Duskaea and the Fatum Family

An Unexpected Monster

•Grey's P.O.V•

I woke up on a giant, soft aloe vera leaf bed. I remembered nothing, but my brother's betrayal. Blaze really pissed me off.

"Where am I?" I thought to myself. It's a garden, full of different flowers. Clueless of where I am, I stood up on my feet. In the near distance, I saw a waterfalls. I approached it, there many beautiful animals around. Some of them are already endangered. A leash of small, sand-colored foxes hopped at me.

"Aww....that's cute." I uttered, while they bark happily.

"Can you show me where to go from here?" this is so stupid. How can a fox understand human language?

"Arf!" they barked happily at me.

"Oh, you do understand our language." I spoke. They guided me through the forest. When we went outside, I gazed at the bright, golden castle. There are four pillars on each corner of the castle. There are bridges from the castle that connects to the pillars too. Where is this exactly?

The foxes returned inside the forest, and left me here. There's another forest up ahead. Maybe the animals from the forest I'm in are not supposed to be in this forest I'm gazing at right now. After all, the forest seems to be swampy, and I can also feel a dark presence from it.

"Let's not try to go there." I thought to myself. As I started to walk to another path, I saw two enormous, ogre-like creatures approaching me.

"Hey there! Another new food for us. We're so lucky right now." one of the ogres uttered. I started to run away from them.

"Hey! Where are you going? Come back here!" the ogres started to rush as well, but fortunately, they're slow.

"Oh, is this the snack you've been talking about?" an unexpected ogre blocked my way. He grabbed me by the hips. His grasp is too tight, that I can't slip through.

"Oh, that's a good catch, Dokor. Now, let's start our meal." the yellowish green ogre uttered, but before they eat me, a blinding light appeared, and scared the ogres off. I closed my eyes before gazing at its bright essence.

"Grey! You're finally awake." A man that wore a silver armor with a white cape uttered.

"Wait, is that you, Maddox?" I was surprised.

"Well, yes, but please don't call me by that name anymore. You'll call me by my original name from now on." he announced.

"Okay, then 'Lycino'." I said.

"Are you ready for the training?" Lycino asked me.

"Yes. This is a requirement in order to save them."

"Well, that's what I like. Never giving up, but we're still waiting for another person."

"Hey morons, what are you waiting for? New year? Come on, there's no time hanging around." as Lycino finished his sentence, another person came out of the shadows. That voice is familiar.

"Well, Blaze. Ready to beat me up?" I sarcastically said.

"Let's start with the bunch of the ogres you've encountered a while ago." he ordered. The plan will work, and here I will become stronger.

~Seven hours earlier, after the robots attacked~

•Serus' P.O.V•

The kid named Rhys was an enemy after all. I need to see this plan of Blaze's.

"Rhys just told you that there was a traitor among us. Now, let me tell you the whole story." Blaze said.

"I acted on my own, and got myself into trouble, okay?! Now, don't laugh at me, idiots. I was separated with Arlo when we're locating you. I saw a gem, similar to the crystals our father can make, but I am hooked by that kid. I needed to play along, in order to be safe." he explained.