12 Unwanted Encounters

"We're leaving already? I'm not fully healed though!" complained Kalamati.

They had spent their two hours resting, and Solis had told them they needed to go.

"I understand, but we have a comrade that we'd been separated from. Initially, she was supposed to help with your rescue, but we got separated," Solis told her.

"Who is this person then? Can I trust her?"

"She's very reliable. She's part of the Mages of Arcana, so her loyalty is unwavering."

"Is that so? What's her name?"

"Elise Malchemi, she's the granddaughter of the Malchemi you and I know."

"HA! HER?! Is she really that old now?!"

Kalamati let out loud laughter as she realized who they were talking about.

"Yes, HER. Enough with the questions, we need to rendezvous with her already. If you have more, just ask her when you guys meet."

They started to move when Solis realized that Kalamati still hadn't gotten up.

"What's the matter?" He asked.

"My ankles are still messed up, Aurelios. I'm not capable of walking yet."

Solis looked at her with slight discontent. She gave him a shrug as if to say, "hey it's not my fault I was locked up for seventeen years," which it wasn't. So, Solis helped her out and gave her a piggyback ride.

"Ugh! Thank goodness you're here to help me, Aurelios."

"Stop with that. You're older than me, so act like it."

She let her head rest on his shoulder as they started to run. As they ran, Kalamati felt the wind run over her cheeks, and it made her happy to be outside again. Before they got any closer, Solis decided it would be best that they didn't look like bums going into the airport. Along the outskirts of the modest-sized airport, he made everyone repair their clothing with their Essence. Once they finished, they went into the airport where Solis led them to an area they could wait for Elise.

"I'll be back, I'm going to use the women's restroom. I wanna clean myself up for my new friend."

Kalamati nonchalantly hopped off Solis's back.

"I thought so. How long ago did your ankles heal?" Solis asked with an annoyed look.

"Hehe, when we were halfway here? I could've hopped off then but I was too lazy to get off your cozy back."

She gave him a mischievous smile.

"I see."

Kalamati walked off as she giggled. Solis, and the others, found some seats and sat down. Fera and Ad sat beside their older brother while Lunis and Tenacity leaned up against one another. Solis let his head fall backward and he closed his eyes. While he had the chance, he would at least get some rest. His consciousness was about to fade when someone forced it to come back.

"Hey! It's almost time, right? For our friend to arrive, so which flight is she?"

Solis opened his eyes to a well-cleaned-up Kalamati. Not much about her changed and was mostly just her hair. Looking at her from the front, she had a wild-looking bob cut, with some pieces of her hair curling slightly upward. As she turned around, you could see the section of her hair that she chose to tie up into a low, braided ponytail.

He raised his head and looked up at the monitor that displayed the incoming flights. After he found Elise's flight, which had landed a few minutes ago, he went over to where she was supposed to appear. No one else accompanied him but Kalamati, it seemed the others were a lot tired than Solis thought. The two of them didn't have to wait around too long before Elise's black ponytail could be seen. The long flight seemed to have taken a toll on Elise as evident by her slouched posture. She looked around the airport and saw Solis standing with a girl she had never seen before.

"Did you guys wait long?" She asked Solis.

"Not at all. How was the flight?"

"Long. Very. Very. Long."

Elise said it almost as if she experienced walking through hell itself.

"I'd say sorry but I can't exactly influence how long you fly," he said with a grin, "but I hope that your first-class ticket helped you stay comfortable at least."

"It did, and if it weren't for it, I'd be a lot more miserable. Anyway, who's this girl next to you?"

"Right. Elise, this is the Third Sun of Sol Regnum. She's the one and only Kalamati Arcana."

Kalamati blushed and hid her face.

"Stop it, Solis, you're embarrassing me," she said with a mocking tone.

Elise looked at the other-worldly beauty and was surprised at her presence.

"I thought we were here to save her though? What happened? Why is she here?"

Solis dragged her and sat the three of them down and he told her all the things that had happened to them in the past nine-ish hours.

"Is that so?" Elise said after hearing their story, but had a question for Solis, "How come she has the last name 'Arcana?' I thought it was only you, your siblings, and Tenacity?"

"It is. My father adopted her, thus she shares our last name, and I was never told the details of her adoption no matter how much I asked. So, in a way, she's my older sister, and I've accepted that fact for a long time."

Elise looked at Kalamati again and just stared. She stared at Kalamati's eyes and noticed a discrepancy in her appearance that reassured her that Kalamati was not an Arcana by blood. Her eyes were different colors, her right eye blue and her left eye was the Arcana gold.

"Elise Malchemi, right? Nice to formally meet you."

Kalamati stretched out her hand.

"Likewise Kalamati."

They shook hands and sat back in their chairs, but Solis stood up from his.

"Sorry, but there's no time to relax here. We need to find a place to stay for the next few weeks because I plan on going after another Pillar."

Kalamati let out a sigh and got up from her chair, Elise got up from hers as well. They walked back over to the rest of their group and Solis told them what they needed to do. They forced their sore bodies to get up from the chairs and followed Solis out the doors. As they walked, Solis couldn't help but notice how tired they seemed.

"Change of plans. You guys rest here, I'll go out myself and find us a place to stay. If I'm not back by nightfall, then just sleep among the trees until I come back."

He sped up and separated himself from them.

"Wait up, we'll be coming with you, Solis."

Behind him, he saw that Elise and Kalamti had caught up to him.

"No need. Kalamati you're still injured, and Elise you should rest up while you can."

"Just let us. I want to help out, Solis, I was on a plane for seventeen hours, so at least let me do this much."

Solis saw her logic and couldn't help but agree with her. He looked over at Kalamati, who he didn't want to come.

"Don't give me that look, Aurelios. We can argue about my decision right here and now, but you don't want that, do you?"

Whenever they had conflicting opinions things never ended well when it came to Kalamati and Solis, so he was forced to agree with her as well.

"Fine, you're allowed to come, but I'm not giving you anymore piggyback rides. Also, don't call me Aurelios, I just go by Solis down here."

He turned around and started walking again with Elise and Kalamati following close behind him. In hindsight, Solis was glad Elise came along because she could get them a taxi through the use of her phone. They didn't wait too long as a black and yellow sedan pulled up next to them. They entered the sedan and asked the driver to drive. Since they had no specific destination, they would at least ask if the driver knew any place they could stay.

"Corporis Art: Vox."

Elise used magic so that both she and the driver could understand one another.

"Sir, my friends and I are looking for a place to stay if you know any."

In an oddly soothing voice, the middle-aged driver responded, "Sure, I know some. It depends on what you're looking for though young lady."

"If I had to think," she looked at Solis, "a place where eight people can rest comfortably."

"Wooo. Eight? I know a place but it's pretty pricey."

Elise looked at Solis who nodded, which signified he had no problems in being able to pay.

"The price is not a problem. Could you lead us to it then?"

The driver complied and headed south. It was an hour-long drive that led them back to Cadiz and, as expected, it was along the coast with all the fancy hotels. The driver parked alongside one of the hotels and let them take in the sight. A pearl-white building stood before them with seven stories of pure beauty. The structure of the building was shaped in a semi-U shape, with the inner part of the U facing the ocean. Trees decorated the front yard of this magnificent hotel and a massive parking lot to boot.

"First place I thought of was this 'Belleza Eterna.' She's a first-rate hotel for sure, but compared to others of her caliber, her rooms are cheap."

Elise took in the beauty of the hotel and looked at Solis for confirmation. Without an ounce of shock on his face, he gave her a nod.

"That'll do. We'll get out here then."

The three of them spilled out of the car and walked up to the hotel. Of course, before that, they paid the fare and gave a hefty tip to their driver, who sent them off with a smile. Solis led the ladies inside and up to the desk with the pretty receptionist. Elise and Kalamati stood beside him as he talked with the lady about the room they would be in.

He walked away from the desk with a fancy, white keycard in hand. He didn't want to take long checking out their room since it was getting closer to sundown. They entered the elevator and took it up to the fourth floor, where their room was supposed to be. They walked down the left half of the hotel and found their room in the middle. Solis brought the keycard up to the door and opened it.

It was extremely luxurious, but kind of small for eight people. Sort of similar to the room they had back in Fortress, the kitchen was to their right while everything else was in the middle of the room. A massive U-shaped, sectional sofa took up most of the space in their living room along with a sixty-inch flatscreen television. As they walked further into the room, three doors lined the walls to their right. Each of them took a room to inspect, Kalamati found herself in the bathroom, Solis went into one with two beds, and Elise's room was the same.

They met back in the living room after inspecting the rooms and discussed a few things. It was definitely not big enough for eight people, but this problem could be easily solved. Solis decided that his siblings would share a bed, Tenacity and Lunis would share as well, and finally, Muun would be with Elise with Kalamati alone. He opted to sleep on the couch since he found it uncomfortable sleeping with others. Elise agreed to the plan while Kalamati stayed oddly silent.

"Stay here, I'll get the others before sundown."

Solis went out the door and left the two ladies alone. Elise brought her bags with her inside one of the rooms and began to unpack. Behind her, she felt Kalamati's presence follow her in.

"Before he gets back, would you like to choose your bed Kalamati?"

She didn't get an answer from her and was afraid she didn't speak loud enough.

"Kalamati would you like to-"

Kalamati grabbed Elise by her throat and held her up with one hand.

"W-what...are you d-doing?"

"Silence wench! You have no right to speak to me in a familiar manner!"

"W-what have I done to deserve this?"

"Aurelios looks like he trusts you but I do not! Human, whether they're part of the Mages or not, are vile creatures..."

"But-!"

"I do not trust your kind anymore after the Fall of Sol Regnum. Your race was the reason I had to watch my beloved Aurelios cry."

"'B-beloved?'"

Elise's mind was instantly full of questions.

"From this moment onward, you will limit your conversations to Aurelios only to when he talks to you! Beyond that, you will not utter a single word to my beloved."

Kalamati threw Elise into the wall and headed to the door.

"I will be in the living room, waiting for Aurelios. Do not come outside your room before he comes back, I wish not to see your face."

She slammed the door on her way out and left Elise alone to contemplate her words. She sat on the floor, clenching her chest as the amount of fear she felt was immeasurable. When she was held up by Kalamati, she could feel her animosity pouring out from every pore of her body, and that pressure alone felt like it would kill her. Elise sat, shaking, and debated on if he should get Solis's help. "Surely he'll help me out!' she thought but many other doubtful thoughts clouded her mind.

Elise didn't know how long she had been sitting when she heard the doors to the hotel room open. She nearly ran out of her room but her feet froze in places just inches away from the door. From inside her room, she could hear Kalamati happily chatting with the others, and her eerie happiness sent chills down her spine. She heard footsteps approaching her door but she still couldn't move, thankfully, that person was none other than Solis himself.

"Elise, we're back."

"LET ME SLEEP WITH YOU TONIGHT, PLEASE!" She blurted in desperation.

Elise could feel Kalamati staring daggers at her but she didn't care, she just needed Solis's protection.

"For what reason?"

"J-just let me...please? I don't want to answer."

Elise looked up at Solis with tears in her eyes. Solis knew he had no right to dig any deeper so he simply agreed to her request. Solis passed her and picked up her bags, Elise stuck close to him the whole time he did. After he placed her bags down, Solis sat down on the couch with Elise beside him. Elise watched as the rest of her friends went into the rooms and unpacked but never looked in Kalamati's direction. To her relief, the sun was going down and that meant they would need to sleep soon.

She and Solis didn't do much as more hours passed and the sun fell. Without warning, Solis got up and started walking. Elise frantically tried to keep up with Solis, who continued to ignore her unusual behavior. Turns out, he was heading for the bathroom, which she didn't realize until the last second.

"O-oh! I-I didn't mean to-"

"Elise..."

"Yes, Solis?"

"Look at me for a moment."

Elise was confused at his request but was caught off-guard when he removed his contacts and revealed his golden eyes. Those eyes...it made it hard for her not to look into them. Suddenly, her vision faded, but only for a second, then it quickly came back.

"W-what happened?"

"I see...I apologize for what happened to you."

Solis put his contacts back in while Elise was confused at what he did to her, but it must've been something that revealed her secret.

"P-please! Solis, it's alright! I can handle myself!"

"I know you can, but not against a Sun."

"He does know," she quietly thought to herself.

"...I-I...i-it's fine. Really. I meant it."

Solis walked them back over to the couch and looked at Elise who was trembling.

"L-look...Solis, everything is fine. Really, it is."

"You will sit down, and listen."

In a voice she had never heard Solis in, she sat down from the pressure of his words. Kalamati's aura was strong but Solis's was on a different level entirely. She could barely move her eyes as she tried looking at Solis. She saw that his hand moved and she tried to flinch but couldn't. She felt Solis gently put his hand on her head.

"Elise, you have my sincerest apologies for the problems she's caused. As the First Sun, I will handle things from here."

Elise tried to talk but was still under the pressure of Solis.

"Please, just relax. You're under the protection of the strongest Arcana after all."

Solis gave her a smile that warmed her heart and made her relax. She was released from his pressure and sank into the couch. Elise was engulfed in an odd feeling, she described it as a warm spring day. As if, you just laid down on the cool grass and let the warmth of the sun beat down onto your body. Its heat made you feel cozy and safe as you continue to lay there in its presence. Slowly, Elise's eyes began to close as she let her body relax. Solis laid out Elise's body properly onto the couch and put a pillow beneath her head.

"Kalamati! Would you like to come with me for a walk?" Solis shouted from the living room.

"Yes! I would love to!"

Kalamati came bursting out of her room and came next to Solis. He walked out of the room, with Kalamati in tow, and walked down their hall. He found a door that had a set of stairs that wound all the way up the hotel. He took the stairs while Kalamati followed him without question. A few minutes passed before the two of them found themselves on the roof.

"Wow! The view is amazing!"

It indeed was. The sun was just about to fall beneath the horizon as its rays continued to bounce off the water. An orange hue filled the atmosphere as the sun said its goodbyes.

"I've always loved the sight of the sun going down the horizon."

"I know, Aurelios, I remember your reaction every time I look at the falling sun."

"Is that so?"

Solis turned around and Kalamati found herself frozen in place. Solis approached her with overpowering killer intent, something that she had never experienced being directed at her.

"I-is something the matter, Aurelios?"

"I know what you did to our companion, Elise."

Kalamati's facial expression seized up and she became silent.

"A-Aurelios before you-"

"Quiet!" Solis said in a firm voice.

"I will ask that you apologize to our companion for your misconduct. That was not something she deserved, Caerelios. Your reason for doing it? I do not care for it. She is, and will, be part of our group moving forward and you are to treat her as you would me."

"But! S-she's human!" Kalamati shouted back.

"And?" Solis stared intensely back at her, "Is that a fault that requires that you treat her harshly? It was not her fault she was born as the same race that stabbed us in the back. She is part of the Mages, if you haven't forgotten, and they've shown their undying loyalty to our family time and time again. Need I remind you who stood by us when we were struck down?"

Kalamati shook her head in response to his words.

"If you understand then you owe her an apology. You shouldn't have trouble getting along with her, Caerelios, I know that you were human once. I don't know the exact details of your adoption but I at least knew that much."

Solis put a hand on Kalamati's shoulder as he headed back downstairs. Once he was gone, she collapsed to her knees and was left alone to reflect on her actions. She heard Solis's footsteps echo out of the staircase as he made his way back downstairs.

Solis was back in the room in no time at all and took a seat next to Elise. He sat there, not caring about how many hours had passed, and heard the door behind him open. He could hear Kalamati whimper as she went to her room. Not long after, Muun came out of the room and walked over to Solis.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked.

"Y-yeah, Kalamati is crying too much."

"Here, you can sleep beside me."

Muun quickly walked over and put her head on Solis's lap. Together the three of them let their weary bodies be absorbed into the couch. Solis was still awake even after Muun went back to sleep and continued to look after the girls. At that point, it was probably eleven in the evening when Solis heard Kalamati's door open. He listened to her footsteps as she continued walking toward him. With the moon at her back, Kalamati raised her head and, with puffy eyes, apologized to Solis. Her tears returned as she poured her soul into her apology but it was cut short by Solis.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, but I'm glad you've reflected on your mistakes."

"But for all the things I've done..."

"...Are excused. You're forgiven."

Solis gently got up from the couch as he hugged his friend.

"I could never hate you, Caerelios, you're like family to me after all."

Once more, Kalamati cried her heart out on Solis's shoulder as she embraced his warmth. Later, Kalamati decided to sleep on the couch with the other girls after she finished crying. With no more space for himself, Solis took a spot beneath the girls and laid against the couch. He completely let himself go and just stared at the sky, not caring how much time passed.

"Solis? You're still up?"

He looked behind him and saw his cousin in a white tank top and shorts.

"Yeah. Can't find it in me to sleep."

Tenacity looked at the scene before him and was rightfully confused.

"Why are they sleeping together on the couch."

"A LOT of things happened earlier."

Tenacity took pity on his cousin, he knew he's had a lot on his shoulder since they were young. Even with all that, Tenacity saw how his cousin shouldered that responsibility with grace. Of course, there were times where the weight of that took a toll on Solis but he always recovered.

"Well, I have some business to attend to, so I'll leave you alone," he said while he pointed at the bathroom door.

Solis only gave a weird hum sound in response to Tenacity. After that, not much changed and Solis continued looking out the windows until the sun lifted itself over the horizon.

"Hello again."

Solis looked at the star as if he personally knew it, and greeted it like a fellow employee coming to work. As he looked at the sun, he felt movement on the couch. In his head, he had a feeling he knew who caused the movement. An audible yawn sounded off as he felt a wave of air climb down his neck.

"Good morning, Elise, did you sleep well?" He asked without looking back.

"Solis?"

She continued to rub her eyes and was shocked when she looked down on the couch.

"K-Kalamati?"

"Relax...I've straightened things out with her. She should be a much better person to talk to once she wakes up."

Elise couldn't easily forget what happened to her last night, but she trusted in what he said. As a way to calm her still shaky nerves, she sat beside Solis.

"You didn't get any sleep did you?" She wondered.

"Yeah, I was too restless I guess."

"Don't you feel tired?"

"Only a little bit, but that might change later."

He gave her a little smile. A smile she didn't see often, but when it did, it never failed to make her blush, a phenomenon that she had trouble understanding. As she sat and looked at his face, he decided to get up.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah, out onto the beach. Believe it or not, I've never experienced 'beach-life.'"

"'Beach-life?'"

"Beaches are where humans gather often for parties and other festivities, right? I've never experienced that type of atmosphere."

Elise started to giggle as he talked.

"That sounds like you, Solis, but you won't have that THIS early in the morning."

Solis looked outside and saw that no one was on the beach. He realized what Elise was saying and sat back down.

"You're right, I'll go when there are more people then."

Elise kept giggling and looked at Solis. He was a confusing person she thought. Many things about him just didn't add up, one moment he could be the most mature person in the world, and next, he's the most clueless. At times, it was like teaching the world to a little kid. Since they had no reason to move, the two of them continued looking out the window.

"What did you do to me earlier?" Elise asked suddenly.

Solis just looked at her in confusion.

"When you asked me to look into your eyes. My vision faded and then came back."

"That? I just sifted through your mind," he said nonchalantly.

"You can do that?!"

"You've seen me do it before, and don't worry I'm the only one who can do it"

"Why just you?"

"I don't know, I've just never heard of another having the same ability as me. As for why I have it, I don't know the answer to that either."

"Then do you have to look into the person's eyes for it to work?"

"No, that was just for theatrics, but it does help me tap into the person's consciousness easier. If you've ever heard the quote 'the eyes are the window to the soul' it works kind of like that, I just don't use their soul."

Completely intrigued by this news, Elise pestered Solis with more questions.

"T-then, with your ability, what things can you do?"

"Let's see," Solis thought for a moment, "not much just look into the person's memory, manipulate their memory, and their consciousness as well."

After he revealed the extent of his abilities, Elise grew nervous at the thought that he might've seen some of the embarrassing secrets she had.

"Do all the person's thoughts just flood your mind then?"

"No, I choose what I want to see, and I don't like to do it for extended periods of time either. If I'm in someone's head for too long, the pressure of my own consciousness starts to hurt the person."

Elise let Solis ramble and talk, in detail, about his abilities. All the things he kept saying to her increasingly changed her view of Solis. More and more, he slowly started to look more like a god than a human, which he sort of was.

"You're not like the stories say you are, Solis," Elise interrupted.

"You wouldn't be the first to say that."

"Really? I mean it makes sense. You're way more compassionate-"

"That's true, but that's one half of who I really am," he cut her off

Elise looked at Solis with a face of uncertainty.

"Let's just say I know how to separate work from play and when it comes to work...the battlefield...is where I feel comfortable. It's where I learned to live."

Solis's face went dark as a murderous smile swept across his face and his eyes began to emit the feeling of bloodlust. The other part of him had shown itself, but its presence disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

"Ahem, I'm going downstairs for some breakfast, I hear it's served early."

Solis got up and looked down at Elise.

"Would you like to come?"

She nodded and followed Solis out of the room. They walked in silence as they followed the hall to the elevators and downstairs into the lobby. There seemed to be plenty of early birds there as well and it made the lobby's atmosphere feel lively. They were directed to where they could grab their breakfast by an employee in a very suave suit. Sort of like an all-you-can-eat, residents there could choose whatever food they wanted for their breakfast. For Solis, he grabbed his usual meats, disgusting amounts of it, and nothing else. Elise got what she wanted and walked alongside Solis.

They took a spot outside where the two of them could eat while the sun continued to rise. It seems they were lucky too since a lot of other people quickly took up the other tables around them. In no time at all, a soft buzz filled the air as residents started talking amongst themselves. As they finished their food, they sat back in their chairs and looked out onto the water. Elise looked over at her companion and noticed that Solis seemed a little bit restless.

"Is something wrong, Solis?"

"No, but there will be."

Elise didn't know how to take that and sat there in bewilderment, which Solis noticed.

"I said we would rest here for a few weeks before we chase after another Pillar, right? Well, I don't think we'd even be given the chance to stay here for three days. After the destruction of the Serpent Pillar, the others must've noticed and will inevitably send their forces to attack us. Since then, I've been trying to think of what our next move should be."

"I-I see. Well, there's not much to worry about, right? I mean your overwhelming strength would render any force put against you useless."

"That's true, but our power comes with a cost. It takes a lot of maintenance to keep up our overwhelming strength which is the reason we eat so much. On top of that, we tend to 'overheat' if we use specific attacks for too long. Plus, we have times where we need to rest as well, we are still living beings after all."

"I didn't realize you guys were that high-maintenance."

"Well, it's at the cost of being strong so I don't mind."

Elise sat back in her chair in awe of the power of her companions. From behind them, they heard the rattling of utensils as another companion of theirs sat at their table.

"You guys woke up early to eat, huh?"

Kalamati sat herself down with a plate full of meat, and Elise reflexively backed away from her. Kalamati noticed but knew she couldn't blame Elise so she let out a defeated sigh.

Before she spoke, Kalamati cleared her throat," I-I owe you an apology, Elise. W-what I did yesterday to you was unacceptable and I realize that. I hope you find it in you to forgive me."

She put her hand out forward for a shake, but Elise just stared at it. Kalamati's hand floated in the air for a few seconds without Elise shaking it.

"I-I see. I can't blame you for not forgiving me."

As she pulled her hand away, Elise caught it and looked into her eyes.

"K-Kalamati, I-I do forgive you. What you did yesterday was understandable, considering all the things you guys were put through. If I were you, I would've done the same thing."

They looked at each other for a few moments before embracing. Some tears were shed but in the end, they made up and set aside past mistakes.

"I'll leave you guys alone to talk then."

Solis got up to leave them, but Kalamati grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

"Stay, Solis, there's something I need to tell the both of you."

Solis and Elise looked at each other as they watched Kalamati get up from her chair.

"Come, both of you, we need to talk in a more private manner."

The three of them followed the marble path set out that led them to the sandy shore of the beach.

"Please, take a seat, you'll need it."

Elise and Solis took one of the wooden beach chairs as Kalamati sat down on the one in the middle of them.

"What is it you wanted to say, Kalamati?" Solis asked first.

Kalamati cleared her throat again and spoke, "Solis, you know how I was human once before right?"

Since that was the first time Elise heard the news, she shouted, "You were what?!"

"Yes, Elise, I was human before, just like you."

"But now you're one of them," she pointed at Solis, "how'd that happen?!"

"That's why I brought you guys here. I'm going to reveal how and what happened that led up to me being adopted."

"Why now, Kalamati? Why choose this moment to tell me how Father adopted you?"

"Because it may very well save our family. We don't know what could happen to us in the near future so we need to prepare for the worst."

After Kalamati said "recruit family members" Solis became very intrigued. He had a million questions to ask but he had a feeling Kalamati would answer them all with her story.

"Believe it or not, Elise, I was a little girl during the very beginnings of mankind, or what you, the modern human, would call the 'cavemen.'"

Elise's jaw dropped and her eyes widened, but Kalamati continued.

"It was a different world, of course, to how it is now. My former family and I were a small family and we lived comfortably. My former father would often go hunting, with my former brother, for our dinner each evening, and that routine persisted throughout my life. I had no way to tell at the time, but I must have been in my early twenties when tragedy struck my family.

"What happened, Kalamati?" Elise asked.

"After another successful hunt, my father and brother came home to us, but unbeknownst to them, they had been followed. A larger, more dominant, family raided our cave and ransacked everything we had. I was pinned to the floor and forced to watch as they murdered the men and dismembered the women. They saved me for last because they wanted a 'fresh' woman for their lascivious needs. As they tore off what little cloth I had on me, I remember looking at the sky and saying 'please, I don't want to die yet' and that was when I heard a voice in my head. The warmth of this voice filled my heart as it said 'you wish for power, human? I shall give you mine in exchange for your humanity.' In my desperation, I accepted and changed. With a wellspring of power that immediately filled my body, I slaughtered my family's murderers. As proof of my new self and the one I had forsaken, I have one eye representing my former humanity and the other my new blood."

"Do you know why my father chose you to become one of us?" asked Solis.

"I've tried to figure that out myself over the course of my life. I asked him multiple times as well but he never answered."

Solis looked at the sand as he contemplated Kalamati's story.

"My Father GAVE you his power. That isn't something I knew we could do, and, even if we could, how do we do it?" He thought to himself.

"Solis, I understand I didn't exactly tell you how your father gave me his power and I hate that I don't remember, but I have faith that you'll figure it out yourself. When it comes down to it, you'll pull through for our family."

Kalamati complimented Solis, but he was too deep in thought to hear. After the realization that he could share his power, he immediately tried to think of ways to do so. Kalamati was right, after all, they didn't know what the future had in store for them. After his moment of deep thought, Solis looked back up at Kalamati.

"Kalamati, do you think it could be done more than once?"

Kalamati let the words run through her mind before she told him.

"I-I don't know, Solis. I've never thought of that, but I don't think it's possible. Since I was turned, I've never seen your father do it to any other human."

"Do you think there are requirements for the transformation then?" Solis questioned.

"I don't have the answer for that either, and if there were I wouldn't know them."

Solis leaned back into his chair as he became disappointed with the lack of information regarding the ability to turning humans. Truly, if it was an ability he could master, then his family could be salvaged. He let his head lay against the chair as he continued to think about the possibility.

"That reminds me, Kalamati, we should head back. I need to give you something important," Solis said.

He sluggishly got up from his chair as he led Kalamati on the marble path back into the hotel. Since Elise was alone now, she decided to relax by herself and wait for her companions to come back. As she looked at the crashing waves, she became entranced by the sound. There were a few squawks of seagulls here and there, but it was mostly just the water hitting the beach. While in her trance, a stranger approached Elise from behind.

"Excuse me, miss? These chairs aren't taken are they?"

"No, they're not at the moment..."

Elise looked up, stunned, at the handsome stranger. He had messy, blonde hair with azure-colored eyes. His face had very sharp features as his jaw was well defined with a slightly babyish look overall. He was sporting an open button-up shirt that showed off his athletic body. His skin was also as white as the sand they were on.

"Well, if you don't mind, I'll take my seat here."

Elise paid him no mind as the chair creaked beneath his weight. The strange man looked at Elise and decided to introduce himself.

"By the way, I'm Brava Superitor."

Elise was surprised at the man's unnatural advances as he stretched out his hand. Even though she was surprised, she thought it wouldn't hurt to at least introduce herself.

"Elise Malchemi."

After she quickly shook his hand, she sat back in her chair. Her tranquility was ruined when Brava decided to talk to her again.

"Sorry to bother you again, but I was wondering if the man from before is your boyfriend?"

Elise looked at him and thought, "Oh, he's trying to hit on me?"

Without a second thought, she told him, "No, but he is my good friend."

After she said that, Brava started laughing hysterically. Elise was puzzled at his reason for laughing and just looked at him.

"It's good you aren't in a relationship with a guy like him."

Elise was slightly annoyed at the subtle insult he threw at Solis.

"What's that supposed to mean? I'll have you know that he is a very good person!"

"'Person?' You consider HIM as a human? Piece of trash like him as one of us?"

Brava looked at Elise with a serious gaze. Elise knew instantly what that man's intentions were and it had nothing to do with flirting with her.

"What do you want from my friend?" She demanded.

"That would be none of your business and it can stay that way if you tell me where his room is."

Elise stood up from her chair to look down at Brava as she said, "Now why would I do that?"

Brava let out a sigh as he stood up.

"Because it's for your own good little girl."

They looked at each other as they prepared themselves for a fight. As Elise observed him, she noticed his finger twitch. She immediately touched the sand beneath them and transmogrified them. Before the transmogrification finished, she jumped away as the sand beneath Brava's feet turned into daggers. The attack was unsuccessful as Brava reacted quickly enough and jumped away, but Elise accounted for that to happen.

"Corporis Art: Etiam!" She shouted

Brava's body froze and hit the ground.

In quick succession, Elise chanted, "Terra Art: Fulgur!"

The air around Brava crackled with electricity as it gathered together and formed a ball of electricity above his head. With a loud bang, the ball released the accumulated electricity on Brava. Elise touched the sand again and made a metal cage that surrounded surround Brava's motionless body. She walked over and looked through the bars and saw that he was still conscious. Elise tried to chant another spell but was hit with a strange object from behind. This broke her concentration and released Brava from her spell.

He took the bars of the cage and bent them open. Brava walked over to Elise and picked her up by her hair and threw her into a palm tree. Air was knocked out of her lungs as she fell to the sand. Gasping for air, Elise tried to crawl away from Brava but was unable to as he walked back over to her. A sword could be seen in his hands as he dragged the tip of it across the sand. Brava swung the sword high above his head and prepared to decapitate Elise.

With what little air she had gathered, Elise chanted, "T-Terra Art: V-Ventus..."

An immense wind hit Brava's back and caused his sword to lodge itself in the palm tree that Elise was thrown into. Elise swept Brava's feet and got up to run.

"Terra Art: Gravitas."

As Elise started to float, she touched the sand one more time and made a pillar that sent her flying. She launched herself up toward the floor Solis and the other were one and was flying toward the windows. After a few seconds, she braced herself as she crashed through the windows.

Tenacity was in the kitchen as he saw Elise fly through, and everyone else appeared after they heard the loud noise. Tenacity ran over to Elise, who had a few cuts on her face, and asked her what happened.

"W-we have enemies."

She managed to utter only those few words before completely passing out. Tenacity picked up her body and walked over to Solis with her.

"You heard her, right?" He asked.

"Of course I did," replied Solis.

"What do we do now?" Kalamati, now with black contacts, asked.

"We need to leave," Solis said.

He shouted at everyone to clean up their things and be prepared to leave. As everyone ran around, Tenacity walked up to Solis and handed Elise over to him.

"Solis, I'll buy us some time to run."

His cousin nodded as he resumed cleaning up. Tenacity, on the other hand, walked over to the shattered window. He looked down onto the beach and saw Brava looking up at him. As he put his left foot forward, Kalamati put her hand on his shoulder.

"Tenacity, I'll be helping you out on this one."

Tenacity nodded and leaped out the window. Kalamati jumped as well and the both of them barreled straight toward Brava. Tenacity equipped his armor before impact, while Kalamati materialized her whips. Tenacity landed first and sent a massive wave of sand that blocked Brava's sight. With him distracted, Kalamati tossed one of her whips through the sand and wrapped it around Brava's wrist. When she landed, she twisted her body with such strength that it lifted Brava up off the ground. Brava took his sword and sliced at the hard-to-see whip wrapped around his wrist.

"W-what?! He sliced through my whips that easily?!"

Kalamati backed away as Brava brought down his sword in front of her. She used two of her whips and wrapped them around his ankles and yanked them toward her, which caused Brava's sword to fall. Brava fell onto his back as Tenacity came in and punched him in the gut. Tenacity picked him up by the head and was ready to crush his skull. Suddenly, from behind, Tenacity felt a blade slice through his side. He quickly kicked away Brava as he inspected the cut.

Kalamati ran up to him and said, "H-he has something that can cut through our Essence like butter! I don't know what the material is, but we cannot take a direct hit from it."

"Yeah, I agree. We need to end this quickly and get back with the others."

Both of them turned to Brava, whose back was up against a palm tree, and ran. Before they landed the finishing blow, they heard a very familiar roar up from the sky, which stopped them in their tracks.

Kalamati looked up and asked, "Who does that belong to? I don't remember hearing that one before."

As she looked up, she noticed a giant, winged figure break through the clouds.

"Tenacity! The Wyverns are here!"

"What?! It's them?!?"

They witnessed the massive, charcoal black body of the wyvern descend and come increasingly closer to them. As it flew over the water, it opened its mouth and formed an orange ball of flame.

"Tenacity! Tenacity!" Shouted Kalamati.

"I see it!"

As the wyvern released the pillar of heat, Tenacity jumped in front of Kalamati and shielded her from the blast. While it suppressed the two of them with its breath, it swooped in and picked up Brava, and flew away. Once the flames dissipated, Kalamati and Tenacity looked at the sand near the feet that had turned to glass.

"Tenacity it's still in range, should we shoot it down?"

Tenacity nodded and they immediately prepared their beams. Alongside his wispy, black beam, Kalamati's bright, white beam illuminated the sand around them. Before they could fire, they saw more Wyverns break through the cloud and descend. They closed their mouths as they started running back to Solis. Kalamati jumped up to the shattered window and told Solis of the impending danger.

"Just drop everything! We leave now!" Solis commanded.

Ad jumped out first and spread his wings as he looped around the hotel. Everyone else followed him closely as they revealed their wings too. Since Solis was the last to leave, he bore witness to the wyverns torching their room. As he flew away, he could hear the screams of the nearby citizens being burned to a crisp. Solis looked ahead and swore a silent promise to make the Wyverns suffer. It seems his plans of rest and recovery had to be put aside, he had a Pillar he needed to destroy.