Aquarius: Flowing Water Style

The eighteenth chapter of Crusaders of the Constellations Novel, it is about Ranald learning how to use a fighting style that relies on being flexible like water.

## Story

After the tenth dimensional rescue mission, Ranald, sensing that his time for defeating the Devourer of Worlds has come, felt a sense of dread. He was in the Main Building of the Celestial Hall of Residence thinking of what may happen when Mayari, Delmare, and a young slightly plump lady walked into the cafe. The lady was wearing an aqua blue gown decorated with wave and cloud patterns, and a hair-clip resembling a bat clipped on her hair. She was carrying a water jug filled with water, and she was delighted when she saw Ranald. She asked them if he is the normal human they were with. "Yes," Delmare said while hiding her fairy wings, "He can be quite sensitive when super-humans are brought up, so be careful." "And he has done some amazing things without powers. Such as stopping monsters and such. He has been slowly inspiring us all to do the same," Mayari said. The lady introduced herself as Aqua to Ranald, and as he looked at her, he saw the symbol for the Aquarius constellation on her right cheek. He pointed out that there are two more guides left before he can take on the Devourer of Worlds. "And that is where I come in," she said cheerfully.

Aqua brought her friends and Ranald to the gym, and she taught him about Flowing Water Style. "Water nourishes living things. It is soft and weak to many, but it can erode mountains, and wear down the hills. It can be frozen into ice, or become boiling steam by fire. It is patient, versatile and flexible," Aqua said. So for the rest of the eleventh month, not only did Ranald learn to swim in the seas surrounding the island where Aether World Cosmic University is, but he also learned how to evade attacks, grappling and even redirect attacks coming from his mentor and her friends. He was also told by Aqua that the last martial art he will learn will emphasize redirecting attacks like hers but from a stationary position. "All you have to do is to avoid getting hit by the enemy, and if they try to get you, adapt yourself in any way you can," she advised. He eventually became a good swimmer and underwater combatant.

At the end of the eleventh month, King Athos called his students to Cosmos Observatory, for in Wudai, a wicked witch has managed to dam up a river, and has taken over a town and oppressed the people. Mayari chose both Bai Tu, Huang He, Geri and Delmare. Ranald chose Aqua, Ambra, Schiff, and Hayyah, an anthropomorphic hydra that reminded him of his Dreamland father. "Are you ready to save your home dimension?" Ranald asked Bai Tu. The albino answered, "Yes!" After all, Ranald has been helping the boy become more confident during his time in AWCU. They went to Wudai by the Dimensional portal in the Portal Room.

In Wudai, they headed to the town that the evil witch took over. Huang He commented that he sensed an air of hopelessness around it. "The witch could be controlling the water in the area. If they do not submit to her, the river would still be dammed, and the people will starve. If anything, we may have to deal with the witch first," Ranald said. "But then, the witch may have many powers. What if..." Bai Tu asked, thumping his foot nervously. "Either way, we will have to convince her to surrender, or die fighting," Delmare said. With that, they marched into the town, which has 'Heavenly River' on its gate and went to the town hall where the witch was. Ranald asked the witch if the people can get their water, for it is supposed to be shared with everyone. "After all, water nourishes all living things," he said. The witch refused and had them thrown into prison. Inside, Mayari and Ranald found the town's reigning official and asked him if he is the one running it before the witch took over. The man nodded and said that the river flows to a lake that Heavenly Waters Town is famous for, and it is where his people get their water from. "The witch flattered me with flowery speech, and I ate it, then, she had my family and I accused of treason and thrown in here," the official said, weeping. Mayari assured him that they will get out of jail sooner or later. In the next cell, Bai Tu had stolen a sleepy guard's keys and one of Hayyah's heads bit some officers, causing them to be put to sleep. Another head snaked through the bars of the prison cell where Ranald and the rest are and tossed them the key. As Ranald unlocked it, Hayyah whispered, "Be very careful there..." When the two heroes got the officials out of the prison cage, Hayyah's first head scared some incoming guards, giving them time to escape.

After breaking the rest from prison, the two groups and the official's family reached the river by night and saw the dam. The official assured them that there are people in the town still loyal to him and that they will arrive sooner or later. Mayari's group volunteered to destroy the dam, while Ranald led his group to fight the witch. Along the way, the gang fought nightmare monsters summoned by the witch to impede their path. It did not matter how many monsters he evaded and killed, but they kept coming close to the Hall Leader for the Sun and left the others alone. His team-mates helped destroy them, and Ambra mused that they think that he's a pure soul, so they find Ranald tasty. At the Townhall, the witch was having a bubble bath, when a messenger burst in. "Can't I have some of my precious privacy just for once?!" she shrieked. "Lady Bia, the prisoners have escaped! They beat up the guards without powers, and they're closing in on..." he was interrupted in the middle of talking for the witch had turned him into a living slime monster. She got up from her bath, got dressed, and went to fight with the heroes. Meanwhile, at the dam, Mayari was shooting her bow and arrows in her Silver Deer Warrior form in which she is wearing a white suit with a silver breastplate shaped like a deer head, with antlers on her shoulders, and shoes resembling deer hooves and a tiara on her head, at the walls, while Delmare, Bai Tu and Huang He kicked and sliced at the dam. Geri assumed his wolf form and dug at the dam's foundations, weakening it. "How long is it going to take?" Geri growled. "Be patient. Even it takes time for the waters to wear away a mountain," Mayari said. At that time, her arrows formed small cracks on the dam's walls.

In the town hall, the witch was casting spells at Ranald and his group, who dodged the spells and helped each other to dodge. Aqua simply used her jar to blast high-pressure water at Bia, while Ranald used his schoolbag as a shield. "You can defeat me with the schoolbag? Pathetic." Bia said. Schiff and Ambre protected the official and his family from any of the monsters the witch would summon, but it was easy, for every time the witch summoned a nightmare monster, it would head to Ranald instead. Even Bia found it frustrating, and mumbled to herself, "Next time, I would not ask the accursed Boogie-man for his help." Aqua asked her pupil about it. He explained that it started with his time with Chiron, and now, he knew that as the time had come for his training to be complete, the intensity the monsters would come against him has increased. "Anyway, you can dodge attacks better now," she said. Aqua did not compliment her pupil when she trained him, but not that the real thing has come, she can. Either way, Ranald jumped on a pillar and managed to knock out the witch. But Bia's nightmare monster minions rescued her and flew her out of the town hall, with the heroes following after them.

The group made their way to the river when they found the witch standing there and watching in horror as huge cracks spread on the dam she built. "No!" she screamed and sent the nightmare monsters to attack Mayari's group, who were still breaking the dam. But the monsters headed to Ranald instead, who destroyed them with Ram Style. Bia tried to attack Mayari's group, but Huang He swung his sword, Thousand Wishes, at the witch, creating an airwave that knocked her back. The witch Bia looked in horror, as the cracks enlarged, the dam burst, and a surge of river water rushed at the witch, carrying her away. "Guess her spells don't work in water, eh?" Bai Tu commented. "Maybe she'll melt if she tried to do that! Witches and water don't mix well after all." Ranald quipped. Aqua laughed at his words and gave him a spear as the eleventh tool. "Be careful not to hit yourself or anyone with it accidentally," she said.

The official thanked both Mayari and Ranald for saving his people. He gave them a banquet for them to eat. The groups enjoyed the food there, and when it was done, the official gave his blessings, and the AWCU students went back to the university by the dimensional portal. There, King Athos saw that Aqua and her friends have been chatting together, with her even joking that Ranald and Mayari are destined for each other. "Who knows? I don't rely on destiny to do things for me," her pupil said. He and his friends headed to the cafe, and Geri asked King Athos a question after they left. "What is so special about those two Earth humans? Ranald has a golden locket and the lady has a silver pendant, and they don't use their powers that much, except when facing that dumb sorcerer and giant monsters." the werewolf remarked. King Athos pulled Geri aside and told him that both he and Kibahime were selected to watch over the two, and report to him anything about their progress. "In the end-of-week combat tests, Ranald beat you and her easily without turning into the Golden Griffin Warrior as he learned more martial arts. I will tell you only after he has finished his training with the last master," King Athos said.

In the dark side of the universe, however, Bia faced the wrath of the Devourer of Worlds. She protested that the golden-haired boy with just a schoolbag and stuffed toy defeated her, along with his buddies, and that the nightmare monsters did not obey her. The black mist coiled and called the Boogie-man and Malvor to his side. "You mussssssst ssssshape up, Bia. Look, even Malvor hasssss difficulty controlling thesssse creaturesssssss. He will deal with Ranald perssssssonally. You go away, and I will discusssss with him and my right-hand Boogie-man," he hissed and spat at the witch. After Bia left, the Devourer of Worlds showed his obsidian mirror to the Boogieman and the sorcerer. Its reflection shifted from the beautiful mountain scenery of Wudai to the memories Ranald had from his childhood while on Earth until the winged messenger bottle arrived. The Boogie-man looked on, silent as the night, while Malvor rubbed his eyes in bewilderment the more he looked at his nemesis's memories.

"It can't be!" he gasped," I don't remember humans on Earth having powers aside from that Ranald guy and his fellow friends. I-I-uh...I don't know, but some of the people bullying and mocking him having powers like them and us too? This cannot be!" "Have you heard of the concept of repressed memories?" The Boogie-man asked. "Nuh-uh, I don't give a rat's backside on psychobabble." the sorcerer said. His fellow villain adjusted his mask and added, "Ranald's memories of being bullied by those with super-powers in his youth have been consciously suppressed by himself, and are the reason why he sometimes, well, will attempt to prove that he can fight us without his alternate form, which has powers. By learning martial arts under twelve people." "Oh well..." Malvor said, rolling his eyes. Upon hearing the conversation between the Boogie-man and Malvor, the Devourer's misty body shifted so that he can get a full view of the obsidian mirror. "This mirror never liessssssssss. Dear Boogie-man, use the truth to frighten him into sssssssssubmission and dessssspair. You will then gain revenge on him as you wanted," he said. The Boogie-man nodded, and said, "Rest assured. I will break him faster than a child can scream." The Devourer of Worlds also instructed Malvor to cause chaos in another dimension but instructed him not to summon any more nightmare monsters. When his two trusted servants left, he rested and mused to himself that maybe he's more open to both Ranald and Mayari being the ones who will defeat him in the prophecy after all.