After a night of rest to recover from the events that had occurred, we found ourselves back on the ship. We were going to meet Elyra for the first time since the accident. We had suddenly disappeared and cut off all contact with her. It must have been hard for her not to hear from us and to be unable to do anything to help.
Once on the ship, Elyra cried out with joy and relief as soon as she saw us. She exclaimed: "Young ones, I am so happy to see you again, I was extremely worried about you. I apologize! It was I who sent you into battle when I knew it was too early."
We didn't let Elyra continue with what she had to say. Aria stepped forward with determined stride and declared in a firm voice: "No Elyra, we are the ones who should apologize, not you."
Shinrei approached in turn, a reassuring smile on his lips. He confided to Elyra in a warm tone: "Besides, we apologize for worrying you and we thank you for having covered our backs after the battle."
Elyra observed us for a long time, she murmured, almost incredulous: "Children, you make me so proud. I don't know what happened during these two weeks, but you seem to have changed. Your gaze is no longer the same, it is more determined."
Nozomi sketched a slight smile and answered with wisdom: "I don't know if we can say that, but they say that it is in adversity that we grow the most. In these moments, it may be hard, but when we manage to recover from it, we come out all the better! Isn't that right, Elyra?"
"You're right, Nozomi. It is the soul of great heroes that you possess within you."
After that, we relaxed and talked together, all six of us, to ease the stress and tension that had settled over the past few days. This little moment together was one of those warm moments that would become memorable memories later. However, Elyra had to cut this short to announce news to us.
Elyra's tone became more serious. She announced with hesitation: "Children, I am sorry, but I must inform you of information I discovered during your absence. To be honest, I don't really want to tell you, but sooner or later you will have to face it."
Harris asked: "What is it, Elyra? You seem worried."
Elyra sighed deeply before answering gravely: "Worried is far too small a word, Harris."
Elyra explained to us that during our absence, she had been constantly researching to understand the consequences that Raven's sudden arrival had brought. Raven's appearance was far from normal. Earth is a planet with no heroes and nothing of interest, so it is impossible for a villain of Raven's caliber to attack Earth.
After multiple analyses and research, Elyra discovered that Raven had not appeared in a normal way. He had arrived on Earth by emerging from a portal that had opened above the ship. Since the opening of portals is very rare, Elyra analyzed the composition of the portal to find out where it came from. "This portal comes from the dimension of Reimu Hikarizuki," Elyra announced.
Kael straightened up abruptly and exclaimed in confusion: "The dimension of Reimu Hikarizuki? Who is this guy and how can you be so certain?"
"In reality, I am certain of what I am telling you, since your parents are directly linked to Reimu Hikarizuki and in my database, I possess a complete file on Reimu Hikarizuki, the fallen man with cursed eyes."
Elyra explained to us the confrontation between our parents and Reimu. During a fierce battle that pitted our parents against Reimu, who intended to take control of a people to expand his army, our parents emerged victorious. Our father, Nova Yuutaka, made the decision to seal Reimu Hikarizuki and his entire army in a dimension.
She continued her story, her face dark: "Thanks to the spatiotemporal techniques your father had learned and with the support of your mother, your father created a separate dimension, impossible to access, where he imprisoned Reimu's entire army and him as well. Reimu found himself defeated and imprisoned with nothing he could do."
Aria asked Elyra with a trembling voice: "Do you mean that Raven came from this dimension? How did he manage to escape?"
I could feel the anxiety in her voice. We all thought the same thing: if Raven had managed to escape, what would stop the others from doing the same?
"In reality, it was impossible for them to escape from this dimension, at least it was the case when your father was alive. During his lifetime, he maintained the portal that allowed entry and exit from the sealed dimension. But now that he is dead, the sealing spell that was placed on the portal is beginning to weaken and soon it will be completely open. When that day comes, Reimu's entire army will emerge and he will resume his quest for conquest and power."
She paused, then added gravely: "Being the descendants of the twin stars of peace, I believe that Reimu Hikarizuki will seek to capture you or worse, to kill you to satisfy his desires and take his revenge. You will face an entire army of equal or even greater power than Raven."
This could not be true. An entire army ready to invade Earth. We were in shock, not knowing what to say or how to react. We had just lost to Raven and with determination, we had managed to get back up and move forward. And now we were being told that there were hundreds of people like Raven who were going to attack us all at once.
Kael was the first to react, rising abruptly from his chair. "Wait, wait… Are you telling us that we're going to have to face hundreds of guys like Raven?" His voice rose a notch, mixing disbelief and anger. "We barely survived against just one!"
I looked at Shinrei's hands, which were trembling slightly. Images of our defeat against Raven came rushing back. The pain, the helplessness, the terror. And now we were being told that this was just the beginning?
Harris, usually so confident, had his gaze lost in the void. His jaw was clenched, and I could see a muscle twitching on his cheek. "Our parents…" he murmured. "They gave their lives to protect us from him. And now…"
Shinrei exclaimed in a voice that betrayed his despair: "This can't be possible! Elyra, are you certain of what you're saying?" He shook his head, refusing to accept this reality. "There must be a mistake, another explanation!"
"I am not certain and nothing says that it is true. However, it is true that the portal is weakening day by day, it will soon be fully open. We cannot deny that there are far too many coincidences. Raven appeared right above the ship and directly attacked us. Furthermore, I watched your entire battle and everything that was said. Raven mentioned a master, it must be Reimu, and before your confrontation, he said he was looking for your parents. Unfortunately, it seems that a great battle awaits you in the near future."
The weight of this revelation crushed us all. Kael slowly sat back down, as if his legs could no longer support him. Aria kept her head down. Shinrei had his eyes wide open, the shock clearly visible on his face. Harris was gripping the armrests of his seat so hard that I feared they would break.
Harris spoke in a barely audible voice, so different from his usual tone: "For you, do we have a chance of winning this battle?"
The silence that followed his question seemed to last an eternity. We were all holding our breath, desperately hoping for a positive answer.
"Unfortunately, you have no chance, for now."
These words fell like a sentence. Aria let out a stifled sob. Kael slammed his fist on the table, his frustration finally exploding. "So what? We're just supposed to wait for our deaths?" he roared, tears of rage welling at the corners of his eyes.
"For now, you say?" Harris clung to these words like a life raft. "What do you mean? Do you really think we can gain enough power to face Reimu?"
"I cannot guarantee anything, but what I can affirm is that you are talented and capable of becoming great heroes. In just one year, you have reached such a level, more than impressive. I therefore believe there is a good chance that you will become strong enough to be ready before the confrontation."
Shinrei straightened up suddenly, a spark of determination replacing despair in his eyes. "How much time do we have left before they arrive?"
"I would say at least one year, but it could take more or less time. If my analyses are correct and given how the portal is weakening day by day, my predictions say one year."
"One year…" Aria repeated in a whisper, quickly wiping her tears. "Only one year to become strong enough to face an entire army…"
I felt determination gradually replace my fear. "And how are you expecting us to become stronger in one year? It's far too soon, we'll never be ready with normal training. It's madness if you think that will be enough. We are too weak and far too far behind compared to our enemies who have been training since childhood. I suppose you've prepared something, haven't you, Elyra?"
Elyra looked away, and for the first time, I saw her hesitate. Her silence alarmed us more than any words could have. She, who had always known what to say, suddenly seemed to lose her composure.
Harris stood up, approaching the hologram. "Elyra? What's wrong?" he asked gently, almost with fear.
After a few seconds that seemed endless, she spoke in an unusual voice, almost fragile: "I would have preferred there to be another solution, but under the current circumstances, I see only one solution for you to be ready in time. But I leave you the choice to accept or not, but first listen to what I have to tell you."
We nodded, a mixture of apprehension and hope in our stomachs.
Elyra explained to us that she had a way to take us to another dimension. In this dimension, we would apparently be in ideal conditions to progress at an astonishing rate. This dimension is that of dragons, a dimension hostile to humans, where only dragons and Vorthrax have lived since time immemorial: the world Drakaryon.
"Drakaryon…" Kael murmured.
Over the years, the very essence of the Aetherium changed the perception of our inner being. Originally, the Aetherium was what best represented a person's identity. A force present since birth that grows along with them.
With time, the profession of hero became widespread, and the very essence of the Aetherium changed over time. The Aetherium no longer represented the essence of our being, but merely a weapon or tool we use for our own objectives.
It is this change in mentality that makes the world Drakaryon so dangerous. This world is said to be one of the very first that were created and that the Aetherium, the Core and the Void of our world come from Drakaryon. Now, every individual who enters this world finds themselves deprived of their powers.
"Deprived of our powers?" Concern pierced Aria's voice. "But then how are we supposed to survive there?"
"In order for you to find them again, you must, as at the very beginning, understand what your Aetherium represents. Once you understand that, you could use your powers again and they will be even more powerful than before. It will be natural for you to use them as if they were an integral part of you."
Harris slowly nodded, assimilating the information. "So we have to relearn everything from the beginning, or rather better understand our powers."
"The world Drakaryon is also a world known as a place where many heroes wanting to become stronger have lost their lives at the hands of dragons. In this environment, you will gain experience in combat, strategy, and team cohesion. This will be beneficial to you. And if you manage to understand your Aetherium, you will become very powerful for the battles to come."
Elyra paused before continuing: "Unfortunately, if I was hesitant to tell you about it, it is because this world, as you will have understood, is very dangerous and there is very little chance that you will survive. And there is a second problem: your father possessed the key to reach the world Drakaryon. I can therefore open the door for you. You could make the trip there, but I cannot allow you to return. Once there, you would have to find a way back yourselves. This could take you several months or even years."
"Years…" Aria repeated, her voice hollow. "We could be stuck there for years, not knowing if we could ever come back?"
I saw panic seize my companions. Shinrei began to pace back and forth, nervously biting his lip. Harris had his eyes fixed on the ground, his fists clenched. Aria had buried her face in her hands. Kael stared at Elyra with despair.
"Now that you know the risks and dangers, I leave you the choice to decide. I have no other solution for you, but if I propose it to you, it is because I am certain that the five of you can succeed. But it will depend only on you. The choice is yours."
A heavy silence fell over us. We looked at each other, seeking comfort, answers in the eyes of our companions. I could see the fear on their faces, but also something else. A spark. The same one that had allowed us to get back up after Raven.