[~Hidan~]

Cato leaned back in his chair. A guard tapped him on the shoulder.

“Cato Obasu of the Lost Sea Pirates?” The guard asked calmly.

“Yes?” Cato said smiling. “Can I help you?”

“You are with Jayden Duba, your sister Nari and the one they call Clief am I right?” The Guard inquired.

“You’ve got the right Cato.” Cato said standing up and turning to face the guard. “Can I help you?”

“The king would like to see all of you as soon as possible, it’s a matter of our city’s survival. Please gather your people as soon as possible and meet me at the palace gates.” The guard explained.

“Ok, we will be there.” Cato bowed

The guard walked off towards the castle. Cato sat back down and smiled.

“What was that about? I thought the tournament winners, being me and Clief would get to go see the king alone, why is he asking for you, and you’re a Pirate? What else do I not know about you?”

“I’m an excellent fiddle player.” Cato laughed. “I think the king has figured out just how bad things are about to get. I wish I could explain it all but I am not able to.”

Nari walked out of the Hotel and stretched in the sunlight. “Oh Big Bro, Jayden, what’s up? Look like your unusually happy Cato.”

“Go get Clief for me please. I don’t have time to explain, he should be out back.” Cato ordered.

“Ok, no fun but I’ll do it.” Nari joked and took off to find Clief, a moment later returning as she ran into him just inside the doorway.

“Ok we have been summoned to the Palace. Something tells me this is only the beginning of what is to come, so make sure you have anything of value with you, because today we travel farther away than anyone has in seven hundred years.” Cato smiled again.

“Well that’s vague and a little troubling.” Jayden said getting up from the table and finishing the last of his Eggs. “I’ll see you at the palace.”

“Nari any winnings you have from the tournament please turn into as much gold as possible.” Cato suggested.

“Already done, I got my winnings in gold coins.” Nari said pulling a large back from her new black overcoat.

Clief and Jayden looked at Cato waiting orders as well. “So what do we need to do?” Clief finally said.

“Clief I think your ready, Jayden I know you have a things against Magic, but today you must learn how to cast at least one spell, I want you to know Meteo!” Cato smiled coyly.

“Meteo! Isn’t that just a myth?” Jayden’s mouth dropped open. “I mean why should I be the one to learn it anyways?”

Cato laughed for a second. “I know Meteo, and I am going to teach it to you, why you Jayden? Because your people are the ones that first learned the spell, and you are one of the only people left in this world that has the ability to cast it. I only know the spell, I can’t cast it.” Cato said looking very serious.

Jayden took a moment to process this and nodded. “How long will it take to learn?”

Cato simple beckoned Jayden to come. Jayden walked over, Cato grabbed his arm and pulled it towards him. He murmured some strange words and touched Jayden’s arm and a black script crept up Jayden’s arm. In only a few seconds the entire length of Jayden’s left arm was now wrapped in an ancient language and at his wrist a Meteor. “There you learned it.” Cato laughed.

Jayden looked at his arm in amazement. “What the hell kind of spell is this?”

“It’s a blood pact spell, for as long as you live this spell belongs to you, and only you. No other mortal can cast this spell, and so it also links you to the god dragon Bahamut.”

Nair looked at the spell and smiled. “Awesome Jayden! You have one of the blood pact spells.” She looked around and then whispered in Jayden ear. “I have one too.”

Cato laughed a little. “Actually we all do.” Cato pulled his shirt up and turned around, on his back was a similar spell. “I hold the spell known as Calamity and I am linked to the true form of Titan, Nari holds the ultimate form of an ice spell and is herself the reincarnation of Shiva, Clief has a dormant spell, I am still unsure of its nature. Then our friend Seri, who owns the most holy of spells and is the incarnation of Kirin, and the other spells are out there.”

“Does this have anything to do with why we were chosen by Seri?” Jayden asked.

Cato nodded. “Go get your things now, we have a lot more to do.”

An hour passed and they all met in front of the castle. The guard led them in to the kings thrown room. “Ah my good friend Cato.” The king said jumping from his seat.

Cato bowed and then hugged the tall young king. “How are you old friend.”

Jayden pointed. “You know each other!”

“Yup they have been friends for like years.” Nari giggled.

“Then why the hell did we have to be in that damn tournament?” Clief said looking rather upset.

“I had to push you guys, that’s why. Admittedly I didn’t expect you two to have to fight a possessed guy, but you needed to learn to fight together, and to fight better. What better way, the tournament was even my idea.” Cato laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, you guys did great, but this is a quest that needs the best of the best, we are about to save not just this world, but all worlds.”

The king nodded. “Cato and I have been planning this for almost three years, ever sense the arrival of Seri in this world we have been planning for the final battle against Chaos in all forms. We needed you to not only be fighters of skill, but of purpose. Now Cato please put in motion what will be that last wall between the outside and this city.”

Cato nodded and took up a squatting pose with his hands spread out; he then slammed his left foot to the ground and slowly pulled his hands together. The entire castle trembled. The morning light slowly faded. Jayden Clief and Nari all looked out the window in amazement as the entire city sank below the ground, becoming a subterranean stronghold. When the Cato’s hands finally came together the city was several thousand feet below the surface, fresh water came in from the walls of the new cave city. Light began to come in form all directions above, as large crystals poked through the earth giving a natural but false light.

Cato fell to his knees. “I have done it. The city is safe here, and should be able to survive while we use the Eye of the gods to travel to the other worlds to gather what we need to defeat this evil.”