Project 7 the First: The Hero's Great Come Back

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

It was another fine day. Lance was walking to his team head quarters. Then, he saw everybody outside standing an looking at the door like there was something wrong. When he got closer, he saw a note on the door.
It read:

Project 7,

Please meet at Myomi Temple in thirty minutes. We will be having an activity today, so prepare yourselves... or else.

-Mr. McGuillon

"Where the hell is that supposed to be?" asked Bryan.
"Don't you spend some time reading?" said Shannelle. "Myomi Temple is located deep in the northern forest. It's an underground temple where the secrets of the former 7 Legendary Pillars of Light. So far there were two teams who got that title."
"Whoah," Bryan said in awe. "Now I want to go there! I always looked up to the former 7 Legendary Pillars of Light. They're so powerful."
"The northern forest is far," said Albert. "Master is getting crazy saying that we have to meet there in thirty minutes."
"What are we waiting for then?" said Roderick. "Let's go!"
"But how will we get there?" asked Gavin.
"We have to fly over there. It's the fastest way," said Shannelle.
So, they all agreed to the idea and followed Shannelle outside. Shannelle started transforming and opened her spell book. She chanted a few words and summoned a gryffin. It was as big as a van. It had a long, yellow beak and scarlet feathers. It can approximately carry three people.
They were wondering how they all could fit. Shannelle suggested for a second batch, but they thought that it will consume more time. Suddenly, Lance had an idea.
He decided to summon his pet bird. Everybody was exchanging looks thinking how could Lance summon if he does not have powers to begin with.
"I don't mean magically summon. He just comes to my need everytime I call for him," Lance explained.
"So, where is this he now?" Marjorie asked.
Then, Lance whistled loudly that it was very high-pitched. Afterward, it became peaceful again; however, it was just for a short while. Suddenly, a white bird soared down on them landing on Lance's shoulder. It was Averugius.
"Guys, meet Averugius," Lance introduced. "You can also call him Rugi for short."
"Are you kidding me? We're supposed to ride on that thing?" Marjorie said. "You're going insane."
"Are you sure?" Lance snapped his fingers. Rugi flapped his wings and transformed into a huge white phoenix. It was the size of two helicopters.
When Marjorie saw Rugi's size, her jaw dropped. She was surprised to see him so big.
"Wow," Bryan exclaimed. "Where did you get him?"
"I found him injured in the woods during my hunt. He kinda likes me, so I kept him as a pet," Lance explained.
"Wow! And he's a rare species. You can't find kinds like him anywhere. You're a lucky guy!" Albert said.
"Thanks," Lance said. "Come on! We need to get going."
Shannelle, Albert and Roderick rode on the gryffin while the rest rode on Averugius. Lance was standing on his neck like he was used to riding his pet while standing. His teammates where worried for him, but he just looks fine.
They started to first flew slowly across the city. Then, Lance warned them to hold on tightly. Suddenly, with one flap of the phoenix's wings, they went flying like a speed jet. They were soaring so fast that they almost fell off. The gryffin tried to catch up, but it still could not get close.

When they have landed on the area, they were starting to get dizzy. Marjorie barffed on some bushes. She probably did not want another ride returning to the academy.
They went deeper into the woods to find the entrance to the temple, but they can not seem to find it. Then, they saw a standing torches. It seemed weird at first, but Roderick finally understood.
"It seems here that the entrance to the underground temple is hidden in a barrier," he said.
"Really? How did you know?" Shannelle asked.
"Duh. Wouldn't you think of it to be weird to find a torch standing in the middle of a forest?"
"Well. I thought barriers should be visible," said Shannelle.
"Some are not," Roderick said. "You see, this is a different barrier from what I use. This is the Five-torched Barrier. It is a barrier that is maintained by five torches standing in different areas surrounding the specific object that it wants to protect. This barrier is a special one. It makes the specific object inside invisible to the naked eye. Not only that, but it also burns the thing or person who toches the barrier. As long as the flames of the torches are out, the barrier is activated; but if the flames are to be lighted, then the barrier will turn off."
"So, we will just light them up?" asked Gavin.
"Not really," said Roderick. "A special flame is used to light the torches. It's a secret technique that was passed down from generations to generations."
He transformed and wielded a hand sign and said, "Five-torched Barrier releasing flames." He separated his hands. Suddenly, his right hand was burning with green flames. He slowly approached the torch and placed his palm over the torch. Then, the torch lit with green fire.
"There. We have one down," said Roderick. "The four other torches shouldn't be that far."
They went to find the other torches which were not located far from each other. After lighting all the torches, the barrier disappeared.
They thought that they solved the problem, but they did not. They saw a huge circular disc on the ground. It was painted with ten weird symbols on the outline. In the middle was a figure of a lotus. When Albert observed it, he finally recognized it.
"This one's a strong seal," said Albert.
Everybody looked at him like he was crazy. A sword wielder who knows seals. They thought that Roderick should know this right away, but they were wrong.
"I may be a sword magus, but my people also specialize in casting or breaking seals," said Albert. "This one is called the Ten Corners of a Lotus." He walked in the middle of the disc and said, "There is no time explain what kind it is. Once I release the seal, all of you stand on one symbol each."
Albert transformed first. He sat in the middle and started the ritual. He put his hands together and said, "Ten Corners of a Lotus, scatter!"
Suddenly, different swords appeared and circled around him. Then, the radius got wider until the swords stuck to the ten different symbols. "Quick, everybody stand on a symbol!" he said.
So, they all did. The disc started to wane except the lotus and the ten different symbols. Afterward, they all descended underground.
A man was standing in front of them. They did not quite see him clearly because it was dark. Then, fire started to light up the area. They were already in front of the gate to the temple. The man standing in front of them was none other than Mr. McGuillon in his transformation.
He was happy to see everyone to make it on time.
"I'm proud of everyone here!" he announced with a grin. His expectations were right after all.
"Master, why did you make us go through all the trouble just for a field trip?" Marjorie asked aggressively.
"Well, it's not trouble," Mr. McGuillon clarified. "Your training starts here, so I ordered you to come here. I'm not your parent that holds your hand and guide you to where you should go. You should learn to go and travel to different places on your own."
"Are we the only team who'll be staying here?" asked Bryan.
"Yes!" Mr. McGuillon said. "And I summoned you all here because I need to show you something."
They gathered behind their teacher and followed him to the gate.
The gate was a tall and red one. It looked plain. Suddenly, the gate opened; and a man was standing in white robes. He had a clean head and a serious face.
Mr. McGuillon approached closer to the man like they knew each other. The others just remained behind him and watched what would happen next.
"Hey! Long time no see, Sedrick!" Mr. McGuillon greeted happily.
"Jarvis, what are you doing here?" asked Sedrick still with a glum look.
"Not so happy to see me, eh?" Mr. McGuillon said. "Anyway, I brought my students here today to show them around. Well, I'm not that aware of the place, so could I ask you to show them around for me?"
Sedrick suddenly smiled and said, "Don't mind if I do." He turned and walked inside. The others just followed him.
It looked very ancient inside. It looked like the underground forbidden city of China except there were real monks training and fighting each other.
"As you can see, these monks are training to become stronger and protect the secrets that are hidden inside this temple," said Sedrick.
"What kind of secrets are hidden in here?" Lance asked.
"A lot to mention," replied Sedrick as they continued walking. "This temple has been here for decades already keeping secrets of all kinds especially about the former two Seven Legendary Pillars of Light."
They walked inside the main temple. It was huge inside with shelves filled with scrolls. They were probably arranged by alphabetical order. The columns were the color of ruby with jade dragons decorated around each column. There a lot of doors as well.
"Welcome to the Myomi Temple!" Sedrick said proudly as they stopped in the middle of the lobby.
Everybody was awestruck with the structure and the scrolls that were arranged in the shelves. There were like millions of them.
"Wow, there are these many secrets about the world of magic?" asked Roderick in awe.
"Yes," replied Sedrick as he was amused of their reaction. "Follow me."
They walked through a door to the left. When they walked through the doorway, they were even more amazed. It was the room where all the secrets of the Legendary Pillars of Light.
"These are our most valuable treasures," said Sedrick.
There was a path leading to the middle of the room. Underneath the path was lava. On the walls were fourteen statues of the sacred heroes on the sculpted in different parts of the room.
"Now, you might think that this is it, but behind those statues are individual secrets of these heroes. As you walk to the middle, a path will lead you to the hero that is similar to you. What I mean by similar is similar to character and not ability. It is up to you if you will follow their footsteps or even surpass them," explained Sedrick. "I'll first introduce the first group who got the title. We have Ezra Dynamo, specializes in Sealing Barriers; Edna Dynamo, specializes in Barriers as weapons. She was the first ever to experiment such technique and also Ezra's twin sister. Ezra may be a talented sealing specialist, but rumor has it that he did not seal the volcanoes during the Great Battle. He used some sort of teleporting technique. Next is Sandra Shevon, a plasma specialist. Her clan was very popular way back because they spit strong formulated plasmas from their mouths. Sandra was the only one who uses plasma balls from outside her body. Abigail Juvian, a blood manipulator like your fellow teacher; Fred Orwen, laser specialist. Fred originally specialized in lightning, but he discovered laser shock. He found out that he was better in that, so he kept using it. Because of that there was a risk to his unique ability, so it lead him to his end. We have next is Don Alvin, a special earth elemental who manipulates it anything into different particle sizes. He was also the last survivor during the Great Battle, and he was also Kenkyona Shimo's best friend. Last, we have the leader of this team, Kenkyona Shimo. Everybody is familiar with him of course. There's this one detail. He used to be an ordinary human being. When he was a child, he was given a necklace that gave him his powers. Sadly, that necklace went missing after the Great Battle when he died. People have been looking for this until now. It might be in the wrong hands. That necklace hides a strong power. If it goes to the wrong hands, it will be doom for us all."
Everybody seemed very attentive to the explanation. They were in awe. Some had their jaws dropped.
"You sure do know a lot," said Mr. McGuillon feeling proud for him.
"Of course," Sedrick agreed. "Let's move on to the next group. First, we have Zander Montez. He is a fire manipulator. He is known for his blazing glave also known as the Torch of the Stars. Shin Uragawa, a smart tactician and also a water elemental. Gary Oliver, a chain wielder. He was known for his technique called the Tarantula. Andy Garrison, an explosives specialist. He went missing, and he still cannot be found until now. Cindy Darion, a summoning professional. She was a chanter, but she kept doing it wrong. Her only spell that was right was a summoning spell. Next is the famous Yura Ur, an archer. He also founded the Land of the Eagle's Blessing. He had the keenest eyes. They even say that his eyes are sharper than an eagle's. Last, we have their leader, Arvin Arclight. He was the fastest swordsman. He was a called Million's Blade because he wielded a lot. He had a tragic story though. He-"
Suddenly, Albert stopped him from continuing his explaining. He could not bear his pain anymore.
"Don't talk about him if this kid is around," said Mr. McGuillon to Sedrick.
"Why? Who is this child?" asked Sedrick.
"This is Arclight's son," replied Mr. McGuillon. "He is very familiar with his father's story, so you don't have to continue it."
"I see," said Sedrick. "So, I'll just move on." He faced the students and said, "You will walk there one-by-one. Remember, walk to the path that you are destined to follow. There will be someone waiting for you on the other side of the statue."
Eveybody seemed to understand. They were excited to have their turns.
Albert was still depressed about his dad. He wished that he should not have come to the place. He wanted to go home and lie on his bed. Then, Lance put his arm around him and said, "I don't want to say that 'It's okay'. It will just intimidate you. The thing is don't anybody's death get in your way. Their death is a symbol of heroism. They want us to be inspired, so that we could become like them or even stronger."
Albert lifted his head and said, "You just don't know of having a dead family member. It's a burden. You don't know how it-"
"Feels?" said Lance continuing his sentence. "You're right. You just don't understand. If you were in his shoes, would you do the same thing?"
That phrase hit him.
"You must stay strong no matter what," said Lance. "If you want your dad to be proud of you, then you must become strong and surpass him."
Lance patted his back and left him. Albert started to realize that he was right. He must become stronger, so that he could be acknowledged by everybody.
"Okay, let's start. You, over there," said Sedrick referring to Albert. "You'll be the first."
Albert was startled to know that he was the first one to be called. He nervously approached Sedrick. He wiped his eyes with his arm and started to overcome his problem.
"Just walk through the aisle and stand in the middle. You know what to do after," explained Sedrick.
So, Albert started walking. He was nervous inside. Who would be his inspiration? He walked faster until he reached the middle. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, an aisle as green as emerald showed to his right. His eyes followed where it lead. He was shocked to see that it lead to the statue of his dad. He felt teary eyed again, but he remembered to stay strong.
He walked to the path where he was supposed to go. The statue sank in the walls. Behind the statue was a small room. When Albert entered, the statue rose from the walls and hid the room.
Everyone took a turn, and they did not expect whom they got. Bryan got Don Alvin. He thought at first how could he be similar to him. He was the magus that Bryan would want last. He said that Don was annoying among all the fourteen. He always think high of himself. When the others thought of it, they did not bother to counteract because they thought that they both were meant for each other.
Marjorie had Gary Oliver. She was expecting someone like Abigail Juvian, but she got a guy. She was very depressed, but she did not care anymore.
Roderick got his ancestor. He was expecting Ezra, but it turned out to be Edna. Maybe Roderick needed lessons on combat using barriers. He wanted to learn more about sealing using barriers because he was good at it.
Gavin was expecting the legendary Yura Ur. He dreamed of him all his life. He wanted to be just like him, but things sometimes were not meant for some. He got irritated when he got Fred Orwen. He wanted to back out, but it was too late for that.
Shannelle got what she wanted. She got Cindy Darion. When she knew that, she was leaping with joy to the room with the secrets. She was so excited.
Lance was the last. He was walking to the middle. He felt shaky inside that he was the last because Mr. McGuillon and Sedrick were looking at him. Maybe Mr. McGuillon told Sedrick about his situation while he was walking. When Lance reached the middle. He first stated at his feet. It took a while before his path was shown. An icy blue ray of light beamed towards the statue of Shimo. He was shocked to know. It was like a coincidence that he got Shimo.
Mr. McGuillon got more curious about Lance. He wanted to follow him, but Sedrick stopped him.
"Could he be?" said Mr. McGuillon in awe. He was very suspicious from the day that they sparred.
"Do not disturb with what's going on. It is the oracle's turn to tell his prophecy. Let's see in the future what this boy will achieve," Sedrick said.

When Lance entered the room, the entrance suddenly disappeared. It became a wall. He looked around the room. It was bigger compared to the other rooms. It was the size of a classroom. Shelves filled with scrolls stood against the baby blue walls. There also long tables in different sides of the room. An ice statue of Shimo stood in the middle. It looked newly sculped.
"That's been there for several years already," said an old female voice.
Lance looked behind the sculpt statue. He saw an old lady around 80 or 90 was sitting on a wooden chair with cushion supporting her back and bottom. She also wore white robes like Sedrick's, and her hair was messy like it was not combed for ages already.
"That is an ice sculpture that never melts even if you throw it in lava. It stands strong like a rock," said the old lady.
Lance walked toward her slowly as if he was making sure it was safe.
"Don't be scared, lad. I'm just an oracle. I mean no harm," she said with an old voice as if there were dust in her throat. "Lance, is it?"
"Yes," said Lance with shock. She's amazing, Lance thought.
"I know many things, boy. I know you are currently being underestimated by people in your school, but you are hiding a secret that you really have powers. Don't worry. Your secret is safe. Please sit," she insisted. She snapped her fingers, and a chair same as what she was sitting on poofed out of nowhere.
Lance approached her slowly and sat on the chair. He was feeling tensed.
"Loosen up, Lance," she said as she giggled.
"I'm sorry. It's just that I'm not used to one-on-one with a stranger," said Lance.
She giggled some more and said, "You may not know me, but I know a lot about you. I am Eleanor, one of the oracles in this temple," she said. "These scrolls around us hold histories of the man who came before you. You see, Shimo was like you; but he was born a mortal. You have parents who were born magus of different kinds. He got powers the same way you did. It's easy to tell if a person is a frost mage."
"Really?"
"Frost mages usually have a golden-brown/ blonde hair color when they are in their mortal forms," Eleanor replied.
"But why do people in my academy don't know?" Lance asked.
"Because frost mages are really rare these days. Only a few know this. Am I right, Pagos?" said Eleanor.
"Yes," Pagos agreed.
"I really want to tell you about the story of the Land of Frost," said Eleanor sadly, "but time is indeed short. I'm going to tell you your prophecy."
"I'm listening," said Lance as he pulled his chair closer to Eleanor to listen clearly.
"You will be fighting against your own comrade. It is up to you if you will be his guide or his target. Indeed you will become stronger, but it will consume your conscience. This madness of yours will allow siblings to fight against each other; and, due to that, a life will be lost. You will walk a path alone and unlock a power that is beyond godlike; however, you must be careful because this power might even end your life. You will be needing help from a fox. He will be guiding you until you become a legendary hero," Eleanor foretold.
Lance was beginning to doubt everything she said. In his situation, he will not be able to get anywhere. He is not even done with his training. He still has a long way to go.
Lance began laughing insanely.
"What's the matter, boy?" asked the old woman.
"You expect me to believe in this?" he said as he was still laughing.
"Laugh all you want," warned Eleanor, "but this is what I foresaw in my dream."
"Sorry, but I'm just not the type of person who believes in those stuff," said Lance as he was scratching his scalp. "Obsession for power? I'm not that type of person."
"Lance, give respect to Miss Eleanor," warned Pagos.
"Whatever," Lance said as he stood from his chair. "I think I'll be going."
"Please forgive this boy, Miss Eleanor," said Pagos.
"It's okay," said Eleanor. "I understand. For now, he won't believe what I am saying; but there will come a time when he'll truly understand."
"Nice meeting you, Miss Eleanor!" Lance said with a smile. He turned, and the door appeared. He left the room without turning back. As he left, he was filled with doubts. Was she telling the truth? Did she meant everything about it? He just could not clear his mind.
Lance saw everyone standing at the end of the aisle. It seemed that he was the last one. Everybody was talking about what they learned. Some were giggling while some were serious.
"Okay," said Mr. McGuillon, "now that the crew is complete, we will be heading for our first mission."
Everybody was cheering. They were excited for their first mission. They thanked Sedrick and left the temple.
"So, where is our first mission?" Marjorie asked.
"We are going to Egypt!" Mr. McGuillon said enthusiastically.
"Isn't that too far from here?" miserably asked Roderick.
"It's okay," said Lance. "We can all ride on Rugi to take us there in a flash."
"Wh-what?" Marjorie was shaking. Riding that bird again would be the last thing she would ever do.
"Don't be such a sourpuss, Marjorie," said Albert. "How bad could it be?"
"You don't know because you haven't tried," Marjorie said.
"Enough. Just be thankful that we have a ride," said Mr. McGuillon.
So, everybody just got on Averugius and flew off to their first mission.
Just when Lance was about to take flight. He felt uneasy.
Just a few more days til the end, said a deep voice in his head.
He was wondering who could that be. He ignored the voice and just flew to Egypt with the gang.

***End of Chapter 28***