Unity sat around the coffee table at the center of the living room, this time with two old friends having joined them, as those who hadn't finished their breakfast ate as the others chatted and made up for the time that its been since they had last seen each other.
Although Chase hadn't actually said much, he was quite happy that Poppy and Neo had came to visit, and possibly even commit to joining their party, but even that was a long shot, as Phoenix Academy still needed strong people to look after it. And Chase wasn't entirely sure that Dorian and Zephyr were the most cut out to lead a civilization.
However, Poppy had mentioned several times how great of a teacher and king Zephyr had made. Which made Chase wonder if she had known who Zephyr actually was at this point, but quickly denied it, as the old dragon was far to smart to just give up his identity, no matter how hard that must have been for the old man.
Chase found himself enchanted by Poppy, who was wearing her ivory hair in a long braid, and her crimson eyes that darted around the room happily as she listened to everyone tell the story of what had happened in Olympia.
She was wearing a suit of light black armor over casual leather clothing with long sleeves and tall black boots.
Then Chase's eyes slowly drifted towards Neo, who he had not seen without his bandages since they had started their siege on Phoenix Academy a year or two ago.
Chase's lips curled into a grimace as he studied Neo's face, which heavily resembled that of a snake, with terribly gruesome gashes and dents left behind from what had been the powerful attack of a mighty mace wielder who had sided with Rider.
His blue hair shined vividly under the lantern lights within the Tudor home. The sight had reminded him of something that had happened years ago, just as Poppy's ivory hair had only a few minutes ago.
He remembered that fateful day when the three students who had no real connection with each other, had ventured into the heart of a mimic, and had almost died if not for a stroke of insane luck.
That luck... Still made Chase doubt what had actually happened, and made him question just how much fate had had an impact on this trinity.
It also made Chase question why his hair was golden instead of a bright neon green that resembled the flames that he actively used, and made him wonder why Poppy and Neo's flames resembled their hair colors.
"Right Chase?" Equan said, looking at Chase and tilting his head for a response to which Chase had no answer for, or memory of the recent conversation that had just taken place.
"Uh... Yeah, it's getting pretty late into the morning, I think I should go train before noon." Chase blurted out without much confidence as he rubbed his eyes tiredly and made his way out of the room.
Before he could leave, Poppy gripped her fingers around his shoulder, which led him to turn around and cock an eyebrow at Neo and Poppy who were grinning behind him.
"Yeah?" Chase asked, as he felt slightly intimidated by the two who greatly resembled siblings when it came to their personalities and relationship.
"You going to let us train with you? For old times sake?" Neo asked, making what resembled a pouty face, which looked more scary than pleading, as his lips were completely gnarled from his previous injuries.
Chase scratched the back of his head, before realizing just how useful this could actually be.
"Are we leaving already?" Luna asked with a yawn, peeking her head around the stairwell.
Then Chase caught it, Poppy immediately shot a glare at the lunar goddess, and for some strange reason, both Neo and Chase could feel an immense bloodlust aimed towards Luna.
"Eh... I suppose we should get to training then! Aye Chase?" Neo scrambled, already walking out of the door with a big forced smile that looked wrong on so many levels upon a face as sinister looking as his.
Eventually the four of them made it to the clearing near the pond far into the woods behind the house.
Luna was sitting cross-legged next to the water in a bright white linen outfit, with large puffy cuffs around her wrists, with her pale hands pressing into the soil below with a look of dissatisfaction on her groggy face.
Poppy was amidst the dread inducing wide swing of her ivory spear, catching Chase completely off guard as his balance shifted in the opposite direction, narrowly side stepping the arc of the spear, as he lifted Apocalypse off of its resting position against the ground, pulling it up with a lengthy vertical slash.
Poppy easily leaned her head back, scoffing as she dashed forward, jabbing straight forward with the blade of her spear, catching Chase's unarmored shoulder and spewing blood, which made her flinch in the moment.
Inside of Chase's head, was only a quick flash of anger, as she had stopped just when it was getting good.
He frowned, gripping Apocalypse tighter as Neo whistled from his resting position against one of the many oak trees around the clearing.
Poppy's eyes widened as the axe was about to meet her left leg.
She leaped over the blade, losing her advantage of being grounded, and Chase capitalized immediately: Turning his body with a vast amount of momentum, causing him to spin in a three hundred and sixty degree shift, dragging the blade of his axe in a circle around him, and hurling it straight at Poppy who still had not landed.
Then...
As the axe flew straight at her, a flash of annoyance crept onto her face in those split seconds.
Her body shifted, allowing light to pass straight through it, as well as the axe that Chase was sure would win him this duel.
The axe flew straight through her intangible body, causing Neo to duck as it removed the entire upper half of the tree he had been leaning against.
"Yo!" He yelled, before throwing himself out of the way as an ivory spear had flown past, only inches above his head.
He obviously didn't say anything as the fight reset once more, with very few words being said between the two combatants.
"Be more creative, you look like the Lumen is too big for you!" Luna snickered as she leaned back, the tips of her silver hair floating on the surface of the shallow pond below her.
"Are you alright?" Poppy asked, looking slightly annoyed as her eyes were fixated on the slightly deep wound on Chase's shoulder.
Chase clicked the metallic fingertips on his left against each other, not even bothering to answer her question.
"Count us down, Neo." He said flatly, allowing soul sense to take over his vision.
In that moment, he was able to see every ounce of energy around the clearing, be it the life within the plants and animals within the forest, or even the energy of Poppy's strange and unrecognizable affinity.
Nonetheless, he could predict her intangibility now, and would not fall victim to such a trick again.
Nor would he mindlessly throw his weapon at Neo anymore.
'More creative...' Chase thought, feeling the grip of his right hand tighten around the long pole that was Apocalypse's handle.
"3..."
"2..."
Chase clicked his tongue, assuming that something would finally click in this final duel between them.
"1..."
"Go..." Neo mindlessly mumbled as sparks of two different flames began to singe the fur off of his leather tunic...