What was suppose to be a splendid time for the people of Amaryllis quickly turned into a troubling time for the whole Phoenix Flame guild. Serenity has done it now. She has initiated a challenge for the current members to weed out weaklings and find those that deserve to be in the guild. She and her followers, the Tri Flame, has turned some people to stone and is threatening to harm them. Almost everyone in the guild is doing what they can to stop this by finding the Tri Flame and Serenity and defeat them, but it's not that simple.

"So, what do you think the Phoenix Flame has in store for us since they've added a few new members?"

"I don't know, but there was something weird going on. I saw a couple of their members fighting on the streets."

"That's weird. I wonder why they would do that." Suddenly, a fellow Phoenix Flame member shot pass them and appeared to be hurt. That only added more to the confusion. Members of Phoenix Flame found themselves trapped in enchantments that Serenity and the Tri Flame set all over town and are now forced to fight each other. Everyone is doing it out of fear of what might happen to the hostages or fear of actually getting kicked out of the guild. They're all playing right into Serenity's hands.

"I can't believe this is happening." Gin said as he stood at the top of a building and watched what was going on. "Everyone is fighting each other. How could Serenity stoop this low? Although, none of the citizens that haven't been turned to stone aren't affected, or for that matter seem to be aware of what's really going on. The enchantments must be designed to affect only those in the guild."

"That would be correct." Gin was surprised to hear that voice because he didn't think they would show themselves so soon. he turned around and was faced with Jake.

"Jake." Gin said. "I didn't think you would show yourself so soon. I don't want to hurt you because we're in the same guild, but if you think you're going to walk out of this unscathed, you've got another thing coming. Master Velvet isn't going to allow this."

"Master Velvet is currently powerless to do anything." Jake said. "By the time this is over, his word will have little value."

"There's still time to stop this before things get worse! Quit acting like an idiot since you're only doing this to impress that crazy chick!" Gin said. "Even with someone like you, you're not the first guy to make himself an idiot because of a girl."

"I did not show myself to you to trade insults. If you want this to stop, you know what you must do, Gin." Jake claimed. Gin could see he can't reason with Jake, especially since the Tri Flame is devoted to Serenity. There really was only one option.

"Fine, but you are going to regret this, I can promise you that." Gin said with him reaching for his guns.

"You shouldn't make a promise you can't keep." Jake said as he readied himself for whatever Gin might try.

...

Rocko

There were a few other members that were able to find the other members of the Tri Flame. They tried to take them on, but the Tri Flame isn't going to go down without a fight. Rocko was able to take on three members at once, but none of them were a match for his power.

"Earth Magic: Stone Gatling!" Rocko used his magic and fired a series of pebbles like they were bullets from a machine gun. All three of the members got hit rather hard and were taken down quite easily. "How pathetic. No wonder Serenity wants the guild to change. Who would want weak members like you guys."

...

Skrull

Skrull got in on the fun as well. He was hunting down his guild members and taking them down. Two members were actually running from him, but Skrull's magic is too fast because he uses sound magic. All he did was wail on his guitar and unleashed a powerful soundwave that made the sound unbearable to the members he hunted.

"Oh yeah!" Skrull screamed like the rockstar he pretended to be. "This is how I love to rock!"

"Stop it, Skrull! We're in the same guild! We're friends, aren't we?!"

"Why would I want to be friends with a bunch of losers?! Serenity is really the only one I need. Oh yeah!" Skrull screamed and turned up the sound until those he was fighting was knocked out.

...

The Guild

While this is going on, Velvet is trapped in the guild because of the enchantments. Maru and Sandy were there as well, but that was because Maru refuses to participate in any of this.

"This is not good." Velvet said as he could keep track of who won against who. "At this rate, more than half of the guild has already been eliminated. They're all playing right into her hands."

"Why? Why won't they just stop?" Maru said as he too doesn't like this.

"It's not their fault. Serenity has set everything up to force their hand." Velvet said. "Maru, you should get out there. If you can find Serenity while you are on your own, you won't fall victim to those enchantments. Maybe you can defeat her."

"No. I already told you I won't fight a fellow guild member." Maru said.

"But Mary's a sitting duck like this!" Sandy said with him referring to the fact that Mary is stone. "Not to mention who knows how many people! If we don't stop them, they're all going to be in real trouble!"

"No because Serenity is bluffing!" Maru argued.

"You really think she is?" Velvet questioned.

"I may not like how Serenity acts, but she's still one of us. She wouldn't hurt anyone like this." Maru said.

"But how can you be so sure? She's my own daughter, and I'm not sure if she's bluffing or not." Velvet said.

"That's just something I need to believe. I want to believe in a fellow member of the guild." Maru claimed. Velvet was actually amazed. Despite what Serenity is doing, Maru still shows pride in this guild and wants to believe in a fellow member.

"I can only hope that you are right." Velvet claimed. "Still, it's a chance I don't think it's worth taking."

"I wouldn't if I were you, or else the blood of those people will be on your hands for being so stupid." They all turned and saw a transparent form of Serenity appeared right before them.

"Serenity!" Velvet said.

"How is she here?!" Sandy said.

"It's just a thought projection." Maru said.

"What's the matter, old man? Why are you hanging around here?" Serenity teased with Velvet getting rather annoyed with his daughter. "I could ask you the same thing about you, Maru? Why aren't you out there and getting in on the action?"

"Come on, Serenity. Stop this nonsense." Maru said. "I know you're bluffing. All you're doing is causing a mess out there."

"You think I'm bluffing with my threat? You're more ignorant than I thought." Serenity said. "You really want to take that chance with your little girlfriend and other lives on the line. Well, I certainly don't have room for someone in my guild that won't even fight."

"Serenity, this is madness." Velvet said. "You don't honestly believe you're going to getaway with this, do you?"

"That's really up to you." Serenity said. "As we speak, more and more of your precious guild members are being eliminated. There won't be many of them left. In fact...take a look at the number of members left." She brought up a number representing the number of remaining members, but the number was only around twenty and still dropping.

"It can't be! There are that few left?!" Velvet said as he couldn't believe it.

"That's right. Knowing that, what are you going to do now?" Serenity said. She's really twisting Velvet's arm.

"Don't give up, Master! Aster and Gin are still out there, and they can hold their own in a fight! Not to mention that before she left, Yukina said she would look for a way to lift Rocko's spell over everyone!" Sandy said. "There's still a chance."

"Is there?" Serenity taunted.

...

Gin

Other members of the guild began to drop like dominoes from fighting each other or from the Tri Flame. On top of that, it's causing some trouble for the town when they are just trying to celebrate. In fact...even Gin wasn't able to defeat Jake.

"You put up a good fight, Gin, but I can't allow myself to lose this game." Jake said with Gin on the ground, but Gin still had something to say.

"Listen to me, Jake. Don't do this." Gin claimed. "We're part of the same guild. We shouldn't be fighting each other like this. Doesn't that mean anything to you, or do you just enjoy being Serenity's lapdog? Are you just incapable of thinking for yourself because of her? I expected better out of you of all people." That was all Gin said before he passed out, but the expression on Jake's face tells that Gin might have hit harder with his words than his guns.

...

The Guild

"Jake vs. Gin. Winner: Gin..." Maru read. He and the others couldn't believe that Gin was actually defeated.

"Didn't the furball say something about Gin giving you a chance? I don't think so." Serenity claimed.

"You creeps had to have cheated! There's no way you could have taken down Gin in a fair fight!" Sandy claimed.

"Oh please. Jake's more honorable than that. Don't make excuses for your friend just being weak." Serenity claimed. "Oh! Would you look at the number now? There's only seven members of the guild remaining now, and we're barely halfway through the time frame." This is not looking good. A vast majority of the guild has already been eliminated with only so few left."

"Enough." Velvet said as he sounded like he already admitted defeat. "Enough, Serenity. Just tell me what you want for this to end."

"What?! Master!" Sandy called with him and Maru surprised that he would just give in. "You can't just give up like this! There's still a few members out there! We still got Aster out there, and we still have plenty of time to turn all of this around!"

"No. It's not worth it." Velvet said. "It doesn't matter how many are left. I'm not going to have members of my guild hurt each other like this. Serenity, just tell me what you want so we can put an end to this."

"First smart move you've made in a long time." Serenity claimed. "I want you to announce to everyone that you're stepping down as guild master, and that you're naming me the new master of the guild." That was quite a shocker to them. "Do that and I'll stop this whole thing."

"I should have known! This was what you were after all along!" Velvet claimed.

"Serenity, this is crazy! You really want to be master that badly?!" Maru said. "You're trying to force your own father to give the position to you?!"

"Forget it! That isn't going to happen!" Velvet denied.

"Suit yourself. There's still some time to think it over, but with only seven members of the guild left, I wouldn't get your hopes up. In the end, YOUR guild will come down and MY guild will begin. There isn't anyone here that can actually take me on." Serenity claimed before her projection disappeared.

"Damn her..." Velvet cursed at his own daughter. "We've got to figure out something, but what?"

"We can't quit. There's still seven members out there, so maybe those are some of Phoenix Flame's best. Gin might have been taken out, but there are still others out there." Sandy assured.

'Only seven members are left standing. One of them must be me, and I'm guessing she didn't count Sandy knowing Serenity. So, who else could there be?' Maru thought. Just then, he looked towards the door and saw Yukina heading back. "Yukina! You're back! Hopefully, she has something!"

...

Tsubasa

Many of Phoenix Flame's wizards have been defeated with only a handful of them left now. Tsubasa was one of them. He kept himself out of sight, and since he was on his own, the enchantments didn't have any effect on him. However, he was going to be foolish enough to charge right into a battle. As he tried to lay low, Tsubasa thought about how depraving this is.

"I can't believe fellow members of Phoenix Flame have gone to such lengths." Tsubasa said. "This represents the opposite of why I wanted to join this guild. Those four are disgracing what the guild stands for." Tsubasa might have just recently joined, but he already can't stand what is happening to the guild. "There must be something I can do." He tried to figure that out, but he then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw it was Aster. "Aster!"

"Shh." Aster hushed to keep him quiet in case the Tri Flame were around. "Come on. We're going back to the guild. We need to regroup and come up with a plan." Tsubasa agreed and went with him. As they were moving, they saw two others moving.

"Come on, Axel! We need to save Mary!" Frank called.

"I am, but we need to keep our distance so those enchantments go off." Axel claimed as he followed a good distance behind.

"Axel! Frank!" Aster called and got their attention. "Follow us! We have to regroup back at the guild!"

...

The Guild

"I'm really sorry. I looked around, but I can't find anything to free Mary from this spell." Yukina said. "Not to mention that a lot of our members are hurt from fighting each other."

"And it isn't looking good with only a few members left." Maru said.

"What are we going to do?!" Sandy said.

"Wait. A few others are coming back." Velvet said. They all looked and saw Aster came back with Axel, Tsubasa, and Frank. "You're all back!"

"Yeah. There aren't many of us left, so I thought it would be best to return to the guild, the only safe spot in the whole town." Aster said.

"We haven't had much luck." Frank said. "I can't believe the lengths these guys are going through against their own guild. Not a good first week so far."

"Is that everyone?" Maru asked.

"I don't think so." Sandy said. "I've been looking at that the names for a while, and I haven't seen Phatar's name show up even once. I thought he would have loved to fight some members."

"Phatar didn't pop up once? Does he really not care?" Maru said. That was when they heard a door to the side open up and saw Phatar came out yawning.

"What's going on?" Phatar questioned.

"No way..." Maru said.

"Have you been here the whole time?!" All of them shouted. After taking a moment to explain everything to everyone, they all tried to come up with some sort of plan.

"So that's what she's really after." Aster said. "She's trying to force you to stand down as Master. We can't allow her to do that."

"We can't allow someone like Serenity to be master. She'll just kick out whoever she wants." Yukina said.

"I wish I knew about this sooner. All we have to do is beat her, right?" Phatar said. "I've got a bone to pick with her. Just let me handle her."

"Hold on." Aster said. "With so few of us left, we have to be smart about this. However, only a few of us left works to our advantage. The enchantments will only work when two of us cross them, but keeping a good enough distance from each other helps prevent that."

"You got a plan?" Maru questioned.

"Yes. The rest of you will stay here. I'll go out alone. That way, we can focus on the Tri Flame." Aster said. "They'll never let us near Serenity. They're too devoted to her, so we'll have to deal with them first, and Rocko should be the first to go down since it's his spell holding the hostages. Without the enchantments to slow us down, we can go straight for them."

"Makes sense, and we need to conserve our strength." Velvet said. Since everyone left to fight was right in the guildhall, they have to be smart. At least that's what it seemed until the number increased.

"Hey! The number just went up to eight!" Sandy said.

"What? How did that happen?" Yukina questioned.

"I think you're all forgetting about someone." Aster said with him glad to see this. "Although, that's easy considering he wasn't that sociable."

"Hold on. You mean it's him?!" Maru said.

"Yes, and he's made it just when we need him!" Velvet said.

"Yes. Now that he's here, we might have a better chance." Aster said.

"Hey, you want to fill us new guys in as to who you're talking about?" Frank said.

"We're talking about another S-class wizard of Phoenix Flame. His name is Frio." Aster said, and he was right. Frio was in town now. That means Phoenix Flame's top best is in this game now. "With Frio back, we have a chance. Out of all of us, he might be able to match Serenity's power. Still, we have to deal with the Tri Flame. I'm going out to find Rocko!" Aster ran back out there alone now. Serenity thought things would go her way, but the set of circumstances might actually work against her.

...

Aster

Now that Aster is out on his own, he can focus on finding the Tri Flame and hopes that he can free the hostages.

"Hey, Aster! We saw some of your guild members fighting. I don't know what's going on, but tell them to take it easy. We have a lot of people here trying to enjoy the festival, but all the fighting could ruin that."

"I'm really sorry." Aster said as he tried to make the whole thing seem innocent. "We are having some issues at the guild, but we're working on it." Aster just kept going after that since it wouldn't look good if the people knew what was really happening. As Aster kept running, he sensed something. He dived out of the way just as some rocks were shot at him.

"Up here, Aster!" Aster looked up and found just who he was looking for. "I was wondering when you were going to show up." Rocko claimed.

"You were looking for me? What a coincidence because you were the one I was looking for." Aster said. Now the time for games is over. It's time to get serious.