Silence was between them as they walked down the riverside that was lit by the moon’s light. The walked at an awkward pace as if they were unwilling, yet they still go knowing that they were the only ones who could do it.

Futch, who had been keeping his head down, looked up at the two boys that were walking ahead of him.

"Say…do you think we can…do it?" His eyes remained on his friend’s back as he waited for an answer.

"Of course. …I don’t know…maybe… it’s not too late to back out."

Sasuke doubtfully looked to the magician walking beside him. He and Futch both know fully well that their practicing was not enough, but since they don’t really understand their journey’s mission, it was usually up to Luc to decide their decisions.

Luc lowered his head a bit and closed his eyes.

"If this fight is truly part of our destiny, we will have to fight it sometime, no matter what."

Green eyes opened to bore straight into Sasuke’s darker ones. "And there has been enough signs telling us that the time is now."

They stopped when they had reached a long and dark cave. Luc, Futch, and Sasuke looked into the cave for the monster, but the monster was nowhere near the entrance and the inside of the cave was too dark to see.

An awful smell was coming from the wet cave and the three knew exactly what that smell was—blood."

"Maybe Shu was right about there being no time left," Futch seriously said.

"It must have been eating sailors from the river."

Sasuke balled up his hands. All thoughts of turning back were casted away as the boys steadily entered the cave.

"It’s too dark to see." Futch held onto Luc’s shoulder for guidance.

"There is still some moonlight shining in. Just let your yes adjust a bit," Luc replied to Futch behind him.

"Ugh, I just stepped into a puddle,"

Sasuke shook his right leg before continuing walking. They turned a corner to a part of the cave where there’s a single beam of moonlight shooting down from a hole in the ceiling. Luc and Futch were walking behind Sasuke until they saw him pass under the light.

Two sets of footsteps stopped sounding.

"Why did you stop?" the ninja asked behind him.

"Look."

Futch raised a finger to Sasuke’s foot. Sasuke looked down. The bottom half of his pant leg was completely covered in red. It was the same leg Sasuke had stepped into a puddle.

He was bewildered as he gingerly examined the blood on his leg. Futch stood by Luc as he watched Sasuke picking at his pant leg. He thought he saw some movement in the background and he looked up.

"Sasuke! Watch out behind you!"

The ninja turned around and quickly jumped away from a large object slamming down. Sasuke watched the floor get crushed under the moonlight. Futch and Luc hid their faces from the strong air currents sent by the monster’s large tentacle.

"Let’s start the fight,"

The spear holder told the magician before charging at the monster’s body. Sasuke followed and he jumped for the monster’s head as well.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Ugh!" Sasuke uttered as his body slammed into the cavern’s wall.

"Healing Wind!"

Luc pointed to the direction of Sasuke. Sasuke got into a kneeling position as the healing wind worked its way around his sore body.

"Is that enough?" Luc looked at Sasuke while he charged up his rune again.

"Yeah."

The ninja nodded as he got up to start fighting again when all of a sudden, the monster let out a painful shriek.

"It’s the eyes! It’s the eyes!"

Futch kept shouting as he jumped down from the monster’s wiggling head. The huge monster tried hard to cover one of its many eyes with a few of its tentacles.

"You have to hit it when its eyes open!"

Futch notified the two with open eyes. Luc looked from Futch’s face to the squealing monster behind him. He looked at Futch again and nodded.

"Alright, he’s off guard. Let’s do a unite attack."

The two boys agreed and ran fast to the squirming monster, but a round eye had shot open and the thick tentacles blocked both Futch’s and Sasuke’s attacks in time.

‘No," Futch thought. ‘If he’s not distracted enough, he’ll be able to dodge Luc’s attack!’

It was too late and the spear-holder had to jump out of the magician’s way. Sasuke prepared to dodge for the magic attack as well when suddenly a white thing above him caught his attention.

An eye had just opened and the ninja remembered what Futch said. Instantly, Sasuke jumped towards the monster instead of jumping away.

"Sasuke! What are you doing?!"

Luc screamed as he used all his might to hold back the shining globe he was about to release, but the magician was only able to hold it for a few seconds before it shot off on its own.

Luckily, the ninja had jumped away just in time. The squealing monster was covering its injured eye and was completely oblivious to the deadly blast. When the light was gone, all that was left was the corpse of the monster’s dead body.

Luc had dropped to his knees and was breathing heavily. Futch had ran to his side and was worriedly holding him by the shoulders.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to hold back magic?!"

Luc angrily shouted at the ninja approaching him.

"Well the monster had its eye open and I didn’t get hit anyways!" Sasuke yelled back.

"That is not the point. We were having a unite attack and you were supposed to do your part like you were supposed to!"

Green eyes glared as the magician gritted his teeth. Sasuke was staring with balled fists as well. Finally, Futch spoke up.

"I have to agree with Luc on this one. Everything was planned as a team and you can’t go off doing things on your own—no matter what’s the cause, but…" Futch turned to Luc.

"Everything turned out okay and no one got hurt so why don’t we just get out of here and leave it alone?"

"Fine," Sasuke crossed his arms.

"…" Luc got up without Futch’s help.

~~~~~~~~~~

Klaus and Shu had not slept since the panicky man had entered the house. The man had left hours ago, after Luc, Futch, and Sasuke had gone out to pursue the beast. It was already early morning and white light was shining from the windows.

"I wonder how they’re doing."

Klaus looked up at Shu from where he was kneeling on the floor to feed Bright. Shu’s face was calm, but Klaus knew that the strategist was just as worried as he was.

Shu was not worried that they were children or that they think that they didn’t have enough training, but he was worried about how the three were going to work together.

Shu was just about to answer Klaus’ question when suddenly, the baby dragon’s head perked up from what he was eating. Shu and Klaus watched him scamper out the open door when they finally heard a calling voice.

"Bright!"

"Bright!" Futch called between two hands as he and his two companions walked up to Shu’s house. When he saw the white dragon stumbling out, he ran up the rest of the way and caught Bright with open arms.

Shu and Klaus followed out to greet them.

"We’ll be going now."

Luc stopped in his track upon seeing the strategists. Luc uninterestedly stared at the shocked look on Shu’s face. Apparently, the strategist had not expected them to be able to complete the mission.

The magician turned around to go. His two companions did the same.

"Wait, aren’t you going to at least wait until the townspeople wake up before you go?" Klaus called after them.

"No, just tell them for us that the monster’s gone now."

Sasuke said before he trotted after Luc and Futch, who were already walking down the road.

"Goodbye!"

Futch waved with his free hand before the three were out of hearing range.

"Do you think they will be okay?" Klaus walked up beside Shu.

"I don’t know. Destiny ties the strangest people together sometimes," said Shu as the three boys’ backs disappeared from his eyes.

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