What’s wrong with me… why do I look this way?

He woke as if from a deep, troubled sleep. There had been no dreams. Just the darkness and a lingering feeling of something terribly sad sitting heavily in his chest.

He did not recognize the room. It was draped in long deep blue curtains and tapestries. Even the bed was dressed in curtains and thick blue blankets, trimmed in burnished gold. It was certainly luxurious, he couldn’t deny that. But something felt missing. Something that caused the sadness he felt.

As he made his way into the center of the room, he saw that he was already dressed. Long blue robes fell down to his feet, perfectly tailored, of slightly shimmering cloth. They were light and comfortable, the sort of robes that he remembered wanting. But that was long ago in a time that was difficult to remember.

He stopped before the mirror that hung on the wall and turned to face the reflection there. He didn’t recognize it. His skin was darkened with a grayish hue, which didn’t give the picture of perfect health as far as he could see. His hair was unruly and long, a deep blue-sheened black, except for a streak of white that fell across his right eye. And his eyes. They were strange — deep, dark green except for a pupil of burning white.

He felt himself shiver involuntarily.

What’s wrong with me… why do I look this way?

He couldn’t remember very well. But something told him that there was something wrong with this. People didn’t normally look like that.

Or do they?

“Don’t complain. You should have seen what you looked like BEFORE we fixed that mess,” a snide voice echoed through his room.

With reflexes like lightning, he spun about. His hand reached instinctively for a weapon that did not exist. His dark eyes narrowed on the group of strangers that stood in the far doorway.

“Whoa…” a quiet female voice murmured. “Are you sure he’s not dangerous?”

“Of course he’s dangerous,” another voice answered. “Why do you think Lord Zeromus would put so much effort into bringing him back?”

“Is it true that he once served as a Marked Champion?” yet another asked.

“Hrumph,” responded the first snide voice. “Master TsuMeTai. I do apologize for their rudeness on our first meeting.”

A shape broke away from the shadows in the doorframe. He could make out white-haired man in a long, unmarked robe. A pair of glasses perched on his nose. The way he looked over the rims at everyone spoke of arrogance and disdain.

“Who are you?” he growled slightly.

“We… are your loyal and humble servants,” the man offered a wide, slick smile, spreading his hands.

“Speak for yourself, Zemus,” another grumbled from behind.

The one called Zemus turned with a direct, silencing glare. “Master TsuMeTai is the Champion of Lord Zeromus. I suggest you give him the same respect that you would our High Master. Or you might find yourself the next on the list.”

Then silence did fall, for good.

He finally spoke, “How did I get here? I can’t remember very much…”

“Don’t push yourself too hard, Master. It will come back to you in time,” was the overly cheerful answer.

TsuMe was starting to dislike the eagerness of the smiley man. In fact, it made him feel like throwing up.

“Now come, Master,” Zemus waved his hand forward, oblivious to the nausea he was causing, “You must be hungry. We have a meal prepared for you.”

The Champion followed with a sour look. But food sounded like a good idea. At least, food in a place that looked like this couldn’t be too bad.

“Master,” the girl stopped him with a slight touch on his arm. “No offense meant but, you may want to pull your hood up before leaving your quarters.”

“Huh?” he fingered his robe, finding a hood sewn onto the back of the collar.

“People here are not so used to seeing someone of your superior station and good looks,” she winked before walking out the door.

Good looks. Right. That’s not what you really meant.

He huffed and flipped the hood over his head to hide his growing scowl. Then he followed the others out through the tall doorway, looking across the great structure that stretched around them on every side. It was an ornate building of great style and beauty, traced with tapestries and etchings, runes and shifting patterns along the walls. Everywhere he looked, there was something that made him catch his breath in splendor. Though many white-haired people moved across the floor, down below the balcony he was standing upon, there was hardly a word whispered. It was as if no one dared to make a sound.

“Don’t look so surprised, Master TsuMeTai. This has all been given to you to rule over in the name of Lord Zeromus,” the smiley man motioned around them with a grand gesture. “Welcome… to the Manor of Runne.”

~Dreigiau’s End… To Be Continued…~

“You made me… your weapon! You made me kill these people!”

The Vision Stone was cracked, a sliced that cut straight through the clear, flat face in the place where the rift had once reflected in blue light. The soft glow of the crystal spluttered, broken, weakening from its cankerous wound. No longer would it protect these lands… lands now marred by the darkness and the mists. Its power was waning. The Stone was covered in blood.

And the last gift it gave was the deepest, most terrible curse upon the one that had struck it.

Luccious lifted the two broken bodies in his arms, hugging them to his chest one at a time. But both were limp and lifeless. Their spirits had been ripped from their flesh, trapped within the mists, just as his own sanity had become.

They were dead. NaDo. Maru.

He couldn’t remember who else. Everything had happened in a terrible blur of raging power and destruction. He knew people were dead, though. And they were dead because of him.

As the Stone’s last light gave his mind a momentary clarity, the Sygnus collapsed next to the two unmoving bodies. He sobbed and wailed brokenly, like a child, his fingers tearing at the blood-stained grass.

Luccious had become the very Bane that the people had fearfully foretold. Now the people that he had love most were dead. And he was alone.

-Why do you cry, my son?- the hissing voice crept into his mind. -They have given their lives to give you power… to a bigger and better plan. To our domination.-

He lifted his tear-streaked face as the darkness began to take shape and grow solid. What appeared there was not person nor Arweinydd. Whatever had been Zerom once, so long ago, was consumed by the Chaos and the Hatred. And now, that Hatred had become a part of Luccious, too.

“You made me… your weapon! You made me kill these people!” Luccious’ voice started out low, growing in strength.

-I gave you the power to reach for your own destiny. I did not control what you did with it,- the voice told him smoothly.

“You knew this would happen! You knew what it would drive me to do!” he struggled to his feet, fists balling. “I would never have hurt them! I would–”

-Why? Because you loved them?- Zeromus sneered. -Do you really think they had any love for you? Do you really think that a monster like you can be loved? Do you really fool yourself to believe that you deserve their love?-

A low laughter rang in his ears. Tears streamed, hot and furious down Luccious’ face.

-Love is an illusion for the weak, Luccious. And we… are not the weak,- the voice goaded him smugly.

“No…” Luccious answered, suddenly finding the cold grip of the black blade in his palm. “We’re not the weak.”

Silver eyes flashed with a terrible wrath as the Sygnus leapt forward, lunging towards the gloating figure. The slender blade struck, hissing and crackling with fury, ripping down through the darkness, splattering black ooze and hissing shadows across the silent glade.

Luccious’ cry of redemption mingled with Zeromus’ screech of shock and pain, echoing from the darkness of the overhanging sky.

Then with one final flicker, the blue light of the Vision Stone faded upon the old world.

{——————}

Zemi had walked for what felt like an eternity. His form that had once been tireless, flawless and so formidable now flickered and faltered. He was growing weaker — he could feel it in every inch of his being.

His power was linked to the Nefolian world, a world that was now far, far away. He was bound to the energy of that living planet. Together, he and that world had developed and grown strong. He had become a Patron, a defender of the creatures of that land.

But that was all gone now.

This strange, new world, felt nothing at all like his home planet. There was life and beauty there. Peace and silence. But the connection that had once strengthened him was gone. And his people… they were gone, too.

The Dreigiau carried the limp form of SoYa in his arms. Something had happened when they stepped through the rift. Something unexpected and awful. There had been a cracking sound and a bright light — when Zemi was finally able to gather his awareness, he had found himself there, alone, with only SoYa at his side.

But SoYa wasn’t the same. He hadn’t stirred or shown signs of waking, but Zemi could feel it. The wings that had once graced the Athrylith’s shoulders were gone. Simply gone, ripped away, as if he had never been Awakened at all. And the feeling around SoYa was distant, like a stranger. As if Zemi had never been his Patron… as if there had not been a connection between them all this time.

In the drifting patterns of the Athrylith’s dreams, Zemi could sense the same thing. Memories had dulled and vanished, a whole lifetime of experiences unmade and torn from SoYa’s mind. It was the last strike of the Sygnus — if he could not destroy the Nefolians in body, he would erase their knowledge and destroy the connection to their Patron from the inside out.

And if this had happened to one as strong of mind as SoYa, there was little doubt that the rest of the people, wherever they had ended up, were in the same state or worse. There would be no finding them all… no reestablishing things. Not easily. Not now.

Perhaps… it’s better this way.

It was a terrible, anguished thought. Still, as Zemi peered down into SoYa’s sleeping face, he couldn’t help but wonder if the people of the Inner Realms would have been better off without the intrusion of Arweinydd.

All we have caused is their death and destruction. Now they have no home. They have no past. They, too, are alone in the loss of their identity.

A long, ragged breath escaped Zemi’s lips.

I made a promise to watch over Zento’s son and keep him safe. I will fill that promise…

He stopped walking, having reached his destination.

Maybe the only way I can keep them safe is by not being here at all.

Slumping to his knees, the Dreigiau gathered them both into his arms.

Zemi’s teal eyes lowered, falling on the tiny curled up form in the grass. AsaHi. She, too, was without wings. But still radiant. Still beautiful. Just the same as the first day he saw her. Something in his heart ached as he knelt down, placing SoYa at her side.

Slumping to his knees, the Dreigiau gathered them both into his arms. They had been his people… his children to guide. And he had failed them.

I will make sure… if you have nothing else left, that you will have each other.

Though he felt himself weakening, the Arweinydd reached around them, gathering the last of his power. And within that embrace, he wove a new knowledge for them. The distant memories of each other. The love that they had shared. And the courage they possessed to stand by one another, no matter the dangers they had faced.

Zemi’s form began to flicker and shimmer, tiny particles of light drifting upon the alien winds. When he no longer had the strength to hold him, he laid them down in the grass, side by side. And with a tired and sorrowful breath, the Dreigiau faded away.

{————–}

He opened his eyes. The world blurred around, vision swimming. His mind was cloudy, waking very slowly. He pushed himself up on his hands, feeling the cool blades of grass under his fingers. Then he peered around.

He wasn’t sure where he was or how he had gotten there. But it didn’t seem like a bad place to wake up. Everything was quiet. It smelled of earth and flowers and trees. He heard the buzzing of busy insects as they made their rounds over the fern-like bushes. Somewhere not too far away he could hear the sound of running water.

A water splash across the face sure did sound like a good idea.

As he rolled over to look around, he noticed he was not alone. A girl was curled up in the grass beside him. He was surprised at his feeling of surprise regarding this fact — was it odd to find a girl sleeping in the grass? Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn’t. Afterall, everything felt somewhat odd about this situation.

He leaned over her to get a better look at her face. It was obscured by waves of pale white hair. Specks of grass and flower petals dotted the soft strands making her feel like something that belonged there. Something of the natural world.

He reached his hand forward to pull her hair from her face and paused upon the sight of his fingertips. They were a dark color, almost as if they were dirty. But he knew they were not. The color didn’t burn or hurt. He sniffed it and it didn’t smell funny. But there it was, on his hands. So strange. Just like everything else.

While he had been inspecting his fingers, the girl began to stir. She slowly rolled over, bright green eyes fluttering open. It took her a moment until her vision focused, peering up at his face.

He had expected her to respond in surprise — afterall, he would have been surprised if someone had been staring down on him when he had wakened. But she didn’t. Instead, she gave a wide, beautiful smile.

“SoYa?” she asked.

“SoYa?” she asked.

He blinked once. Then realized that was his name. And that he knew her name, too.

“AsaHi?” he asked in a similar tone.

“Hi..?” she answered, looking a little shy.

“Hi?” he responded, brushing the stray curly hair from his eyes.

AsaHi reached up and stroked her fingers through his hair, moving along with his own fingers. Then she pushed herself to sit up next to him.

The sound of voices carried along the breeze. There were other people here, somewhere. SoYa could feel them. Sense them. He didn’t know how he knew. He just did. The feeling of slight confusion and wonderment. People waking up, just as they had.

“There’s other people here,” AsaHi gave him a quizzical look.

“I know,” he told her and nodded.

Then he got to his feet and helped her up. As he began to walk forward, he sensed something funny. Looking down, he could see AsaHi’s little hand wrapped around his own.

And something about that felt just right.

{——-}

The sound of the ocean was more mournful now, though Oren couldn’t understand why. The darkness had lifted from the forests, but even so, had left only a pale shadow of what the land had once been. As he rode along, even Drok seemed restless, ears twitching in nervous agitation.

Something really bad has happened here… I just wish I knew what it was.

He knew it had to do with the strange white haired people. Even after the KoGuRai creature had been slain, they were always in a huge bustle to get one place or another. But no one had stopped and taken the time to explain what the trouble was.

Just like the people of the Inner Realms. Thinking they’re so much above the rest of us because of their wings.

The people of the Spiral had also been on the prowl, heading further south than Oren had ever seen. The golden haired men were never one for conversation, though, and didn’t offer any information either. They just seemed to be searching and searching…

Whatever they were looking for, they don’t seem to be finding it.

Drok suddenly lurched to a stop, nearly sending Oren sprawling over his neck.

“Hey! Hey! What do you call that!” he complained, punking the creature on the shoulder lightly. “You need to warn me before you do something like that!”

Drok simply shook his head all the more and snorted. Squinting up the steep incline towards the forest, Oren could make out a glimmer of something white along the stones. Swinging down from his mount, he frowned and began to make his way towards it.

“You stay here,” he said back over his shoulder. “Not like you’d move anywhere anyway. Lazy thing.”

The closer Oren climbed, the more his astonishment rose. Soon his eyes could pick out the features of a person. A white-haired woman. Someone he knew all too well.

“Well, now. If this isn’t déjà vu,” he murmured under his breath.

Kneeling down, he checked her over for any sign of injury. She was still breathing. She didn’t seem hurt. But the wings that she once had… they were missing. Simply gone.

Something strange is definitely going on here.

Something strange is definitely going on here.

Oren pursed his lips and gathered her into his arms. Carefully he picked his way back down the incline towards where Drok was waiting.

The creature flicked its ears forward with an expression of smug expectation.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. You’re good,” Oren huffed, securing the woman on Drok’s back. “Let’s get her back to the camp and see if we can figure out what happened.”

Camp wasn’t too far away. It was mostly a cave they had found in the side of the stone near the ocean. It was somewhat damp and the fire could be stubborn at times, but there wasn’t much more one could expect when it was high tide.

Oren covered her in a hide blanket, did his best to make her comfortable among the saddle bags and put some fish on the fire to fry. He hoped that the smell of food would bring her around — she didn’t look like she had eaten in far too long.

Eventually, hunger must have taken its toll, because she did start to stir. He leaned forward to watch her, a big grin spread across his face.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he teased.

Expecting a disgruntled jab in return, he braced himself. But she merely blinked at him in confusion.

“JouKa?” gave her a concerned look.

She didn’t respond to her name.

“JouKa?” he asked again.

This time, she turned to him and asked slowly, “Do ya mean me?”

“Yeah,” Oren frowned. “That’s your name. JouKa. Don’t you remember?”

“Oh. Yes… of course,” she answered. “JouKa.”

Drok gave a concerned snuff from the far corner of the room.

“’Oo are you?” JouKa asked with a moment of hesitation.

He blinked, then gave a wide joking grin to cover his own worry, “I’m Oren. I’m the love of your life!”

Certainly THAT will get a reaction!

Her mouth opened wide. But instead of the customary shout, she mused in wonderment, “Really?”

Oren fell over backwards in shock, nearly upsetting the frying fish. When he uprighted himself, he waved his hands around, “Okay! Now I KNOW you’re really sick!”

JouKa looked down at herself, clutching the hide blanket tighter about her shoulders. “I… don’t think I’m sick.”

“Then, what’s wrong?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she told him.

“How did you get here?”

“I don’t know.”

“What happened? Was there a fight?”

“I don’t know!” this time tears began to shimmer in her eyes.

“Whoa! Whoa! Wait… I didn’t mean it like that!” he waved his hands around.

Good job you insensitive lug!

There was a long uncomfortable silence. Then he scrubbed his fingers through his hair and slowly slid over to sit next to her.

“Look,” Oren said. “It’s okay if you don’t know.”

“It is?” she asked with a sad face.

“Yeah. It’s fine. You’ll be alright,” he promised her. “I’ll take care of you and we’ll figure this all out. Okay?”

JouKa didn’t say anything. She just nodded and leaned her head against Oren’s broad shoulder.

SCORE!

He couldn’t help the wide grin that spread across his face. Drok gave him a long, flat stare.

Oren cleared his throat and motioned forward, “So. Uh. I hope you like fish? How about some?”

A rumble rose up in Zemi’s throat, his eyes locked on the Sygnus.

“Kudako…” Zemi’s voice cracked as he spoke the name.

“Zem,” AsaHi took his arm in a comforting motion. “He’ll be alright. I’m sure.”

“No… He isn’t alright,” the Dreigiau turned his gaze downward, face pale and strained. Words didn’t have to speak the feelings that were emanated.

SoYa didn’t have to hear it. He knew. The Dragon Warrior had fallen and would not be returning to them. And despite the power of the great Watcher from the Time Before, he had doubts that even Aur could hold up against the darkness and death of the wild-minded Sygnus.

So many. We’ve lost so many… is there really nothing left for us to do but run?

“Lord Dragon! Please hold your concentration. You too, Lady Wolf!” NaDo’s voice cut through the moment of mourning.

-Excuse you! My name is Lady Zazo. Get it right, Earthian!-

It was enough to draw the Arweinydds’ attention back upon the task at hand. Everything that had been said about the Vision Stone was true. It rose up before them, a pillar of brilliant blue light that shown straight up into the sky. Where its light shimmered, even the darkness did not touch. Something about the glade surrounding the Stone felt safe and protected — but SoYa could not say how much longer that would last.

The machine that NaDo set up next to the Stone was a marvel of technology, even more so than his ships and the endless lines of gadgets that ran the length of the walls of the Shellab. All wires and hums and tall flat looking screens, it somehow managed to tap into the vast energies of the tall Vision Stone. Under the right hands, NaDo had said, the Stone’s power might even be bent to the user’s will.

It’s hard to believe that a little boy can trigger all this…

KiNa’s hands were little, but the right ones. The moment the child placed his palms against the slick touch pad of the machine, the stone had burst into a brilliant light. The distant sound of ancient song rustled through the winds of the glade. And the tallest crystal face along the side of the Vision Stone had flickered with an image.

Just as NaDo described…

The picture wavered, glowing before them. A land that was not their own. But a living world just the same. There was no sight of city nor structure. Just a rolling forest and long green hills. A place that gave the feeling of peace. Perhaps safety, if hidden away from the searching eyes of the Dark Sygnus.

As the three Arweinydd focused their powers around the machine next to KiNa, the image of the distant land became more and more clear. More stable. The shimmering ripples of a riftway had spread across the face of the stone. It had become a gateway into this strange new world.

And now, the winged people were filing through this rift as quickly as they could. Women and children were assisted by the soldiers, feet shuffling up the slick crystalline incline that lead to the rift. Their faces were haunted with the fears that hung just over the edge of the forest — they could feel the pressure of the prowling death coming ever closer. No one dared to hesitate — even a completely alien land was less frightening than the Dark Sygnus’ wrath.

There were so many people. So little time. And knowing that Kudako and Aur could only hold the Sygnus at bay for a short while, SoYa didn’t know how they would get everyone to safety.

“AsaHi,” the Athrylith took her by the shoulders and started nudging her towards the stream of moving people. “I want you to go.”

“What? SoYa! I’m not leaving you here!” she protested instantly, just as he knew she would.

“Please! I’ll follow you. Don’t worry! I just have to know that you get through safe,” he tried to reassure her. At this point, they both knew that nothing could be promised.

“Don’t leave me, SoYa…” AsaHi hung on to his shoulders, tears in her eyes.

“I won’t leave you. But I have to help make sure everyone else gets through safely. That includes you,” he told her.

A broken sound. An uncharacteristic sob. Her strength had finally been spent in the face of so much death and loss. AsaHi threw her arms around his shoulders, burying her face into his tunic. It was the hardest thing he could do to force her to let go. But he did, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead.

One of the soldiers saw his plight and took AsaHi by the upper arm, “Come with me, Miss.”

“No!” she tried to struggle. But he was far stronger as he led her towards the rippling face of the Stone.

SoYa could only watch, his heart aching.

AsaHi turned and reached back towards him. She called his name frantically, but he couldn’t hear her voice above the hum of the machine and the rift winds. Then, in a flash of soft blue light, AsaHi had stepped through, fading into the crowd of winged people. Lost to his sight.

“Keep going,” NaDo coached. “We’ve almost got everyone. We’re doing a lot better than I had hoped.”

Despite the positive words, SoYa could only glance back over his shoulder with a worried frown. The shadows and mists were moving again. And approaching fast.

“NaDo… Maru… you should take KiNa and get through,” Zemi’s tone was concerned. He, too, saw the motion in the forest behind them.

“Just a little bit more, Lord Dragon,” NaDo assured him. “We have to make sure the machine is properly dismantled and the rift shut… or there’s a chance we can be followed. That would defeat the purpose, wouldn’t it?”

As the last of the winged people gathered through the gateway, SoYa saw a lone figure holding back. A figure he recognized instantly.

“JouKa, what are you doing?” he rushed over towards her. “You have to get through the rift.”

“We’re beginning the dismantling process,” NaDo announced. “Everyone get ready to make a run for it!”

JouKa turned with a silent, haunted face. “I’m not goin’.”

“What? You can’t stay here!” SoYa protested. “You’ll be killed.”

“Then I will. But I’m not goin’. This is my world… my ‘ome. I’m not lettin’ some winged freak push me outta it!” she gave him a hard glare.

He took her arm, “Be reasonable! You’ve got nothing to gain by getting yourself killed here.”

She jerked her arm away quickly, backing away with a snarl. “Gain? Everything is gone! KoGu is dead! TsuYa is Marked! Our ‘ome is destroyed. People are dyin’! Tell me what’s worth seein’?”

“Power down, eighty percent!” NaDo’s voice warned.

“JouKa!” he reached for her again.

She dodged back, “You don’t order me around, Neffie! Go save yer own skin. I’ll take care of myself!”

“Seventy-five percent!”

SoYa drew in a frantic breath. He could see that nothing short of forcing her was going to work… and they just didn’t have the time.

Before he could reach out for her again, a deafening crack broke the sky above. The shadows and mists rolled in, struggling to press upon the brilliant blue of the Vision Stone. But the Dark Sygnus strolled forward, unaffected, long glimmering black blade held ready in one hand. It dripped, heavy with gore and blood.

JouKa gave a horrified scream, reeling away from SoYa’s hand. He could only stumble back in shocked astonishment as the girl whirled around and took off running. Not into the rift of the Vision Stone. But into the depths of the forest, the opposite direction of shadows and mists. He shouted her name, watching helplessly as she vanished between the trees.

The Sygnus’ laugher was chilling as he advanced. His smile was hollow and void of any emotion. His voice low and level, “Zemi Dreigiau… you sent your pets to do an Arweinydd’s job. And then you mourn their death. How hypocritical.”

With a flick of his wrist, the Dark Sygnus heaved a heavy, curved sword forward, tossing it at the Dreigiau’s feet. It glittered with a deep golden sheen, decorated by the etchings of a long, majestic lion. It, too, was splattered with blood.

Zemi’s face contorted at the sight of it. A sudden rage burned in his eyes, focus breaking away from the rift, shifting to the harbinger that stood before them.

“Zemi! No! Don’t — crud! Energy levels dropping drastically! We need to get out!” NaDo shouted a warning.

“Hypocritical. Just like everything you’ve ever said to me,” Lucci hissed.

“No! It was never like that! Never!” Zemi snarled, moving towards the Sygnus with a deadly furor. “We took you in! Cared for you! Gave you a home and even trained you! How could you turn on us like this?!”

“Did you really think that your so-called care,” the Sygnus drew the word out in disdain, “Could stop what I was meant to become? I didn’t kill these people, Dreigiau. Your idealistic hope did!”

A rumble rose up in Zemi’s throat, his eyes locked on the Sygnus.

Lucci lifted his blade, ready. A sickly smile crossed his face, “That’s right. Let me drink your power, Arweinydd. You would give me far more than these little Earthians have.”

“ZEMI! RIFT IS CLOSING!” NaDo’s voice bellowed, trying to break through the rage.

Zemi didn’t flinch. It was as if nothing but the Sygnus existed to him at this moment — the clashing of wills, a face-off of natural enemies that stretched back into ancient times, back to the Time Before.

Sygnus and Arweinydd.

And if legends spoke rightly, the Arweinydd would lose.

I can’t just stand and watch this! I have to do something!

SoYa thrust his staff forward, focusing his power into the stone. The staff that his father had once helped him craft… back when he had first learned what it had meant to be what he was, an Athrylith. And all that time they had spent recently… Father training him so hard. Teaching him. And Tsu.

Tsu…

And Aunt SaRa. Now Kudako. Aur. They would never see the light of this new world, the memories and sacrifices lost to the old lands. They would not be there to guide the struggles of the refugees that would have to work to start all over again. He was the last of the Ya family line. He alone, would have to lead the people.

And it’s all… your… FAULT!

A pulse of multi-colored power lit the staff’s stone, sending a shaft of light straight into the fray, slicing between Sygnus and Arweinydd. Unexpected, Lucci reeled back from the blast, a crackling pulse spreading across his shoulder, smoking where he was hit.

“ZEMI!” NaDo demanded.

Finally, the Arweinydd jerked his head around. He stared at NaDo, then at the wavering rift in realization. Whatever had held the Dreigiau captivated had broken as the Sygnus’ attention swung about, focusing with a terrible intensity on SoYa instead.

“You… the son of ZenToYa…”

It felt like the breath was being crushed out of SoYa’s lungs. Shifting tendrils of mist crept over the ground, towards his feet. But no matter how much he fought and threw his will against it, he could not find the strength to move.

“You think you can fight me when your father could not?” the Sygnus sneered taking a slow step forward.

Searing pain raced through his limbs, shadows moving over him, gripping him. For a fleeting moment, SoYa was reminded of the shadows that had taken his brother.

“Would you really give your life for your people? What would you risk to defend your homelands?”

“Every…thing…” SoYa croaked, fighting for breath.

“Then you shall be bound to share the tainted fate of Nefol,” the chilling voice cursed him.

The Sygnus’ silver eyes bore into his own, stripping away all the warmth in the world. SoYa doubled over, the pain becoming too intense for him to bear. His shaking hands struggled to keep grip of his staff, knees trembling and dropping him to the ground. His watery eyes could make out the darkness that had begun to stretch across his skin, spreading from his fingertips and up his arms.

“Power at 30 percent! Now or never!” NaDo’s voice edged with worry.

Faintly, SoYa could hear Maru’s pleading voice. “Take KiNa! Take him, Lady Zazo!”

-Don’t you think I have enough to carry?- the She-Wolf growled as she bore the Marked Champion towards the fading rift.

“He’s just a little boy! Please, take him!” a mother’s cry.

Even Zazo couldn’t seem to deny that. With a huff, the Arweinydd clamped down on the back of the child’s tunic, lifting the boy between her teeth.

“Mommy!” KiNa cried, little wings stretching and straining, reaching for his parents. “Daddy!”

“GO! GO!” NaDo shouted, slamming his fist on the machine as if to keep it running just a few moments longer.

The She-Wolf whipped around, lunging for the rift, carrying child and Marked through the final flickers of the blue Vision Stone light.

SoYa felt himself lifted from behind. Strong hands pulling him up, off his feet. The world jolted around him as his senses faded in and out of awareness. Distantly, he could see Zemi above him, carrying him.

“Lucci! You don’t have to do this!” Maru’s voice echoed from what seemed an immeasurable distance. “We know this isn’t you! This isn’t what you’d want!”

The Sygnus’ step faltered, but only momentarily. His voice was grave, “It’s too late for that.”

“No! No it’s not! You have to stop this!” NaDo begged.

SoYa felt the trickling light surround them as Zemi ran, carrying him to the rift. He reached back towards the wavering images of NaDo and Maru as they moved forward. He watched as they put themselves between the Stone and the Sygnus.

“I can’t!” Lucci cried and lunged forward, his fevered silver eyes locked upon the retreating Dreigiau.

The black blade lifted.

The sounds of screams. A crack like thunder split the air. A brilliant blue light.

The sensation of falling. Burning agony and choking breath. A terrible pain ripping through his body. Pain so overwhelming that drove his thoughts and senses to nothingness.

His mind reeled, struggling to keep hold of himself. But then that, too, was washed away.

There was no sensation left… followed by a deep, dark sleep.

LuShi began to take the blows, unable to fend off the coordinated strikes from two very skilled warriors.

The thick forests closed in over their heads as the group made their way as quickly as possible towards the waiting Vision Stone. Though the Stone was within view of the Shellab, there was still a good distance between. And unlike the winged people who had already made their way to their destination, not everyone within their group had wings. Or, in the case of NaDo, could use the wings they had to fly.

Kudako could see the pale blue glow cast down from the surrounding trees becoming more and more prominent the closer that they travelled to the Stone. There was a deep hush within the forest that kept his ears twitching and his staff held tightly within his hands. It was as if the living world could feel their departure and mourned the loss of its Arweinydd Patron.

There is no other choice at this point. It is escape or be hunted until death.

Kudako knew about this sort of mentality. It had been his once, long ago, when he was trained and unleashed upon the white-haired peoples of the Inner Realms as an Annihilator. He knew the gripping power that others could have on one’s mind, even when instructed to do things which were against a person’s nature.

Despite all this, the Dragon had no pity or mercy for the Sygnus. Zento’s words and warnings had proven to be terribly true… even at the cost of his own life.

This death is a meaningless sort… a harvesting of spirit power. A weapon of terror cast upon innocent people, tipping the world into Chaos. Perhaps the start of another great Mistake.

A calm silence drew around him as he felt a shadow fall across his back, reaching like a great dark claw that would rip the sun from the sky. The darkness that obscured the sky was not clouds, but a darkness that was terrible and unnatural, spreading like a starless night over the land.

Where the darkness met the horizon, a ghostly silver mist churned and heaved itself forward, casting the world in a cold and featureless suspension. It was as if the living had stepped into the world of the dead. In the center of it all, Kudako could sense him — the Dark Sygnus — coming to claim the last children of Nefol.

“Keep moving! Keep moving,” Lord Zemi urged.

“Don’t look back into it lest your fears overtake you,” Aur added.

Kudako looked back despite this. He had no fear to overtake him. With Zento and Sara both gone, he had little purpose left to him in the living world, save his loyalty and servitude to Lord Zemi. He was a creature who once breathed his last breath, given life again to amend for all the lives he had taken.

And so far, Kudako did not think that he had done this.

In serving his sentence, he was gifted far more that he gave up. He was given a reason. A family. A place to belong. Feelings and friendship. Love. It was more than a creature such as himself ever deserved.

“It is time to repay them,” the Dragon muttered under his breath.

“Did you say something, Kudako?” AsaHi gave him a questioning look, being the only one close enough to hear.

“Take care of Lord Zemi for me,” was his only answer. Then with a flick of his staff, Kudako swung about and leapt back in the direction they had come from.

“’Dako!” Lord Zemi’s voice echoed after him, strained and pleading.

“Keep moving, Lord Zemi! I will buy you time!”

Before anyone else could argue, he leapt into the dense cover of trees, speeding down the steep incline of hill. He could hear their calls following him. Then fall silent. Lord Zemi would know that they had to keep moving forward — there was no choice but to let things unfold as they were.

Visibility was strained the deeper he ran into the pressing silver mists. A chill began to creep over his body, leaving his feet colder and colder, making it more difficult to pick his way. It felt as if all the energy within his body was slowly being drawn out, much the way the spirits of the dead were feasted upon in the Dark Sygnus’ wake.

His senses were warped — sight, smell and even sound began to fail him. There was nothing but a vast expanse of mist and shadow in every direction.

“Sygnus!” Kudako lifted his voice in challenge. “Show yourself! Come! Do battle with me if you dare!”

A low, cold laughter mocked him from every direction.

The mists plumed up and parted as the tall, ghostly figure of the Sygnus appeared. He walked forward calmly, a fevered glimmer in his eyes. Bloodsplatered stains marked his form, marring the graceful silver feathers along his wings.

Kudako lifted his staff, grounding his heel for battle.

“You are worth nothing to me, Flawed Dragon,” the Sygnus spoke quietly. “You were borne soulless, your spirit was wrapped into the energies that gave you that broken body. There is no reason for me to waste my time on a creature that offers me nothing.”

“Perhaps you are afraid to fight one without a soul,” the Dragon’s eyes glinted in burnished, slitted gold.

Laughter came again, “Afraid? Kudako Re. You are a skilled warrior. But you have no chance to take me down.”

“Nothing is invincible. You are setting yourself up for a fall if you believe you are so,” he retorted.

“If that is your choice,” the Sygnus shook out the long dark blade in one hand. “I hope that you will last a bit longer than your student did. Master ZenToYa was no fun at all.”

Kudako felt a low growl rumble in the depths of his chest. Whether he could win or not, he would try. He owed that much to Zento and SaRa. Reckless as it was, the Dragon made the first leap forward, gathering all of his strength into the momentum of his strike. It was rare that he truly drew out his dragon-strength — except in the case of fighting something like the Marked. But with this foe, he knew there was no holding back.

Ignoring the sluggish response of his frozen feet, Kudako lashed and spun and danced, drawing intricate battle-patterns in the air and dogging the slashes of the slender black blade. LuShi was fast — faster than he remembered. There was a strange and archaic method to his motions. It was not something that the Dragon had seen before, certainly not something that had been taught to the boy during the training sessions.

It must be linked to that sword. Perhaps if he were disarmed…

The Dragon’s ears twitched as he redoubled his efforts, this time, concentrating on landing blows meant to knock the weapon from the Sygnus’ hands. But this turned out to be far harder than he could imagine — LuShi struck hard and fast with the intent to kill. Far too often, Kudako found himself playing the defense just to keep his head on his shoulders.

But his dance had been perfected centuries ago. He would not fall to any foe so easily.

It soon became apparent to the Sygnus that what had seemed an easy target was not giving way to his blade. The longer the fight stretched on, the more impatient his blows became. No doubt, the Sygnus was starting to realize that Kudako’s appearance was nothing more than a diversion.

“As much as I’d love to finish this the old fashioned way, I’m afraid my presence is expected elsewhere,” his silvery eyes finally narrowed, swinging with a tremendous blow that sent Kudako stumbling back.

As the Dragon fought to keep his balance, he felt a deathly chill grip his legs and begin to spread up into his body. With a snarl, he plunged forward, only to find himself held fast by the now-piercing claws of the mists. Long rends of torn cloth and blood began to form along his legs the more that he struggled against the hold. The cold, hollow laughter of the Dark Sygnus rang in his ears.

The black bladed lifted.

Kudako’s arms could not move in defense.

There was a pause — long enough for the Dragon to ponder his fate. Too short to figure out a way to avoid it.

As the sword whistled down upon his exposed body, the Sygnus gave a sudden startled shout of pain. LuShi reeled around quickly, the feathers of one wing scattering in a spray out over the misty hillside. Some of them dripped red with blood. Blood of the Sygnus.

A flash of gold burned through the mists as a shape nearly as large as the Dark Sygnus dropped down into the battle. It took Kudako a moment to recognize through his distorted vision — the calm face, intensely deep eyes, long lion-tail hair… and the flash of a strange, curved blade burnished the color of gold.

“Aur…” Kudako murmured. “You shouldn’t have followed me here.”

The Watcher didn’t answer. He moved through the battle with the grace of the wind, matching the Sygnus’ otherworldly battle prowess move for move. Whatever the style and knowledge was, it must have come from the Time Before. And when the mists rose up to claim the Watcher, it was burned away with invisible heat and golden glow.

LuShi wasn’t laughing now. In fact, he didn’t seem to be amused by his newest opponent at all. The deeper he was forced to concentrate upon Aur, the more and more the mists began to recede, until Kudako was able to shake himself free.

Released, the Dragon leapt back into battle, pressing the Sygnus from the other side. LuShi began to take the blows, unable to fend off the coordinated strikes from two very skilled warriors. Seeing that he had begun to lose ground, his frustration mounted further until he finally lifted one hand in a ground shaking command.

The mists responded, no longer mere mists, but embodiments of things that had once walked upon the living world, warped and twisted under the chaotic control of the Dark Sygnus. The sound of their wails and screeches was deafening to Kudako’s ears. The pulsing light within the mists began to fill his vision, distorting everything around him beyond recognition.

He could not see Aur. He could not see LuShi. He could hardly make out the brittle, ice-tipped shape of his own weapon in between his hands. All senses were failing him as the cold became unbearable. He found himself choking, unable to find the air to breathe.

There was nothing but mist — mist where air should be. Mist were sound should be. Mist where sight should be.

Kudako couldn’t feel it as his body collapsed underneath him. He couldn’t feel his arms or legs. He couldn’t feel pain.

There was a wave of numb nothingness. Mist. Then a final silent darkness consumed him.

“KiNa… we’re going to take a trip,” NaDo told him in the most level voice he could manage.

“Oh, my. Oh, my. Oh, my,” NaDo repeated to himself over and over again.

The sunlight reflected sharply off of his glasses, making it hard to see the expression in his eyes. But SoYa could sense the scientist’s crushing sadness as he learned about the death of his long-time friend.

When the invasion had begun on the Spiral, NaDo had taken his ship on orders from Zemi and returned to his home in the Shellab. Whatever was happening here with the Vision Stone, it seemed very important.

His wife, Maru, held his shoulder in a motion of comfort. Her sadness was harder to sense — but that was the way it was with other Athrylith. She murmured softly in his ear as NaDo reached up, pulling his glasses from their perch on his nose. Then he turned the other way and began to slowly pace.

“I told them both,” his voice wavered. “I warned those lugs that if they kept jumping down the Dragon’s throat, one day it would catch up with them. But they never listened…”

“NaDo,” Maru murmured at him as their young son appeared in the doorway, watching with wide, curious eyes.

“Blockheaded warriors! And they said I was crazy,” the scientist scrubbed his eyes with the back of his sleeve.

“NaDo…” she said again. Her voice took on a warning tone, “KiNa?”

The man paused in his pacing, turning to look down at his son. The freckled boy took that as his cue to slip out of the side room to see what all of the commotion was about.

“Daddy, what’s wrong?” the little hand reached out and took one of NaDo’s fingers in a reassuring way.

Unable to answer, the scientist rubbed his hands over his face as if to wipe away the emotion that was all too plain for his mind-sensitive son. Then he knelt down to the boy and gave him a long hug.

“KiNa… we’re going to take a trip,” NaDo told him in the most level voice he could manage.

“We are? To where?” the little boy perked up with big eyes.

“Well, now, I’m not so sure exactly,” the scientist tapped his chin. “But when we get there, you can give it a name. How would you like that?”

“Shellab 2.0!” KiNa chirruped without a second thought.

“That’s a great name, KiNa,” NaDo smiled faintly. Then he gave a wink, “But hows about we get there so you can see it first? It’s always better to give something a name after you’ve looked at it.”

“Okay!” the little boy nodded vigorously.

The scientist gave him a pat on the back, “Good. Now you better go grab your sleepy. You wouldn’t want to leave that here, now would you?”

KiNa shook his head and darted off happily into the other room.

Watching the interaction between the father and his young son left a lump in SoYa’s throat. With all that had happened blurring the timeline between the present and the past, it was hard for him to remember if he and Father had ever been that way.

“NaDo… Maru… I’m sorry for bringing you into this,” Zemi’s voice was hoarse from where he slumped back on the nearest chair.

“Nonsense, Lord Dragon,” the scientist quipped without a second thought.

“You might be able to hide here and weather out the storm. What about your little boy?” the Dreigiau asked.

“We are your people,” Maru said simply.

“That’s right. And if what you told us about Lucci is true… then we have no choice but to be involved,” NaDo pursed his lips.

-You can’t bring him back,- Zazo snuffed. -So get it out of your head.-

“I could say the same of Zento’s black-winged boy. Yet, you carry him around for a reason, Lady Zazo,” he stuck his glasses back on his nose and gave them a quick shine.

-It’s different entirely.-

“Is it?”

KiNa came toddling back through the door, dragging a long mauve colored blanket in his wake. Upon the sight of Zazo, he stopped, frozen still, staring up at her. Then with all the joy of a child, he rushed forward with upraised hands and the happiest exclamation ever.

“Doggie!”

-What?!-

“Doggie!” the little boy wrapped his arms around her foreleg.

“KiNa!” Maru made to step forward, a hint of worry on her furrowed brow. But Zemi caught her arm with a slight fangy smile, keeping her from interfering.

-I am NOT a dog! I am a wolf! Ignorant Earthian!- Zazo nudged at the child with her nose, sending him sliding down her leg to the floor.

KiNa just laughed all the more, “BIG doggie!”

-BIG? What are you insinuating! What does that mean?-

“You seem to have a fan, Zazo,” Zemi smiled at her quietly.

-Yes well…- the She-Wolf snuffed and stuck her nose in the air. -The boy has good taste, doesn’t he?-

“Of course he does,” NaDo grinned. “He’s my son.”

-That’s all that needs to be said.-

The scientist just quipped, leaning back against the wall next to the Dreigiau. As much as they all needed the momentary release from the stress and the pain, business had to be taken care of. And even NaDo had a business side when it was needed.

SoYa stepped closer with hesitation. Even though he had, in name, taken his father’s place as the leader of the Nefolians, he still wasn’t sure where the lines were when it came to acting the part with other people.

NaDo arched an eyebrow and gave a pointed look over the top of his glasses, “SoYa, come on over here.”

The Athrylith straightened a bit, then made his way slowly towards the two. “Yes, Master NaDo?”

“And stop with the Master stuff, boy,” the scientist gave his shoulder a slight shake. “Your father wouldn’t have been caught dead calling me Master. You don’t need to, either.”

SoYa managed a weak smile.

“So…” NaDo leaned forward. “What’s the plan, Lord Dragon?”

“I thought you had something to show me?” Zemi asked.

“Oh, I do. I do. But you know what they say — age before beauty!” the scientist quipped.

Zemi paused, mulling that thought for a moment, but he didn’t seem to get it.

“Nevermind,” NaDo said. “Just go ahead.”

“At the moment, all that I know is that we are supposed to be making our way to the Vision Stone… that something about the properties of the stone is supposed to be able to open a path into the Ways themselves,” the Dreigiau explained.

“A path into the Ways,” the winged man repeated slowly. “A path into the Ways… that does explain a lot.”

“Why… what is the Vision Stone?” SoYa asked.

“We don’t exactly know. Maru and I have been studying it for many years now… but it would make sense to know that it has some sort of transportational properties,” NaDo rubbed his chin. “So who exactly told you all of this, Lord Dragon?”

“Uhh…” Zemi took in a deep breath. “Long story. Let’s just worry about that later. I suppose my question to you is, do you think it is possible? And can we rig something quickly, if so?”

“Do you really think that Lucci will follow you here?” Maru’s face grew uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry,” the Dreigiau told her with a hint of remorse. “I’m really afraid that he will.”

“Has anyone even tried to…”

“Reason with him?” Zemi finished.

Maru nodded.

“I don’t think that he knows or understands his own actions at this point… Zeromus has done something to him,” the Dreigiau spoke gravely.

She didn’t answer. She just looked down at her feet. NaDo gave her should a slight squeeze. Then he turned the conversation back on track.

“So we are going to the Vision Stone…”

“Actually, most of them are probably already there,” Zemi replied. “I ordered the soldiers to lead the evacuation to the Vision Stone’s site. There wasn’t much reason in stopping them all here… so I told them to go ahead without us.”

“I see… just as well,” NaDo nodded slowly.

“So… you had a breakthrough you wanted to tell me about?”

“Funny you should ask,” the scientist grinned widely. “You’ve shed a lot of light on the situation, Lord Dragon. I think things are falling into place.”

“Oh really? Like what?” Zemi humored him.

“I have created a new device that allows us to send various frequencies of magical energies into the core of the Stone. Maru and I have had some interesting results… especially when KiNa is the one that activates the energy bank,” NaDo leaned back on his heels, peering across the room to where his son was tugging on the She-Wolf’s fur.

“What do you mean?” the Dreigiau leaned forward.

“I’m not sure. KiNa’s still so young. His focus is sporadic, so we haven’t been able to test anything for an extended period of time,” he answered with a grim look. “But in our last session, Maru and I both saw it… it was like looking into a picture of another world entirely. Now that you tell me it’s possible that the Stone has connections to the Ways, it could have been that we witnessed the gateway into another place completely.”

“You are sure about this?” Zemi asked, appearing more and more curious.

“I can’t be sure of anything, Lord Dragon. I can only tell you what we experienced… and that I had no explanation for it,” NaDo told him. “I wouldn’t rule anything out yet.”

“Do you think that KiNa could activate this again?”

“Possibly. But we only saw it for a moment. It’ll take a lot more than just KiNa to open a rift into the Ways… if that’s what you’re thinking,” he frowned.

“A possibility is better than no possibility,” Zemi slowly pushed himself to his feet. “We’re going to have to go with what we have.”

“You’re sure… this is okay?” SoYa asked with a worried frown. “Shouldn’t we see if this is something KiNa wants to do?”

NaDo smiled widely, “Of course it is. He’s a Tu. And what do Tus do best?”

“Break things!” KiNa answered his father’s call from across the room.

“What? Break things?” the scientist gave a pouty, put-out face. Then he playfully reached down, chasing after the giggling little boy. “You get back here, KiNa!”

The two of them raced around the floor for a short time before NaDo scooped up his son. All the time, Maru just sighed and shook her head, murmuring, “What a time. What a time…”

As they approached the Dreigiau, Zemi looked down at father and son, his voice slightly rumbly, “Hello, KiNa.”

“Hi!” the boy answered looking up quizzically.

“Do you know who I am?”

“Lord Dragon,” KiNa told him with a frown, as if wondering why the strange tall man didn’t remember his own name.

“That’s right,” Zemi smiled.

“Lord Dragon could really use your help, KiNa. You think you can do him a favor?” NaDo asked.

The boy pondered for a moment, peering at the Arweinydd. Then he stuck out his hand with a big thumbs-up.

“Alright!” his father laughed. “Let’s go show Lord Dragon your trick with the Vision Stone. Okay?”

KiNa nodded, “Then can we take a trip, Daddy?”

“You betcha,” NaDo smiled and kissed his son on the forehead.

There was something quiet and sad behind the smile. But the little boy was too excited to notice. He quickly wiggled out of his father’s arms, snagged his sleepy blanket, rushed over to tug on his mother’s hand, and lead the way out of the Shellab.

“I’m alright. Don’t worry about me.”

AsaHi’s tiny fingers folded over the back of Zemi’s broad hand as he strained to draw the rifting energy into the Cynosure chamber. He was shaking. Every now and then, a spasm racked his body, nearly causing him to fall. And every time, Kudako or Aur were there to offer him strength to stand.

The loss of Zento was more than just a painful, emotional void for the Arweinydd. He had lost a part of himself, his binding Champion who shared his power and bridged the connection to the planet itself. What had once been so easy and so careless to Zemi now took his full concentration to even attempt. It broke AsaHi’s heart to watch the Dreigiau struggle so hard just to fail… again and again as the rift energies seemed to slip right through his fingers.

All she could do was stay by his side and offer him what little strength she had left. It had been so difficult to keep herself from breaking down at the news of Zento’s death. Even though nothing had been formally finalized, the winged warrior had always treated AsaHi like a daughter. He had brought hope and guidance to everyone who knew him… and to those who even knew of him.

And SoYa…

She almost didn’t want to think of it. She had watched the strained composure on his face as he had reached out to comfort Zemi in the midst of his own grief.

He’s become so much like Zento… But I know he must be hurting so much right now.

She couldn’t imagine what it felt like to be in his shoes… to watch his family be torn away, one by one. It was the reason why AsaHi didn’t have the heart to argue when he had raced away on the back of the She-Wolf in desperate attempt to save his brother, the last true family he had left. If there was anything left there to save at all…

The sound of murmuring from the far side of the chamber caused AsaHi to peer back over one shoulder towards the entrance. Her mouth opened a bit, though no sound escaped as her eyes blinked, trying to figure out what it was she was seeing.

The She-Wolf Zazo padded into the room with a scoffing look, nudging her way past any of the winged people who weren’t quick enough to give her the space she desired. Draped over her back was a dark, slumped figure, streaming black ooze across the Arweinydd’s hind quarters. The moment her eyes locked upon him, AsaHi could feel the prickles of fear racing over her skin.

TsuYa..? They really found him. They managed to capture him! But how?

The answer appeared, only a moment later.

I don’t believe it..!

It was SoYa. His clothes were torn and shredded with the struggle of battle, lines streaked across his body where wounds seemed to have once been inflicted. Somewhere along the way, he had lost his hat and his hair hung about his shoulders in wild wisps of untamed curls. His eyes were deep and penetrating, flickering with an internal light that she had often seen when looking at his father. A pair of vibrant white wings arched from his back, shimmering with a luminosity that few other Awakened seemed to have.

Something awful must have happened…

AsaHi could remember how SoYa had hesitated the first time he had seen her wings. She remembered the look of awe and doubt that spread over his face. How he had stammered with uncertainty, trying to find the things to say.

She felt that way now. Everything she had always known he was deep inside was now so plain for the world to see.

There was also battle-worn exhaustion written on his brow and in the way SoYa leaned against his staff for support. AsaHi felt her concern outweighing her doubt as he stumbled up to the rifting stone, stopping to stand silently next to her. Everyone was watching him, though he seemed too tired to notice.

“SoYa…” her voice seemed tiny to her ears. “Are you hurt?”

He shook his head slowly, “I’m alright. Don’t worry about me.”

AsaHi reached out and gave his arm a gentle squeeze. When he turned to look at her, she forced a weary smile. Quietly, he returned her smile – it was the same SoYa-smile that she had always known, warm and comforting. No words were needed between them. Her fears were put to rest.

“Should we not find shackles for the Marked?” Kudako’s low voice intoned from somewhere behind.

-Shackles? Are you implying that I don’t have this completely under control?- Zazo gave a snuff.

“No, Lady Zazo. It is just the thought of precaution,” the Dragon bobbed his head politely.

-Well, for your information, everything is fine. Or perhaps your little Earthian eyes cannot perceive that,- she continued gruffly.

“He appears to be dripping on your fur,” Aur’s commentary was so smooth that it was impossible to accuse it of being the humor it really was.

-I know that!- Zazo barked. –I gave him permission to!-

“I see,” the Watcher lifted his eyebrow and gazed drolly at Kudako. The Dragon just nodded and crossed his arms.

-Overgrown mountain lion!- the She-Wolf sneered, bringing her burden up to where the Dreigiau stood. -Zemi. What’s the hold up? Haven’t you gotten that rift open yet? Your Sygnus pet is going to be here soon!-

“I’m trying, Zazo,” Zemi muttered.

-Not hard enough!-

“Would you like to do this?” the Arweinydd scowled.

-If I were doing it, it would have already been done,- she retorted.

“Then how about giving me a hand?”

-Fine! Since you can’t do it yourself!- Zazo barked back. Then, before anyone could say another thing, the She-Wolf poked her nose forward, right into the small of the Dreigiau’s back.

AsaHi jumped, yanking her hand away as the Arweinydd’s form burst into a brilliant shaft of white flame. She shouted his name, backing away, but everything that had been Zemi and Zazo were lost within the sudden vortex of light.

The runes along the floor began to pulse as the chamber rumbled. Multicolor tiles spread throughout the room casting up brilliant shafts of energy, bounding and rebounding from the etched glassy walls. Finally, the light merged and centered, feeding into the luminous glow of the rifting platform before them.

AsaHi’s breath caught in her throat as the wild spiral of light and shadow drew inwards for one short, shaky moment. Then with a wind that smelled of salt and sea, the huge spiral rift burst open, streaming sunlight and a vast arch of blue sky above them.

The darkness of the Wyndor caves melted away, the earth shifting under her feet. As she felt herself dangling in a moment of misplacement, her hand reached frantically for something solid and firm. She fell back, only to be caught and righted by SoYa’s strong arms.

What just… happened?

When AsaHi finally caught her breath, her green eyes flicked around in wonderment. She was leaning heavily against SoYa’s chest, her knees quavering more than she wanted them to. SoYa, too, looked a little stunned and disoriented as the cooling sea breezes ruffled through his hair.

Soft dunes of white sand billowed out in all directions around them, the quiet sound of rushes and reeds playing in the wind. The sea forests shown brilliant green, vivid and full of life — so different from the fear and decay of the underground chambers they had just come from. As the seascape stretched out in a quiet majesty before them, it was hard to believe that anything they had just experienced was something more than a bad dream.

“I know this place,” JouKa’s voice was hardly above a whisper. “We’ve been ‘ere before.”

“Yes,” Aur agreed. “We have.”

“Lord Zemi… can you walk?” Kudako inquired, reaching down to gather up the drooping Arweinydd.

Zemi had returned to his normal form now. Only the slight sparks of energy lingering in the air showed that anything had happened at all. Zazo, on the other hand, had taken the appearance of a summer time poof-ball flower. Her fur stood on end in every direction except for where the oily black blood of the Marked continued to drip.

-Sure. Sure. Be concerned over him,- she grumbled. -No thanks to me for getting us here.-

“Thank you, Lady Zazo,” SoYa offered quietly.

-Did I tell you that you could speak to me?- the She-Wolf huffed and stuck her nose up in the air. -We’re wasting time. Let’s go.-

“Go where?” AsaHi asked.

-To that ridiculous Shellab place. Where else?- Zazo began to pad across the sand, flicking her feet and grumbling.

“What’s a Shellab?” AsaHi whispered back over one shoulder to SoYa.

His puzzled look and slight shrug spoke his own confusion on the situation. Instead of answering, SoYa simply walked forward and offered Zemi his shoulder for support from the other side. The Dreigiau gratefully took it.

Then Zemi did a double take, teal eyes opening wide. He exclaimed with just as much surprise as anyone else, “SoYa! You’ve Awakened!?”

The Athrylith gave a calm laugh in reply as they made their way forward over the sands, “Well maybe… just a little bit?”

SoYa’s green gaze turned, focusing on the Marked Champion.

“Can you sense Tsu anywhere?” SoYa asked, holding tight to the scruff of the She-Wolf’s neck.

-No… everything is distorted in here. It must be the Sygnus energy.-

“Then how do you know that he’s even here?” the Athrylith asked.

-Are you doubting me?- she snapped with a sharp tone.

“I didn’t say that!” SoYa’s voice rose an octave in alarm. “I just wondered!”

-Because of the way the Marked act,- Zazo answered. –They’re coordinated and unified whenever TsuYa is controlling them.-

He couldn’t help but shiver, “You think… Tsu can really control those things?”

-I don’t know what else you would call it… but he does something to the Marked. Something that is obviously valuable to Zeromus,- the She-Wolf growled under her breath. -We’ve got to take him back.-

SoYa knew that she was partially right. The longer that Zeromus held control over his brother, the harder it would be to try to reverse what had been done. While others may have given TsuYa up for lost to the shadow, SoYa had not.

And if we’re going to evacuate, I’m going to make sure TsuYa is with us… no matter what that takes.

-Hold tight,- Zazo warned him suddenly. -We’re going to break through my barrier.-

“Your wha–?”

Before he could ponder the meaning of the Arweinydd’s words, the She-Wolf gathered herself up in a powerful leap. Light and shimmers burst around them as they met with what appeared to be a web of silvery-blue light strung across the hall, something he could identify as a shield of sorts.

SoYa shivered as the energy passed around him. The moment they broke through the barrier, the world suddenly changed. Death and decay slammed his senses, almost knocking him from the She-Wolf’s back. He could feel it everywhere — the Marked and their haunted aura, the violence and bloodshed, the faint echoing screams still lingering of those who had been cut down in a desperate flight.

If Zazo was affected, she didn’t show it. Her long, ground-eating strides were unbroken as she continued forward. And though her rider wavered, she instinctually moved to balance him, keeping SoYa from losing his grip.

-Can you keep your head?-

The sound of her voice between his ears shook him from his stupor.

“I…” SoYa stammered, choking on the thick death in the air. “I can.”

-Good. Then act like it,- she snuffed, rounding a corner. -I will take care of the Marked. You must find TsuYa… He has not recognized me, but he might recognize you.-

“Why… do you say that?” SoYa grit his teeth.

-Because he’s had the chance to kill you once already and has not,- Zazo informed him gravely. -You might be able to bring him to his senses long enough for us to capture him. Unless Zeromus has strengthened his grip on TsuYa’s mind.-

The Athrylith swallowed, “How am I supposed to fight him… what if he attacks me?”

-Is it worth the risk to try to save him?-

“Of course it is!”

-Then just don’t think about it!- Zazo spun in a sudden turn, sending SoYa stumbling from her back. -I will make the diversion. He will come.-

Before he could argue, the Arweinydd leapt at full speed down the far hall, lifting her head back in a wild challenging howl. It was answered by the feral screeches of Marked somewhere deep in the heart of the mountain passages. SoYa jumped at the sound, gripping his staff tightly between both of his hands. With the She-Wolf gone, the only light within the hall was the dim pulse of the stone on his staff.

This is not exactly what I had in mind!

It was only moments before the low rumbling growl rumbled against the glassy stone walls. SoYa turned around quickly, holding his staff higher, trying to get a better look at what was approaching.

“Tsu?” his voice quavered.

The staff’s light reflected off the dead black eyes of the prowling Marked — none of them were Tsu.

“Oh no! ZAZO!” his shout was cut short as the creatures sprang for him.

It was impossible to tell how many there were — the darkness folded and reeled and lashed out at him from every side. SoYa screamed as he felt the rake of claws and the piercing pain of the screeches slam through his mind. He swung his staff with all of his strength, only to find the weapon torn out of his hand as he was slammed against the wall.

The swell of shadows leapt on him. In desperation, he lifted his hands and lashed out with raw power alone. Driving his full will forward, he felt them lifted and flung back. He heard the sound of cracking bone and bursting flesh as they crunched against the far wall. The screes and struggle of the dying dead.

Then silence.

Breathing heavily, SoYa opened his eyes. His staff lay not too far away, covered in grit and grime. The walls and floor were painted black, misshapen mounds that had once been Marked slumped on the other side of the hall.

The Athrylith choked, grabbed his staff and started to back away. He felt the bile rising in his throat, stomach churning from the sight and stench.

I’ve got to find Zazo!

Just as SoYa turned to make his way back down the hall, a voice rang through his mind, jerking him to a stop.

-Why do you run, SoYa? The thing that you are looking for is right here.-

With a blink, the Athrylith stopped, peering around for the source of the sound. The shadows began to part, almost reluctant as a huge dark figure shambled forward.

“TsuYa…?”

It was just like the terrible vision he had, once long ago. A creature that was his brother… but not… twisted by chaos and hatred into a mangled shape of rage and terror. Huge black wings spread, tipped with shadow and dripping darkness. Grey, mottled skin bore open wounds that wept black blood from battle and the many wicked spikes that had erupted from within his body. Dead black eyes focused on him as his lips curled back in a fanged hiss.

For the first time, SoYa found himself doubting the possibility of his brother’s restoration.

-Yes… you are powerful… aren’t you, SoYa?-

As the voice rose again in his mind, SoYa realized it was not coming from the Marked Champion, but rather an awareness that hung in the shadows. It was a pressure in his mind that he had felt once long ago. A feeling that he had denied.

-You would have made the better choice of Champions. Could you imagine a Marked who bore the power of an Athrylith such as yourself?-

“No…” SoYa whispered, gripping his staff more tightly.

-No… of course not. Maybe it was because you were Athrylith that it didn’t happen. You denied me. And so your brother will take your place.-

“Zeromus…”

-He suffers like this because of you, SoYa. Because you denied me… and he could not.-

The shadowed form of his brother groaned as the skin around one of the spikes cracked even more, freely oozing thick and black. Something had kept Tsu from decaying and falling apart like the other Marked… but his body was still bearing the brunt of the chaotic power.

“You tricked him!” SoYa’s hands began to shake.

-Did I? Or was the power something he wanted? Was his desire for your position enough to push him to reach for what I offered him? Perhaps he wanted you out of the way so that he could take the robes of Nefol for his own.-

“I’ll never believe that,” the Athrylith grounded his teeth together.

-Really? Well, I’ll let him tell you that for himself.-

There was a long moment of silence. The only motion was the tendrils of darkness that spun in silent patterns in the air between the two brothers. When the voice came again, the command was absolute.

-Kill him.-

The Marked Champion rose up to his full, tremendous height, brandishing the familiar black bladed scythe between both hands. The animalistic screech was deafening, leaving SoYa’s entire body weak with piercing pain. Before he could get his bearing, the creature lunged, moving faster than his eyes could follow, the weight bearing down upon the Athrylith’s chest, pinning him to the floor.

“TSU! TSU STOP!” SoYa cried out. The only thing holding off the point of the scythe was the length of his staff. His arms trembled as he felt the force of a strength that far outmatched his own bearing down upon him. “IT’S ME! IT’S YOUR BROTHER! PLEASE!”

There was nothing there. No recognition in the black glassy eyes. No thought or free will. Nothing but the savage and feral drive to follow the command of the Chaotic Arweinydd.

SoYa screamed as the huge claws slashed, raking across his chest, leaving boiling red streaks across his flesh. The wounds began to spread outward, ripping across his body unnaturally. Crimson blood fountained across the floor as he felt the air crushed out of his lungs. His voice was choked to a gurgling cry as his arms collapsed.

Faintly he heard the sound of metal hitting the floor as the staff dropped from his hands.

The world was growing dark.

Coldness gripped his body.

He could hear the struggling thrum of his heart within his ears. A pressure within his mind began to pulse in time with the sound.

Suddenly, a sharp awareness gripped him. Then, began to expand.

Tingling spread through his body. He could feel it rush through him — a strength and light and sense of knowing.

The pain retreated. The darkness reeled away. His shoulders ached and burned as the pounding in his mind became almost unbearable.

With a howling cry, SoYa threw his hands forward. He felt the weight lifted from his chest. The sticky wetness along his body vanished as the pain dimmed. A brilliant light filled his vision.

When the light faded, he found himself standing in the hall once more. His staff was gripped between both hands as if he had never dropped it. TsuYa was splayed against the wall, hissing and snarling, fighting to rearm himself with the scythe that had been knocked from his grip.

-You’ve Awakened? I see… Very good, SoYa. This will be interesting, indeed.-

Breathing heavily, SoYa peered down at himself. His vest and shirt were still in tatters from where the Marked claws had torn at him. But the wounds were nothing but scarred lines across his body.

What… how…?

That’s when he noticed the new strange sensation and shimmering light that gathered and pulsed around him. With a choked sound, SoYa dared to peer behind him. The Awakened wings were there, arched from his shoulders — just as he had seen on so many others before. Everyone but himself.

I’m–

The Marked screech pulled his mind back from wonderment. TsuYa swung the scythe back, already in mid-lunge. A pang of fear leapt through SoYa’s body as he threw up his staff in defense.

Much to his surprise, he caught the strike of the scythe. And his defense held. With wide eyes, he realized that what would have driven him to his knees before… he suddenly found the strength to deflect.

SoYa’s green gaze turned, focusing on the Marked Champion. Snarling in frustration, TsuYa lashed out again.

Again, the Athrylith saw the motion of the strike and met the blade with his staff.

I can… do this?

Furious, the Marked broke the air with a mind-rending screech. There was still pain… but it was pain that SoYa could bear. Shoving the sensation to the corner of his mind, it was his turn to strike.

“TSUYA!”

The stone crowning his staff burst in full flame, a blinding white light that blasted away the shadows in the hall. The screech turned into a sound of pain and surprise as SoYa swung forward, slamming the staff and full mind’s will straight into his brother’s dark form.

“THIS WILL STOP!”

The Marked Champion reeled back with the smell of singed flesh and hair. Then he crumpled to the ground and collapsed, twitching on the floor. With a howl of frustration, the presence of Zeromus that had hung tauntingly within the shadows was also driven back, fragmented by the light.

Breathing heavily, SoYa stared down at the dark shape sprawled across the stone. His hands were shaking, a new fear rising in his chest, worry that he had caused more damage than he had intended. “TsuYa!? Are you alright!”

Before he could reach forward to check, the sound of Zazo’s frantic voice reverberated in his mind.

-TSU! Tsu, I’m here!-

The She-Wolf leapt into the hall, nosing down at the Marked Champion in what could only be a motion of concern. Then her green eyes narrowed on SoYa in disgust.

-What happened to YOU? And what did you do to him?!-

“I…” SoYa stammered.

But she didn’t allow him to explain. Zazo was already gathering TsuYa on her back.

-We’ve got to hurry. The Sygnus draws close.-

“Uh…” he tried again.

-Or do you want to wait here for him to come?-

“No…” he shook his head.

-Then hurry up!- Zazo commanded. She promptly turned her tail and began padding towards the Cynosure chamber, the unmoving form of TsuYa draped over her back.

A strangled sound fought to escape Zemi’s lips. His eyes were glassy, staring up into the nothingness of the chamber above.

“That is very peculiar,” Kudako muttered as he strode back into the Cynosure chamber. “Another group of men have arrived here, claiming they were ordered to the evacuation point. Did you give this command, Lord Zemi?”

Zemi didn’t answer. He simply stood, motionless, staring into the reflecting light of the great rifting stone.

“Lord Zemi?” Aur’s quiet voice rose, hinting concern. The Watcher reached out with one hand, lightly touching the Arweinydd on the shoulder.

Zemi Dreigiau simply collapsed. Crumpling to his knees, he dropped to the floor, leaving a chorus of startled exclamations ringing through the room.

SoYa was on his feet, rushing to the Arweinydd’s side. Kudako was there. And Aur and AsaHi. Zeni chirruped in worry, fluttering overhead.

A flood of overwhelming anguish and pain nearly knocked SoYa back as his fingertips touched the hem of the Dreigaiu’s robe. It felt like something was tearing Zemi apart from inside out — the agony that the Athrylith sensed was almost unbearable.

Speckled lights began to break off from his form, particles of energy that SoYa had seen once before. Once when the Dreigiau had been wounded and weakened at the fall of Ceiswyr. Something had struck at the Arweinydd… and had crippled him from within.

“Zemi! What’s wrong? Talk to me!” AsaHi had thrown her arms around his neck, petting and hugging him, trying to make sense of the pain that she, too, could feel.

A strangled sound fought to escape Zemi’s lips. His eyes were glassy, staring up into the nothingness of the chamber above. Then, to SoYa’s astonishment, tears began to fall.

The Dreigiau was crying, tears of Earthian grief.

“Zemi..!” AsaHi hugged him all the more, both frightened and moved to pity. “Please… please talk to us. Tell us what’s wrong!”

The Dreigiau’s gritty voice was nothing but a whisper, “I couldn’t save him.”

“Save who?” she coaxed.

“Zen…to…” he could hardly choke the name.

A sudden sinking sensation filled the pit of SoYa’s stomach. “Father!?”

“What happened?” even Kudako’s tone had grown urgent.

Zemi turned his head away, unable to look at them as he spoke the terrible words, “Zento is dead.”

A stunned silence filled the chamber. No one moved. No one breathed. Not even the smallest child in the group of refugees that stood watching made a sound. The impossibility of it all – ZenToYa was dead.

How can this be?

SoYa had lived through the sting of these exact words many years ago, back in Nefol, when he was so much younger. The Council had come to them, uttering the same dark words. ZenToYa had fallen in battle. His body had not been found. But he was proclaimed to be dead.

Aunt SaRa had gathered SoYa and TsuYa in her arms and just hugged them. She hugged them for a very long time… until TsuYa finally broke away from her hold and ran to his room. That door had remained shut for many days before TsuYa allowed anyone within… and the boy that emerged from that room was not the same as the one that had gone inside.

It was different now. The same sort of biting pain. The same sense of terrible loss. But there was no Aunt SaRa to hug him and kiss away the tears. There was no young TsuYa to try to comfort… for in comforting others, SoYa could find comfort for himself.

There was nothing this time but the sense of loneliness. The striking knowledge that everyone in his family was gone. And the only one left now was SoYa. Alone.

The Athrylith stumbled away from the group that ringed around the Dreigiau. He was the first to move, but he couldn’t let them see his grief. He couldn’t let them see the flood of burning tears that he couldn’t stop. Father would have wanted him to stay strong in the face of others. Father never showed his tears to anyone… especially not in the face of the battle that was still on their doorstep.

Stop crying, SoYa!

He turned and slammed his fist into the wall. But the tears wouldn’t stop coming.

You’re a weakling! Stop crying!

He slammed his fist against the wall again. This time a strong hand caught it, slowly turning him around.

SoYa’s watery eyes turned up to see the stern-lined face of Kudako. Unmoving, like a rock… yet deep behind the golden eyes, silent wells of loss and pain stood unwept. His voice was low and quiet with the strength of the earth itself.

“ZenToYa was my friend and my student,” Kudako told him. Words that were so obvious, yet bore much more meaning behind them. “And SaRa…”

The warrior could not continue. He simply looked away.

Sudden realization came to SoYa. There had been something between Kudako and Aunt SaRa that had never been spoken. And now it was too late. It never would be.

“You loved her…”

“I loved them both,” the Dragon answered.

“Kudako…” SoYa choked back the sobs. “What do I do?”

One firm hand gripped the Athrylith’s shoulder. “Gather your father’s strength… it lives within you. You must step up and do as he would have done. These people depend on it.”

SoYa turned to look back into the chamber. The people of Ceiswyr had gathered around Zemi’s slumped and broken form – women, children and soldiers alike. Very faintly, he could hear the sound of a soft, mournful song. The people were singing, a tribute and song of passing for their leader. A song of comfort for their now Champion-less Patron.

He knew that these people had loved Father. They felt the same sorrow of loss. They could understand the pain.

Maybe… I’m not alone afterall…

“They are your people now,” Kudako told him.

They slowly turned to look at him, so many pale green eyes, reflecting an echo of his sadness. Their song seemed to reach out to him… include him… coax him forward. SoYa found his feet moving, approaching. One by one, the winged people bowed their heads with respect, stepping back and making room for him to walk.

“Master SoYa,” one of the men murmured as he passed.

The Athrylith almost stopped in surprise.

Until he heard another say, “Master SoYa…”

Something inside wanted to shrink from the title. To tell them that he was no Master… he was just as scared and lost as they were. But their eyes reflected his image with a sense of trust and subdued hope.

They were looking to him for leadership. He couldn’t let them down.

SoYa found himself standing before the slumped form of the Dreigiau. AsaHi peered up at him, face strained and worried. With gentle hands, the Athrylith reached down, offering a comforting touch.

“Zemi…” he fought the waver in his voice.

The Arweinydd’s haggard face lifted, a distant and haunted sheen to his teal eyes.

“I know… I’m not my father,” SoYa told him quietly. “But let me help you.”

“SoYa…” Zemi managed to force the sound between his lips. “He loved you so much. He would have wanted you to know that.”

The Athrylith swallowed the rising lump in his throat. “I know. I know… and thank you.”

“He wanted us to evacuate to the Vision Stone…” the Arweinydd’s face grew pained. “I didn’t listen to him. If I had… he might still be…”

“Zemi,” SoYa gripped his shoulder again. “I think it’s a good idea that we evacuate now.”

The Dreigiau peered slowly up. Then gave a slow nod.

“Do you think you can activate the rift?”

“I will try. But I don’t know if we have much time,” Zemi answered.

“It’s not over yet, Zemi. As long as we’re still alive, we have time,” SoYa told him.

“That’s… something that your father would have said,” the Dreigiau gave a long sniffle, then pulled himself to his feet with the help of Aur and AsaHi.

The Athrylith could only wonder for a moment before a loud, commanding bark rang from the outside hallway. He could see the shimmering white form of the giant She-Wolf galloping towards them.

-Zemi! Your Dragons are completely useless as doorstops!-

“Zazo,” AsaHi winced a bit, obviously concerned for the She-Wolf’s lack of tact and sympathy.

Undaunted, Zazo shoved her nose straight into Zemi’s face.

-Your pet Sygnus has gone haywire! He’s breaking through every line of defense we have… even killing the Marked! Aren’t the Marked supposed to be on his side?-

“I… think so…” Zemi gave her the most pitiful look he could muster.

She didn’t seem to notice.

-I’ve put some shielding on the far hall, but I don’t know how long it is going to hold. If you’re planning on getting us out of here, you better get to it. And you really need to put a better leash on your pets, Zem.-

From somewhere down the passages, SoYa could hear the dim sound of Marked screeches growing closer. He felt his throat tighten as a new, terrible string of thoughts began to churn through his mind.

“Did you say the Sygnus was killing the Marked, too?” SoYa asked.

-He didn’t seem to care where he was swinging that sword.-

“Then that means…” the Athrylith broke off in mid sentence.

The She-Wolf paused, staring at him as if picking up on his thought. In a moment of unusual clarity and connection, they both uttered the same name.

“TsuYa…”

Suddenly, before SoYa knew what was happening, the giant wolf had slid under him, lifting him up on her back. With a scramble, he fought to balance himself and grip her shoulders – years of Rhawn riding gave him instinct, but no experience in riding a giant She-Wolf Arweinydd.

“SoYa! What are you doing?” AsaHi called after him.

“Get the people evacuated to the Vision Stone!” SoYa called back over his shoulder. “We’ve got to try and find TsuYa!”

“But..!”

-If that Sygnus kills him, then we’ll never have the chance to bring him back!- Zazo barked. And with a wild lunge, she leapt down the twisting halls, carrying SoYa into the heart of chaos.

Zento! You’re bleeding! You’re hurt!

-Zento…-

The voice echoed within his mind. Everything was fuzzy. Growing darker. So hard to breathe. So hard to see. So hard to try to respond.

-ZenToYa?-

He knew the sound of the voice. It was the same voice that came to him so long ago. The voice that led him to safety from the snow that claimed the rest of his family. The voice that had taken him in, given him warmth and food and shelter. That had raised him as a child, taught him as he grew, and created a Champion from a wild-spirited orphan.

Zemi…

There was the sense of shrinking worry and terrified wonder. Disbelief.

-Zento! You’re bleeding! You’re hurt!-

You are ever… the master of the obvious, Zem…

He attempted a mental chuckle. It was so difficult. So difficult to form thoughts, now.

-I’ll come! Please, just stay with me! I’ll fix everything!-

A soft, warm light began to spread, glowing between the faltering cracks of his eyelids. Though his vision was failing, Zento could feel the comforting presence of the Arweinydd. His Guide. His Patron.

Zemi… there are some things in life we cannot fix.

-I can fix this! I’ve done it before. All you have to do is agree to be…-

A struggling revulsion rose up in Zento’s chest. The tightness ached and caused him to wheeze.

Zemi, no! What have I told you before? I don’t want this.

-But, Zento! I can’t sit here and watch you die! I can bring you back… you can be a Dragon. I’ll give you a person form. Would that really be so bad? You could be with…- a pause, then -…your family.-

If he could shake his head, he would. They had discussed it over and over and over again. And every time, Zento’s answer was the same. He would not escape his death by becoming one of Zemi’s Dragons. That’s just not what he wanted to happen.

I made my choice already. I stick by that…

-What about SoYa and AsaHi?-

It was so difficult. The Dreigiau’s voice was choked with grief and frustration, the closest thing to a plead that Zento had ever heard. But no matter how hard it was, Zento knew he had to stand his ground.

I know that things are strained between you and SoYa… I know how you feel about AsaHi. But please… please, take care of my boy. He’s all that is left. And things will become much more difficult for him, too.

-I… I will. I promise you, Zento.-

Waves of light-headedness were making it harder for him to focus. His thoughts were blurring into the gentle light.

Protect… the people. Evacuate. You must… get them away from… LuShi. He’s… not going to stop… until he destroys everyone.

There was a long pause before the answer came, -I’m so sorry, Zento. I should have listened to you. I wanted so much to give Lucci a chance… but I never imagined… things would turn out this terrible. I could never imagine that he would do… something… like this…-

It’s… not your fault…

-It is my fault. You warned me but I wanted to believe…-

You wanted to believe the best in people, Zento interrupted quickly. And I hope you always do. It was your dreams… your hopes… your imagination that gave us Nefol to begin with. It still exists, in your heart, Zemi. Don’t let… Zeromus take that away.

-Zento…-

The light was reeling around him, filling his senses until it became all that he knew.

-Zento, stay with me! We can get a healer in here… just… just don’t die!-

No healer…

-Zento, please!-

No matter… what happens… you must… protect our people.

The warmth cradled him, offering comfort while seeking comfort in return. A last choked breath caught in Zento’s throat. Thoughts and sound became garbled, then insignificant, as the last sensations of pain and fear washed away from his broken body. The pulse of the living world shifted around him, the light growing brighter and brighter until there was peace… and nothing else.

Take every man and Dragon that you find to the Cynosure chamber for a full evacuation!

“Fall back! Fall ba–” the winged soldier’s words were sliced off in mid-sentence in a bubbling froth of blood and devouring silver mists.

Zento watched with wide horrified eyes as the man crumpled, then collapsed in a spray of red. Screaming and writhing, the mists surrounded him, ripping at the very fabric of his life energies and tearing the unwilling spirit from the once-living flesh. With a last jerky convulsion, they body lay still and slowly began to sink down, spreading into an oily dark patch of decay across the stone floor.

Within moments, there was nothing left.

Before Zento could gather his wits to shout a warning, the mists spread, a billowing cloud of death sweeping down over the rest of his men. The chamber was filled with the sound of unearthly shrieks of the dying, mingled with the screech of the Marked. The winged man staggered back, holding his head as the sound traced piercing pain between his ears.

Dragon flame lit the room as the majestic creatures swung about, releasing blasts of fire over the surging shadows. The heat cut through the mists, which only seethed and boiled back, spreading through the room.

“We must retreat!” Zento cried, finding his voice and making a dash for the flaming Dragons.

“We’re holding the lines, Master Zento!” one of the Dragons responded.

“There’s something else here! Something more than the Marked!” the winged man shouted, grabbing on to the great beast’s foreleg.

“Lord Zemi ordered us to remain!”

“Lord Zemi wouldn’t want you to follow his orders to death!” Zento shouted back.

But it was no use – the Dragons would not budge. They continued to blast at the swelling ranks of the Marked that now flooded the floor with dark ooze and decay. A pang caught in Zento’s throat as he took one look behind him, then rushed on ahead, searching for anyone who would heed his warning.

We have to evacuate!

Before he rounded the corner, he could hear the terrible bellowing and thrashing of the Dragons from behind.

Those mists… This place is a death trap!

Rushing into the far corridor, Zento was greeted by the Captain of the internal troops, “Master? Have the Marked broken through? Are we to engage?”

The Champion reached out and grabbed the soldier with a wild look in his eyes, “Orders have changed. We’re to make a full out retreat to the west wing. Take every man and Dragon that you find to the Cynosure chamber for a full evacuation!”

“Master!?” the captain’s face was grey and shaken. “I don’t understa–”

“Just do it!” Zento commanded, releasing the shaken soldier and drawing his weapon. He turned to face the dark corridors behind him, bracing himself for whatever evil would try to follow. Already, the silvery lines of mist were creeping at the edge of the cavern doorway.

The men gave a dubious look between themselves, questioning their leader’s unusual behavior. But not a one dared to challenge ZenToYa once his blade was in his hand.

“You heard the orders! Fall back!” the Captain echoed the command, lifting his own weapon. But time was working against them.

The Marked had moved fast with no Dragons to defend the passages and keep them at bay. The shadowy forms sprang in through the doorway, carrying the overpowering feel of dread and smell of decay. Claws and fangs and screeches filled Zento’s senses. Somewhere distantly as his blade began to whistle and slice, he could hear himself shouting for the men to keep moving, to press on to the evacuation.

The young winged Captain sprang up beside him, sword gleaming in one hand.

“What are you doing?!” Zento demanded.

“I’m not leaving you here to fight this alone, Master!” he shouted.

“Follow my orders, soldier!” the winged warrior was already feeling winded, as he spun and slashed one hand over another to drive the Marked back. Just long enough to let the others get away.

The Captain’s brows lowered, “I’m sorry, sir, I can’t do tha–”

He reeled with a choke, back arched in a painful snapping motion as Zento watched a long, slick black blade burst up through the man’s chest. With a flip of the sword, the man was flung with terrible strength and splattered against the far wall. The moment the broken body hit the ground, the silver mists rushed over it, devouring, ripping, leaving nothing behind.

Zento stumbled back against the wall, the chains of his Bhinod rattling as his hands shook. Two cold silver eyes slitted, peering at him from within the heart of the seething mists, tearing into his mind, the pressure paralyzing even his strength of will.

I can’t… move…!

The Marked sprang for him, sensing an easy target, their screeches pound and tearing pain through his mind. Zento struggled to pull up a defense, to force his arms to move, to raise his weapon… but nothing responded to his command, even as the shadows loomed over him.

The long black blade lashed again, this time shattering the leaping Marked into a spray of dust and decay. Black streaks splattered the walls as their dying screeches choked into a gurgling hiss.

What!?

A scene of madness unfolded before him. Both winged soldiers and Marked alike were ripped to pieces before Zento’s eyes. The mists claimed it all, destroying without prejudice. And in the middle of the massacre was a form twisted, yet too familiar.

LuShi..!?

Long silver hair hung ragged and wild, streaming down his back, into his face and haunted silver eyes. Blood, both red and black was splattered over his face, hands and body as the long black blade shown coldly in its unending thirst for death. His expression was contorted, caught between pleasure and disgust, his motions fluid and flawless as he tore through man after Marked without a hint of emotion. Huge, ghostly silver wings spread, half arched from his shoulders, giving him the appearance of being so much larger as the boy that Zento had once known.

There’s nothing left to him…

Nothing but the fevered and delusional light in his eyes as LuShi seemed to draw more and more power from the death that surrounded him. He had truly become the Bane… the weapon of terrible destruction, crafted through Zeromus’ Hatred.

SaRa died because of you, you monster! You took her from us! I won’t let this killing continue!

With the Dark Sygnus’ attention pulled from him, Zento found himself able to move again. Teeth gritted, the Champion lifted his weapon, a challenging shout ringing from his throat, “LUSHI! FACE ME!”

The black blade lowered as the Bane stopped to turn. The cold silver eyes focused on him, tracing Zento’s face as if searching for recognition. But like the Marked, there seemed so little there that had once been before. It was much to Zento’s surprise when the Dark Sygnus began to speak.

“Master ZenToYa…” the name was uttered as if a sudden revelation.

“I can’t let you do this, LuShi,” the Champion leveled his blade, posing in a strong, defensive stance.

“Do you really think you can stop me?” LuShi asked, so casually. So offhand. As if nothing at all was wrong in the world.

The first blow took Zento off-guard. Like a snake striking, the black blade blurred forward, slamming him back against the wall with a terrible, bone rending strength. He could feel something snap as he struck, a sharp pain piercing his side and ripping away his breath. Zento fought to keep his feet as his knees buckled… he could see the mists slowly surround him, lapping at his feet.

The Dark Sygnus took a slow step forward, voice low and dangerous, “How does it feel to have been right about me, Master ZenToYa?”

The blade crashed down on him again. This time, the Champion scrambled to throw his own weapon up, sparks flying from the chain of his Bhinod as metal struck metal. Sweat sprung out on his brow, his muscles aching with the tremendous effort it took to fend off the glittering edge of the Dark Sygnus’ sword.

“All I ever wanted was to earn… your… approval!” LuShi hissed, bringing the sword down on him again and again to accent the last three words. The final strike snapped the chain of the Bhinod, like a knife cutting through twine. “I never could… but maybe now, I’ve exceeded your expectations for me. Yes?”

Zento flattened his back against the stone, breathing heavy as the pieces of his weapon shivered in both of his hands. His green eyes narrowed, fighting the fear that threatened to drive him to his knees. Facing the Dark Sygnus alone and with the last of his honor.

“Could it have been different? Could this have been prevented?” LuShi asked with a somber tilt of his head. “Can even you can answer that?”

Then LuShi lifted his sword and drove it straight into the Champion’s chest.

Not a flicker of remorse. The pale boyish face stared down as the winged man choked, struggling for breath and staring at the blade in disbelief. Then with a flick of his wrist, the Dark Sygnus withdrew the sword, seeming to marvel at the sight of Zento’s blood on its tip.

A coldness crept over Zento’s body, numbing, washing away the pulses of pain. His face was heated by the sensation of tears. The pang of hopelessness… knowing that this time, he would be leaving his sons behind him for good. The frustration of loss… of not having the power to avenge the death of his sister. Of not being able to stop the Bane and protect the people of Nefol, the nation that he built and nourished from the ground up.

My family… my people… Zemi… I wasn’t strong enough…

The haunted silver eyes simply watched from above. Eyes that could see the world of living and dead. A creature who commanded the power to enslave the spirits and force them to do his deeds of death, violence and destruction.

“You will… take me…” Zento gasped hoarsely, wincing at the pain of trying to speak. “Just like… you took… SaRa…”

The Dark Sygnus did not make a move. The mists hovered over the floor, but did not reach to devour him, even as the pool of blood began to spread and coldness took the feeling from Zento’s body.

Finally, LuShi spoke, “I didn’t take Aunt Sara.”

“I don’t… believe you…”

“I know you don’t,” the Sygnus nodded his head slowly. “But, I didn’t take her. And I will not take you.”

The mists drew away, receding from the room as the Dark Sygnus leaned down over the Champion’s crumpled form. Carefully, somberly, LuShi placed the grips of the Bhinod in each of Zento’s numbed hands, arranging them in a way proper to honor a fallen warrior.

When he stood again, the silver eyes met green. LuShi’s voice was thick and struggling for sound. Again, he asked, “Could it have been different?”

Then, without another word, the Dark Sygnus lifted his blade and stepped over the fallen Champion’s body, heading deeper into the cave. In the direction that the escaping soldiers had fled, resuming his hunt.

“LuShi…!” Zento choked, face contorting. But his voice was too weak to carry. And soon he found himself alone in the growing darkness, the only sound his struggling, gasping breath.