space started to get filled with a blue light and was about to reveal the shadow's facial features. Before that happened, the stranger spoke.

"What am 'I' doing here? I'm the one that an idiot like you has kept buried for so long, hmph! Now that you've gotten to experience some of what I can do, how about you let me merge back with you… like we once were?" Lucas's identical silhouette said.

"Merge? I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't want anything to do with you! Leave me alone!" Lucas swiped at the shadow, dispersing it. The colour also reverted back to a pitch black and Lucas was left alone.

His vision started to get hazy and then he was back in total unconsciousness.


The rest of the Golden Dawn were standing over Lucas and Yuno's bodies. They had decided to go up against Rhya who had already blindsided and took the upper hand on them previously, even when his third eye wasn't activated.

"I guess we should get started then. To play on an even field, I'll get us started! Dice Magic: Fellowship Dice!" David rolled his six-sided, blue pipped dice across the floor so that it was in range of the other Golden Dawn members.

As it landed, the face that was facing up was a six pip. The rest of the guys who were standing felt a boost to their mana and nodded at the blonde mage.

"World Tree Recovery Magic: Budding of Yggdrasil!" Light green roots erupted from the cave floor and filled up the entire room until it became a large tree. The top of it broke through the ceiling above and was in full view right beside the Temple of Valchronos. Even the rest of the Druids who were in the main town and all around the Forgotten Forest could see the newly-sprouted tree.

The tree used its many branches to attach to each person that needed healing. Two came for both Lucas and Yuno, whereas another three attached themselves to Cathbad, Valmoira, and Dike.

"I know what I'm doing is wrong but please let me stay in control for this! You'll get what you need today but let me protect my squad and the people around me!" William spoke internally. His muscles tensed for a few seconds before relaxing again. As he commanded the world tree, the others got started on the offensive.

"I'll teach you to mess around with the greatest Magic Knights of the Clover Kingdom!" Alecdora declared. He stood in place and a pool of sand erupted from the floor beneath his feet.

"Sand Magic: Sand Rider!" The noble shouted. The sand stuck to his feet and legs and he started running across the battlefield to get in close to Rhya. He was using the spell to run across while not allowing anyone else to step into his space.

"I did go a bit overboard with that kid there but resorting to this? I wonder what is in store for him…", Rhya turned his attention to the approaching green-haired noble and chuckled to himself. "What do you think you're about to do?"

"Copy Mythical Beast Magic: Centaurus's Galloping Combat!" The same red aura from Rhya's third eye translated into a purple being of fiction right beside the Copy mage. A head of a man joined with the body of a horse started to form and it let out a fierce growl.

It started galloping and jumped on his hind legs so that the upper body could punch easily punch the incoming Alecdora with its large fists.

"Glass Creation Magic: Verre Epée", Hamon summoned as quick as he could. He ran towards the middle and pressed his hands against the floor to shoot out glass spikes from the ground. As each spike formed, more formed in front of them and they were travelling to stab the Beast Magic that Rhya summoned.

"Ah, I see what the plan is here. Well, it's not going to work", the Copy mage said calmly. He summoned another mythical beast to the other side and this one was the Gorgon.

Its snake hairs joined together and shot out a purple laser that destroyed the incoming Glass Magic spell. As it hit the last one – the one in front of Hamon – the power of it sent Hamon back with great force, making him slide backwards and away from Rhya.

The Centaurus then started to punch Alecdora who had arrived, sending him back. Though, due to Sand Rider, one of the beast's legs got stuck in its whirlpool.

"Now!" Alecdora shouted, looking back at his teammates.

"Plant Magic: Magic Control Grass!" Mimosa shouted as she threw a few tiny, green seeds at both beasts. The first one easily landed on the first beast since it was already distracted by the sand. The second was going to land on the Gorgon but it had already readied up another eye-laser.

"Oh no, you don't!" David rushed in, throwing a dice in the middle of all the action. "Dice Magic: Gambler's Fallacy!" The black-pipped dice landed on a five and created a large blast of energy, stopping Gorgon's Eye from attacking.

"Keep on going, we're disrupting all of his attacks!" Alecdora ordered. He pumped his right arm forwards and summoned another spell from above. "This one will make sure your two spells are handled! Sand Magic: Supressing Sand Mass!"

A layer of thick sand fell down towards Rhya and the two Mythical Beast Magic spells. The Copy mage looked up above and shook his head.

"You really think you'll be able to do anything to me?" He touched his third eye and pointed above.

"Forbidden Magic: ፈነዳ!"

Suddenly, both of Rhya's spells exploded with a click of his fingers as well as a loud bang. The Forbidden Magic he used threw the four Golden Dawn members backwards, making their bodies hit the hard floor with a thud.

Bruises, cuts, and other wounds plastered the four mage's bodies but they weren't going to let that stop them. Slowly, they tried to get up but their strength had already weakened considerably.

"My, my…! L-Lucas and Yuno fought against… a m-monster like this?" David said, hobbling forwards.

"For much longer… th-than all of us, too", Hamon added. His arm looked broken and he was clutching it by the front.

"This is quite unsightly of the Golden Dawn…", Alecdora fell to one knee. He tilted his head up and focused on Rhya. "But, if you think about it, beating this guy will surely help our squad rankings… ahaha…", he laughed as he got up again.

Mimosa also hopped ahead. She tried to get the others by holding their hands but she couldn't do it alone with her strength. "Come on, everyone! If you th-think about it… we are the seniors of the squad. If we can't do it then… it's quite embarrassing!" She winked, painfully.

The squad smiled as they heard that. Even Alecdora was amused and it gave him the boost to stand up properly. The other three followed suit and crowded around together to discuss something.

"You think I'm going to let you rest?" Rhya teleported a few feet away from Mimosa and the others. He was about to attack but was interrupted yet again.

William send his magic to block Rhya. He formed tall, thick roots to stop him in his tracks and he managed to do it without much retaliation as of now.

Rhya's head was looking at the ground and he kicked his feet to show he was getting even more annoyed with the situation than he was before. Slowly, he lifted his head but instead of showing anger, there was an expression that William didn't expect.

"Hey, Captain. You do know if you keep going like this then it'll mean something bad later on?" He said, looking straight into his purple eyes.

The two were on the other side to where Mimosa, Alecdora, and the others were so they couldn't hear the exchange very well.

"I'm prepared for any consequences but right now, I have to protect the ones that have full trust in me. I cannot betray that!" He shouted, not knowing if his words were being heard by the others or not.

Rhya frowned as he heard the reply from the captain. "Wait, you don't want to betray them now but you do realise what will happen in the future if you don't control yourself? Oh, well, for some reason it looks like you're still here so I'll do my own thing too".

"Copy Water Creation Magic: Aqua Spear!" He used the solidified water shape to jab at the Captain. He landed hits on his arms and legs and it didn't look like he was going to slow down any time soon.

Weirdly enough, the Copy mage never targeted any lethal or highly dangerous areas with his attacks but kept on going for other places.

"World Tree Magic: Dracaena Formation!" The user touched the ground and large roots started to chase Rhya all around the area. It was as if the roots had a mind of their own but they were simply going the direction in which William pointed.

As Rhya dodged one swipe from the roots, he severed the exact one with the Aqua Spear, slicing them in two.

"I'm easily dealing with them chasing me but when I cut one of them, another comes up in their place. First of all, this water doesn't have the best affinity with his nature-based magic. So, I'll switch it up by borrowing Fana's power", he said before turning around.

He turned quickly so the forward momentum he had transferred onto his legs and he went sliding back. Though, this gave him the perfect opportunity to use a spell that'll work better than the last.

"Copy Flame Spirit Magic: Salamander's Talon!"

The copied Salamander Spirit wrapped its claws in a burning fire and slashed at the incoming tree's roots. With five swipes of the spell, all of the roots burned to the floor as well. The fire and smoke that came from it filled the room but William popped out from within it and used another spell as quickly as he appeared.

"World Tree Magic: Mistilteinn Seed!" William's right arm made a forward action and he threw a single seed at his target. It hit Rhya in the chest and its roots spread across his body.

Suddenly, a tree started to grow out from it and it weighed the Copy mage down.

"This… Magic", Rhya looked around, trying to find some sort of opening to get out.

"It drains your mana and makes the tree bigger. So, I guess you're in a bit of a bind…!" William paused for a second before falling to his knees.

As he hit the floor, the thud made his mask wobble and half of it started to come off, revealing the left half of his face. A large scar was on that side but it started to become smaller and smaller as golden, yellow hair replaced it.

"N-No… not yet!" William shouted, clutching his head in front of the onlooking Rhya.

"Finally, it's about time", he said as he winced from his mana being drained.

A few seconds passed as William was still. His arms were still on his head but nothing else really happened. His lips were moving as he was mouthing a few words to himself. Eventually, he got up and the draining roots retracted themselves, dying, and falling to the ground.

"That's… more like it!" Rhya said, using Kinetic Magic to push the Captain of the Golden Dawn away. "Now, I'd love to fight with these guys even more but my mission is still important. It was that Druid who had the Magic Stone, right?" He turned around and teleported closer to the three with antlers on their heads.

From his peripheral vision, someone started to move. He turned his head and saw that Alecdora and David started to run to him. The other two members were nowhere to be seen and this confused Rhya.

"You know I can still sense your Plant Magic and Glass Magic!" Rhya shouted before getting ready to fight with the two others in front of him.

"This is a bit of a different plan but here goes!" David threw a dice towards Rhya and it landed on a four. This particular throw was different from the other two that he's been using since this one had red pips on every face.

Rhya looked at it fall on the floor, unamused. "You use your magic and it's so weak. So what if it's going to give a little boos-!" He suddenly fell to one knee and felt his mana slowly drain away. He looked at the dice again and saw that it wasn't the same as the others.

"Dice Magic: Dice of Weakening!" David said as he saw the effect go into place. "Unlike the other two which help with attacking and boosting power, this one drains power from the target. This is what happens when you underestimate a handsome guy like me!" He flicked the blonde bang on his side and smiled.

Slowly, he got up again and shook of the lingering pain. "Hmph, in my state right now, you'll be able to do nothing".

"We'll see about that!" Alecdora shouted next to David. He pointed both arms forwards and his grimoire turned a few pages. "Sand Creation Magic: Sand-Armoured Guard!"

A large golem made purely of sand emerged from the ground up. It had armour-like limbs with extra padding as well as a thick helmet and large chest area. Alecdora created the spell a few metres away from Rhya and it used its large body to mount an attack.

"Go!" Alecdora commanded and the golem used its right hand to slam down onto the floor, creating a shockwave that unevened the surface. Afterwards, the golem kept shooting out balls of large sand towards the enemy.

After dodging one shot, Rhya dodged the next. "Easy…", he yawned and was about to punch the golem with his copied Kinetic Magic.

As he reeled his right arm back to punch, he crashed into something right in front of him, falling to the ground.

"Huh?" Rhya said as he looked around. He looked up and saw a smashed glass pane above him but when he was attacking Alecdora's spell, there was absolutely nothing. "Glass Magic? But from where?"

"Ho, ho, ho!" Hamon's voice sounded out from the distance. He reappeared in a flash of green light and so did Mimosa. "Did you like that little trick? With a bit of help from Mimosa and her Plant Magic, I was able to hide near one of the Captain's fallen World Tree roots without being easily detected!"

Mimosa continued; "I know you sensed our magic and that was because we were actively using it. Just as there is see-through glass, we can modify our magic to another extent. Glass can become invisible!"

"Yes, just as when you see people mistakenly walk through an open space and then find out it's actually transparent glass when they fall over!" Hamon giggled.

The Copy mage stood up and wiped his chin from the little bits of glass that got stuck in. "Good move, but I don't think you'll be able to continue like this the whole time. Let's see which one of us falters first!"

"Copy Light Magic: Light Swords of Conviction!" A plethora od sharp weapons formed in the sky and rained down on the squad. The speed of the attacks was too much for the ones who were fighting and they were either hit by it or the ground the attack ricocheted off hit into their bodies.

"Not giving up!" The four shouted in unison.

"Glass Creation Magic: Transparency Barrier!" Hamon raised his hands and then pointed his fingers where each glass pane would be placed.

"Plant Magic: Magic Control Grass!" Mimosa threw a few seeds in the cracks of the ground where Alecdora's spell had made it uneven. The roots that started to form from below quickly spread up and created somewhat of an obstacle course for Rhya who was trapped inside.

"Since my Plant Magic is more powerful here due to it being in a Grand Magic Zone, I can go all out with spells that usually aren't as effective on a grand scale", she said as she pumped her fists.

"Sand Magic: Quicksand Depths!" Alecdora commanded a few areas of the battlefield to become dark-brown patches of quicksand. He placed them all around the Plant Magic as well as in between the Glass Magic that Hamon had used.

Rhya looked around for an exit but he couldn't find anything. Instead, he closed his eyes and used another spell. "Copy Gel Magic: Sticky Salamander!"

The see-through, purple Salamander formed and Rhya stood on top of it. It fired multiple gel missiles in each direction to try and shatter the Glass Magic and destroy the Plant Magic but the attack couldn't reach its destination.

"Dammit!" Rhya shouted as he continued on.

The reason Rhya's attacks couldn't connect was because of Alecdora's Quicksand Depths. The Gel Magic was being absorbed by the swirling Sand Magic, making it useless.

The four carried on their team strategy against Rhya whilst some other events started to manifest in the background.


"All of this Magic power I've been sensing since helping heal those humans has been driving me crazy! I want to get involved in the fight, too!" Sallyanne shouted as she raced through the dark hallway. Her red ponytail kept hitting her in the face as she was eagerly trying to get to the final room.

"H-Hold up…", Klaus panted from behind her. He was clutching his waist but it wasn't because of his previous injuries but because he was out of breath from running for too long.

"You just… healed us and not even a second went by and you ran off! Y-you can't just… leave us in a place like that and set… off!" Letoile replied, panting as well.

Sallyanne turned around and now she was running backwards whilst talking to the duo. "In your defeated state, you kept mumbling about wanting to defeat this Rhya person. If you want to follow through with that, then hurry up!"

"It's true that we want to get revenge on him but we only just recovered. Though, we are the Golden Dawn so we have to prove ourselves at every opportunity!" Klaus said to himself, letting go of his waist and speeding up.

Sallyanne's purple eyes lit up and she smiled. "You could have told me all you needed was a pep talk!"

Letoile mimicked Klaus's determination and followed right behind him. "Our magic still isn't all there but our will definitely is!"

Eventually, the three reached an opening and as their eyes tried to adjust to what was happening, all they heard were shouts, groans, and the sound of magic clashing against each other.

After a few seconds, the bright lights died down a little and they took in everything they saw.

Klaus's and Letoile's eyes immediately picked up on the Golden Dawn and their battles, as well as the fainted Lucas and the struggling Yuno.

"What on earth…? Those two were defeated, too?" Letoile pointed.

"But look! The Captain's World Tree Magic is helping them out so they can recover! The others are fighting their hardest so we should join with them", Klaus grabbed Letoile's hand and tried to set off.

Letoile, however, pulled the Steel mage's arm away and shook her head.

"We let our impulses get the better of us last time. I have an idea on how to approach this and I want you to join me, Klaus", she responded. Klaus nodded his head and the two got talking.

As for Sallyanne, the first thing she noticed was her sister Valmoira who was also being treated by the World Tree's roots. Next, she saw Cathbad and the slightly moving Dike beside her and that was when she gasped.

"Those three were defeated… I can't believe it", she shook her head.

Then, her gaze fixated on Rhya and she immediately felt a similar type of magic that she had always felt from Dike and realised what it was. "He's the enemy then. The Forbidden Magic he uses cannot be good and should not be allowed. I give Dike a pass since I've come to respect him, but… Papa would never want that enemy to be left alone…".

The Plant Magic-using Druid brought out her two kunai that were strapped to the inside of her leg braces. Then, she shouted at the watching Druids as she ran to join in the fight.

"Oh, come on you bunch of losers! The humans are showing you up and you're just watching? I can sense your mana isn't all there but your pride as Druids is on the line!" Sallyanne smirked as she twirled her kunai in between her fingers on both hands.

The Druids got up as soon as they heard the younger one's remarks.

"Sallyanne, your comments are rude and improper of a Druid… but, it is time I go into action again". It seemed like seeing the youngest of the four ready for battle ignited something in the others. Valmoira jumped down from the small edge she was sitting at and joined her sister. "Perhaps after this… is when we can talk about everything".

Cathbad roared and pounded his chest with his large fists. Due to this, the cut that Rhya made on his crown symbol had started to bleed again but when the Druid noticed this, he smiled. "It is time to end this, enemy!"

Dike, however, did not have the energy to get up at this moment. He looked back at his legs and tried to move them but because of the Forbidden Magic he used he was struggling a lot.

"I will… join in on the fight!" He shouted as he looked forwards again.

There were only two others that weren't in the fight anymore. They were the latest Golden Dawn rookies. Both from the Forsaken Realm and both shared the dream of becoming the Wizard King. Although their motives differed from each other, they worked hard towards their goal but, now, they couldn't fight any longer.

Or could they?

Lucas's vision started to reappear as he felt a warmth around his body being absorbed in. The first thing he saw clearly was his right arm that was wrapped around thin, brown branches. He turned his head and his other arm was also wrapped. He brought his head back and the brightness of the battle illuminated his vision, giving light to more things around him. Eventually, he could see clearly in front of him.

"… Ouch, that hurt…", he said as he tried to get up. He bent his left knee and used it to prop his right leg up. After a few, long seconds he was crouching. "My back… it feels like something was dug into it but when I feel it now, there's nothing… there?" Slowly, he straightened his posture and walked forwards.

In front of him was Yuno who had already gotten up but was struggling to move forwards. He turned his head back and saw the approaching Light and Time mage and smiled.

"You're back to normal, huh?" Yuno said with a sigh of relief.

"I… don't know what happened but all I do know is that I'm glad I didn't hurt any of you. All I remember is the words I said and because of that, I think I said things I didn't mean", Lucas reached out to Yuno to grab his hand.

"Ah, don't mention it. It's not like I wasn't acting a bit all over the place earlier when we were with Dike", the mage replied. He grabbed his teammate's hand and stood up. "So, what's the plan?"

Lucas focused on his arms and turned them around so he could see his palms. "I… have enough for maybe one more spell. Light Magic or Time Magic but I think I have an idea on which one I should use for this particular fight".

"Great. Everyone has joined in on the fight so we shouldn't be staying back. I'll go on the offensive and join the rest, while you wait for an opening to strike", Yuno said as his wind platform formed by his feet.

Lucas nodded and the two smiled at each other before separating.

"I'll wait for now…", Lucas declared.


Back where the Golden Dawn were fighting, it looked to be a losing battle since Rhya seemed to have endless reserves of mana to do anything he pleased. Despite the majority of the Golden Dawn being nobles, this was very taxing on their own magical power.

"Don't give up, guys!" Mimosa shouted, sliding back from the recent counter from Rhya.

"Who the hell is giving up?!" Alecdora retorted in his own way.

Mimosa was panting and she slammed her fists into the ground. Despite telling the others not to give up, the situation was definitely looking bleak. She turned around to speak to the other two of David and Hamon but they were also looking distraught. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar lock of red hair just escape her full vision.

With a smile, she motioned her right arm forwards and a large plant grew from underneath the crumbled floor. It was in the shape of her new Magic Flower Cannon but nothing emerged from the opening in the middle.

"Mimosa, what are you thinking?" Hamon asked with a confused look.

"You'll see", she smirked.

Though the large plant remained motionless for a few seconds, it started to glow a bright white and green colour and out emerged something that the other Golden Dawn members didn't think they'd see.

"Plant Magic: Equal Undergrowth Transfer!" Sallyanne appeared from the mouth of the plant and jumped towards the awaiting Rhya in the air. "Good job spotting me, Mimosa!"

"Another Druid… great", Rhya said with a bored look and a roll of his eyes. "Copy Flame Spirit Magic: Salamander's Breath!" The Flame Magic was going to hit Sallyanne with a ball of fire but the energised Druid had other plans.

She stretched her body and span across the burning ball of fire, just missing it. She had evaded it successfully and was going to slash at Rhya with her kunai.

"Take this! Plant Magic: Status – Sleep!" She shouted as her twin weapons slashed at Rhya's chest. White flower petals emerged and a white aroma was created from them, sending Rhya's senses to sleep.

"Shit, I'm done for if I… fall asleep! I'll have to do this…!" He commanded Salamander to turn towards him in a desperate attempt to stay awake. "Go, Copy Flame Spirit Magic: Salamander's Breath!"

Salamander shot out a ball of fire right at Rhya and hit him square in the chest, destroying the white, aromatic petals. Though, obviously it also damaged the Copy mage and he fell to the floor and panted.

"A risky one, but one that got me away from that… situation", he clutched his chest and sighed. "Light Rec-", he said but in front of him Sallyanne appeared once more.

"Oh, no you don't!" The red-haired Druid threw one of her kunai above and put her thumbs up. "Go for it, Sis!"

"Thank you, Sallyanne!" Valmoira grabbed the kunai with her own hands and fell down to where Rhya was trying to recover. Due to the Salamander's attack, he was already injured and Valmoira had the key to deal more damage.

"Take this!" Valmoira bent down and slid underneath Rhya's legs, slashing at his ankles with the sharp weapon, causing him to fall to his knees once again. "Sallyanne, do not go easy on him!"

The younger Druid went to attack Rhya's upper half whilst the older one took on the lower half of his body. Sallyanne used her weapon to cut through the enemy's arms whilst Valmoira worked to sever his leg.

"The Druids really are something, aren't they?" David mentioned.

"That's Sallyanne for you", Mimosa smiled.

"Copy Mist Magic: Clone Traversal!" Rhya managed to cast a lifeline and it duplicated his bodies into two more clones, confusing the two sisters.

"That attack again?" Cathbad shouted as he slammed the ground with his arms, making the floor bend and flick the Rhya's into the air.

The Chief jumped and used his remaining strength to box one of the clones. He punched its head and then its chest but it didn't seem like it was being destroyed at all.

"Hm, is this because the other clone is left alone? No matter… I'll pick up the pace a little!" Cathbad said. As he turned around to attack the other clone, there was someone else already one step ahead.

"Wind Magic: Tornado Fang!" Yuno shouted and multiple tornadoes, the shape of sharp missiles, raged forwards. "Sorry about this, Chief, but I got here first!"

Cathbad growled and turned to the previous clone. "Hmph, if you want to help then shut up and concentrate!"

The two used their powers, strengths, and magical abilities to target the clones at the safe time, destroying them and leaving Rhya in trouble.

"Copy Beast Magic: Bear Claw!" He shouted, trying to slash at the newcomers.

"Compass Magic: Willful Compass…!" Letoile joined in. She formed a small compass in front of her body to deflect the Beast Magic back onto Rhya.

"You again! Didn't you learn the last time?!" Rhya looked at the Compass mage in disgust.

"I learned, alright. I learned how weak I was and for that, I'll get stronger. You copied my magic but it was just to make fun of me, right? I'll teach you the real power of my… magic!" Letoile screamed. Her compass started to shatter, but the Beast Magic started to go back towards Rhya.

The sound of shattering. Willful Compass broke apart but deflected Rhya's attack spell enough so that he was incapacitated for a few moments. Letoile fell on the floor as she saw the shadow of her teammate go into action.

"My turn", Klaus said calmly. He corrected his glasses and jumped into the air. "For the humiliation I suffered earlier, I don't think beating you here is going to redeem it. Though, it is a start…".

Rhya looked up, panting. He kept seeing everyone come one after the other and there was no opportunity to heal. Regrettably, he also jumped and met the Steel mage head on.

"Weak people always stay weak. That's just how it is. You can struggle all you want but my power is… overwhelming! Copy Magic-".

"Too slow!" Klaus responded, cutting off Rhya. He was already forming a spell on his right hand and Rhya saw another Dice from David roll into view.

"I told you never to underestimate me!" David smiled from the ground.

The boosted Klaus extended his arms and then shot his right one towards Rhya. "Steel Magic: Blazing Spiral Lance!" The blue-haired noble put his all into this last spell and fired the attack, cutting through Rhya's side and then he fell to the floor right next to Letoile.

Rhya landed with a thud as well but it was where all the other humans and Druids were waiting.

The newly-arrived fighters walked up to Rhya who was on the floor. Slowly, the other members of the Golden Dawn closed in a circle and it looked like they were going to capture the Third Eye of Disloyalty.

"You have been defeated", Cathbad crossed his arms and looked down on the enemy.

"Defeated?" Rhya sighed and shook his head. "Perhaps. It's not like my kind are strangers to something like that…".

He slumped back and fell on the ground.

"Did we… do it?" Mimosa asked, very tired from the whole battle.

"I think we did", Alecdora replied. He turned away from the others but he was very clearly smiling.

"So, what now?" Hamon asked.

"We have to capture him and take him back to HQ for questions. Who knows what we'll uncover?" Yuno replied, leaning on David's back. Bell was on top of Yuno and she crossed her legs.

"Man, I'm tired!" She yawned and stretched her arms.

"What did you even do?" Yuno deadpanned.

"Huh?!" Bell replied, angered. The two continued their bickering until William entered the scene.

"Yuno's right. We have to take him back. I'll be the one to personally escort him awa-", he tried to say but the Chief of Druids interrupted.

"I do not think you have the right to take him back", Cathbad put his arm across Rhya's body as if he was closing him off from the others.

"Why you…", Alecdora said, turning back and looking angered.

"Relax. I am not trying to be rude or anything but you have to understand. Our fellow Druids are dead in the corner there, resting their heads against the cold wall…", he pointed.

The rest of the Golden Dawn followed the direction he pointed but a lot of them didn't even want to see the state of those dead soldiers. They gulped and as they opened their eyes, they turned back away instantly.

"He says he did not kill them but he is the closest bet on understanding what exactly happened", Cathbad said, calmly. This was the first time he spoke in the tone he did and the others were aware of that.

"We will keep him… for perhaps a month. That is how long our questioning goes on for…", another voice entered. Everyone looked din the direction of which it came and were worried.

"D-Dike. Are you sure you should be moving?" Valmoira questioned, using her shoulder to support the hobbling Druid.

Sallyanne grabbed his other arm and helped him with his balance. "You really had it bad, didn't you?"

"… Whatever. If we do not find anything amiss, then we will dispose of him. He has already tainted this temple", Dike said with aggression. "I was so useless this battle and I am the Chief's Advisor? Please…".

Quietly, away from the bickering eyes and ears of the others, Rhya muttered; "Copy Kinetic Magic: Maximum Press…". Rhya quickly shifted in and out of the air and reappeared right next to Valmoira. She was slow to respond and so the enemy got the advantage. He used the Kinetic Magic to punch the soldier to the ground and just like he had planned to from the start, the Magic Stone came out of her satchel as she fell. "Finally…!"

He left the others to deal with whatever they thought had happened and with the speed he had, he was about to leave the area. He got to the exit where so many of his interruptions and obstacles came from and was about to leave when he felt the familiar feeling that he was exposed to an hour or so ago when he fought Lucas.

"Time Magic: Heaven's Time!" A shout came from next to Rhya. He looked to the left and saw the heavily panting Lucas with his glowing, blue arm pointing right at him.

"Not this time!" Rhya shifted his weight to the side but as he moved the majority of his body, his left arm was stuck in time. The Copy mage looked to the left and below and saw that his left arm had turned grey as the stoppage of time came down.

"Just my luck with this guy!" Rhya shouted. He tried to break free from the paused, grey area but he couldn't. That was when he realised, he was seconds away from losing an entire arm as he saw Lucas's fingers click together.

A beam of blue energy surged down from above severing Rhya's arm and just as it hit, the Copy mage saw the Magic Stone loosen from his stopped hand's grasp.

"AHHHH!" He shouted as he saw his left arm topple towards the floor.

Lucas quickly went to it and picked it up. He smiled for a brief second before he felt the angered presence of the disloyal Third Eye behind him. Instinctively so, he threw the stone with all of his remaining strength. "Captain… it's all yours!"

"For f*** sake!" Rhya screamed. He hit his head repeatedly until blood dribbled down one of his open wounds. He used Recovery Magic but only so the open wound on the top of his arm closed up. "I've lost this arm and the Magic Stone but I am definitely going back with something!" He grabbed Lucas with his right arm and pulled him in.

Lucas tried to struggle but he was so tired that it was essentially futile. He didn't even have the energy to bring out his Dual Blades or cast any sort of magic anymore. He was useless at that point.

Rhya started to leave, blood running down his head and body when a multitude of voices called out to him.

"Don't take him with you!" Mimosa screamed. She ran forwards but the others stopped her since she was going to put herself in a dangerous situation.

"I know I pulled you back just now, but I have to be the one to save him!" David pressed on but the others stopped him too.

"My magic is all drained away now… he can't leave with Lucas!" A few of them thought as their tired eyes saw the two leaving.

Yuno was the one that started to attack. He formed a bunch of wind blades and was about to fire them when he heard a voice call out to stop.

They all looked to one side and saw Captain Vangeance get up again. Due to all of the magic spells and the mayhem the fighting had caused, the ceiling has almost all but broken apart. The bright sky above them all was shining and when they looked at the masked mage, it looked like he was being illuminated by the rays.

"It's happening… again", Alecdora quietly mumbled. His eyes looked to be in awe with what he was seeing and his mouth was wide open. It was as if he was looking at a god.

It looked like there was gold dust around him with him looking so heavenly. In reality, he was in tatters with a few bruises and cuts. Though, most of the damage came from within as he was frustrated with himself for being so useless. It seemed like something was holding him back this whole time but now all he did was move with love for his squad.

"Stop", William commanded.

Rhya stopped in his tracks and turned his head to the side. "What do you want, William?" He emphasised the captain's name for some unknown reason as if he was specifying who he was addressing.

With a sigh and a shake of the head, he replied. "You want the Magic Stone, right?" The masked mage rustled around in his trouser pocket and brought out the shiny, green gem from inside it.

"W-wait, hang on, Captain! That is way too important to give away!" Lucas shouted. He shook his head as if to say he disagreed with what the captain was insinuating.

"You're the one that's too important, Lucas!" William shouted back. It was as if he was fighting against something when he said that but he won and said it anyway. "Rhya, give us Lucas and I give you this stone!"

"Captain…", Alecdora said quietly. "I hate to say this but we need the kid on our team. He's proven me wrong and proven what he says right, time and time again. I'm willing to accept him if the Captain is going this far… Though, only him", he specified in his head.

"Captain…", Mimosa repeated. She fell to her knees and put her hands to her eyes whilst David consoled her.

"Don't worry", David smiled. He knew this was the right decision in the moment and whatever happens in the future will be dealt with by them.

The Copy mage fully turned his body around and wore a look of utter disbelief. "Captain, you really know how to manipulate the situation, don't you. It's a win-win for you whatever happens, right?" Rhya let go off Lucas to his side and with the only hand remaining, held it up.

William, despite shouts from Lucas, threw the Magic Stone and Rhya caught it. Lucas saw the throw in slow motion and then turned his gaze to the Captain. Tears started to fill his eyes but he couldn't cry in the moment since he felt a kick to his back.

"Take the shitty kid", Rhya kicked the mage's back. "Besides, whatever happens in the future is the same anyway…", he said as the exchange was made.

Lucas landed on the floor below Rhya and he quickly disappeared.

Everyone ran to Lucas, including a few of the Druids like Valmoira and Sallyanne. They had to see if he was alright and just as they had hoped, he was fine, save for some injuries.

William stared at the dark hallway and the last words he heard from Rhya were; "I'll see you again real soon, Captain. What you did today won't go away quietly…".

The masked captain turned around and went to Lucas to check on him. Thanfully, he was fine but instead of speaking to him, he went to Cathbad to talk. However, as he was about to speak, Cathbad raised his right palm and motioned as if to stop what he was going to say.

"First, let us leave this horrible place. I would like to speak with you, Captain, in private within the next few days", he ordered. The Chief ordered Dike to go to the surface with the other humans whilst he asked Valmoira and Sallyanne to stay back to help with the deceased bodies of the Druid soldiers who had been burned.

Vangeance followed the rest of his squad out of the cave and eventually, the only one who was left in the room was Cathbad. The two sisters had helped with the bodies and left the area after Vangeance, whilst Cathbad wanted to stay a while longer.


"Humans, huh?" Cathbad said as he kicked a few stones away from the floor in front of him. He looked up into the sky and he had an expressionless look to his face. Though, his eyes were wide open as if he had just realised something.

He was about to leave the room but turned around on instinct. He squinted his eyes to the far corner of the room where there was complete darkness and stared there for a few seconds before carrying on.

"That was… odd. Perhaps it was the effect of that pink drug acting up again", he thought as he finally left.


A few minutes after the coast was clear in the broken and tattered room, a singular person walked out from the dark area. Although, instead of walking, he seemed to just appear as if was never there in the first place. His body appeared in the form of particles joining together.

The man had slicked-back black hair as he came into light. He wore a white, long-sleeved shirt that also joined with his white trousers. Above his shirt, he had a dark, brown cape with yellow designs and patterns all over it. Around his neck, he had a solid, yellow brace but it was only for asthetic. The cape was quite loose as it flowed in the wind that came down from above. In the middle of his white shirt was the symbol of black fire and it was moving as if it was real. He wore black and white boots that went up to his ankles.

He clapped his hands together and smiled. His soft, brown eyes looked at where Cathbad exited and he sighed.

"That… was close. I didn't think a Druid would almost be able to spot me. I was hiding this whole time just watching the fight unfold. I never thought the boy would entertain me like this though", he turned around and started to walk to the dark area again.

"Unfortunately for them, those poor Druids saw me before I hid myself resulting in them burning and dying. Oh well", he shrugged his shoulders.

The man stopped walking again and this time thought about a particular someone. He put his fingers to his chin and looked up as if he was picturing something in his head.

"When he's up against it, things become much more interesting… So, When Lucas's bonds with his close ones are in danger, he seems to evolve. Hm, he seems be a good test subject for me…".

The man pulled his brown robe over his body and pulled it tight. He started floating in the air and disappeared into thin air.

"Let's see what happens in the future, Lucas".


NOTES:

The Forgotten Forest Arc – Fin!

Well… not just yet but next chapter is just going to be the aftermath of this long temple journey. The main action-packed chapters are all done with and I'm so happy to conclude my first major original arc! What did you guys think of it.

There was a lot of stuff to unpack in this chapter and I hope it all made sense. Some battles were a bit messy but I wanted to show the desperation of everyone involved. Dike couldn't be as prominent here but not everyone gets to show what they're made of.

William was SO HARD TO WRITE in this arc because we all know his deal! Though, I think I did him well with the best I could.

The end of the chapter was interesting though!