---Axel----

Cold and exhaustion began to set in. They had been searching the area for quite some time and had uncovered nothing. A storm was coming in, and Axel knew it. The snow was increasing an the winds ferocity was growing worse.

"Let's pick up the pace guys!" shouted Axel

They were working from the center, out. Making sure to not miss anything hidden in the snow.

He would teleport them away before anything got really bad, but he refused to give up this search so easily.

Near Relin

As the snow would be cleared, only frozen ground would be found beneath it. Ground frozen from the deep chills of the north that persisted long past human desire. It was, according to the directions that Axel had surmised, the right location. However, snow removal was giving no clue as to what he was supposed to be looking for, or even what he was supposed to be doing. The wind seemed to laugh at him, brushing through a tree a short ways off and creating a cackling noise through the rustling of the branches. Staying much longer would only put his life at risk.

(( All I have to work with, sorry. ))

His searches proving fruitless, Axel makes one last attempt before retiring to Relin to do more research. He inscribes the inscription and symbols into the ground, hoping it might have some sort of effect or give some clue as to what was found here or why this area was so important.

Making sure that every detail was correct, Axel finishes the inscription. The cold was almost too much to bear, and if this proved to fail he will Telepor to Relin and check into a hotel to warm himself and read the journal more.

Near Relin

There were many questions to the world, such as, "What even are these birds?" Axel's persisting question was one of them, one that he couldn't seem to be able to answer at the moment. His attempts to inscribe the ground with the symbols provided nothing, the ground as cold and barren as it was moments ago - sans the snow that he had so graciously cleared for it to get covered again. In less than two days, the area would be an even sheet of snow, the area as seemingly undisturbed as before. Axel could, of course, continue in some attempt to discern more information from the area, but so far he seemed to be at an impasse. The tree, like before, seemed to cackle, laughing at his cold misery for nothing of gain.

Just about to teleport away, Axel had an epiphany. Maybe he wasn't taking this treasure hunt literal enough. Maybe, whatever it was that is mentioned in the book is under ground. The only problem was the permafrost. It would be too hard to attempt to dig normally, but maybe he could use magic to melt it away. After all, his electromancy generated heat.

Not wasting a second, Axel begins to zap areas around the spot the coordinates took him to. With a simple command, Chu and Yosoku begin to dig, stopping only when the ground needed to be thawed by Axel's magic. He would teleport his away only when it became absolutely unbearable, and then would come back and repeat the next day. It would be alot of work, but Axel hoped it would uncover whatever the journal's owner had discovered.

Near Relin

Moving the dirt was indeed the correct process. While Axel would find nothing of great interest, he would receive his only clue he was on the right track - a stone brick, clearly cut with great care. It could have easily belong to a building of ancient times or some cobbled street. It would take lots of time on his own to uncover the area, especially without further advancement of himself or his Natrelmon. However, the cities almost always had someone looking for some kind of work. With the right amount of resources, it would be possible to dig down to his 'reward' within a few weeks, shorter if he managed to speed up the process with enough personal advancement. However, for now, he would have to retreat, the storm waiting at bay no longer for him - snow whipping up around him in a violent, dangerous torrent.

Rebena - Eien & Kimlee

It was only a moment before Chyou and Itsuki would arrive with Kimlee. Eien, flashing light forward towards the incoming Elbedin before turning to the gate. He had surmised the point of the gate and what it required - noticing some details similar to ones that had been overlooked by others in the past. Thrusting his hand forward, into the slot, he began to glow with a soft white light. He felt nothing as his hand was beginning to be shredded, suppressing the pain with his magic. With his skill in Resoration, he healed the wounds back fast enough that it wouldn't be an issue. The blood loss, however, was another issue. After tributing to the gate, Eien began to fall forward, but was caught by Ohitsuji. Now slumped on his back, Eien floated forward at maximum speed.

Kimlee beckoned for the group to pile through, towards the light that encircled the massive, ancient tree that stood in the center. There were no spirits here to chase them, the tree clearly some kind of antithesis to them. They would be safe within the confines of this gate, at least that was a suspicion - safe from at least one threat for now.

And Suzaku flew down and torched everything with fire.

Itsuki was sat in Toran square, having returned from Rebena with the rest of the crew. He, personally, didn't remember much of what had happened - in the process of the Tree of Redemption easing his pain, it had dulled his perception of some of the memories of what happened. All he knew is that a massive black tiger had been released from a massive portal inside Rebena, and that Kimlee had died, but had been returned to her body by the Tree, at least, until the Ghost King regained his power from releasing Dark Byakko unto the world. Everyone had been teleported out by the benevolent tree, and it was almost like the entire trip was a dream half-remembered - though he knew that everyone else had had that dream too.

It was good to have returned to the land of the living, and for now, all he could think about was how sweet air devoid of mist smelled.

Having hired employees to excavate the site near Relin, Axel started on his first step to completing his rites. Toran, being the location of the first Arena master, was the obvious destination. With a simple word, he Teleported to Toran's square.

Upon his arrival, the first thing he noticed was the massive temperature difference. Quickly shedding his cloak, Axel took in the sights. The city had seen some hardship and was on its way to being rebuilt. Word had reached him of an attack a little over a month ago on the normally peaceful city and how several heroes defended it. The fight must have been vicious to have caused so much damage.

Axel noticed he had no idea where the Arena was. He spots a man sitting in the square. Axel simply walks up and asked, "Excuse me, could you point me towards the Arena?"

"The Arena is over there, easily identifiable by the big red lettering on the building that says: "Toran Arena". I take it you're new to these parts." Itsuki replied, laughing off the... Less prudent nature of the new fellow. He looked fairly cold, as if he'd just come from around Relin, so he was willing to give Axel the benefit of the doubt - but whether or not Anastasia would be a challenge for him was a different matter entirely.

"I heard she's a lot tougher than Kiken, the old Arena Master, was. Good luck!"

Realizing that the Arena was behind him, Axel couldn't help but chuckle. What a silly question.

"Thank you, and yes I am. The name is Axel Wulf. And yours?" he asked, offering his hand

"Itsuki Mayoi." He nodded, returning the handshake with a polite if slightly reluctant grip, and standing up to stretch his legs. If Axel was a new trainer, he'd probably be wanting to practice before he challenged the arena, but that was a decision Itsuki would leave to Axel - if he wanted to, he would ask. If not, he would simply go to face the... Seemingly innocent leader of Toran's Arena. She was very enthusiastic about asking people if they'd seen her Tibearius - she was notoriously forgetful and clumsy - but Itsuki doubted the ability of Axel to help her find her Tibearius if he missed the giant red lettering on the building.

"Would you care for a battle? If only for a warm up for the Arena master? It has been quite a while since I've fought using my Natremon. I usually use my own steel. How about no trainer involvement outside of commanding our natrelmon?"

These seemed acceptable terms for Axel, as he only wished to train his Natrelmon, and not really participate himself. Chu is released and and eyeballs Itsuki bbefore turning to Axel, awaiting a command.

"If you'd like, I'll be happy to help you warm up for Anastasia. I'm afraid my Natrelmon are considerably higher than yours in strength, it seems like..." He smiled, laughing a little as he pointed to his Sakura-oh and his Sagralia stood next to him. The two Natrelmon were obviously protective of their trainer and were very imposing despite their floral nature. It was also immediately obvious that the bond between them transcended words, and that Itsuki would be a rather challenging opponent for Axel. Perhaps that was what he wanted.

"I'm a very skilled mage, so it's understandable that you'd rather it just be Natrelmon - that's fine with me, though. I'll make a temporary Arena for us, to better simulate the conditions of the Arena proper." He added, before using a combination of his Frostburn Pillars and Pillars of Winter to create two platforms for them each to stand on, and a square arena forty feet long in each direction. There would be plenty of room for each Natrelmon to move, and while the Arena was only six or so feet tall, it provided a good approximation of the bounds that Axel would face in Anastasia's arena.

"If you fall from the pillars, you lose the battle. If your Natrelmon exit the Arena, you lose the battle. Ready?" He added, prompting either Sakura-oh or Sagralia, whichever Axel wished to battle, to take their place in the Arena.

"I'll take your Sagralia. Your skill in magic is of no concern to me, I merely wish to train my natrelmon. Your conditions sound fair though and I agree to them." replied Axel with a smile and a wink.

Axel takes his place on the pillar opposite of Itsuki and faces his opponents. Chu stands 10 feet in front of Axel, between 24-25 feet away from Sagralia, and takes a fighting stance. Chu had pulled out his Kusarigama as he was positioning, the chains dangling slightly. The sun was directly overhead, creating little to no shadows. The light gleamed from Chu's blades.

"I'll allow you the privilege of starting."

"I already have." came the reply as Sagralia moved into action. The Spirit Bond allowed the two to communicate without words, and throughout the entire exchange battle plans had been forming in Itsuki's mind - though they had been very general and of little use until Axel had brought Chu out. The shadowy aura that naturally surrounded Sagralia was intensified, indicating that it was charging a move, and it began by firing a single Effigy of Loathing headed directly for Chu. Simultaneously, it sowed seeds, and prepared its Trinity Force, currently with the elements Tide, Tide and Stream. The battle would be somewhat unexciting to begin with, for Sagralia's style was one of winning a war of attrition, and it was at the start that they were weakest. In order to do much, Itsuki reasoned that Chu would have to be extremely aggressive immediately, which could backfire if he was not careful. It would be a good test of Axel's mettle.

"Avoid right, charge!" Shouted Axel in response to Sagralia firing it's attack.

Chu would roll quickly to the right, repositioning itself 3 feet from it's original spot, and begin charging the Sagralia. Both Kusarigama's would be swung in circle patterns at Chu's sides, allowing momentum to be built up before it ever reached Sagralia. This would also allow it to quickly intercept attacks of the physical nature rather quickly. Chu was rather fast and could cover the distance quite quickly.

"They must have a Psychic connection." Thought Axel as Sagralia attacked with no direct command given. He was all too aware of its effectiveness because of Yosoku. It would make this battle much more difficult due to him having to shout commands vs. Itsuki merely thinking them. In order to win, he would have to predict his opponent and stay several steps ahead.

Sagralia would seed again as Chu rolled to the right before firing its Effigy of Despair - it would do nothing, as Chu had not started running at that point, but it would briefly obscure Sagralia long enough for it to fire three Effigy of Fear, one directly at Chu, and the other two in such a fashion that they would be five feet to the left and right respectively from his current position as soon as they reached where he would have been as they were fired. As Chu came forwards, another Effigy of Despair began charging. In order to get close, he would have to walk within the range of Sagralia's point blank attack, and though he was resistant, it would provide the desired effect of creating Nox Aeterna. Itsuki remained observant, and ready to react to any sudden movements from Chu, and as always, actions were ready to be changed at a moment's notice if the conditions changed.

[6 LC]

In response to the new attacks that began launching, Axel simply says "Intercept and dodge"

Still maintaining it's forward charge, Chu swings it's Kusarigama in a wide arc. The Effigy's of fear, as soon as the were 10 feet from Chu, would be sliced through and stopped by his blades. This would cause them to explode if the Kusarigama hit.

His opponent was attempting battlefield control by production of Nox Aeterna. A highly effective strategy and would probably win them the fight due to their communication advantage. He would have to end the battle quickly to win.

Sagralia sowed seeds again, and as soon as Chu got in range, well within the two seconds required for Effigy of Despair to charge, Sagralia would step forwards quickly and unleash the point blank attack directly at Chu. Given the instant nature of the attack and the forward momentum he had, he would find it difficult to dodge, and the Nox Aeterna - Path would be created if he didn't manage to dodge in time. Surprising Speed was not a particularly viable option due to the instant nature of the attack, but Itsuki had considered its usage and was fully prepared to dodge it if Chu attempted to close the gap with it. Simultaneously with the unleashing of the Effigy of Despair, Sagralia unleashed a Hydroshacke that was initially obscured by the Effigy of Despair, but angled in such a fashion that it would strike the small Ninja's form if he began to dodge to the right. If the Hydroshackle hit, Sagralia would instantly use Flash of Life to create flowers, which it would then shackle the Chu to. The shackle would prove to be extremely dangerous if it hit, but Itsuki was not expecting it to hit - especially given Chu was yet to use Surprising Speed. As per usual, Itsuki and Sagralia remained ready to react and change their aforementioned strategies should circumstances dictate.