The Demons of Shadow Moon

Part 23 - Hiro Mashima

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Luna asked nervously, her hands fidgeting in front of her.

"Well, I think our priority should be calming Hiro down. If we can do that, we won't need to engage the dragons," Eclipse told them, her voice steady and composed.

"But how do we get out?!" Echo demanded to know, her eyes scanning the room for any possible exits.

"Ah!" Kazuko suddenly exclaimed, his finger pointing towards the wall.

"Don't you dare-" Umemi snapped at him, knowing all too well what Kazuko was about to do.

But it was too late. Kazuko had already begun to feel along the wall.

"Should be somewhere around here..." he mentioned.

Suddenly, it collapsed on top of him, creating a cloud of smoke and dust.

"We're free!!!" Atomu cheered, his excitement contagious.

"Well, that's new..." Kakashi muttered as Umemi panicked, quickly assessing the situation.

"Did Hiro do that...?" Echo asked, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"I think that's a good assumption..." Eclipse mumbled, her eyes narrowing in concentration.

"Incorrect," mentioned Kyou as he walked into sight from the smoke with Haru, his hands lit ablaze.

The hole in the wall led to a stairway that went up, which must have been how they were brought down there.

"There was... a switch..." the crushed Kazuko croaked from under the rubble.

"YOU HAVE FIRE MAGIC??!!!!" Atomu raged, looking at Kyou with envy.

"Well, it's about time you showed up," Echo sighed, relief evident in her voice.

"A thousand apologies, Mistress," Haru bowed, his eyes downcast in deference.

"I didn't know you had magic!! That was amazing!!" Luna fangirled.

"Thanks. I learned about elemental magic after the late king took us in..." Kyou explained, a little embarrassed.

"They don't even need gloves?!! FIRE MAGIC'S SUPPOSED TO BE MY THINGGG!! What's the point of me even existing anymore?!!" Atomu cried, feeling very left out.

"I mean, I know a few metal magic too. I can create iron, steel, copper-"

"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU USE THAT TO SMASH DOWN THE WALL?!!" Atomu raged, feeling even more left out.

"I didn't need to... demons are pretty strong even without magic. I just punched it when I heard your voices. My fire magic kinda set off on its own from the strain," Kyou mentioned, trying to calm Atomu.

"YOU'RE A TOTAL BADASS!! THIS IS SO UNFAIR!!" Atomu cried, feeling far more inferior.

"Welcome to the League of the Underworld," Eclipse mentioned.

"How did you learn about so many elements? You must have studied for at least a decade to be that skilled," Echo challenged Kyou, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Well... we were taken in by a great teacher," Kyou informed her with a hint of nostalgia to his voice.

"Hey, why don't you study metal too, Echo? I'm sure Kyou could help you! Then you could create weapons whenever you wanted!" Luna suggested, her face lighting up with excitement.

"... learning new elemental magic takes time. And... I don't actually like using magic anyway. I'll just stick with what I know," Echo answered, her discomfort evident in her voice.