Departure.

"Oh?" a man wearing a horned mask asked. He was floating above the floorboards with his legs crossed. He opened his neon blue eyes and scanned the dojo without moving. "Now why would you want to know that?" the horned man asked, and he stared at the masked man on his knees.

"Curiosity. I wish to understand why your eyes are different to your brothers." The man replied, without raising his head. The horned man tilted his head to his left, and Clyde raised his head. He revealed his one horned mask and the neon red in his eyes. The two-horned man laughed hysterically.

"You are a strange one, Clyde. Kenpachi and Mdu would have challenged me to a duel, or they would have requested to join me on a mission if they thought they could not best me. You and Hugo are the only Candidates that have asked and not offered anything in return. 'Fight me or fight with me.' Is that not your philosophy? Is that not your path?" the two-horned man asked sternly.

"It is." Clyde replied, and he lowered his head. "And I would fight you…under the correct circumstances." The one-horned man blurted out. His voiced was a deep rumbling noise that shook the wooden floors of the dojo. The stone walls trembled, and Clyde's thoughts leaked out of his head.

"My apologies. I mis…no, I lost my focus." The one-horned man apologized honestly. "You are a cunning one, Clyde. I do not know if your siblings would approve of your methods, though." Kagiso said and the giant doors creaked open. The cauldrons of fire, beside the doors, flared and the two men's shadows danced eagerly.

  *

"Are you certain?" a two-horned woman asked. "Yes. I have already contacted Riekes." A three-horned man replied. "The Council ordered me to gather as many willing participants as possible." He added. "Ask once, then move on. Time is of the essence. The enemy hides in the mountain's shadow." The horned woman read. "Another attack." She added and the holographic monitor disappeared.

"Aye. Ask once...I fear we will not have the numbers to deal with the threat. Some of us have grown arrogant over the years." The three-horned man rumbled. His purple eyes glowed and the two-horned woman felt his fear, as if it were her own.

The duo wore suits of bone plated power armour, with flashing lights all over and badges of honour welded onto their chest plates. They tore through the bright blue skies, at supersonic speeds, and the green fields of Moonglow Meadows rushed by.

"I will find Duke. You find Kagiso." Gloria instructed, and Raymond nodded. "Yes, my brothers will make excellent additions. They will answer the call. I only hope they have not changed too much over the years." The three-horned man replied. He vanished in the blink of an eye and Gloria's golden eyes flashed, before she turned into a ghost and disappeared as well.

  *

Riekes banked to his right, barrel rolled clockwise and nosedived towards the river below. A two-horned woman raised her head, while two one-horned men sparred furiously along the Eastern side of the riverbank. The orange eyed man slowed down and hovered in the air in front of the woman. Jane lowered her gaze and watched the battle.

"Where?" the two-horned woman asked. Her red eyes flared and Riekes sighed. "An island to the Southeast. Raymond's ship departs at sunset."  He replied. "We are sailing under the cover of darkness. Whose gaze are we trying to avoid?" the shorter one horned man asked. "Ha! Surrender and you may find the answer during the campaign." The imposing one horned man suggested.

"Hmph. I can best you and cross the continent within the hour." Mdu replied, and his red eyes flared. "Has Raymond contacted his brothers?" Jane asked curiously. "He is on his way to find them, along with Gloria." Riekes replied, and he watched the two spar carefully. "Oh? Then I will join you immediately. I will fight the victor upon my return." Jane said, and the two fighters stopped. "Oh uh, very well. Then, it is a draw." Mdu declared with a cough.

"Haha! You accepted a compromise first. I claim this victory. Haha!" Kenpachi bellowed in between booming laughs. "So be it. Come, we must find our brother." The short one-horned man said reluctantly. "Aye. His thoughts have been wandering lately. A campaign is exactly what he needs to reignite his spirit." The imposing warrior added, and a Japanese sword materialized on his left hip.

  *

Kagiso and Clyde disarmed the two robed assassins with ease. The hooded assailants reached into their sleeves and produced two translucent eggs with pulsating orbs of light in the centre. The golden light flowed into them and shrouded their bodies.

"We're they sent by one of those Golden eyed pricks?" Clyde asked, and he grabbed one of their wrists. The one-horned man snapped the hooded man's arm and snatched the egg out of his grasp. The second assassin hesitated, when Clyde tossed her partner across the dojo with one hand.

"No, they are too clever to have left a trail this obvious. They were hired by someone that wants us to suspect one another." Kagiso replied, and he flicked his wrist. An invisible force yanked the egg out of the female assassin's grasp and threw it at his left hand. The two-horned man caught the crystal egg and stared at the glittery golden light in the centre. "Then we should send a message." Clyde suggested menacingly. He reached over his shoulder and drew a bone rod with a triangular barrel.

"You know the punishment for killing a human. And what would you tell the Dragon Guard when they interrogate you? Calm yourself and think ahead, little pup." Raymond rumbled and Clyde felt his disappointment and impatience. The three-horned man let go of the one-horned man's arm. Clyde's omni-rifle de-materialized and he stepped back. Raymond waved his hands and an invisible force swept the assassins off their feet. The hooded assailant drifted towards him and their eyes rolled back.

Raymond reached out and placed his fingertips on the male assassin's scalp. The hooded man screamed and bit down on a glittery pill. His skeleton shone and the heat blistered his skin. The three-horned man's purple eyes glowed, and he enveloped the assassin inside a translucent bubble. The watery sphere sparkled like a diamond and contained the white-hot explosion. Kagiso prevented the female assassin from biting down. He extracted the bomb and placed his fingertips on her scalp.

"Oh? Your psychic powers have grown considerably." Raymond said, with a gleeful chuckle. "Quiet, I need to concentrate." Kagiso replied, and the three-horned man laughed even harder. The two-horned man opened a secure line, before he shared what he had learned with the other two Candidates. Raymond and Clyde watched a city burn from a distance. They heard the flapping of wings and the memory skipped forward like a record.

A long line of refugees walked endlessly, until they reached the borders of a new land. A bright light flashed over the horizon, and they continued walking. The refugees reached a temple, and a tall woman strode through the light at the entrance. She raised her arms and welcomed the exhausted people. Raymond, Clyde, and Kagiso were shocked when the tall woman turned to face them. The strange woman screamed, and the strange light burned the assassin's mind and body to ash.

"The Enemy has breached our defences." Kagiso whispered. However, the lights around his neck did not flash when he spoke. The three-horned man glanced at Clyde. The one-horned man was frozen in place, and he had no idea the two had opened a private channel.

"Aye. His first invasion failed, and He was most certainly going to try again. I would not be surprised, if The Council foresaw this. And now we have been sent to find a justifiable cause to declare war." Raymond replied. "We have a mission. An island to the North. Are you interested?" he asked, and Clyde snapped out of his haze.

  *

Gloria heard the thundering crash, before she saw the waterfall in the distance. She closed her eyes and stared at the bright light over the horizon. "Impressive." The two-horned woman thought. She stared at the imposing man, sitting with his legs crossed beneath the waterfall. He wore a two horned mask, and a well-decorated suit of bone and metal armour.

Duke's ghost appeared before Gloria, while torrents of water battered the crystal dome floating a metre away from his pitch-black dreadlocks. She relayed the message with a look. The ghost disappeared, and an explosion launched the crystal dome into the sky. The hurricane reversed the flow for a moment and the water came crashing down again.

  *

"There he is!" Kenpachi bellowed and his voice rung Mdu's ears. "Switch to internal comms, you oaf. I swear, the entire planet can hear you sometimes." He complained and the imposing one-horned man laughed. "It is too late for that now. He is already here. Greetings, brother! How have you been?" Kenpachi asked, with his arms spread wide.

"Apologies, brother. Time is of the essence. Kagiso and Raymond have already left to find Priya and Mei. And no doubt they will. The two of them took off at incredible speed." Clyde reported, and Mdu scoffed. "I told you we should have gone to the rendezvous. Come, brother. We will fight alongside one another again." He said, with a hint of irritation. The slender framed, one-horned man lowered his head and the much larger one-horned men turned to face him.

"Assassins attacked Kagiso and I not too long ago. Foolish humans that dared to challenge their protectors. They carried orbs that contained a glittering golden light. A light I know too we-""-enough! You are mistaken. It was an illusion." Kenpachi scolded. "It was no illusion. I am certain of what I saw." Clyde rumbled and his brothers felt the sincerity in his words.

"What you speak of is impossible. Death by fire." Mdu rumbled threateningly and Clyde saw nine constellations in the darkness. The central star sign fired a single comet, and it incinerated the one-horned brothers.

"No Candidate would willingly kill another. The Council has forbidden it." Kenpachi said softly and Clyde sighed. "Fine, but what if they weren't happy with their station? What if they yearned for power above all?" he asked, and Kenpachi laughed.

"Why? The wolf does not dream of being an eagle. The lion does not dream of being a snake. We are who we are. We are what we are." Mdu said, with a chuckle. "And I would not have it any other way. We are warriors. An honest and honourable class. Leave the dirty tricks and the cowardly tactics to the psychics and magicians." Kenpachi said, and he gave Clyde a pat on the back. "The ship leaves at sunset. We should hurry." Mdu suggested. "Indeed." Clyde replied, and he kept his dissatisfaction to himself.

  *

The last few Candidates that accepted the mission reached the Northern coast. It surprised them to see four colossal ships, the size of mountains, in the sky. Three of the ships descended and three winged giants appeared on the sand. They wore bone armour with jet black metal plates.

The late comers approached the beach, and a whale surfaced. The creature had a deck built into its spine and powerful floodlights where its eyes should have been. Raymond's whale ship opened its mouth and revealed its cargo bay. The Dragon Guard Generals beckoned the Candidates closer, and they all noticed how long their horns and dreadlocks were. The Dragon Guard Generals closed their armoured wings and they turned into cloaks and mantles. 

"Brave Candidates. Psychics, warriors and wizards. Accept our blessings and warnings. Raymond and Duke of Moonglow Meadows. Gloria and Laurence of the Golden Isles. As well as Jane, Hugo and Jabu of Redfalls Will you accept our words on behalf of your fellow Candidates?" the first Dragon Guard General asked in a deep rumbling voice. "We do." the seven Candidates replied humbly. Holographic monitors appeared before every Candidate, and they accepted the private calls from their representatives.

"May The Council protect you, so long as you protect Them." "May The Council guide you, so long as you learn from Them." "May The Council's favour be with you, so long as you die for Them." The rumbling invocations shook the world, and the Candidates felt the weight of the Dragon Guards' words. They looked around and watched as droplets of glittery water materialised in the air. The sparkly vapour swirled around the Candidates and their fears melted away.

"And you, my son. For the one who will carry this fleet on your wings. For the one who represents The Council's leadership and our people's wisdom. Failure is not an option. You must steer this group towards success. Even if it costs you your life. Everything we do, we do for our people. Nothing comes without sacrifice. Never forget that." Victor of Moonglow Meadows rumbled and his eyes glowed purple. "We will not falter, and we will return victorious." Raymond rumbled, and the Candidates roared when they felt his determination. 

The Dragon Guard boarded their mountainous ships, and the Candidates flew over the waves. The few that could not fly boarded the drop ships resembling train carriages and sailed into the whale's mouth. Most of the Candidates landed on the deck of Raymond's whale ship and the mountainous vessels drifted higher into the sky.

The fleshy ship drifted further out to sea, before it ascended. Many of the Candidates had never set foot on a whale ship before. They stumbled towards the taffrails and peeked over the sides like children. Kenpachi shook his head, and Jane laughed.

Kagiso stared at The Council's ship. He marvelled at the carvings on the stone hull and the forest on its deck. The two-horned man noticed movement near the tree line. He magnified his vision and spotted a crimson skinned child. Kagiso frowned and the four mountainous vessels became ghostly, before they vanished without a trace.