As Aeron slowly opened his eyes, the blurry world gradually came into focus. A delicious scent wafted through the air, tickling his nostrils. He found himself lying on grass, covered with a blanket, outside a nearby building. To his left stood a tree, under which Hector, Corsair, and Luna sat, frying what appeared to be meat.
The memories of Dionysus' Hall flooded back, causing Aeron to gasp and bolt upright. "Emrys!" he exclaimed, throwing off the blanket.
The trio turned to him, their faces etched with distress. "Welcome back," Hector said flatly, continuing to turn the meat—one of the ox rabbits they'd caught in the small woods.
Aeron's eyes fell on Emrys, lying near Luna, his head entirely bandaged. "I'm sorry, Luna, we—" he began, but she cut him off.
"No... I thank you guys. You did it to protect us," Luna said, sorting through firewood.
After some seconds of solemn silence, he asked, "Where are the others?"
"They're inside this dorm," Hector said, pointing to the building before them. The building was that of a cuboid shape with bevel edges. Its colour was a mixture of light gray and a low contrast of dark blue. It had large windows that brought great lighting and ventilation to the interior. Its flat roof was a design on its own, built with the mechanism of breaking down water molecules for rapid evaporation.
Like Dionysus', Gaia's hall had scattered settlements but lesser in number, they all had the same building design. A wide asphalt pavement linked the settlements together with ambience light running along the edges while street lamps stood erect at strategic locations to lighten the environment in the night. In places where there was no pavement, there was a spread of low soft grass with a tree in the center.
"How long have I been asleep?" Aeron asked, pinching his eyes.
"Nine hours for you, seven hours for Hector. When you guys collapsed at the entrance, Luna and I brought you here and covered you," Corsair said.
"Oh, I remember seeing you guys approaching before I lost consciousness," Aeron added, sitting down with one knee up.
"Hey, Aeron, you know part of the reason Emrys is like this is because you failed, right?" Corsair said as he continued skinning the ox rabbits.
"Stop," Hector interjected.
"Don't interfere," Corsair pointed at Hector. Hector looked down while shaking his head.
"I assume you have the details of what hap—" Aeron attempted to speak.
"Hector told me everything. You guys tried to take down an enemy you stood no chance against!" Corsair proclaimed, interrupting Aeron.
"It was Emrys' call. He wanted to end the battle immediately, which was way better than a prolonged one," Aeron said in a sharp tone.
"Was it now? Look at how that turned out!" Corsair shot back.
"It's easy for you to say that, seeing as you weren't there," Aeron replied.
"Well, if I was there, I'd definitely have advised us to run, considering the size of the enemy. Or isn't situation assessment your forte?!" Corsair said.
"Run? And you think he wouldn't have followed or flung his bat at us? Well, I'm not surprised a thought like this is coming from a coward," Aeron said.
"Guys, stop this," Luna tried to interrupt.
"Like it wasn't you who told me to take the others away, I seriously thought you were going to help free Emrys and scram out of that place. And even when Emrys wanted to engage the enemy, you stop him. Instead, you decided to stay and fight, now look how it ended." Corsair said, veins visible on his head.
"And how is that anybody's fault?!" Aeron raised his voice.
"If you weren't ignorant, maybe we'd be in Athena's Hall by now!" Corsair raised his too.
"Enough!" Luna yelled at the top of her voice, and immediately, the two stopped but still kept looking at each other.
"It has happened, and there's no way to turn back time. Come back to the present and prepare for the future. After all, we aren't the ones who are going to be in pain," Luna added as she went back to sorting the firewood she had picked.
After five seconds, Corsair went back to skinning the ox rabbits, while Aeron walked over to Luna.
"Sorry about earlier. What can I help with?" Aeron asked her. She was a bit impressed by his behavior and countenance.
"Oh, I need more wood. Can you please help me with bigger ones than the ones I have?" she requested.
"Sure," Aeron said.
"Thanks," she replied.
Aeron went to chop some wood, Hector rolled the meat over the flames, Corsair skinned the game, Luna sorted the firewood, while the other girls took care of the kids in the dorm.
When they were done, the three guys assisted Luna in changing Emrys' bandages. While changing them, they couldn't help but make pitiful faces, sympathizing with Emrys' condition.
Evening came with a cold atmosphere. The Pre-Glacious season was about to give way to the Glacious season. They lit the chimney in the living room and wore thick clothing to keep themselves warm.
"Wow, I didn't have time to observe your hair. It's so majestic and soft, it makes you look like a princess." One of the girls with black hair, light brown eyes, and doe eyes said while holding Luna's long hair as they sat on one of the warm, comfy chairs in the living room.
Luna giggled. "You flatter me, Melany."
Each party continued their jest as the kids played with the toys they found in the dorm. Gaia's Hall had become their new comfort zone.
The clock's hands struck eight. It was time for the daily evening news. Corsair took the remote control from the center table and turned on the Regeni smart TV.
"Unexpected as the infamous Bhung the Glutton gets taken down by a mysterious fellow," said the news headline.
Hearing this, Luna and the other girls gasped loudly.
"Following the events last night at Dionysus' Hall, the infamous Bhung the Glutton rampaged but was met by a mysterious character. A battle ensued between the two with a shocking outcome, as Bhung was defeated.
The two's battle left scars on the grounds of Dionysus' Hall. Is this new mysterious guy a greater threat or a hero from the shadows? Tune to the FRPBW channel every day to find out more…"
'Bhung… If I remember correctly, the mysterious guy also called him that,' Aeron thought, folding his arms and looking down.
"I still can't believe you guys faced that monster," Luna said, sipping from the tea in the ceramic cup she was holding.
"What bothers me the most is the new guy. Is he really more dangerous than Bhung?" Corsair questioned.
"All that the news said seems trivial compared to what is on my mind right now," Aeron said.
Hearing this, they looked at him with interest written all over their faces. The living room's atmosphere grew colder and heavier as the flames from the chimney flickered. After five seconds, Aeron spoke:
"How, where, and why is news on this boarding school being broadcasted?" His light green eyes reflected the solemnity of the flames as he leaned against the wall and folded his arms.
This question sent chills down their spines as the room fell into silence. The cold, still atmosphere continued until three of the kids brought their noise into the living room.
They spoke no more of it until they drifted off to sleep.
---
The Starfall Reach faction struck Poseidon's Hall, where Klause encountered a tenacious resident who would later be known as Rattle.
Since this student had no weapon, Klause took him down with the hilt of his katana to his diaphragm and tied his hands to a long iron bar with a chain.
After this, they ignored the lamentations and ranting of the tenacious student about how he would make it even with them one day and proceeded to battle the faction that had formed in the hall.
Beheading the boss in a quick-draw dash, Klause absorbed the faction into his own and took all the resources in the hall. His faction grew stronger by a hundred new members.
---
Meanwhile, Raven's order for his new set of claws and tech suit had arrived, and he went to pick them up at the Law Executives' Station, which was at the entrance of the boarding world. He saw the cold gigantic gate that looked like it would never be opened again.
Opening the box, the orange bloom from the evening sun shone on the four sharp metal claws running from the knuckles of the black vambraces, while the tech suit exuded brilliance in the luster of its texture and quality.
He also bought two portable desizers to conceal and store the new set of claws for when he needed them.
Walking into Apollo's Hall, Raven pushed up the knot of his tie as he was welcomed by members of Shadowmere Groove, with Xavier at the front.
After boosting the morale of his faction, Raven rallied them and launched a raid on Narcissus' Hall. Though the faction there boasted strong members with good projectile weapons, they couldn't withstand Raven's onslaught.
Raven unleashed the wing system of his new suit, gliding swiftly past the tall buildings of Narcissus' Hall while striking down the archers stationed on rooftops, creating an opening for his members.
The Shadowmere Groove faction rammed into the hostel, clashing fiercely with the defending faction. Marsyas, who had confronted Raven with a knife in Apollo's Hall, was sneaking through the buildings and avoiding confrontations.
Looking through the glass windows, he saw Raven standing on the rooftop of a tall building and observing the battleground. When he glanced down, he saw that his faction was winning. After confirming this, he searched for the boss of Narcissus' Hall.
Bang!
After ten seconds of scouting, a missile was fired at Raven from a distant building.
Swoosh!
Raven had jumped down, curling up and rolling mid-air as he unleashed his wing once more. As he descended, he noticed that the missile had locked onto him, making it difficult to escape.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three more missiles launched in quick succession, totaling four.
Marsyas watched in awe as Raven evaded them with finesse, weaving through the battlefield with finesse.
Marsyas gasped as a realization struck him. "Missiles… don't tell me—" He took off running toward the building from which the missiles were being fired.
Blood spilled on the floor. Smoke billowed in the air. The battle cries of members of the two factions and the explosions from the missiles resounded throughout the entire boarding world.
Walking back to Hall Olympus, across the destroyed small woods, Klause suddenly stopped, turning his gaze toward Narcissus' Hall.
He smirked. Then, his smirk turned into laughter—menacing and deep.
"Interesting! That side is a warzone. Too bad we won't be experiencing the thrill."
In Poseidon's Hall, a long-haired student ran toward Rattle, who was bound in chains near a burning structure.
"Stay still, I'm not your enemy. I'm here to free you," the student said, raising a hammer.
With three strikes, the chain broke, but Rattle didn't move. He simply knelt there, staring at the ground.
"I understand you. I feel the same way," the long-haired student said. "But we have to make them pay. We just have to."
He extended his hand toward Rattle.
Rattle barely lifted his head. "Who are you?" he asked in a weak voice.
"I'm Zhoñg Biān," the student replied.
With this, Rattle slowly looked up at the one before him, "Hurry, take my hand. Or do you want to burn here?"
"I'm tired and famished. I can't move from here," Rattle sighed, laying back down dangerously close to the flames.
"Ehhhhh?! What kind of idiot are you?! You care nothing for your face, do you? Just tell me to help you!" Zhoñg scoffed, then hoisted Rattle onto his shoulders and walked away from the burning area.
As they moved, the sounds of explosions from Narcissus' Hall roared in the distance.
"This is no longer a boarding school," Zhoñg said, gazing at the flickering flames in the night sky.
Thump thump thump...
Raven ran sideways along the surface of a building, with two missiles closing in from behind.
Boom!
One missile struck the building, but Raven had already jumped off, gliding sharply to his right. Now, only one missile remained locked onto him.
Meanwhile, Marsyas scrambled through the chaotic battlefield, dodging the clashes between the two factions. His mind raced.
"Aeryon… you finally did it. You got your dream fireworks launcher, didn't you? I'm so happy for you. But please… leave that place right now. It's not safe."
Marsyas' thoughts blurred out all other sounds. He ran tirelessly, his feet moving on instinct.
When he looked up, he saw Raven gliding straight toward the building where the missiles were being fired.
Boom!
The missile exploded inside the building, obliterating its interior. The flames burst out in red, yellow, and blue hues sending a series of vibrations over a wide area.
Marsyas froze in horror.
From the distance, he watched as the building lit up like fireworks before collapsing entirely.
Dust and debris filled the battlefield, and for a moment, everything stood still. Both factions paused their battle, turning toward the scene of the fallen building.
Marsyas fell to his knees, his face pale, his breath ragged.
Two minutes passed before the dust began to settle.
When the view cleared slightly, Marsyas' eyes widened as he saw Raven walking out of the wreckage, with his clothes and body burnt to some extent.
In Raven's claws… was a severed head.
Marsyas' chest tightened as he recognized the face.
It was Kenth Aeryon—his childhood friend and the boss of the Fireworks Display faction.
"One day, I'll make a fireworks launcher that will light the entire boarding world. It'll be the greatest fireworks display this town has ever seen. Nothing will come close to it before or after. And I want you to accompany it with your splendid musical scores, Marsyas."
The memory of Aeryon's dream flooded Marsyas' mind.
Tears spilled from his eyes.
And on the battlefield of Narcissus' Hall… he let out a scream as he buried his face to the ground.