Valeriana managed to hold on to her consciousness, but she could hardly move herself. She had a lot of questions to ask, sheer curiosity too keen to let her fall asleep. She looked at Lord Aeron who supported her as the demon was taken to custody by Seraphina and the other knights in the room.

It took a few more minutes for the barrier to be taken down. Assistance rushed in through the doors, finally. She was given a cup of the energizing drink from before which allowed her to gain some strength to move. When she could stand, they moved to another room where everyone was and mingled with the crowd.

"That felt really different," Valeriana whispered as she gazed at Aeron who stood by her side. "I didn't know that was possible. If they could have wings, how come they don't use it?"

"Because it's nothing worthwhile doing."

"But you can fly!" she exclaimed, holding the cup close to her chest. "Hasn't it been your dream to fly?"

"In utilizing your familiar's energy, you have to avoid things that will easily drain their reserve. If you wanted to fly, you can simply climb on their backs. Having them merge with you will put a strain on yourself, especially if you aren't compatible."

She nodded understandingly, knowing trying to question further would be futile. "But, Lord Aeron, what of that city that demon is talking about?" Valeriana worriedly asked. "We can't give up that demon or His Majesty."

"It's alright, do not worry about it. Lord Leiland's familiar, Polaris, is the fastest messenger there is. She would've already alerted the responsible men to take care of their cities. It may not do much, but it will help take the situation under control."

"You guys are so great."

"So are you, my dear. You saved our asses." Aeron patted the top of her head as she sipped the cup of energizing drink in her hands. "That material the demon made was seriously troublesome. If we are able to find out how he's done it, we may have ways to counter it next time. They are getting incredibly advanced by the minute. We need to learn from our mistake."

"So are we. Don't we invent too?"

"Yes, the next batch of innovations will be publicized by the end of this month. Exciting it is, of course." He smiled.

The room was crowded, yet no one was allowed to leave just yet. Corvan approached Lord Aeron and Valeriana after he managed to tear himself away from his father. The Court Leader regarded the young lord with a questioning glance.

"Why, young lord, what brings you here?"

"I bring news," he said as he took off his coat. "The reported attack was on one of the biggest cities we have, they were able to take the situation under control as predicted, but the bad news is that it wasn't the only one, contrary to the statement of the demon," he continued, but threw his coat around Valeriana's shoulder.

Corvan's coat was thick and it went past the cut ends of her dress, covering most of her shoulder and thighs. She didn't intent to cut it this short, slashing at it randomly, but perhaps it was a little bit indecent. Valeriana stared at the coat around her shoulders incredulously until she felt a flush of butterflies in her stomach. She couldn't help but yell 'holy shiznits' within her mind like a never-ending echo in a big cave.

She tried keeping her cool. "Huh . . . uh, thanks."

Lord Aeron raised his brows, but didn't say anything other than, "What of the other city?"

"Cities," Corvan corrected. "Smaller villages were targeted. And since they were sparse and somewhat isolated, they could not defend themselves properly. The western parts of Denovegasia is in utter chaos right now."

The Court Leader began pondering. "I wonder what the king will do then? This will be his first problem to face as a sovereign. Demon attacks. I have a feeling this will not cease until they are satisfied. But when are they ever?"

"I must return then," the first-ranker said. "Denovegasia wasn't the only one attacked. It seems they planned this ahead. And they sacrificed a lot to make this point."

"What point?"

"They will not make it easy for the new king."

Bertram entered right after, making it such a 'speak of the devil' moment. He had discarded all the formalities—the cape, the scepter, even the crown. He was left in his suit, a firm look on his face as he regarded the crowd before him.

The room immediately turned silent.

"The celebration will be cut short and all lords and ladies will be asked to return to their respective cities, especially those who have been affected by the attack. I will have to apologize for putting you all in danger. I will assure you, however, that the demon is in our custody. We will get to the root of this problem."

After that, the room emptied little by little. The Twelve eventually regrouped and headed back to the academy grounds, all worn out and stunned after the day's events. They hardly talked on the way, except for Tamara's casual and energetic chatter. It didn't took more than a few minutes for her to tell the entire story about what happened inside the throne room.

Knowing what happened, the others refrained from questioning Valeriana so much, seeing as she zapped most of her energy doing crazy stuff. Valeriana was glad for it. She had been craving to go to bed and sleep especially since she was immensely exhausted. After drawing a bath and putting on new clothes, she didn't wait for her hair to dry and fell asleep on her bed lying horizontally.

She woke up the next morning, her head damp and her pillow the same. She brushed her hair to no avail and went down to eat breakfast with the others. Everybody was in the room save for Keelan. And since this was breakfast—food—Keelan had never been late. That, in itself, is a big unusual case.

"Where's Keelan?" Aneeka asked.

"He left," Charles said as he dug in. "I saw him leave early this morning when I was preparing breakfast. It seems he has a few things to arrange, especially with regards to his continent."

"Right," Genevieve and Zevlin chorused.

"Denovegasia received the brunt of the attack," Zevlin said. "It only makes sense that he'll be really busy."

"I feel bad for him, kinda," Elfre added. "He even had to miss breakfast."

"No need to feel pity for him. He took a bag of fruits with him before he left," Charles told them uncaringly.

"Oh, that makes sense. He won't ever forget food."

"He'll be back tonight," Rowe stated. "After all, he did agree on hosting Valeriana's visit."

"Oh, god, how can I?" Valeriana asked, feeling ashamed at the mention. "He's already busy with a lot of things. I don't want to add in to his burdens."

"I'm curious though, since I never got to ask last night," Tamara forked a carrot and waved it as she spoke. "How did things go after you all left the throne room?"

"We helped contain the situation with the other nobles, but they all calmed down immediately after they got to a safer part of the palace. His Majesty arrived a while later and was attended to by someone in the room with healing abilities," Rowe explained calmly. "Lord Rupert and Dillian managed to get the situation with the attacks on the palace's wings under control easily. The summoner was among the crowd of nobles. But we managed to take him down before he actually managed an exit portal."

"What?" the others, including Valeriana herself, cried.

"We had a traitor amongst us," Raziel commented. "How revolting!"

"That person was corrupt," Corvan cut in harshly. "A noble from my continent, a shameless good-for-nothing. After the Artlen Desert thieves attacked him for . . . so-called retribution and reported evidence of his corruption to the government, we were already preparing to have him impeached. The warrant against him would've already been valid by tomorrow. Unfortunately . . ."

"He beat you to it," Tamara finished for him.

"Artlen Desert," Valeriana echoed as she listened to Corvan. "Sounds familiar—oh. Thieves. I get it. I know."

"I heard you encountered thieves on your way to the Ash Canyons. There are rumors going around, Your Excellency." Rowe's eyes gravitated to Corvan's for a moment, a hint of suspicion in his russet pair. "They say you affiliate yourself to those vigilantes."

"I have no direct relationship," Corvan lied smoothly. Valeriana wanted to roll her eyes, knowing the true identity of bandits' leader was actually his own cousin. Direct relationship? What a lie! "I will only tolerate them should they continue selectively attacking the menaces in my court. The minute they overstep their boundaries, my hand will be forced. My father tolerates them as well, because they do serve a good purpose."

"Your court you say?" Raziel raised his brows. "The seat is not even yours. Yet."

"It will still be mine," retaliated the young lord rather arrogantly. "And I will have a say in how I run my continent."

Rowe shook his head while Charles remained quiet in his seat. Nobody else dared refute Corvan, knowing his temper.

After breakfast, everyone went to do their own thing and would not meet until lunch. Today, the academy campus would be closing. All students were preparing to go home to their respective hometowns for a short vacation before moving into the new campus which would be opening in the capital city of the Central Continent.

Each of the Twelve had their own agenda. Charles would go back to Larkovia to check on the undines. Although Valeriana was curious about the situation of the Larkovian guardians, she still had an appointment with the ones in Denovegasia. Perhaps they weren't expecting her to come seeking them out, but she still needed to get the next blessing and the last one in Aetheria.

If the gods willed it, she would do her best to lend her aid to the undines of Larkovia, since they helped her before despite her forgetting. It didn't feel right, even so, and quite embarrassing to ask Charles if he needed help. This was his continent and it would be disrespectful if she was to intrude on matters that hardly concerned her.

Unless, she was, of course, his second cousin. But even the title of second cousin gave no bearing. A very distant relative. Although she may be somewhat of noble blood, which was really unbelievable to begin with, she doubt she would really have the chance to meddle.

She took sanctuary in her room. After yesterday's events, she had not thought of it. Supposedly, she was to meet with her father in the white jade sphere, but she had forgotten, mainly due to her keenness on getting some sleep.

Taking the sphere out of the box, she climbed onto bed and laid down, eager to find her father and, perhaps, get some answers. The tranquility spread from her fingertips, crawling up her arms until it spread to her body.

The dreamscape was the way she left it. She left the decrepit version of her room and sought out the green fields, only to be confronted by a different place. The door opened in front of a serene lake. The bank was lined with sparse grass and trees stood like walls all around. She found her father sitting on the bank, fishing with a long pole and whistling the familiar opening of Kingdom Knights.

"Dad?"

Her father turned at the sound of her voice and smiled widely. "Valery. Finally. I've been waiting. You left me pretty impatient."

"Sorry." She scratched her head at the hidden sound of complain in his voice. "Something happened yesterday. It zapped out all my energy, I just . . . sorta, ya know, crashed."

"Ah, I see," the man nodded understandingly. "You strained yourself." He paused and looked forward. "Come on, sit. We can't continue talking with you standing so far away, you know."

Valeriana sat beside her father, removed her slippers, and let her legs sink into the cool water. The sensation left her feeling relaxed.

"King Bertram ascended the throne yesterday," she started. Janus looked curious at the mention that he gazed at Valeriana's face, quietly urging her to continue without talking at all. "But it was sabotaged by demons."

"And it was a success?"

"It was." She nodded. "But they don't look like they'll make it easy. Since this is between you and me, some strange things have been happening in Valemnia. Aside from the demon attacks, Prince—I mean King Bertram was transforming into a demon. The guardian beasts of each continent too."

"I know what happened. I saw into your memories just now."

"Wait—what?"

"This is your consciousness. I accessed some parts of it. Do not worry, my access is limited. I didn't see everything. I won't say anything about a certain boy named Corvan, yes I won't." Before Valeriana could protest, her father continued. "Those demons are up to no good," Janus said. "But it does makes sense."

She felt embarrassed. "What does?"

"Friedel and Valdis basically share the same blood, being brothers," he told her. "King Bertram may descend from the royal family, but he's just as vulnerable to demonic influence as others. In fact, he may be more vulnerable than anyone."

"What?"

"This is just my own thought, but it makes sense if the royal family is more susceptible, being somewhat related to the progenitor."

"The progenitor?"

"Valdis."

"Oh."

"But the same concept applies. You will not turn into a demon unless you give in to darkness."

"That's the thing," Valeriana told him. "They found a way to turn people into demons without actually needing their consent."

"I can see that." He shook his head as he moved to stand. "And I can see my worst fears have come true." He got to his feet and helped up his daughter as well. "Two years ago, before the accident, the gates opened."

"The gates. You mean the holy gates separating Valemnia and Earth?" She moved to stand, accepting his hand.

"Yes. The first batch of demons descended. However, if I were to meddle, the peaceful life I led the past fifteen years would've gone to waste. I could not do nothing, being a knight myself."

"And you . . ." she swallowed.

"Not right away," he said. "I met with a long-time friend of mine. I helped him get rid of the demons and close the gates. We knew, however, that the solution we laid was temporary. It would open, sooner or later, and I suppose that's how you got involved with Valemnia somehow. If it didn't happen, you would've stayed on Earth living your life carefreely."

"Who?"

"I have a feeling you have a vague idea who."

Valeriana stopped short. "Lord Aeron. That goddamn sunuva—"

Her father's stern look made her stop short.

"Sunuvabeetch is the name of a demon!" she reasoned out with him.

"I know the pun, Valery. You don't fool me. Any other Valemnian will believe you, but not me."

She crossed her arms. "Just tell me what happened after you met with Lord Aeron, godsdammit."

"Well." He laced his fingers on his back. "I stored my consciousness into this jade sphere and locked it into the box for you, should the day comes you actually needed it. My judgment was not wrong."

"So how did you die?"

"My memories are limited to the day up to that point," he told her. "I am sorry I cannot tell you, even if I want to."

She sighed. "Talk about getting some answers."

"But knowing Aeron, he does."

"Then I—"

"But he probably won't tell you anything."

She stopped short. "Since when did he ever? He just likes to watch. Like a spectator. Like a godsdamn spectator, who doesn't actually care about anything aside from his entertainment."

"You do not understand." He shook his head. "Aeron's reasons run deep. Whatever he does, he does with care. If he does not step forward to help, he has a reason. He may seem useless, always scheming, always laughing at other's miseries, but I am telling you, Valery, he has more control over the board than anyone else."

"What is this, some chess game?"

"He's the most cunning man I've ever met, love. If you associate yourself to him, you should always expect something you actually will never expect."

"That doesn't even make sense," she replied, befuddled. "How can I expect something I can never expect?"

"That's exactly it. Aeron's privy and tongue-tied nature gives way to success for all his plans. Even I do not know what's going on inside his head. Despite my efforts to get him to tell me, he never confides in anyone. If he ever discloses anything, he discloses things that are very much useless, yet he is a professional in making someone think it is not. Such a lone wolf of a man. I do not think anyone will truly know." Janus sighed.

"So he's always been like that. He's been behind everything so far, I really don't get him." Valeriana looked at the ground in contemplation.

"He's been treating you well, hasn't he?"

"Yes, he is. He is a bit troublesome, but to some extent, he helps. At least, I can see he's trying."

Her father nodded. "Good. I asked him to look after you. Perhaps he was also the one responsible for bringing you to Valemnia, that bastard. Even though I told him so many times not to get you involved." He then paused and shook his head. "What about Jareth? Your mother?"

She smiled ruefully. "They're great. They miss you."

He smiled back, his eyes shimmering a sad yet understanding glaze. He took Valeriana into his arms and hugged her tight. "It's good to know they're doing fine. And I'm glad to know you are too. I know it's been hard, honey. From now on, I'll be here for you."

"What do you think will happen?"

"I'm not sure myself. Focus on what you must do for now, hun." Her father comfortingly placed a hand on her nape as he leaned in to kiss her hair. "Bring me with you, I will help you as much as I can. I may not be able to help you directly, but at least I can pass you some of my knowledge."

Excitement lit up her eyes and she felt so ecstatic she jumped. "You mean you'll teach me?"

"I will. I was a Celeste, a family knight to the Vernados. It may not be much, but I have things I can teach you."

"That's a promise then."

"You took a nap, didn't you?" he asked. "Go on and wake up. It's about time for dinner."

"Why is it always so short?" she sulked.

"Come see me again later," he told her. "Perhaps it'll be longer. Go on."

He nudged her back to the direction of the room she emerged from and she walked away, a bit reluctant. She entered the chaotic mess that resembled her bedroom back home and looked around for a bit. She wanted to fix things in here to make it a little bit more organized since she could not bear to sleep in a place which hurt the eyes.

She made her way to a corner and found a torn portrait leaning against the wall. The glass framing the photo was shattered, shards riddling the immediate area around it like glinting diamonds. Valeriana crouched, hearing crunchy breaks as she stepped on the fragments.

The image had a cloudy blue background with a white shiny ball at the corner—perhaps the moon? At the bottom was something colored yellow. It was too damaged to see, but Valeriana felt like it would be a waste to let it sit like this in here like it was trash. She knew it was significant, especially since it was in her dreamscape.

She set the portrait on the wall and climbed to bed, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. When she opened them once again, she was confronted by the headache she always got when she took naps in the afternoon. She was back to the real world, the white jade warm in her sweating palms. She wiped the surface with her sleeves and set it back to the box, retrieving her bracelet from under.

She wearily trudged down the flight of stairs and saw the Twelve hanging out in the lobby. Corvan had his nose buried in books as usual and Tamara was polishing her favorite pair of twin blades.

"You missed lunch," said the third-ranker. "Are you hungry? We should be having dinner in a few minutes."

"I tried knocking," Elfre added. "But you fell asleep, so I didn't wake you up."

"Sorry."

"It's alright. We know you're tired," the sixth-ranker replied.

"Did Keelan arrive?"

"He did," Tamara said. "He's in the dining room, like usual. He doesn't look depressed at all, don't worry about him."

"That's good to know."

It was then that Aneeka walked into the room, her hair in a high ponytail. "People, people!" she exclaimed, causing heads to turn her way. "Dinner time, let's all go!"

They all stood and made their way into the dining area, taking their respective seats and saying their prayers before starting. Keelan was, like they said, all ready for his dinner. He looked giddy when the food was served as though any moment, he would pounce. The eleventh impatiently waited for all formalities to finish before he started stacking food on his plate.

"I suppose after this, we won't be seeing each other a while," Raziel said.

"Yes," some chorused, layering voices echoing in the room.

"So, what are your plans?" asked Rowe.

Valeriana looked at each member of the circle and saw some uncertain faces. Genevieve, in particular, suddenly looked restless and thoughtful. Zevlin, on the other hand, was casual.

"We're going back to Arlandia," stated the older of the twins. "To the orphanage we lived in when we were young."

"That's nice," someone remarked. Turning to look, it was Elfre. "I'm going back home to my life as usual, help run the business like usual." She shrugged.

"Well, whatever you guys are up to, I assume most of us will be leaving by tomorrow to get things done," Charles declared. "As will I."

"Have to make the most of our vacation after all," Tamara interjected.

"Where are you at, Tam?" Valeriana inquired curiously.

"Random place. I will take a ship and just go somewhere I don't know. Adventure. Like always. And you will be going to Denovegasia."

Valeriana nodded. "If it's still good with Keelan, I mean. I know you're busy."

"Whaf?" he mumbled through a full mouth, causing bits of food to erupt from his lips.

"Ew, moron, don't talk!" Aneeka cried in disgust.

The eleventh-ranker swallowed. "It's alright, why not? I've told my father. We're willing to help. After all, where is our world-famous hospitality if we refuse a great guest?" He accommodatingly looked at Valeriana, his face gentle as he wiped the sauce from his lips.

Keelan's gentle and kind nature was almost heart-breaking. If he tried, he would have no trouble getting any girl he liked. Unfortunately, no girl has captured his eyes so far. Perhaps, if the girl was a great cook—then perhaps. Perhaps indeed.

"Great guest . . ." Valeriana shook her head. "Anyhow, thanks."

"You're welcome. Let's leave tomorrow morning?" He tilted his head to the side inquiringly as he gave a warm smile the fifth-ranker's way. "Usual time for classes. How is that? When we arrive it'll be roughly the same time."

"I've no problem with that."

Valeriana felt ecstatic and could not wait for tomorrow to arrive sooner. Another continent, another continental guardian, and another blessing to acquire. This time, of the Earth.