"Aw, you're trying to seem big and bad by covering yourself up and sprouting things that had nothing to do with what I said." Lloyd replied, but he didn't wait for her reply as he blasted off. He hadn't been serious when he said that, he was just joking around, but Lotus sure wasn't. He couldn't help chuckling at Phora as they left. Surely she knew they couldn't just take a trip to Africa? Nevertheless, it was entertaining and quite refreshing. Suddenly it sounded like he heard something down below... Alice? Even at the mere thought of her name he felt his heart jump. However he continued towards the library. It wasn't long before the group reached their destination. 

---

Johnathan recalled who Evelyn was talking about. There was something about Lloyd that he couldn't pin-point, but for now he shrugged it off and assumed the stance he was shown and began to test different techniques and attacks based off what he just learned. 

Logan flashed a confident grin as Daniel took a fighting posture. He had no reason to fear such an inexperienced swordsman. If anything, he should have been giving him pointers.

At least, under normal circumstances. In this case, however, his opponent was armed with a seemingly weightless blade that could cleave the ground with ease. Such a weapon, even in the hands of a novice, was a force to be reckoned with. Behind that lop-sided smirk, Logan felt a tinge of fear.

What would it feel like to be sliced in half? He pondered, then prayed he wasn't about to find out.

Logan shifted into a fighting stance and began to circle Daniel, just out of the reach of his blade. The claymore, while certainly cumbersome, had the benefit of length. The junior's greatest advantage was his range, and he knew he'd have to push that advantage for all it was worth.

"Let's begin then, shall we?" Said the Scot as he opened with a wide, horizontal swing.

Daniel froze in fear as the huge weapon was slung rather haphazardly towards his direction. "How can he even hold that thing?" The boy thought to himself. He just managed to snap out of it long enough to bring his weapon up in time to block it, but the force of it sent him flying a few feet eastward. Winded, and with a mouthful of dirt, he struggled to right himself. Feeling pain in his shoulders and back, he realized he might have fractured something.

Now he was terrified. Ignoring the pain, he charged like an animal and swung the shortblade with all his might. He had forgotten about the blade's special ability, so when the shortsword became weightless his balance was off so much that he did a frontflip. Daniel's left foot kicked Logan right in the face. He landed on a miniature fissure that the sword made.

Logan had a little shoe-print on his face, and it took him a few seconds to clear his head. Daniel used this opportunity to pick up the blade and swing it straight at the claymore, and the same light property which "mowed the lawn" cleaved the massive weapon in two, and Daniel did another flip and landed on his back.

He stared at the weapon. Not since the discovery of the his Omnivident powers had something made him feel so safe. He was never letting go of it, he decided, before the pain throughout his body made him faint.

Lotus was quite upset with Lloyd and Phora but she lacked the physical strength to do anything about it. She was looking forward to getting to the library and doing something she didn't have to move much for. Lotus deeply wanted to learn more about her powers and those similar to hers. Like Alice or Lloyd's. She wanted to know what being omnivident actually meant. She wondered if she gained a new duty or privilege along with her powers. The main thing she wanted to know was: where they permanent? She had gotten attached to Dot. Lotus felt like Dot filled a certain void. Maybe that of family. Lotus couldn't help but shed a tear as her mind drifted to thoughts of her home. She missed her family. But then came one of the lessons her father thought her. It was after her father's best friend Paul had died in a car accident. He looked her in the eye with his tear filled eyes and whispered, Sometimes friends are stronger and closer than any family.
Lotus couldn't help but chuckle to herself as she rod on Grayson. She wanted friends and it appeared that they were never to far. Despite Lotus being a weird, awkward girl the others accepted her, More or less. Lotus looked up to see they had landed at the library. She smiled before hopping off Grayson. She stumbled as she hit the ground. She looked up at Lloyd with a smile, before wiping her nose with a Kleenex that was in her pocket.
"Let's go, Lloyd." She said as she turned to head into the abnormally large building.

OOC: Sorry y'all gonna interrupt whatever you were doing.

It was then that their PDA's suddenly vibrated to life, upon examining the devices they found that they had received a new message from Miss Rachel:


It was then that their PDA's vibrated once again as another message came through.

Li, using the knowledge that Tsubaki has given you in regards to the use of Ofuda, I want you to practice imbuing these particular tags with spiritual energy. As a result you should be able to manipulate multiple tags without even having to touch them. It will take time, but I am confident in your abilities. Once you have mastered this thing, I believe it is time for you to focus your attention on mastering flight. This is one of the few things expected of you to master this year, and I hope to see you accomplish this sooner rather than later, for it will be of great use. There is a home that once belonged to a very spiritual man, he owned one of the largest houses in Apollon and lived near the market. I want you to go to his home and meditate in the gardens behind his house.

Maximilian, I want you to go to the Palace of Seers and then head into the chamber on the right. There, you will find a chest filled with an assortment of small vials engraved with identical sigils and stoppers with a leather thong attached to the top. Take one of these vials and fill it with the water from the main chamber. These vials are referred to as the Urns of Aquarius. The power of the symbol, which is in fact Flumen, summons forth a continuous supply of water and has been used by many Water Naturae for centuries. Feel free to use it as you see fit. Additionally, I want you to spend some time meditating in the main chamber directly by that pool of water, or perhaps even right in it. You have great power as a Naturae, but you must not neglect your new found senses for they are just as much a part of you as water is.

Dominic, the time has come for you to master the winds. While your current manipulations of it are quite ingenious and I am very proud; there is much more to your abilities that remain unexplored. I want you to sit completely still and attempt to move the winds about you without so much as a movement of your body. You are Naturae, and capable of many wondrous and destructive forces, become one with the air, feel it entering your lungs, allow your mind to wander and float. One thing however, refrain from attempting flight, your powers are not yet fine tuned enough to lift your body. You shall conduct your meditation in the Southeastern tower closest to the market.

Evelyn, I would like for you to go to the Plaza of the Wise. You may feel that you surpass many of your peers, but you are still greatly lacking. You have been limiting yourself, and your senses; closing yourself off from a realm that has begun to frighten you. Do not fear. I want you to meditate, and stretch your senses to their very limits. Feel both worlds around you, and summon forth your abilities to their full potential. You've been gifted with the light of truth, yet you cannot see.

Logan, as Antiquarum you are gifted with the past. Embrace it wholly and unravel its mysteries. I want you to return to the library. This is the place where you attempted to call one of your ancestors to commune with them. I know of your new armament, and without adequate training, it will be more of a burden than a gain to you. Ask the ancestor who bestowed your new found gift to train you in its use, so that you may master this weapon.

Johnny, I realize that so much of this is new to you, and much of this is illogical, a concept confusing to those of your discipline. You are Notatorum, yet you have gifts that are not ascribed to your discipleship. This is the price of an unbound soul, yet I believe you shall adjust accordingly. Focus on controlling this energy, and I want you to manifest it. Do you see how Evelyn is able to release bursts of light, you too can do the same. However, you can additionally imbue your energy with the effects of the sigils that you have learned thus far. Focus, and learn to release this energy. It will take time, but I believe in you. You will be able to find your centre in one of the rooms in the barracks.

Tsubaki, you must have faith in yourself. The world is at your very fingertips with the sigils that you can write in the air. You are a faithful supporter, and your peers can depend on you, but you do not give yourself enough credit. You are an exorcist in your own right, capable of exorcising the most turbulent of spirits because of your gentle heart and pure intentions. I want you to go to the stables, and there you will find horses. However, these horses are solely the spirits of those that once were, they are not malevolent, though they are untamed. I wish for you to tame them using your sigils. They will resist, but I want you to hold fast and strong.

Daniel, I'm well aware of the sword which you have found. My advice is to be wary of its use. While it can temporarily disturb spiritual resonance, it is a powerful drain on the spiritual reserves. Thus, you may find your own abilities greatly hampered by its use. Fortunately, you are Vitri, so your spirit can sustain its use for short period, yet again I ask you to be wary. Rather, I prefer that you search deep within yourself to attain a greater understanding of the powers around you. You seem to have a quest for power, yet you ignore the mysteries vital to who you are. Vitri, spend time in meditation and wisdom will follow, and then you shall attain what you seek, for with wisdom comes power. In the Academy, you will go up two flights of stairs and enter a room on the right. In here you will find a room lined with reflective copper and a pool of water in the middle of the room. Here, you will meditate.

Damian, do not become complacent in the abilities of Evelyn. While she is the most sensitive to the spiritual realm, she will not always be there to guide us. She has guided you in the past, take her words to heart and search within yourself. There are things occurring all around you, yet you cannot feel them, because your mind remains closed. Do not see with your eyes, but rather with your souls. I want you to go to the market. You are to find a glass bauble in one of the stalls, however you cannot see this bauble. Your soul of lightning will direct you to its precise location.

Lotus, you clearly understand the ferocity of the tiger, yet that is only one face of this majestic creature. You lack greatly in patience and silence; the art of the hunt, waiting for the moment to pounce upon your prey. This is preventing you from becoming one with Dot, and your powers from further developing. I want you to go to the Gardens of Alpus, at its entrance you will find a golden-winged butterfly. I want you to catch the creature without harming it. I promise you, this will be no simple task.

Derrick, understandably, you are still very new to your abilities, and thus do not truly understand their scope. Yes, your greatest powers rest in the ability to enter a trance and possess inanimate objects, but you can also move smaller objects with your mind alone. While Dormientes may lack the finesse of manipulating objects like a Spiritorum gifted with a major soul of flight, Dormientes are able to release stronger bursts of energy. Today however, you will not focus on such things, simply I want you to work on fine-tuning your own telekinetic abilities. In the arena you will find five statues moved from indents in the ground. I want you to place them back into their slots. Do not be intimidated by their size, as Dormientes you are more than capable of moving them, you simply have to focus as this is something both your mind and spirit are not accustomed to.

Lloyd, Mr. O'Connor has notified me of your strengths and also your shortfalls. You are very accomplished and have greatly excelled along with Grayson. You have mastered most of the abilities that came in conjunction with your totem, capable of understanding the arcane speech native to the gryphons. One thing you still must master however, is the fusion between totem and human. It is a delicate process, and understandably the most difficult to master. That is why you and Grayson must complete your Totem Quest. Go to Plaza Apollon, and the both of you must meditate; when you open your eyes, you will both be sharing one body, reliving an altered memory of Grayson.

Alice, you are the very heart of this team. While I serve as guardian and protector, you are truly the leader here at Arclight Academy. Many of us have been watching your progress, and have been astounded with the feats of your accomplishments. Despite this, I know that you are still greatly troubled. You cannot forget those you have lost, and you blame yourself for their deaths. This has made you weak. You have allowed your totem to have its way with you, when it is merely a guest in this realm. She is your friend, but you are also her oath bound guardian and master. There is nothing wrong with sadness, but do not let that sadness blind your judgement. Rather, an opportunity shall arise in which that void in your heart will be filled. Do not despair. When you go to the Senate, the home of order, you will find peace within yourself and with Phora. Someone awaits you there.

Evelyn was slightly pleased that Johnny was picking up the things that she was teaching him about his billhooks, but he still had much to learn. She doubted he'd ever be up to the calibre of herself, seeing that medieval weaponry were things that she had trained with since a child, but at least he'd be much more capable of holding his own.

It was then that she looked down at her chest pocket as she felt her PDA vibrate. It was about time. Miss Rachel had once again left them to train aimlessly, when had that ever worked? She read the initial message, not too surprised that it was Miss Rachel stating that she would be giving them a bit of direction for their training exercises, and then she read the second message as it came in.

Evelyn resisted the urge to glare at the PDA, as if Miss Rachel would be able to feel it, though she would somehow know that she had done so. Once again she had been forced to face the truth; and she hated it. Yes, she was scared, terrified even, the last time she had gone so deep into the spiritual realm she had been trapped by some sort of entity. Why would she want to put herself through that again? Nevertheless, Miss Rachel was right, she had been limiting herself ever since that experience. That night in particular had been very traumatic, and ever since she had not really delved into expanding her abilities as she once had before. Perhaps this was the opportunity she needed to once again regain control of her life. It was like Maximilian said, she couldn't give up hope.

"I'll see you guys later," she said without so much as a wave and she took off into the air flying towards the location she had been instructed.

"How did Daniel get my sword!?" Alice exclaimed, PDA in hand. "I knew there was something weird about him! If I didn't have orders I would go smack him and take it back!" Alice and Derrek were close to the library, walking and chatting when both of their PDA's had gone off at the same time. That could only mean one thing, and Alice, still looking forward to training, was reluctant to check her PDA.

Unfortunately she had received direct orders from Rachel to go bond with Phora. Or whatever. "Well, Derrek, I was going to teach you something cool and useful, but you wasted my time too much." She sighed. "I guess I'll see you later." She waved before trudgeing off to the senate building.

It took her a little bit of time to find it, but when she did she was taken back. "The art... The architecture... This is all way ahead of its time!" She said to nobody in particular. Who could be waiting for her on the inside? Suddenly she felt vulnerable without Phora around. Just in case, she summoned an enchanted longsword and crept up the stairs to the door. There was a feeling of serenity drifting from the building, but she did her best to shake it off. Stupid magic, she thought. Stop messing with my head. She held the sword in striking position and kicked the door open.

Daniel was awoken by the feeling of the PDA buzzing in his pocket. Groaning, he sat up and pulled the phone out. Looking up, he saw Logan a few feet away. With a half assed wave that shot pain down his arm, he looked back at his PDA. A quest for power? These days it seemed as if power simply handed itself to him. He practiced magic for the sake of creating miracles. Did Rachel know he was a magic user? The thought that she might terrified him. He chose to follow her orders out of fear that the school counselor might vaporize him or something. Meditation, he thought. Sounds easy enough.

He had a bit of trouble standing. When he managed to get back on his feet, he consulted his map of Apollon to find the Academy and headed straight to it, passing the evil pixie and its posse along the way. Cautiously he approached the academy and entered, half expecting the old building to crumble as soon as he did so.

Johnathan was finally getting adjusted to his weapons. No longer would he feel like he was the weakest link within the group. Now he could finally hold his own. However, he still had to get more stronger. He now realized he could no longer use Evelyn to gauge his strength. She was on an entirely different level that he could've only dreamed of reaching. Only now that dream seemed a tiny bit more realistic, but still largely out of his reach. If only he hadn't been shielded of his Omnivident powers. What was his mother's reasoning behind that? Why had she prevented him and shipped him off?

He was shaken out of his thoughts when he felt his PDA buzz in his pocket. He gave Evelyn an absentminded wave as he began to read the orders. As expected, it was about his powers. He had to admit, that power of hers that she possessed was pretty scary. He would hate to have her as a mother. "Well Damian, it seems I must make my departure as well." When in the world did I start speaking like that? He thought as he made his way towards the barracks in a moderate jog. Maybe his failures were actually disguised as progress.
____

Lloyd was about to hop off of Grayson as well when his PDA started to buzz. Quickly reading the message he shoved the PDA back into his pocket. "See you later Lotus. Remember if you need help with anything at all, don't be afraid to ask me." With that, he took of towards the Plaza, almost as a blur as the pair blasted off, a bit disappointed. He was actually looking forward to enhance his knowledge of Omnividence. He was seriously debating going back after he was finished.

However, the thought of the message pushed that thought back. He knew ever since he found out about fusion he had been dying to try it out. To no avail, of course. But an altered memory of Grayson? What did that even mean? In any case he was excited, he was going to finally get to fuse for the first time.

Logan stood for a moment, scratching his head as he tried to puzzle together what had just happened. From his broken blade, the footprint on his face, and an unconscious Daniel before him, he was able to conclude that… No, he still had no idea. Suddenly, the junior's bewilderment was interrupted by the buzzing of his PDA.

The message from Rachel was brief and to the point. He was to go back to the library, and seek out the aid of his ancestor so that he could learn how to properly use the latest addition to his arsenal. The discovery of the gun had been a total accident, and more than a little surprising. He wasn't even sure what predecessor he had gotten it from. Without that knowledge, it would be difficult to summon them.

Logan looked up from the PDA to see that Daniel had woken up and was now headed off somewhere. It seemed he too had gotten some instructions.
How did Rachel send those at the same time? He pondered briefly. No answer came to him, of course, so he simply shrugged and started for the library, glad to have something to take his mind off of that "fight".

By the time Logan reached the library, he still wasn't sure how he was going to call upon a person he knew almost nothing about. It would be nearly impossible, so it was clear that he would have to do a bit of digging if he wanted to make any headway.

***

"Douglas residence. To whom am I speaking?" Phillip asked, holding his phone to his ear with his shoulder as he busily dusted a suit of armor.
"Hey, dad, it's me." Logan replied. "I need to ask you something."
"Sure thing, son. What is it?" The man asked, putting down the duster and giving his full attention to the conversation.
"We place a lot of importance in our ancestry, right? I was wondering if you knew anyone in our family who might have used a Whitworth rifle."
"That's kind of a strange question, Logan. Not to pry, but why do you ask?"
"No reason in particular… I'd just like to satisfy my curiosity."
"Eh, fair enough. Now let's see. A Whitworth rifle, you said?" As he spoke, Phillip made his way to his computer to find information on the gun. "Doesn't seem likely. The Whitworth was a British made weapon."
"Are you sure? I mean, couldn't someone get one somewhere else?"
"I don't think so… Wait a minute. Says here that the weapon was primarily used during the American Civil War."
"That sounds promising. Ring any bells?"
"Nothing comes to mind, no. I came to this country when I was young, so none of my ancestors were actually American. Sorry, pal." Phillip was taken by surprise as his wife Roxanne walked up behind him and snatched the phone away.
"Hi, honey. How are you doing?" She spoke into the device while fending off Phillip's attempts to take it back.
"Oh, uh, I'm fine, mom. I really should be going, though."
"Not so fast, young man. Don't you want to hear about your ancestor?"
Phillip stopped grabbing at the phone long enough to raise an eyebrow at Roxanne. Logan was silent.
"Thought so."

Phora was not very pleased with the short ride. "This ain't Africa!" She shouted, and beat her little fists on Lloyd's back. "Where are the elephants and alligators?" Just then, Grayson took off once more. High into the air he went, and down below Phora could see Alice entering the Senate building. With a mischievous gleam in her eye she jumped off Grayson and flew around to the back of the senate building. Sneakily she crept up and peaked around the corner, watching Alice kick the door open. Phora crept up behind Alice and prepared to pounce.

"Yeah, sure," Derrek half replied under his breathe, as Alice went on her way. After which he finally managed to check his own PDA, only to find that this seemingly psychic lady had misspelled his name. Had he not had to participate in this club he would have probably just quit right there, however, he continued reading. Apparently he was to move full sized statues with the power of his brain, a big step up from flipping skirts.

Taking his time to bring up the map of Apollon and finding the Arena, Derrek slowly ventured forth. Without anyone to talk to the city had once again become boring and Derrek's thoughts drifted to Alice's glove she had forgotten to take back, and what he would need to do with it later. Suddenly he was at his meeting place. While the arena was nice and all, Derrek had only one though.

"I know you can hear me, and I'm serious about installing escalators or something!"

But alas, as an escalator did not magically appear for the boy, he once again took the stairs, and came into what appeared to a grand entrance for the VIP seating, with 5 out of place statues. The first was a Man and Bear striking in sync, which Derrek guessed was the Animal Mama power, like Lotus had. The second was of a man with wings and a flaming sword, and was quite striking. As well there were statues of a man with a fancy bow, a woman growing a tree, and a hooded individual wielding a round orb. All of these were carved from some kind of fancy stone, and Derrek had no clue where to begin, so he tried pushing one to gauge it's weight.

---

Li looked like he might just reply to Tsubaki when the PDAs went off. He might have said something to Tsubaki, but she had to reread her message a few times and would have missed it if he did, then he got a determined expression on his face as he left.

"Horses?" Tsubaki whispered to herself as she began the final leg of her walk to the stables. This small girl had loved nature as a child, but typically never interacted with any animal larger than a frog (since she wasn't allowed to disturb the Koi), especially not any labor animal. She wasn't to sure about what Miss Rachel had said about her being a exorcist either, its not like she had attempted it before. Ready or not Tsubaki had reached her destination, and could see the horses that were to tamed by her, and frankly, they didn't seem so bad. However, right at that moment, a voice echoed out from the nearby arena, and the horses suddenly became quite skittish, one in particular even braying and bucking, before they quickly seemed to mellow back out.

Tsubaki eep-ed at the suddenness of the event and added one word, "Bukimi".

For some time after receiving the message from Miss Rachel Maximilian simply stared blankly into his PDA. Though he was truly intrigued by the aspect of further attunement with his power, Maximilian was having a rather tough time projecting that interest outwards. Regardless of how apathetic and lazy he felt at the moment he entered into Apollon as per his instructions and began his tread towards the Palace of Seers. Upon his arrival at the palace Maximilian opted to hang around outside of the ancient building for sometime, if only because he thought the morning air would help to wake him and prepare him for what may lie ahead. Eventually he did force himself to enter the building and after walking towards the center of the main chamber he inspected the pool of water he was tasked with meditating in our around. The pool didn't appear to be anything special and so for the moment Maximilian headed down towards the right-most chamber and acquired a single vial which he promptly brought back to the center of the palace and filled.


After topping off the vial Maximilian sealed the top with the rubber thong but before he stowed the glass-like object away into his pocket he inspected it closely. As his eyes gazed over the vial he felt compelled to test its alleged bottomless-ness but in the end he decided against it and allowed the vial to lackadaisically fall into his pants pocket. Next he began to debate the subject of whether or not he should bother mediating near or in the pool. Though originally he felt compelled to stay dry today he eventually went against his initial judgement and entered into the shallow waters of the pool, sat down, closed his eyes and began clearing his mind of thoughts.

Lotus loathed the thought of walking all the way across the infernal training ground only to catch a butterfly. Lotus, unfortunately, do so. She walked into the garden. She expected to see a huge butterfly about the size of a monarch butterfly, but instead there was a tiny little butterfly fluttering across the garden from flower to flower. Lotus summoned Dot to aid her in the catching of the majestic creature.
"Alright Dot since I am sick. Can you catch this thing without hurting it?" Lotus asked the familiar.
" Catch it? How?" Dot asked with a puzzled look.
"I don't know. You're the tiger." Lotus snapped.
" Lotus you know just as well as I, white tigers are born in captivity."
"What the hell does that have to do with anything?!?" Lotus asked staring down her tiger with her hands out to the side.
"We don't have hunting instincts. We have our food brought to us." Dot said with an unusual amount of calmness. Lotus almost snapped.
"So your telling me that you have no hunting instincts? And you can't help me at all.?"
"Pretty much. I can provide emotional support a cheer. I was thinking something like LOTUS LOTUS SHE'S OUR GAL. IF SHE CAN'T DO IT GO TO-"
Lotus cut dot off. "You stupid animal!!"

Alice could vaguely sense some sort of energy from within the building as she approached; it was not threatening, seeming familiar even; yet once she entered the vacant chamber she did not see anything out of the ordinary.

In antiquity, the Senate served as the seat of government decision for the city of Apollon. Various matters regarding finance, law, and agriculture, among other things, were decided upon by a council of elders. Here, citizens of Apollon could express their concerns with the city, or raise motions that they believed needed to be addressed, and where accused criminals were tried.

Thus, it was rightly so that this building was considered to be of great importance in its time. It was comprised of one great chamber with three main levels. On the first level were many shelves carved of stone, spanning the walls on either side of a short staircase which led to the second level. The second level was fairly open, with the third level elevated above and around it in a semi circle opened towards the staircase, and various images inscribed onto the walls depicting various Artes. In the middle of the second level was a short raised platform with a carved podium of marble. The third level was accessed by two sets of steep staircases to the left and the right where three semi-circles of elevated stone seats looked down upon the second level, and one seat at the very back of the room was elevated above the rest of the seats, facing the podium of the second room.

It was all very beautiful, yet it wasn't the reason why she had come.

"Death is a funny thing when you're omnivident," spoke a voice suddenly, she looked up and a golden figure materialized in the highest seat of the room, looking down at Alice as she stood on the second level. "You've spent so much time fighting it while living, that once it claims you, it seems like an old friend," As the haze around the figure dissipated, she realized who was speaking to her, James Albright, "How are you, Alice?"

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The great academy stood neglected, the bastion of knowledge and tutelage for the youth of Apollon was riddled with vines and chips and cracks in its majestic pillars and walls of stone. The great wooden doors, were all but rotted as Daniel entered the school. Within, the sight was no greater than the outside. The building was a relic, one of the first established schools for the omnivident disciplines in the entire world.

There appeared to be three flights of stairs with two flights on every level leading to the next. The floors, while covered in sand and dust were ceramic, reflecting the light from the holes in the roof and the windows. It created an almost eerie atmosphere, yet it wasn't frightening, rather it heightened his curiosity.

As Daniel walked up the stairs he observed the beautiful mosaic art that had been placed on all of the walls. They depicted scenes of nature, or perhaps they told stories that he did not know, long forgotten in time. Eventually, he reached the room that he had been instructed to find. It did not have a door, like many of the other rooms within the academy, and so he stepped in.

The room was as Miss Rachel had described, lined with some sort of metal, though it wasn't reflective as it was covered in years of dust and dirt, and a small pool of water in the middle of the room. It was odd though, he could have sworn he heard muffled voices coming from the walls. Nevertheless, he had a job to do.

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Johnny made his way to the barracks quickly. It was a fairly simple building, not designed with decorative flourish as many of the other buildings in the city had been. If anything, it seemed like a box, with windows and a carving of crossed swords in front of a hoplite shield over the entrance to the building.

As he entered, he felt an internal tugging, as if he was being led to a certain location. The compelling tug was much more than he wanted to deny, so he followed it, passing by series of rooms where soldiers once slept, or that were lined with long forgotten weapons, and eventually he found himself led back outside in an enclosed courtyard. The ground was covered with dirt and various straw targets were lined on the wall. It was here that he would learn to focus his energy.

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Lloyd, finding the fountain, quickly sat down on the ground in front of it, while Grayson lay beside him. It seemed whatever system that caused them to run had been triggered by Maximilian's elemental display from the day before and they were continuing to flow. The sounds of the water was quite calming, and quite frankly Lloyd was concerned he'd fall asleep while attempting to meditate, yet he closed his eyes and began to settle his thoughts as he found his centre. Soon, even the sound of the water faded away, and the world seemed to disappear around him, his breathing got slower and he felt himself drifting.

Suddenly, he heard a very loud snap and his eyes flew open. The scene before him was very strange, it was as if he had shrunk. A great mound of straw and fur and feathers stood beside him, and a clear blue sky hung over head. He felt cold, and he felt hungry. Again he heard scrabbling behind him, and he rolled over, finding himself face to face with two other human-sized griffin chicks. He opened his mouth to speak, letting them know that he meant them no harm, but out of his mouth came a "peep". His "brothers" c*** their fuzzy down-covered heads, and "peeped" in response. He wasn't sure how he knew they were his brothers, he just knew.

He heard a screeching cry in the air and knew that his mother had returned. Against his better judgement, he along with his brothers began to peep excitedly as she landed, purring as she brought back meat for them to eat.

They ate happily, only suddenly to have their meal interrupted by the screeches of women. Their mother took off in flight to deal with the creatures, having flown too close to her children. Yet what she did not realize was that it had been a diversion. A harpy now looked down at Lloyd and his brothers with a hungry look in her eyes.

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OOC: Perfect description of the arena btw

The statue barely budged while Derrek pushed against it.

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On closer inspection it became clear that these horses were a lot less corporeal than she had first thought. She could almost see through them if she squinted hard enough. The horses looked at her curiously, as if they were gauging a potential threat. They neighed amongst each other skittishly. One brown stallion in particular barely acknowledged Tsubacki's presence.

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As Maximilian cleared his mind of thoughts he found himself slowly drifting away as his mind no longer concerned itself with the realm of the natural. He soon forgot that he was in a pool of water, though if one were to observe him, they'd notice that the water had taken on a luminescent quality.

He began to see lights, blue ripples of light seeming to emanate from himself and expand outward into the beyond. Every time they hit something, he gained a bit information. It was as if he had some sort of internal radar. Certain blips of light seemed brighter than others, perhaps signifying more spiritual energy than another person, while others seemed completely different from the more stable blips. These seemed to be looser, almost difficult to grasp. He ascertained the difference being between those that were living, and those that were not.

He could sense where everyone was within Apollon, watching their movements with alarming ease. There also seemed to be many spirits within Apollon, he found it strange that they had not encountered more of them while going throughout the city. On further examination of the blips he found that he could not specifically discern who each blip was. He could only assume that the brightest living blip was Alice's, though as he came across Evelyn's he found he could literally see her. She sat in the plaza alone, meditating alone with her eyes aglow. He wondered why it was that he could only see her, was it because they were friends, that they shared a bond of trust?

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Upon reaching the Plaza of the Wise, Evelyn sighed and landed on the ground lightly. Here came the moment of truth, a session of meditation that was long overdue. She wasn't quite sure what to expect, though this was Apollon, she knew that they were safe here. In the very back of her mind, she could only barely sense the spiritual phenomena occurring at that moment around her; everyone was doing their exercises, she supposed it was now her turn.

Crossing her legs, she sat on the ground in front of the bubbling fountain. She sighed once more, before breathing in deeply and closing her eyes while exhaling slowly. It had never been difficult for her to meditate, a passive skill that came with being Spiritorum, and it was not long before she found herself drifting further and further into the darkness of her mind. She could feel herself breaking down the various mental barriers that she had built up around herself, protecting herself from spiritual activity, yet also hindering her own abilities.

Evelyn felt her body sigh happily, as if it had been reunited with an old friend, and in truth she was happy. The world around her seemed to fill with light, tinting it in a shades of blue, grey and white; she was in the spirit realm. She stepped away from her body, looking around at all the spirits that passed by her, most of them not acknowledging her, while some of them smiling slightly in her direction. She flew into the sky, looking down on Apollon she could distinctly see the energies emitted by her peers and friends; it seemed that Miss Rachel had wanted them all to develop their abilities further. That's when it clicked, she knew what she had to do.

Returning to the ground, she sat in front of her own body; her eyes were open and emitting light, as they often seemed to do lately while using her powers. Taking her own hands, she held them; finding it mildly unnerving, as a pulse of energy was released as she touched her own body, and then she closed her eyes and meditated with herself.

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The butterfly flittered about mockingly in front of Lotus, always staying out of reach, and then it flew deeper into the garden.

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Logan can continue his conversation

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Waiting for response for Li, Dom and Damian

Lotus watched the butterfly with extreme intent.
"So, Dot what DO you know about hunting?" Lotus asked Dot with a small amount of anger in her voice.
"I think I read Something about being super quiet." Dot said as she c*** her head to the side and watched the glittering insect.
"So I have to sneak up on it?" Lotus crouched walking toward the butterfly. Lotus's eyes were set on her golden prize. Lotus allowed her claws to manifest. She had to do this carefully so she wouldn't crush the puny creature. Lotus lunged forward. She grabbed the butterfly between her claws.
"YES!" She shouted. Lotus couldn't help dream in joy.
-" Lotus....Lotus Get UP!-
Lotus opened her eyes. She was on her back in the middle of the garden. Dot was hovering above her.
"Dot? Where's the butterfly? What happened?" Lotus asked she was deeply confused.
"Ummm... Well you crouched and moved forward all creepy like. The jumped at it. The butterfly easily dodged you. Then you smashed head first into the tree, And knocked yourself out cold." Dot said ending with a big smile.
"So wait....SINCE WHEN CAN YOU READ?" Lotus asked laying on the ground remembering Dot mentioning something about reading.