### -> [[Questions]] It had been many an aeon since we last met our heroes. Ika had long forgotten about her chance encounter with The Lady, opting instead to live out her quiet, homely life she always desired, with her lover, Mako. Toby and Edgie had too retired to their old lives, appreciative of the travels they had, but still hopeful for something more. Yolk soon become a frequent visitor of their home, becoming interested in the strange spells and magics that Edgie was so talented in. Velvet still tried to fight the good fight, trying to go against The Lady, but everything spun so out of control that they abandoned base, and swore off being an Evergreen. The rest of the rebels stayed in the base, as it homed what little remained of the Cyborgs that still wanted to be in The Desert. Only now, after it has been *so long* since Era's presence was reported, a case that surely had been resolved, there was a call from On High. Edgie knew it was serious, having literally been asked to gather up the original quartet that had decided to save the Dwarves from that strange monster, a result of Outburst, the only one Ika had ever seen with her own eyes. It was strange, really - it was such a common phenomenon, and yet, she had not seen it for a while. The four of them were riding on a platform of earth, being guided by the mage's geo-kinesis. Toby was hanging on for dear life to a pole, while Ika was merely grasping it with a hand, using the other to hold her partner's hand. They were all equipped, as if a day hadn't passed since they met that witch who held The City captive. "Ika, sweetie, remind me again - what exactly is the issue?" Ika stared into the distance, for once, not meeting Mako's eyes. "It's something to do with the heads of magic. They said that we four needed to see them as soon as possible. The stars are mad, something to that effect." "But I don't get it!", replied a worried Mako, "I don't see any buildings for ages - just the sands." Edgie buries their fingers further into the dirt. "I would advise everyone to hold onto something - we are about to cross axes." Instinctually, Mako hugged her lover, but Ika merely held her grip. Toby was still fearful of the ride. In front of them, there was a small tear in reality, purple in color, before it opened onto an oval - taller than wide - which showed nothingness. With great speed, the chunk of rock, with the four on top, crashed headfirst into it. Upon going through, the rock smashed into a million pieces, causing everyone to fly off away from the other side of the portal. Edgie smashed into a wooden beam, appearing upside down before unceremoniously flopping onto the floor. Ika was smart enough to duck and cover, wrapping herself around Mako to keep her safe as they slammed into the floor, next to Toby, who seemed the most hurt, having to hold a pole as he fumbled onto the ground in a roll, before also hitting the wall. A mage, who seemed similar in clothing to Edgie, but with a verdant robe, earrings that looked like stars, and a wand to channel magic, came up as the four were trying their best to recover from the blast. "Dude, Edgie!", said the green mage, "You gotta stop with the dramatic entrances - these faculties cost more Amog to maintain than you make in an aeon!" Edgie wiped away from dirt from their face. "My sincerest apologies, Saiko. It is just, we have received word from On High. It is urgent. I should have some Amog on us, to assist..." Edgie fishes through their cloak, revealing a small pouch, with the letter A on it, and two lines through it, instead of one. "This should cover the costs. I should be attending to my duties with our guests." Saiko's eyes widened. "From the higher ups?? Say that *faster* next time!" Saiko looked at the other three, who were just done tending to the bruises of the entrance. "You three! This way, now!" Ika shook her head, and after making sure everyone was alright, they continued onward. From the landing bay, on the right was a set of stairs, that then opened into a long, large hallway. The halls of the school were very ornate - the walls of the landing pad were a dark crimson, and seemed to stretch way taller than you'd expect from a school. By Ika's guesstimate, you could grow about 4 times your size, and there would still be plenty of room. The quintet took their stride, heading up the stairs, and making their way down the hallway. Ika, Edgie, and Saiko followed, while Mako and Toby were talking, still trying to help him out. Toby was always pretty weak when it came to being hit, so he appreciated the help. In the front, though, was where the real stuff was going on. "So, Saiko, was it?" "That's correct." "The name's Ika. That redhead is Mako, she's my girlfriend, and the blue haired cyborg who's getting his arm taken care of is Toby." "Uhuh." "You... don't want to tell me about yourself?" "Hi. My name is Saiko. I do magic stuff at a magic school. What more do you want, my ID number? It's KLW-822. There, now you can get free lunch from the cafeteria. Who we are isn't important right now." Ika was taken a bit aback. "Jee- I mean, by the knights, I'm sorry, I just wanted to know." By then, they made their way into the center atrium. It was similarly tall, but with the occasional student wandering around. Some were robed, like Edgie and Saiko, while others took on more modest clothing, something you'd expect from scholars. Along the top were several different banners - most of them with bold colors, all of them with a single symbol, and some kind of indecipherable writing upon them. "What's with the banners?", inquired Ika. Saiko stopped in their tracks, pointing their wand at Ika, directly in her face. "Were you born 5 seconds ago, greenhead?! They're all different forms of magic, don't you *read?*" Ika raised her hands. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know-" "Enough with the questions, then, or I'm going to polymorph you into a form so small that your girlfriend there will start smooching flecks of dust!" A dark silence passed over both them, as well as everyone around them. Saiko perked up, as if he hadn't said anything. "This large entryway to our right is where the council is. Let's keep it moving, people." As instructed, the people kept moving. Ika decided to hang back, with Mako and Toby, holding her lover's hand. "You know, Ika, I'd still love you if you were a dust faerie." "That's not my concern, but, I love you too." Ika stuck out to look at Toby. "You doing okay, Tobs?" Toby was massaging his robotic arm. If this was soothing, Ika couldn't tell. He spoke somewhat pained. "Yeah, I'll- I'll get through this." Ika pointed to her back. "You sure? I got a heal in my bag." "That's-" Toby thought to himself for a bit. "May I?" As they were walking, Ika rifled through her stuff, before pulling out a half-full bottle with a red liquid inside. She passed it to Mako, who passed it to Toby, who downed it without a second thought. Some kind of red particles emanated from his arm, before he sighed with relief. There was no time to be thankful. As they were entering some large chamber - one more colossal than before - Edgie turned to the trio of newcomers. "You three will need to show utmost respect to the priests and priestesses here. You will stay silent. I will kneel - Ika, Mako, kneel to my right, Toby, you will kneel to my left, with Saiko. You all will do *exactly* as you're told. We are treading on dangerous ground, here." Ika looked up in awe - There were several figures, all sitting in seats larger than the buildings at Synth City. They all appeared to be made out of some kind of marble, or chitin. They were featureless otherwise, looking more like statues than anyone "On High". In front of them was a large circular pool, of a mixture of varying colors and patterns. Edgie kneeled on the edge, and the others followed shortly - Ika and Mako flanking their right, with Toby and Saiko flanking their left, all of them looking into the pool. The colors were so mesmerizing... it was as if a hundred souls were swimming in the waters. Waters? Ika wondered if that was correct. She found herself lost in the menagerie, the untapped well of creativity, the collective, crying out, begging to be used, to be released, in a chaotic frenzy of occultism. She was there. No, not literally *in* the pool, she could still feel her hands and feet on the floor, but in her mind, she had connected to it somehow. She opened her mind's eye, as if trying to dream, and indeed, found herself within the swirl of colors. They tried their best to coalesce into a landscape, but they could only manage the gradients - green on the bottom, blue on the top. Otherwise, there were still splotches in the mental scenery. A tall figure approached Ika within. They spoke with the weight of a thousand mountains. "Ika", they commanded, in a voice that was mentally booming, but could not breach the mind's inability to simulate volume. "This might be your fault." Ika drew upon her faint encounters with spirits, however true they may be, she still knew to only speak with her thoughts. "Forgive me if I ask too much, your highness. What is the nature of your emergency?" The figure approached Ika's avatar. "The stars have turned mad. The Knights appear to be sick. There is disruption in the cosmos..." They hold out a hand, revealing an orb. "You may look inside." She peered into the orb, seeing a city - no, *the* Synth City, in a state of battle. The streets seem to be burning, the people, desperately fighting back against the various guards and police that exist. A thought seems to be chanted through the scenery - "We don't want the light!" The figure explains this. "Due to your sudden appearance, and then subsequent disappearance, The lady appears to have... ramped up, whatever The Light happens to be. We do not blame you for having fled the scene - we can see through your mind that you were damaged, and that you did what you thought was best for you and your partner." The figure sighs. "But, it has come to our attention that this needs to be rectified, at once. You, as well as your cohort, are tasked with fixing this aberration in their society. You may, if required, eliminate The Lady and any of her underlings, as needed. If required, we will fulfill a leadership role until one can be established. Do you understand?" Ika shook her head. "I understand the assignment, but, I do hold an aberration against your cause, if I may speak freely." The figure seems to growl, but then relents. "You may, but know this: we will not release you of your duty." Ika sighs, composing her mental self. "Mako and I, we have adventured and been together for so long... it was only natural, then, that when we had just made our presence known, that she wept, asking me to go home. At the time, I thought it was the best solution - The Lady, then, seemed near unbeatable. So, your highness, I only ask but one thing of you. I just want Mako to be safe, I want my friends to be safe. *I* want to be safe. After this is all said and done, will we all be okay?" The figure holds out a hand. "Complete this, Ika, and you, as well as your friends, and your lover, will be permitted entry into these halls at any time. We are outside of reality here, where nothing can tarnish our halls. Failure to comply, though, and the world will fall into ruin, and we will not harbor you." "I understand. I appreciate it." Without hesitation, Ika's hand met the one of the figure. With a good shake, she felt her mind start to swirl, and twist, and slowly, with the feeling of static, pins, and needles throughout her whole body, ejected from the mental landscape into reality. She rubbed her head. "So... we all just saw that, right?" Mako spoke from above - apparently, Ika had rested her head on her lover's lap. "You took the longest, sweetie, is everything okay?" Ika put a hand out, which Mako held. She didn't say anything for a moment, looking up at her... Mako was wearing her horns, which Ika loved oh so dearly. After recovery, everyone stood up, save for Saiko, who was still stuck in the swirls with the council. He probably had some business to attend to with them, so for now, it was the quartet. They didn't speak much, though - it was clear what had to be done. IKA, the Amnesiac Strategist, would lead the way, offering the group her combat capabilities, and would direct them in battle. MAKO, the Ace of Hearts, was tasked with keeping the group together, as well as being a side arm to Ika. EDGIE, the Young Mage, would spare no expense in their spells, utilizing them for protection and offense. TOBY, the Patchwork Cyborg, was tasked with being the specialist, with capabilities in cyber-kinetics and general Synth knowledge. Before they departed, though, Ika held up her phone. "Hold on, I have to make a call." Being careful when dialing the number, she put it to her ear. "Vel? It's Ika. How would you like to get the Evergreens back together?"