The sun had not yet risen, but the room in the Ward vibrated with an energy that did not belong to this world. While Silarias and Nyx lay there completely out cold, reality around them began to fade. This was no ordinary sleep. It was a deep dive into an ocean of memories that did not seem to be theirs, yet felt like a part of their own soul.
Silarias suddenly found himself on an enormous balcony of white marble. The wind blew wildly through his hair, but he felt stronger, larger, and more powerful than ever before. Before him stretched a gigantic empire. The rooftops of the buildings and palaces glistened like pure gold in the rays of a sun that never seemed to set. He saw endless armies bowing in the depths below, and flags fluttered proudly with a symbol he recognized from the deepest, most hidden corners of his thoughts.
This is my kingdom,
he thought, a shiver of pure dread and awe running down his spine.
This is the place where I am not a wanderer. Not a nobody. Here, I am the ruler.
Suddenly, the shadow beside him dissolved, and a figure appeared. A man with a heavy, dark cloak and a familiar, calm presence. Although his face remained partially hidden in the dark, the movements and the vibe were unmistakable.
"Juro...?" Silarias whispered, but no sound escaped his throat.
In this vision, Juro was no mentor in a slum. He was a general. A right hand who could stop an entire army with a single glance. Juro turned his head slowly and gave a short, powerful nod to Silarias. It was a sign of pure, unconditional respect that Silarias felt burning deep in his chest.
At the same time, in another layer of this dream world, Nyx walked through a garden so blindingly beautiful it almost hurt her eyes. The flowers seemed to give off light from within, and the air smelled of the sweetest memories of a forgotten youth. She did not walk alone. In her arms, she held two small children, their faces a vague, recognizable mix of herself and someone she loved dearly. An overwhelming peace and motherly love washed over her, a bizarre contrast to the chaos of her current life as a princess on the run.
How can this feel so real?
Nyx thought, gently stroking the soft hair of the children.
Who are they? And why does this place feel like home?
Beside her walked a stately woman who watched over the children with a sharp, vigilant eye. She was elegant, strict but just, and her presence felt like an impenetrable, protective shield. Nyx knew it immediately. This was the advisor she now knew as Vespera. But here she was so much more than a nanny; she was the architect of safety in this paradise, the woman who kept the deepest secrets of the palace.
Suddenly, both visions began to flash faster and faster. The images of the mighty empire of Silarias and the warm family moments of Nyx began to merge into one another, like two paintings whose colors melted together. It was a puzzle of which they saw the pieces for the first time, but the complete image remained just out of reach. The connection between them had been sealed in this previous life, long before the Ward even existed.
Time seemed frozen when their eyes shot open with a shock, staring into the early morning light cutting through the windows of the Ward. The panic and the shock of the past night were still too fresh to wash away. Silarias tried to open his mouth, but his throat was bone dry. Nothing came out but an indistinct, hoarse babble.
Nyx waved her hands wildly to cool her face down, her cheeks burning bright red, and her aura vibrated with pure, overstrained energy. "Too much heat... short circuit... energy overdose!" she mumbled incoherently.
In a flash of pure embarrassment and total confusion, they both turned away from each other lightning fast. The blankets were pulled over their heads with a jerk, a desperate attempt to shut out reality. They had not even processed the visions yet, let alone that unexpected, explosive kiss. They had to sleep this off first, if that was even possible with their hearts pounding like crazy.
A few hours later, the Ward awakened. The silence of the night made way for the brute, chaotic sounds of a waking base. Down in the great hall where a buffet stood that was worthy of the gods themselves, the lords and their legion gathered.
While the noise of voices and the clatter of cutlery echoed through the hall, Silarias and Nyx sat stiffly next to each other. They said nothing and stared absently ahead. But the air between them had unmistakably changed. An invisible thread was stretched, an unprecedented passion and a connection that went deeper than ever before.
Despite the thousand questions about the visions of Juro and Vespera, they kept their mouths shut tight. They pulled themselves together and acted like true leaders. They divided tasks to protect Oak Haven and the base, ensuring everyone knew what they had to do. The base was in motion, a living organism preparing for war.
Heavy, rhythmic knocks on the large wooden door suddenly interrupted the peace of the hall. King Solon jumped up with a wide, defiant grin. "Ahhh yes, there we have the last missing piece! Everyone, meet Cilla, the Cilla Leaf!"
The door swung open with a wide sweep and a lady stepped inside firmly. Her clothing was so intensely white that it almost hurt the eyes. It seemed as if she absorbed the light around her and reflected it in a radiant, blinding aura. Cilla walked forward, a rebellious look in her posture, but with a sugar-sweet, innocent smile on her face.
She introduced herself immediately and showed what she could do with her Anting. "I no longer see the world in ordinary colors," she explained, while letting a fine, glistening dust float from her palms. "My Calli Dust reads every particle in the air. Pollen, dust, moisture; I see everything. I see the soul of the world." While she spoke, the nature in the pots along the wall seemed to sway gently with her, a synchronous dance of life and light that embraced her.
Silarias and Nyx stared at her in disbelief, their mouths open in surprise.
"Wauw," Silarias uttered, after which he started clapping hard, his eyes sparkling with admiration. "That is truly sick. You are going to have a great time with us!"
But in the background, a small, annoying voice kept hammering in his head, a vague feeling of recognition:
I know her from somewhere... but from where?
After everyone had introduced themselves to Cilla with a lot of laughter, tough talk, and a few awkward handshakes, King Solon suddenly clapped his hands very dryly and loudly to ruin the mood expertly. "So... what was that last night? I wanted to come and check, but I heard a smack and a bang and you were both out?"
Silarias and Nyx turned bright red immediately. Their gazes avoided each other instinctively, while the rest of the hall began to snicker and whisper. Nyx recovered first, her silver eyes shooting fire and lightning at the king. Silarias took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. He looked at Nyx, she gave him a determined nod, and then he suddenly jumped on top of the long wooden dining table with a wild movement. His manes trembled with adrenaline.
"Listen!" Silarias began, his voice powerful and full of pure passion, resonating against the high walls of the hall. "In the past five years we have experienced everything, and the world has unfortunately already opened our eyes. But despite the corruption this world has seen too much of, there must be a better world!"
He hinted gradually at the grand things he had dreamed about last night. "We are going to fix up the Ward, rebuild it into a safe haven for everyone... BUT WHERE DOES IT STOP?!"
Nyx did not hesitate for a second and stepped onto the table with him. "NOT HERE!!" she shouted along, her voice piercing and full of fire.
"HOW FAR DOES OUR SAFETY AND LOVE REACH?!" Silarias roared once more across the crowd, his voice filled with an all-consuming hope.
From the ground, Apollo, Juro, Vespera, and Beat gave heed to the call. Together with the rest of the now dead-silent legion, they shouted it out: "BEYOND ALL BORDERS! TO THE MOON, THE SUN!"
King Solon now also joined in the chorus, his voice heavy and full of deep respect: "AND BACK!"
Apollo grabbed the sombrero off the head of Beat, pulled out the horn, and blew with all the strength in his lungs for the victories to come. The sound of the horn cut through the hall, a victory over silence and fear. A deafening resonance tore through the air as the actual journey began. The world around them seemed to accelerate, a sensation of pure adrenaline that overwhelmed them. The entire party prepared for departure, a group of lords and their legion ready to conquer the world.
While they stood outside waving and whistling, a thunderclap suddenly struck right next to the group with a deafening bang. The ground shook on its foundations and the air trembled with pure energy. Out of the dense smoke appeared an imposing chariot, pulled by two beautiful horses whose manes fluttered in the wind like fire and flames. Two black ravens flew in and immediately started acting mockingly towards Apollo, their beaks snapping with biting humor.
"Raaa raaa... guess how long you are going to take with this?" the one raven croaked mockingly.
Apollo’s long hair immediately stood streamlined to the back with pure enthusiasm. "Pyrios and Phlegon! How I have missed you! And how awesome do you look!"
"See this as a gift from daddy, hahaha!" the bird croaked again, after which it flew straight into the wall because it was not looking. The other raven wanted to say something too, but both birds were already blown away by the rising heat of the departure.
With one last wave to those staying behind, Silarias and his group jumped into the chariot. The horses shot forward, their hooves striking fire from the stones. The Ward faded behind them, a memory of the struggle and the passion.
The journey to the University had begun, a journey that would change their lives forever. But this was not just a journey. This was their Entrance Exam, their chance to show who they really were and what they could do. The real test had now begun.
The thundering engine of the chariot went quiet, and the heavy doors opened with a hissing, mechanical sigh. Before the group was a deep, dark canyon. The city was built inside this giant gap, where all the heat and boiling steam from the underground machines gathered. It was a crowded, boiling-hot melting pot.
The buildings formed a giant, tall maze made of wood, brass, and gears. Colorful, hand-woven fabrics hung to dry between thick clouds of smoke, and wooden houses on poles were built crookedly against giant, copper steam pipes. It was a crowded jungle of metal, bamboo, gears, and bright lanterns cutting through the thick smoke. A perfect place for criminals, snatchers, gamblers, and other students trying to get into the University.
Silarias stepped forward and clicked the heavy, mechanical Atlas open. The magical device hummed softly. Since the countdown five years ago, the world had changed completely. The Atlas no longer showed safe, easy roads. Instead, it searched purely for the fastest route to the University. The screen flashed bright red, drawing a straight line right through the roughest, most lawless corners of the city. Right through these hot, crowded steam alleys.
"So we are going straight through the dangerous parts," Silarias muttered, closing the device with a hard click.
Just as everyone was about to grab their gear and step out, Apollo Pythagoras began to search quickly through his bags. "Wait, wait! Don’t step out yet! I completely forgot I still have this!"
Everyone came to a sudden halt. With a proud but slightly guilty look, Apollo pulled out a mysterious glass bottle filled with thick, moving smoke. In his other hand, he held a beautifully crafted wooden chest. On the lid, old, beautiful writing shined:
Where the roads wander, peace shall sail. Where we fly, the war is over.
Apollo looked at the group with wide, glowing eyes. "Yeah, Master Juro gave this to me right before we had to go outside for the first time..."
He was cut off by Silarias, who gave a deep sigh. "Of course, you had to tell us this at the very last second, you idiot."
Apollo immediately turned red and scratched behind his ear nervously. "Hehehe... yeah, sorry man! Better late than never, right?"
Without waiting any longer, he pulled the cork from the bottle with a loud pop. A giant, thick cloud of smoke immediately escaped, filling the whole inside of the chariot. Several small trails of smoke shot in all directions like living creatures, until they came together strongly in the center. There, floating in the air, appeared the terrifyingly detailed ghost of Juro. His presence filled the room with a feeling of deep respect and power.
"Listen well, my warriors," began the ghostly voice of Juro, echoing and full of clear power. "As soon as you leave the chariot and enter the alleys, you are an invisible team. That means: do not stand out, draw no unnecessary attention, and focus purely on the road to the University. You are not there yet."
Juro’s ghost looked at the group closely, his eyes heavy with meaning. "But... should danger arrive and you must step in to help the innocent? Do so with overwhelming force. Let those snatchers and bandits out there know immediately who is in charge. Tell them that Silarias and Nyx are the new rulers, and that this is going to be the new reality! Make me proud. Good luck!"
With a final, proud nod, the ghost dissolved into nothing. The group was left in a quiet, tense silence, their hearts beating in their throats from the excitement.
The chest Apollo was holding continued to glow softly. Silarias stepped forward and clicked the lock open. As soon as the lid opened, they couldn’t believe their eyes. No gold or weapons filled the chest, but a collection of wide, loose-fitting clothing. They were perfect disguises to blend in with the street style of the overcrowded steam city.
"Everyone change, now!" Nyx ordered in a quiet voice, pulling a wide, jet-black pair of pants and a giant hoodie out of the chest for herself.
While the rest of the group began to search through the chest, Apollo Pythagoras stood as if frozen to the spot. He stared at the bottom of the chest. There lay a heavy, brightly colored poncho and a giant, hand-woven sombrero. A shiver ran through him. This was no coincidence. He felt a deep, emotional connection and a strong feeling of memory when he saw those specific clothes. It called back memories of a past he had hidden deep inside, from the time before he became the glowing sun god everyone knew now. This clothing spoke to his soul. He had to wear it.
Without saying a word, he grabbed the poncho, threw it over his wide street clothes with a big movement, and placed the massive hat on top of his wild hair. The shadow of the wide brim fell deep over his eyes, making him look mysterious.
"How is that unnoticeable?" Silarias laughed softly as he looked at his friend. "You stand out even more like that, you lunatic!"
Apollo pushed the rim of the sombrero up a bit with his finger and looked at the group with a very serious, sad look. "This is the ultimate disguise. No one expects a sun god dressed like an outcast. I feel one with the poncho."
Around him, the rest of the group quickly changed into an unrecognizable team of wide shadows. Silarias pulled on a giant, oil-stained jacket with countless pockets full of loose gears and small, hissing steam pipes on the sleeves. A heavy metal helmet with a dark visor covered his face. He now looked like nothing more than a young mechanic rolling straight out of the factories.
Nyx wrapped her body in an extremely large black sweater made of magical spider silk that absorbed all her heat and energy. She combined it with wide, dark pants full of zippers, moving like a ghost through the shadows as soon as she pulled her large hood deep over her silver eyes.
Aurelius chose a rough, wide vest of thick leather over a loose shirt. He tied his legendary sword to his back and let a large, rough hood fall over it to hide the shape of the mighty weapon. Jane wrapped her fast body in loose-fitting, paper-thin but iron-strong strips of black fabric that hung around her like wide pants and a loose sweater. She tied a dark cloth over her mouth, leaving only her deadly sharp eyes uncovered.
Ren pulled on a worn linen shirt that hung wide around his shoulders and put on a giant, round straw hat that put his whole face in a deep shadow. He now looked like a harmless, relaxed traveler from the countryside. Miki cooled down her fiery look with a heavy, wide overcoat made of special material that perfectly trapped her intense heat. A cold metal mask covered her face, making her look like a mysterious rebel from the slums.
Finally, Cilla pulled on a wide, loose white sweater that completely hid her body. She wrapped a black cloth around her head to hide her eyes, making her look like a traveling pilgrim in the industrial chaos. She kept her destructive hammer firmly hidden in a large bag on her back.
Peace was the last thing to be found in the gray, hissing streets outside, but they were ready. Completely unrecognizable and dressed in the rough street style of the slums, the brand-new team stepped out of the chariot, straight into the thick smoke of the steam alleys.
However, the group had barely entered the hissing steam streets when chaos struck. Between the thick clouds of smoke and the maze of roaring pipes, they got lost and separated from each other.
Silarias, Nyx, Jane, and Aurelius were soon drawn by a strange vibration in the air. A repeating electrical crackling and the muttered talking of a mad genius led them deeper into the shadows, straight toward the location of the chained Nicola.
Meanwhile, the other team walked around hungrily. Apollo, Ren, the blind Cilla, and the fiery Miki had no idea where the rest were, but their stomachs were growling too loudly to worry about that just yet.
"Look at that! This is a legendary spot!" Apollo shouted happily as he stepped into a loud, dirty bar. For Ren, Miki, and Cilla, everything here was new and overwhelming, but Apollo immediately began to explain everything like a real tour guide.
"And that over there!" Apollo pointed with a big gesture to a large, mechanical cabinet in the corner decorated with glowing runes. "That is a MuseBox! There are literally musicians trapped inside. Watch!" He pressed a special symbol and immediately a great, rhythmic beat began to play through the pub.
Just as everyone finished their food and the plates were pushed aside, the mood flipped. The heavy doors of the pub flew open with a loud bang. A gang of heavily armed bandits stormed in, screaming for everyone to hand over their valuables. A robbery.
The normal guests dove fearfully under the tables, but Apollo’s group remained seated, completely calm. They looked at each other and gave a small nod. They were ready.
Slowly but surely, Apollo’s hair began to crackle and glow. A golden light filled the room. He looked at Ren with a wide grin. "Ren... hit number 4!"
Ren didn’t hesitate for a second. With a hard slap, he pressed a specific symbol on the MuseBox. The calm background music stopped suddenly and a new, heavy song with a super-fast tempo blasted through the speakers. The beat began to speed up.
All eyes in the pub shot back to Apollo. Right on the fastest part of the beat, he exploded into movement. He moved so crazily fast that, to him, time around him stood completely still. Whistling happily along with the beat playing in his head, he danced between the bandits. With perfect precision, he broke their weapons and slammed them to the ground.
Cilla waited for her moment perfectly. Even though she couldn't see anything beneath the clothing, her special dust felt every piece in the air. Right at the perfect moment, she let her powder float down, completely trapping the confused bandits Apollo had just hit.
Miki did not hold back either. Both of her hands burned with fire, surrounding her fists like glowing, burning claws. With a hard swing, she kept three shouting bandits away at the same time, their clothes already lightly burned by the intense heat.
Just when the remaining robbers thought the storm had passed, Apollo stepped forward. The speed of the music went up.
"The new rulers, Silarias and Nyx, welcome you and wish to reassure you..." Apollo began with a polite bow, before looking up at the ceiling with a wide grin of pure happiness. "...peace is here!"
SNAP!
Apollo snapped his fingers loudly. That was the agreed signal for Ren. In a flashing movement, Ren’s shadow split into several deadly Straw Reapers. With small but terrifyingly accurate movements, the straw puppets cut through the last line of bandits. Within a fraction of a second, all the robbers lay defeated on the ground.
It remained dead silent in the pub for a second. And then it exploded. The guests jumped up from under their tables and the entire pub began to cheer loudly for their unexpected heroes.