THE HISTORY REPEATS

The Calm Before The Storm

"Everyone, please gather in a circle," instructed Corsone. The group complied with his request, forming a circle around him. Corsone proceeded to address Key directly.

"But before training! Key, I have something to share with you first." Corsone then produced a glass orb filled with smoky vapor, offering it to Key.

"What is this?" Key inquired with curiosity.

"This is the your memory from the past but only you can see this , thought might be important ," Corsone explained, placing the orb in Key's hands. "Now, clear your mind of all distractions and concentrate solely on the memory."

Key attempted to follow Corsone's instructions, but found it difficult to clear his mind.

"Don't worry, it's difficult for a lot of people ," Corsone reassured him. He then asked Key to lie down on the ground and began to speak again.

"Imagine a vast white space with nothingness. Slowly, the white space begins to fade away." Key followed Corsone's guidance, but suddenly felt an intense burning sensation in his eyes. He screamed in agony, but the sound of his own voice was muffled.

Unable to bear the pain any longer, Key opened his eyes. He rubbed them to alleviate the discomfort and pleaded with Corsone, "I can't do this ."

To his surprise, Key saw Lars standing in front of him. However, Lars was not looking at him, but rather through him. Key turned around and saw something that left him astounded.

It was the sword of honor, encased in glass. But instead of heading towards the sword, Lars went in the opposite direction. Key noticed that there was a baby wrapped in a blanket, fast asleep. Lars picked up the baby and spoke, "Oh Key Joshson, you are the heir of the sword now. You are going to unlock the sword for me. You are going to get blamed in the end, not me."

The baby began to cry loudly, and Lars shook him roughly. "Why are you crying, Key? You have so much to bear. You will witness your father being dragged through dungeons, but too bad for you, you won't even remember all of this by then. It was me who did it because you're just a stupid baby."

Lars then led Key to the sword and, with the baby's hand, removed it from the case. The older Key, who was watching this memory unfold, was in disbelief.

Key felt a sudden jolt and found himself lying on the floor of the secret room in the castle. As he tried to regain his bearings, Corsone appeared at his side. "What did you see?" he asked urgently.

"It was Lars," Key managed to gasp, still coughing. "He took me when I was a baby and used me to unlock the sword. He even planned to accuse Dad for everything. He had it all planned out long before."

The gravity of the situation weighed heavily on Key as he spoke, and he struggled to catch his breath. Corsone listened intently, his expression grim.

Max extended a hand to help Key up. "So we're confirmed, at least confirmed that it is Lars," he said.

Corsone wasted no time in getting everyone back into a circle. "We don't have time," he said urgently. "We're all confirmed that Lars has the Sword of Honour. What's the plan, Mia?"

"Well, first we have to find Lars and take the Sword of Honour," Corsone replied.

"How are we sure that Croclus is even back? Maybe Lars is just in the process of getting him," Key interjected.

Corsone shook his head. "The time you touched the Sword of Honour, Croclus regained his life, he is be back. Can't you feel it, Key?"

"How can I feel it?" Key asked, still confused.

"Well, do you ever feel your eyes burning when you're in deep thought or something similar?" Corsone asked.

"I do sometimes ," Key replied, beginning to understand.

"That's the symbol that he has regained his power. He is just collecting his followers. Key, remember, it's you and your friends versus Croclus. It means you are stronger than him," Corsone said in-courageously

Key nodded, steeling himself for what was to come.

Corsone instructed everyone to train harder and pushed them to their limits. Nat practiced using his Aqualume, Mends honed his thunderbolt, and Cally worked on her Aerostaff. Key worked on his sword fighting skills as well as his other powers.

The group trained tirelessly for days, pushing themselves to the brink of exhaustion. Corsone was relentless in his training, driving them to be the best they could be. Slowly but surely, they began to see improvements in their abilities.

Nat's control over water became more precise, Mends' thunderbolt became more powerful, and Cally's control over the air became more refined. Key's sword fighting skills became more fluid and he was able to use his powers with greater ease.

As the days passed, they grew stronger and more confident. They knew that they would need every ounce of strength they could muster if they were to face Croclus and his followers. Corsone made sure they were ready for anything.

Days passed by in intense training, and the group worked tirelessly to hone their skills. One night, as they were all sound asleep, Key suddenly woke up screaming in pain. His eyes were burning unbearably, and the pain was spreading to his cheeks. Everyone woke up in a panic, trying to figure out what was wrong with Key.

Mends asked Key to open his eyes, but he couldn't. Key screamed in agony, feeling like his eyes were about to melt out. "Please do something," he begged.

Mia quickly sprang into action, covering Key's eyes with her hands. The pain slowly began to dissipate, and Key felt some relief. "He's back," Corsone said with a heavy heart. "We can't wait any longer. We have to go tomorrow."

The group knew that the time had come to face evil. They had trained hard for this moment, and they were ready to do whatever it takes to stop him. With their powers and skills honed to perfection, they set out to face their greatest challenge yet.