Sato continued to stare at the King. "So I was Susumu?"


    The Time Bakemono nodded, "Correct. You were Susumu. But you''re Sato now. The reason you were born was to learn from his mistakes. You are him and at the same time you aren''t. Look, I know it''s a lot to take in, bit try not to worry about it, okay?"


    "Easy for you to say." Sato mutters.


    "Oh by the way, you may call me King Ichirou. I''ll meet you all back in the Kingdom." Ichirou began to walk off.


    "How did you know we''re going to Gloria Kingdom?" Sato wondered.


    "One." The King began. "I''m a Time Bakemono. I can see your future. And two, you told me earlier remember."


    Sato laughed, "Oh, right."


    "Anyway, I''m off." Ichirou waked off with the help of his cane.


    Once Sato and Ai made it to Gloria Kingdom, the sun had already set. "Come on." Sato said. "We should find a place to rest. We can meet up with the King tomorrow."


    Ai nodded, "Yeah, sounds good."


    They eventually found an inn to sleep in. Sato and Ai walked into their room. "Okay, this place, okay?" Sato asked.


    Ai had already fallen asleep on the bed. Sato smiled warmly as he tucked the white haired girl underneath the covers.


    The purple haired teen sits down on his own bed. He empties his pockets. As his wallet, the Wind key, and an orange yoyo, pink pocket mirror and red handkerchief fall put of them. He stares at the mirror and handkerchief. "Sakura. Arashi. Just hang on you two, I''m coming." At those words the teenager falls asleep.


    In Sato''s dream, dark clouds loomed through the sky. Blue flashes of lighting shout of them every now and then. Sato watched from a mountaintop. "What''s going on?


    "This." A low but loud voice echoed. "This is where you and I shall fight to the death!


    An image of a pair of golden eyes resembling Katsuo appeared in front of Sato. "You and I will die!" The mountain began to crumble as Sato fell off plummeting through the sky endlessly.


    Sato shot up out of bed in a cold sweat. "Phew. Just a dream."


    "That was no dream." This time the voice was different. It was deeper and even more menacing.


    "Susumu?" Sato wondered. But since he didn''t get a response, he decided to just go back to sleep.


    The sun arose as Sato got out of bed. "Hey, Ai. Come on, it''s time to wake up." Sato pushed her gently.


    "I don''t wanna." Ai rolled over as she put up a green shield around herself.


    Sato sighs, "You''ve gotta be kidding me. Okay Ai, how about I''ll give you a cookie if you get out of bed."


    "How old do you think I am?" Ai mumbled.


    Sato leans over, "I think you''re a thirteen year old Ai who has always loved cookies."


    "No thanks." The white haired Bakemono turned over in her covers.


    "Okay, then how about two cookies?" Sato continued to bribe her.


    "Now you''re talking!" The shield vanishes as Ai jumped out of bed.


    Once the two arrived at the castle, they were immediately greeted by King Ichirou. "Good morning, Satoshi, Ai."


    Sato and Ai bowed, "Good morning, King Ichirou."


    "It''s empty in here." Ai notes.


    Ichirou nods, "Yes, that''s because I''m the only one who lives here. Since I''m the only Time Bakemono. Could you imagine how hectic would be if there was a whole family of Time Bakemono.


    "I think it would be kind of cool." Sato admits.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    "Anyway before I say what I want to. Why don''t you tell me, what''s on your mind, Satoshi?" The King offered reading right through Sato.


    Sato has a look of exhaustion in his eyes. "It''s about this whole Susumu and Katsuo thing. "I had a dream last night. Someone in this time period was Katsuo in their past life, right?"


    The King nodded. "I''m surprised you''re already having the visions. But yes, you are correct." He turned towards the window. "However I don''t think it'' a good idea for you two to see each other the way you are now."


    "But can you at least tell me his name?" Sato asked hopefully.


    "I''m afraid not." Ichirou answered. "It''s best you find out who he is on your own."


    Sato nods, "Yeah, okay. I understand."


    "Good. Now about Kaoru. He is currently using that barn over there as a base."


    "Okay, let''s go." Sato suggests."


    "I''ll wait here." Ichirou rubs his neck. "Fighting isn''t really my thing."


    Sato and Ai run out the door when a hound of mud blobs surrounds them. Sato grunts, "What the hell are these things."


    "Mud blobs." Ai informs him. "Minions of the Spirit of Earth."


    "I see. So then it''s the Earth Key this time huh?" Sato pulls out his golden key and turns it. "I open my contract with the Spirit of the Wind!" Wind instantly begins to frame around him. Blowing up his purple hair and black jacket.


    Ai turns her own key. "I open my contract with the Spirit of Water!" A veil of water begins to envelop Ai. Blades of water appeared in the air. The Magic Bakemono launched them at the mud blobs.


    Sato released a blast of wind from his palm, tearing through the center of another mud blob. "So then, can we summon the minions of Wind and water?" The teen asked as he kicked back another one of the Earth creatures.


    "We could try." Ai replied while defending herself with a white shield. "But since we only made our contracts a little while ago. I doubt it would work."


    As Sato punched through another mud blob, he saw Kaoru running in the distance. "Dammit! He''s getting away!"


    AI looked over to Sato. "Who is? Kaoru?"


    Sat nods, "Yeah."


    "Go ahead. I''ll take care of these guys." She offered."


    "Yeah, that''s not gonna happen." Sato said. "I''d rather not leave you alone."


    "I''ll watch out for her!" A familiar voice yelled. Loud footsteps echoed as a green haired dark skinned man smashes his large fist on a group of the Earth minions.


    "Ben!" Sato exclaimed recognizing the Giant Bakemono.


    Ben gave him a thumbs up. "It''s been a while, Sato of the Heroic Four. Don''t worry about the little Princess; I''ll take care of her. You just hurry and take down Kaoru."


    Sato nods, "Yeah, thanks Ben."


    "Don''t thank me just go!" The Giant Bakemono orders as he begins fending off the mud blobs.


    Sato followed directions and ran over to where he saw Kaoru running. "Kaoru, stop!"


    The black haired man turned around grinning. "So you caught up with me? Ready for another fight?"


    Sato scowled, "No. I''m sick of all your dam clones! Where the hell is the real you!"


    Kaoru chuckled, "If you want to know, you''ll have to defeat all my lovely clones first."


    Sato released a blast of wind from his palm. Kaoru smirked as a wall of stone rose up from the ground defending him.


    Sato rushes towards the stone wall, bringing his back his first. He swings his fist forward punching the wall. Cracks begin to form in the stone wall.


    Katsuo leaps back. A boulder shapes out of the earth. Katsuo hurls the boulder at Sato, who front flips over it, landing in front of Katsuo. He brings his leg out to kick Katsuo in the side.


    "Please." Katsuo says as his body becomes armored with Earthly materials.


    "All these dam clones and distractions. Sato''s foot remains on Katsuo''s now rock solid body. Are really starting to piss me off." Sato''s kick begins to crack Katsuo''s armor. "Where the hell are my friends?!" The Earth armor completely shatters. Sato delivers a powerful, wind fueled punch to Katsuo''s mid-section sending him flying back.


    Sato glides on the wind over to Katsuo and picks up the key. "Another clone down. Hang on guys, I''ll find you soon."


    Meanwhile Ai and Ben continued fighting off the mud blobs. Ben smashed five of them into the ground with one strike from his large first. "Oh yeah mess with the Giant and you get the pain!"


    Ai shot out pulse of water from her hand as more mud blobs began to approach her. "Ben, can you shut up for two seconds! This is my first real fight and you''re distracting me!"


    Ben looked around puzzled. "Hm? Well, seems to me like you did a pretty good job. They''re all gone.


    Ai looked around as well. "You''re right." She notices. "Okay, let''s go catch up with Sato now."


    Ben nods his head in agreement. "Yeah."


    They meet each other halfway. Ai waves over to him. "Hey, Sato! Over here!"


    Sato waves back. "Hey guys!" He starts to run towards them but ends up tripping the Earth key falling out of his hands and landing into Ai''s.


    Ai looks down at the key. "So is this the Earth key?"


    Sato nods, "Sure is. Okay, now give it back."


    Ai shakes her head. "No way. You can already fight on your own. Plus you have the Wind key."


    "Yeah, and you have the Water Key." Sato reminds her.


    "And it landed in my hands!" Ai argues."


    "But I''m the one who fought Kaoru for it!" Sato argues back.


    "Please?" Ai begs, quivering her lips, and making it seem like she was about to cry.


    Sato covered his eyes as he turned his head. "Fine you can have the dumb key."


    Ai made a huge smile. "Yay! Thanks Sato!"


    Sato sighed, "You know, one day you''re gonna get old. And that little puppy dog face of yours won''t work."


    "Nope. I''ll always be adorable." Ai winked.


    Suddenly Sato is standing on the mountain he was on in his dream. The image of the golden eyes flashes in front of him again. "You and I are destined to fight each other to the death. Sato. There is no escaping your path in this life!"


    The mountain begins to crumble again just as it did in his dream. Sato tumbles off the mountain and falls through the sky endlessly again.


    Sato blinks his eyes open as the vision ends. The teenage is now sweating and breathing heavily on his knees.


    "Sato!" Ai gasps. "What''s wrong?


    "You okay man?" Ben asks as helps Sato up.


    "Yeah, I''m fine." The teen blatantly lies.