Crestfall

Chapter 5: New Generation

"I'm glad to be of much help to you." Shyrhine said to Janinna. She was still wearing our school uniform. Come to think of it, Janinna's still wearing her school uniform, too. We went straight to her bedroom and talked that she forgot to change her clothes.

Janinna slowly stood up and she looked fine now. I let a sigh of relief when she hugged Shyrhine and wiggled her behind. Glad she's okay.

"Nyan~~ Thank you~~~" Janinna purred at Shyrhine like a cat as she's hugging her.

"Hi, Shyrhine. Thank you for saving us. I am Jar--"

"Don't mention it. Just shut up." Shyrhine didn't even bother to look at me.

Great. Nice to meet you, too. As I was about to cry in agony, Friana's voice was heard.

"A Wind Sorceress, huh? You are very lucky to have her as your guardian, mortal. Because wind..."

Friana twirled her staff so quick that it looked like she was a majorette in action.

WHOOSH!! She abruptly pointed her staff at Shyrhine, who at the same time had stepped forward to cover us against Friana.

"...is my adversary."

"You'll never get away with this, Friana!" Shyrhine yelled.

"Oh! Wait a second! I'm scared.~~ But you know what, I'll take the StarLight first before I take care of you, brats. See you soon~~~"

"NO! Air Spike!!!"

A vast amount of pressure in the air suddenly can be felt from our side, then three, or at least four, spike-like wind formed and immediately flew towards Friana like missiles on steroids.

But before Shyrhine's magic hit Friana...

WHOOSHHH!!!!

"Damn that old woman!"

...she was no longer there. Shyrhine's air magic just hit the ground.

"Shyrhine, we have to find the Fire Crest! We don't have time!"

"No. It is not our job. It's this guy over here." Shyrhine pointed at me.

Don't call me 'this guy over here'.

"Our job is to protect this Fairy while he collect the Crests and bring it back to the sacred tree. Once he completes his mission, we're out of their lives. Our clans waited for this time to come. Now, it is fate who brought us here. We must fulfill our purpose and give it our best. It is very sad that the Crest Master is THIS weak, though."

Shyrhine, I won't be mad. I promise. I want to be kind to others. Don't make me angry.

"Shyrhine~~ Don't be so harsh to Jared. As you said, it is fate that brought us here. So he was not aware that he will be a Crest Master until now."

You are SO kind, Janinna. Thank you very much.

"By the way, how did you know that we were in danger?" Janinna asked.

"Lucky predicted this to happen. He called me last night after the Fire Crest dropped into the park. So after classes this afternoon, we gathered into the park and we waited for the time you will be attacked by Friana."

Lucky. The boy sitting on my back in the class. And the boy who Janinna changed seat with to talk to me after my introduction to the class.

"How did Lucky predi--"

Before I could ask, Shyrhine threw a very cold gaze at me, so I stopped.

*cold stare*

Yep. Got it. You hate me.

"Let's go. The other members of the Unity are waiting at the park." Shyrhine started to walk away from us, towards the bridge leading to Paraiso's town park.

"Hey, Jared..." Janinna whispered at me while we started to follow Shyrhine.

"Yes? By the way, are you okay? Here..." I removed my jacket and wrapped it around her body.

"Yes. Thank you~~" Her wide, genuine smile made me forget what we went through just minutes ago. After zipping up my jacket, she looked at me and said, "Uhm.. About Shyrhine, please bear with her if she treats you so cold. She really doesn't like.. uhm... boys."

"That's fine, don't worry." I smiled at her and helped her move forward to follow that malevolent figure walking away from us.

∆∆∆

We arrived at the town's park at 10:23 P.M.

"Guys, sorry for the wait." Shyrhine said as we walked near the fountain. Three people are standing right next to it. Two boys and a girl.

"Yo, Shyrhine. Oh, look what we got here!... Jared!!" I'm not even shocked anymore as I gradually see a familiar idiotic smile from one of the two boys who were waiting for us.

"How are you doing, cousin?~~" Janinna said to Ivan.

"Oh? Cousin!! I hope Jared didn't take advantage of you."

Janinna giggled as I relentlessly killed Ivan in my mind.

The other boy is Allen. I felt a sudden self-pity because all this time, the people around me had an idea what the hell is going on, and the only person who doesn't know anything was none other than me.

I looked at the girl standing beside Allen. She wore our school sailor uniform for girls, just like Shyrhine and Janinna. She had long black hair that is tied in a very cute ponytail. In cuteness, she is the same level as my sister. But I am pretty sure that I haven't met that girl before. I quickly pulled Allen away from others.

"Hey!"

"Shh.. Who is that girl, Allen?"

"Hmm.. You're interested at her. Am I right? But you already have Janinna."

"Wha- What?! No! I just want to know who she is. That's all."

But before Allen could answer, a very strong force pulled us backwards.

"Waahh!!!"

"Heeyyyy!!!"

BUMM!

We slammed on the ground at the same time. I looked up and saw Shyrhine's face, the night sky on her back. It was very dark...

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!"

...and I am not referring to the night sky.

"S-Scary..." I mumbled.

"...She sure is." Allen whispered to me.

"Enough chatter! We must discuss the plan on how you can acquire the first Crest before the lightning sorceress does. Ivan, do you have the current location of the Crest?"

"Yes. It is under the custody of the Philippine Air Force. They will deliver the Crest to Paris in the next 22 hours."

"22 hours, huh. That's enough time. We'll just make sure we don't commit a single mistake in the middle of the mission."

"W-Wait. What, specifically, is this 'mission'?" I asked at Shyrhine.

"We will steal it."

"Wha-?!"

"We can't take it just by using democratic ways. Stealing it is a problem, but the bigger problem is the lightning sorceress. We can't afford fighting her while we are infiltrating the Air Force. We only have 4 people here that can fight back. Me, Janinna, Allen, and Charlotte."

"Charlotte?" I asked even though I know who Shyrhine is referring to.

"This girl..." Shyrhine pointed at the new face. "...is Charlotte. She is a fairy just like you. The difference is she can fight using her powers, and you can't."

That's pretty cruel.

I looked at Charlotte. She stared at my face for a while, then quickly averted her gaze away from me.

"She is a fairy like me, but why does she have her own powers while I don't even have one?"

"Because the Crest Master's power will come from the Crests. Other fairies have their own power within their body. So she can cast a spell anytime she likes." Janinna explained.

"That is why we need the Fire Crest. So that after you infused it to your body, you can protect yourself even if we are not around." Ivan said, his smile still didn't leave his face.

"Now, do you understand everything?" Shyrhine's eyes were full of flames. She's so intimidating. I just nodded vigorously to avoid further physical injuries.

"Okay, Jared. I know this is not actually necessary, but I'll do it anyway. I'll introduce each and everybody to you before we start the meeting."

"O-Okay..."

"I am Shyrhine, a member of the Wind Sorcerers Tribe. This is Janinna, from the Dopel Clan. This is Allen, from the Fire Kindlers. This i***t here is Ivan, from the Time Movers Clan. And lastly, Charlotte, from your tribe, the Fairies Tribe."

Shyrhine held her waist with her both hands and her chest up.

"And we are the new generation of Unity."

What an epic way of introducing. Really. I think I just saw something twinkled on your left eye.

"Okay then. Let's start the plan discussion."

∆∆∆

After almost an eternity of listening to Shyrhine's "Operation: Fire Crest Infiltration Plan", we head back to our respective homes. It was already half past 12 when I arrived at home. Fortunately, Mom, Dad, and Sarah were already sleeping when I stepped inside. So there's no one who will ask endless questions why I came back so late.

*sigh* I'm so tired. My first day in college was a mess. As I laid down my tired body on my bed, I made a slight flashback in my mind.

Shyrhine's plan goes like this:

We must arrive at the Gate 3-A of the Air Force camp at exactly 7:00 in the evening tomorrow. After we set foot on the grounds of the soldiers, Ivan will use his "Time Stop" to, literally, stop the world from moving so that we can enter the grounds without alarming anyone.

The bad news is that Ivan can only use his magic for only five minutes. Also, his magic requires his full concentration. So, if anything or anybody interferes his focus, the Time Stop will shatter and if unfortunate enough, our cover will be blown.

At the very second Ivan activates Time Stop, Janinna, Shyrhine, Allen, and I must enter the headquarters and take the Fire Crest from a vault which is protected by a password. Charlotte will be partnered with Ivan. In case of any intervention of Ivan's concentration, Charlotte will be there to take care of it.

"What is the password, then?" Allen asked.

"I don't know, but we can find it on their files inside their HQ tomorrow. We just have to make it quick. The run from the gate to the HQ building will take up a minute or two. The elevator will bring us to 4th floor for one minute. Then we must find the password for a minute and net the Fire Crest with the remaining time. If all else fails, we'll have to destroy the vault." Shyrhine explained.

"Then what about the way out?"

"Now that is the c****x. After taking the Fire Crest, Jared must infuse it to his body immediately to give us another hand on dealing with the soldiers."

"D-Dealing with the soldiers?!" Charlotte seems to worry about that situation.

"Don't worry, Charlotte. We'll take care of them. You'll just wait in the car with Ivan." Shyrhine patted Charlotte's head like an older sister.

Shyrhine continued, "About Friana, I think we can manage to escape from her while the army is in heat. We just have to stay tight and focus on escaping the area."

"Hey, Ivan, why won't you cast Time Stop again after the first one you casted?" I asked.

"If I can do it, then I am more than willing to do it for you, but I'm sorry, that's impossible. Time movers can't cast time spells continously. After casting a magic spell, we must regenerate our magic power for almost half an hour before we can cast another spell again. But even so, our magic are the most useful in any situation." Ivan answered in a matter of fact tone.

"That is why we need to escape quickly after taking the Crest out of the vault." Shyrhine added to what Ivan said.

"If we are not found yet once the Time Stop, uh, stops, then we also have the option to wait for a half a minute hiding while Ivan replenishes his spell. Either way, we should ensure we acquire the Fire Crest before that happens." Shyrhine took her glasses and wiped it with her microfiber thingy.

Hm. I guess tomorrow will be a big day, I thought. After ten minutes of deep thoughts, I fell in deep slumber.

∆∆∆

"Good morning, Jared!~~~" Janinna greeted me after I stepped in the classroom. The whole class was noisy when I arrived. There are girls who were gossiping on the corner, and boys who were talking about their favorite video games. I wish I could join those conversations.

"Good morning, Janinna." I answered back to the girl sitting five chairs away from mine. I also noticed Shyrhine's presence. She was reading our Communication Arts book. Her eyebrows twitched when she saw me walking at the center isle. She really doesn't like me.

As I was about to enter the row where my seat is, I noticed something strange.

"..."

A girl was sitting beside my chair. Come to think of it. Yesterday, the chair beside me was empty and I thought that the owner of that chair was absent at the first day of class.

I slowly approached near her. She was facing the window so I can't see her face.

"Huh?"

The girl then turned her head around. And...

"C-Ch-Charlotte?!?!"

"Oh, Jared. Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?" Charlotte bitterly said. I sat down to my chair after I calmed down. I felt slightly nervous when I saw her, because of the fact that she is much superior to me as a fairy. And,

"What? Is there a dirt on my face?"

...Charlotte is a very beautiful girl. I didn't even notice that I'm staring blankly at her face.

"N-No. Nothing. I-I just thought, w-why were you absent yesterday?" Hey, Jared! Calm down!

"Why do you ask? Do I have to report everything to you?"

I changed my mind. You are a stubborn girl, do you know that?

"I know."

"Oh..." I looked at the whiteboard in front of the classroom.

"..."

Then, back to her face...

"..."

"...What?" She asked.

"Did I just say that you're a stubborn girl?"

"No."

"Oh..." I looked again at the blackboard. Wait, something's not right.

WAAAAHHHH!! I stood up and the whole class silenced.

"What now? You look like an idiot." Charlotte clicked her tongue. I stared at her for a moment, then slowly sat back to my chair. My classmates also got back to their own businesses. As I placed myself to my chair, I noticed Shyrhine's gaze to my face. It was horrible.

I peered into Charlotte's eyes and whispered, "Hey, can you read my mind?"

"Yes. One of my ability is Mind Read, just like the lightning sorceress."

"Oh..." I opened my mouth as a sign of admiration, but in return, she just averted her gaze away from me.

"Hey. Lucky!" I looked up and saw the girl who said those words. It was Shyrhine. She held her waist and ordered Lucky to...

"Get the hell out of there! Move!!"

Hey, hey. I know you dislike boys, but that was a bit overboard.

Lucky didn't have the chance to speak as she dragged him away from his chair. Poor boy. After the action scene, she left Lucky, which was in a state of undescribable shock, in her own chair and walked back towards us. The whole class was covered in pure silence. I therefore concluded that Shyrhine is a daughter of a demon. Really.

She sat down on Lucky's chair (which was just behind mine). She noticed that the whole class' attention was now on her. She then yelled, "The movie's over! Mind your own business!!"

"Have you watched the talk show last night? It was..."

"Hey, nice necklace! Who gave you..."

"I'm hungry. Let's eat after..."

Wow. Everyone ignored us that fast. I salute you, Commander Shyrhine.

"Now, for the main event..." Shyrhine then held my collar and was about to a***e me verbally. I didn't even know what I've done to make her angry like that. Girls are very unpredictable.

"Wait, what's your problem? Did I do something wrong?!" I said, holding her fist.

"You have a plan to date Charlotte, haven't you?!" Shyrhine's face darken as she threw that words to my face. Her glasses shimmered a ray of deadly light.

"D-Date?..." I looked at Charlotte when I heard her spoke. The color of her cheeks are slowly turning from pinkish white to rosy red. What a cute expression. Wait, she's blushing, no?

"What do you mean 'date'? We didn't even know each other yet, and can you please let go of me?"

"I saw your eyes when you talked to her a while ago. It was sparkling. Look here, we have an important mission that has to be accomplished. Doing unnecessary things other than that is not acceptable. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am..." She took over me again. *sigh*

And what was that 'sparkling' thing? I don't get it.

"Shyrhine~~~ Don't be like that!~~" Janinna ran towards us, trying to save me from the deathly claws of Shyrhine. I then noticed that her grip was slowly loosen just seconds before Janinna arrived. Maybe Shyrhine's scared of her...

"What are you talking about?! I don't want to waste my time playing with you. The meeting place will be at the school gates at exactly 4:00 this afternoon. The last one who will not arrive at the alloted time will be fined."

...or maybe not. Shyrhine pouted her lips cutely and headed back to her chair. After noticing Shyrhine's incoming presence, Lucky quickly stood up and mimicked a soldier's salute.

"My, my. Shyrhine really is scary~~" Janinna looked back at me and showed me her beautiful smile.

"Yeah. I think it'll be hard to get used to it." I replied with a voice of agony. Janinna patted my shoulder as a sign of sympathy.

"Hey, Jared! You are so lucky that she gives you a lot of attention!" I looked at the origin of the voice, and saw Lucky tidying his books inside his bag. Janinna started to go back to her own chair.

"What was 'lucky' with that? You saw what happened, right? She almost killed me. Thanks to Janinna I was saved before I say goodbye to Mother Earth."

"Your way of thinking was so wrong! It only meant that she likes you! Oh my, I envy you."

I think you were the one who had the wrong way of thinking. Wait...

"...You like her, don't you?" I asked.

"Yes! It's a definite 'YES'! Since we were young, I always looked forward to the day when we will be a couple. Oh my God! I am exaggerating!! NYAHAHAHA!!"

Hey, you look like a monster with that face. Speaking of 'looked forward to the day'...

"I heard from Shyrhine that you were the one who predicted that we will be attacked by Friana. Was it true?"

"Yes. I am a member of the Eagle Eye Clan."

Eagle Eye Clan?

"We actually have the ability to see a definite time scape."

"Time scape? Wait, you're throwing a lot of unfamiliar terms to me. Can you please explain it in a little bit, specific way?"

"Yeah. I want to hear it, too!" Charlotte poked herself inside our conversation.

"Oh? I thought you're already aware of the other clans?" I asked the girl sitting beside me.

"I was made aware of this guardian thing last year. I'm still not familiar with the other clans. Can you cut me off some slack?" She muttered all of those sentences in two seconds so imagine my confusion. She sounded like an angry mumble rapper.

Bottom line is she's a rookie.

"Oh. Sorry, my bad. Listen carefully, Jared and Charlotte. We, the Eagles, have an ability called ~SightSeeing~. This ability allows us to see what will happen in a definite time in the future. However, just like Ivan's ~Time Stop~, our ~SightSeeing~ have a time limit, depending on what level the user is."

"Level? What is this, an online game?" Charlotte asked.

"You could say that. It's really a lot like the online games we have. I know you'll be surprised to know that every mage, every sorcerer, and every wizard in our 'world' has a Character Level, or CL for short. Look at that girl in front."

Charlotte and I looked at the person Lucky pointed at the same time. She had a long, silky hair tied in a ponytail (my type!). Just like Shyrhine, she also had those pair of nerdy-looking glasses that made her aura a bit unapproachable.

"Her? I remember her name was Claire. What about her?" I asked Lucky.

"She is a Journalist."

"Really? She's so young to have a very hard job like that." Charlotte looked back at Lucky.

"No. I don't mean a typical journalist who writes articles in the news. She is a member of the Journalists Clan. Their ability is ~LogIn~. At just one sight, they can see what level you are as a magician, what your weaknesses are, your strengths, your attack power, how strong your magic power is and all about your hidden secrets; then they'll record it so it can be used in future situations."

"So they are like human 'search engines'. They know everything. That's reliable, I think, but scary at the same time." I said.

"Yeah. So if you want to know what level you are now, you can ask her about it, but in the meantime, let's go back to our topic a while ago. As I said, ~SightSeeing~'s spell time limit depends on what level the user is. As for me, I am a Level 3 Eagle, so my ~SightSeeing~ can last up to six minutes after it was casted. Now, ~SightSeeing~ works like a mini-cinema to Eagles like me. The mini-cinema, which we call 'time scapes', shows us a scene in the future that will happen. In battle, we are useless. So we are classified as Information or Sub-Support Magicians just like Journalists." Lucky explained nonchalantly.

"So there is a classification?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes, there is. Magicians are classified into three classes. The Frontliners, the Support, and the Information or Sub-Support. The Frontliners are, obviously, the ones who always do the offensive moves. Frontliners are the Elemental Sorcerers and Attack Fairies. Support Magicians are the ones who do the support magics such as healing, attribute boost magics, and some long-ranged attacks that can help the Frontliners within the battle. Supports, as of now, consists of Time Movers, Doppelganger Masters, and Support Fairies like you, Charlotte."

"Support Fairy, huh?" She looked up at the ceiling and put her index finger on the right edge of her lips. In short, a very cute girl thinking in a very cute manner. When she noticed that I was staring at her, she suddenly stood up and said, "I gotta go to the bathroom.", then left the classroom.

"Hey, Jared." Lucky poked my shoulder.

"Yeah?..."

"I have to tell you something." His face was serious. I wonder what it is?

"...Okay. What is it?"

"Janinna is a strong Doppelganger Master. I know you knew that already. "

"Why are we talking about her?"

"When the StarLight, or what we should call now the Fire Crest, dropped down at the town's park of Paraiso, I used my ~SightSeeing~ ability for me to know what events could potentially happen after that."

Okay, I wish I was wrong but, I feel this conversation is starting to become ominous.

"And... what did you see?"

"...You were in a large warehouse or something like that, together with Shyrhine and Janinna. You were battling against a lot of soldiers. The lightning sorceress was also there. but the worst part was..."

"..."

Lucky slightly lowered his head and almost whispered the most terrifying words I ever heard,

"...Janinna died."