The Ark Of Old Teacher, Stubborn Student

"Man... The words do travel far and fast. Yes, she is the twin of the Corrupted one. But rest assured, she is nothing like her brother."

"I hope you are right... And what's with that stickman over there? He's been staring at me as if I've got another head on my shoulder..." complained the Mage named Kyle.

Ashley instantly turned away, hoping the man wouldn't ask anything about him or that he shouldn't be alive...

"Oh? That's Ashley Dalles, and he is helping us with the Major Mission we've got. Could you lend us a hand as well..." said Gillian, making Ashley curse under his breath.

At that point, Ashley was seriously considering suicide or murder as he never wanted Kyle to recognize him.

"I'm going to have to stop you there, old friend, because... But, wait, who do you say that was?" asked Kyle, taking a second look at Ashley.

"He's the ex-head of the Mafia for the Five Domains. Why? Do you know each other?" asked Z, chiming into the conversation.

"Know each other? Without him, I wouldn't have learned how to use these bad boys..."

"And you still haven't, judging from the fact you were using two pistols when I trained you in sniping... Such disrespect to guns should be punishable, " argued Ashley, still keeping a distance from the Mage.

"Aw... Don't say such nasty things to your old student. After all, I heard about your amazing fight against your brother. Also, rumors are flying around that your brother has been killed. And my sources state it was the work of a Valkyrie... Is it the same one that we're talking about?"

"Yes, but that Valkyrie was the one who saved me from my insanity and released my brother from agony after the enemy took over his body. So I will not be calling my lady boss a killer... On the other hand, you may have stayed low, but I've heard of your adventures in the Eastern Forest."

"Oh, come on! Those were small things compared to the rush and thrill of events happening in the Five Domains! But I thought you hated Mages? So what are you doing here?"

"Long story short, I am an ally of the Arks now after a certain TIme Mage gave me powers. I am working for the attacking ace of the group under the Barren Pillars. You would've heard about us as the ones who defeated the Umbras and liberated the Infinite Experiments in Albion."

"Yes, I'm well aware of that accomplishment. Because of that feat, did you know that the Barren Pillars are getting recognized beyond the borders of the Five Domains? Even the Volga Kingdom praises the Pillars and the Valkyrie for doing such good work!"

"I have no clue why but getting your group heard that far from your home, but you should be proud!" exclaimed Kyle, giving a thumbs-up.

"That's good and all but you shouldn't be telling me this good news when I had nothing to do with it. You can tell them to the Valkyrie later. Right now, I've got a question for you. Since you've heard about the achievements of the Arks... are you going to help us?"

"Well, I'm going to help you but not for the same goal," replied Kyle as he straightened his back.

The Mage went towards the holographic screens with curiosity and gently moved them around to reveal the map of the Five Domains.

"Hey, since when could you use computers and technology?" asked Z, walking towards Kyle.

"You aren't the only one with a Time Mage around here. Or someone from the distant future," answered the Planet Mage.

"Well, I never thought you would know about future technologies since you are a hermit..."

"I am not a hermit... However, I don't like socializing with people with IQ lower than room temperature."

Another pause before Kyle continued to describe what was his end target.

"This thing over here is my goal. I had been chasing it from the Eastern side to here. That's when I received that call from you. It was hard to pinpoint this place, but the location was still for a few good Tocks, so I took the chance."

When Kyle pointed to the swirling white vortex next to the Western Coast of Teuton, Gillian's face went pale.

"No way... This Mission keeps getting more and more complicated... First, we've got the Knights of the Round Table... A Mage who creates dolls and enjoys them a bit too much, the Hound Of Madness, and now this weather pain?! Can't I catch a break?!" yelled the Headmaster.

"Knights of the Round Table? I thought they were supposed to be dead. I think they died way before I joined the Congregation. So how are they walking about?" asked Kyle.