Chapter 2|

-Inside Emerald Oasis-

Fiora and Gideon stood side by side as Basil looked them both over. He had his hand on his chin, chiming out 'hm' every so often. He paused in front of Gideon.

"Hardy body, calloused hands, calm, and..." Basil trailed off getting closer and closer to Gideon's face. Gideon felt his heart jump as Basil kept getting closer and closer.

"You have a strong connection with earth magic, and something else that I can't quite put my finger on." Basil stated. Basil shrugged it off and approached Fiora. She held a scowl on her face.

"You get close to me, and I'll blast ya." She threatened.

"Oh, well you're a ray of sunshine, aren't you?" Basil joked. He got close to her, eyeing her closely.

"You seem to have a very strong connection with fire magic. But your body is very delicate." He pointed out. Fiora was offended by this, but he continued.

"No... Your fire magic is different. Interesting..." His curiosity gleamed in his eyes.

"What the hell is he doing, about to tell me my fortune?" Fiora asked the others. Lyra gave a corneous smile.

"Master has a very good eye for this type of stuff. He spends his time tending to plants, so he's very good at understanding the potential of things." She explained. Fiora rolled her eyes.

"So what? He's just going to stare at me for another 10 minutes?" She complained. Gideon held his hands out as if to say 'just give it time'. Fiora scoffed and rolled her eyes once more.

"Ok. All done! Yeah, I like you two. You're in!" Basil announced. Fiora's eyes lit up and Gideon nodded his head.

"Sweet! What's next?" Fiora asked.

"Next is the initiation." Abernathy stated. His arms were crossed, and his back was against the wall.

"How many initiations are there? Is this a test of strength or some stupid crap like that?" Fiora asked, seeming to not enjoy the word 'initiation'. Basil shook his head.

"No nothing of the sort. Something way simpler." He stepped back and escorted them to the bar area of the guild. Behind the bar was Coral.

"This is Coral Crest, also known as 'The Kraken'." Basil tried to make the nickname sound intimidating, but Coral's kind eyes and smile contradicted the intent.

"I'm not sure who came up with that name, but I'm not very strong." Coral giggled. Basil waved his hands.

"It's a cool nickname. It gives you an intimidating presence. She's our resident cook and bartender. Our initiation is Coral making you your favorite meal, to make you feel welcomed." Basil explained. Fiora and Gideon looked at each other in confusion.

"That's it? What a bunch of wimps. This is too easy. I mean, this girl is supposed to be 'The Kraken', whatever the hell that is?" Fiora commented. That's when she felt a frightening aura oozing off of Coral. Her eyes and smile said one thing, but there was an unsaid killing intent behind them.

"You know what, I change my mind, that sounds great." Fiora changed her tune. Coral smiled and returned to normal.

"Good, then sit down and relax. I'll have your food ready in a bit." Coral said. She turned and began to make some food. Fiora and Gideon looked around.

"Mission accomplished. We found a guild that would take us. I feel embarrassed not being too positive about it." Gideon commented. Fiora scoffed.

"It's still a weak guild. What do they even do? I mean, we came here looking for a strong guild to join. And they're like, what? A bunch of hippies?" She asked. Gideon shrugged.

"We'll give it a week. If it's not what we're looking for, then we can move on. Besides, the magic council will be on us if we keep hopping from guild to guild." Gideon pointed out. Fiora looked to the side and crossed her arms with a harumph. She knew that Gideon was right. They finally found a guild that let them join, albeit one that wasn't really her style. But they'd have to make due.

Fiora and Gideon sat in front of a table, waiting for their food. Fiora was looking around the guild with a bored expression. She began to notice all the different plants that snaked around the inside of the guild.

"Hey, do you think that they'll let us spar?" She asked, trying to distract herself. Gideon didn't bother to look at her.

"I would imagine. Maybe not as much as you like. Perhaps you'd like to at least get to know our guild mates before asking the next person you see to fight?" He asked, a slight mocking tone in his voice. This made Fiora mad.

"Hey! It's not like I want to fight them. I just want to spar. That's different." She defended. Gideon sighed.

"Whatever you say." He spoke. He didn't want to argue with her. Fiora huffed and crossed her arms. In the distance she saw the doors to the kitchen swing open, though all she would see is a platter floating. Then another. Followed by another. Fiora would tilt her head at this, wondering why they were floating. The answer was revealed when she saw two wooden star shaped golems approach them. They were small in size, perhaps three feet. They had no face. And the only identifying marker is the number of leaves that are on a stem that stick out on their heads. Coral approached them, followed by another platters, most likely another golem.

"Who are these guys?" Gideon asked with genuine interest. Coral smiled at the two.

"They're a type of plant golem. Their called Star Plants. They're very rare, and they're all made from the same plant. They are also Basil-sensei's prized possessions." Coral pointed out, "He filled them with magic, and they help out around the guild." She points to each one.

"This is Uno, Dos, and Tres." As she introduced them each one would do a unique movement such as a bow or otherwise, to differentiate themselves from one another. Fiora chuckled at this.

"Whoever came up with their names is a genius." Fiora laughed. She pointed to the three, "One, Two, and Three, how simple." Fiora leaned forward and admired the golems. They each placed a platter on the table. She smiled a bit. When she sat back down, she saw Gideon with a surprised look on his face.

"What?" She asked, her scowl returning.

"You... you just smiled." He pointed out with shock. Fiora scoffed and looked away.

"Shut up, no I didn't." She denied. Gideon leaned back, a look of realization on his face.

"Oh, I get it. You find their names adorable. Just admit it." He teased. Fiora shot her head back to Gideon, her cheeks turning red.

"I don't find them cute! It's just amusing to me that someone would take the time to come up with something so stupid!" She barked back. But he was right, she did find them adorable. But she would never admit it. Gideon shrugged, knowing he was right, but knowing that Fiora would never admit it.

Coral walked over and lifted the platters with a smile.

"These are the appetizers. Enjoy." She spoke.

Fiora smiled and grabbed the utensils, ready to dig in.

Fiora and Gideon were sitting across from each other. In front of them was a massive stack of empty plates, each stacked on top of the other.

"Wow. I didn't think I'd get to eat like that in a guild." Gideon said, patting his muscular abs. Fiora was licking her lips.

"She's a damn good cook." She complimented. The guild master walked up to the pair.

"I see you're both pleased with the initiation." Basil smiled kindly. Fiora gave a thumbs up.

"Yeah, you weren't kidding." She admitted.

"You've never had a home cooked meal, have you?" Gideon asked.

"I lived on my own. So no, not really." Fiora answered. Gideon sighed and shook his head.

"Good. Now, we're going to officially meet everyone all together, and get you guys started on quests." Basil said. He motioned for them to follow him. Fiora and Gideon rose to their feet and followed Basil to the bar.

"Alright, now I'm going to introduce you to everyone." He moved to the side, showing all the members of the guild sitting at the bar.

"You've met Coral and Abernathy." He said pointing them out. Coral had shoulder length curly light blue hair, light blue eyes, and her outfit consisted of ocean colors. Abernathy had light brown hair and brown eyes and wore a casual business attire.

"Abernathy?" Fiora questioned, her hand covering her mouth to stifle a chuckle. Gideon noticed and nudged her.

"Don't be rude." He whispered. Fiora removed her hand and kept her composure. Abernathy smiled at this.

"Nah, it's alright. Most people think it's a weird name." Abernathy smiled. Basil waved his hand, "Moving on."

Basil was about to speak before he started to walk around the group, as if to look for something, or someone.

"Where is Zephyr?" He asked.

"Oh, I think he's in the bathroom." Coral informed. Basil sighed.

"We'll just have to get to him when he comes back. Anyway, this is Lyra." He said moving next to her. Lyra had short dark blue hair with a dress that sported a star theme.

"Nice to meet you." She greeted. Fiora and Gideon responded with smiles and a quick greeting. Basil moved down to the other side of Coral.

"And this is Emerald Oasis!" He said proudly. He then paused and counted the members.

"We're missing our last new member." He pointed out. He turned to Coral, "Coral?" He asked. Coral smiled.

"She said she was going on a job." Coral responded. Basil tilted his head.

"Already? She's a go getter." He commented. The door to the guild opened and a young looking girl walked in. Her hair was dark blue wearing a night themed dress.

"I apologize for my tardiness. But I'm here." She spoke. Basil approached her.

"Nonsense! I'm glad you're here, we can now properly introdu-"

"Luna?!" Lyra asked with shock.

"Onee-san." Luna said professionally, with a slight bow of her head. Lyra jumped down and stood in front of her.

"What are you doing here? Why are you joining this guild? I thought you were traveling the world!?" Lyra asked, bombarding her sister with questions.

"I did. And now I'm here to join a guild. I hope that isn't too much trouble." She said, somewhat flatly. It seemed that Luna was giving off resentment vibes. Though, Basil would be the only one to catch on to it.

"Oh! Well, that's just wonderful! Luna Moonshadow, correct?" Basil asked.

Luna nodded, "Yes. Pleasure." She gave everyone else a curtsey.

Lyra was hurt by Luna's distant demeanor. Though, Luna didn't seem to care. Basil gestured for Lyra to return to her seat. Lyra did as she was instructed.

"I wasn't told you were joining, or else I'd of had a celebration ready for you." Lyra said somewhat defeated. Luna simply shook her head.

"There was no need. But thank you." Luna said.

"Well then," Basil interjected, "These three are our new members. Luna here, and then we have Fiora Blaze." He said, pointing Fiora out to the guild. Fiora folded her arms and waved nonchalantly.

"And Gideon Granite." Basil said, introducing him as well. Gideon gave a bow, and a quiet 'hello'. Basil turned to the new recruits.

"All of these are our active members." Basil said with a nod.

"Is it normal for a guild to be this small?" Fiora asked blatantly. Basil nodded his head, scratching the back of it.

"Well, I have my own personal reasons for founding a smaller guild. But, don't think we aren't strong." He spoke. Lyra stepped forward.

"Basil-sensei has the power to rival the wizards saints." She pointed out. Fiora and Gideon showed their shock on their faces. Abernathy spoke up.

"As far as guilds go, Emerald Oasis is fairly strong. I mean, if we wanted to, we could rival Fairy Tail, or any other of the top guilds." He nodded.

"N-now now. No need to exaggerate." Basil said, "We're strong because we do our best. So long as we put in effort, that's all I can ask." He said with a smile. Abernathy let out a held breath and rolled his eyes.

"Anyway," Basil started, "Let's begin with Fiora's introduction! Why don't you tell a little about yourself."

"Sure, why not!" Fiora stood, stepping up on her chair and onto the bar.

"Fiora Blaze! 19! And my magic is Blaze Soul Flame. It can match any wizard out there! And my goal is to become champion of the Grand Magic Games! I want to be called the Flame Empress." She exclaimed, punching her fist in the air. Basil and the others looked impressed. Lyra jumped forward.

"Blaze Soul Flame, huh? That's some really rare and powerful magic. How did you come about getting it?" She asked. Fiora crossed her arms proudly.

"My pops came about it from some ancient spell." She responded. Basil snapped his fingers.

"Ancient fire magic. That explains why you were looking for strong guilds. You're trying to find a challenge." Basil observed. Fiora gave a proud smile and nodded her head.

"And you said that you want to become champion of the Grand Magic Games?" Lyra questioned. Fiora nodded her head.

"Yeah! With my Blazing Soul, I can beat anyone!" She boasted. Abernathy yawned a bit.

"That's a pretty tall order. Last year the guild Saber Tooth won." Abernathy pointed out. Fiora shook her head.

"So! I've never lost a fight. I doubt anyone can touch me." Gideon shook his head.

"Guess it's my turn. I'm Gideon Granite. I'm 19. And my magic is called GeoGuardian. It's a type of earth magic usually used for mining." Gideon stated. Fiora hopped down.

"Wow, mining magic. It's a shame he has no ambition." Fiora teased. Gideon sighed, knowing she would poke fun.

"My goal is to make sure that Fiora doesn't get arrested." He joked. This caused Fiora to snap her head back to Gideon, scowling.

"Anyway, to sum myself up, I'm strong, calm, and disciplined." Gideon stated.

Basil nodded happily. He looked to Luna.

"I am Luna Moonshadow. I am 16 years of age. And my magic is Shadow Star Weaving." She spoke. Lyra was shocked at this announcement.

"Shadow?" She asked. She had assumed Luna would have returned to traditional Star Weaving since that fateful day. But it looks like she didn't. Basil held his hand to his chin.

"Shadow Star Weaving? Very unique. I've never heard of it. I look forward to seeing what you're capable of." He stated. Luna gave a curtsy.

"Thank you." Luna said. Lyra approached her.

"Why shadow star weaving?" Lyra asked. Luna kept her composure.

"It is the magic my sensei taught me. But since she left, I had to finish in my own." Luna said it casually, but there was a bite of bitterness behind her words. Lyra wanted to say more but she couldn't. She nodded and backed away.

The three stood in front of a board that sat in the center of the guild.

"This is the job board. We put up requests made by the public or businesses daily. You will see some jobs that have an S on them. Only our S-Class mages are allowed to take them. That is Coral and Zephyr. And Abernathy, if he would stop being lazy and take the S-Class test." Basil commented. Abernathy smirked at this, shrugging his shoulders. Basil sighed and shook his head.

"Anyway, you pick a job, go do it, and once completed you bring the proof back here to the guild hall. Any questions?" Basil asked. Fiora held up her hand.

"What if there is a quest you're interested in, but an S-Class took it. Is there some sort of priority based on strength, or some crap?" Fiora questioned.

"Then you can fight for it." Zephyr said, coming into the room. The wind spirit Sylph appeared next to him.

"Zeph, that's rude! These are new members. You have to let them get the jobs they want, that's common courtesy." She scolded.

"Aww, but then I won't get to see how good they are." Zeph pouted. Sylph turned to Basil and Coral.

"He's only been a guild member for 2 months. Please forgive his lack of manners." She said politely. Basil smiled and waved his hand.

"Are you ok? You were gone for a while." Lyra commented. Zephyr's face became red.

"I had a stomach ache." He shared. Sylph began to laugh.

"He snuck Coral's food from the fridge! I told him to slow down, but he never listens." She pushed out.

"He's a handful, I know." Basil said with a chuckle.

"Wait, he's an S-Class wizard?" Gideon asked in surprise. Basil nodded his head.

"Zephyr is our youngest S-Class mage." Basil confirmed. Zephyr crossed his arms, a smug look on his face.

"Yup. I'm a pro." He said cockily. Sylph smacked her small fists on his head.

"You have spirit magic. Don't get big headed." She reprimanded. She quickly went to each new member and rapidly bowed to each in apology. "I am so sorry, please forgive my idiot chosen."

"Spirit Magic?" Luna asked.

"Spirit Magic is a special type of magic. It's similar to Celestial Spirt magic, except the spirits represent the elements rather than the zodiac signs. They are extremely rare because only one spirit exists per element. In total, there are four. Sylph is one of them, and she chose Zephyr as her chosen since he had the beat synergy with wind spirit magic." Basil explained. Zephyr looked away and put his hands behind his head.

"When you put it like that... I mean I'm just a normal wizard..." He tried to deflect the praise. Fiora approached Sylph.

"So, you can teach elemental spirit magic? Do you think you could teach me fire spirit magic?" She asked with confidence. Sylph floated in the air.

"No." She simply answered, "Only the spirit of that element can. In your case, that's Salamander. But that meat head only likes two things, working out and bragging." She informed. Fiora clicked her tongue.

"Figures." She mumbled under her breath. Sylph flew next to Zephyr, resting her back against his head.

"Don't sweat it. I'm sure you'll figure something out." Sylph assured. Fiora huffed and walked away. Gideon approached the job board.

"So, we just pick one and go?" He asked. Basil nodded his head.

"Yup!" Basil answered.

Fiora approached the job board as well, she took a moment to look at each job and each requester. Gideon grabbed a paper and pulled it off of the board.

"This one looks interesting." He said showing Fiora. Fiora took the sheet and looked it over.

"Bug hunting? Come on Gideon, these bugs are weak. Even for you." She teased. Abernathy hopped over.

"Yeah, those 'weak bugs' have a habit of being huge, and destructive. Those are Fenrir Ants. Alone they're weak. But they usually aren't ever alone. They are huge ants that destroy towns. Usually it's not a problem, but lately, these ants have been really strong. A group was sent in by the magic council but only one person came back with severe injuries. So now they're recruiting more people to eradicate the colony." Abernathy explained. Basil approached Abernathy and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes, the ants have been unusually strong. But it's a perfect job to evaluate you all. Abernathy will go with you two, to help get you guys on your feet." Basil said. Abernathy swiveled his head rapidly.

"What?" Abe says. Basil gives him a look.

"There is no escaping for you now. You've been officially put on a job." Basil said with a smile, which had a predatory undertone. He caught his prey. Abe slouched.

"Man..."

Gideon held his hand out to Abernathy.

"We're counting on you." He spoke. Abernathy reluctantly took his hand and shook it while sighing deeply.

"Alright you two, let's get packing. We're going to finish registering you guys to our guild and then get you our guild emblem on you." Basil stated. Gideon smiled at the mention of an emblem.

The guild hall was empty, and Basil sat with Fiora and Gideon.

"So, you guys know how the guild emblems work, correct?" Basil asked. The two nodded their heads.

"They work as identification, right?" Gideon questioned. Basil nodded.

"That, and they are an extension of the guild. They act like a guild Lacrima, it'll allow us to always know where you all are. And since there are a small number of members, I can pour more Ethernano in it, meaning I can essentially find you anywhere, unless you get taken to another world or something." Basil joked. Fiora raised an eyebrow.

"Does that happen?" She asked. Basil shook his head.

"Of course not." Basil lied, "Okay, time to apply them. Gideon, you go first. Where would you like yours?" Basil asked, holding the stamp in his hand. Gideon held out his right bicep.

"I think right here would be fine." Gideon suggested. Basil nodded and applied the stamp on him, and a moment later the stamp came away and was replaced with an Emerald Oasis Emblem, a spikey fan like shape, it was seafoam green in color.

"Alright, now for yours Fiora." Basil said motioning to Fiora. Gideon examined his emblem and smiled, it felt nice to finally get an emblem.

Fiora smirked and pulled off her jacket and bikini top that both had flame patterns. Fiora felt confident and bold.

"Right here on my back, on the shoulder blade." Fiora pointed out. Gideon covered his eyes in embarrassment. Basil applied the stamp that Fiora suggested. When it was finished, an emerald Oasis Emblem was shown.

Fiora put her top and jacket back on, her smirk becoming a smile.

"Awesome." She spoke. Basil clapped his hands.

"Finally, Luna. Where would you like your emblem?" Basil asked, turning his attention to Luna. She held up her left wrist.

"Here would be sufficient." She answered. Basil applied the stamp on her, and her emblem formed on her wrist. Fiora and Gideon admired their new emblem.

"Congratulations you three! You're officially members! Tomorrow you'll go on your first job as a guild!" Basil smiled.

The three looked to each other and nodded their heads, determination in their eyes.

"Don't get a big head cause you're in a guild now." Abe commented, "Just because you're in a guild doesn't mean anything. A guild can't be strong if its members are weak." Abe said standing. Basil stood as well.

"Yes. He is right. We focus on teamwork, but our goal is to sharpen each other to be just as strong as the next member. I believe you three will make an amazing trio. And one day, surpass Abernathy." Basil teased. Fiora cracked her neck and stretched her arms.

"Easy." She spoke. Abe shrugged his shoulders, not taking the jab seriously.


The job: Fenrir ants destroyed a town and it's up to the three to clear them out.

"Basil-sensei gave you a job with Abernathy as a supervisor. You three should consider this an honor. He hates leading jobs, even training exercises." Lyra commented. Abe scratched the back of his head.

Gideon thought back to Lyra's words as he, Fiora, and Luna followed Abe to the village of Sconeson. He leaned over to Fiora.

"Why do you think Abe won't take the S-Class test?" He asked. Fiora shook her head.

"Probably can't pass it." She answered. Luna overheard the conversation and spoke up.

"I've overheard Coral and Lyra conversing on the matter. He just outright refuses. They say he's more than capable but says no every time it comes up." Luna informed. Fiora clicked her tongue.

"Lazy as hell." She commented. Abernathy turned his head slightly.

"Yeah. It's cause I'm not interested." He said aloud. "I like to think I do more than enough. Besides, leading jobs aren't my thing. Lyra would be a better fit than me." Abernathy commented.

The town was visible, and Abernathy approached the gatekeeper.

"Sconeson, yeah?" Abe asks.

The gatekeeper inspected the mages and then let them in, pointing out the elder's house.

"Yeah. Go talk to elder Tomas." He answered. Abernathy thanked the gate keeper and the mages followed to the elder's house.

"This is where we'll be staying?" Fiora asked. They were given a whole cottage for the duration of their quest.

"Some of the perks of being in a guild." Abe responds. Gideon and Luna entered the cottage first. The interior was pretty modest. One large room with three beds and a window in the center of the room. On the wall was a fireplace and a kitchen. There were cupboards and a small table. Luna admired the interior.

"How nice." She commented. Gideon looked out the window that over looked the whole town.

"Abe-sensei, where are the ants coming from?" Gideon asked sitting on the couch.

"Sensei? Hmm. Has a nice ring to it." He says. He approached the coffee table in the living room and spread a map out. He pointed out the town and the surrounding forest. The forest had different x marks.

"Master Basil and I marked down where we think they could be coming from. Fenrir Ants are different from normal insects. First, they're the size of a dog and larger. Second, they can use magic." He informed. Fiora and Luna approach the coffee table and lean forward. Abernathy looked up to the mages.

"Magic?" Luna asked. It was her first time hearing that.

"Yep. These ants use magic according to their environment. And they're smart, like human smart. But, as of right now, we don't know what kind of magic they have up their sleeve. So, we need to proceed with caution." Abernathy responded. Gideon joined the trio at the coffee table.

"So, we hunt and kill the ants? Piece of cake." Fiora stated while standing and smacking her fist to her open hand. "I'll burn those bugs to a crisp."

"Whoa now. Happy to see you ready for action, but we need a plan. If we go in without that much, we're ant chow." Abe said while sitting down. Fiora sat on the table, crossing her legs.

"So, what do we do?" She questioned. Abernathy thought for a moment.

"Gideon and Luna, you'll be our scouting party. Tomorrow, you'll both go and see if you can find any entrances to their colony. Both of your magic is fit for that. Once you come back, we'll figure out our plan of attack and go from there. And yes, Fiora, you'll be our vanguard." He could see the anticipation in her eyes.

"Good. Just wanted to make sure you were aware." She said cracking her neck. Abernathy stood and left the cottage, the mages looked to each other.

"Well, we should all get some rest. We start bright and early." Luna stated, though Gideon spoke out.

"Um, I had a question, if you don't mind." He tried to figure out how to ask it without seeming nosy.

"Of course." Her face remained neutral, but her tone was soft.

"Back at the guild, I heard you say that Lyra was your sister. Is she?" He asked. He could see some similarities, but was curious, nonetheless.

"No, we are not." Was all she said. Fiora scoffed.

"Sheesh. Cold answer for a question." She commented. Gideon shot Fiora a disapproving glance, to which Fiora didn't appreciate. Fiora got in Gideon's face.

"If you're gonna ask her a question, just ask." She scolded. "Hey, what's up with you and Lyra? You're new like us but you're already giving our senpais the cold shoulder. What gives?" She demanded. Luna maintained her neutral demeanor.

"Lyra and I shared a past. That is all there is to it." She stated. Luna turned her back to the two. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to retire." She stated walking to a bed and shutting the lights out. Gideon and Fiora looked at each other.

"You think something happened between them?" Gideon asked aloud, forgetting who he directing his statement toward.

"Pff, I don't care. Little miss proper can do whatever she wants." She commented. Fiora laid on her bed.

"There's something I need you to be careful about." Basil said to Abe before they left for the quest.

"What's that?"

"Try to avoid the topic of Lyra and Luna. I'm not too sure what's going on, but it seems to be a sore subject." Basil informed. Abernathy nodded. Though in the distance, Lyra was about to enter the area, but stopped short when she heard her name. She gripped her hand and bit her lip. She turned her back and ran the opposite direction. She stopped at the request board and began to look. She grabbed one off the board and proceeded to initiate completing it on her own.

Luna awoke in the middle of the night and walked to the door. She looked back to her guild mates who were asleep. She sighed and walked outside, making sure the door closed quietly. She made her way away from the cottage and stared up at the moon. She stood there, hands clasped together, reminiscing about the past.

'Where are you going?!'

'I can't stay here. I have to go.'

'Take me with you!'

'I can't! You know I can't! You belong here with the others! I don't...'

'... You liar. You don't care about me.'

"Price you pay for going to bed early in the evening." A voice stated behind Luna. The young girl blinked several times before looking back, seeing Abernathy approaching.

"I usually do not sleep for a long time. But I made an exception for the quest, to make sure I am at full strength." She explained. Abe nodded.

"I see. So, I guess it's my turn to ask. Why is it you hate Lyra?" He asked. Luna faced Abernathy completely.

"I do not hate Lyra. Lyra abandoned me, and I simply do not take lightly to that." She informed. Abernathy crossed his arms, his expression neutral.

"That's not what she told me." He replied. Luna raised an eyebrow, though the rest of her expression remained unchanged.

"Is that so?" She commented. Abernathy sighed.

"I don't like meddling. But the three of you are gonna be guild mates. Out of the three of you, I think you have potential to be an amazing mage, and a leader. But this chip you have on your shoulder for Lyra is going to do nothing but weigh you down. Trust me, I'd know." Abernathy confessed. Luna crossed her arms.

"There's nothing to speak about. What's is done." She stated. Abernathy closed his eyes and scratched the back of his head.

"Drama... so exhausting." He expressed, "I'm not going to try to argue about what did or didn't happen. But, the longer you hold off on finding out her side, the more damage is going to be done to not just your friendship, but it'll negatively affect the guild as a whole. And that's a fact. And if you can't do it for yourself, then do it for the sake of the guild. You're a part of Emerald Oasis." Abe advised. Luna uncrossed her arms.

"Understood." Was all she said. Abernathy stretched his arms.

"Whelp, I'm exhausted. So imma get back to sleep. Don't stay up too late. Moon will be there tomorrow night. Same moon, I promise." Abernathy joked as he walked away. Luna watched Abernathy as he went inside. She sighed.

"I cannot help but feel that Lyra was indeed wrong. Though... I did not stay either..." She said to herself. She clasped her hands together once again and sighed once more. "There is nothing for it now, is there?" She whispered.


Gideon was the first to wake the next morning. He was outside doing his usual pushup and sit-up routine with his shirt off. Sweat rolled down his torso and arms, his muscles were defined and flexed with every movement. Fiora walked out, rubbing her left eye. She took notice of Gideon and smirked.

"Hey, working out are you? Need to save some of that energy. You're going out with Luna today. Maybe if you're good I'll help burn some of that excess energy." Fiora teased. Gideon stood up and wiped the sweat with a rag.

"I'm not into it, Fiora, so no thanks." He said flatly. Fiora raised an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean? You always sparred with me." She said.

"I did. But there's something that needs to be said." He walked toward his friend and stopped, looking down at her. "One of these days you'll need to stop holding everyone at arm's length. You always talk about ambition and being strong, but at the end of the day you just want to feel accepted. And when someone gets close, you push them away." Gideon observed. Fiora narrowed her eyes and grit her teeth.

"If you got something to say mole man, then say it." She growled.

"You're a part of a guild now, Fi. Guilds are about comradeship. We're supposed to grow together. Being distant, being the best, being the strongest isn't gonna get you anywhere. If anything, it'll only leave you with an empty heart and an empty soul. And that would be ironic, wouldn't it? The flame mage, Fiora Blaze being the coldest member." Gideon observed. Fiora punched Gideon in the chest, knocking him back a bit. Gideon rubbed his chest and sighed. The fiery young lady shook her hand, forgetting how durable her friend was.

"I'll always be there for you Fi, no matter what. That's something we promised each other. That's not going to change just because we joined a guild. But, now it's not just you and me anymore." He informed. Fiora clenched her hand and turned her back to him.

"You always find a way to say shit I don't wanna hear. Always meddling in my business. You should mind your damn business mole man." She stated walking away. Gideon rubbed his neck, Fiora never did take criticism well. Luna watched the display from inside.


Luna grabbed her backpack and walked out, Gideon followed suit. Luna walked toward Gideon and looked to Fiora who entered the cottage without giving Gideon another glance.

"Did something happen?" She asked.

"Nothing important." He assured, "So, we head out?" He looked toward their planned path. Luna nodded.

"Abe-san gave me the map of the different areas he wants us to check. He says there is no engaging the enemy unless we cannot help it. He wants us to return as soon as we identify any entrances to their nest." Luna informed. Gideon nodded and they both headed for their path.

Meanwhile in Sconeson:

Fiora stretched her arms and sat next to Abernathy, he didn't look up from his breakfast as he ate, but he could feel the heat coming from the fire mage, so to speak. Fiora crossed her arms and huffed. Abernathy ate his omelet and waited for Fiora to explode.

"Something the matter Fiora?" He asked. She scowled harder than she did before.

"Nothin'." Was her simple response.

"Nothing, huh? You usually say a lot more. Not that I mind, actually, I'd prefer less Fiora talk." Abernathy commented, eating more of his omelet. Fiora walked over and punched the table hard.

"Tell me something. Why do you refuse to become an S-Class mage? I'm guessing you know Coral and Lyra. Coral says you have more than enough skill and Lyra has the same opinion. So, spill." Fiora demanded. Abernathy looked at her and finished eating his omelet and sat in a relaxed position.

"Not much to tell. Just don't feel like it." He said. But Fiora wasn't having it.

"Bull. I think you're just a spineless coward. Too scared to try, so you refuse instead." She accused. Abernathy scratched his head.

"Ouch, not pulling punches, huh. If you wanna say that, that's fine." Abe gave her a half smile. This only made her more upset.

"Then say something! Do something! You're a guild mage too. Act like it! Or are you a loser?!" She screamed. Abernathy tilted his head back and sighed. He stood up and stretched.

"Why do you want to be a champion of the Mage Games? Of all the things to aspire for, why that?" He asked. Fiora crossed her arms, Abernathy could see the gears turning in her head. She was thinking, but the silence was annoying Abernathy.

"Don't think, answer." He demanded.

"Because it's one of the ways I get to show that I have complete mastery over my magic." She expressed without missing a beat. Abernathy continued.

"Why? From the way you walk and talk, you're plenty confident. So why do you need to prove anything?" He asked, flipping it on her. Fiora tightened her jaw. Abernathy walked out of the cottage and leaned on the outer wall. Fiora followed.

"Because I know my fire. I know the way it burns, the way it moves, I know it's every single breath. But it's not enough." She confessed. Abe raised an eyebrow.

"Not enough. I have a feeling that you and I have a lot more in common that I thought." Abe stated.

"You also need to prove something. Is that right?" She questioned. Abernathy pushed himself off the cottage.

"Something like that. Look, Fiora. You're definitely strong. And, sure, I have the skills to be an S-Class mage. But there's something that you and I are looking for. A sort of... inner peace. Am I right?" Abernathy looked at the young fire mage. Fiora's scowl faded and turned neutral.

"There's a fire inside of us that's constantly burning. A desire. An ambition. A need. And we constantly seek it out. The desire to burn stronger. The desire to burn brighter. The desire to see who can burn the strongest. Am I right?" Abernathy asked, he was trying to get through to her, "But, when you burn that much, who gets hurt?" He asked. Fiora gripped her arms, her hands shaking slightly. Abernathy approached the conflicted fire mage and put his hand on her shoulder.

"We become lonely." He observed, "We don't see the damage we do when we're chasing that fire. All the people you care about become cinders. And they disappear." He informed. Fiora lowered her head. Abernathy pulled his hand away.

"I have that fire burning inside of me too. And at one point in my life, I burned so hard that everyone around me could see for miles. Then, I let arrogance get in the way. In the end, I lost so much more than I had. I lost myself. And after that, I was alone for a long time. I didn't know how to rebuild. I didn't know if I was strong enough. But Basil reached out to me and took me under his wing." Abernathy revealed. Fiora kept her gaze low. Abernathy chuckled, she turned her gaze to her guild mate.

"I think maybe I can help you learn how to temper that flame of yours. That is, if you could stop trying to burn your guild mates to a crisp." Abe joke, teasing Fiora about her motto of burning things to a crisp. Fiora smirked.

"Yeah? How are you gonna do that?" She questioned, her tone was serious, but Abernathy could detect the playfulness. Abe closed his eyes.

"Basil gave me a second chance. And a third chance. I was a bit of a mess actually. But he never gave up on me. And neither did my friends. You have someone in your life like that already. But he carries a heavy burden, being your only friend. I think if you gave it a chance, you could have so many more people by your side. If you want it of course. It's your call." Abernathy lectured. Fiora put a hand on her hip.

"How many chances did Basil give you anyway?" She inquired smirking.

"You'd have to start counting the stars first." Abernathy said scratching his chin. Fiora put a hand on her chest and laughed.


Gideon and Luna knelt behind a bush. The young Shadow Star Weaver had her map out and was writing another X on it.

"That's weird. So far, all the places that Abe pointed out showed nothing." Gideon observed. Luna put the map away in her backpack.

"Not quite true. All the X's are locations that are too small. Fenrir Ants are large insects that destroy entire towns. They would need a suitable size hole to travel through." Luna corrected. Gideon nodded in understanding.

"You're not wrong, but if that's the case, we would have seen one of them by now. No way an ant that size can go about without being seen." Gideon reasoned. Luna tilted her head.

"It is peculiar. Abernathy mentioned that these ants can use magic according to their environment. Do you think they might be hiding somehow?" Luna asked aloud. Gideon eyes widened.

"You mean, they're camouflaging their nest? That's... really smart actually." Gideon complimented. Luna stood.

"Indeed. I am not certain, but I'd like to bring this information back to Abe-san and see what he thinks. Perhaps he knows how they utilize their magic." Luna suggested. Gideon stood.

"Well, we have another spot he wanted us to check." He stated pointing to another location, "And then we head back." The both of them nodded. They stood and turned to leave.

"Look out!" Luna yelled. She raised her hands and traced the air. "Shadow Weave: Peter Pan!" She shouted. Her shadow reaches up and grabbed the both of them, throwing them away from each other. As they moved from their spots a Fenrir Ant was coming from the sky, sharp mandibles ready to tear apart its prey. The two mages hit the ground and rolled onto their feet.

"What the? Where did it come from?" Gideon said placing his fingers in the ground, absorbing the earth. Luna examined the Fenrir Ant, this one was smaller than most ants, but was still large in size. The ant looked different than a regular ant. The color was a deep purple and it had wings. And on the end of its abdomen was a stinger. Her eyes went to the sky, and saw several more Fenrir Ants latched onto the tree tops.

"It's a scout. They're trying to stop us from finding their colony entrance." Luna concluded. She looked back to Gideon.

"Can you take it out?" Luna questioned. Gideon cracked his neck.

"Absolutely." Was his response. He pushed both hands into the earth. His entire body began to turn to stone.

"GeoGuard: Sentinel!" He shouted. His body, now made of stone, moved fast toward the Fenrir Ant. He jumped, the ant tried to fly out of the way, but Gideon grabbed onto its body, gripping it tightly.

"I don't like surprises. Let's see how you like it." He said, crushing its body, killing it instantly. He jumped back to Luna and landed. The other Fenrir Ants' wings began to flit rapidly. They detached from the trees and charged the pair.

"Shadow Weave: Shadow Ribbons!" Luna called. A group of shadow tendrils rose from her shadow and entangled them.

"Gideon, do you trust me?" She asked. Gideon turned to Luna.

"Yes." He answered immediately.

She ran over and kneeled down, touching his shadow. It began to ripple before settling once more.

"Ok, go in and take them out!" She ordered. Gideon nodded and sprinted at the bound insects. He was about to jump into the air when his shadow rippled. The moment he left the ground, his shadow boosted him upward toward the ants. He grabbed a hold of one and pulled on its wings, snapping them. The ant fell from the sky and crashed into the ground. Gideon fell along with the ant and grabbed onto its legs and snapped them too.

"Luna!" He yelled out.

"Shadow Weave: Dark Embrace!" Her magic activated in Gideon's shadow and two large fists erupted and smashed the ant. Luna could hear the crunch from the earth. Luna's shadow rippled again, and Gideon shot upwards, grabbing another ant and repeating the process. The remaining Fenrir Ants freed themselves, ripping her Shadow Ribbons. It managed to dodge Gideon and flew higher into the sky, retreating.

"That's not good." Gideon commented. He dropped to the ground.

"We need to head back and report to Abe-san." Luna said running up to Gideon. Her shadow faded back to normal, and they both made haste to their destination.


"So let me get this straight. Their nest is camouflaged using magic and they can fly? Yeah, that's not gonna be an easy one." Abernathy crossed his arms. This was going to be harder than he thought.

"And not only that, the flying ants were scouts. They attacked us when we got close to one of the places you marked down." Gideon added. Abernathy rubbed his chin.

"This Fenrir Ant Queen has her nest well hidden. Hmm." He looked to the group, "We're gonna have to change our plan of attack. Good work Luna, Gideon. This information has helped quite a bit." Abernathy complimented. Luna nodded, while Gideon smiled and scratched the back of his head. Abernathy looked to the sky.

"We're going to have to wait till the break of dawn. Leaving now will put us in a bad spot. They'll pick us off if we're out at night, and we're not even close to ready." Abernathy informed. Fiora cracked her neck and rolled her shoulder.

"About time. I was getting bored sitting around. Now we get to burn some bugs." She stated. Abernathy shook his head.

"Fiora, when we go in, we're going to need to stick together. No solo runs. This is a colony. One is no problem. But a whole nest of them? Yeah, we'd be bug chow." Abernathy joked. Fiora smirked.

"Fine. But when it comes down to it, I'm lighting things up. No bugs are gonna be a match for me."

Abe nodded.

"Get prepared. I have some things I need to do before tomorrow comes. I'll see you all in the morning." Abernathy said walking away. The three looked to each other. Fiora placed a hand on her hip.

"This should be fun. We've never taken on a mission like this. And Abe is gonna lead the mission. This is gonna be exciting." Fiora said, she seemed very excited. Gideon scratched the back of his head.

"You sure are fired up. Did something happen while we were away?" Gideon questioned. Fiora shrugged her shoulders.

"Let's just say I had a change in perspective." She said punching Gideon's shoulder. Gideon was confused at first, but a smile slowly crept on his face. He could tell something changed, and he liked it. Luna nodded, interested in what changed.

Night came once more. The four mages began to prepare for their plan in the morning. Luna had begun to adjust her dress to allow for movement. She then looked out the window and stared up at the moon.

"And here I thought you were too prim and proper to get down and dirty." Fiora commented. Luna turned her head.

"I am capable in battle. I prefer not to, but for the sake of the mission, I will do what I must. My attire is to not get in the way of my magic." Luna replied. Fiora rolled her eyes and yawned.

"You know, that stoic personality is a bit annoying. Almost like nothing makes you blink. I don't get it." Fiora commented, a slight irritation to her voice. Luna kept her attention toward her guild mate.

"Do I irk you in some way Fiora-san?" She asked.

"Hell yeah you do! The way you act makes me feel like you think you're better than me. You're looking down me." Fiora confessed openly. Luna's eyes widened slightly.

"Looking down? I was not aware that you felt that way. Though I cannot change my personality, I never had any ill intention toward you." Luna replied.

Fiora clenched her fist, "And yet, I don't believe you. But you know what? I'll let it slide, give you a trial run." Fiora informed. Luna relaxed her posture.

"I apologize for making you feel that way." Luna bowed.

"Stop. This formal crap is gonna make me barf. Just Fiora. Matter of fact, Fi." Fiora walked over and held out hand out. Luna looked at the offered gesture.

"Fi it is." Luna complied and took Fiora's hand.

"Good. And I'll call you Blink, since nothing makes you blink." She expressed. Luna blinked.

"Blink? I do not think that is necessary." She tried to express. But Fiora held a hand out.

"No way! If we're going to be guild mates, you get a nickname. Gideon is mole man. And you're Blink. It's final." She declared. Luna looked toward the door and closed her eyes.

"Blink is fine, Fi." She commented. Fiora smiled.


The night passed by as the mages slept. Nature played its melody, creating a calming atmosphere. Abe opened his eyes and sprinted to his feet. He ran to Gideon and shook him awake.

"Hey! Get up!" He yelled. Gideon jolted awake and jumped to his feet. He looked to Abernathy.

"Wha... What's happening?" He slurred, still groggy.

"Grab the girls, now!" Abe commanded and sprinted to the door. Gideon shook Luna and Fiora and picked them up and bolted toward Abernathy who was outside. Lyra was up ahead and looked back.

"Abe? What's going on?" Gideon asked. Suddenly a sphere of thunder magic shot from the forest and hit the cottage, blowing up their room. Gideon eyes widened.

"You saved us." He said surprised. Abernathy kept running.

"Save it. Get ready to fight. They're not gonna take it easy on us. Girls, hope you're ready, because they didn't wait on us." Abernathy said. Abernathy was wearing his clothes from the day still. However, Gideon wore only green pajama pants, Luna wore a dark blue nightgown that stopped a little above her knees, and Fiora was only in her panties, one arm holding her breast.

"Fiora?! Where are your clothes?" Gideon said covering his eyes and his cheeks reddening. She looked down at herself.

"This is how I sleep? It gets hot when I wear pajamas." She answered while waking up.

"Who's that?" Fiora asked. Before Abe could answer, several Fenrir Ants crawled out of the forest. Abe grabbed a little strip of light that was floating a little ways away. It disappeared.

"No do overs..." He said to himself. The Fenrir Ants were yellow and black in color. Sparks jumped between their mandibles.

"Hearing they can use magic is one thing. But to actually see them do it is another thing." Gideon said.

Luna traced her fingers in the air, preparing her magic. Abernathy looked to Gideon.

"Get used to it. It's going to be a long night." Abe opened his hands and several shard of light appeared in them.

"Hey, mole man." Fiora called out. Gideon turned to look at her.

"Give me your pants." She ordered.

"What?!" Why?!" He replied.

"I ain't fighting with just one arm. Now give!"

Gideon sighed and slipped off his pajama pants. Now he only wore black boxers. He handed them over, Fiora snatched them and wrapped them around her chest and tying them.

"Better. Now I can burn them to a crisp." She expressed with a smirk.

"GeoGuardian: Knight!" Gideon pushed his right arm into the earth. As he pulled it out, His arm was covered in stone. From his forearm up, the stone was shaped like a club. His left hand pulled out a circular piece of earth that looked to be his shield. Luna was concentrating her magic, waiting for the fight to start. Abernathy tossed the shards in the air, they glowed and hovered over the mages. The Fenrir Ants were closing in on the small party. Fiora was the one to make the first move. Her arms erupted in orange flames, and she sprinted toward the ants. Her feet set fire with each step she took.

"Blazing Soul: Explosion!" She yelled. As she leaped into the air, the flames intensified, and her entire body was in a column of orange. She moved all the fire into her fist and punched the air, shooting a skull shaped sparking fire ball at the group. The ants retaliated with their own electric spheres. Three of them fired and the two projectiles collided. The fireball opened its mouth and crushed the attack, roaring through and hitting them with an explosion.

"Ha! Eat that bugs!" Fiora cheered.

"Fi, move!" Gideon warned. Fiora turned to see the ants had jumped through the explosion and were getting close. She grits her teeth and smirks.

"Blazing Soul: Fire Rain!" She clapped her hands and slammed them to the ground, creating a crater. Mini spheres of orange flame shot out of the crater toward the group. However, on her flank more ants rushed her. Gideon intercepted and roared while he swung his stone weapon.

"GeoGuard: Breaker!" His swing created a shockwave that hit the earth and ripped up the ground snaking toward them, and sent them back, giving Fiora enough time to turn and fight. Luna focused and started to manipulate the shadows that the night cast to fight as well.

"Shadow Weaving: Shadow Ribbons!" Multiple tendrils rose from her shadow as her hands grabbed ants midair, slamming them to the ground. Abernathy ran forward, a sword in hand, dodging attacks coming his way. As he dodged each attack, some of the lights above them went out. Some of the attacks were near misses, which caused multiple lights to go out. Finally, he closed the distance and sliced through some of the Fenrir Ants. Fiora punched one in the face and kicked another one away. She jumped back to Luna and Gideon who were defending both.

"Grab on to me, Fi!" Luna stated, tracing her fingers in the air. Fiora grabbed onto Luna. She traced more Shadow Ribbons into the ground and jumped up on top of them, jumping from one tendril to another, gaining height. Abernathy were taking the ants from the front and Gideon covered the sides. As Luna reached the peak of the tendrils, she leaped out and held out her arms.

"Shadow Weaving: Shadow Wing." The shadows of her ribbons stretched and formed a black wing on each side and flew over Abernathy and Gideon. When was above the ants, the wings flapped, and shadow feathers shot out of her wings and onto the ants. Above her was Fiora who used her flames to reach higher.

"Blazing Soul: Summer Pyre!" Orange fire whipped around her arm. She made it bigger and bigger until she finally released it. It zoomed at the ants and created a pillar of flames. Gideon slammed his stone shield and slammed his weapon down into the ground.

"GeoGuard: Gaia Wall!" From his weapon, earth rose, and a wall erupted from the earth, protecting them from Fiora's summer pyre. Some of the ants managed to escape, but the rest were turned to ash. Fiora began to fall back to the ground. Gideon raced to get under her and caught her, though didn't count on how fast she was descending. Fiora took Gideon to the ground with her.

"The hell you think you're doing?!" Fiora yelled. Gideon's face had inadvertently pressed into her chest. He could feel the heat coming from her face. Abernathy ran over and looked down.

"Fi, save the molesting for after the mission." He joked. Fiora scowled and pushed Gideon off.

"Damn mole man." She said, her face red.

The ants slowly encircled them. The mages managed to whittle them down, but there was still enough.

"They're not messing around. The queen sent enough ants to overkill." Abernathy expressed.

Fiora stood and cracked her neck. She held her fists up in a boxing stance.

"They wanna go to town, well I'm game. Blazing Soul: Scorcher!" Orange fire ignited in her hands. Fiora punched the air and sent the flames in a fan shape. The ants dodged, but the grass caught and created a wall of flame. Fiora smirked and began to punch rapidly, each punch made another pillar of fire. The ants began to charge them down, dodging the best they could. Some of the ants were caught in the pillars. However more than enough managed to break through and were about to attack. They leapt into the air but froze.

"What the hell...?" Gideon said. Luna stepped forward, her hands weaving through the air. On the ground, several hands were holding onto the ant's shadow.

"Shadow Weaving: Storyteller." A shadow figure began to pull itself from the ground and into their 3D space. The shadow had no features other than having a human-like body. The only defining feature was its hat. It was angular. Once fully free, it began to punch the shadows of the ants. The ants winced as if being punched themselves. Surrounded by Fiora's flames, they had no escape. One by one, Luna's magic took them out.

"Well, that was convenient." Abernathy mentioned. The flames died down and the Storyteller vanished. Luna was sweating.

"Not a difficult magic, but it does take a toll on my focus. It helps that it is night at the moment." She said wiping sweat from her forehead. The group regrouped. Abernathy looked to Luna.

"Good to know you have something like that. Can't have Fi burning down the whole forest now can we?" He said, teasing Fiora. She clenched her fist and smirked.

"Oh, if you had let me, I could have roasted the queen and have this mission done and over with." Fiora shot back. Abernathy shook his head.

"That aside, I'd say you three managed yourselves pretty well. But we're not done yet. Since they came for us, no doubt they'll send more. We have to take the fight to them." He said.

"Didn't you say it would be bad to try and fight them at night?" Gideon reminded.

"Things changed mole man. I'd like to end this before the sun comes up. Fi, Luna, ready for round two?" Abernathy questioned. Fiora smirked and nodded. Luna closed her eyes.

"Can we at least get dressed? I do not believe our attire is suitable for combat." Luna inquired. Gideon and Fiora looked away from each other's underwear. Abernathy nodded.

"Yeah, better to do that. I'm going to contact Basil, give him the rundown. You all get dressed. Thankfully they didn't blow up the whole cottage. Only most of it. Let's hope the supplies survived." Abernathy said jogging away. Fiora looked toward the cottage.

"How are you feeling Fi?" Gideon asked. He wasn't sure if this was the best time to ask, but he couldn't help himself. Fiora sighed.

"Honestly? Like crap. I feel stupid that they managed to ambush us. Should have woken up the moment Abe did. Maybe if I did, the cottage would still be standing." Fiora admitted. Luna walked over.

"Do not put yourself down. This is only our first mission. We are still green in comparison to more seasoned mages. Do not blame yourself, Fi." Luna lectured. Gideon nodded.

"Luna's right. Besides, Abernathy was able to use his magic and keep us safe." Gideon said.

"What is his magic?" Fiora questioned aloud, not really to anyone in particular. Gideon and Luna thought to themselves.

"His magic is unique. From what I have gathered, it has something to do with those shards of light he tossed up into the air. Every time he went in to fight, they slowly went out." Gideon shared. Fiora looked toward Abernathy.

"Those shards... I wonder what they do." Luna thought aloud.

The three were able to get dressed and follow Abe into the forest. The night sky made it difficult to navigate through the trees. Abernathy created a little shard and tossed it up into the air and kept it floating. Fiora was able to make a small fire so they could see.

"Alright, the mystery is annoying. Abe, what's your magic?" Fiora asked. Abernathy looked to her.

"Chrono Anchor Magic. I anchor time and can manipulate it." He answered. Fiora's brow furrowed.

"That's so vague." She complained. Abernathy chuckled.

"Trust me, it's a pain to explain. Think of it like this, let's say I leave a donut in one spot. I eat it and walk off. The donut represents an anchor in time I've created. If I want to eat it again, I activate the anchor and it reverses time till I return to that specific moment, so I can have it a second time. Every time I anchor and reverse time, a light goes out and disappears." Abernathy explained. Fiora tilted her head.

"Wait... Is that how you knew we were going to be ambushed?" She asked surprised.

"Yeah. I set up an anchor point right outside the house before I fell asleep," He explained. "Once the time reversed, I was alert and I managed to run and save you guys." Abernathy replied. The three listened closely to Abernathy.

Fiora crossed her arms.

"But the light thing you toss into the air disappear. Does that mean you're using anchors there too? Your magic is incredibly strong. If I could, I'd go back and win the lottery!" Fiora exclaimed. However, Abe's face grew dark.

"Trust me. It's more of a burden than anything else." He said solemnly. Gideon noticed Abernathy's shift in behavior and didn't push. Luna stayed quiet.


Meanwhile, a Fenrir Ant flew toward the nest, reporting on the failed ambush. At the very core of the nest, was a woman. Or at least, she looked like a human woman. She wore an elegant dress that was white, blue, and gray. Her hair was a dark red and her eyes blue. On her head were ant feelers. Her hands and feet were black. The ants bowed to their queen. She sighed and shook her head. Her features were soft and caring. She showed concern for her ants.

"This is troubling. To have lost so many, I will miss them all." She spoke with sorrow in her voice. She looked toward a large cocoon. She placed a hand on it.

"I'm so sorry. I've failed you.." She apologized and bowed her head.