*Hal*

I entered the grand library of what was once our nation's greatest magical academy, prior to the decline of magic. I stepped in and looked around. The place was filled with countless books, but none of them were what I was looking for. Rather it was a person I was searching out.

"Dan!" I yelled out. There was no response.

I sighed. He had to be here, at least that was what I was told. Surely the guy had to be enamored with a new book. He really was a bookworm.

I looked up at the green carpeted stairs with wooden rails with a nice orange-red tinge, giving them an earthly feel. Dan always said it reminded him of something, likely his home. The guy was found by my mom and dad during one of their walks on the beach. He had washed up on the yellow sands, encased within a crystal. He couldn't remember who he was nor where he had come from, but certain things felt 'familiar' to him. This library being one of those.

"Hey, Big brother!" I yelled. "Dad made your favorite curry! If you don't hurry up then I'll eat it!"

"Cu-curry?" Dan said as he emerged from behind a shelf near the top of the stairs.

I grinned. "Ahhh, there you are, Danmall! Come on, we've got to get going!"

I stared at his eyes. They were a nice golden color, but were barely visible beyond his long bangs.

"Is something wrong?" I asked as I shifted my gaze the book. He had been looking at it as if recalling a memory. It was a book on Zionia, the realm of angels. "Zionia, eh? Do you have some connection to it?"

Dan put the book back on the shelf. "I... don't recall. But, it seems fa-familiar."

Dan, ever since I met him he had always been one who spoke little, and when he did he would usually stutter. It might've had something to do with him remaining stuck in the crystal for who knew how long.

I turned around and put my hands behind my head. "I see. Ya know, I actually went there."

"Yo-you did?" Dan asked, startled.

I gave him a smug grin. "Yeah. It was nice. We visited Kuroriku and--"

Danmall took a step back and touched his head. "Kuro...riku..." He fell to one knee and grunted.

"Hey! Are you alright, big bro?" I asked.

"Why does that place, ring a bell?" he asked, wincing. He pushed himself up and shook his head.

"You know, I'm starting to think that you are from Zionia," I said, putting a hand on my hips. I summoned a card and threw it to him. "Later on you should check that out. It has some info I gathered while at the place in addition to some sights. Maybe some of them will further jog that memory of yours."

Dan smiled. "Th-thanks, little bro."

I grinned and patted his shoulder. "No need to thank me! What else are brothers for?"

He might not have been my real brother, but just like Vermeil loved Haroun, I too loved Danmall. Maybe that was why I understood her relationship with her foster brother the best. Haroun... he suffered a lot with his real family. I hoped that the same wasn't for Danmall. That whoever his family was, that they were looking for him, if they still lived.

Despite being a second-year in high school, Danmall had failed his application for the Mahoulympics. Apparently he was older than twenty-one.

Dan chuckled. "Say..."

"Hmm?"

He grinned and poked my face. "You were lying about the curry, weren't you?"

My face reddened. "I... alright, you got me!"

Dan sighed. "Oh well. It's fine. Just try to be more honest, Hal."

I grumbled. I hated when he spoke normally. It was those moments in which he truly did make me feel like the younger brother. Other times he seemed younger. Still, I called him 'big brother' out of respect.

"I'll try..." I said, jumping down the rest of the steps. "Now, come on! The games will be beginning soon! Even if you aren't allowed to participate, I want you to see me in action! And who knows, perhaps they will have your age issue figured out in time."

Dan raised himself off the ground with wind and flew over to the open wooden doors. "Alright. See you outside, little bro!"

"Hey!" I said. I chuckled and put my hands together. "I won't let you win!"

***

*Lei*

[Mina- Coordinate Palace; Vermilion Palace's crystal room]

After our confrontation at sea we headed to Iah's country to take their teleportation crystal to Rios.

The tension in the vermilion room was hotter than the flames of the golden torches spread throughout the room.

"So, we meet again," Iah's ex said, glaring at Nyima.

"Sadly, though it'll be you who will soon regret seeing me once more."

"Ha! You honestly believe your own words, you skank?"

"Skank?" Ayawamat asked. He was leaning on the wall as we waited for the Xianian delegation to arrive for all of us to go together. "Only one I see here is you with those clothes crying out for a guy's attention."

Iah's ex-girlfriend grumbled. "Who asked you, you pest?"

Ayawamat shrugged. "Call me that if you wish, I am used to it by now. It comes with being an insect mage, sweetheart." He stepped closer and grinned. "Oh, by the way, you seem to have one of my friend's on your shoulder."

Her greenish-blue eyes darted toward the beetle resting on her right shoulder. The color of her face drained until it was as white as snow. "Wahhhh!" she screamed as she ran to Iah. "Get it off, get it off!"

Ayawamat chuckled. "Here, allow me." He pulled the beetle away and put it on his shoulder. "There, there, buddy. You're safe now."

"Ewww! You're disgusting!" she cried, shaking her head at him. "Iah, get this weirdo out of here!"

Iah pushed her away. "Enough! You deal with it yourself!" he yelled as he turned his back to her.

I chuckled. Adela had better hurry up or either Wahkan or Mina will end up missing a member or two of their delegation.

"Hey! Lei, Nyima! Iah!" a cheerful voice called out as we were about to step into the bright light. I turned around and saw Adela. Following her were Renshu, Ona, Xi (whom I had met during my recent stay in Xian), and three others. I quickly recognized two of the three.

"Well, if it isn't little Lei!" one of the two I knew said as he drew near.

He had short red hair with fading black highlights. His eyes were a brighter shade of red than his sister's ruby. He wore a black and red taichi uniform with a red belt around his waist.

I smiled. "Hey, Elliot!"

The young man gave me a toothy grin. "You sure have grown, though you're still a squirt."

I grumbled. "Right back at ya!"

Elliot stepped back. "Sassy, aren't ya?"

I chuckled. "Ditto!"

He chuckled too.

"Hey, Eli!" another member of Iah's group said as she ran over to hug him. "Where are Alex and the others?"

"They decided to go there by land. They left several days ago," Elliot said.

I grinned. "So, is this your girlfriend?" I asked.

Elliot stepped away from the girl with hair as red as the walls around us. "N-no!"

The girl snickered. "Elly here likes someone else, isn't that right, Elly?"

Elliot turned around. He was flustered beyond belief.

"Prince Elliot, you would do well to behave like a man of your station," said the guy that I didn't know. He turned away from him and shot me a glare. "As for you... well, we'll need to talk later. There's something I wish to say to you, but not here."

I narrowed my eyes at him. His tone, it sounded as if he wished to meet me for a fight. If that was what he wanted then I would give it to him. But as to why he would want to fight me, I had no clue.

"The crystal is ready," Iah said, grinning. "How about we get going?"

We all turned our eyes to the glowing crystal and walked into its light. The next thing we knew, we stood in the middle of a crowd of people in what appeared to be a plaza.

"Woah," I said as I glanced around the city properly. Around us mages zipped through the air while others rode magic-powered vehicles. The fashion of the Riosian capital was also different from that of Wahkan. Many wore loose and/or baggy clothes.

The architecture around us was mostly made up of old stone buildings, many thousands of years old. Looking at some of them, I felt a sense of deja vu. As if I had once walked through these streets when several of them were brand new.

"This place sure is familiar," Adela said, glancing around.

"Is it now?" my mom asked as she walked toward us. Accompanying her were Father and Shandian. They had gone on ahead of us, not that I'm complaining. It was for the best considering what had happened on our boat, especially for my little brother.

"Yeah!" I responded.

Mom chuckled. "Well, it is for me too. Then again, I was born here... though some of my memories of this place still have yet to return." She chuckled drily. "Funny, huh? For one who has the power to view into the memories of others to not remember her own..."

Dad placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed them. "Don't worry, they'll come back eventually, dear."

Mom leaned her head against Dad's chest. "I sure hope so, I sure do," she said with her eyes closed. It seemed that being here made her fatigued.

I lowered my gaze. My mom hadn't been able to remember how her life was like before her kidnapping. It was actually only eight years ago that she reunited with her family and that was thanks to Eri being engaged to who turned out to be my aunt Ocarina.

Thought that only went to show that the Goddess had her own way of doing things. We might not be together yet, but in the end we will come together. These invisible strings are what draw us close to one another.

I gasped. Why did those words seem familiar? Invisible strings which bind us, the stings of Destiny...

I looked down and found my hand over my chest. I couldn't see it, but I felt the crystal of the abyssmal within me glowing.

*Character Section*

Danmall- Age: Unknown. Speculated to be 17 but apparently is older than 21... Sex: Male Origin: Unknown but might be Kuroriku in Zionia (aka The Realm of Angels) Powers: Wind and others.

**Solar Note: What do you think of Danmall? Who is he? Please note down your theories on this or anything else in the comments. Oh and don't forget to click on that star if you enjoyed the chapter! ^_^!**