Equan looked at Bandit, and then back at Onyx, then looked at Bandit again.
It seemed Michael and Gabriel were doing the same, and even Leo had a confused look on his face.
"Nope! Who the hell is Luke? I mean look at my eyes, they are red, I'm sure that guy doesn't have red eyes."
A tall woman, who turned out to be Professor Zelenna walked over and tilted her head.
"Luke!"
She ran over, throwing her arms around him and chuckling.
"NO NOT LUKE!"
He screamed shoving her off of him.
"Have you been drinking?"
He asked raising an eyebrow and completely changing the topic.
She frowned and looked at him for a moment.
"You are definitely Luke... Kids look isn't it nice of Professor Luke to actually do something for the greater good for once!"
She exclaimed with a smirk on her face.
Bandit put his gloved hands on his face and groaned.
"Gods... Can a man not have a cool alias?"
"Bandit isn't a cool name."
Onyx said flatly.
"Neither is The Black Dragon! I mean look at you Onyx, how the hell are you called a dragon? You look nothing like a dragon!"
Michael chuckled, and Gabe looked quite reluctant to even be here.
Equan reached up and snagged the bandana off of Bandit's face.
"My gods... You are Luke!"
He yelled, as his teacher's face was sure enough behind the mask, just with crimson eyes instead of the eyes he wore at Phoenix Academy.
Equan wasn't sure whether to be confused, upset that he had lied, or grateful that his social society teacher had taken the time to seek him out and even bring him to meet a goddess.
'So many damn plot twists...'
He thought, handing the bandana back to his mentor.
Quickly putting the bandana back over his mouth, he looked around.
Everyone was quite silent, including Leo which was quite strange.
"Weird..."
Onyx muttered.
"I agree. This whole situation seems to have changed the entire demeanor of this coming battle..."
Luke quietly spoke, rubbing his chin from underneath the bandana.
"Maybe fate?"
Zelenna cut in.
"I disagree. Fate does not play a part in people's independent choices."
The girl with elven markings cut in.
"I'm sorry but do litterly any of us know you?"
Michael asked with some annoyance on his face.
"Nope! Never met her, get lost girly."
Leo said with a deadpanned expression.
She frowned, and kicked Leo in the back of his knee, knocking him into a kneeling position.
"Really?"
He looked up at her, clearly frustrated.
"Anyway... All of us are here, Gideon! Neveah! Come over here!"
Zelenna yelled.
Another man was walking over as well, this one carrying an immensely strong aura, and wore an ivory mask with no eye holes, let alone any holes on the mask.
"Ah, so the faceless man makes his entrance as well..."
Onyx sighed.
He grunted, standing next to Michael with the body language of an over protective big brother.
"Gideon?"
Equan asked, looking over at the top heavy boy who had been on the same Aetherball team as him.
"Equan? Michael? Leo?"
Neveah of House Evermore walked over as well, right behind Gideon. She was eating from a plastic bowl and spoke with her mouth full.
"Ahh ooh uys re ere oo?"
"Litterly nobody knows what you said."
Michael nodded with his eyes closed as he crossed his arms.
She swallowed and started to choke, making Zelenna smack her on the back.
"Ow!"
Onyx knelt down, and picked up a handful of dirt. Which seemed quite weird to Equan, but in the last couple months he had seen plenty weirder.
"All we need is Gemini and..."
Everyone knew what he was going to say, so he never needed to say it.
"Chase is fine... And I have a feeling we will see him soon..."
Gabriel said calmly, seeming completely sure of it.
Michael gritted his teeth in anger.
"Damn that son of a-"
The faceless man covered his mouth.
"Language... Also do not speak so freely against king Rider in a public place such as this..."
"He speaks!"
Luke insulted the faceless man and chuckled.
"Of course I speak, what? Do you think I am some sort of object?"
"No, I thought you were too high and mighty and noble to use the human skill known as socializing."
Luke said with a grin behind his bandana.
"Chase..."
Equan muttered, looking off in the distance at the massive goliath trees standing hundreds of feet tall over The Dark Forest.
Then everyone began to tremble as the ground shook, Neveah dropped her plastic bowl on the dirt, and Michael instinctively drew his scythe.
The vanguard of Gabriel and Leo's party took his mask off revealing just who he was...
"The raid is starting..."
Reinhart spoke in a deep and shaky tone, catching everyone off guard.
Onyx ripped a piece of skinny metal off of his tunic and put on his face, as it folded and shifted into a sturdy black helmet.
It was all too perfect...
Equan could feel it in the air, as if something wasn't quite right.
He looked around, feeling fear fill his lungs.
It was all too strange for this many people who know each other well to appear at the same time in the same place.
Something larger was clearly at play.