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After Aurra hit the ground, there was a moment of shocked silence before the stadium erupted in gasps and whispers. Delta himself shot out of his seat and looked as though he was ready to leap down to the floor.

The rest of his friends were obviously concerned but thought his reaction was a little extreme.

"Look, Delta," Algon said, pulling him back from the railing. "I know that she's your friend, but stop freaking out! She's only exhausted her magic; that's nothing new."

Delta shook his head. "No, that's plenty of a reason to freak out. Aurra has a massive reserve; she's never run out of energy while we've been training. She's never even looked the slightest bit tired before."

Lydia fell back in her chair, eyes narrowed as she thought. James, on the other hand, jumped up and headed over the exit. "Let's go then! What are we waiting for?"

Chancellor Phanes stood up on his balcony, sending guards to pick her up immediately. He went with them and met up with James and his friends outside the stadium on the way to the infirmary.

"Oh, it's you again, my boy," he said with a hurried smile. "Are you this young lady's friend?"

James shook his head. "No, my friend Delta here is."

Phanes turned to him and clasped his hands, bowing his head. "I will make sure that she has the best care and attention in order to get her back to full health. You have my word."

Delta was stunned at this. A high figure in this region had just pledged to care for his friend, even though it had no real impact on him.

"Thank you, sir."

Chancellor Phanes smiled. "Like I told James over there, no need for sir. Phanes will do just fine. Now, let's get Aurra to the infirmary."

Phanes himself went with them, helping to gently carry Aurra down the street. Algon and Lydia were, at this point, completely in awe of the gryphon's kindness and compassion.

When they reached the infirmary, they were greeted by a team of Alchemists that had already been notified of her condition. Aurra was put into a ward and they were left outside in the lobby while she was being examined.

"I'm afraid that I must return to the stadium; I still have official duties to do," the Chancellor said remorsefully.

"That's absolutely ok, Chancellor," Delta said quickly. "Thank you for all of your help. We'll repay you in any way we can."

"Not a problem in the slightest. The only thing I would ask of you is to keep me informed on her condition. I wouldn't want any students getting hurt in my school, now!"

"Of course, Chancellor."

Phanes left, taking the guards with him, and the friends were left to find seats in the lobby and wait for the report on Aurra's condition.

"I can't believe how nice he is," Delta said, still in shock. "He didn't really have any reason for helping Aurra and yet he did anyway, even taking time away from his original objective to do so."

Lydia nodded. "Yeah, I'd say the same thing. I really want to talk to him later, too. James already did, the lucky idiot."

Algon and Delta spun to face him. "You've already spoken with the Chancellor? When? What'd you guys talk about?"

James rolled his eyes. "Calm down, you two. It was mostly an accident. I ran into him while waiting to ask Headmaster Nu for something. He happened to be there too, and we talked. Nothing special."

"Yes, but about what? Come on man, tell us!"

"Like I said, nothing much," James answered. "He asked me why I was there and I told him I was trying to get a sword for my weapon. I guess I also found out why he was on Rioyda, too, but the rest of you heard that from him later, so it doesn't really count for something special."

"So, you actually took my advice?" Algon laughed. "Finally! Did you manage to get a sword from Nu?"

James shook his head. "No, Chancellor Phanes actually gave me one."

"Well, then, let's see it. Might be a good way to pass the time while we're waiting."

James shrugged and pulled out the sword, setting it on his lap. His friends leaned closer to take a look at the blade and the ornate sigils covering it. Unsurprisingly, they were very impressed.

"Bit of a fancy sword," Delta said. "Why did the Chancellor give it to you?"

"He said that he just wanted to see it used in battle by a competent Pure Elementalist. Basically, a similar reason to the one he gave today, taking a look at the next generation and all."

"And there's nothing you need to do in return?"

"No, I just have to give it back at the end of the tournament. It's one of his heirlooms, so it's quite important."

"Does it have a name?" Algon asked. "Most weapons are named, especially old ones."

James put down the blade and pulled out the piece of paper that had been in the wrappings. He had kept it stored in his amulet since he had unwrapped the sword and had actually wanted to ask for the opinions of his friends on the matter.

"This letter from the Chancellor says that, based on the sigils and design, there's a very high likelihood that this is the sword Ruin, one of the blades that Lord Alcyrion created."

Everyone's eyebrows shot up.

"Holy cow!" Lydia shouted. "You didn't tell me that back in the stadium! And you call that nothing special!"

"Well, there were matches going on and I don't want anyone else to find out yet. What if this isn't actually the legendary sword at all? The historians said that there was only a high chance; it's not certain."

"I'm not well-versed in ancient history," Algon said, "especially not in this area of study, but can't you also base that analysis off the sword's abilities? What could Ruin do exactly?"

"According to legend, Ruin was able to cut through anything. This sword can as well, but it takes a monstrous amount of magic. I've been training with it for a while now and I still can't use it without getting exhausted."

Delta stood up and walked over to James. "Well, it was created by a God. He had a lot of power; maybe a weapon like this wasn't meant to be easily utilized by mortals." He hefted the sword, using both of his hands to pick it up as best as he could. "It certainly has the weight of a God's weapon. Didn't you tell us that Lord Alcyrion used two of these things, though?"

James nodded. "Yeah. I don't think I could, though. Lifting Ruin's like picking up a steel brick and then some."

Delta set down the sword with a thud as a female Alchemist walked into the room. "Hello, are you here waiting for Aurra?"

Delta quickly nodded. "Yes, that's us! Have you guys gotten here up and going yet?"

The woman smiled and shook her head. "No, her condition is giving us some difficulties. We would like to keep her longer as a result. She's not in any danger, we just need more time."

"That's... ok, I guess." Delta looked a bit stressed.

"Chill," Lydia said, swinging an arm around his shoulders. "Chancellor Phanes said that she would be in the best care possible. She'll be fine."

"I suppose so," said Delta. "Is there anything we could do to help?"

"Not particularly. Just go back to your dormitories and get a little rest. We can have a mage contact you when she's ready to leave. Although, if you're really looking to help, you could do us a small favor?"

"Anything."

She smiled. "Perfect! I have a report about Aurra's current condition and situation. It needs to be delivered to her team. They had another match directly after hers and couldn't come by to pick it up. They should still be back at the stadium; giving it to them would mean they wouldn't need to waste a trip down here."

"That won't be a problem," said Delta, taking the report from her. "We'll make sure it gets to the right hands."

James and his friends left the infirmary and headed back to the stadium, carrying the report with them.

"Out of curiosity, have you ever met her teammates?" Algon asked.

"No, I haven't. She talked about them a little though, and I think that they probably know who I am at least. Theres only 3 others on Dorian-5 from the Deckard Academy."

"That reminds me. I've been meaning to ask; did you ever find out what exactly the academy is? I've been wondering about that since your match."

Delta shrugged. "Aurra told me a couple of things, but only enough to get a general picture. Basically, it's another large school located several systems away from the Arcane Quintessium. Apparently, they've developed a bit of a rivalry over the years."

"Good! This will definitely be fun, then!"

After arriving at the stadium, Delta led the way to Deckard's seating. The 2 members of the team were sitting there, watching the ongoing match down below. James could see that one was a Sonreían, while the other was human. Delta waved, catching their eye, and they both glanced at each other before standing up and walking over.

"Hello there. What can we do for you?" The human greeted them politely.

"We're from the Arcane Quintessium and just came from the infirmary. They needed us to give you something."

The Sonreían nudged his partner. "Hey, it's that guy! The one that Aurra's been training with!"

He nodded. "Yes, I think I remember now. I assume you were just seeing her. How is she doing?"

"I don't actually know. The Alchemist told us that they needed her to stay longer. We didn't even have time to see her. But they did have this!"

Delta handed over the report, which was sealed in an envelope. The human took it and slid it into his shirt pocket.

"Thank you. I'll make sure that this gets back to our master." He held out a hand. "I'm Ubian, by the way. Nice to meet you all."

"Likewise," Delta said.

"My partner's Thraq and our other teammate is Inon. Even though we're technically rivals, your welcome by our dorm room anytime you want. A friend of Aurra's is a friend of ours."

"Thanks," said Delta, shaking his hand. "I'll have to take you up on that offer." He introduced James, Algon, and Lydia to the group, and they chatted a bit more before heading off.

"They're really nice," Lydia commented as they walked back to the dorms. "I mean, when I heard we were rivals, my mind went instantly to Ren and his team. But they weren't like that at all."

"Yeah, I thought the same thing too," James admitted a little sheepishly. "Kind of stupid, actually, especially since Delta's been spending so much time with their teammate."

"Speaking of Aurra, I do hope she's ok. Even though the Alchemists were telling us that everything was fine and all, I still can't help but worry."

James patted Delta on the back. "You know what? You need something to take your mind off of her for the time being, especially since we know that she'll recover. Let's go do some extra training while there's still light left in the day."

Delta sighed. "You're right, that will definitely help."

Algon quickly took the lead, heading towards the main gates of Rioyda. The others scrambled after him, amazed at his fast pace.

"Why the rush? Racing normally is Delta's thing, not your's."

"I'm excited to see Ran again. We've been having a lot of fun working together, I'm going to enjoy seeing you meet him again!"

Delta shuddered. "As long as he doesn't lick me to death again, I'll be fine with anything."

The path through the jungle was just as dark as the previous time, but Algon was confident and calm as he led the way. Lydia was also much more at ease.

They arrived in the clearing and it was still bright and cheery.

"Does anyone else come here?" James asked, looking around at the grass and trees. "Everything looks completely intact, and I don't think any student could be that careful when they train."

"There have been other teams here, actually, and they do a lot of damage to the forest. But it's really cool! The jungle just repairs itself overnight, and the animals I've seen don't seem to mind our presence at all."

"So then we don't have to hold back as much. Nice! James, you should show us some of your sword moves."

James unsheathed Ruin and began to show off what he had been privately working on. Delta and Lydia were watching intently, but Algon seemed a bit distracted.

"Hey," said Lydia suddenly. "Where's Ran? I thought he would have come by now."

"He doesn't show up every day, so that's not too weird," Algon admitted. "He does have other animal-things to do, after all."

"Then what's eating you?"

Algon furrowed his brow. "Hey guys, stop fighting for one second."

Delta and James looked up from where they had begun sparring. "Why, what's up?"

"Do you guys hear anything?" Algon said, peering out into the jungle.

They all listened closely but shook their heads. "No, why?"

"That's.... not normal." Algon walked a little ways towards the trees around the edge of the clearing. They seemed to press closer suddenly, the darkness creeping in behind them. "Normally I'd hear at least something, even while training. Bird sounds, maybe, or the rustle of insects and trees blowing in the wind. But this seems... almost dead."

James and Delta re-evaluated the forest, noting the eery stillness for the first time.

"You're right; that's kind of creepy."

"Something feels off with the whole situation. Can we head back?" Lydia asked, moving closer.

"Yeah," Delta said, looking around the clearing. "Let's get a bite to eat and head to the dorms."

As they left, the jungle seemed to close in even more, the path appearing to be much less welcoming than when they had walked in.

As they got ready for bed, James thought back over the situation in the clearing. "I feel a bit silly now for thinking that it was creepy. It's just some trees and shadows."

"I don't know," Algon answered. "My instincts are still telling me that something was odd. That silence just wasn't natural."

"It might have just been your imagination?" Delta offered.

Algon only shrugged, still thinking about it.

The next morning, they all woke up and headed to the cafeteria for some breakfast. Delta was in a much better mood; today was the day that Aurra would be released from the infirmary.

Sitting down at a table, the friends began to discuss their plans for the day, as well as what they would do now that Aurra was better. A small conversation reached James' ear the from other students sitting at their table, and he listened in.

"Delta, I think you should hear this."

"What, why?"

The students were talking about the previous night. Apparently, all of their Alchemist friends had been called to the infirmary overnight and hadn't been able to find any free time since.

"The infirmary! Aurra's there!"

Delta jumped up and headed for the door.

"Calm down!" James called, his friends following close behind. "You can't just jump to that conclusion. It could be anything."

"Yeah, but I have to go see. For all I know, something really bad..."

He was cut off by his amulet, which flashed brightly. Each of the others in the cafeteria did as well.

"It looks like a message is coming through. I wonder what for."

A magical screen formed and Headmaster Nu appeared, flanked in the background by 2 guards. "Hello, students. I am sorry to intrude upon this morning with some negative news. During the course of the previous night, a student admitted to the infirmary was discovered to have an unidentified source draining their energy and magic. As we do not know the cause of this condition, I urge all students with any signs of abnormal tiredness of fatigue to immediately visit the infirmary for diagnosis and treatment. In addition, Chancellor Phanes has suspended the tournament for the time being so we can concentrate all of our attention on curing this issue. Now, Mr. Teilion has a couple of additional announcements."

Nu was replaced by the hulking Captain.

"In light of recent events, we are permanently closing the borders of Rioyda. No students are allowed to venture into the jungle under any circumstances. Furthermore, if you see any Ikirian at all, please inform a guard immediately. Do not attempt to contact the Ikirian, and do not allow them inside the school UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. I trust these rules will be followed with utmost obedience."

The message ended and the cafeteria erupted into motion and sound. Delta himself bounded for the door, leaving the cafeteria and heading straight for the infirmary. To his shock, however, he found guards in front of the entrance.

"What are you doing? Let me in!"

"Unless you are showing symptoms, that will not happen. Move along!"

Delta looked like he was about to argue, but he was dragged away by James, and the group returned to their dorm room so he could cool down. They sat in silence for quite a while, simply running the message back through their heads.

Eventually, Algon spoke first. "It looks like that it was a bit more serious than we had initially thought."

"No kidding!"

"Calm down, Delta. We know you're worried, but yelling won't fix anything. That reminded me of a quarantine zone of sorts. They probably don't want anyone else getting hurt."

"Speaking of that little 'problem' the Headmaster Nu talked about, is losing magic that big of a deal? They're certainly making it one."

Algon shook his head. "It's not the fact that people are losing energy, it's the fact they don't know what's causing it. Most likely, the Alchemists and Chancellor Phanes don't want it to spiral out of control. What bothers me is what Mr. Teilion said at the end."

James gave him a confused look. "Why is that?"

"Think about it. They closed the borders for no apparent reason and SPECIFICALLY emphasized not contacting the Ikirian. They even want us to report when we see one."

Delta narrowed his eyes. "You're not suggesting that the species native to this planet behind this, are you?"

"I'm saying that it's a definite possibility, and I'd wager that most of the other students will come to the same conclusion."

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Lydia said. "They could just be trying to make sure everyone's safe."

Algon crossed his arms. "It still seems suspicious."

The rest of the day was very choppy, the announcement disrupting normal activities and sending the students into a frenzy. Delta tried to see the Chancellor in order to see if he could visit Aurra, but he was nowhere to be found. James eventually settled for training in the small hall with Algon, but they remained distracted no matter how hard they tried focusing on their work.

Overall, it was largely uneventful, with only the morning remaining clear in everyone's mind. James met with his friends back in the dorm as the light faded from outside.

"Hey, where's Delta?" he asked, looking around.

"I'm not sure. I know he was going to see Chancellor Phanes, but I haven't seen him since."

"Wait a minute, I forgot to tell you guys." Lydia pulled out her amulet to show that she had received a message from him just a short while ago. "He said that he had gotten permission to stay in the lobby of the infirmary. The guards left for the night and it's mostly quiet. I think he's planning to sneak into Aurra's room to see her."

James facepalmed. "Ugh, the idiot. I guess if he got permission inside, it can't be a total quarantine, but still."

"That is exactly like him," Algon laughed. "I guess we'll head down to meet him in the morning."

They turned off the lights and went to bed. James ended up falling asleep easily and didn't really dream about anything in particular. However, he was woken up by the quiet chime of his amulet.

"Delta's calling? What time is it?" he groaned, rolling over and wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"It's something like midnight," Lydia yawned as she crawled over, Algon scooting up on the bed as well. "Let's just see what he needs and head back to sleep. I'm exhausted."

James opened the call and Delta's face appeared, cloaked in shadow, with the room pitch black behind him.

"Oh, thank the gods you finally picked up," he whispered. "I've been calling for several minutes straight."

"What do you want, Delta?" Algon said, a bit snappily. "It's the middle of the night."

"Well, I think your earlier theory might be a bit more right than we thought."

"What the heck do you.... Delta, why do you look so stressed? And are you hiding under one of the chairs?"

He nodded, looking incredibly worried. "Like I said, I think your theory was a bit more accurate than we thought."

"What are you saying?"

He swallowed hard, talking just under his breath. "Something just crawled in through the window of the lobby. The scratching noise woke me up and I managed to hide as the window was opened."

"Oh. My. God. Are you alright?" Lydia whispered.

"I think so. I couldn't get a clear look, but I think I saw some wings, and what looked to be a hard shell. It also had shining eyes, and its feet made clicking noises on the floor as it walked. It didn't move like any species I've ever seen before either! It left the room a little while ago, and I started calling after I was sure the coast was clear. Honestly, I've been scared to even breathe."

James tried to steady his nerves, now fully awake. "Stay where you are. We'll get help down there as soon as we can."

"Got you. I'll make sure to stay out of sight." Delta glanced behind himself suddenly. "Wait a minute! What was that?"

"What's wrong? Is it back!"

He shook his head frantically. "I heard a noise, like a small crash. I think it came from upstairs!"

"You idiot! Stay where you are!"

"I have to go check; Aurra could be in danger! Come down as soon as you can." He was breathing heavily, eyes wide. "Please, I need your help! Hurry!"

The image shook as he crawled out from under the chair, unholstering both of his pistols with a click. He then bolted off towards the stairs, the message cutting off.