Chapter One Hundred Eighteen: The Masquerade

???…

BOOM.

A young Marachii hurried down city streets, seeing smoke in the distance. Smoke coming from his house.

"No, this can't be!"

Behind him, his mother called out. "Marachii! Wait up! Where are you going?"

But he didn't hear her. He kept running, nearly falling over numerous times. People stared at him as he ran past, unreadable looks on their faces. Finally, he made it to his destination. His home…

…or what was left of it.

"NOOOOO!"

What greeted him was a pile of wreckage, his once beautiful home now completely destroyed. But that wasn't even the worst part.

"Dachii! Takashii! Father!"

He quickly jumped into action, digging through the rubble for any trace of his family. After a long time of digging, and digging, and digging, a face greeted him.

"Dachii!"

His brother had blood all over his face, his eyes were barely open, and he seemed dazed, confused even. "Dachii, can you hear me?"

"Marachii…Dad…Takashii…they…they've…"

He immediately passed out, and Marachii began screaming. "Help! Someone help! Please!"

Soon, an ambulance arrived, but when they cleared out the wreckage, nothing and no one else was found. Nothing.

And in the shadowy corners of an alley, a hooded figure watched as Dachii was transported into the back of an ambulance, seemingly content before tapping something in his ear.

"Yes. The mission was a success. Only one survivor. No, just a young boy. Leaving the scene now."

And just like that, he was gone.

Present day, in a land far, far away…

"Mother, can't we just scrap the lil' old thing? It's not gonna work ever again."

On a floating land in the middle of the sea, Grishna was busy working in the docks, attempting to fix a large ship, which had become damaged by seafaring. Grishna's mother laughed.

"Girl, put those hands to work! If ya want to use a ship, ya gotta know how to keep a ship! Do you think I reached my position by 'scrapping' useful junk?"

Grishna rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah."

Her mother, wearing an elegant brown dress, began to leave the docks. "Gotta attend a meet at the hall. Don't wreck the ship any more than you've already done, Little Grish."

Once she was gone, Grishna shook her head. "Damn woman. Working me every time I come home. I hate it so much."

She heard a thunderous pile of footsteps behind her. "You think you've got it bad?"

She looked over to find Zok, with a can of ale in his hands. "You idiot, that arena stunt cost me my status! Now no one will look at me the same, much less hire me for pirate work!"

"Sucks to be ya," Grishna remarked. "Go cry about it, why don't ya?"

Zok growled. "You little—-!"

But when he tried to charge her, she simply stepped to the side, causing him to fall into the ocean waters below. Once he came out, confused and disoriented, she laughed at him, and so did some other orcs working on their boats.

"Well, well, mate," Grishna remarked. "It seems you're as heavy of a drinker as ever."

Zok grumbled and pulled himself out of the water, passing out next to her. After she laughed and worked on her boat for a few more hours, a loud horn sounded across the land, making Grishna stand up.

"The Hall? But what could they want now?"

She kicked Zok awake. "Up you go, mate! We're needed in the Hall!"

"Piss…off…"

Grishna rolled her eyes, dragging him along with her to the center of the town: the giant Hall.

Inside the "Hall…"

Inside the theater-like building, tons of orcs sat down, their eyes lined up at the large wooden stage below them. In the center stood four orcs, two males and two females, each of whom was dressed in expensive clothing. Grishna noticed her mom among them.

"Great. The Orc leaders have gathered together, what fish have they netted this time?"

The female orc in the center spoke. "Afternoon, fellow orcs! I've got a great news for us! The land of Voltiana has invited us as a representative to their annual Masquerade!"

She held up a shimmering letter in her hands. The other orcs all remained quiet, before cheering.

"Yer all know what this means," the orc leader stated. "They've finally taken us seriously! We're moving up the ladder, slowly but surely! This is a great chance to prove to em' what we're made of. Let's send out our best!"

She gestured to Grishna's mother, who gave a bow. "Vashka, Leader of the Ka'rath Clan!"

The orcs cheered, but Grishna palmed her face. "So this is what she was summoned for. I knew something was up."

Zok elbowed her. "Mad yer mother gets all the praise and glory?"

"Quiet ya trap."

Vashka took the other orc's spot, flexing a muscle in her arm. "Don't yer folks worry, I'll show them all what the strength of an orc really is! There's a few days till the party, but I'll be heading out now to be sure I'm on time! An orc's promise!"

The crowd erupted in a loud roar, and as Vashka waved to her daughter from below, Grishna suddenly had a realization.

"Wait, ain't that where Dachii's from?"

Zok perked up. "You mean that tiny boy and his tiny comrades?"

"Yeah, haven't seen em' in months. I wonder if he's still willing to take a trip down here?"

Zok crackled his knuckles. "Don't ya worry. If he does, I'll give him a warm welcome, you can be sure. He and his little pink-haired companion."

Grishna waved him off. "A fool, you are. A fool."

Meanwhile, in another land, deep within the trees…

A young dwarf hurried through the trees, a letter in his hands. After swinging and jumping and crawling through various branches, he arrived at a large wooden town, completely built into the trees.

Once he landed on one of the platforms, he hurried into the giant house in the center, quickly knocking on the door.

"Come in," a booming voice answered.

The dwarf swung the door open, to find Alarax sitting on a makeshift throne, with Throme at his side.

"Krag," Alarax remarked. "What news do you bring today?"

"Good news, my Lord!" Krag blurted out. "Lookey here! You've been invited to the Royal Masquerade, hosted by none other than the nation of Voltiana!"

Alarax nearly fell out of his chair. "WHAT? They would DARE invite me to their doorsteps? After what they've DONE?"

Throme gently put a hand on his arm. "Brother, this would be a perfect time to see their true intentions, make peace with them, and maybe even find out more about that special boy we encountered back in Asmana Forest."

"They're the ones who ran us OUT of Asmana Forest, Throme! They didn't even bother to try and send this to Dad, so they choose to be a pain in my ass!"

"Dad is still off in parts unknown, Alarax," Throme reminded him. "You know how Mom's death has affected him."

"And who was responsible for THAT, eh? You can't be so naive, Sister! It gets us NOWHERE!"

Throme sighed. "Krag, we'll accept the invitation. Let them know I'll be accompanying my brother to ensure no harm comes at this event."

Alarax was nearly fuming in his chair. "One of these days, I swear—-!"

"Brother, you're turning red again. Here, let's make you some tea."

"I don't want any damn tea!"

Krag left the room while the two argued, setting the letter on the doorstep. "Phew. Glad I'm an only child."

Meanwhile, in another land…

"Hey, Haruto! Come play with us!"

In a small but humble town beyond the mountains, Haruto watched as a bunch of young human children played soccer, laughing and tripping each other in the dirt.

"Hey, kids," Haruto interrupted. "Don't be so rough, alright? Ayana wouldn't like you being so rough."

The kids all sat up. "Sorry, Mister Haruto!"

Haruto clapped his hands. "It's okay, you guys go have fun! After all, you can be a LITTLE loose, since Ayana isn't here."

They cheered and went back to playing. Haruto started to walk back towards the town when a young girl nearly fell over trying to catch up to him. "Mister Haruto! Mister Haruto!"

"Lucy? What's wrong?"

She held up a letter for him. "Have you seen Ayana? She's gotten a letter! A special letter!"

"She always gets letters," Haruto remarked. "It's part of being the most famous person in Arkendale."

"But this one's from Voltiana! It's from the Queen!"

"WHAT?" Haruto gasped. "Let me see!"

He took the letter from her and opened it, and once he did, a holographic message began to play, with Queen Ayame Asato's face appearing.

"Good afternoon, Lady Ayana. I've heard of your heroic deeds, your growing fame, and your remarkable strength, status, and passion! I would love for you to be a human representative for your town of Arkendale at our Royal Masquerade this year, which shall be in three days' time. Please let us know your response as soon as possible."

Both Haruto and Lucy were shocked. "Woah!"

"Can you believe it?" Lucy asked. "Ayana's a celebrity! Ayana's a celebrity!"

"We should, uh, probably leave this at her door," Haruto remarked. "I know she's been adventuring across the continent these past few months, but hopefully the chief can get into contact with her in time for the Masquerade."

Lucy grabbed the letter. "I'll deliver it!"

She quickly hurried off to the town, stopping at one of the houses in the middle. She prepared to put the letter at the foot of the door, when suddenly…

…it opened.

"AHHH!"

Lucy nearly fell over, but a hand extended out to catch her by her arm. When she looked up, she saw none other than:

"Lucy! Are you alright?"

"Ayana!" Lucy realized. "Haruto said you were gone!"

Ayana gave her a smile. "I'm back for now. All that adventuring gets me tired, you know?"

She noticed the letter in Lucy's hand. "Hmm? What's this?"

"It's a letter, just for you!"

Ayana gently took it from her and opened it, listening to the surprising message. Once she was done, she set it down.

"Wow, being invited to the Royal Capital of Voltiana? Not many people get to go there. It's almost like a dream."

Haruto quickly arrived at her door. "Lucy, are you okay? I heard screams—-AYANA?!?"

He nearly fell over himself, but she just gave him a wave. "Hi, Haruto. Nice to see you too."

"What happened to all that cool 'adventuring across the continent?'"

She shrugged. "Can't a girl get some rest?"

He sighed and shook his head. "Did you get your invitation?"

She nodded. "I'll go. After all, it'll be a nice opportunity to get some recognition for our humble little town."

"Well, hope you're fun at parties," Haruto remarked. "My last one didn't…quite go as planned."

Ayana rolled her eyes. "Well, that's just the difference between us, I guess. Besides, I have someone I've been DYING to see again."

"Don't tell me…" Haruto moaned.

"Hah. You know me too well."

Meanwhile, inside the S-1 Mansion…

In the training room, the members of Squad S-1 were engaged in a spar with each other, Elemental and magic attacks flying across the room.

"Come on, Akari!" Fujii called out. "More control over your energy blasts! Aoki, try not to be so aggressive! This is your team we're talking about! More effort, Luca! Marachii, don't be scared to throw a punch!"

A rainbow soared across his head. "Don't hit the referee, Saori!"

"Sorry, Sir!"

Hikari was hiding behind Fujii, who looked back at her. "Hikari, what are you doing?"

"I'm still not much of a fighter, sir! What do you expect?"

Fujii put two hands on her shoulders. "Guess what, I was the same way. Couldn't fight, soft, no skills at all."

"Really?" Hikari perked up.

"Yeah, then I became super badass and the killer warrior you see today!"

"Ugh."

"Now show them what you're made of, girl!"

Hikari took a deep breath. "Alright, alright! I can do this, I can do this!"

And then she got sent flying into the wall by one of Akari's energy blasts, where Marachii and Luca also had landed.

"Oops, sorry, Hikari. Are you okay?"

She dusted herself off. "Fine. Just fine."

Akari turned to Fujii. "Sir, this isn't fair at all. Me and Katana Girl over here can't be on the same team."

"Excuse me?" Aoki chirped in.

Fujii lifted an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"Sir, didn't you see what just happened?"

Fujii ran a hand through his hair. "Look, wise words of wisdom from a very wise man. Even if some of you might seem stronger than others, you're all still part of a team. Each of you are crucial in your own way. Even if some of you aren't feeling the best right now."

"You're talking about Dachii, aren't you?" Akari asked.

Fujii nodded. "The Royal Masquerade's coming up soon. You know they'll want the awesome Fujii and his almost-as-awesome squad there as guests, which includes him. Whatever it takes, we've got to get him back on board."

"Easier said than done," Marachii pointed out. "He's a wreck right now."

Fujii nodded. "I know. But it's been half a year."

Meanwhile, inside Morino's house…

Kia walked upstairs to Dachii's bedroom, knocking on the door. "Dachii, honey, I made you some food!"

"I'm not hungry."

"Son, ice cream is NOT food. Unlock this door!"

"Mom, please."

"Fine, it'll sit out here until you're ready to eat it. One way or another, it'll go in your belly."

"Okay, okay."

The door opened, revealing Dachii, who had longer dreadlocks, bags under his eyes, and messy clothing on his body. "…Thanks, Mom."

"Son, I know you're hurting, but you need to come out of this room eventually."

"I refuse."

"This isn't healthy, Dachii, Morino would tell you."

Dachii sighed. "Well, he's not here, Mom. Thanks for the food."

Then the door shut, and Kia sadly walked away. "My life's a mess, Father, I wish you were still here. You would know what to do."

Just then, there was a knock heard at the front door, and Xar was standing behind it.

"You! What do YOU want?"

Xar handed her a letter. "I formally invite your son to the Royal Masquerade this upcoming Saturday. Please do not have him be late."

"Royal…Masquerade?" Kia wondered.

Xar bowed and got into a car. "The King and Queen will be expecting him. Have a nice day."

"Dachii, do you know anything about this?" Kia asked.

"About what?" Dachii replied.

"The Royal Family just invited you to a Masquerade! It's a massive party, nothing short of high profile! Even Morino didn't get these invites often…"

"Yay."

"But what do they need from you? Why do they insist you be there?" Kia wondered to herself. "Regardless, I'll need to figure this out. I can't lose anyone else."

From his room, Dachii was busy looking at a picture of Morino. "Grandfather…please let me take your place…please come back…"

To his surprise, he noticed Akari, Hikari, Aoki, Luca, and Saori at his window. "Surprise!"

"The hell is this…." Dachii muttered. "What do you all want?"

"We're here to bring you back!" Hikari said, smiling.

"Here, we brought you something," Akari remarked, holding up a pizza box.

Aoki tapped on the glass. "Come on, come outside."

But to their dismay, he simply closed the blinds, causing them to fall.

"Enough of them."

—-