Chapter 7: Athens at Last! part III; Dreams & Designs, The Way Forward
As the evening deepened around them, conversation turned naturally to what lay ahead. The courtyard had become their unofficial gathering place, lit now by a combination of academy lanterns and the subtle glow of their various elemental powers.
"Tomorrow's combat training should be interesting," Kazuma mused, absently manipulating shadows between his fingers. "After today's demonstrations, I wonder if Instructor Ling will approach things differently."
Mio shifted forward, her priestess robes rustling softly. "I've been thinking about how we might combine our abilities more effectively. My spiritual techniques could potentially amplify the divine aspects of Max's plasmic light, for instance."
"And my Ogre Fist style," Aaronmar added enthusiastically, "could work well with Colbert's earth element. Imagine the impact force combined with direct terrain manipulation!"
The shinobi sisters had been quietly conferring, and now Natsuru spoke up. "Our shadow-walking techniques might be enhanced by Gwynne's shadow manipulation. We could potentially create entirely new forms of stealth combat."
Gilmesh's eyes lit up with possibility. "Speaking of combinations, Hon'oh, your sea element could revolutionize maritime combat when combined with my amber powers. We could control not just the water, but the very essence of ocean warfare."
Hon'oh nodded eagerly, already visualizing the possibilities. "And Hokoh's Zero element could add another dimension entirely—imagine freezing specific currents while leaving others fluid!"
Skye, who had been quietly processing everything they'd learned about each other, finally voiced her thoughts. "It's not just about combat though, is it? Everything we've discovered about each other today... it feels like we're meant to be more than just fellow students."
"Guardians," Lethe said softly, exchanging meaningful looks with his sister Gwynne. "Like our ancestors before us, but facing new challenges in our own way."
Max watched his friends—both old and new—with growing appreciation for how their different perspectives enhanced their collective strength. "The dragons must have foreseen this," he reflected. "Not just our individual powers, but how we'd learn to work together."
Kagura nodded solemnly. "In the samurai traditions, we speak of the blade becoming an extension of oneself. Perhaps we are all becoming extensions of something greater—a force meant to protect this world from whatever darkness Sylverant represents."
Brenton's cosmic energy created gentle patterns of starlight above their heads as he spoke. "And somewhere out there, Nozyross is waiting with answers about why we specifically were chosen for these roles."
"Until we find him though," Mist added thoughtfully, "we have each other. And after today, I think that counts for quite a lot."
The night air had grown cooler, but none of them felt inclined to seek their dormitories just yet. There was something special about this moment—this recognition that their paths had converged for reasons beyond mere chance. Their first day at Athens Academy had revealed not just the extent of their abilities, but the potential of their unity.
Chiinah, who rarely spoke at length, surprised them all with her insight: "In the mountain temples, they teach us that the strongest bonds are forged in moments of shared understanding. Today, we've begun to understand not just each other's powers, but each other's hearts."
The others nodded in agreement. Whatever challenges tomorrow might bring—whether from skeptical instructors, academic demands, or forces yet unknown—they would face them together. Their different backgrounds, abilities, and perspectives had already begun to weave together into something stronger than any of them could have achieved alone.
As they finally prepared to return to their dormitories, the academy grounds now fully embraced by night, each of them carried with them a sense of purpose and belonging that hadn't existed when the day began. Athens Academy had become more than just a school—it had become the crucible in which their individual destinies were beginning to merge into something greater than themselves.
As the group began dispersing toward their respective dormitories, Max noticed Kazuma lingering behind, his expression troubled in the fading lamplight.
"Something on your mind?" Max asked, pausing beside his friend.
Kazuma's shadows curled more tightly around his fingers. "I was thinking about what Chiinah said—about understanding each other's hearts. There's something I haven't shared about my encounter with Sylverant."
The mention of that name drew several others back, including Mio and the shinobi sisters. Kazuma rarely spoke of his past, making this moment significant.
"During our battle," Kazuma continued, his voice barely above a whisper, "he said something about our powers being 'echoes of the First Collapse.' Like we're carrying fragments of some ancient catastrophe."
Mio's brow furrowed. "The temple archives mention the Collapse, but those records are heavily redacted. All we know is that it changed the very nature of elemental energy."
"My grandmother used to tell stories," Natsuru added, exchanging glances with her sister. "About a time when the boundaries between elements weren't so rigid. When practitioners could bend the very rules of magic itself."
Brenton's cosmic lights shifted, forming complex geometric patterns overhead. "Perhaps that's what we're really rediscovering here—not just combining our powers, but remembering something the world has forgotten."
"Or something it chose to forget," Lethe interjected, his usual confidence tempered by concern. "Why else would Nozyross go into hiding with such vital information?"
Gilmesh stepped forward, amber crystals forming and dissolving around his arms. "Then we should seek him out. Not wait for—"
A sudden gust of wind cut him off, carrying with it the unmistakable scent of sea salt. Hon'oh's eyes widened. "That's impossible. We're miles from the coast."
Skye raised her hand for silence, her heightened senses alert. "Listen."
In the distance, bells began tolling—not the regular evening chimes, but an irregular, urgent pattern. Aaronmar's muscles tensed. "That's a warning sequence. My people use something similar."
"Multiple breach points at the academy's outer wards," Gwynne reported, her shadow sense extending beyond their immediate vicinity. "Something's testing our defenses."
Without discussion, they moved as one, forming a defensive circle. Their earlier theorizing about power combinations was about to be put to an unexpectedly early test.
"Remember what we discussed," Max said, his plasmic light beginning to illuminate the courtyard. "We're stronger together than apart."
Chiinah's quiet voice carried surprising authority: "The temple elders speak of nights like this—when the old barriers grow thin, and what was sealed away seeks to return."
The wind grew stronger, carrying with it whispers in a language none of them recognized. Yet somehow, deep within their various powers, something resonated with those ancient sounds.
They were about to discover if their first day of training had prepared them for their first night of actual combat.
The academy's warning bells continued their frantic rhythm as the first signs of the attack manifested. The air around them shimmered with iridescent ripples—like the surface of water disturbed by unseen movement.
"Dimensional rifts," Brenton announced, his cosmic awareness sensing the distortions. "Similar to how I navigate the spaces between stars, but... corrupted somehow."
The first creatures emerged from these ripples—shadowy forms with limbs that bent at impossible angles. Their bodies seemed to constantly shift between solid matter and ethereal mist.
"Echo Wraiths," Mio whispered, recognition dawning in her eyes. "They're mentioned in the oldest temple texts—creatures that exist at the boundaries of collapsed realities."
Kazuma stepped forward, shadows coiling around his arms. "They're drawn to elemental power. That's why they're coming here—Athens Academy is a beacon to them."
"Then let's show them exactly what kind of power they're dealing with," Gilmesh declared, amber crystals forming a protective barrier around the group.
Max's plasmic light surged as he addressed the others. "Remember what we theorized—Mio, can you amplify my divine aspects?"
The priestess nodded, placing her hand on his shoulder. She began reciting an ancient prayer, and Max felt his power intensify, his light taking on a golden hue that seemed to cause the Wraiths physical pain.
"Natsuru, Gwynne—try the shadow combination!" Hokoh called out, as he froze an advancing Wraith with his Zero element.
The shinobi moved in perfect synchronicity with Gwynne, their shadows merging to create corridors of darkness through which they could strike and retreat with astonishing speed. Where the Wraiths attempted to follow, they found themselves trapped in Gwynne's manipulated shadowspace.
"Colbert, with me!" Aaronmar shouted, his Ogre Fist technique already sending shockwaves through the ground. As Colbert responded with precise earth manipulation, the tremors became targeted pulses that shattered the semi-corporeal forms of several Wraiths.
Lethe observed the battlefield with tactical precision. "They're probing our defenses, learning our patterns. We need to keep adapting!"
Hon'oh and Gilmesh had instinctively moved to stand back-to-back, her sea element swirling around them while his amber powers crystallized the water into projectiles that pierced through the Wraiths with devastating accuracy.
"Behind you!" Kagura warned Skye, her samurai blade slicing through a Wraith that had attempted to flank them. The creature dissipated into mist, only to begin reforming seconds later.
"They don't stay down," Skye observed, her heightened senses tracking the regenerating patterns. "We need something more permanent."
Chiinah, who had been quietly observing, suddenly stepped forward. "In the mountain temples, we believe all things—even creatures from beyond—are bound by the fundamental laws of balance." Her hands traced intricate patterns in the air. "If they exist between states, perhaps forcing them into a single state will disrupt their ability to reform."
"Like freezing water into ice," Hokoh realized, his Zero element suddenly taking on new potential. "Or crystallizing energy!"
"A perfect binding agent," Gilmesh agreed, understanding immediately.
Working together, Hokoh froze the Wraiths into momentary stasis while Gilmesh's amber energy encased them in crystal. The trapped creatures seemed unable to shift back to their mist form.
Mist, who had been providing defensive support, pointed toward the academy's main building. "The professors are coming—and they look both concerned and impressed."
Indeed, a group of senior faculty members was approaching rapidly, led by Instructor Ling. Their expressions revealed both alarm at the attack and astonishment at the students' coordinated response.
"How did you know to work together like this?" Instructor Ling demanded as she reached them, her own elemental power—a rare form of temporal manipulation—rippling around her hands.
Before any of them could answer, the ground beneath them trembled with far greater force than Aaronmar's techniques could produce. The ripples in the air coalesced into a single, massive distortion directly above the central courtyard.
"This was just the vanguard," one of the other professors muttered. "The real threat is coming."
From the distortion emerged a figure that seemed both familiar and alien—humanoid in basic form, but with features that shifted between different aspects of the elements. Its voice, when it spoke, resonated on multiple frequencies simultaneously.
"The Heirs of the First Collapse reveal themselves," it intoned, surveying the students with eyes that contained galaxies. "How convenient to find you all gathered in one place."
Max stepped forward, his enhanced plasmic light still blazing. "Who are you? What do you want with us?"
The figure's laugh sent vibrations through the very fabric of reality around them. "I am Everiux, Guardian of the Sealed Archives. And you, young ones, carry within you the keys to powers that should have remained forgotten."
"The Archives," Instructor Ling whispered, exchanging meaningful glances with her colleagues. "They were supposed to be a myth."
"Myths often have foundations in truth," Everiux replied. "Just as your students are more than they appear to be. The question is whether they will surrender what they carry willingly—or if I must extract it from them."
Brenton's cosmic awareness suddenly expanded, allowing him to perceive connections between himself, his friends, and this mysterious entity. "We're all connected to something ancient," he realized aloud. "Something that existed before the Collapse."
"Before the world was broken and remade," Everiux confirmed. "Before the dragons separated what was once unified, for the safety of all realms."
The group exchanged glances, a silent understanding passing between them. Whatever this entity wanted, surrendering was not an option.
"We don't even fully understand what we carry," Lethe stated firmly. "But we know enough to recognize a threat when we see one."
Everiux's form rippled with what might have been amusement. "Brave words from children who have barely begun to glimpse their potential. Perhaps a demonstration will clarify what you face."
The entity raised its hand, and the very elements around them began to warp—fire becoming liquid, earth turning to mist, water hardening into light. The fundamental rules of reality seemed to bend to Everiux's will.
"This is what awaits at the end of your journey," Everiux proclaimed. "The power to unmake the boundaries between elements—to return the world to its primal state. Is that what you desire? To undo the work of those who sacrificed everything to establish order from chaos?"
Max looked at his friends, seeing both determination and uncertainty in their eyes. They had come to Athens Academy seeking knowledge and control over their abilities. Now they faced a being that suggested their very existence might threaten the world's stability.
"What we desire," Max replied, his voice steady despite his racing thoughts, "is the truth. Not your version of it, but the complete picture. And we'll find it together."
Everiux's form seemed to pulse with energy. "Then prepare yourselves, Heirs. This is merely our first encounter. The Archives will not remain sealed forever—and when they open, the choice you make will determine the fate of far more than just this academy."
With those ominous words, the entity began to dissolve, the ripples in reality closing with it. But as Everiux faded, one final message reached them:
"Seek Nozyross if you must—but know that knowledge comes with a price. One that may be higher than you're willing to pay."
As the dimensional disturbances subsided and the academy grounds returned to normal, the students found themselves surrounded by bewildered professors and the aftermath of their first real battle.
"I think," Instructor Ling said slowly, "that tomorrow's combat training will need to be significantly revised. And perhaps it's time the faculty shared certain... historical contexts with you all."
The friends exchanged meaningful glances. Their journey at Athens Academy had just taken an unexpected turn—from students of elemental arts to potential keys in an ancient conflict. Whatever lay ahead, they would face it as they had faced this first challenge: together.
Dawn broke over Athens Academy, painting the sky in hues of amber and gold that reminded Gilmesh of his crystalline powers. The night's attack had left the courtyard scarred with evidence of their battle—scorched stones where Max's plasma had struck, crystallized patches of earth from Hokoh and Gilmesh's combined efforts, and subtle ripples in the shadows where Gwynne and the shinobi sisters had woven their shadow-walking techniques.
The administration had postponed all regular classes, instead gathering the students in the Great Hall where refreshments had been laid out. Despite having barely slept, an electric energy coursed through the group as they clustered around a large table, speaking in animated whispers.
"I still can't believe you froze that Wraith mid-shift," Mist said to Hokoh, passing him a steaming mug of tea. "The look on its face—if you can call it a face—was priceless."
Hokoh smiled, accepting the drink with a grateful nod. "It wouldn't have worked without Gilmesh's amber crystals providing the permanent binding. That was inspired thinking."
"Chiinah was the one who understood their nature," Gilmesh deflected, glancing at the usually quiet mountain temple trainee with newfound respect. "Speaking of which, where did that knowledge come from? You've been holding out on us."
Chiinah's serene expression gave way to a small smile. "The mountain temples preserve many stories deemed too dangerous or improbable elsewhere. I never imagined they would prove useful so soon."
"Useful?" Aaronmar laughed, his booming voice drawing a few glances from faculty members across the hall. "You gave us the key to defeating those things! Without that insight, we'd probably still be fighting regenerating shadows until exhaustion claimed us."
Lethe nudged his sister Gwynne, who was absently manipulating shadows between her fingers much as Kazuma often did. "Speaking of shadows, you and the shinobi sisters moved like one organism out there. I could barely tell where one of you ended and another began."
Natsuru inclined her head slightly. "The shadow-merge exceeded our expectations. In our clan, such techniques typically require years of synchronized training."
"Perhaps," her sister added thoughtfully, "our abilities were always meant to complement each other. As if..."
"As if they were once part of the same whole," Brenton finished, his expression distant as cosmic energy swirled gently around him. "Everything Everiux said about the Collapse—about boundaries being created where none existed before—it makes a certain sense."
Max watched his friends with a swelling sense of pride and connection. Just yesterday morning, they had been strangers or casual acquaintances. Now, after facing danger together, the bonds between them had crystallized into something profound.
"You know what I can't stop thinking about?" Max said, drawing their attention. "How naturally we all worked together. No formal training, just... instinct."
"Like muscle memory," Kagura observed, her samurai discipline evident in her perfect posture even after the exhausting battle. "But for actions our muscles have never performed."
"Ancestral memory, perhaps," Mio suggested, her priestess robes now adorned with subtle protective sigils that hadn't been there the day before. "The temple teaches that certain knowledge resides in the soul rather than the mind."
Hon'oh, who had been unusually quiet, finally spoke. "When my sea element merged with Gilmesh's amber crystals, I felt... I felt like I was remembering something rather than creating something new. Like we were reconstructing something that once existed."
A contemplative silence fell over the group, broken only when Skye leaned forward with intensity in her eyes.
"I've been thinking about what Instructor Ling said—about revising our combat training and sharing historical contexts. What if the academy has known about our connections all along? What if that's why we were all admitted in the same year, despite our different backgrounds and disciplines?"
"A deliberate gathering," Lethe mused, tactical mind working through the implications. "But to what end? Protection? Preparation? Or something else entirely?"
Colbert, who had used his earth powers with devastating effect during the battle, pressed his palm against the stone floor. "The academy itself feels different this morning. More... aware. As if the energy we released during the battle awakened something within its very foundations."
Before anyone could respond to this unsettling observation, Instructor Ling approached their table. The usual stern set of her features had softened somewhat, replaced by what might have been respect.
"The Headmaster would like to speak with you all after you've had time to rest and recover," she announced. "In the meantime, I've been authorized to give you access to certain restricted sections of the library. Your... performance last night has accelerated certain timelines."
As she turned to leave, Kazuma called after her. "Instructor, what do you know about the Sealed Archives that Everiux mentioned?"
Ling paused, her back still turned to them. "That is precisely the sort of question the restricted sections might help you answer. But heed this warning—once you begin this journey of discovery, there is no returning to the blissful ignorance of before."
After she departed, a charged silence hung over the group until Gwynne broke it with uncharacteristic emotion.
"I don't know about the rest of you, but after what we faced together last night, I'd trust any of you with my life." Her gaze swept across their faces. "Whatever this journey entails, whatever these 'Heirs of the First Collapse' are supposed to be—I'd rather face it with all of you than alone."
"Here, here," Aaronmar agreed, raising his mug in a toast. "To unexpected friendships forged in battle!"
They all raised their drinks, the simple gesture somehow taking on the weight of a solemn oath. As they did, each noticed something remarkable—a subtle resonance between their various elemental energies, visible now even without being actively summoned. Tendrils of light, shadow, earth, and cosmic energy briefly intertwined above their circle, forming a complex pattern none of them recognized yet all somehow understood.
"Did you see—" Max began.
"A convergence pattern," Brenton whispered, awe in his voice. "Like stars aligning into a constellation."
Mio's eyes widened. "The temple texts speak of such signs—markers of souls bound by purpose greater than themselves."
The phenomenon faded as quickly as it had appeared, but its impact remained. They exchanged glances of wonder and determination, each seeing in the others' eyes a reflection of their own feelings—fear of the unknown, certainly, but also excitement, curiosity, and above all, a profound sense of belonging.
"Well," Skye said with a smile that held more warmth than any of them had yet seen from her, "I suppose this means we're stuck with each other."
"Could be worse," Hokoh replied with a rare display of humor. "At least none of you snore as badly as the monks at the northern temples."
Laughter rippled through the group, releasing tension and cementing their newfound closeness. As it faded, Max looked around at these people who had so quickly become essential to him.
"After we rest, we hit those restricted sections together," he proposed. "Everything we learn, we share. No secrets between us—that's how we'll stay ahead of whatever's coming."
Nods of agreement circled the table, followed by more personal conversations breaking out among smaller clusters—Gilmesh showing Hon'oh a technique for amber-infused water manipulation, the shinobi sisters comparing stealth approaches with Gwynne, Aaronmar and Colbert discussing terrain advantages with Lethe's tactical input.
Max caught Kazuma's eye across the table, and his shadow-wielding friend gave him a subtle nod of acknowledgment. They had both sensed it—the shift from classmates to comrades, from individuals to a unified force. Whatever secrets the restricted library held, whatever Everiux and the Sealed Archives represented, they would face it together.
As Max watched his friends—their animated expressions, their gestures punctuated by occasional flickers of their respective elements—he understood what Chiinah had meant about bonds forged in moments of shared understanding. Their first day at Athens Academy seemed a lifetime ago now, their individual concerns and ambitions transformed into a shared destiny.
The warning bells of the night before had heralded not just danger, but the birth of something powerful—a fellowship that transcended their diverse origins and disciplines. The Heirs of the First Collapse, whatever that truly meant, were no longer seventeen separate individuals.
They were a force awakening to its purpose, one that even the mysterious Everiux had recognized as significant enough to confront directly. And as the morning light strengthened around them, so too did their resolve to discover the truth about their shared legacy—and to face whatever challenges that discovery might bring.
The night before....
Among the Girls
As the girls made their way back to their dormitory, the evening's conversations still echoing in their minds, each carried with her a transformed understanding of what lay ahead.
Skye walked in contemplative silence, her storm element responding unconsciously to her emotional state with tiny sparks that danced around her fingertips. The girl who had begun the day uncertain about her faith and worried about her missing family now felt something she hadn't expected—hope. Elohim's morning reassurance had planted a seed, and watching her friends' unwavering support throughout the day had helped it grow. "Maybe I don't have to carry all my fears alone," she thought, glancing at her companions.
Mist's crimson element flickered subtly as she processed the day's revelations. Always the quietest of the group, she had been surprised by how naturally she'd opened up to their new friends. The discovery of Mio's spiritual sensitivity and Kagura's disciplined wisdom had shown her that her own reserved nature wasn't a weakness to overcome, but a strength to be shared selectively with those worthy of trust.
Hon'oh's usual exuberance was tempered by deeper reflection. The demonstration of her sea element had reminded her of the vast depths she still had to explore within herself. "I've always been the one to rush headfirst into things," she mused, "but watching how everyone's powers complement each other... maybe there's wisdom in learning to flow like the tide—knowing when to surge forward and when to pull back."
Nizume found herself reevaluating her role within their group. As Max's cousin, she'd always felt the weight of living up to her family's legacy, but today had shown her that her precise control over lightning wasn't just about meeting expectations—it was about finding her unique place in their collective strength. The way Natsuru and Chiinah had worked in perfect harmony made her realize that her own partnership with the others could reach similar depths.
Gwynne's shadow and light abilities had resonated unexpectedly with the shinobi sisters' techniques, opening her eyes to possibilities she'd never considered. "I thought my powers were about internal balance," she reflected, "but seeing how they could enhance others' abilities... maybe I'm meant to be a bridge between different fighting styles."
Mio walked among them feeling a profound sense of belonging she hadn't anticipated. Her abilities as both martial artist and priestess had always made her feel caught between two worlds, but today had shown her how those dual aspects could serve a greater purpose. The spiritual connections she'd sensed between her new friends convinced her that their gathering was divinely ordained.
Among the Boys
The boys' conversation continued in their own dormitory common room, each grappling with how the day's events had shifted their understanding of their destiny.
Max sat by the window, his plasmic light creating gentle patterns as he contemplated the weight of his heritage. Learning about his connection to both the first Demon Slayer and Albion had always felt like a burden, but watching how his friends' different abilities had complemented his own made him realize that leadership wasn't about carrying everything alone. "Reynar always told us that true strength comes from unity," he thought, "but today I finally understood what he meant."
Colbert found his earth-based powers responding to his emotional state, causing small tremors in his immediate vicinity. The solid, dependable foundation he'd always represented for his siblings had taken on new meaning after witnessing how everyone had supported each other during the instructors' challenges. "Maybe being the steady one isn't about never changing," he realized, "but about providing stability while everyone grows."
Kazuma's reaper element cast subtle shadows as he reflected on his demonstration's impact. The concerned looks from his friends when he'd created that crater had reminded him that raw power without wisdom could be dangerous. Watching how Brenton had handled Akira's prejudice with precision rather than overwhelming force had given him a new perspective on restraint.
Brenton's cosmic abilities shimmered faintly as he considered how the day had unfolded. His calculated approach to combat had proven effective, but seeing the passionate dedication of his new friends had shown him that sometimes strategy needed to be balanced with heart. "The stars guide us," he thought, "but they don't replace the bonds we form along the way."
Lethe's gold element—still mysterious even to himself—had resonated strangely with the spiritual energies he'd felt from Mio and the ancient wisdom radiating from Kagura. His guardian heritage suddenly felt less like an individual burden and more like a shared responsibility that connected him to others with similar callings.
Aaronmar's Ogre Fist training had always emphasized individual strength, but today had opened his eyes to the power of coordinated effort. Watching the Demon Slayers work in harmony despite their different backgrounds had shown him that true strength could be multiplied rather than simply added when the right people came together.
Gilmesh leaned against the wall, his amber element creating gentle waves of light as he processed how his wandering life at sea had led him to this moment. "I've seen wonders across the oceans," he mused, "but nothing compared to watching dragon-blessed warriors accept a reformed pirate as an equal. Maybe my real adventure is just beginning."
As both groups settled into their respective dormitories, the same realization echoed in different ways through each of their minds: they had arrived at Athens Academy as individuals seeking training, but their first day had revealed they were part of something far greater—a fellowship bound not just by shared purpose, but by genuine friendship and mutual respect that would carry them through whatever challenges lay ahead.
End flash back....
To be continued ... in Chapter 8: Demon Attack; Academy Under Siege?!