“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 pair of luminous white wings now spread from his shoulders, stretching in a protective arch over NaDo's head.

Date: 31 Passes Ago

Okay… so things aren’t exactly going as planned.

ZenToYa ran, dodging through the long streaming vines and deep forest vegetation. Running away wasn’t usually his favorite call to action. But at the moment, any other choice was as good as suicide.

I forgot how good the Spiral warriors were.

Somewhere, not too far behind, the sound of fleet footfalls followed. Every now and then, a flash of gold gave away the position of one of the perusing warriors. And though Zento was ahead of them, it was obvious that their knowledge of the land was giving them an edge.

‘Dako! Blast it… where are you when I need you?

There was no one to blame but himself for overextending into unknown territory. The warriors of the Spiral were sharp and observant. There was little doubt that they had known of the incoming group from the other side of the Cleft far sooner than Zento would have liked.

KoGuRai… I hope you’ve mobilized. There is no way we can hold our ground against these numbers.

Zento’s mind raced back to the small group of men that he knew lay somewhere on the other side of the thick bramble. All were Nefolians who had joined him on this mission. A mission to find and bring back someone that had been lost to them — Zento’s good friend and brother in arms, JinRai.

It had been a little over a year ago when Zemi had sent Jin out on a similar expedition into the depths of the Spiral… only, Jin had not returned. The loss of a good friend had been tough on Zento. But had been even tougher on Jin’s son, KoGuRai. It was because of the boy’s pain and bitterness that Zento had allowed KoGuRai to join them on this mission with the goal of completing a full investigation of JinRai’s whereabouts.

Everything is always easier said than done, isn’t it?

Zento quickly banked to one side as the tree next to him took the brunt of numerous arrow shafts. As he dodged, a shadow dropped down on top of him, driving Zento to his knees.

One glance upwards gave him a good look at his assailant – a large built man of long golden hair and fierce slate-blue eyes. Eyes that were dead of emotion. Red spiral patterns were scrawled in war paint across his face. His clothes were threadbare and his weapon dented with much use. The metal glittered coldly in the dappled sunlight that filtered through the trees above.

“Sorry. No time for this!” Rocking forward, Zento planted his feet hard into the hollow of his attacker’s stomach, knocking him back. With the momentum, the white haired man sprang to his feet, gathering up his own weapon to meet the Spiral warrior’s swing.

I have to get back to the camp!

Zento gave a curse under his breath as he shoved his assailant back in yet another attempt to break away. The Spiral warrior lunged. Zento hissed sharply as he felt the sting of the blade slash through the back of his sword arm. But he didn’t stop running.

Not a good time to lose us of an arm!

He could feel the shadow of his attacker looming closer behind him. Catching up. The glint of the blade flashed out of the corner of his eye. Zento braced himself for the strike.

But it didn’t come.

Instead, he heard the sound of a heavy thud of a body hitting the ground. From somewhere above came a familiar quipping laugh. A laugh lined with uncertainty and strain. But one that Zento was more than glad to hear.

The white haired man stopped, panting for breath as he peered behind him at the sprawled and unconscious shape of his once attacker. A heavy rock laid not too far, the obvious tool of his defeat.

Then Zento peered up into the tree, “NaDo. What are you doing here?”

“Saving your posterior. What does it look like?” the scientist gave a wary smile down from the crook of the tree.

“It looks like you’re hiding, to be honest,” Zento answered, squinting back into the forest for a moment. Gauging how much time they had left.

“Hiding?” the quipping laugh came again as the man began to make his way down the tree, hand over hand. “Would the great and fearless NaDo of Nefol do something like that?”

Zento’s face soured. “Yes. Because he’s smarter than us sword-wavers that walk straight into the thick of battle.”

Hopping down the last foot to the ground, NaDo also gave a serious frown back at the shuffling of the forest. “Are there a lot of them?”

“Too many. We need to fall back,” the warrior replied. Then he asked, “Where is KoGuRai?”

“Gone,” the scientist answered with a frown.

“Then he’s already taken them back towards the Cleft? Good,” Zento gave a sigh of relief.

“No.”

“No?” the warrior answered. “Then where did he go?”

“Insane is probably the best word that comes to mind,” NaDo scowled even deeper.

Zento just cursed and renewed his rush back towards the camp. “What happened?”

The scientist scrambled to keep up with the other man’s longer strides. “He just flew into some sort of vengeance blood rage or something – claiming it was the Spiral people that killed his father. Nothing I could say would stay his hand. He rallied the rest of them straight into the enemy. I’ve never seen the likes of it in KoGuRai before!”

I had my suspicions.

The warrior gave a frown of his own. And yet again he found himself making excuses for the son of JinRai. “Losing someone close to you does funny things.”

“I didn’t find this especially funny, Zento,” NaDo intoned.

“I know what you mean.”

“I told you it was a bad idea to let KoGuRai come,” the scientist huffed, trying to keep the pace.

“The boy has a right to find out what happened to his father,” Zento answered shortly.

“Is it that…?” NaDo’s eyes slid over with a sly glance, “Or are you just tired of being blamed for the disappearance of Jin?”

“Maybe both,” the warrior made a final leap through the brush into the clearing where their camp had been only hours ago. The place looked as if it had been hit by a storm. Supplies, blankets, pots and pans were strewn everywhere. Not far in the distance, Zento could hear the sounds of battle.

KoGuRai… what are you doing? You’re going to lead them to their deaths!

NaDo must have read the look of horror on his friend’s face. One hand fell lightly on Zento’s shoulder, his voice concerned yet comforting, “Come on. Your men need you. We can turn this around Zento.”

Zento shook his head out slowly, “Maybe… with a miracle.”

“We’ve seen worse,” NaDo quipped, trudging towards the sound of battle.

“That’s debatable,” Zento followed, cautiously scouting ahead. “We’re going to get pressed by two groups before this is through. If things fall through, I want you to go and find Kudako and get yourself to the Cleft.”

“You’re talking crazy!” came the protest.

“Someone has to return to Nefol!” the warrior protested back.

“I came out here to find what happened to one friend… not to lose another!” NaDo answered sharply, fighting to lift his voice above the battle din that now filled the glade.

With no more time to speak, Zento drove forward, pulling his blade free with one hand. He could see flashes of white through the thick forest growth, indications of his men struggling in a battle that would be hard pressed to win. Despite all the training he knew they had, nothing could have prepared them for facing the soulless Spiral warriors.

Zemi… if you can hear me… your Champion needs a little back up here.

In the middle of the battle he could make out the furious form of KoGuRai. His maimed face was twisted in a fierce battle rage as he spun and slashed relentlessly. KoGuRai’s eyes held an intensity that Zento had seen before — in Jin’s eyes, during dangerous moments of unwavering determination.

“KoGuRai!!! We need to fall back!” Zento lifted his voice, trying to rise above the shouts of rage and dismay. Instead, he found himself the target of nearby Spiral warriors who had heard his call.

The slice on the back of his arm burned. His breath came in pained gasps as he lashed out, fending off the attacks that came from every side. The smell of blood and sweat filled his senses as he jostled against bodies of friend and foe in close-quarter battle. On every side he could hear the shouts and screams of his men — voices that were momentarily familiar before pain or death overtook them.

Is this it? Is this where it all ends?

Zento struggled to find his voice. To call the orders for retreat. To get his men to safety. But even if he had given the call, he knew they would be hard pressed to hear his command with the doom of battle pounding from all sides.

No… no, I refuse to go down here!

There was no other choice. It was either hold on to his secret and watch his people die… or face the consequences.

I have to…

He began to concentrate, drawing on strength from within. Tapping into the flow of the power he had kept locked away for so long. The power that was shunned and feared by those who could not understand the truth behind it — mind magery.

-WE CANNOT FIGHT THIS! WE MUST FALL BACK TO THE CLEFT!-

Zento’s command released over the glade, resounding within their minds. Even KoGuRai stopped in mid-swing, both hands still gripping the haft of his weapon. Zento didn’t have time to study their reactions – his full concentration was on dulling the wits of their attackers… just long enough to give them a moment to escape.

-GO! NOW!-

The Nefolians needed no more encouragement. With the command still ringing sharply, they fled into the forest. Sweat dripped from Zento’s brow as he stumbled behind, losing his speed to concentration. There were so many enemies to subdue. Though his will was strong, the Spiral warriors struggled viciously against his hold, quickly exhausting him.

Then a warm grip took Zento’s good shoulder, helping to carry him forward. Glancing to the side, the white haired warrior could see light reflecting from NaDo’s looking glasses as the scientist struggle to rush them out of the fray.

“ZenToYa… what did you just do?” his voice was quiet and shaken. No doubt, NaDo knew what he had just witnessed. But the expression on his face said that he didn’t want to believe it.

No one wanted to accuse their friend of being a mind mage.

Zento couldn’t answer. His mouth was dry. His limbs were heavy and sluggish. It felt like every inch of his body was burning with a cold fire. If it hadn’t been for NaDo, he didn’t know if he would have even been able to keep moving forward at all.

What’s happening to me…?

He had used mind magic before… but it had never had an after-effect like this.

Zento could feel the Spiral warriors rousing behind them as the last of his strength slipped away. Distantly, he heard their battle cries. Felt the earth shifting as they began their chase. Heard the air slice as they drew their weapons.

“Oh no! Oh no!” NaDo’s voice rose a fearful octave. The scientist gave a shout to one of the Nefolians, running not too far ahead, “KoGuRai! Help me! Zento’s weakening!”

The young warrior paused to glance over his shoulder. It took him but a moment to assess the situation – Zento half draped over NaDo’s shoulder. The smaller man struggling to carry their leader away from the raging danger that swarmed behind. The vicious faces of the Spiral warriors who charged headlong, thirsting for their death.

“Help us!” NaDo’s voice creaked, eyes wide.

Without a word. Without any other motion. The son of JinRai turned away from them and vanished into the forest.

“KOGURAI!”

Just as NaDo’s shout broke the air, Zento felt his knees buckle. His body convulsed, jerking upright even as he fell. He heard a scream that might have been his own as a wave of freezing pain wracked his limbs.

Then just as suddenly as it came, there was numbness.

A brilliant light.

The feeling of suspension and weightlessness.

-My Champion… it is time…-

Zento’s eyes opened as the familiar voice echoed through his mind. His lips parted, whispering a single word. “Zemi…”

As the world faded back into view, NaDo’s terrified face was the first thing he saw. The scientist was sprawled upon the ground, on his hands and knees, staring up with a mangled expression of shock and fear.

The Spiral warriors, too, had recoiled, staring dazed and unsure as light streamed across the glade. Light that slowly took the form of feathers.

Zento heaved a choking breath, gasping like someone who had just returned from the brink of death. Light tingled over his form. His senses had grown sharp, picking out each small motion… the crunch of grass under foot… the panicked heartbeat of NaDo… and the ragged breathing of the Nefolians who had stopped to watch from the shelter of the forest.

What’s happened to me?

As Zento stretched out his hands, he realized the light was coming from his form. And the feathers were his own, too.

Zemi?!

A pair of luminous white wings now spread from his shoulders, stretching in a protective arch over NaDo’s shaken form. Any wounds or weariness of the previous battles had been washed away. His mind and senses focused in a way he had never felt before.

-ZenToYa… you have become as you were meant to be. You have Awakened.-

Zento slowly turned to face the Spiral warriors. His blade glittered with reflected light from his white wings as they stretched wide. His eyes sharpened, brows drawing downward as he focused on the enemy. One hand reached up, surrounded by a brilliant blue flame.

-Now take my power… and protect our people.-

Even before he released the spell, the Spiral warriors were breaking formation. They scattered as the blast rocked the glade, sending trees groaning and rocks splintering in every direction. A warcry rose in Zento’s throat, a sound that rumbled through their minds like the roar of the Dreigiau.

-Well done, Zento!-

The Dreigiau’s voice faded, but the presence and power did not. The power that was gifted to the Arweinydd’s chosen Champion.

Awakened…

Voices around him drew him out of his thoughts. Voices of the others… of the Nefolians that he had fought to protect. And one voice in particular he could hear above all others.

“He’s becoming a monster!” KoGuRai exclaimed, green eyes wide, focusing on the wings that stretched from Zento’s shoulders.

“W-What?!” Coming back to earth was a painful jolt. His wings buckled back, depositing him with an unceremonious plop before them. It was all Zento could do to land on his feet.

But no one seemed to notice. They were all staring at him with open fear and mistrust. Their mutters echoed KoGuRai’s accusing words. The very people he had fought to protect… the very people that he led, taught and nurtured… now turned on him with cold eyes.

“Hold on! Do these wings really look that monstrous to you?” Zento found himself protesting, hands wide as he tried to approach them.

His answer came in the unsheathing of weapons. Some drawn in caution. Some leveled at him in warning.

“Stay back! We all felt what you did!” KoGuRai snarled, eyes reflecting as his naginata lowered into a battle position.

Zento took a stunned step back. His tone grew pleading as his gaze cast about for anyone that might hear him out… anyone who might look beyond the transformation. “NaDo!? NaDo, please! Tell them! It’s still me!”

The scientist stared up at him with cloudy eyes, confusion and doubt playing over his face. His mouth opened and closed as if trying to find a voice that would not come. But before NaDo could speak, the others began to move forward, weapons drawn.

“Mindsucking monster!” KoGuRai goaded them forward, two steps ahead of the other Nefolians.

“No… I can explain!” Zento stumbled back further. His breath came in hoarse gasps, his mind reeling to grasp the incredulous turn of events.

But there was little sway of sympathy to his pleas. Not even the hint of remorse on their faces as they advanced. Either their fear was just that great… or KoGuRai’s command of them was far stronger than Zento could have ever suspected.

Only one friendly voice rose above the advance — NaDo’s shout, “Zento, run!”

His white wings unfolded before he could think twice. With one great downward sweep, Zento found himself in the air. As the winds carried him higher, KoGuRai’s words faded into nothing more than furious demands from below. Those who had once been his people shrank to specks soon hidden by the branches of the overhanging trees.

With watery eyes, ZenToYa forced himself to fly. Fly and not turn back. And he knew that nothing in his life would ever be the same again.

The little winged girl was safe, cradled against his chest.

“TsuuuuYaaaa!” KoGuRai’s face contorted in an animalistic snarl. His dark eyes focused sharply on the warrior, full of hate and fury.

“Did you forget about me?” TsuYa smirked. He coolly wiping his blade off on the edge of his coat only to find, to his dismay, that the black ooze ate right through the cloth.

“Turn around and walk away. This is between me… and LuShi,” the Champion sneered.

“Oh? Then why are you dragging little girls into this? Are you trying to break your record for hostage taking… the coward that you are,” he sneered back.

This time… this is it. This time… you’re not walking away alive, KoGuRai. We already know your tricks. It’s time for this to stop.

TsuYa ground his heel against the stone, poised and ready to strike. KoGuRai took a step back, nursing his wounded shoulder, both fists clamped tightly around the haft of his naginata. But before any blows could be exchanged, a shout rang out across path.

“TsuYa! TsuYa, wait!!”

The warrior gave a quiet curse under his breath. Things were about to get even more complicated.

“JouKa..?” KoGuRai paused, turning at the sound. It was strange how the Marked Champion could throw out scathing threats with the same voice that could sound so concerned.

The winged girl rushed out into the center of the fray, eyes wide as she stared between them. Then she stopped, peering straight at KoGuRai for a long, long time. For once, she seemed completely lost for words.

KoGuRai also stared at her, lowering his weapon just a bit. The silence between them was awkward and heavy. Finally, he took a step towards her. “JouKa… I’ve finally found you. Have you come to me at last?”

TsuYa made a blech face.

“KoGu… what… what… ‘ave you done?” she shook her head, taking a step back.

“Wait. Wait, JouKa. I can explain everything… just listen…” he approached, with hands wide in a gesture that spoke of harmlessness.

“Explain? Explain… what? The village ya razed? All of the people ya killed?” her voice was quiet, nothing more but a shaken whisper. “‘Ow can you possibly explain somethin’ like that?”

“Village…?” his face grew as pale as a Marked complexion could. “No… that wasn’t me, JouKa! I swear!”

“Then who was it, KoGu? Someone that looked like you and yer pet Esgyll?” she retorted hotly.

“If you’d just let me talk, I could tell you.”

“Then tell me about Mister NaDo. And about takin’ him ‘ostage. Splittin’ his back straight open. Tell me that wasn’t something that ya did, KoGuRai?” JouKa gave him a sick, pained look.

“JouKa…”

“You didn’t ‘ave to ‘eal those people — I did!” she snapped, not allowing him a moment of explanation. “I saw what came of it all… and I just can’t believe…”

KoGuRai fell silent, looking down at his fists, gripping the haft of his naginata. His hands were shaking as if fighting back some kind of internal violence.

“What’s ‘appened to you?” tears shown in her eyes. “I wanted to believe in you. But after what I’ve seen, all I can think is… you really ‘ave become a monster!”

The Marked Champion’s head snapped up with a bitter glare. The expression that had been concerned and shocked had turned cold and distant.

“I see what’s going on here,” KoGuRai’s voice grew low and gravely. His dark eyes shifted from JouKa to TsuYa and back again. “TsuYa’s turned you against me, hasn’t he? You’ve fallen for him while I was gone. You’ve fallen for him and you’ve betrayed me to him, haven’t you?”

“What? KoGu… what in the name of the Light are you talkin’ about?” she shook her head with a frustrated and confused look.

“You know what I’m talking about!” before she could pull back, his hand shot out, grabbing her roughly around the wrist. The air crackled red, furious Chaos. KoGuRai was losing himself. “All this time I was trying to find you again. I was promised that he would give you to me and we would take Nefol together! But you’ve ruined it all! You’ve run off with TsuYa!”

“KoGu!!” JouKa’s voice raised an octave, for the first time, real fear shown in her eyes as he loomed huge above her. “It’s not like that at all!”

“Are you Promised to him!?” KoGuRai almost roared, fangs gleaming as he pulled her closer.

“NO! KOGU! Yer ‘urtin’ me!!” the winged girl yanked back in pain. TsuYa could see the strength of the Marked Champion’s fist closing tighter around the girl’s arm. And he knew exactly how strong a Marked could be.

“STOPPIT!!” TsuYa leapt forward with a snarl of his own, slamming between JouKa and KoGuRai. “LET HER GO!”

The winged girl stumbled back, knocked free from the terrible grip… just at the same moment the Marked claw slashed out, leaving long, bloody gashes straight through TsuYa’s shoulder. He gave a choking gasp at the unexpected pain, dodging just as the claw came for him again.

Somewhere in the distance he heard JouKa’s scream and the choked cry of Suzume. The world wavered and shifted around him as his senses tunneled. Fury began to burn within. Everything focused on the dark winged figure of the Marked Champion before him. His rival. His enemy. One who would kill and destroy in order to steal everything that his family had sacrificed everything for – Nefol… his people… his friends…

I won’t let you hurt them!

KoGuRai bore down on him with blade in hand, a dark maelstrom of hate. His wings stretched wide, the twisted taint of Chaos choked the air. Animalistic insanity and bloodlust had transformed the Marked Champion’s face – if there was anything left of the son of JinRai, it was impossible to see it.

TsuYa floundered back, barely deflecting the blows that came again. And again. And again. His shoulder was in shreds, wounds open and burning with the acidic nature of the Marked attacks. His chest grew tight, breath rasping in his lungs as he fought to keep his feet under him.

I… can’t. I can’t hold up under this! He’s so strong!

Pain exploded along his left side. TsuYa watched, to his horror, as dark crimson fountained from KoGuRai’s blade as it tore into his body. His cry was wretched… so unlike the warrior he had fought to be. For years and years and years. All the training and hardship. Everything that he had strove to be… to be like his father. His brother. The ones that people respected.

And I will die like this… on the end of this monster’s blade…?

Eyes darkening, TsuYa’s face broke into a snarl of his own.

I refuse!

With an agonized groan, he pulled himself off of the point of the naginata. KoGuRai loomed over him, a smug look of triumph stretched over his face. The battle was won in his mind. He was merely toying with TsuYa now… doing everything he could to make the warrior’s death as shamed and futile as possible.

That will be your biggest mistake!

Distantly, he heard the sound of voices. JouKa and LuShi calling frantically. TsuYa could only watch with horrified, blurry eyes as Suzume rushed out between, little wings unfolded. She darted in, face angry and determined, yelling at KoGuRai as loud as her child-voice allowed.

Kid! What are you doing!?

Something grew deathly cold within his chest as he saw the glint of KoGuRai’s blade flash. The naginata lifted into the air, poised above the child’s head. So deliberate. The Marked Champion’s expression did not change… as if it was nothing more to him than swatting away a meaningless irritation.

Suzume!!

Fingers digging into the ground, TsuYa drove himself back up on his feet. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t speak. His body wasn’t responding. Everything felt so cold, as if all the heat had rushed out of his body.

I WON’T LET YOU!

A dazzling white light suddenly flooded the world. In the brilliance of the flash, he could make out KoGuRai reeling back, wincing against the blinding radiance. Suzume gave a shout, falling back in surprise, but unharmed.

His arms were around her. Just that sudden. TsuYa hadn’t realized he had the strength to move. But he was there. The little winged girl was safe, cradled against his chest.

Suzume stared up at him with awe. TsuYa could see his reflection in her dark eyes… he realized that the light was coming from him. Her voice was hardly a whisper when she spoke, “Wings…”

What…?

Stretching wide around him were wings of luminous white. Wings that belonged to him.

No way…! I’m…

Wings that looked exactly like Father’s. So much like Father’s, in fact, that TsuYa almost gave a shout for joy. For once, he could feel it… the endless possibilities. The potentials within himself. That he could be exactly what he had always dreamed of being. What he had worked so hard to become.

I’m Awakened!! I’m-

The sharp sound of a crack shattered his world. Pain. Terrible burning pain suddenly rushed through every inch of his body. The look of delight and awe on Suzume’s face shifted instantly to fear. With a strangled sound, he released the winged girl, stumbling away from her.

“TsuYa!! TsuYa!! Are you alright!?” she called to him.

He tried to answer, but no words would come. Nothing in his throat but a low, terrible growl. It bubbled and frothed its way out of his mouth, then shattered the air with an animalistic shriek. He clutched frantically at the source of the sudden pain, at his throat, just under his shirt. His fingers came away bloody. Blood that slowly turned black. Black like Marked blood.

NOO! NOOO!

Where Aur’s protective medallion had once hung around his neck, there was nothing left but a warped piece of blackened metal. And he realized, in horror, that under the pressure of his Awakening, the amulet had broken. It was destroyed.

PLEASE NO!!

And with it, his protection against the darkness had fled. Not even the power of Awakening seemed to be enough to protect him.

Please… please help me…

It felt like something was tearing him from inside out. His blood at once burned and froze. His body trembling as he convulsed, dropping him to his knees. He tried to cry out in agony, but nothing came except hisses and growls.

-No one can help you now, TsuYa… You are MINE.-

TsuYa’s flesh had darkened to grey, spotting black. His skin began to split as dark spikes of black burst through. A sharp rip as his coat gave way — his form growing and expanding far beyond his normal size. Black blood streamed from the bubbling wounds… from his eyes… his mouth… his nose… the Mark along his cheek. The darkness bled into his hair. Along the lines of his wings… until black feathers dripped with thick ooze.

And the terrible voice sounded in his mind.

-My Champion… greatness waits for you. Now come to me. Come to me…-

He fought it with every last bit of strength in him. Snarling and shrieking against the voice that invaded his thoughts. Everything was a blur. The world spun dizzy around him as the pressure of Chaos closed in on him. The sound of metal clashing, shrieks and battle were so distant and far away.

When he finally found breath again, it was rasping hisses. He stared down at his hands – now nothing more than beastly claws. And the thick black blood that ran over them. He realized the blood was not his own. Looking down at the ground, he saw the mangled and motionless form of KoGuRai’s body, the silver helm bent under the heel of his boot.

Is he… is KoGuRai… dead..?

Sickness welled up in the pit of his stomach. Sickness as he saw the blurred and twisted reflection of his face in the smudged sheen of the metal helm. KoGuRai was not rising. A pool of black spread around him where he lay in the dust.

TsuYa had won, he realized. He had taken the life of his enemy. But he had lost himself in return.

Her wings. They unfolded from her shoulders, growing solid and strong against the winds.

They were falling, head down, into the blanket of rumbling darkness below. In some areas, the clouds had exploded upwards, massive pillars that spun into the sky. That was where the Islands of Ceiswyr had fallen through, leaving a trail of stone and dust in their wake.

AsaHi knew that under those clouds lay the cold, distorted earth that had once been the beautiful lands of the Inner Realms. Her homelands, the places where she had once traveled and loved, were devoured by darkness and Chaos.

And now, the one safe place in all the world, the Islands of Ceiswyr, were gone. The loss had been tremendous… not only within her heart, but also to its Patron. Weakened by the blows of Chaos, the Dreigiau was falling. And she was falling with him.

“Zemi!!! Zemi, wake up! Please!” tears streamed down AsaHi’s cheeks. She clutched at his chest, shaking him with what little strength she had left. But he could not hear her. She couldn’t even feel a trickle of awareness… not even the hint of a connection between them.

I’m so sorry, Zemi… I’m so sorry…

The Chaos had struck at the heart and soul of the Arweinydd… and had stolen it away. He was not waking up. And she didn’t know what to do.

I wasn’t able to save you… I wasn’t able to stop the Chaos from taking everything. In the end, Zeromus still won.

AsaHi’s breath came in panicked gasps as the air grew colder. She hugged close to Zemi’s chest, partially in fear… partially in resolve.

But, no matter what happens to me… I won’t leave you here alone… I promise Zemi.

The cold was seeping into her skin, a chill that felt like death had already come. She clamped her eyes shut, shivering all over, her hands feeling numb with the cold as she tried to keep her grip. But she couldn’t feel anything beneath her fingers anymore. And her breath was coming hard… as if air had no meaning.

AsaHi gasped.

She gasped again.

Am I dying!?

The world was denying her breath.

Zemi! Help me!

She was suffocating!

So cold!

She wanted to scream. But no voice came. It was as if she didn’t exist at all.

I can’t… I can’t…!

She felt as if her lungs were ready to explode.  One second more would be the end.

ZEMI!!!

Light filled her vision. A beautiful, warming light that came from within. It shown from between her fingers. Bursting from her torso… along her shoulders. Spreading out from her back. A soft, translucent white that slowly… slowly began to condense.

Soft, glowing white.

Feathers?

To her shock, AsaHi saw feathers. As she looked beyond, she saw even more.

Wings…?!

Her wings. They unfolded from her shoulders, growing solid and strong against the winds. Strength slowly spread back through her limbs. Breath rushed into her lungs again. Feeling returned to her fingers. And her vision cleared…

She could see, now. Not with the same eyes she had once before. But really and truly See.

I’m… Awakened?

As the realization swept over her, she shivered. The world came back into focus. And though only a space of a few seconds had passed since she crossed the line of Awakening, the clouds below were coming closer and closer.

AsaHi discovered very quickly that her wings knew exactly what to do, even if she had never flown before. She gripped the front of the Dreigiau’s shirt, bracing herself with renewed determination, and spread her wings wide. Much to her surprise, they began to slowly descend.

It’s almost as if… Zemi doesn’t weigh anything at all.

Looking down at his pale form, she could only feel worry at that discovery.

Please… Zemi… hold on a little longer. I’ll get us to the ground.

Her wings swept back, softly parting the darkness of the clouds as they came through the bank. The winds howled, growing more vicious, throwing them around in the rise and fall of turbulence. Though her wings burned and ached from the strain, AsaHi held them fast, fighting through the storm… never letting go of the Dreigiau’s limp form.

Finally, they broke through the line of dark clouds and the lands below came into full view. It was raining across the broken earth. Everywhere AsaHi looked, rubble and cracked pieces of the Islands were strewn, leveling the forests that had once been there. The rain was cold and fitting, but it made flight more difficult for her. The further away she came from the moment of Awakening, the more she found herself floundering and struggling.

The sound of people and Dragons rang out across the desolation. AsaHi turned her flight in that direction. Slowly, she was feeling exhaustion washing over her body. She knew that soon she would have to land, whether it was safe or not. So when she caught sight of the first Dragon, she doubled flight speed, heading straight for it.

“Hey!! Hey! We’re over here! Someone!!” AsaHi shouted, so overjoyed that she forgot the danger of flying close to the forest. Before she knew it, tree branches whipped her from every direction, catching up in her wings, tearing out feathers and leaving a trail of white behind her. “OW!! OW!! OWW!!”

AsaHi’s first landing was very unceremonious… a stumble and a flop, careful not to fall on Zemi. Just glad to finally be back on the ground again… even if her whole body stung and bled.

Voices surrounded her. Voices in awe and sorrow. When AsaHi looked up, she found herself within a ring of battered and haggard faces. The winged soldiers of Ceiswyr stared down at her as if they had never seen another Awakened before. Then their gaze fell upon the unmoving form of the Dreigiau.

“Someone! Please! We need a healer!” the girl exclaimed with little patience for their staring. “I think Zemi is hurt!”

That seemed to be enough to kick people into action. The shout went up for a healer – not that there weren’t enough other people that probably needed healing there. But coupled with the words “Zemi is hurt,” a response came fast. The surrounding group of winged men parted as a familiar figure rushed in with wide green eyes.

“SoYa?” AsaHi had forgotten that besides being an Athrylith, he was also a practiced healer.

He seemed to be unscathed from the battle – no doubt that KaiShi had taken good care of him. But his hands were sticky with blood of other men… and she knew from the tired light in his eyes that he had been already making rounds to heal the wounded the best to his ability.

“Zemi!” he gave a shout, leaping over the rubble to get closer. His eyes were fixed at the impossibility of it all. That their Patron, the Dreigiau, could be lying there, unmoving upon the broken remains of the once proud city of Ceiswyr. His voice came again in a whisper, “No… what happened?”

“The Chaos…” AsaHi told him, face lined with pain. “Zeromus. He struck down the Islands. And when he did, it hurt Zemi, too.”

“I… don’t know what I can do for him…” SoYa knelt, already feeling across Zemi’s chest for any sign of wounding. Of course, he would find nothing there. The wounds that the Arweinydd bore were not physical. And AsaHi realized it was true — there was probably little that any healer could do for him.

AsaHi knelt down on Zemi’s other side, placing her hands over top of SoYa’s. Her wings unfurled slowly, cupping over the three of them protectively. For the first time, the Athrylith stared up, seeing them. He had been so focused on Zemi… and she had not been displaying her wings too obviously. Until now.

A whoosh of shocked sound passed between SoYa’s lips. His eyes widened as his mouth fell open in that dumbfounded way he often had. For a long time, he just stared, and AsaHi could see her reflection in the clear light of his eyes.

For the first time, the girl began to wonder… worry… about what her Promised would think of it all.

“A… A…” he stuttered.

This isn’t starting out well…

Finally, SoYa shut his mouth, and tried again. “AsaHi… you’re… a…”

“A really bad flyer… I know,” she joked with a soft face, trying to put a few of her disheveled feathers back in place.

“N…no… I..”

AsaHi lifted her hand, placing a finger on SoYa’s lips. “I’m not important right now. We have to take care of Zemi. And the people…”

He blinked before slowly nodding, his eyes still wide as he stared at her. “Yes… we do. Father… said we need to move… the troops as far away as we can get. We need to leave… the Inner Realms.”

“Leave?” she breathed, the word full of sadness.

SoYa wiped his face on his sleeve. “We’ve lost this battle… if we stay here, we’ll be hunted. We have to try to make for the Spiral.”

Tears suddenly sprang in AsaHi’s eyes as the impact of his words struck her.

That’s it? Just like that? After all we’ve done… how hard we’ve fought…

“We’re not giving up yet, AsaHi,” SoYa reached out to her gingerly. As if he wasn’t sure if he should touch her. “We just have to get to safety.”

She nodded and looked down, “Do you think it’s a good idea to move Zemi… when he’s like this? I mean, taking him out of the Inner Realms. Would that make him worse?”

A raspy, rough voice gave a cough then a mutter, “You talk about me like I’m already gone…”

AsaHi and SoYa both stared down in amazement. Zemi peered back up at them, his eyes hazy, face lined with pain and weakness. But he still managed to smile.

“Zemi!” AsaHi breathed in a long happy sound of relief. Then before she knew what she was doing, she had thrown her arms around his neck, hugging him fiercely.

SoYa watched awkwardly. Though his voice was thick, it was obvious that he was glad that the Dreigiau was reviving. “Zemi… are you going to be okay?”

“It was only a little Chaos. I’ll pull through,” the Arweinydd told him with a slight wink. But when he tried to push himself up on his palms, he found he needed help to sit up.

“Zemi… you have to take it slow,” AsaHi advised.

The Dreigiau, however wasn’t listening. He was staring up at her wings, running his finger along one of the feathers. There was a distant look of delight on his face. The girl almost could swear she heard a soft purr in his throat.

“Zemi?” SoYa interrupted with a frown.

“Oh? Yes! Well…” the Arweinydd shook his head out. Then he glanced over at the Athrylith, voice cracking as he spoke. “Tell your father to follow through. Ready everyone that can travel. He’s right… we can no longer stay here. We will take shelter in the Spiral, and from there, figure out what has to be done.”

SoYa nodded grimly. Then he turned and disappeared into the amazed crowd of winged people that stood watching over the Dreigiau.

The room dripped with silence as their minds struggled to form words from the confusion.

“I don’t understand,” TsuYa’s tone was low with distress.

“I know you don’t,” was Father’s only answer.

“Then why are you leaving? We’ve only just found each other again!” he argued.

“Because sometimes you have to do things in life that really don’t make much sense.”

SoYa bit his lip in silence.

TsuYa’s eyes flashed.

That’s not a good enough explanation…

And Father knew it.

The last touches of twilight color shifted across the white wall from the tall rounded windows. Because TsuYa still was not allowed to leave the confines of his bed, SoYa spent most of the late afternoon sitting with his brother and talking. Despite the strangeness of the situation, that day felt more like old times to TsuYa than it had in many years. However, the cheer was instantly drained from the room upon the arrival of their father and the news he bore.

He’s leaving… he’s leaving me behind… again.

“It’s because of me, isn’t it?” TsuYa asked with a hint of bitterness. One fist balled the blanket between his fingers.

“Now Tsu…”

“It’s because I’m ‘sick’.”

“Tsu, that’s just not true,” Father held up one hand. “I don’t want to hear that out of y–”

“Do you think I don’t know what’s happening to me… the risk of allowing me to stay here?” his eyes grew distant. Darker. Haunted.

“Maybe,” Father approached the conversation from a different angle. His face was stern though his words were gentle, “But that doesn’t mean we’re giving up.”

“Yeah, Tsu,” SoYa finally chimed in. “We’re not about to sit here and do nothing. I mean, if I were the one in trouble, you’d do it for me, wouldn’t you?”

“Well… of course I would… but…”

“We’ll only be gone a little while. You can handle that, right?” Father added quickly. “We’ve got Kudako to help make it a quick journey. He seems pretty certain that we’ll find something in the Outterlands.”

“What if you don’t?” TsuYa frowned.

“We will.”

“But if you don’t?”

“We will,” Father repeated. “I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Not when it’s something for you.”

TsuYa closed his mouth with a click.

“Okay?” the winged man pressed.

“Okay,” he answered grudgingly.

Why so soon? After you’ve been gone so long… I’ve hardly talked to you. And you’re leaving us again.

“I’ll make it all better again, Tsu,” Father reached a hand out, placing it gently on TsuYa’s shoulder. “I give you my word.”

“You don’t have to promise me anything…”

“I just did. So live with it.”

Their eyes met and held. TsuYa struggled to secure the gaze. To not break away. To be strong enough not to flinch. But he couldn’t.

Something about Father is different now, and it’s not just the wings.

ZenToYa was the leader in Ceiswyr, second in command under Zemi Dreigiau. This in itself wasn’t too unusual — Father had been the leader of Nefol after founding both the city and the School. It was by his hand that the people first learned the ways of magic and battle. Days of glory and power graced all who lived under the banner of Nefol back when the city was under Father’s control.

But then, one day, ZenToYa vanished.

TsuYa could remember the day that Aunt SaRa took SoYa and himself aside. He could remember every detail of the room — the way the light capered on the dust motes… the musty, well-used book scent… the peaceful silence that the room always held. It was Father’s favorite room, his library. It was there that she told them that the Council had pronounced their father dead. TsuYa remembered staring at the shimmering dust motes for a very long time afterwards. Things had never been the same since.

No one had a straight story about what happened to Father. Some speculated he died in battle. Some said that he died defending the borders from the Outterlanders. Others said that Lord Zemi had finally called him away to become one of his Dragons. But no matter the story, it was always one of honor and glory. TsuYa never thought to question it. He was young and too overwhelmed with sorrow.

Now, as he peered up at his Father’s altered form, a million questions flickered through his mind. They bubbled in his chest, stinging the inside of his throat. As much as he wanted to speak, his voice was lost.

Why?

Every question started with ‘why’. He just couldn’t make sense of what happened. The purpose behind everything. What was going to happen. And as much as he hated to admit it, the unknown left him afraid.

Father could always sense the hidden things. Maybe it had something to do with what changed him. Or maybe it was just that obvious. But one way or another, the winged man sat down on the stool on the other side of the room. His body was tense as if readying himself for battle.

“Ask,” he offered.

One word that held the power of thousands. Both SoYa and TsuYa’s eyes were upon him. Neither could so much as blink. The room dripped with silence as their minds struggled to form words from the confusion.

“You’re not dead?” SoYa finally spluttered.

Leave it to SoYa to state the obvious…

“No. I’m not.”

At least it’s a start.

“Have you been here in this city all this time?” he continued.

“No. This city has only existed for about twenty passes.”

“Then, what happened? Why did you leave? Where did you go?”

When the questions came, they came all at once.

“Do you want the truth?” Father leaned back slowly. His expression was as serious as it could get.

SoYa nodded slowly. TsuYa joined him.

“I Awakened.”

“Awakened?” TsuYa echoed.

“Yes. You see these wings? The wings that everyone has here? It is the mark of people who have Awakened,” Father explained slowly.

“What does it mean to be Awakened?” SoYa almost whispered.

“It is to become as we should be,” his eyes focused distantly as the words came. “It is to grip the truth of our inner power, of our real potential and to truly become.”

“How?”

“It simply happens. When you are completely ready and Zemi responds to your spirit, you will Awaken.”

“Lord Zemi?” TsuYa breathed. “Is it true that he’s here?”

“Yes, he is. I know you haven’t had a chance to meet him yet. He’s been very busy lately. But it was by his hand that you were protected from the darkness that would have taken you,” Father sounded somewhat apologetic. “Know that just because he isn’t here doesn’t mean you aren’t important to him.”

“I understand. I’m… honored?”

“Then… you… Awakened?” SoYa mused quietly. “And that’s where the wings came from?”

“Yes. Though, the wings are more of an outer extension of what has happened inside.”

“How long ago did you Awaken?” TsuYa’s words sounded almost meek.

“You could pin-point that as well as I can,” Father answered with a frown

“When you ‘died’?” his voice was very somber.

“Yes.”

No one spoke again for a long time. Each of them seemed to be gathering their thoughts.

SoYa was the first to break the silence, “The Council told us you were dead.”

“That is because they did not want anyone to know what really happened,” Father leaned back on the stool.

“What?” TsuYa’s face grew stunned. “You mean they lied to us on purpose?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” SoYa echoed his brother’s shock.

“Because they tried to kill me, and almost succeeded.”

“Kill you! Why?” the younger brother grated, fists balling the blankets again.

“Tsu, what do you think their first reaction was? The Council saw me transform… Awaken… before their very eyes,” Father’s face grew grim. “No one had any idea what was happening to me. No one had ever Awakened before.”

“But still!” TsuYa’s face was contorted. “Kill you?”

“For all they knew, I had transformed into some sort of monster,” he seemed to try to offer what logic he could. Even if the logic was weak.

“But… but… couldn’t they tell?” he spluttered.

“What did they actually do to you?” SoYa seemed to be struggling just as much as his brother was.

“They hunted me down and made it so I could never return to Nefol,” Father’s voice grew sad. “They told everyone that I had died in some glorious manner so that my name would continue to be held in honor for the sake of the School. But in truth, I was on the run from them for years.”

“Did they ever catch you?”

Father gave one of his famous smirks, “Nope.”

“And no one else knew you were still alive?”

“SaRa was the only one.”

“Whaaat? Aunt SaRa knew? Why didn’t she tell us?” TsuYa blinked sharply.

“Because I told her not to,” he admitted.

“Why?”

“It was dangerous enough that she knew what had actually happened. The less people who were aware of the truth, the better,” Father nodded. “If the Council found that SaRa held such knowledge, her life could have been in danger.”

SoYa waved one hand in the air as if trying to find the most delicate way to ask his next question, “But, Aunt SaRa… she’s Awaken too?”

“Yes. She has been for many years.”

“How did she hide it?”

“It was a mind illusion,” Father’s eyes fell upon SoYa heavily. “Of my own making.”

TsuYa grew pale.

Mind illusion?! But that’s the power of…

“Father… you are… an Athrylith, too?” TsuYa’s eyes were wide and unblinking.

The winged man shrugged, “I suppose you could say that. I’ve dabbled a little bit in every sphere, even mind magics. Is that so awful, Tsu?”

SoYa’s mouth had dropped wide open. He obviously never thought there was another Athrylith other than himself.

Neither did I. I never knew that Father could…

“Well, is it?” he prodded, one eyebrow arching.

“Ah… ah… I… don’t know?”

“Do you honestly believe everything everyone else tells you?” Father’s lips pressed into a firm, slender line.

“What do you mean?”

“Because the whole world says that Athrylith are evil, you believe it?”

“Well,” TsuYa peered nervously between the two of them. “Mind magic is dangerous.”

“In the wrong hands maybe,” Father nodded. “But so is any other kind of magic. People just choose to especially dislike mind magic because they think it takes away the one thing that no one else should ever touch — one’s control and logic processes.”

“Yeah. Exactly. Don’t you think that’s dangerous?”

“Is it any more dangerous than someone taking a fifty foot pillar of fire and lighting it under your feet?”

“Er, well…” TsuYa grimaced.

“Not much control in either situation,” Father shrugged. He looked far too cheerful for the conversation at hand. “Besides, mind magic has a lot of good uses, too.”

“Like what?”

“Adept sensitivity of thoughts and emotions, for one. If the power is used correctly they are a people who are truly in touch with the spirit of other people. Just like your brother is,” Father lifted one hand and waved to indicate SoYa.

SoYa didn’t look overly thrilled to be pointed out. Still, there was something behind his eyes that seemed somewhat relieved to know that he was not alone.

“I see,” TsuYa answered thoughtfully.

“So, yes. Your Aunt was concealed under a mind illusion so that she could stay in Nefol and keep an eye on you boys. It was always my plan that she’d bring you two here to Ceiswyr one day, when you were ready,” he frowned softly. “Sadly enough, this was not the way I had wanted it to happen.”

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s not your fault, Tsu. Sometimes things happen that are far beyond our control. This is one of those times.”

“But still, I…”

“No. It happened. Now all we can do is work to find a solution. Yes?”

TsuYa peered down at where one of his hands was tracing the line along the hem of his vest. Then he nodded slowly, “If you say so.”

“I say so,” Father answered softly, words warm and encouraging. “And if I say so, then that’s the final word. Right?”

TsuYa peered up slowly. It was a phrase that he remembered Father always using. A pale smile touched his lips. Placing a hand on both of his sons’ shoulders, ZenToYa gave his own silent half smile.

The man turned his head in a playful, half-upside-down manner and peered at AsaHi where she peeked shyly at him from behind a tree branch. The girl just happened to find him as she explored the wonders of the strange floating islands.

“No bother,” he assured her, a fatherly smile creasing his face. “But what did I tell you about calling me Master? Seriously, just Zento is fine.”

“But everyone else here called you Master,” she answered. “At least, they did when they came out to greet us.”

He took in a sharp breath and held it for a long moment. Then he shook his head, “They weren’t greeting me like that. There is only one Master of Ceiswyr.”

“But, I heard them say it over and over again.”

“I’m sure you did. But, they weren’t addressing me,” ZenToYa repeated patiently.

AsaHi’s mind reeled, “I’m not sure I understand. There’s a lot of things I don’t.”

The man nodded gently, patting the grassy spot next to him in invitation. His wings fluttered once, stretching to relieve kinks, not unlike a person stretching their arms after a long sleep. Sucking on her lower lip, the girl made her way to stand shyly next to the man of Nefolian legend. In a simple, cross-legged manner, she sat.

“Where do you want to start?” his tone was suddenly very serious.

AsaHi realized that ZenToYa was finally allowing her what she had been yearning for — the chance to ask the millions of questions that clouded her mind. Just as suddenly as she gained this right, she found herself facing the dilemma of what to ask first.

Finally, she took in a deep breath and began, “How did you get here? Everyone thinks you’re…”

“Dead?” he supplied.

The girl nodded.

“I don’t know that the question should be ‘how did I get here,’ but rather ‘why am I here.’”

She gave him a puzzled look.

“I assure you, I haven’t been snuffed out just yet. It was not my choice to allow anyone to think I was dead… that was all the work of the Council in Nefol,” he explained.

AsaHi blinked, “The Council? But why would they do something like that?”

“Their authority was founded on my good name,” ZenToYa leaned back, squinting into the sky, as if he, too, was looking for an answer from above. “I suppose they would rather see me go out in a blaze of glory than to fall into shame. At least then, the legend that founded Nefol would be remembered with pride through the ages.”

“Fall into shame? I don’t understand. Why would the Council see you as shameful?”

“Because of these,” the man thumbed back over his shoulders, stretching his wings once again.

Her eyes widened. “They know about…”

“Yes. Some of them,” ZenToYa looked away. “The Council turned on me, and claimed that I was becoming some sort of monster. Whether that was just an easy excuse to supplant me, I don’t know.”

AsaHi reached out, placing her hands over one of his. Something within felt so terribly sad for him, “And you just left?”

“At the time, I was running for my life. No one had experienced an Awakening before. I was the first,” he returned the motion by placing his palm on top of her hands. “I didn’t want to shame the School. And most of all, I didn’t want to reflect badly on my sons, who still have a lot to learn and prove in their own right.”

“But, they think you’re dead! Couldn’t you have at least told them?” she spread her hands in protest.

“Nowadays I wouldn’t be so afraid to show them what I have become. But back then, for all I knew, I was becoming the monster the Council claimed. I had never heard of an Awakening before. I knew nothing of it,” ZenToYa’s eyes grew distant. “In this city, Awakening is viewed as something wonderful and beautiful. It is something to be celebrated. But my own Awakening was very frightening.”

“But why didn’t you come back… or send word… or something? Why let them think…”

“You’re right. That would have been the most rational thing to have done. I will admit, despite what all the stories tell you, I’m not always the most sensible person,” a grim look spread over his face. “I was also worried that if they knew the truth, my family may have been in danger from the Council. They were both so young… too young to fight that fight.”

“Don’t you miss them?”

“With all my heart,” he nodded. “But I believe that one day they will both find their way here. I know I will see them again.”

AsaHi looked down, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have–”

“No. Don’t be sorry,” ZenToYa’s smile was reassuring. “That was then — it’s over and gone. I look forward to the day when I will meet my sons again. And I’m not unhappy here. So please, no sadness on my account. Besides, I hate seeing a sweet little girl in tears.”

She wrinkled her brow at him.

ZenToYa winked with a teasing grin.

The girl cleared her throat, trying to hide her own smile.

“Now what else is there you’d like to know?” the man asked.

“The wings… the Awakening, you called it? What is this all about?” AsaHi asked, eyeing his wings.

“That’s difficult to explain. I knew you’d ask about it. Let me see, where to start?” ZenToYa leaned back, staring up into the shifting light between the branches above. “Zemi once told me that everything began with a terrible accident.”

She gave a hissing breath, “You mean Lord Zemi?”

He arched an eyebrow at her, “Funny you call him that now.”

“Uh..?” AsaHi shot him a strange look.

“But yes, anyhow, there was a Mistake,” ZenToYa glossed over it quickly.

“What sort of mistake?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t even think that Zemi knows. But whatever happened, it messed a lot of things up. Apparently before we ever existed, there were other civilizations, lifetimes, beings… it is referred to as the Time Before,” he spread his hands as if to illustrate the magnitude of it all.

AsaHi tilted her head, leaning back on her palms. Her green eyes were wide with imagination.

“Who they were and what they were like, I don’t know that we will ever find out. All I do know is when this Mistake happened, it took almost everything with it.”

“What caused the Mistake?” she asked.

“Zemi never really said,” ZenToYa shook his head. “All I can be sure of is that many of the living creatures were destroyed, including the Arweinydd themselves. Almost all of them, except for a group of young Arweinydd that were somehow protected. They managed to make it through it… again, we don’t really know how.”

“But how did we get here? How did the creatures on this world come back? Did the new Arweinydd make us?”

“No… no…” he folded his hands together again. “The Arweinydd can be Creators, just like Zemi is. But they did not give life to creatures. That’s something way beyond their power.”

“Then what happened?” AsaHi asked.

“It seems that when an Arweinydd comes in contact with a potential living planet, sometimes they make a connection,” ZenToYa chose his words carefully as he spoke. “The Arweinydd taps into the flow of the world’s energies, a sort of symbiosis that helps the life on the planet flourish and develop. Through this connection, the Arweinydd also grows stronger and becomes a Patron.”

“Ohh…” she pursed her lips as she tried to take it all in.

“And that is what is happening now, before your eyes,” he concluded.

“I’m not sure I understand,” AsaHi breathed softly.

ZenToYa paused for a moment, recollecting his train of thought. When he spoke again, his voice was level and sure, “Zemi once told me that in the Time Before, some Arweinydd and the Earthians sought harmony. When they came together, both the people of the planet and the Arweinydd began to grow together and become as they were meant to be.”

“And what is that?”

“Ultimately, we become Awake,” he explained, wings stretching once again. “And when we Awaken, that is when the wings appear.”

“Awakening…” AsaHi echoed.

“The people of this city, the Cyngan, are people that once lived on the ground. They are not so different from you,” he told her. “But through the natural blending of knowledge with the power of Zemi Dreigiau, they have changed. The wings are just an outer visible mark of this change.”

“Then this city…?”

“It is a refuge for the Cyngan,” his voice grew quiet. “Do you think the people on the ground would understand this so easily? Just like the Council, they would be afraid, and rightly so. We have become different from them in ways they cannot yet comprehend.”

The girl shifted her weight back and forth nervously.

Sensing her discomfort, ZenToYa gave her hand a gentle squeeze, “I’m not talking about you, AsaHi. You’ve got higher connections in this world than most do.”

AsaHi frowned at him, “What do you mean?”

“I’m… sorry,” the man pursed his lips. “Some things are beyond me to talk about.”

“Then who will talk to me about it?” AsaHi pressed, frustration marring her brow.

He simply gave a soft, sad laugh and dropped a hand on her head, “You do have some fire in you, I see.”

AsaHi furrowed her brow up into his grinning face.

“If you want to know where to find the answers, I’ll give you a hint.”

“Okay?” the girl straightened slowly, a question mark forming on her face.

“It’s nothing you don’t already know, mind you,” ZenToYa rose to his feet, looking down at her. “You have more resources than you realize.”

AsaHi stood up too, sucking on her bottom lip.

“His real name is not Kaze. Find out what it is, and you will have the answer to all of your questions,” the winged man told her with a nod.

She opened her mouth, eyes widening. Somehow she did know that. But it never occurred to her to start there — with a name.

“That’s all I can tell you. If you want to know more, you better start asking him,” ZenToYa raised a hand causally before he turned to walk away, leaving the girl lost to her thoughts.