Gold Eye was supposed to go and get Red Eye. The kid had been involved in one of Ashram's crazy experiments and had been unconscious for about twelve hours. If that wasn't a reason to worry already...

More than that, however, was Ashram's thinking that he'd managed to summon something. Knowledge from another world, or something similar. And that knowledge was one that Red Eye now possessed. Gold Eye didn't know who was crazier: Ashram, for doing this and believing it worked, or Gold Eye himself who was still following that man's orders.

Gold Eye arrived at Red Eye's room and knocked. He had expected the kid to still be asleep, however, he got an answer.

"Come in", the kid called, voice loud, controlled but not aggressive. Huh.

Gold Eye opened the door and was shocked at what he found. The kid was on the ground, stretching, wearing only sweatpants. He had also not bothered to hide the mess he'd left behind. Clothes were everywhere on the floor. Books sprawled around him, as if he was in the middle of reading them, and his phone was on the desk, playing relaxing music. Gold Eye did not know that the kid even listened to something like this.

"What happened?", Gold Eye asked. The kid smiled slightly.

"Had to get information somehow, didn't I? Besides, my muscles are all sore. I don't really remember how that happened, though."

"Information?", Gold Eye muttered, surprised. His anger vanished at once.

"Yeah. My memories are all muddled up. I mean, I know who you are and where I am, but I don't know how long I've been here or what I've been doing. There are probably a lot more things I'm unaware of, but those are the things I noticed."

"You've lost your memory, huh? Ashram will want to know about that. Why don't you get dressed while I call a meeting with the rest of the masked Bladers?"

The kid nodded, calm. Gold Eye would have expected more panic, but then again, this was Red Eye. Red Eye's composure was legendary, if he had the patience for it.

The kid went into the bathroom and Gold Eye heard the shower get turned on. Good, the kid was covered in dry blood. Gold Eye did not want to know where it came from.

Gold Eye quickly texted the other Bladers and then sat down on the chair next to the desk. He saw the kid's phone was still on. The music hadn't originally been on the playlist, Gold Eye saw it. Only very recently added.

Ashram, what have you done to him? Have you fried his brain, this time?, Gold Eye thought.

It took a lot longer than Gold Eye expected for Red Eye to come out of the bathroom and when he did, Gold Eye was very, very tempted to yell at the kid.

He was wearing blue training pants, a red sweater and had put his hair up in a messy bun. It suited him, strangely enough, but it was not an appropriate attire. At least not right now.

"Red Eye, you can't seriously expect me to let you out like this?", he asked. "Where is your uniform?"

Red Eye sighed and motioned the bed. The uniform on it seemed bloody and dirty.

"Don't tell me you only have one of them?"

"I don't know", the kid answered and he seemed genuine enough. Gold Eye sighed.

"You're lucky you actually have an excuse", he said and then he saw bandages peeking out under Red Eye's sweater. He walked forward and grabbed his wrist, making the kid flinch. "What's this?"

Red Eye meet Gold Eye's stare unflinching and that kind of surprised Gold Eye. The kid didn't want to be touched but a staring match was okay? Something was definitely off about him.

"It was bleeding, and I treated it. Don't ask me where the injury came from, I don't know."

Gold Eye sighed. At least the bandages were mostly out of view. Otherwise, the other Bladers would have a field trip with that. Especially considering how well Red Eye had treated those injuries. Gold Eye knew professional bandaging when he saw it. When and how had the kid learned to treat his own injuries? Had he done so in secret before?

Ashram rarely allowed treatment when he believed that the injury stemmed from weakness or carelessness. Because of this, many Bladers had to deal with an injury for a few days until Ashram found the punishment for weakness to suffice. Needless to say, many scars stemmed from that, too.

Red Eye had only very seldomly been punished like this, however. While he was aggressive, reckless in his training, careless mistakes were very rare. Also, Red Eye was all but weak. Ashram knew that, and usually permitted treatment, though Red Eye often declined himself.

"I don't have time for this", he would say, and Gold Eye often found that to be rather reckless, but Ashram found it amusing, so he didn't comment on that behavior. Now, though, Red Eye's personality seemed to have taken a turn.

"Come on, let's go", Gold Eye said and the kid followed wordlessly. While they walked through the dark corridors, the kid was watching everything around him, analyzing, committing every detail to memory. Gold Eye found himself wondering how badly off the kid was if he had trouble recognizing the place he'd spend the last four years in.

By the time they'd arrived in the meeting room, everyone else, except Ashram, was already present. Gold Eye showed Red Eye his seat and sat down next to him. Silver Eye spoke first.

"So, what's so important that we have to have a meeting first thing the morning?", he asked. Gold Eye sighed.

"Red Eye, tell them", he said, not missing the slight surprise in the kid's movements. He was the youngest masked Blader, but also the strongest, at least right now. Maybe the kid didn't remember it, but he had much more authority than most others in the room.

"I kind of lost my memories, I guess...", he started which already made most of the masked Bladers listen. The kid looked around, seemingly trying to come up with a way to explain what was going on. "So, I think I know your names, but not much else, I can barely find the way through the Snake Pit and I definitely don't remember what lead up to losing my memories."

"There you have it", Gold Eye said. Black Eye looked at the kid.

"Why do I have the feeling you know even less about the Snake Pit than you let on, Shu?"

Everyone knew each other's real names, of course, but it was an unwritten rule to never address each other with them unless you were out of the Snake Pit. Red Eye smiled, unbothered by the use of his name.

"Is it that obvious?", he asked, oblivious to the rest of the masked Bladers staring at him, wondering what had just happened and what they were supposed to do.

"Yes", Black Eye said. "For once, you don't seem bothered even though you're not wearing your uniform. Second, you seem surprised at the amount of authority you have. Lastly, the use of your real name did not startle you as much as it should have."

"Point taken", Red Eye, no Shu, laughed. "Though, I expected a bit more time before you were on my case about that."

"So, Red Eye, what do you know about the Snake Pit?", Azure Eye asked. He seemed more curious than worried, which should not be the right way to deal with this.

Shu shrugged. "Hard working conditions, hierarchy of the masked Bladers, and that Ashram is crazy. That's about it, I suppose."

Silver Eye burst out laughing and a few more followed. Gold Eye was mortified. What if Ashram chose just that moment to arrive? What then?

Gold Eye lied his head on the table. This was too much. Way too much and the day had just started. No, he could not deal with this.

Why did he get out of bed this morning again?

Ashram had read Gold Eye's message and had been worried at once. Red Eye with no memory? That could be a problem. His strongest Blader was quite the trouble when he remembered authority but without his memories? Ashram felt a headache coming.

He stepped into the meeting room to find everyone there, of course, and Red Eye wearing casual clothes. That was a problem. Next, he met the boy's eyes. The bright crimson did not look respectful or slightly apprehensive as usual but outright hostile as if Red Eye was thinking of jumping out of his chair and punching Ashram in the face. That would be unfortunate.

Though, luckily, Red Eye's self-control seemed to have jumped in and he seemed to reign in his hostile emotions.

"So, what is going on?", Ashram asked, giving Gold Eye the word. He did not want Red Eye to speak just yet. He wanted to observe the teen a while longer.

"I don't exactly know. His memories are all muddled up, but it seems as if he can remember some things. I don't think that his symptoms match any classical amnesia, though."

Ashram nodded and turned to Red Eye.

"Is he correct in his assessment, Red Eye?"

"Yes", the teen replied, his voice strangely controlled as if he was trying really hard to not sound passive aggressive. Interesting.

"I see. That is quite unfortunate. Though, I think the important thing is something else. Do you think you can blade?", Ashram asked. He had no use for a Blader that could not blade.

Red Eye took a breath, seemed to fight with himself a bit and nodded. "Though, I don't know where my Bey is. It wasn't in my room."

"No, it wasn't. It was with me. I think I will need a demonstration of your abilities. Who do you want as opponent?"

Red Eye looked around and then he shrugged.

"In all honesty, I do not remember all of their Beys or strategies. Anyone would do, I think."

Ashram nodded, pleased. "Well, then. Let's get started."

Ashram led them to a training room one that had Red Eye pause. It was the same one where they had done experiments after Requiem's creation.

So he remembers that but does not remember the battles he's done since? Interesting.

Ashram gave Red Eye his launcher and Bey. Red Eye took a breath and made his way to one side of the stadium. He seemed to try and remember his launching stance, though after a few seconds, he seemed okay. At that point, Ashram decided to explain his idea.

"You're going to battle all of them", he said. He heard surprised gasps from his other Bladers but Red Eye stayed impassive.

"Alright", he said. "Who will start?"

Ashram smirked. He wasn't quite done yet. "I'm not sure if you remember, but there is a special type of match that I would like you to do."

"Being?", Red Eye asked.

"Patience", he said, noting how Red Eye seemed unbothered but all the others tensed. Had he forgotten the punishments that Ashram could and would give if he was disrespectful? Possibly. "I want you to launch your bey. Every time you beat your opponent, the next will launch. You get no break. We will see how far you'll manage."

The last time he'd had Red Eye to this, he'd beaten five out of the seven Bladers and had gotten quite close to a sixth victory before being out of stamina. Ashram wondered how far he'd manage now, being obviously a little lost and uncomfortable and also injured. Red Eye knew how to hide injuries well, but Ashram had known about those for a while.

"Well, let's start", he said. "Azure Eye, if you would?"

Azure Eye took his place and assumed a launching stance. Red Eye observed carefully. Without the mask, those crimson eyes were easy to read. He was calculating, analyzing his opponent's stance. Ashram had never seen him do that so precisely before. Red Eye normally analyzed a little and left the rest up to his strength. This time, he was not taking chances.

"Three. Two. One. Go, shoot!", the Bladers yelled and both Beys soon circled around the stadium. Red Eye had chosen the left spin stamina mode. However, Requiem stayed on the defensive. Was Red Eye that unused to his own bey that he did not take advantage of a quick victory?

As soon as Azure Eye's Valkyrie attacked, Red Eye's eyes flashed.

"Now", he commanded and Spriggan Requiem crashed through Valkyrie easily. Ashram smirked.

"Yellow Eye, you're up."

"I'm not making it that easy for you", he told Red Eye, who smiled.

"We'll see about that."

Ashram was surprised to see confidence and not arrogance when Red Eye accepted the challenge. It was quite unusual. Actually, Ashram should have expected this. Since he'd lied eyes on Red Eye, nothing seemed to add up. There was truly something going on with his star Blader.

Even after Yellow Eye's declaration, Red Eye made quick work of his opponent. Almost effortlessly, he commanded his Bey to burst the other. He did, with almost no resistance visible. Ashram was impressed. He hadn't expected Red Eye to make it that easy.

Black Eye and Violet Eye also lost, though, Red Eye seemed to get tired. He was sweating, and his hair was falling out of that already messy enough bun. Yet, he was still smiling, exited at the challenge, it seemed.

"Grey Eye", Ashram said. He thought that Grey Eye would make it more difficult for Red Eye, since a balance type bey was usually more difficult to read. Red Eye once again observed his opponents launch carefully, and as the bey landed in the stadium and circled around Requiem like a predator, Red Eye stood straighter. He was in a slight pinch, it seemed.

How will you deal with this now, Red Eye?

The Beys clashed. As Grey Eye urged his Bey on, told it to destroy Red Eye, the teen observed. All of a sudden, his eyes widened. He'd found something.

"Spriggan!", he yelled. "Now!"

Again, Spriggan crashed through his opponent. Red Eye breathed hard, but Requiem was still spinning. Five victories. Two more to go.

Ashram hadn't thought that any of his Bladers had the ability to analyze that precisely and to actually make use of that information so easily. No, he was pretty sure that Red Eye had not had that ability. That meant that Ashram's experiment had worked. Red Eye had truly gotten some knew knowledge, possibly from a different world, but who knew. The problem was that he'd lost some knowledge, too.

No matter, Ashram thought. He should be fine with a bit of time. And once I figure out what went wrong...

Ashram was truly looking forward to being able to observe Red Eye a bit more.

"Silver Eye", he said. Silver Eye smirked.

"Honestly, I always thought this was kind of unfair", he said. "You start by the weakest, only to face the strongest Bladers at the end, when you don't have any stamina left. I know you're strong, Red Eye, but you won't stand a chance against me like this."

Red Eye raised an eyebrow. "And who are you to judge how tired I am?", he asked. "I'm pretty sure I can beat you, though, please, try to prove me wrong."

Silver Eye gritted his teeth. Ashram's smirk never left his face.

The Bladers counted down, except Red Eye who, once again, only observed. He seemed a little more on edge, as if he knew something that would put him in trouble. Ashram looked down at Silver Eye's Bey and then he understood.

Silver Eye had made a sparking bey, after asking Ashram, of course. The sparking beys were sturdier and usually made harder hits. Red Eye seemed nervous.

"Spriggan, stay out of there", he said, biting his lip. How to beat an opponent whose power by far exceeds yours?

"I told you, you stand no chance", Silver Eye laughed. "Come on, I'll make it quick."

Red Eye didn't grace him with a response. He balled his fists and changed his stance. He stood much differently now, from what Ashram usually saw of him. Red Eye was usually aggressive to his opponents, disrespectful and often did not bother to change from a casual stance. This time, Red Eye stood more like the Bladers of BC Sol; battle ready and slightly exited for the challenge. Comparing one of his Bladers to Miss Kuroda's seemed a bit strange but also accurate. He wondered more and more about Red Eye.

Red Eye suddenly smiled. "Found it", he said and made a slashing motion with his hand. "Spriggan!"

Spriggan suddenly dashed at the other Bey and strong winds took over the room. Golden fire and a silver, bluish aura clashed and the light was so bright that Ashram had to cover his eyes. As he looked at the stadium again, he saw the sparking bey was out of the stadium and Spriggan was still spinning, if only barely.

Red Eye was panting even harder and leaning with his hands on his thighs. The bun was completely loose by now.

Ashram was impressed. So impressed, that for a second, he'd forgotten that Red Eye's aura was not supposed to be gold.

"Gold Eye", Ashram said. If Red Eye managed to beat him, too...

Gold Eye wordlessly took his stance. Requiem was barely spinning, Red Eye was exhausted, looked as if he would pass out. Could he win?

"Let's go", Red Eye said and stood up straight again. There was fire in his eyes.

Ashram smirked.

Shu did not know if he could beat Gold Eye. He was exhausted, everything hurt, and he did not want to use Requiem longer than he had to. He had sworn to never lie a hand on that bey again, much less battle with it. Great.

He took a breath. He had to calm down, put all of his rest energy into that battle. At first, Shu had thought about losing on purpose, after Requiem told him that Red Eye, the person whose body he was occupying, would not have been able to beat all seven. Shu, however, could.

Shu was more powerful than people gave him credit for and his strategies payed off. Finding the weak spot of seven beys in a row was a challenge, sure, but it was nothing Shu was incapable of doing.

Requiem laughed.

"You won't be able to keep yourself from passing out if you keep fighting like this", it said. "Use my strength a little more. It'll be fine."

'I'm sorry, but I trust you as far as I can throw you', Shu thought. Requiem seemed amused.

"Whatever you want, Crimson Flame. My offer stands."

Shu ignored it. He missed his partner. Spriggan could be hard to deal with, sure, but he trusted it more than this Requiem with whom he'd had no real connection to. Shu took another breath as Gold Eye launched.

Gold Eye's launch was the best yet. Precise and controlled, Shu had to hold back from praising him. The coach in him really had really wanted to correct some mistakes earlier, too, but he couldn't do that. At least, not with Ashram in the room.

"Get him, Nemesis!", Gold Eye shouted. Nemesis hit Requiem again and again and Shu was having a hard time. He was too tired to properly fight back. He had one attack left, he was sure. One and nothing more. Though, it had to be perfect. And judging from Gold Eye's launch and precise attacks, it would be hard to find an opening. The time it would take would maybe be enough for Gold Eye to cut down Requiem's stamina completely.

Shu balled his fists and bit his tongue. Think. He had been in more troublesome battles lately; he could do this.

Nemesis was an attack type, stamina was limited. Shu had to hope that Requiem's power absorption, the one that was similar to Fafnir's, did its job to even out the odds a little. It's why Shu had chosen left spin. It gave him at least one little advantage.

Gold Eye looked at him through his mask. It was unnerving to be stared at through the lenses, though Shu payed no mind. He had already shown much more than he'd intended, by using his own power instead of relying on Requiem's, and he couldn't show such nervousness at something he should be used to. Red Eye wouldn't, surely?

Suddenly, Shu saw something. A pattern, a move he could make use of. He shifted his stance. He noticed Gold Eye doing the same, readying himself. He knew that Shu was planning something.

Shu hadn't faced Gold Eye, or Norman, since he'd left the Snake Pit four years ago. He remembered the battle clearly; the pain in his shoulder, the need to get it over quickly, and the relief at finally being free. This time, there were no such stakes. He wanted to win, but it was fine to lose. Shu could barely remember the last battle where he could just not mind the outcome.

Not since I've taken Lean as my student, he thought. I've been so preoccupied with him that I have barely managed to calm down and relax. Though, I didn't think of the Snake Pit as a place for a vacation.

He was snapped out of his thoughts as the Beys clashed harshly. Wind blew across the room, lights began dancing around. Shu couldn't help but smile. He commanded Requiem to fight, to win, and the golden fire merged with Requiem's dark red and violet. Gold Eye screamed, Shu did the same. The Beys were not done, they were pushing against each other. Not yet. Not yet.

"NOW!", Shu yelled. The light flared up, the winds got stronger. Then, nothing.

Shu breathed hard and collapsed to his knees. When had he last felt so exhausted?

Gold Eye stared in shock. His Bey had burst. Requiem had stopped spinning, too, but was still in one piece. Shu grinned.

"See?", he said, calling everyone's attention to him. "I won."

He was so, so tired. He barely noticed Silver Eye walking up behind him and putting a hand on his shoulder or Ashram smirking, very pleased with the outcome.

"Come on", Silver Eye said and helped him stand. "You should go and rest."

Shu didn't protest. For once, he listened to what the Snake Pit Blader said. He was proud of himself, here. For a second, he'd thought he'd lose.

This was only the beginning.