New Beginnings : Rise of the Darkness

Discoveries (The Hunt Pt. 1)

Fang POV
"So far, the letters have spelled out 'The Cav', which means it's definitely some sort of cave," I deduced. "Jessie, can you try to locate all the known caves in Brawltopia?"

"Yeah, I can...but it'll probably take a while," Jessie typed furiously on Byron's computer.

"Meanwhile, we can help Master search for any info about the golden talon!" Gimmi decided, flipping a book open.

"Yeah, there are quite a number of books to go through," Byron pointed at the huge stack of books dotting his desk. "Most of these come from before the current Kyroire was written, so there should be some description about this golden talon. It's odd that it's not in the Kyroire, but it must have been because the Kyra shifted somewhere else..."

After a few hours...
"Well...it's too hard to narrow down," Jessie decided. "There are more than 6,000 caves in Brawltopia, it's basically impossible to locate exactly which one Lodestar could be in. I guess I'll help you flip through these books."

The room was silent for another thirty minutes before Jessie murmured softly, "Wow. Beginner's luck."

"Do you mean what I think you mean?" Byron whispered.

"Yes," Jessie answered in an equally low voice. "I found something."

<*~*>

"Lyrii," Jessie breathed. "The Kyra of America, mainly belonging to Brazil. She represents an eagle, and possesses the power of Vika creation. Relocated to the Temple of Kyro, deep in the jungle of Kikahabana in year 4067. Kept in (unknown) in Room of (unknown)."

"Temple of Kyro," Jessie murmured. "Found some pictures!"

"Ok, I can teleport us there," Leon confirmed, transforming into Teleto.

"Wait a second!" I halted everyone. "We can't all leave. What if something weird happens in Brawltopia? We need some people to stay here to hold down the fort. Actually, I suggest Hydro and I. This way, she can transmit to the rest of you in case of danger. And together we can probably hold off the villain for long enough."

"Yeah, good idea!" Hydro agreed, yelling,"Transmission!"

She attached the blue bubbles to all of our heads, reminding them to transmit if they needed help. "Bye!" she called as the rest stepped through the portal.

"Well, Astro, it's just us left!" Hydro kissed my cheek. "You take the left of the tower, I'll take the right."

And so the next few minutes went by like that.

Leon POV
We had appeared right in front of the giant temple, beginning to scour every inch of the rooms.

The first few rooms were filled with statues of gods and priests and other important figures, followed by multiple words that no one could read (thanks to it being in Brazilian). The whole temple was covered in dust, with cobwebs in every corner. It seemed like no one had stepped foot in the dark room for hundreds of years.

The next group of rooms were full of old trinkets and jewels, dating back at least four thousand years—about the same as the time when Lyrii had been relocated. Then, when we least expected it, the hallway suddenly ended in a dark room.

"Whoa...what is this?" Pyral asked, sparking a flame for some light.

The room was small and empty; almost as if someone had robbed the room of all its treasures. But it took me a while to notice something odd about the room.

"Guys, look! The tiles at the center of the room have letters inscribed on them!" I noticed.

"I think you're supposed to key in a password for something," Psionio guessed, pointing at a screen on the opposite wall. "I think it's a five-letter word."

"Let's see...maybe Kyras?" I tried, stepping on the tiles in accordance.

"Hmm...how about Vikas?" Moonshot attempted when I failed.

"Still no? What other passwords can there be?" Byron asked in confusion.

"Oh..." I realised. "I've got it!"

I stomped the word Lyrii into the ground. With a soft whir and click, the middle of the wall at the end of the room popped out, revealing a black box hidden in it. I opened it, finding it was empty.

"Lyrii's box!" everyone gasped at the same time.

"Looks like you've found out our secret," a sickeningly familiar voice droned. One that sent chills down my back.

I already knew who I was going to see. But still I felt shivery when I confirmed my suspicions. I turned to find someone we had known for quite a while.

Lodestar.