The Last Summoner Part 8

"Back at last." Mick said as he, Rose and Gloria stepped onto the academy grounds. "You two can cheer up now. We made it back."

Gloria and Rose slowly followed Mick onto the grounds. Nobody said a word since they left Wiltmar. It was all too painful to talk about even though it was still fresh on their minds.

"Mick; an entire town filled with hundreds of innocent people, were just wiped off the face of the planet." Rose said. "How can we cheer up after seeing that happen right before our eyes?"

"It's best not to let it get to you for too long." Mick said. "Otherwise you'd be too busy sulking while it happens to another town. Anyway, you two can make the report to Headmaster Aslan about the whole thing. I'm going to see how Duran is doing."

Mick walked away leaving Gloria and Rose looking at him in surprise. Both of them were at a loss for words. What Mick said was true. If they let the incident get to them for too long, then they won't be able to help anyone else.

"I can't believe we just got a lesson from Mick, of all people." Gloria said.

"He wasn't always such a bad guy." Rose said. "Usually he's mean only when he's trying to stay on my brother's good side."

"So in other words, Duran is the jerk." Gloria said.

"He always was."

Feeling a bit better, the girls made their way to Headmaster Aslan's office ready to give a full report. Gloria now had another concern on her mind. If Aslan were to find out she summoned Zakarn he would be angry with her again. It was not something she was looking forward to.

***

Meanwhile in the secluded part of a mountain side, Zotar had opened a secret door with a long set of stairs behind it. He calmly walked down each step trying not to trip. The stairs weren't lit very well so it was hard to see some of the steps as he went down. Once he reached the bottom he found himself in what looked like a laboratory. He could see glass tubes filled with some sort of strange dark liquid. The liquid looked like blood but, if it was, it didn't seem like it was human blood. The rest of the lab had similar tubes lying all over the place. The lab itself compromised of several rooms, each one just as dimly lit as the stairs Zotar came from. As Zotar looked around the room his foot bumped into a small basket causing it to shift to the side allowing him to see its contents. Piled up in the basket were small dark orbs, similar to the one he had used at Wiltmar. He picked one up and rolled it between his fingers.

"I wouldn't take those ones if I were you." came an eerie voice from the darkest corner of the room. "Those failed the initial testing. They would more likely blow up in your face then open a demon Gate."

An old man walked out of the shadows and into the light of a nearby candle. He looked as he always did: tired and weak. He wore a grey robe that looked to be as old as he was. His face was pale and was devoid of hair. He looked as if he could just drop dead at any minute. Zotar didn't know the man's name. The only information the old man gave was that he was a professor. What he studied was also a mystery; however Zotar knew it had something to do with demons.

"The one you gave me worked better then you said it would." Zotar said placing the orb in his hand back into the basket. "The whole town was engulfed by a demon gate."

"Ah that is good to hear. My experiment is going smoothly then." The old professor said. "What of the orb?"

"Gone with the town I assume." Zotar said. "We had some complications which almost cost us the mission. I had to leave the orb behind."

"Bah! I told you to be careful not to lose it." The professor said. "I can't keep making these forever. We must be able to reuse the orbs as many times as possible."

"Did you figure out why the orb used one year ago shattered?" Zotar asked ignoring what the professor had said.

"I believe it had something to do with the victim that was trapped in the barrier." The Professor said slowly moving to one of the tables that was situated in a corner.

"The girl you mentioned?"

"Yes. The gate shut when her blood came in contact with the orb. Did you find out anything about her as you wandered from town to town?"

"I did learn something interesting." Zotar said. "While we were in Wiltmar, the Blonde Beauty made an appearance. Apparently, the Unbeatable Beauties were a couple of Summoners."

"What kind of joke are you playing here Zotar?" The Professor asked pointing at Zotar with a shaking hand. "The Summoners were dealt with fifteen years ago. None of them should still be around."

"Apparently two had survived. The Blonde Beauty saw right through the illusion of the rings you made for the two that work for me. Only a Summoner could do that, with the way you made the rings."

"If it's true that the girl trapped in the orbs barrier was a Summoner, then that would explain why the gate closed and why the orb shattered. However that's only if it's true." The Professor said.

"You said you were there when the orb shattered." Zotar pointed out. "Didn't you see the girl use any skills that may have shown she was a Summoner?"

"She wielded a special blade that could split into two identical swords." The Professor said. "I had thought she pulled it out of a sheath but it's possible she summoned it."

"I suppose there is no way to know for certain now." Zotar said leaning against a table. "You yourself saw the girl die. She won't be able to tell us if she's a Summoner or not."

"But there may be someone who can." The Professor said with a grin. "Someone we know for sure is a Summoner."

"You're talking about the Blonde Beauty right?"

"Yes. Are you and your team up for another mission?"

"That depends." Zotar said crossing his arms. "What is the mission and what do we get out of it.?"

"What if it involved capturing the Blonde Beauty alive?" The Professor said holding up a small orb.

Zotar looked at the orb in the Professor's hand. It looked like any of the other orbs that were lying around but it seemed different somehow. The other orbs usually have demonic energy surrounding it; this one however had regular magical energy. Zotar looked at the Professor and smiled wickedly.

"Consider it done." He said taking the orb from the Professor.

***

"...and that ends our report." Rose finished saying.

Aslan was silent. After hearing Gloria and Rose report on what had happened at Wiltmar, he was shocked. For the first time in a long while, he was at a loss for words. Gloria gave a breath of relief. She had managed to avoid letting Aslan know that she used Zakarn. Rose probably thought it wasn't important to mention it so she didn't say anything about it. Aslan turned his chair around to look out the window behind him.

"Let me get this straight." Aslan finally said. "There is actually an orb that can open a demon gate and destroy entire towns. Plus the one behind it all carries a gunblade. A weapon that shouldn't even exist apart from the one you have, and you fought against him and one of his minions alone?"

Gloria's heart sank. Aslan figured out that she used Zakarn anyway. She could lie about it, but that would just make matters worst if Aslan found out. She sighed again and decided to explain.

"I'm sorry for disobeying your orders sir; I had no choice but to summon Zakarn." She said. "But you must understand, it was two against one and I was up against another Gunblade Specialist. I needed to summon him or else I'd be dead right now."

"And did you even think to try using your other weapons?" Aslan asked. "It was, after all, because of those other weapons, you were able to get your Ospar in the first place."

"But I'm better with my Gunblade then with any other weapon." Gloria argued. "I probably would have used Zakarn even if I used another weapon before that."

That's when Gloria remembered. There was one good thing that had happened because she summoned Zakarn.

"Please understand Headmaster. If it wasn't for Zakarn I wouldn't have gotten another weapon." She said.

Aslan turned back around to look at Gloria. He seemed curious and a bit surprised at what Gloria had said.

"Another weapon?" He said. "What kind of weapon?"

"An axe sir." Gloria said summoning the battle-axe she used in the fight. "I call it Demon Crusher."

"That's the axe you had when Mick and I returned to you." Rose said pointing at the big battle-axe in Gloria's hands.

"Demon Crusher..." Aslan repeated. "I don't recall any other Summoner with this weapon. How did you get it?"

"I made it." Gloria said proudly.

"You made it!? How!?" Rose asked almost not believing it.

"A Summoner can make a weapon anywhere as long as three conditions are met." Aslan said before Gloria could answer. "One, the Summoner must have a basic knowledge of how to use the weapon they want to create. Two, the Summoner must be holding another weapon of the exact type as the one they want. In this case an axe. Finally three, the Summoner must be in a place they can be still and concentrate. If the Summoner were to move, then creating the weapon would fail."

Gloria looked at Aslan in surprise. What he just explained was something only Summoners knew. Aslan chuckled when he saw the look on Gloria's face.

"Surprised that I know something that nobody outside the Summoners should know?" He asked. "You saw the statue situated on the grounds right?"

"You mean the one with you shaking hands with that robed man?" Rose asked.

"Yes. That one, and that 'robed man' was Head Summoner Calden, Gloria's father. You see this academy was built with the funds he provided."

"My father built this academy?" Gloria asked. "I imagine it was to train people to fight against the demons."

"Yes, but that was only the school's secondary objective." Aslan said nodding. "Its primary purpose was to train you and the rest of the Summoner's children."

"To train me? But in order to do that you would have to know..." Gloria started but realized what had happened. "You were taught how to train a Summoner. That's how you knew how we can make weapons. That's why there was an Ospar hidden nearby. No wonder the Head Bishop of the Grand Church recommended I come here."

"Yes. As I said, it was initially planned for you to train here, however the incident with your Sanctuary made us believe all of you were lost." Aslan said standing up from his chair just to turn around and look out the window behind him. To our surprise, two of you arrived safely at the Grand Church."

"By 'our' I'm sure you are referring to you and the Head Bishop." Gloria said.

"Correct. I had received a message from the Head Bishop informing me that you were under his care." Aslan said turning to look at Gloria. "He never informed me as to what happened at the Sanctuary. He informed me that there were only two of you left and we both agreed that the plan would still go on regardless. Then, about a year ago, I received one more tragic message."

Gloria took a sharp breath but didn't say a word. Rose, who was standing quietly behind Gloria, looked over at her sadly. Aslan took a step away from the window staring at Gloria with a sense of urgency.

"I presume you know what that message was about." He said.

"It was about the incident that happened at the Grand Church one year ago, the incident that killed Aleen and pegged me as the Last Summoner." Gloria said with some difficulty.

"I'm sorry to ask this of you..." Aslan said sitting back in his chair. "...but I would like you to tell me what happened during that incident."

"No fucking way!" Gloria said loudly.

It surprised Rose to hear Gloria swear like that, but it was understandable. This was a tough subject for her to talk about and it was bad enough they made her recount what happened at the Summoner's Sanctuary. Aslan also didn't seem surprised at Gloria's refusal to talk about it.

"I figured you would say something along those lines." He said. "But it's fine. There is another who can tell me what happened on that day.

Gloria shifted a bit and clenched her fists. She had a feeling she knew who it was that Aslan was talking about and she knew what she would do if she saw him.

"Since the Head Bishop would never leave the Grand Church, there is only one other who was there the day of the incident." Gloria said. "Where is he now?"

"Not far." came a voice from the door.

Rose quickly turned however Gloria didn't budge. Standing in front of the door was a giant of a man. He looked like he could barely squeeze through the door. He wore a big black jacket that covered his entire body. His face was rugged and cleanly shaved. He had a scar on his cheek which Rose couldn't tell if he got it from battle or from shaving. His dark brown hair was short but messy. It looked like the fur from an animal but it was hard to tell by just looking at it.

"Who let you out?" Gloria asked without turning to even face the man. "Your lifetime sentence in the dungeons shouldn't be up already."

"I see you're in a better mood than when I last saw you." The man said calmly. "If you must know, the Head Bishop let me out in order to search for you."

"I don't believe you." Gloria said closing her eyes. "If the Head Bishop wanted me, he would have sent one of the Healers who live at the Grand Church to find me. So what's the real reason for tracking me down? Arnen."

"You remember my name it seems.” the man said. "You said you would but I didn't believe you."

"Why did you come looking for me?" Gloria asked turning her head a bit to look at Arnen through the corner of her eye. "I told you I'd kill you the next time I saw you."

"Then go ahead." Arnen said raising his arms.

Gloria looked at the battle-axe still in her hand. She knew her Gunblade would be useless in its current condition, plus this would have been a good chance to try out her new weapon. She turned to charge at Arnen however Headmaster Aslan jumped over his desk and in her way before she could take a single step. Gloria looked at Aslan in surprise. How did he move fast enough to get in her way?

"Stand down Gloria." Aslan said. "I'm not sure what kind of past you two share but right now this man is a client and we don't attack our clients. Besides, he's telling the truth. The Head Bishop did in fact send him to find you."

"A client!? Him!? I don't believe it." Gloria said pointing at Arnen. "If anything that man is here to ruin my life for the second time."

"He has proof that he came by the orders of the Head Bishop." Aslan said. "Here."

Aslan walked over behind his desk and reached down to pick up the long thin object Arnen had brought. Gloria eyes widen when she looked at it.

"Is that...no it can't be..." she said.

"You can tell what it is even with the brown paper covering it." Aslan said not surprised. "Makes sense, this did belong to your mother after all."

Gloria slowly walked over to Aslan's desk and took the object from Aslan's hands. She ripped open the paper as if opening a present. Under the paper was a white staff with the Summoner's insignia, a halo with wings, carved into both ends of the staff. Rose recognised it as she had seen a painting of this staff before. It was the staff that Summoner Sanala always carried around.

"But...how is this...?" Gloria asked staring at the staff.

"According to the Head Bishop, this was found on the Sanctuary grounds during the initial search of the area after the Sanctuary disappeared." Arnen said. "It was heavily damaged and it took half a year to fix. The Head Bishop held onto it since then waiting until you grew to the same age Summoner Sanala was when she had the staff made."

"I've always wanted this staff." Gloria said. "But I thought it was impossible to get it. Why didn't the Head Bishop give it to me before I left the Grand Church?"

"Ask him when we get there." Arnen said. "He's asking that you come back in order to go over a few things."

"I still don't get why he sent you instead of a Healer."

"Because I have a job request for this academy." Arnen said. "I was going to come here anyway."

"A job? What kind of job?" Rose asked.

"One involving the Demon Gate Key." Arnen said.

"Keys." Gloria said.

"What?"

"Gate keys, there is more than one." Gloria said. "One was used at Wiltmar. Demon gate engulfed the entire town."

"That's impossible." Arnen said alarmed. "The demon Gate we saw one year ago wasn't nearly big enough to engulf a town. It even closed itself up after..."

"I know." Gloria said cutting Arnen off. "But it was the same kind of orb that opened the gate this time around. Everything was the same. The demons, the barrier...the death."

"We're talking about an entire town of death here." Arnen said. "Last time the only casualty was..."

"I KNOW!" Gloria yelled almost screaming. "We were both there. Arnen. You know what I lost that day. It may have been a year ago, but I'm still trying to get over it. That would be easier if you would STOP BRINGING IT UP!"

Everyone stood in silence as Gloria took a deep breath to try and calm down. Arnen stared at her and nodded.

"Yes. I know what you lost. And of course you know what you lost. But did you happen to tell them what you lost?" Arnen asked pointing at both Aslan and Rose.

"Of course I..."

"I mean did you tell them what you really lost?" Arnen asked cutting off Gloria this time. "Or did you just say she was just a friend? Or maybe you just gave a name and didn't tell them who that person was to you."

Gloria glared at Arnen before turning her head away. Arnen smiled with a sense of victory before Rose spoke up.

"You heard what she said. She's still trying to get over it. It's too difficult for her to talk about." She said.

"Rose, it's ok." Gloria said. "He's actually right. I haven't told you everything."

"Then perhaps you should tell us everything." Aslan said sitting back down in his chair.

"I guess I should." Gloria said sitting down in one of the chairs in front of Aslan's desk. "Arnen you'd better start it. After all, the whole incident started with you."

"Alright, well like you heard it happened one year ago." Arnen said. "At the time I was offering myself as a bodyguard to anyone who wished to have one..."

***

By that time I was asked to protect a village not far from the Grand Church. They were very poor and couldn't afford to keep paying guards to protect them. They had little to offer for my services however I was having a hard time finding work as is, so I accepted. It was a pretty easy job at first. A bandit here and there and the odd con man were the only problems that the village faced. However, it didn't take long for demons to show up. I was able to manage them for a while but they just kept coming and they were getting stronger every time. Then one day while I was getting the wounds I had received from a demon healed, a strange old man wearing a cloak approached me.

"These demons seem to be getting stronger with each passing day are they not?" He said with an eerie voice.

"Indeed they are." I told him. "It may be best if you and everyone else considered leaving the village. I fear I won't be able to protect you for much longer."

"I might be able to help you in that regard." The old man said. "These demons seem to come from a magical doorway called a demon gate. Shut down the gate, and you stop the demons from ever setting foot in this village."

"That is an idea, but where would I find the gate that these demons are coming from?" I asked.

"I've seen a lot of the demons come from the church not far from here. I bet that's where the demon gate is."

"The Grand Church!?" I said in surprise. "You must be mistaken; the Grand Church is a holy place. The demons avoid it completely."

"What better place to hide a demon gate." The old man said tilting his head a bit.

I thought about it for a minute. What the old man said was true. The Grand Church would be the last place anyone would suspect the demons to be spawning from.

"Even if that were true." I said. "How would one go about closing down the gate itself?"

"I have just the thing.” the old man said reaching into his pocket.

He pulled out a small orb and showed it to me. The orb was small and was black but not just any black; it was the same black color of demon's blood. I knew the color well by this point and I didn't like it. I glared at the orb as the old man covered it with his hand.

"You seem to have realized what this orb is." He said.

"I know that I'm not going to like it." I told him.

"Do not worry." The old man said. "This is a demon gate key. With this you can close the demon gate."

"How does it work?" I asked.

"Simply place it near the gate and the orb will do the rest."

"How will I know where the demon gate is? I've never seen one before in my life."

"All you have to do is hold this orb in your hands and you will see the demon gate." The old man said holding the orb out for me to take.

"This all sounds easy enough for even you to do." I said. "Why should I do it instead?"

"Who's to say that the Grand Church isn't behind the demons appearance?" The old man said. "If they are then there is no way for an old man like me to get the orb there."

"The Grand Church is a peaceful place. There is no way that they're behind the demons." I told him.

"Then you'll have no problem getting in and closing the gate." The old man said. "Are you just going to let this town be destroyed by demons?"

I glared at the old man for a while before finally taking the orb from him.

"Fine, I'll do it." I said. "But if this doesn't work I'll be hunting you down."

"And I will allow that." The old man said grinning.

The next morning I headed out towards the Grand Church. It was only a half hours walk so it wasn't too difficult to get there. I head for the front door as two Healers walk up to me.

"Welcome to the Grand Church. What is your business here?" One of them asked me.

"I have come to talk to the Head Bishop about a possible solution to the demons." I said half lying.

"The Head Bishop is currently busy at the moment and isn't seeing anyone." The other guard said.

"This is important." I said hoping that would get me in.

"I'm sorry, but we were told not to let anyone in to see the Head Bishop while he's busy with..."

"Is there a problem here?" came a woman's voice from behind me.

I turned to see a young woman who looked no more than eighteen years old, staring at us holding a shopping bag. I had gotten the feeling she liked flowers since the design on her long dark green dress was nothing but a bunch of flowers, plus she had a rainbow colored flower placed in her brown hair which fell down her back.

"Ah Miss. You have returned." One of the Healers guarding the door said. "This man wished to speak with the Head Bishop but he is busy at the moment."

"I heard you say it was important." The woman said to me. "Why don't you come in and tell me what's up, and I'll pass it along to the Head Bishop."

"And who are you?" I asked. "The Head Bishop's daughter?"

"Adopted daughter, yes. My parents disappeared some time ago." The woman said walking passed me and the two Healers. "The Head Bishop has been taking care of me ever since."

"I'm sorry." I said feeling bad at this point.

"It's alright. Everyone assumes the same thing." The woman said. "Come. We can talk inside."

I pass the two Healers and follow the woman inside the church. She led me through a series of hallways greeting everyone as she passed them. I could tell she was very well liked here at the Grand Church since everyone always put on a smile when she greeted them. As we walked down one hallway someone came flying through an open window and stood between me and the woman. Of course at the time I didn't know it but the one standing in front of me was Gloria. She looked the same as she does now however her hair was shorter then and well she didn't have the flower in her hair. She pointed a weird looking blade at me and gave me a hateful glare.

"Who are you and what do you want?" She asked.

"I'm here to see the Head Bishop." I told her. "It's a matter of importance."

"Gloria, it's alright." The woman said walking over and placing her hand on Gloria's hand to lower her weapon. "I let him in."

"Aleen? You can't just let anyone in." Gloria said to the woman. "What if he's with those bandits that attacked us the other week?"

"Well I figured that if he was with the bandits, you'd make sure he was dealt with.” the woman said smiling at Gloria. "If not you, I would have taken care of him myself. Besides, he said it was important. We might as well hear him out."

"You're just too trusting. Fine." Gloria said with a sigh. "You go and get changed. I'll take him to see the Head Bishop in the Main Hall. You can find us there when you're done."

"Thanks. You're a doll." Aleen said giving Gloria a kiss on the cheek before turning to leave.

Gloria watched Aleen leave and then turned to face me. She was blushing a bit and I must have had a confused look on my face because she glared at me and said:

"You can keep your comments to yourself! We're in love and nothing will change that!"

"I wasn't going to say anything." I told her "However, isn't it weird for you to be in love with another woman?"

"As a matter of fact it's not. Not to us anyway." Gloria snapped at me. "Now let's go, The Head Bishop's waiting."

Gloria waved for me to follow and led me to what I believe to be the biggest room in the church. At one end of the room was a small set of stairs which led to a big chair. In the chair was an old man with an expensive looking robe. He had a wooden cane in his hand which he probably used to get around. Gloria walked up the stairs and whispered in the old man's ear. The old man stood up and slowly made his way down the set of stairs.

"You have something you wish to talk about?" The old man asked.

"You are the Head Bishop I presume." I said.

"I am." The old man said nodding his head a bit. "What is this important thing you wanted to talk about?"

"Wait! Don't start without me." Aleen said running through the door.

Aleen ran up to join Gloria on the top of the stairs. Once there she began to breathe in heavily trying to catch her breath. She had changed out of the green dress she was wearing before and into a robe similar to the one Gloria was wearing.

"Aleen, you shouldn't push yourself like that." Gloria said. "You walked all the way to the next town and back after we finished training. You must be exhausted."

"I'm alright." Aleen said taking one big breath. "What did I miss?"

"Geez, where do you get all that energy?" Gloria asked not expecting an answer.

"Ahem!" The Head Bishop said as he cleared his throat loudly causing Gloria and Aleen to stand at attention. "Now what is it you wanted?"

"It came to my attention that there may be a demon gate here in the Grand Church." I told him causing Gloria and Aleen to look at each other in alarm.

"Where did you hear that?" Gloria asked.

I was a little surprised by the question. It was a normal enough question but what I found surprising is the fact that she never asked what a demon gate was. It was like she knew they existed but how could she know, when nobody else did. I began to grow more suspicious of the Head Bishop and the two girls standing beside him like guards.

"There was an eyewitness that has seen demons coming from the Grand Church." I told them. "He gave me an item that could close the gate for good."

"But that's impossible." Aleen said before clamping a hand over her mouth.

"What Aleen says is true." The Head Bishop said. "A demon gate cannot be closed once it has been opened. Many have tried, and all have failed."

"I have something that might actually do the trick." I said reaching into my pocket.

Gloria and Aleen watched me carefully as I pulled the orb that the old man had given me, out of my pocket. I looked at the orb in my hand, then I looked up and I saw it. Hovering over the Head Bishop's chair was the faint image of what looked like a black hole usually found in space. It had to be the demon gate since I didn't see it until I grabbed the orb.

"Hello?" Gloria said. "Don't be staring off into space now. Show us what you got there."

I looked at Gloria and tossed the orb to her. She managed to catch it even while surprised. Aleen walked over to Gloria to have a look at the orb as well.

"Oh, it's the same color as demon's blood." Aleen said "How fitting. Don't you think Gloria?"

Gloria however didn't answer. She was looking up above the Head Bishop's chair. I couldn't see it anymore since I wasn't holding the orb, but I knew Gloria could see the demon gate. Aleen looked above the chair as well and obviously didn't see anything since she looked at Gloria in confusion and began waving a hand in front of her face. Gloria grabbed Aleen's waving hand with her own hand that held the orb. Aleen was most likely touching the orb since she now looked up and stared above the Head Bishop's chair.

"It looks exactly like the one that swallowed the Sanctuary." Aleen said. "Only...this one is smaller...much smaller."

"Is what this man said true?" The Head Bishop asked taking a step away from his chair.

"It's hard to imagine, but there really is a demon gate here." Gloria said before turning to look at me. "Tell me, how do we use this?"

"I'll use it." I said holding out my hand. "There is no need to put you in danger."

"Don't underestimate us." Gloria said. "If anyone can tackle this demon gate it's us."

"And if demons come out while the gate is being destroyed how can two Healers even think about taking them on?" I said pointing at Gloria and Aleen.

"Do you even realize who you're talking to?" Gloria asked.

"You've probably heard about us in the neighboring towns." Aleen said proudly. "Two women who live at the Grand Church that is impossible to beat in a fight."

"You're not saying that you two are the Unbeatable Beauties." I said.

"Yup." Gloria said. "The recent bandit attack on the church was stopped by us."

"But this is demons we're talking about this time." I said. "Bandits are one thing but demons are vicious killers."

"We can take care of demons too." Aleen said. "After all, it's what we were born to do."

"Born to do? It's not like you two are..."

"Summoners." The Head Bishop said finishing my sentence. "Yes. These two are the last remaining Summoners. They managed to escape when their Sanctuary disappeared."

***

"It was hard to imagine that Summoners still existed but yet there they were. They were young, but even a young Summoner was rumoured to be a force not to be underestimated." Arnen said.

"And you proved that as the Unbeatable Beauties? Correct?" Aslan asked looking to Gloria.

"That was Aleen's idea." Gloria said. "She wanted us to enter the local battle tournaments that were being hosted in the towns near the Grand Church, but the Head Bishop wouldn't allow it at first."

"What made him change his mind?" Rose asked.

"He told Aleen that we could enter if she were to find a way to keep our identities a secret." Gloria said before chuckling to herself. "She spent an entire week trying to find a way before she came up with the masks and wig idea."

"Wig? What wig?" Rose asked. "You weren't wearing a wig when you dressed up as the Blonde Beauty at Wiltmar."

"It was for Aleen. She was a brunette however her hair was dark enough to be the 'Black Beauty'." Gloria explained. "All I had to do was put my hair in a ponytail...it was harder back then because my hair was shorter than it is now."

"So even the Grand Church has a demon gate within its walls." Aslan said eager to hear more. "Makes you wonder where else they could be hiding. There may even be one here."

Everyone went silent. The thought of a demon gate suddenly opening right above them was a frightening thought. It made Gloria realize just how bad things really looked.

"I'll tell the rest Arnen." She said. "It’s better they hear this part from me."

Arnen nodded showing he understands. Gloria took a deep breath before looking out the window to her left.

"I figured it would be an easy thing to do; closing the demon gate." She said. "We knew where it was and had a means to destroy it...or so we thought."

***

"So, how about you tell us how to use this and we can handle the rest." I said raising the orb up above my head.

However before Arnen could answer, the gate key started glowing a dark glow in my hand. A burst of dark energy shot upward towards where the demon gate was situated. The orb then began to pulsate as if it had a heartbeat of its own. It shined brighter in my hand as I watched in awe. Aleen was probably suspicious about the whole thing as she came over and smacked the back of my hand causing the orb to fall and roll on the floor stopping in front of the Head Bishop's chair. Then what could only be described as a round barrier appeared around the orb and began to grow in size. The barrier started getting closer to me and Aleen as it grew. The Head Bishop moved away next to Arnen for safety as Aleen and I backed up slowly. Aleen most likely had the same bad feeling as I did since she turned and pushed me down the small staircase in front of the Head Bishop's chair. I fell backwards onto the floor below the stairs and then looked up at Aleen who was just inches away from the barrier.

"Aleen! Jump!" I yelled.

Aleen turned to jump down the steps however once her feet left the floor, the barrier surrounded her. She hit the wall of the barrier and was pushed back onto the floor next to the orb. The Head Bishop walked over to help me get to my feet.

"What's going on?" I asked. "Did that barrier just trap Aleen?"

"It would seem so." The Head Bishop said. "It looks as if it was designed to trap something, or someone, in it."

"I have to get her out of there!" I said running towards the barrier.

"Gloria wait! Look up!” The Head Bishop said pointing above his chair.

The barrier had expanded over the Head Bishop's chair and had surrounded the spot where the demon gate was. The gate itself was now visible even without the orb in hand. I ran up to the barrier but could not pass through it like Aleen did. Aleen had pressed her back against the wall of the barrier in order to keep her distance from the gate as best she could. The demon gate began to shift in shape and a hole, which looked like a rip in a piece of fabric, had appeared.

"The demon gate is....opening?" Arnen said confused.

"Looks like the orb was made to open the gate; not close it." Aleen said.

I quickly turned my head to glare at Arnen with hatred. It was then I realized that he must have known this would happen and he used the excuse of closing the gate to get us to open it for him instead. I heard Aleen gasp and when I looked back a small demon with wings cautiously came out of the open demon gate and began to fly around circling the inside of the barrier.

"Alright, you can handle this." I said to Aleen. "Just remember all the training we did and kill that thing."

"Gloria, you sound more nervous than I am." Aleen said turning to face me.

"I just don't trust that demon gate." I said. "It's still open even after that demon came through. More might start pouring out soon."

"Relax." Aleen said placing a hand on the barriers wall. "I'll be fine."

I look at Aleen's hand before placing my own hand against the barrier adjacent to hers. The demon flying around finally laid its eyes on Aleen and charged. Aleen however simply smiled.

"Twinblade." Aleen said placing her other hand in front of her.

The double bladed sword had appeared in Aleen's hand. She quickly pointed the sword at the demon which, not seeing the sword, ran into it. Aleen flicked the demon off and looked up at the demon gate. Several of the same type of demon flew out and circled over Aleen's head. One of them charged at Aleen however it was easily cut down with a single swing of her sword. Two more demons charged bearing their fangs yet Aleen still cut them down just as easily.

"Keep it up" I said cheering for Aleen. "Don't bother taking the time to seal them away just cut them down."

"Incredible." Arnen said behind me. "She's capable of defeating this level of demon just as easily as I can and I have years of battle experience."

"This is not even her full strength." The Head Bishop said. "They both still have much to learn, if they are to be as strong as their parents."

"Summoners are truly gods then." Arnen said.

"There was a time when they were regarded as gods." The Head Bishop said. "But now they are like regular people, like you and me. The disappearance of their Sanctuary should have proved that."

Aleen skillfully cut down demon after demon as they charged after her. They never even had the chance to get close to her without getting cut up by her sword. She was definitely better at using Twinblade then I could ever be. Eventually the last demon had fallen. Aleen stood in the middle of all the demon bodies catching her breath.

"Is....that all?" She asked.

"Looks like it. Now would be a good time to seal them all away." I told her.

Aleen nodded and turned to face the demon gate. She raised her hand but before she could do anything, the barrier started flickering. As the barrier flickered, something shot out of the demon gate. It was hard to tell what it was since all we could see was a black blur flying around the inside of the barrier. Another black blur shot out of the demon gate and started flying around just like its twin.

"What are those?" I asked trying to get a good glimpse of the blurs. "More demons?"

"It's hard to tell, they're moving too fast." Aleen said.

One of the blurs bounced off the floor and flew straight at Aleen. She had just enough time to jump to the side however, whatever the blur was managed to cut her right shoulder. Aleen winced in pain and placed a hand on her wounded shoulder. The second blur bounced off the floor and cut Aleen's left side.

"Aleen!" I cried out as she dropped to one knee.

"I'm alright." Aleen said looking up at the blurs bouncing around the barrier. "I just have to be faster than them."

A third blur shot from the gate and immediately charged at Aleen who stood up and placed both hands on the hilt of her sword.

"Twinblade! Split!" Aleen said as she separated the sword into two identical blades.

Aleen disappeared with a blink of an eye. This was something Aleen was able to do very well. She could move fast. Very fast. She often moved this fast when we would have a training match together. I was never able to move as fast as her no matter how hard I tried. When I asked her how she does it she would just giggle and tell me it was a secret. Aleen must have hit the blur charging at her since it stopped moving and fell to the ground. She turned to see what she had cut down. Lying on the floor behind her was a demon, much bigger than the flying ones she had killed before. The demon stood up and turned to face Aleen. This demon was big, easily bigger than Arnen. The odd thing about this demon was that it looked almost human. It had the sharp fangs and pointed ears that demons usually have, yet it stood tall like a human would and its body was the exact same as a human's only bigger. The only other difference was its hands, which seemed even bigger than the rest of its body, had long razor sharp claws. What really worried me about the claws was the demonic energy that surrounded them. Aleen gripped her blades tighter. The two remaining blurs charged at Aleen, which she dodged one after the other with some difficulty. The human looking demon then charged after Aleen swinging its claws at her. She blocked both claws with her blades and held them away from her. The two blurs quickly circled around the demon and cut both of Aleen's sides. Aleen yelled in pain and her strength she was using to keep the demon's claws away vanished. The demon took this chance and stabbed its claws through Aleen's stomach.

"Aleen!" I yelled out beating on the barrier.

The demon lifted Aleen up and threw her against the Head Bishop's chair. The demon itself seemed to have a look of satisfaction on its face until it looked up at the demon gate. The gate itself had started to close and the barrier had disappeared. The two blurs that were jumping around the barrier were now jumping around the main hall. I called out my gunblade and began firing energy bullets at the blurs. The human-like demon walked over to Aleen who was bleeding out over the Head Bishop's chair. I saw it reach out to grab her however I ran over and made a deep cut in the demons back. It roared in pain raising the claw, which was going to grab Aleen, in the air. I jumped up to flip over the demon cutting off the its hand.

"Don't you dare touch her!" I said landing in between Aleen and the demon.

The demon cried out holding its arm. Its detached hand fell down the small set of stairs. The demon growled at me as if ready to attack however once it laid its eyes on my weapon it backed off. For some reason, the demon seemed to know that I was not an opponent it wanted to fight. The two blurs jumping around found an open window and escaped. The demon in front of me ran over and jumped out the window only stopping to look back at me once more. I looked to my side and saw that the demons hand that I had cut off was now nothing but ashes in the corner. I dropped my gunblade to turn towards Aleen and picked her up off the Head Bishop chair and placed her on the floor.

"Aleen! Hang in there!" I said placing my hands on the wound on Aleen's stomach.

Immediately after my hands had touched the wound, I felt a searing pain shoot up my arms from my hands. I yelled out pulling my hands away quickly.

"G...Gloria....it's okay....you won't be able to heal me in the normal way." Aleen said. "And unfortunately, I won't live long enough for you to be able to heal me even if you knew how."

"But....Aleen...." I said with a shaky voice. "Why? What's this pain I felt in my arms?"

Aleen held up her two swords and motioned them towards me. The two blades turned into magical energy and merged together into the one sword with two blades.

"That...doesn't matter right now." Aleen said. "I want....you....to have....this."

"Twinblade? But that's you're best weapon. I can't take this." I said surprised.

"Please. If you....don't take it now....it will die with me." Aleen said moving the sword closer to me.

I hesitated. I felt that taking Twinblade would be like giving up on Aleen. Like I knew she was going to die and there was nothing I could do. Tears filled my eyes as I looked at Aleen once more. She was smiling. The gentle smile that I knew well and always tried to mimic. I nodded and took hold of Twinblade's hilt.

"I Summoner... Aleen, give Summoner Gloria, the... twin sword... known as Twinblade." Aleen said through her pain. "Do you accept?"

I wanted to say no. But I wasn't left much of a choice in this situation. The one I loved was dying before me.

"I, Summoner Gloria.....a-accept." I said with much difficulty.

The sword began to glow and turned into magical energy in the shape of a card. The card flew into the palm of my hand which I closed afterwards.

"Promise...me something." Aleen said. "Promise you'll...only use this weapon when you're life is in...danger."

"What?" I asked a little confused.

"When...your life is in danger...use this weapon...and I will be there for you." Aleen said.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked getting more and more confused.

"Promise me." Aleen said with a serious tone in her voice.

I...I promise." I said nodding.

"Good. And remember that I loved you....and.....I always...will." Aleen said as she reached up to pull me closer.

Her lips had barely touched mine when I felt her arm drop to the floor. I laid my head down on her body as tears poured down my face. She wasn't breathing anymore. She was dead. After about a minute I remembered how this had happened.

"YOU!" I yelled quickly turning to look at Arnen.

I ran towards him picking up my Gunblade as I passed it. I was ready to stab Arnen who was looking up at the window the demon ran out from. Before my blade could touch him, the Head Bishop placed a magic barrier between us pushing me backwards onto the floor where I remained, crying.

"Gloria, do you believe killing him will bring back Aleen?" The Head Bishop asked.

"I don't care!" I yelled through my tears. "Someone needs to pay! He brought the orb here! Because of him Aleen is..."

"Do not worry." Arnen said. "I will track down the one who gave me the orb and make sure he pays for this. After all, that's what I told him I would do if the orb didn't do what he said it would."

"I'm sorry to say, that I cannot allow you to leave here." The Head Bishop said. "There is no proof that you did not know what the orb would do beforehand. I'm afraid that I must have you thrown in the dungeon below the church unless you can prove you are not solely to blame."

"Unfortunately, catching the old man who gave me the orb would be the only way to prove anything." Arnen said. "I will catch him and prove my innocence."

"No. You will not." The Head Bishop said shaking his head. "I will send someone to look for this 'old man'. You will now be sent to your cell."

The Head Bishop waved a hand to a group of Healers that had arrived upon hearing the commotion in the room. They had surrounded Arnen who didn't move an inch.

"I could just cut my way out of here." He said causing some of the Healers to take a defensive stance. "But that would only make me look guiltier. Very well, I shall accept this form of punishment if you are true to your word that you will look for the real culprit."

"I will send my best." The Head Bishop said.

Arnen nodded and allowed himself to be taken away from the room. I looked up just as the Healers were about to push him through the door.

"Wait!" I called out before looking at Arnen. "What is your name?"

"I am Arnen. Why do you care for my name?"

"Arnen...I will remember that." I said. "Trust me, the next time I see you, I won't let a protective barrier get in my way. I will kill you."

"And I will allow that." Arnen said with a small chuckle.

***

When Gloria finished telling her part she stood up from the chair she was sitting in just to turn away from everyone and wipe her eyes with her sleeve.

"So that's what happened." Aslan said. "What about the orb that was brought to the church? Where is that now?"

"According to the Head Bishop, it had shattered." Gloria said not turning to look at anyone. "They found several of the pieces lying in Aleen's blood on the floor."

"That's horrible." Rose said sadly. "I can see why you found it hard to talk about it. What did they do with Aleen?"

"She was buried in a special place at the Grand Church." Gloria said. "The whole church held a funeral for her as they would have for any Summoner. I...watched it from a distance not believing the whole thing was true. The day after the funeral, I packed up and left the Grand Church."

"To come here?" Rose asked.

"No, to search for an old man." Gloria said looking at Arnen. "I didn't search for long. As I searched through the towns I started hearing the rumors of other Summoners. That's when I started my attempt at tracking down Zotar and his group of fakes. After being a step behind them for a year and a half I finally decided to come here to continue my training."

"And that brings us back to the topic at hand." Aslan said. "The job you have for us."

"I'm sure you already know what I came here to ask." Arnen said to Gloria.

"The real culprit behind the incident." Gloria said. "You want us to help you find him."

"In other words. We'll have to find Zotar." Rose said. "That’s if he got away from the demon gate at Wiltmar.”

"This job will require us to return to the Grand Church." Arnen said looking at Gloria. "Are you okay with that?"

"I have to go back sometime right?" Gloria said. "Besides, if the Head Bishop is calling me back, I can't really ignore him."

Arnen and Gloria looked at each other for a while. Finally, Arnen stretched his hand out for Gloria to take.

"If we are to do this job, you are to put your hatred for me behind you." He said. "We are to do this as partners. Alright?"

"I'll never forgive you for what you did." Gloria said shaking her head. "However, Aleen wouldn't like it if I let the past keep getting to me like this."

Gloria nodded and took Arnen's hand to shake it gently.

"Partners it is then." She said smiling the gentle smile she had when she arrived at the academy, the same smile that she copied from Aleen.