CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN: THE ACADEMY’S COUNTEROFFENSIVE PART XII: THE PROTOCOL EXCALIBUR PART V: THE SACRED HALL OF RYUUJINN PART IV: AWAKENING OF THE GOD-WEAPON WIELDER

Meanwhile, Andrea found herself in the Hall Of The Daemon, surrounded by daemon who guarded her to prevent her escape. Fortunately, because she was a legitimate student of the Academy, she too had found herself within the deeper level of the Academy during the Academy Director's announcement of the Academy's plan to counter the Sanctum Of Decadent Wyverns. She had been transported there without actually leaving the Hall Of The Daemon thus escaping the notice of the Daemon King.

The closer one came to the Heart Of The Academy, the more infinite one's experience of time became. This was why Andrea could access that level of the Academy without drawing the Daemon King's notice. Currently, she was in the Hall Of The Daemon, closely guarded by them.

"Why would you kidnap me?" she asked curiously and quite furiously.

"Why wouldn't I? You and Rai have been my major source of plague in Ferren, ruining all my plans. But I didn't do this just to spite Rai. I must admit I was also a bit curious" the Daemon King said.

"Curious of what?" Andrea asked.

"The fifth chain of Hephaestus binding your heart to Rai's and indicative of the bond between you both. I originally intended to sever it by eliminating your memories of each other. Yet surprisingly enough, though you lost your memories of each other, that chain remained intact. I had imagined you would be much less of a challenge if you were both separated from each other" the Daemon King said.

"The fifth chain of Hephaestus? Aera mentioned something like that during the meeting Michael called. Rai was bound beneath an altar with four chains forged by Hephaestus, the Undying Of Forge. According to Aera, when I shed tears upon the altar, Rai gained the strength to shatter four of the chains but could not shatter the fifth which his father Raijinn had bound to his heart and mine" Andrea thought.

At that moment, she noticed the gauge in her Crystal Key change from a dark red colour to a bright golden colour.

"The influence of the Daemon King in Ferren must be weakening" Andrea thought.

"Another thing that drew my curiousity after witnessing the intact chain was the question how deep does the bond between you two go? Would Rai dare come to face me to rescue someone he hardly knows?" the Daemon King said.

At that moment, a memory filled Andrea's mind. In her memory, she stood in a library back in Ferren's Academy Of Mages with Andre the Librarian and her best friend Aera. Andre had handed her a book entitled "Chronicles Of The Goddess Forta". On the cover of the book was also the illustration of a staff crossing a sword.

"Mercy and Justice huh?" Andrea recalled the impression she had got after seeing the cover of the book.

"What did you just say?" she recalled Andre's amazement.

"That's the impression I got when I read the title, 'Mercy and Justice'. If Forta had chosen the Sword, she'd have done the just thing…but she chose mercy. Mercy and Justice…do they go hand in hand or are they separate things?" Andrea recalled her words.

"Interesting, from the way I see things Andrea, you do possess a special type of power…but it's not magic. You just don't know what it is yet and I'm not going to tell you. It'll spoil the beauty of the discovery. So do a good job of seeking it out. Besides, technically, the Undying are not gods, they're humans with an amazing sort of power surpassing even magic" Andre said.

"Power surpassing magic?! Seriously?! And what's that supposed to be?!" Aera exclaimed excitedly.

"Andrea, with your power, I think you can discover it. I was never able to find it but this is a clue that was left in my possession when I was still a traveler in search of knowledge. I was once told that what differentiates the Undying from us is that;

'She sought out the worthy but was rejected; then returned to her place. Undergoing a second quest, she found those she never sought and they accepted her'.

It's kinda similar to Forta's story. That's why I think you might find what 'she' means. But it is said that 'She scorns fools and mocks the intelligent'. I think you might be able to find 'her' because you are quite similar to Forta" Andre said seriously.

"And what about me?! Can I find her too?! Can I find her too?!" Aera jumped about excitedly.

Andre stared at her.

"Unfortunately Aera, I very much doubt it. If anyone is most unlikely to find her, it's probably you. You are a special breed; far too foolish and intelligent at the same time for your own good" Andre said.

"Hmmph! Who needs some special power no one can find!" Aera scoffed in dissatisfaction.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you so much Andre" Andrea bowed respectfully.

Another memory filled Andrea's mind. This time, she found herself in the Forest Of Tears on top of Raijinn's altar.

"Rai was really sealed here. I wonder how it felt, being bound with heavy chains by your own family, thrown to the ground and buried alive. It must have been really painful. Compared to yours, my suffering is nothing" Andrea recalled her sorrow when she recalled Rai's history.

"But Rai, you know, I wish you would have shared your abilities with me as well. In the entire village, I'm the only one with whom you have not shared your abilities" she recalled her momentary silence as though awaiting some kind of answer.

"It's strange but I feel like…you're the only one that could probably understand my feelings because…you've been through much worse. I hope…I honestly hope we can be friends one day" she recalled her words.

"Your voice…it's very…soothing" Andrea recalled Rai's voice whisper within her mind.

"Did Rai really speak? No, I must have imagined it" Andrea recalled her wonder and slight doubt.

She recalled resting on the altar and witnessing Rai's history. She recalled staring at the altar after waking up.

"Rai, I've got to go now. You may not have shared your abilities with me but you did share your past with me. I'm grateful. It means a lot to me. Now I don't feel so lonely anymore" Andrea recalled her words.

Rai meanwhile was running across the giant stone bridge that was the Passage Of The Daemon. He turned to stare at Ryu for a bit.

"What's up Rai?" Ryu asked.

"It's weird but the closer we get to the Hall Of The Daemon and to saving Andrea, the more I get this strange sense of nostalgia. At least that's what it felt like originally. Now, I'm getting flashes of my homeworld of Ferren and look…" Rai said as he showed Ryu his crystal key.

The red gauge was now a bright gold colour and bits of it had begun to turn green.

In the Hall Of The Daemon, another memory filled Andrea's mind. This time, she found herself serving detention in the school's library.

"Maybe dreams really are stupid" she recalled her anguish.

"Neither the most reasonable…nor the most…obviously absurd dream…is stupid" she recalled Rai's voice echo within her.

"Why am I crying? Am I stupid? Even Rai who has been through so much hasn't given up" Andrea recalled her hollow laugh and attempts to console herself.

Another memory filled her mind of Ferren overrun by daemon. She herself was being pursued by daemon but she felt that if she could get to Rai, she could protect him.

"At least tell me where you're going!" she recalled Tao's question.

"I had a dream Tao. It's probably senseless but I dreamt that I was travelling with Rai. I want to protect Rai. I want to protect that dream. But as a mage of Ferren, even if I'm not really cut out to be one, as long as I wear this uniform and belong to this village, it is my duty to protect Rai from the daemon!" Andrea recalled her declaration.

"But it's a lost cause! The village has already been overrun by Daemon. Rai cannot be released. Centuries have passed and he hasn't been released. I don't think you should worry about him now" Andrea recalled Tao's advice.

"Right now, I don't know how but my heart tells me that if I stay beside Rai, the daemon will not be able to use him for evil" Andrea recalled her words.

"What are these flashes? Dreams…illusions?" Andrea wondered.

"No…they're becoming more frequent and they are consistent. They must be…memories" Andrea realized.

Suddenly, she noticed a long crimson chain extending towards the Passage Of The Daemon. She traced its flow and noticed that it began from her heart.

"The fifth chain of Hephaestus" Andrea realized.

Then another memory flashed in her mind. This time, she found herself on the Altar Of Raijinn, surrounded by daemon who would not dare approach.

"Tao…Tao is dead because of me. If only I had power…if only I had power…" Andrea recalled her anguish.

Her tears fell on the altar.

"What would you do if you had power?" Rai's voice questioned her.

"I'd end all the tragedy! I'd protect everyone!" she recalled her declaration.

"Keep dreaming! You can't even protect yourself! You can't stay up there forever. Once you come down, it will be chow time!" she recalled the daemon's taunts.

Unnoticed by the daemon, Andrea's tears flowed down the stairs of the altar and fell on the ground. Slowly but surely, the ground began to tremble and four trees from four different directions were knocked to the ground. The altar trembled and was ripped into perfect halves. A bright flash of lightning blasted the altar into pieces. Andrea shielded her eyes.

"ANDREA!" a voice called from the Passage Of The Daemon and Rai suddenly appeared in the Hall Of The Daemon. He found Andrea surrounded by Daemon.

"So you really did come didn't you Rai? I must admit I initially doubted you would. I can't say I'm surprised though, on the contrary I am quite impressed. The fifth chain of Hephaestus really is formidable" the Daemon King said.

"Andrea" Rai called.

Andrea raised her eyes to stare at him.

"Rai? I remember" Andrea said.

"Then you know what to do don't you Andrea?" Rai said with a smile.

Andrea nodded with a smile, then assumed a determined expression.

"GOD WEAPON RAI! SWORD FORM!!!" Andrea called.

"As it is your will, so shall it be done!" Rai declared and transformed into a great sword of lightning.

He flew all about the Hall Of The Daemon, decimating the daemon surrounding Andrea and eventually settled in Andrea's hands. At that moment, the gauge in Andrea's Crystal Key turned completely green.

"As a Student Of The Academy Of The Old Living Everlasting Entity, I Andrea Rayne Of The Class Of Honours invoke the Protocol Excalibur…target; the Daemon King!" Andrea called.

There was a brilliant flash of light and when it disappeared, all the daemon were gone. Suddenly, Ryu appeared in the Passage.

"God-Weapon Rai, Human Form" Andrea called and Rai reverted back to his human form.

"Rai" Andrea cried as she hugged him.

"I used to hate the fifth chain of Hephaestus because it prevented me from staying a certain distance away from you…but now I'm actually grateful to my dad" Rai said.

"Yeah, you can continue the sweet talk later. Now that the Daemon King has been expelled, this entire space will soon collapse. I certainly don't want to be here when that starts to happen" Ryu said.

Rai knocked him on the head.

"Don't interfere stupid Ryu" he said calmly.

Suddenly the place started to quake.

"Told ya!" Ryu said with a laugh.

"No time to think about it!" Rai said as he suddenly lifted Andrea in his arms.

"I hope you can keep up Ryu" Rai said with a smirk.

"Don't push your luck Rai, Lightning may be fast, but nothing beats the rays of the Sun" Ryu challenged and the two boys fled the Hall Of The Daemon as it collapsed behind them.