CHAPTER 3, BATTLE EXPERIENCE AND TRUE MEMORIES

After the meeting with Lyra last night I forced Leo into telling me everything and he sang like a bird telling everything. Apparently all spirits are divided into two kinds, high spirits which are the Twelve Zodiacs and the minute spirits. They all reside within magical jewelry which act as the medium for their magical power and their magicians magical power. Each spirit has their own magical power and abilities. He tells me that I shouldn't summon more than one familiar at once so that I don't get hurt as Summoning more than one could be dangerous for the body.

As we were all about to go to sleep, I felt an intense pain in my head. I fell to my knees as memories I have never seen fill my head... people I don't know and places I've never seen are shown for a split second and everything is silent again. "Haru! Are you okay?" Aria-san came running with the others and just then Leo appears and hugs me.

"He is fine." Leo siad and held my face. "Haru, take a deep breath."

"What... was that?!" I asked him as my head was filled with strange memories.

"Their your memories, your true memories." He said as he laid my head on his chest. "Long ago, you caused a certain incident due to your hugh magucal power, your parents sealed away your memories within us, the Twelve Zodiacs."

"Then why are they back?" I asked him.

"Those are the memories sealed within me, when you forged our master-servant contract you unsealed it." He answered. "You'll be fine just take deep breaths and you'll be fine."

That night, I was plagued with memories of my past both good and bad. Despite that, I feel relieved to know the truth about myself even if it is just a bit. The next day we moved once more down the mountain.

As we arrive at the mountains base Storm-san points out that he hasn't sensed any monsters in the area not even animals. "What do you mean Storm-san?" I ask him.

"Usually monsters would be in unpopulated areas like mountains and forests, yet we haven't run into any, the same with animals." He answers. "You can just call me Storm, no need for formalities.

"Same here." Aria says.

"Understood- I mean okay." I say. "But I guess it is strange that there aren't any animals here, not even any bugs."

"Something is definitely wrong, everyone be on high alert." Master orders the guild members.

As we all stay on high alert I feel the ground tremble and the atmosphere becomes toxic as if trying to drive away all things that lack intellectual power. Just then, from a small opening in the ground just a little farther from our spot we see a giant monster appear. It's an undead bear, it has a gross air like rotting flesh and death about it. "Hey, isn't an undead creature extremely dangerous?" I ask Aria.

"It is but from the looks of it many have probably tried to subdue it but only looks like none have succeeded." She answers pointing to the scars on its bodies and the broken spears and arrows near the area.

"It's probably what's scaring the animals and lower class monsters away as well." Storm says. "Master we will get rid of it right?"

"Yes, it will only cause trouble for those who pass through here." Master answers and raises her hand, I see light gather at her hands forming a ball. "Pierce the darkness, white arrow." The master chants and arrows of light are sent flying towards the demon bears hide but none of them stick.

"Light magic had no effect?!" Aria exclaims. "Then. Cycle forth, light of purification, white light of cleansing, Purge." She chants creating a white circle around the bears body. A purification spell? The bears turns our direction breaking Aria's spell easily. "Unbelievable, that was a middle class spell!"

"Come; The Lion Familiar." I say and put on the earring he gave me and out of thin air Leo appears. "Leo, please deal with that demon bear."

"Okay." He smiled at me and charged at the bear with a sword that has a blade made of light. "Regulus Slash."

The other guild members have taken cover and are attacking the bear with long distance magic while some of the members are fighting it at close combat. That thing has a tough but Leo's blade pierces it after a few tries. But we're having a hard time fighting it since it moves way to violent, if only we could immobilize it but most of the magicians in our guild are already busy defending the members who are fighting. Lyra... her song maguc might work! "Leo keep it preoccupied, I have an idea on how to stop it from moving." I shout to him.

"Understood master." He answers.

"Everyone else please fall back and cover your ears." I say.

"Okay!" Aria answered.

"Aria, when everyone has covered their ears tell please." I say and try to get closer.

"Understood." She answers as everyone else falls back leaving Leo to fight the demon bear. "Haru now."

"Leo; Return." I say and Leo disappears and I then take off Leo's jewelry and put on Lyra's. "Come; The Lyre Familiar, Lyra."

"Master what shall I play?" Lyra asks upon arrival.

"Play a lullaby and put that undead bear to rest.

"Understood." She says and begins to play a soft tune that makes me feel sleepy, I then block my ears and watch as the undead bear falls asleep. "Master it has fallen asleep."

"Thanks." I say. "Everyone, knows our chance!"

Everyone then stops covering their ears and attacks the demon bear with magic and weapons until it disappears in black smoke. It dropped something, a gem about three inches long and an inch wide. Aria picks it up and hands it to the master, other than that it seems to have dropped a few other materials. A couple fangs, crystals about the same size as a marble and a piece of fur. "What do we do with these?" I ask Aria.

"We usually split them among us but since you were the one who managed to stop it from moving why don't you choose first." Aria says.

"Is it okay?" I ask everyone.

"Of course." Storm says.

"Go on." A guy with dark green hair, black eyes and white skin says. "Oh right, my name is Nephrite West."

"Oh thanks." I say and take a look, the rose colored crystal marble is what catches my attention most so I take it. "It's like a morganite, one of my favorite gems."

"Are you sure, the fang could be made into a knife if you like." Storm says.

"I like this better." I say and get back into the wagon to grab my bag.

As the others get lunch ready I look at the sky and see a bird flying through the clear blue. I wonder, if there are 88 spirits does that mean there are also numerous summoners out there besides me. As these questions fill my head Aria calls out to me saying it's lunch time so I join them all. As we eat lunch I feel like were being stalked and it seems the others have noticed as well seeing as how Storm has taken hold of his sword. Ever since I was a child, my grandparents often told me to always be alert so I've grown to be extremely sensitive to my surroundings. "Don't, not yet." I whisper to him, he raises his eye brow as if to say why. "I, for some reason don't sense any hostility so I don't think they mean harm. Let's see how far they follow us." I send the message to everyone in the guild.

"Yes, we can always be patient." Master says.

After a while the people who were following us disappeared as we reached the town. So this is Port Aquamarine the main port of this kingdom that connects it to the nations. Aria grabs my hand and tells me to follow them as she along with Nephrite and Storm drag me somewhere. "Where are we going?" I ask her as I follow them.

"We need to get you something you can use to defend yourself with." Nephrite says.

"Nephrite, what kind of weapon do you use?" I ask him.

"I'm a long distance magician who use a bow which fires arrows made of magical arrows. But I can also use swords and such." He answers. "My name might be a little to long, feel free to call me Neph."

"Okay. Storm and Aria what kind of weapons do you use?" I ask the two.

"I use magic." Aria says proudly.

"I use a sword which can be charged with magical energy. Also, I can use wind and water magic as well." Storm says as we look around the shop where they brought me. "See anything?"

I see a few tools, a sword, a knife, a bow and some arrows, a spear, a lance and other weapons but what catches my attention most is a shield. It's a simple one, it's round with a magical gem at each end. It seems to be made of light material. I pick it up and it's unbelievably light. "I wouldn't recommend that one kiddo." The shop owner says.

"Why is that?" I ask.

"It's light and was from some place called Aerial Isles, no body has heard of it but it already seems unreliable to begin with so no one has ever bought it." He says. "We have better ones."

"It's from my homeland huh." I say. "How much?"

"Take it, I'll throw in a knife, no one has ever wanted it so I feel sorry for it." He says.

"Are you sure?" I ask him.

"Yeah, shields and swords are supposed to be used not stored away." He says and gives me the shield along with a knife. "Take care."

"Thank you." We all say and head off.

"This shield does look old, I wonder if it will deflect anything at all." Neph says.

"I think it will." I say holding it. "This shield was made by my people, I'm sure of it. I'll believe in it, nothing can have it's worth determined by looks."

"Very true." Aria says.

As we walk through the streets I feel something urging me to go to the shores, as if something's calling me there. We went to meet up with the master and the rest of the members at the port. "Master is something wrong?" I ask.

"Apparently something has been attacking the ships that try to cross the waters." She says. "It leave holes in the ships."

"Holes?" Neph asks.

"Take a look." Master says pointing to holes of the ships on the shores.

"Are those... sword marks?" Aria asks. "How is that even possible?"

"It is probably... a spirit." I told them, in my memories that returned, the most prominent ones were about spirits. Among them, only one spirit could do this, Dorado, the Swordfish Familiar.