The great maw snapped open with a gleam of fangs. A stream of pure energy shot across the room as the Marked shadows began to boil at the foot of the cave door.

The sound of dragon-alarm echoed through the depths of the Wyndor chambers, startling AsaHi from her restless sleep. She didn’t know how long she had been sleeping or how much time had passed since they had arrived in the Dragon city, but she could feel that it had not been enough time to get things as situated as Zemi would have liked for the defense against the Marked siege.

Next to her, SoYa was stumbling to his feet with a groggy look. He, too, must have attempted to get what little sleep as was offered. His hair bushed out in all directions as he jammed the square-topped cap down over it. In better times, this would have made AsaHi laugh… but for now, laughter was dimmed as the sound of battle began to flood the hallways.

“AsaHi!” was all her Promised said before he took her wrist, urging her up and moving.

Getting her feet under her, she rushed to keep up with his longer stride.

They had hardly gone half the length of the room when a looming shadow burst through the doorway ahead of them. AsaHi stumbled back with a yelp of surprise as SoYa’s staff leveled forward, lighting the room with a brilliant golden glow.

“SoYa! Put that out!” Zemi’s gritty voice groaned from where the Dreigiau was squinting away from the light. “You’re going to alert every goo-dripper around that we’re here!”

“Oh!” the Athrylith sounded abashed as he lowered the staff. “I was just–”

“Yes, I know. Very courageous, kiddo. Now come quickly — follow me,” Zemi beckoned.

“Where are we going?” AsaHi rushed after the Dreigiau without a moment’s hesitation. SoYa was a little less eager to move forward, peering down the length of the shadowy stone halls before following.

“We need to secure the last of the children in the west wing before the Marked get this deep into the caverns,” the Arweinydd answered shortly. “We tried to gather everyone earlier, but we just haven’t had enough time!”

AsaHi peered ahead in the shadows to see the huddling forms and frightened eyes of a dozen young winged children. Among them, she could make out a few familiar faces, children she had seen and spent time with on the Islands before the Migration. Then, a dark haired girl rushed forward, waving a tiny hand in worry and calling her name.

“Suzume!” AsaHi answered back, coming to meet her.

“We’re under attack?” the little girl asked taking AsaHi’s hand with shaky fingers.

“It’ll be alright,” she attempted to sound reassuring. But it was difficult to keep the fear out of her voice.

-Yes. All will be well, but we must make haste,- a quiet voice echoed softly within AsaHi’s ears. Speech that was not speech.

A small white bird alighted down upon Suzume’s head, wings and tail flicking with what seemed to be agitation. Instantly, the girl recognized the shimmering sparrow form of the Arweinydd Zeni.  If Suzume had any surprise about acquiring the sudden feathered hairpiece, she didn’t show it — AsaHi couldn’t help but wonder at the casual demeanor between child and bird. Afterall, it wasn’t every day that an Arweinydd landed to perch on one’s head.

The roar of battle Dragons suddenly shook the walls, leaving AsaHi’s knees weak from the impact. Great voices and sounds of alarm came from the adjacent chambers.

“We’ve been blasting them down off the east wall, but they just keep coming!”

“How many are there!? The lower chamber is nothing but black and stench!”

“Those things are tearing the wings off of people! I saw it myself!”

“Hold your ground! Ready the flames. Torch anything that comes from the below!”

SoYa’s hand clamped around her wrist again, a frightened light to his wide eyes. He managed to squeak a few quavering words, “We better go!”

AsaHi nodded mutely, gathering Suzume with her free hand and rushing towards the group of shivering children, who stood frozen by the seeping aura of fear that hung heavily in the air. The side halls burst into red flame as the screeches of the invaders met with the molten fire, claws and fangs of the defending Dragons. The girl felt her breath whistling between her lips as she broke into a sprint. However, the frightened children before her only stared at the inferno glow with horrified faces, unable to move.

“Come, children! Come with me! Follow me!” AsaHi’s voice was strained with fear. She motioned with both hands, like a person trying to herd a flock of chickens away from danger. But still, they did not move.

Suddenly a pillar of white light burst up through the chamber. She only had a moment to turn and see the form of Zemi’s great white Dragon taking form – wings unfurling over them protectively, deep teal eyes glowing with a brilliant internal flame under the stream of shaggy Dragon mane. The great maw snapped open with a gleam of fangs. A stream of pure energy shot across the room as the Marked shadows began to boil at the foot of the cave door.

If the children had been frightened before, they were terrified now. But it was enough to get them moving, running as fast as tiny feet could manage. It was all AsaHi and SoYa could do to keep up and try to direct them to the same place. There were no signs of Marked ahead, only the screeches of battle and agony ringing out behind. The large, shimmering white form of Zemi followed distantly, driving the attackers off of their trail.

SoYa clutched his head now and then, squinting in pain as he ran. The sound of the Marked screeches were blood-freezing to everyone, AsaHi remembered, but were extremely painful to the Athryliths in particular.

She reached one worried hand over to grip his shoulder. Though she was too winded to manage words, he understood the motion.

“I’m fine… keep going,” SoYa replied through gritted teeth.

Before long, the winding halls forked off in many different directions. AsaHi pulled up to a stop – though she had spent much time in Wyndor before, she had never explored so deep within the mountain core. And she certainly wasn’t sure of picking her way to the west wing, as the Dragons had called it.

A few of the children were sniffling, on the verge of tears as SoYa turned around in a circle. His brow was furrowed, too, “Which way?”

-Come with me!- chirruped the answer. A streak of white zipped over their heads and down the path to the left as the tiny white Zeni-bird pointed the way through the shivering halls and chambers.

AsaHi opened her mouth with surprise. But Suzume was already tugging on her hand, pulling her forward.

“Zeni knows!” the little girl told them without a hint of doubt.

AsaHi peered at SoYa. The Athrylith only nodded.

The halls grew darker the deeper they traveled, making it more and more difficult to coax the children forward. Eventually, SoYa was forced to use his staff to light the way.

-Almost there. Don’t stop now.- The soft-spoken words brushed past her ear, somehow soothing. Renewing her determination.

“Zemi?” AsaHi turned with a questioning look. There was nothing there, no sign of the Dreigiau. But she could feel his presence, sense his awareness. She knew that the Arweinydd was there. Watching and protecting his people with the dedication and concern that of a true Patron.

She could sense it in him – the pain and fear and struggle that Zemi shared now with his people. A growing understanding of what it meant to live and die. To lose and mourn. And to fight to protect those that did not have the power to protect themselves.

In the midst of the darkness, battle and invasion, this came as a comfort. AsaHi knew that whatever happened, Zemi had found his way. He could hold his own against the threat of Chaos, now.

The Dreigiau would stand against the darkness and protect his people, no matter the odds.

“AsaHi! SoYa!” a familiar voice called their name from the end of the hall.

The girl had to squint before she could finally make out the beckoning form of JouKa, fully armed and looking ready to do battle. Without another word, the short-haired girl turned and pushed on the side of the rock face. There was a deep, startling rumble as what appeared to be a dead end in the hall began to shift and open. A brilliant, multi-faceted light burst from the widening cracks in the wall, revealing a huge chamber of shimmering wonder.

Despite the ripples of fear that still gripped her, AsaHi couldn’t help but give a long breath of amazement. Multi-colored tiles glittered and pulsed along the floors, some emitting tall shafts of rainbowed light towards the vaulted roof. Tiny, pin-pricked runes and patterns were traced along every inch of the rock, all focusing inward on one large, upraised panel of translucent stone. It was huge – big enough for even the Zemi Dragon to perch on. Staring into its swirling depths felt as if one had come face to face with heart of the universe itself.

“What is it…?” AsaHi whispered.

“A major rifting point of the Cynosure system,” Zemi’s voice answered from behind her. This time she felt his hand on her shoulder as he walked past her into the room.

“A what?” SoYa echoed with a furrowed brow.

“It be our ticket outta ‘ere,” JouKa told them with a somber look. “That’s why we’ve been bringin’ all the kids and women.”

“Go ahead. You’re safe now,” Zemi motioned the newest arrivals forward.

For the first time, AsaHi’s gaze slipped past the brilliant glow of the Cynosure stone to see a much, much larger group of people huddled in the safety of the far end of the room.

Released from their guidance, the children scampered across the chamber, hopping over the runes and shimmering tiles to join the others.

“So what exactly does it do?” AsaHi asked, carefully stepping through the doors.

“It’s a transportation system of sorts,” Zemi answered.

“Then, we’re going to evacuate?” SoYa inquired.

“If things start to turn against us, yes,” the Dreigiau nodded. “I promised your Father…”

“Then you had better call the troops in now and get these people out of here,” a ragged and broken voice intoned from behind them.

AsaHi turned with a worried frown, taking a moment to make out the shape that emerged from the shadows of the hall. She knew the man, though they had only met once before the attack on the Spiral, and she could not remember his name.

“You’re… that spirit… the one that was Lucci’s friend?” she stammered slightly.

He looked too real to be merely a spirit now. In fact, he looked just as real as anyone else there. He bore the grim and tatters of someone who had traveled a long and exhausting journey. His face was lined with a deep grief, the tips of his long ears quivering as they drooped.

“I am…” he answered hoarsely, leaning against the wall as if to catch his breath.

“How did you get here?” Zemi asked, lowering his brows.

“Are you alright?” SoYa asked at nearly the same moment.

“I’m fine,” the spirit nodded. “And how I got here is irrelevant.”

The Dreigiau crossed his arms with a frown, “Not to me.”

“Zem,” the man breathed out with a tired, pained look. “I’m here to warn you. You have to get your people out of here! You have to go to the Vision Stone… it can tap into the Ways… and it might be the only thing that’s going to save you.”

“Save me? From what?” Zemi’s eyes narrowed. For some strange reason, the Arweinydd appeared to be taking the message of warning seriously.

“It’s Lucci… I tried to stop him,” the spirit’s voice wavered, almost to the point of weeping.

“Lucci! Did they find him?” SoYa’s eyes widened. “We sent a Spiral search party for him after the battle… but no one had seen him.”

“He w-went… to face Zeromus…” the spirit choked.

“What?” Zemi moved forward, quickly gripping the other man’s shoulders. “Why?! Why did he do that without telling anyone?”

“He thought he could stop the battle… he wanted to defeat Zeromus… he wanted to protect people. But it turned out all wrong. The sword… the wings… Lucci didn’t even recognize me… I couldn’t stop him!”

“Wings?” SoYa breathed.

“Sygnus…” the spirit slumped forward. “Zeromus has Awakened the Dark Sygnus.  Luccious is coming… he’s almost here.”

The Sygnus’ long silver hair swayed with a ghostly quality, blending into the flow of mist that billowed around him.

“Lucci! Lucci, you CAN’T do this!” Kaz’s voice pleaded from behind him. The cry was so desperate. So hoarse and filled with fear. It was so unlike how his friend usually sounded.

Lucci turned, pausing just a moment on the long, broken stairway to look back. The Sygnus’ long silver hair swayed with a ghostly quality, blending into the flow of mist that billowed around him, gleaming along the outline of his tall silver wings. The mist was always there now. They were always there in the mist. There was no getting rid of Them.

No running away from what he was. They had traveled long across the now-barren lands of the Inner Realms, all the way to the darkened heart of Nefol. There was no turning back. He knew what he had to do.

“I have to stop him,” Lucci answered in a boyish way. But his voice was not a child’s voice anymore – he was no longer the boy that Kaz had guided. “There’s only one way. You know that.”

“No… Lucci… look at yourself!” the spirit motioned with both hands. “This sword… these wings… You’re not thinking straight!”

“I’m fine!” the Sygnus snapped back with a tone he had never used with his friend before. Instantly, something deep inside him felt ashamed. And he lowered his voice. “When I get done, it’ll be over with, Kaz. Then no one will have to be afraid anymore.”

Kaz just looked stunned. And older somehow. His eyes were sad, ringed with worry and the inability to stop what he saw unfolding before him. But he tried one last time, “Please, Lucci-boy. Come home with me.”

It was the wrong thing to say. And the spirit realized it with a blanch the moment that the silver light sparked in the Sygnus’ eyes.

“Home?” Lucci flourished the long slender sword in one fist. It gave off a cold and victorious light, feeding into the mists. Into the chill that surrounded the silver-haired young man. “Home? In case you didn’t notice, there is no home to go back to. The Islands have fallen! Wyndor will be next! There will be nowhere to go to! This has got to be stopped!”

Without further words, the Sygnus wheeled around and began to storm up the stairs once more. The structure that loomed before him was tall, tilted to one side and cracked up and down its length. It was what was left of the once-great Spire of Nefol. But now that the Inner Realms had completely fallen under the sway of Zeromus’ taint and darkness, there was little left of the former beauty and light of the land.

If he was nervous about what he knew was coming, Lucci didn’t show it. He simply gripped the long dark blade in one hand. With the other hand he adjusted the shoulder of his light armor… which he had pieced together from plates that belonged to people three sizes smaller than him.

Not as if that matters now. I doubt I’m going to be walking away from this fight.

Zeromus.

He was the cause of every pain, darkness and death that the Sygnus had known. Time after time. Battle after battle. Little by little… the dark, ruthless force had chipped away at the last of the light, held within the people of the Dreigiau. And now, with Ceiswyr gone, hope had plummeted, just like the Islands from the sky.

But now that I have this sword… I can defeat him. Whether or not he really is my…

All of his life, Lucci had been treated as the Bane. The one that would tear the world he loved apart. Because he was a Sygnus — a child of the heavens and the earth. Possessing unknown powers, wrapped in the cold child of death itself. And because his father was said to be Zeromus, the Hatred.

But none of that mattered now. Whether or not the people of Ceiswyr believed in him. Whether or not he had any chance against the shadow that was so much greater than him. He was going to fight it. Just like he promised Lord Zemi he would.

And maybe then… they’ll like me.

The way ahead was blocked at the top of the stairs. But this did not concern Lucci. The huge doors crashed inwards at a flick of his hand. The rock cracked and crumpled into a pile on the other side of the doorway as if it was nothing more than brittled bread. He stepped over it, his tall black boots crushing down on the rubble as if he bore an immense and invisible weight.

Kaz had stopped, frozen on the other side of the doorway. Lucci didn’t say anything, but he could feel the lack of his guide behind him. In response to his thoughts, an answer came, low and sad.

“I am not strong enough to enter Zeromus’ Keep. This is as far as I can go, Lucci-boy,” the spirit intoned with a heavy sound. Unshed tears glittered in his eyes… if such a thing could really exist within one that had passed into the Mists.

“Thank you for everything, Kaz,” the young Sygnus paused. He looked back a last time, wishing he had not. The sight of tears was almost too much for him. Almost enough to make the child he once was want to rush back and embrace his old friend. Steeling his emotions, he pursed his lips instead. “I won’t forget…”

Lucci could hear the sound of Kaz’s weeping as he turned away again, “I won’t forget you… either… Lucci-boy…”

As he walked, the anguished sound was soon swallowed up within the pressing darkness that surrounded him. The only light was the swirling of the silver mists and the dim glow that trickled from his wings. Even that seemed to struggle to remain. Breath also came hard in the depths of the Spire, as the very air there was too tainted and decayed to breathe.

The young Sygnus couldn’t see where his steps were leading him. All he had was the depths of his senses. The overwhelming knowledge of where his enemy, his father, was.

If Zeromus could be called a father at all.

I was nothing to him… nothing but a weapon.

Lucci sucked in a long breath, pausing as a shaft of light appeared somewhere in the distance. The first thing that he had seen since entering the structure.

A low hiss echoed across the darkness of the chamber. In the lone shaft of light, Lucci could see the hunched forms of shadows loping towards him. Only the slightest glimmer of black eyes, then they were gone. The room was filled with the sound of animalistic hisses and half screeches.

The Marked! They weren’t supposed to be here! I thought they’d all be in the Spiral!

The creatures of Zeromus were awake and on the prowl. Though usually the Marked were very little challenge for him – in fact, they were often too scared of Lucci to even attack him – these advanced with a particularly aggressive air.

There’s a lot of them… this could be a problem.

Claws and fangs gleamed sharply as they paced just on the fringe of the shrinking cloud of mist around the Sygnus’ feet. What had once been whole and healthy creatures… people… animals… were now nothing but decayed, mindless husks of their former life.

I should have known Zeromus wouldn’t leave himself unguarded.

Lucci had fought his share of Marked … but now he was on Zeromus’ turf where these creatures were fed directly with the dark power. And Marked were notorious for inhuman strength and speed.

I wonder if they’ll attack. And if they do… can I beat them?

The stench of decay grew too overwhelming for Lucci to bear. He drew his collar up over his nose, backing away slowly, his blade held tightly in his other hand. His silver eyes darted around, looking for anything he could use to his advantage. But there was nothing. Nothing but darkness and the wicked things that grew there.

The Marked began to fret and hiss as he moved. Some lashed at his feet with black dripping claws, reeling back as the silver mists turned away their strikes. They shrieked from it, like a creature scathed. And began to strike more fiercely at the offending mist, advancing closer and closer towards Lucci.

Suddenly, a tremendous, soul-freezing sound shattered the air. A large winged shadow swept out from walls of darkness, alighting deftly in the center of the streaming light. Another shriek erupted from its mouth as it raised a flashing, black-bladed scythe over its head. A weapon that was all too familiar to the young Sygnus.

“M…Master… TsuYa?” Lucci staggered back at the sight. For the first time, real fear began to break through his façade of bravery.

The rest of the Marked scattered at the sound of the great shriek, commanded back to their darkness once again. It was obvious that the winged Champion held a lot of power over the lesser creatures. Once the other Marked were gone, the vicious black eyes focused on Lucci. The young Sygnus recoiled more — this creature was hardly like the Master TsuYa he remembered.

Last time I saw him… he was Marked but…

The winged Marked was far larger than Lucci remembered, wrapped in the drape of cloth that had been torn and shredded where his form had out-grown it in places. His skin was a dead grey color and mottled with seething gashes of ooze where many thick black spikes had erupted through his flesh. His hair was also dark, except for the one shock of white that fell across his brow and partly obscured his face. Wide wings of black spread from his shoulders, dripping in decay.

Lucci’s stomach twisted in revulsion and grief. One of the things he had hoped to do by facing Zeromus was to free his former teacher from the curse of the Marked.

But maybe… I’m too late now.

“Put the sword down, boy,” TsuYa’s lips curled back, a showing of fangs. His clawed hands gripped the scythe in warning.

Lucci suddenly realized that he was holding his own weapon ready, as if to take on the Marked Champion. Just as quickly, he dropped the point, shivering to think what might happen should he go head to head with Master TsuYa’s battle prowess.

“That’s better.”

“You can still… talk?”

Another snarl, “Of course I can.”

“Master TsuYa, I–”

“That’s not my name anymore,” a low growl erupted from behind black eyes.

Lucci took a step back in surprise. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. Afterall, if he wasn’t supposed to call Master TsuYa by his own name, he didn’t know what to call him.

“Nevermind,” the Champion gave a snuff, grounding the butt of his scythe by his boot. “Follow me. Master Zeromus is expecting you.”

“You mean… you’re going to take me to him?” the Sygnus asked.

“Those were my orders.”

“Oh?” Lucci said, feeling the prickle of unease over his skin.

But before he could ask any more questions, Master TsuYa was already on the move, heading towards the single dark outline of an arched doorway ahead. The Sygnus followed quickly, not wanting to be left behind when the other Marked crept out once again.

Unlike the previous chambers, this one was alight with an eerie silver glow. A familiar sort of light – the kind that Lucci always saw in the mists around him. Only, this silver didn’t belong to him. Or the mists. It was something else. And as he stepped inside, he could see that the glow was contained in a large glass-like globe.

But Zeromus was nowhere to be found.

“What is this?” the Sygnus asked, turning towards the Champion.

The way that the silver reflected off of Master TsuYa’s hollow eyes was unnerving. Just as unnerving as the silence. The winged Marked said nothing. He simply back-stepped out of the room. Before Lucci could argue, the arched doorway shut with a thunderous sound, leaving no spot in the wall that showed there had ever been a door before.

“WAIT!” Lucci shouted, fear beginning to bubble up within him. He pounded on the wall with one fist. But it was closed solid. “Master TsuYa! Don’t leave me here!”

There was nothing but silence as his answer.

Maybe there’s another way out…

Lucci peered around the strange chamber cautiously. His limbs felt suspended and his motions, even walking, odd and under-watery. Light seemed to flicker through draping veils of various color from above, casting skittering shadows upon the wall. The floor under his feet, looking to have once been polished to a shine, was far too grimy now to give up his reflection.

The humid stench of death and long-rot draped over the room, seeping into his pores. Death of a very violent nature. Long, stiff figures lay crumpled against the far wall, some seeping dark pools that charted rivers across the grimy floor. Faceless, they were covered in long white squares of cloth, bearing the splattered remembrance of once-living things.

Why does this place feel so familiar…?

In the center of the room was a display of technological wonder. Everything about it was eerily alien — a strange spiral of life tangled within death. The structure emanated a pale, ghostly light as if infused by the lost souls of the pooling figures on the far side of the chamber.

Why do I think that I’ve been here before?

“Because,” a distant voice rose to greet him. A voice that he knew without knowing. “This was the place where you came into existence, LuShi.”

The Sygnus turned quickly, gripping his sword more tightly. “Zeromus.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Come out and show yourself!” Lucci grounded his teeth, turning around again. There was no sight of the bearer of the voice.

“My son… Are you so ready to take this step without knowing all there is to know?”

He shook his head, “I’ve seen enough. I know enough. And I’m not your son!”

“You can deny many things about yourself, child. But you cannot deny that,” the voice chuckled softly. It was so calm. Bearing so little ill will.

But Lucci knew it had to be a trick. “I’m here to put an end to this. You’ve taken… you’ve killed… too many people!”

“And you think you have not?” came the ripple of an answer.

The Sygnus grew stiff, a cold feeling bottoming at the pit of his stomach. When he answered, it was with slow words, “No. I’ve never killed anyone.”

“Are you sure, LuShi?”

“Yes! I’m sure! I’ve never hurt anyone! I’ve never killed anyone! Nothing except for your Marked… but they’re already dead,” he replied, becoming a bit more frantic.

“Ahh… but that is where you are unaware.”

“Unware?”

“Unaware of yourself. What you are. And what was done to create you.”

Part of Lucci reeled back in revulsion. Did he want to know? For knowing, once unlocked, could never be taken back. Everything he had ever learned in life had only stolen away the innocence that had brought him happiness.

Yet…

It was too tempting. There were so many questions he had. So many things he wanted to know.

“I have brought you here to give you a gift, my son,” the voice was coaxing. Almost warm. Almost fatherly.

And much to his dismay, something within Lucci responded to that voice. Something that he found he had very little control over.

“You see… you may not have killed anyone by your own hand, child. But hundreds upon hundreds died to bring about your creation,” the words intoned, burning into his mind. “To feed your soul and give it awareness… to bind you to the world of the Mists. Where death is your power… and your one hungry desire.”

Lucci began to shake.

People… died?  He killed people… to create me?

“Yes… I know you’ve felt it, LuShi. You can’t escape what you were born to become. Already, it’s begun. The wings are just the start,” the voice told him gently. “You’ve fought and fought to be like them. And all they will ever do is reject you. Because you are so much more… you are the embodiment of all that the living fear.”

“No…” his voice cracked with pain. The pain of realization. That what Zeromus said was true. As much as he hated it. It was all true.

I wasn’t born. I was made.

His eyes lifted, darkened by the churning shadows that drew nearer and nearer. That crowded his mind. Twisted his thought.

And I was made with this curse. This curse powered by death…

The strange silver light held within the globe in the center of the room churned in time to the darkness outside. And he felt strangely compelled to walk towards it. One hand reached up, towards the calling light.

I was made to become exactly what he wanted me to be — the Bane.

“That’s right… here is your gift, my son,” the voice urged him. “Take it. Receive your real wings.”

Real wings? But I already have…

Lucci withdrew his hand quickly. But it was a moment too late. Cracks had already formed along the side of the globe – the silver light was compelled to move towards Lucci just as much as he was to it. That’s when he realized that locked within were the spirits of all those who had been destroyed in order to create him.

“NO!” he pulled back with a sharp breath.

But the orb shattered, sending a spray of glass across the room. Shards slashed into his flesh, but Lucci did not feel it. The only thing he could see was the churning silver light as it rose up over him like a cresting wave. As it crashed down on him, he could feel an immense power rush through his limbs, lifting him up, even as a cry of despair rang from his lips.

He was losing himself.

Fragments.

He saw hundreds of lives flash before his eyes.

Joy. Sorrow. Discovery. Loss. All of it drew into him.

All of it filled every inch of him, squeezing him from inside until he felt like he would burst. Squeezing him until all that was himself could no longer be told apart from that which was so many others.

Burning.

And when he looked into the last remaining crest of glass, where the round orb once stood, he saw a reflection that he did not recognize. Blood streaks. Long, ragged silver hair. A dark sword in one hand. And the large arcs of silver wings rising from his back.

But, no matter how intently he looked, he could not remember his name.

A soft voice rose up, tickling the back of his mind. He thought he should know it.

He thought that there was something about the voice that was important. Perhaps it was the reason he was standing there in that strange room to begin with?

But none of that mattered as he listened with new delight. For the voice was offering him something he had lost — his name.

“Luccious. My son… you have come back to me.”

There was no breath left in his lungs. His vision blurred and shifted, the world growing dim around him.

The sky behind Lucci was filled with smoke, even though he knew that the fires in the city had been doused. The air was thick with the smells of ashes and blood… and his mind was clouded with the pounding of emotion that choked every inch of the city.

Lucci had fled it all, running blindly into the night. He didn’t know where he was going. He didn’t know if there would be Esgyll or Marked ahead or behind. He didn’t know if people would be chasing him… or if they would be glad to see him leave. The only thing he knew was that he couldn’t stay there.

I didn’t do it!

Not with the words of Master ZenToYa’s accusations ringing sharply in his ears. Not with the memory of the pale, blood-streaked face of Aunt SaRa burned into his mind.

I didn’t hurt her!

The world reeled and jolted around him as the Mists twisted the reality around and wove it into something frightening and haunted. The Spiral was a place where much blood had been spilt. His battle against the Esgyll had roused the lost spirits, those murdered and slain with no justice to their unknown names. Relentlessly They pursued him, their maddening howls filling his mind until there were no thoughts of his own left.

Be quiet!

Only their memories. Memories of battles. Of death. Of loss. Of being forgotten.

BE QUIET!!

Lucci felt himself stumbling… falling… landing on his hands and knees. The Mists swirled around him, predatory, feeding off of his weakness. Taunting him for thinking that he had the power to command the realms of the unliving.

LEAVE ME ALONE!

He clutched his head, hunched over in pain. His body felt so cold. His limbs were growing numb. He couldn’t feel his hands where they clamped over his ears. Everywhere the world had grown white with the consuming waves of Mist. Perhaps now… it had come to claim him, as well.

From the depths of nothingness, a voice called his name. Reaching. Something reaching for him. Trying to pull him back from the suffocating white.

“Lucci-boy… what have you done? Why are you here?”

A hand on his shoulder. Solid, yet not. And strangely warm.

“Kaz…” Lucci choked, feeling his body shivering. “Kaz… I think I’m dying…”

“No, Lucci! Don’t talk that way!” the voice became somewhat frantic. “You have to come back… you’re straying too far into the Mists!”

“I don’t know how to come back!” his voice came as a rasping hiss.

There was no breath left in his lungs. His vision blurred and shifted, the world growing dim around him. But as his senses failed him, as the world of the living passed further and further from his reach, he felt something growing within. A haunted and dark power… the power that had given him the ability to destroy the beastly Esgyll back in the Spiral square.

It filled his mind with Their knowledge. Filled his body with Their strength. It became a part of him… until he didn’t know where They ended and he began. Until he was no longer what he was before.

A blinding silver flash filled his sight. The earth reeled under his palms as his senses cleared. Sharpening. Finding an understanding between the blurred lines of the two worlds. The living and the passed. The Mists churned as he slowly rose to his feet… eyes taking in the vision anew. Breathing in the battle-heavy air.

Kaz was standing only a few feet away, a stricken look on his scruffy face. Something about him seemed different, too. More substantial. More real. Even Lucci wouldn’t have known that Kaz was a spirit on first glance.

“L-Lucci..!” Kaz stammered a bit. He lifted a hand and pointed. “Wings!”

“What..?”

For the first time, Lucci turned to look over his shoulder. Much to his surprise, he saw two great silver wings rising up to arch above his head. They felt almost weightless, which was the reason he didn’t know they were there before Kaz alerted him. But how they had appeared, he didn’t know.

Did I Awaken..? Is that possible?

Kaz’s mouth was wide open, only one word escaping his lips, “Sygnus…”

Sygnus..?

Lucci stretched his wings, staring up at them in silent awe. They moved at his command, just like any other part of his body would. But it was so unreal to him.

Does that mean that I’m…

The sense of wonder vanished instantly as he realized what wings would signify to everyone else. To them… wings were an Awakening. Something to be celebrated. But for him, wings marked him as Sygnus. A Sygnus who had come into his potential. With all the danger and catastrophe that a Sygnus would bring.

I’m the Bane?

With that thought, panic filled him.

“Kaz..!” Lucci’s eyes turned back to his friend — pleading for him to try to understand.

The spirit had been with him from the very beginning, when the Mists had first come. And though Lucci didn’t know who he was or why he was helping… the young Sygnus needed Kaz’s friendship more than anything else right at that moment.

Kaz blinked at Lucci slowly, the tips of his long ears quivering.

“Don’t run away…!” the young Sygnus begged.

“I… don’t think I could if I wanted to,” the Spirit answered spreading his hands. “We’re somewhat connected, I believe.”

“Do you… want to run away?”

“Not really,” Kaz answered. “Do you?”

Lucci looked back at the blot of smoke on the horizon. He hadn’t realized how far away from the Spiral he had run.

“I can’t go back there,” the young Sygnus said, voice cracking. “They think I did something terrible to Aunt SaRa. And I didn’t! If they see my wings… if they see I’ve become Sygnus… then there will be nothing I can say that will make them believe that I’m innocent.”

“Do you really think so?” Kaz looked concerned. “Not even your friends?”

Lucci shook his head. Though his senses were clear, his thoughts and memories were still muddled. “I don’t know who my friends are anymore. I don’t know about anyone except for you… and Suzume.”

“Then maybe we should go back and try to talk to Suzume. She might be able to talk to Zeni… or Zemi… or…”

“No!” the young Sygnus snapped, more than he meant to. Pausing, he looked down with an apologetic face. “Sorry… I… I’m not sure if I want them to know about this. Especially the Arweinydd.”

“What..? Why?”

“Because they’ll be threatened by a Sygnus. I don’t know if even Lord Zemi will accept me back like this,” Lucci hung his head slowly. Fear and solitude began to well up in his chest as he realized what he would be losing.

“Do you really believe that?” Kaz asked with a soft voice.

The young Sygnus shook his head again and began to walk, heading away from the Spiral.

“Lucci?!” the spirit called after him. Then he began to follow.

“What are you doing..?” Lucci murmured under his breath.

“I’m coming with you,” Kaz answered.

“You can’t.”

“I have to?” he shrugged, falling in step beside the young Sygnus. “It’s your power that gives me a form here. Without you, it’s back to the Mist I go!”

Lucci sucked on his bottom lip thoughtfully, “I guess that’s true.”

“Then that means I’m invited?” Kaz’s voice was cheerfully hopeful.

It almost made Lucci smile… just a little. “Yes… you can be invited.”

“Wonderful!” the spirit exclaimed, doing a little dance right on the spot.

“You’re just doing that to try and cheer me up… aren’t you?”

“Is it working?” Kaz asked with an arched eyebrow and a warm grin.

Not wanting to hurt the spirit’s feelings, Lucci gave a short nod.

“There you go! I see that smile! It’s going to be like old times, Lucci. Back when we used to travel together?” Kaz told him, shaking the young Sygnus’ shoulder around a bit. “We can have some fun. See the sights… and then maybe when people have had some time to get their wits about them, we can figure out how to straighten out this situation.”

Lucci glanced over quickly, “Do you think… we can? Even if I have wings?”

“I believe that anything is possible, Lucci-boy. So let’s not give up,” the spirit answered.

The young Sygnus just blinked at him thoughtfully.

“Okay?”

“Sure, Kaz?” Lucci smiled a little more.

“So… where are we going?” Kaz asked, folding his hands behind his head.

“I… haven’t thought about it yet, but…” the young Sygnus stopped, peering out from between the thinning trees.

There before him stretched the wide yawning mouth of the Dragon’s Cleft. It was silent there now, with the Marked armies having moved on and no Spiral warriors in sight. The fog lifted from within the crevice, no longer shadowy as it was the last time that Lucci had seen it.

That’s when a thought came to him.

Lucci looked at the Cleft. Then he looked back at his wings. Then he looked at the Cleft again. And he looked down at his sword.

There was nothing to keep him from making his way across the Cleft now. Not with wings. Not with his sword in hand. And with the Marked army having moved into the Spiral and beyond, Zerom might very well be somewhat alone somewhere in the depths of Nefol.

There would not be a better time to try to strike at him than now.

And if I go in and defeat Zerom… then, maybe, people will like me. Even if I do have wings.

Lucci’s hand tightened on the grip of his blade. His eyes narrowed slowly as he glanced over at Kaz. “We’re going to the Inner Realms. Back to Nefol.”

“Tell me a little bit more about what’s wrong… maybe I can help you.”

“Sooooooooooo what are you? The King of the Spiral?” Oren beamed his trademark grin as he hooked a friendly arm around Aur’s shoulders.

JouKa winced a little. It was not the sort of thing that one randomly did to the Watcher from the Time Before. Luckily, Aur didn’t appear to be annoyed by it — or maybe he was and he just wasn’t showing it. It was so hard to tell with Aur most of the time.

“What makes you ask that?” Aur glanced over at the red haired man with quiet, hooded eyes.

“Well, you know? Lion? King?” Oren waved his free hand around. “And just the fact that your face is practically plastered all over the banners around here. So what’s the deal?”

“Oren…” JouKa sighed softly.

“What? It’s just a question,” he arched his eyebrows in response. It was that sort of hey-don’t-look-at-me innocent expression that had started to drive her nuts the better she got to know him.

By definition, Oren was the embodiment of blamelessness. Or so he seemed to believe.

“I am simply the diplomatic overseer of the Spiral, acting on Zemi’s behalf. That is all,” Aur answered.

“Suuure,” the red haired man laughed, flopping down in the big cushy chair nearby. “That’s why they’ve got you decked out in a place like this.”

“I cannot help it if the people of the Spiral wish to make more of me than I am,” the Watcher intoned quietly.

“Someone should give this guy an award for modesty,” Oren just grinned. Then he leaned with one elbow on the previously spotless table top. “What do you think, Jou?”

“I think… that I’ve told ya not to call me that,” she huffed, turning her head with a flutter of wings.

“Come on! I know you like it,” he responded, leaning even closer.

JouKa gave him a slight shove back. “Just who do ya think ya are?”

Oren just laughed all the more. His grin had turned teasing in what JouKa called “his uncultured and brutish way.”  But no matter what names she called him, it didn’t faze him one bit.

A slight smile touched Aur’s lips as he began to pace slowly in front of the large windows. A subtle interest shown in the way his golden eyes kept straying to watch their interactions.

Whether it was an act on Oren’s part was hard to tell. JouKa knew that he could be just as gentlemanly as he could be uncouth — it all really depended on what he deemed appropriate, she had learned. Maybe it was because he reminded her of the people she had grown up with in the Gathering, but something about his company was comforting in the midst of all the turmoil and breakdown. Though JouKa would never admit it out loud, she didn’t know what she would have done without Oren’s good natured bantering and optimistic outlook to keep her moving forward.

I just don’t know ‘ow ‘e does it.

As was the way of the people of the land, Oren appeared to have a lot of confidence, even at a time when darkness was closing in on every side. When JouKa’s own spirits were crushed, he wasn’t content to let her sink in her sorrow. Though it had been very difficult as of late.

I didn’t know ‘ow much it would hurt…

KoGuRai’s death at TsuYa’s hands. It was something that played in her mind over and over and over again. Her thoughts were haunted with the idea that maybe there was something she could have done to stop it. If she had intercepted, somehow, maybe the fight would have never happened. And if the fight would have never happened, maybe KoGuRai would still be alive. And TsuYa wouldn’t have become the next Marked Champion.

But instead, her worst nightmares had come true, right before her eyes. They were both gone, both far out of her reach. And nothing she could do would save either of them now.

I don’t understand why… terrible things ‘ad to ‘appen. They were both good guys once you got to know them. Neither of them deserved this.

“Hey. You’re thinking again,” Oren’s large hand cupped around hers. She realized she had been wringing her hands again, an all too obvious sign to him that she was worried.

“Yeah… well… you don’t think enough,” JouKa attempted a weak retort.

“No one’s ever accused me of having half a brain,” he smiled, trying to keep things light.

JouKa didn’t feel like smiling. But she did anyways. For him.

They’ve taken good care of me. Oren… and Aur…

The golden haired Watcher glanced her way as if sensing her thoughts.

I know I’m very lucky to ‘ave them.

That’s when Aur’s deep voice rumbled, “We are going to have visitors soon.”

“How do you know?” Oren asked, leaning back in the big chair, one eye squinting.

The Watcher just gave him a long, silent look.

“Alright, alright,” the red haired warrior waved his hands. Then he turned to JouKa and teasingly informed her, “We’re going to have visitors soon.”

JouKa almost snorted through her nose at his randomness. Instead, she just pushed Oren away again.

It didn’t take very long before there was a knock at the door, just as Aur had predicted. The Watcher rose to answer it, a polite exchange of words made through the doorway. When Aur stepped back into the room, Lord Zemi Dreigiau and his Dragon warrior, Kudako, followed.

JouKa rose to her feet at, giving a quick curtsey, “Lord Zemi!”

“Oooooh,” came Oren’s long, thoughtful sound. “THE Lord Zemi?”

The Arweinydd arched his eyebrow, hands folded behind his back. The Dragon warrior behind him appeared to be bored.

“Oren!” JouKa hissed over her shoulder. “Of course it’s THE Lord Zemi!”

“Of course! Forgive me, M’lord,” Oren echoed with a nervous laugh as he got to his feet and attempted a respectful bow.

The Dreigiau simply waved one dismissing hand as he took a seat, “No worries. Just relax.”

Kudako, however, looked less than relaxed. The Dragon shadowed the Arweinydd, standing sternly behind his seat with glittering, unblinking eyes.

“I’m glad to see you up and about, Lord Zemi,” Aur offered, sitting calmly across from the Dreigiau. “I had heard there were some… difficulties…”

“A few. But I’m working on it,” Lord Zemi answered.

“I knew you would,” the Watcher nodded. Then with a lift of his chin, he inquired, “What is it that you need from me, M’lord?”

“A little less formality, for one,” the Arweinydd grinned, the hint of fangs showing.

Aur sighed quietly.

Oren gave a little laugh, murmuring under his breath, “I think I like this guy.”

Before JouKa could chide, Lord Zemi flicked a bit of a grin at the red haired man. “An Outlander?”

“Yes Sir,” the warrior grinned back. “The name’s Oren. 100% Outlander. At your service, Lord Dragon.”

“It’s good to meet you, Oren,” the Arweinydd nodded. “It’s been a while since I’ve had contact with your people. But they always know how to show good hospitality.”

“That we do, M’lord,” Oren pumped one fist with a proud look.

Kudako cleared his throat in a not-so-subtle hint that there were more important things to be addressing at the moment. As if somewhat reluctant, Lord Zemi nodded and leaned forward, templing his fingers together.

“I don’t exactly know how to start this,” the Dreigiau said, eyes resting on his Watcher. “Other than to say that a spirit’s voice told me to seek you out for guidance.”

“Spirit’s voice?” Aur pursed his lips with a heavy brow.

“One of the spirits that have taken up residence around Lucci,” Lord Zemi explained. “Apparently, this one has befriended the boy… Lucci’s even given him the name of Kaz.”

Suddenly, the Watcher visibly stiffened. For one so emotionless, it was a serious over reaction.

Lord Zemi must have noticed as well because he asked, “Is that… someone you know? The spirit claims to be from the Time Before.”

Aur’s golden eyes took a long, hard look at the Arweinydd before he answered evasively, “I knew a lot of beings from the Time Before.”

Oren exchanged a curious look with JouKa, but had enough sense to keep his mouth shut.

“I see,” It was obvious that Lord Zemi wanted more information, but when the Watcher didn’t offer further words, the Dreigiau didn’t push the issue.

“Why did this spirit voice tell you to come to me?” Aur asked instead.

“Because, I…” the Arweinydd stopped dead, glancing at Oren and JouKa. Something akin to embarrassment hung over his face.

“Because you…?” the Watcher prodded gently.

“Because something’s wrong,” Lord Zemi blurted quickly.

“With?”

The teal eyes flickered towards them again, then focused on something outside the window, “Me.”

Aur’s voice was level and calm, “Now, was that so hard to admit?”

Lord Zemi ground his teeth for a moment. Then he answered, “Yeeaaaah…”

“Alright,” the Watcher leaned back in his chair. “Tell me a little bit more about what’s wrong… maybe I can help you.”

“It might have something to do with Chaos,” the Dreigiau began. At the word ‘Chaos,’ he stopped and quickly backtracked, “Not that I’m going Chaotic or anything like that. I just think that maybe…”

Aur’s golden eyes were focused on the struggling Arweinydd. He nodded gently over and over and over again, with an encouraging arch to his eyebrow.

“I think that maybe something happened to me when I faced Zerom. Something happened when Ceiswyr fell,” Lord Zemi finally said, biting the words off as if each one was something foul tasting in his mouth. “And I haven’t been able to… take…”

“Take…?”

“…Take… my Dragon form… ever since the Islands fell,” the Arweinydd’s gaze lowered.

JouKa’s mouth opened slightly. She didn’t mean for Lord Zemi to hear her sound of surprise and concern. But he must have, for he shot glance in her direction, teal eyes glimmering with shame.

“I’m sorry,” the Dreigiau intoned quietly. “I know the last thing anyone needs to hear is how you all have a gimped Patron now.”

Something stirred in her chest at his disheartened half-droop. Never had she seen the Lord Zemi Dreigiau so open and honest… almost Earthian. And though she was bad at the sympathy thing, the winged girl felt like she needed to say something. Anything.

“No, Lord Zemi. It’s not… like that at all,” JouKa told him.

“No?” he asked.

“No,” she shook her head. “When I was an outcast of my own peoples, ya brought me to your Islands and gave me a place to be. Maybe at first, I didn’t really think that I fit in there. It was kinda ‘ard. But now that it’s gone, I realize what a special place ya made for everyone. And I know ya fought as ‘ard as ya could to keep it safe. I don’t think there’s anything ya could do to make me think lesser of ya, Lord Zemi.”

The Arweinydd stared at her for a moment, too surprised to reply.

Kudako, however, found words for him, “Thank you.”

“Huh?” JouKa frowned.

“I’ve been trying to tell him that. But he will not listen to my reasoning. Maybe he will listen to yours,” the Dragon warrior grunted.

Lord Zemi just sighed, appealing to the Watcher once again, “So… that’s what I mean when I say something is wrong. Do you have any ideas?”

Aur tapped his chin with one finger before nodding slowly. “It sounds like you’ve lost your unification.”

The Arweinydd’s head jerked up, “That’s a lot like what the spirit voice said, too.”

“I’m sure he did, Lord Zemi,” the golden haired man simply agreed.

“And so… how do I get this unification thing back?”

“Usually imbalances like this are restored in their own time,” Aur answered. “But in the case of Chaos having some effect, you may need to find outside assistance. Something to help you balance out your energies of Creation.”

Oren gave a soft whistle, “This is waaaay over my head.”

“Don’t worry… me, too,” JouKa whispered.

“Me three,” Lord Zemi added, much to her surprise. He leaned forward with a slight grin. “Aur, this all sounds great. Don’t get me wrong. But I don’t know the first place to go looking for something to help balance out Creation. Is that like… a little walk-in hair salon or a downtown pub on the corner? Let’s call it Clyde’s Creation and More!”

The Watcher didn’t look amused. “I’m being serious, Lord Zemi.”

“So am I,” the Arweinydd spread his hands. “Throw me a line here. I’m sinking.”

“I would suggest that you start by finding sources of power that date back to the Time Before,” Aur answered gravely. “You know as well as I do that there are still many of them here upon this world.”

“That’s true…” the Dreigiau poked his finger in the air repeatedly. “That’s very, very true. In fact, if I remember correctly, the Spiral is one of the areas known for housing strange phenomenon. Like giant golden lions that came from the Time Before.”

The Watcher frowned all the more, “Yes. However, the pocket of energy that once sustained me was drying up. By now, it is probably nonexistent.”

“Where there is one pocket, maybe there are more nearby,” Lord Zemi debated.

“Perhaps, but do we have time to entertain notions without facts to back them up?” Aur asked.

Before the Arweinydd could answer, Kudako interjected, “It is not just a notion.”

“Hrm?”

The Dragon warrior pursed his lips stoically. Then he continued, “There were old stories when I was young… about the energies deep within the earth that powered the Spiral. Stories about why our home was founded here, of all places. Why the trees have taken such an unusual coloration. So many other stories that point to unnatural causes within these lands. But these are things that only the Clan Leaders of old really knew about and could confirm.”

“Which means?” Lord Zemi asked, leaning forward in anticipation.

“That I do not believe anyone here and now knows these old secrets anymore. The Clan Leaders were killed off when the Arms Master took control of the Spiral,” Kudako’s voice was low and grave.

“Perhaps… not… all of them,” Aur answered unexpectedly.

All eyes turned questioningly towards the golden eyed Watcher.

"I... failed them..." Zemi heard himself say.

Why… is everything so fuzzy?

Something appeared to be wrong with his vision portals, though Zemi didn’t know exactly what the issue was. In fact, he didn’t even know where he was. Why he was there. And why the world was so white and floaty.

The sensation wasn’t painful or really that undesirable. His physical weight seemed nonexistent – something that he would need to tweak again later. His vision wasn’t projecting correctly. His audio was muted and dim. And his train of thought – when did he get one of those?! – was functioning far slower than it had a right to.

That’s the problem with these physical forms. Always requiring so much maintenance.

A nagging in the back of his mind told him that something had happened to cause this failure in his so finely-researched and well-crafted Earthian form. Only, he couldn’t remember exactly what the experience had been. So he decided that it must not have been that important.

Failure? Impossible. Zemi Dreigiau does not fail!

But every time he told himself that, the nagging returned. Oh, yes. Zemi Dreigiau had failed. And he had failed in the worst way possible.

You’re going to have to work a little harder if you want me to believe that.

And so the thought would recede, fading off into the distant haze. Until Zemi began to wonder once again why everything was so fuzzy.

He might have spent a small eternity pondering these questions if the voice had not come to him. At first, Zemi thought it had to be a trick of his malfunctioning audio receptors. For whatever strange sort of state he was in, it was not possible for any other willful presence to push its way into his awareness. Arweinydd were not the same as Earthians, after all. They didn’t have the same visual and aural mind activity… dreams… open consciousness… All the things that it took to tap in and create the sensation of mind speak and physical illus-

“Zemi!” the voice sounded again, this time more insistent.

“Augh!” the Dreigiau responded. “You aren’t real! Be gone!”

“I most certainly am real, boy,” the voice retorted hotly. Then it even forced a visual appearance to take shape right there. Though the form was wavery, like a reflection in a rippling pool, Zemi could make out the image of a man. Appearing there. Impossibly in his non-existent Earthian-like mental imagery.

“How did you do that?” Zemi grit his teeth, taking a step back.

“The same way you just did,” the form lifted one hand to point.

That’s when Zemi realized that somehow, he too, had imposed a physical representation of himself as a mental image within his own-

“Will you please stop trying to make sense of this? The how is not important, Zemi. You need to be focusing on the why,” the voice told him, becoming a bit more gentle.

“The why?” the Dreigiau asked, busy waving his hand in front of his face. It looked and felt solid enough for a visual representation of– He forced himself to refocus on the voice’s words, “They why what?”

“Not what. Just why,” came the answer.

“What?” Zemi was now thoroughly lost.

The voice sighed, holding up both hands. “Okay. Let’s try this again. From the start.”

“Alright…” Zemi answered, half attentive. He toed at the ground with one boot, curious about the manifestation of clothing and how he could possibly have physical contact with a floor-like structure that did not appear to have any visual-

“Zemi!”

“Huh?”

“You’re particling!” the voice informed him in a deeply worried tone.

“I’m what?”

“Particling,” he repeated. “Losing your physical form… returning to your origins of light.”

“I am?” Zemi looked down at his hands. They seemed just fine to him.

“Not here,” the voice sighed, motioning with one hand. “Out there. In the world of Awareness.”

“I’m not sure I understand,” the Dreigiau admitted slowly. His tone had grown more grim… there was something in the way that this strange being spoke that seemed very serious.

“Zemi… things have happened. Bad things,” came the quiet, concerned reply. “And somehow, in the mix of it all, you’re getting all separated.”

“Separated?”

“Your essence. Your awareness. They’re breaking apart from each other. You’re losing your connection to the physical world,” the voice explained. “If you don’t do something to stop it, you will return to what you were before — the Light without Knowing. And all that you have made… everyone who is counting on you… all of that will fade away.”

A sharp jolt cracked through the foggy white of his mind. As the words rang in his mind, memories suddenly bubbled up, carrying with them flickers of images. Dark images.

Himself. A Dragon. Flying into Zerom’s Chaos. With the tiny form of AsaHi on his back.

AsaHi… she…

Awakening. Her wings spread wide. Her struggle to save them as they fell.

As Ceiswyr fell. Raining like tears around them.

No! That couldn’t… it didn’t…

The pain of his people crying out to him. Feeling their spirits flicker and fade within his mind.

So many lost. So little I could do.

TsuYa’s Marked transformation. How they had lost the one that had meant so much to Zento.

Zerom’s triumph.

Zemi Dreigiau‘s defeat.

“It’s not over yet,” the voice broke in, fighting to overpower the sorrowful memories. Fighting to be heard above the Arweinydd’s grief.

“I… failed them…” Zemi heard himself say. His own voice sounded unreal to his ears. The words were even more unreal.

Zemi Dreigiau… does not… fail…

“No. You haven’t,” a soft wavering hand was on his shoulder. “Zemi, listen to me. I need you to hear me out.”

It was hard to hear anything. Everything was becoming more and more blurry. Shifting around him like a vast ocean of regret and defeat. Pounding within his mind. Tearing him down from inside out.

“ZEMI!” came the frantic shout. “Don’t leave them! They need you!”

No… they don’t…

“Yes! They do!” the voice argued. “Ceiswyr may be gone. There may have been people lost. But there are still a lot of people left alive! And those people need their Patron! Zerom and his Marked are sitting on the other side of that Cleft just sniffing for a way to get across. If you leave them now, then Zerom will win! He will take everything. And there will not be a single light left in this world that can stand up to that kind of Chaos!”

Zemi focused on the words… they had become clearer once more.

“But… I can’t fight it either…” the Dreigiau spoke slowly. “I can’t strike at him for fear of falling to the Chaos myself. All I have been able to do is struggle to defend… and fall back as his power grows. How can I… an Arweinydd… fight another of my own kind?”

“Zemi,” the voice was soft again. A reassuring touch on his shoulder. “There is more to you than you may realize.”

The Arweinydd glanced up with a quizzical look.

“You have so much power… so much strength,” it continued. “But that has all been tempered in your art. In learning about your people. In finding compassion and love for the Earthians. Not in battle… struggles… and war.”

“Then what should I do?” Zemi frowned.

“Realize that you haven’t reached your full potential. That, like the Earthians, you can still change and grow. That there is so much about your kind… and yourself… that you have yet to learn,” came the gentle answer.

“Are you saying… there might be a way that I can stand up to Zerom and his Chaos?”

“It’s possible. But you have to unify yourself and your energies first — all parts of yourself.”

“Parts?” Zemi frowned. “What does–”

“Now Zemi… if I gave you all the answers, that would take away the point of the journey,” the voice gave a quiet laugh. “There are just some things that you have to discover for yourself.”

“But–”

“Isn’t that what you say about your Earthians?” the image began to ripple and fade.

“Yes, but–”

“They’re waiting for you, Zem. Why don’t you see what your Watcher has to say about all this?” the voice became more and more distant. “Just remember… you haven’t failed them… until you’ve given up.”

“Wait!” the Dreigiau protested. “Where are you going? I wasn’t done talking to yo–”

“Zemi!” another voice rang through his mind. A voice that he recognized instantly.

AsaHi?

“Zemi?” the girl’s voice pleaded. It sounded so worried. So heartbroken. “Please, wake up!”

Wake up..? But Arweinydd don’t slee-

The room around him suddenly came into focus. Tiny dancing particles of light floated before his eyes, capering across the sunlight that streamed through the windows. They alighted gently on the bed sheets… the curtains… and in AsaHi’s hair.

The girl stood over him, face etched in lines of deep worry – worry all for him. She was just as beautiful as he remembered. The way the light reflected from her bright green eyes. The way her mouth curved… so small and delicate. The way her slender hand rested so lightly against his forehead.

If this is what I get for particling… I should try it more often.

A faint laugh rumbled in his chest.

“Zemi? Can you hear me?” Another face popped into view – SoYa.

All love-sick day dreams of AsaHi poofed out of his thoughts instantly. He tried to keep the grudging out of his tone, “Yeah… I hear you.”

“Oh… thank goodness!” AsaHi sighed deeply, hugging him around the neck.

That made the situation decidedly better again.

“Hey… I’m all good. Why the long faces?” the Dreigiau attempted a casual approach. Afterall, if he didn’t let them sense trouble, there would be no reason for them to think there was any.

“Because you haven’t been doing well,” SoYa told him with a grim look. He reached his hand out, capturing one of the floating specks of light. “Look, AsaHi. They… seem to be fading.”

The girl sat up, loosening her hold on the Dreigiau’s neck. He silently mourned the loss.

“Then they must really have been a part of Zemi, afterall,” she said slowly, giving him a quizzical frown.

“Particling” he said. I guess this is what he meant.

“Are you feeling any better, Lord Zemi?” came a smooth, calm voice from the far side of the room.

The Dreigiau pushed himself into a sitting position, teal-flecked eyes squinting through the light. It took him a long moment to figure out who he was seeing. Long silver hair… deep silver eyes… open and boyish concern… young Suzume hanging around one broad shoulder.

“Lucci..?” his voice creaked out despite all attempts to school it.

Now that… was unexpected.

The young Sygnus rose to his feet, crossed the room and stooped next to the bedside. He hesitated just a moment before reaching out to the Arweinydd.

Zemi took his hands, “You came back safely.”

“You sent people to help me,” Lucci replied frankly. “You believed I could find it… didn’t you?”

“Yes,” the Dreigiau nodded quietly. “I believe if anyone can turn this battle… it will be you.”

The young man’s eyes widened with surprise, as if he wasn’t used to people putting so much hope in him. He simply nodded dumbly, over and over and over again. “I want to help. I want to stop Zeromus.”

“I know. So do I,” Zemi told him, patting one hand fondly. “And we’re going to. If you can just be patient for a little bit longer.”

“What do you mean, Zemi?” SoYa inquired with a tilt of his head.

“I’m not completely sure. There are some things I need to check into first,” the Arweinydd admitted.  Then his eyes glinted with a new light, focusing on the faces around him, “But this fight isn’t over with. Not just yet.”

It was as if a warming wave of hope had just washed through the room — their faces had lit up with their own new-found strength. Their minds opened to the possibilities… to the power of a Patron inspiring his people.

Even Lucci broke out into an honest-to-goodness grin, “I was hoping you’d say that.”

“And I know a thing or two about Arweinydd!”

It was good for AsaHi to see Suzume again.

It was only a matter of moments before the dark haired girl was inviting them inside, pulling them both over to the wicker chairs in the center of the room. Just as quickly, AsaHi started up conversation – asking the girl all about where she had been and the things she had seen. Talking about wings. Feathers and flying.

AsaHi was so worried about Suzume. She was always sending her letters and trying to encourage her.

Now that the two were together again, he could sense a spark of cheer that had been so far and in between after all the dark things that had happened. SoYa didn’t interrupt. He simply sat in his own chair, waiting and watching. Noticing things.

Suzume talks so grown up now… I guess we’re not the only ones that have been through a lot lately.

A little time passed before their conversation was cut off by the click of the opening bedchamber door. SoYa turned with a cautious eye, hands gripping the arms of his chair. Waiting.

They say Lucci’s become the Sygnus…

He knew it was wrong to base his thoughts off of the word of others, especially others who had treated the boy with contempt back in Ceiswyr. But even SoYa couldn’t help being a bit nervous at the thought of harboring a Sygnus among them. Especially a Sygnus who carried a weapon that was forged through Arweinydd wars during the Time Before.

AsaHi had fallen silent, her head turned towards the slowly opening door. SoYa sucked in a sharp breath through his nose as the young Sygnus stepped into the room.

It was undoubtedly Lucci. But the silver hair was much longer. Silver eyes were deeper and somewhat haunted. His lanky teenage form was now taller and stronger. Strange runes marked along his jawline, the same cold silver color as the shifting mists that followed at his heels.

SoYa found his hands gripping the arms of his chair more tightly. Until he took a closer look.

One side of Lucci’s shirt had come untucked as he had mis-buttoned it from the collar down. The tunic vest was clearly two sizes too small while his trousers didn’t quite tuck into the tops of his boots the way they should have. His cloak also looked too small for him, bearing the familiar stains that came from days of long travel. And under the shadow of the grown-up brow, there was the uncertainty of the boy that SoYa remembered.

Lucci stood for a moment before awkwardly attempting to bow. His voice was strained with apprehension, “Master SoYa. Lady AsaHi…”

Maybe AsaHi could see the same things that SoYa could. Maybe it was the clumsy attempt to bow. Or maybe the fear in the young man’s voice. Whatever it was, SoYa could tell that she had been won over even before she got to her feet.

“Lucci..!” AsaHi half exclaimed, crossing the room to him. She took his arm with a soft sound. “Look at you! When did you get to be so handsome?”

The young Sygnus just gave a shy smile, unable to even stammer a reply.

Taking her cue, SoYa also got to his feet, “It’s been a while. It’s good to see you, Lucci.”

The young man nodded in return, finally managing a few words, “It’s good to see you, too. I’m glad… you didn’t get hurt… in the battles…”

“We were worried when you disappeared like you did,” AsaHi told him.

“I’m sorry,” Lucci offered an apologetic look.

“It’s alright,” SoYa pursed his lips. “We all have to do what needs to be done, sometimes.”

The young Sygnus was silent for a moment. Then he said again, “It’s hard. And I’m sorry.”

SoYa glanced up with a puzzled face.

“About Master TsuYa,” Lucci added, wincing a bit. “I’m sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” the Athrylith drew in a long breath before he sat down again. “I know you did everything you could. We all did.”

“Come on,” AsaHi took the young man’s arm, leading him towards the chairs. “Let’s try not to talk about too much sadness. We have to figure out what we’re going to do here and now… not point the blame for things that have already happened.”

Lucci gave them a long frown as he sat down. When he spoke next, it was the exact words that SoYa had been hoping to hear, “There’s some trouble, isn’t there? Is there something I can do to help?”

“As a matter of fact, I think there might be,” the Athrylith answered, relaxing slowly in his chair.

“Not for us, though,” AsaHi corrected. “It’s Zemi.”

“Lord Zemi?” Suzume echoed, leaning over the arm of Lucci’s chair.

“We think he may be… sick,” AsaHi seemed to be searching for the best words to use.

“Is that possible?” Lucci’s voice was thick with incredulity.

“I know how it sounds,” SoYa replied. “But I saw it for myself. Something happened to Zemi when Ceiswyr fell.”

“He was fighting Zeromus,” AsaHi’s voice was quiet. “It could have something to do with Chaos, too.”

Suzume and Lucci exchanged worried frowns.

Then the young Sygnus spoke, “You know that I’ll do whatever I can to help Lord Zemi. Only, I’m not sure exactly how.”

“We’re not all that certain either, Lucci,” SoYa spread his hands. “We were hoping that if we can find out a little more about what can make an Arweinydd sick, we can figure out how to reverse it.”

“Suzume,” AsaHi began, “We know that you’ve been spending a lot of time talking to Zeni. Do you think that you would be able to persuade her to talk to us… if it would help her brother?”

The girl blinked. “I don’t see why not. She cares a lot about Lord Zemi.”

AsaHi smiled and pressed her hands together, “Good! Then maybe we can–”

“The child-Arweinydd won’t have the answers,” an unfamiliar voice suddenly interrupted.

“What?” AsaHi stopped with a puzzled frown.

“I said, Zeni won’t have the answers any more than you do,” the voice repeated. “None of the young Arweinydd understand what they are or where they come from… much less how to deal with the first wave of Becoming.”

“Who said that?” SoYa stared around the room, eyes wide.

“I did.”

A flickering glow appeared within the doorway to the bedchamber. At first, it was nothing more than a hazy light that rippled in mid-air. But ever so slowly, it began to take the form of a man… a tall, somewhat disheveled man with strangely deep eyes and pale hair. He offered them a wide smile as he stepped into the room, his image growing more and more firm until it became completely solid.

His smile faded the moment that AsaHi gave a small, frightened scream.

“Hold on!” Lucci was on his feet, hands spread in a calming motion. “This is Kaz! He’s a friend!”

“He’s a ghost!” AsaHi’s fists were jammed up to her mouth, eyes wide.

“We prefer the term Spirit. Or Departed, if you must,” Kaz sighed, half to himself.

“But you’re still a ghost!” the girl waved her hands forward.

“AsaHi… wait,” SoYa’s voice was smooth as he squinted at the Spirit. “I don’t think he’s dangerous.”

“Of course not!” the wide smile had returned. “I’m very friendly!”

AsaHi eyed Kaz with an uncertain look, but didn’t argue.

“He’s helped me,” Lucci explained. “He’s my friend. And he’s from the Time Before.”

SoYa perked up, turning a questioning gaze at the Spirit, “The Time Before? Really?”

“That’s right!” Kaz half pranced back and forth before them. “And I know a thing or two about Arweinydd!”

“Do you think you can tell us what is making Zemi sick?” AsaHi frowned a little.

“It’s possible,” he shrugged. “I’d have to talk to him first.”

SoYa leaned back with a thoughtful look. Then he turned towards AsaHi, “I don’t think that could hurt anything. Do you?”

“Zemi’s not talking to anyone right now. He’s hardly moved at all since we got him here,” the girl answered.

“Let me guess… he’s particling,” Kaz held up a finger.

“What?” SoYa furrowed his brows.

“Breaking off into a bunch of tiny floating light particles,” the Spirit defined.

“That’s right… how did you know?” the Athrylith blinked.

“I told you. I know a few things about Arweinydd,” the Spirit began to prance again with a self-important expression.

AsaHi leaned over to SoYa, whispering, “I think he’s a little strange… are you sure it’s a good idea?”

“I don’t know,” he whispered back. “But we may not have the time to be picky about the help we get. I think we should at least let him try and talk to Zemi. He seems to know things that we don’t.”

AsaHi took a deep breath and nodded slowly. “Okay. But maybe we should keep Lucci around… just in case.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” SoYa pursed his lips, glancing across the room.

Kaz beamed a wide, friendly smile in return.

The Athrylith cleared his throat before asking, “Lucci, Suzume and… uh… Kaz. Would you mind coming back with us to Zemi’s chambers? Maybe we can figure something out between all of us.”

“Of course, Master SoYa,” the young Sygnus nodded without a second’s worth of thought. “Anything for Lord Zemi.”

Without further discussion, they rose to their feet — two winged girls, an Athrylith, a Sygnus and a Spirit from the Time Before – and made their way towards the resting chamber of the Arweinydd.

]]> http://www.dreigiau.com/ch20-4/feed 9 http://www.dreigiau.com/ch18-8 http://www.dreigiau.com/ch18-8#comments Sat, 30 Aug 2008 02:19:23 +0000 Aywren http://sygnus.lunarpages.com/dreigiau/?p=382

His hand reached for it. He discovered his palm was now broad enough to grip a sword of this size without any trouble.

“It can float over the water too?” Lucci declared with amazement as the Current Skipper cruised its way through the ocean waves, towards the dark structure in the middle of the bay.

“Of course it can!” Master NaDo proclaimed cheerfully. “A ship isn’t a real ship if it can’t take the water as well as the sky.”

For a moment, their passage over the ocean’s surface was enough to take Lucci’s mind off of exactly what they were approaching. But the closer they came, the larger the obelisk loomed in his vision. It wasn’t long before he could make out the etchings and patterns along the face of the stone – they were identical to the etching on the stone floor back in the sand plaza.

The whispers in his mind had returned again and seemed to be growing louder the closer they came to the obelisk. Lucci did his best to push the sound out of his thoughts. But it was hard. And just as afraid as he was of the strange visions they had given him… he was curious, too. Afterall, the whispers had helped him to raise the obelisk from the waters. So it didn’t appear that they were trying to keep him from going inside.

Master NaDo piloted the ship forward, unaware of all that was passing through the youth’s mind. He gave a concerned look every now and then. He did not appear too fond of the idea of going inside of the waiting obelisk, despite his proclaimed sense of adventure for the sake of science. But when the time came to disembark, they found out very quickly that it wasn’t going to be an issue.

Lucci slipped down the ramp and took a quick leap from the ship to the slick stone steps. He turned around to reach his hands out and help Master NaDo to follow. But the moment the winged man made a move forward, wavery blue energy drew up around the obelisk, repelling him.

Lucci sucked a breath in.

Master NaDo frowned and tried to step forward again. Again, he was firmly pushed back. “I can’t..?”

“What do you mean?” the youth exclaimed, a jolt of apprehension rushing through his body.

“I can’t come closer,” the winged man put his hand out for demonstration. Again, he was pushed back.

Lucci was almost in tears at this point, shivering all over, “But, I can’t go in there alone!”

For a long moment, the two just looked at each other, locked on either side of a barrier that they could not see.

“Listen to me…” Master NaDo’s voice was level and quiet when he spoke again. “I don’t know or understand everything that is happening here. And I know it’s scary. But you were led here for a reason, Lucci. You were given a vision and so far all of the things we have done have opened the pathway to this place. Remember why you came here to begin with. You must always follow through with the things you start.”

Lucci swallowed, looking up into the serious face of the winged man… the man he had grown to admire so much in so short of a time. A man who truly cared about him, despite all that he knew. And the man, along with his family, that had given him a place to stay… a home… that would be hurt if Zeromus were to have his way.

Silver eyes searched green eyes for a long time. And though fear still shook his hands and made his knees weak, Lucci nodded slowly. “Okay…”

This is what I have to do. This is what I came for. Master NaDo is right… I have to follow through.

“Thatta boy,” Master NaDo smile gently. Then he reached out to clasp Lucci’s shoulder. “Be careful. I’ll be right here when you get back.”

“Thank you for everything, Master NaDo,” the youth forced a smile. He didn’t mean for it to sound so final. But it did.

The winged man leaned back in his casual way, a soft grin on his face, “You’re always welcome, Lucci. Now, get in there. I know you can do this.”

The youth took a deep breath before forcing himself to turn and face the great maw of the obelisk. One foot in front of the other, he began to make his way into the great stone structure. At first, he was afraid that there wouldn’t be enough light to see by. But then he realized that there were many small windows lining the inner walls to allow the sunlight to filter through. Where windows did not reach, bunches of frondy sea plants had attached themselves to the floor, giving off a quiet orange glow.

Lucci’s feet sunk and squelched as he walked. The floor was covered with layers of dark sand and shells. Every now and then, there was a pool of sea water that had remained captured in dips and indentations in the stone. Here and there, dark things squirmed and reeled about – bottom dwelling creatures – frantic that their once safe haven of darkness had risen up above the ocean floor into the light.

The youth didn’t know exactly what he was trying to find, his mind focused ahead of him, listening to the ebb and flow of the whispers that echoed throughout the halls. They weren’t directing him to any one place, so all he could to was to keep moving, trying to find their origins.

Lucci began to climb up a slick-stepped, curved stairwell that led him around and around the rim of the interior wall. It was a long, long ascent, he soon discovered. One glance over the edge told him that to go back down would take just as much time as to continue upwards. And whatever might be at the top was probably of more interest than the slodgy floor level that he left below.

As he made his way up the stairs, he noticed that the structure of the stone along the wall had started to change. First, it faded in color from the golden-sandstone to a soft, grey-white pearl coating. As Lucci watched, he began to discover the first faint signs of script… and more excitingly, pictures. His silver eyes grew wide, focused upon the walls, where vibrant murals of glittering colors rose from the curve of the stairway on every side.

Lucci didn’t understand everything he saw there. But he knew that it was beautiful and sad at the same time. It was a story by those who had once lived in that land. Those who had lived under the protection of the Vision Stone and the obelisk. Those who had been destroyed in the cataclysm that had sundered the earth.

Just like in my vision.

There were pictures that depicted the stars — many, many lights that twinkled and glowed against the dark reaches of the spinning skies. He could feel a mystic and alien power from the larger lights as they swirled through the reaches of space. Some of the lights were shown embracing smaller spheres among the stars – Living Planets.

Lucci had never seen a picture of a whole planet before. And he didn’t know how he knew what it was. But he just did.

There were also pictures of Dragons. But these Dragons were different from the ones that he had met on the Islands – those had been Lord Zemi’s servants. They were different even than Lord Zemi himself.

Some of the Dragons looked large and cruel. The murals depicted them with maws opened wide, teeth glittering, about to devour the shimmering lights that came from the sky. Some of the Dragons seemed to reflect with a brilliant inner light. They were shown with wings stretched wide as if to protect the shimmering lights.

The youth didn’t understand what the pictures were trying to say. He had never seen any of the Dragons act in such a way. They certainly didn’t go around eating lights from the sky or fighting with other Dragons. But he didn’t have much more time to ponder the strange images as he found himself standing at the top of the stairway, peering into a tall hall of arched doorways.

Is this it?

Lucci’s breath caught in his throat, shivering from the chill wind that howled down the length of the corridor. The stone here had been coated a slick black color. Despite having been under the water for so long, it still had a sheen so bright that it reflected the hazy shape of his image.

I think it must be.

The whispers were no longer whispers here, but full voices, all layered upon one another. Some seemed to be arguing. Some seemed to be weeping. Others were crying out, as if looking for someone dear to them that was lost. Lucci instantly clamped his hands to his ears, trying to shut out the sound. But it was in his mind. Not in the air. And the only thing that he could do was move forward.

I have to… finish what I started…

The air was thick and cold. It became harder and harder for him to keep moving. Lucci forced his eyes straight ahead. He had made the mistake of glancing aside once, only to see the image of other people reflected there in the black stone. People that he couldn’t see or feel in the hall. But they were there, watching him with burning white eyes from the walls.

Lucci realized that he had reached a closed door at the end of the hall. He studied it for a moment, noticing that it neither had a handle or hinges like doors usually do. Then, he reached out his hand and placed one palm against the door.

The stone rewarded him with a groan, a silvery light outlining the shape of Lucci’s hand in response to his touch. Surprised, he almost pulled back. But the light was fascinating as it spread across the door in all directions. Before he knew it, there was no longer a door there. Simply a blinding white light.

Lucci instantly threw up his hands to shade his eyes. Though the light did not hurt, it was such a stunning contrast to the dark hall that he had to stand there a moment before his eyes could adjust and pick out shapes in the waiting room.

What is this place…?

An ancient, sacred power thrummed like a tired heartbeat through the stone. The room itself felt alive with its own breath, mind and awareness – as if everything the nameless whispers had once been had all been drawn from them into this one point of existence. The moment Lucci stepped into the room, he felt the power drawn to him, swelling in a massive force that pounded through his skull. As he reached his hands out, he could see that his own form was taking on the silver-white glow of the room.

But any thought of consternation was wiped away. The power filled him to overflowing from the inside out. Lucci knew that what was left of the whispering people was being drawn to him. Absorbed. Just like the spirit of the Cyngan soldier had been that day, back on the Island. It had left Lucci forever changed, locked in a battle for his freedom from the grips of the spirit world.

“No! NO!!” his agonized howl went unheard.

Lucci clutched his head, crumpling back against the wall. There was no one there to save him, not like there had been before. Everyone was far away. So far away.

And all the things that they told him that he would become flashed through his mind. As the ghostly light surrounded him, he felt himself teetering, fighting against that which was foretold. Fighting to hold on to himself… to the person that he had just lately become. The happy youth that had spent time with the Tu Family. With people who truly cared for him.

I can’t… become the Bane! I can’t become the thing that destroys them! Please!!

The light in the room had gradually fallen dimmer as the light within Lucci had grown. Something about him had grown with it, leaving him transformed. Even as he caught the sight of himself within the mirrored walls, he could hardly recognize himself. Lucci’s reflection was no longer that of the gangly youth… but now a young man… tall and strong built with long, streaming silver hair. Along his jawline he could see a faint outline of silvery markings that had never been there before.

Somehow he knew they were the Mark of the Sygnus.

The light behind his eyes burned eerie and cold, like spiritlight. Faintly, these eyes could make out the trails of silver mists that had begun to seep out around him once again. Faintly he could feel the distant gaze of Those who watched as They returned to him. But this time, They returned with the sense of submission, as a servant would return to a Master.

The quiet, child-part of him recoiled from all of this in mute shock and horror. But the spiritlight behind his eyes drew his gaze to something else that was reflected there upon the walls. He could make out the shape of something suspended within a shaft of light, there in the center of the room…

It was a sword. A very long, slender blade, sheathed in a cloth so black that it seemed to drink away the light. The hilt was glowing silver, ornately inlayed with glittery black patterns that gracefully drew down the length of the grip. As his mind focused on the sword, he felt both great hope and dread fill him.

Is this it? Is this what I’ve been looking for? The weapon that can destroy Zeromus?

Lucci paused, feeling a trickle of alarm. He had never thought about destroying anything in his life.

I mean… defeat. Not… destroy. Defeat.

The silver mists boiled through the room, rising up around the shaft of light. He found himself mesmerized, unable to do anything but move towards the blade.

The sword of the Sygni… from the Time Before.

His hand reached for it. He discovered his palm was now broad enough to grip a sword of this size without any trouble.

If I bring this back… I could become a hero? I could protect Ceiswyr? Then maybe…

Lucci’s fingers closed around the grip, a spark of silver light flowing between his fingers and the sword.

…people… will like me…

Power. Unbearable pain and power.

As his fist closed around the hilt, Lucci could feel the meshing between himself and the artifact. Two cold energies that were drawn to each other, flowing through him, binding him. Empowering him with knowledge and skill of those that had gripped the blade before he did.

Images flashed before his eyes. Memories. He could see it all. He could feel it all. The lives of those who had come and passed. Those who had lived in that place in a time before time remembered. And the lives of those that the blade had taken.

A flash of another vision. Lucci watched as his hand began to draw the blade free from the scabbard. The hand did not look like his own. The black-silver blade glittered with malice… as it came free, he could see that it was stained with blood.

He stared down at the length of the sword, numb with power. Numb with the sheer amount of emotion. Numb with memory over memory over memory drowning out his own vision.

“Lucci!!” a voice shouted his name. A familiar voice, rising from the Mists.

The sound, so unexpected, pulled him back from the brink. Fighting for his senses, he tightened his grip on the blade, as if holding it within his fist would give him mastery over it. Silver eyes flicked upwards. His mouth opened, his voice different, deeper than before. “Kaz? Is that you?”

A pale form stumbled out of the Mists, a form attached to his friend’s voice. As if having gained shape as Lucci had gained power, Kaz was no longer a simple outline of light. A man stood there. A man with bright eyes and a somewhat disheveled look – as if his pale hair hadn’t been brushed in far too long and he needed a good shave.

The spirit’s face was one of astonishment as he stared, seeming to be questioning if this was really the youth he once knew. “Lucci-boy?”

Everything else fell away as a rush of joy filled him. “Kaz! I thought I’d never see you again!”

Kaz quickly shook his head to clear it. His face was serious and concerned as he walked forward with an intense step, “No time! We’ve gotta go! There’s trouble!”

“Trouble?” Lucci echoed.

“For your friend outside!” Kaz’s hand snagged the edge of Lucci’s sleeve. It was far more solid a grip than he could have imagined it to be… and it looked to be growing more solid the longer he stood near to the young Sygnus.

In answer to all of his questions, a blood-freezing shriek echoed from outside the corridors of the obelisk. Lucci had heard that sound before. It was impossible to forget.

“Esgyll!?” his silver eyes widened with horrible realization. “No! Master NaDo!”

He hoisted himself up on a few lower-jutting stones, stretching his hand up towards the smooth spot.

Lucci was breathing heavily as he scrabbled his way up the last few feet of the steep incline. Small stones and dirt rained down behind him in long, slender trails while he got the final foothold and kicked himself up over the edge of the overhang. The youth had never attempted to climb a mountain before… so in with that consideration in mind, he told himself that he was actually doing quite well.

That should lose them… shouldn’t it?

-I wouldn’t bank on it too much, Lucci-boy,- Kaz told him. -Once they figure out that we’ve gone up… they’ll be on to us faster than we’d like.-

Though he was tired, the words spurred him to find his feet and continue forward. Lucci wasn’t exactly sure where Kaz was leading him to. It was a place that the spirit called the Cynosure. It was there, he said, that the secret Pathways that led across the whole planet connected in the Time Before. Though Lucci wasn’t so sure about things with big names like Cynosure… he hoped that Kaz was right. That they would be there soon. Because he was tired and they were now being chased.

Lucci was first warned about his pursuers two sleeps ago by Them. They couldn’t seem to make out exactly who was following – if they were creatures of Zeromus or of Zemi. But either way, the youth didn’t want to be caught. Creatures of Zeromus would certainly be up to no good. And creatures of Zemi would only seek to catch him and return him to the Islands.

We’re too close now… I can’t be taken back.

Despite the fact that Lucci knew they were traveling at a supernaturally accelerated speed, those who followed them appeared to be traveling just as fast. In fact, they had done nothing but continued to gain ground over the past day, much to his dismay. He knew it was not the time to rest. Not when Kaz assured him that their goal was near.

Are you sure that these Pathways will still work, Kaz? If they’re from the Time Before, won’t they be too old?

-The Pathways were embedded into the energy flows of the planet itself. It would be quite hard to destroy such a thing… though I suppose it could be possible,- Kaz answered.

What do we do if they’re not there?

-Let’s just hope they are. It’s the risk we have to take right now.-

The youth knew that Kaz was right… as much as he didn’t like to admit it. As much as hope and good wishes had proven to fall through for him, time and again. This time, all Lucci had to go on was an ancient legend, a misty light and a desperate hope.

Where are we going from there?

-Let’s just concentrate on finding the Pathways first. See that dark area of rock up there… above your head, to the right?-

Lucci paused and peered up at the face of the mountainside. Sure enough, there was a patch of darker stone that seemed to be strangely smoothed and slightly indented. He wouldn’t have noticed it if Kaz hadn’t pointed it out to him, however, for it was posititioned right underneath the drooping branches of a sickened bush.

Yes! I see it!

-Can you reach up there and put your hand on it?-

The youth nodded slowly. He hoisted himself up on a few lower-jutting stones, stretching his hand up towards the smooth spot. It wasn’t too difficult for him to reach, the stone cool against the palm of his hand.

-Good. Now… we need to take this slowly.-

What do you need me to do?

-The Cynosure lies within the heart of this mountain. We’ve got to open the door to the chamber. However, it’s designed to respond to only certain kinds of energy signatures,- Kaz explained, a sifting silver mist already beginning to gather.

Do you think you can do it?

-I’m gong to give it my best try. So I need you to concentrate with me… help me to project my energy,- the spirit told him grimly. -Chances are, I’ll only be able to open the door, if that. So once it’s open, it’s open… and we’re going to have to move fast.-

Lucci nodded, his silver eyes focusing on the spot under his hand. The sifting of mist grew thicker. Stronger. It gathered around his body, a cool and damp sensation, streaming around his shoulders then down the length of his arm to his outstretched hand. Though something within him wanted to flinch, he forced himself to sit absolutely still.

The tickling in the back of his mind, his awareness of the presence of Kaz, began to grow. It quickly became a swelling pressure that filled his ears with a muted roar, like the sound of the winds on a troubled day. The youth sucked in his breath as sweat beaded along his face. He could feel the vast, deep power rising from beyond a distant time and connecting into his own essence.

Kaz!

He almost panicked as an abrupt rush of energy flowed through his body. For a fleeting moment, Lucci felt his knees weaken and his stance waver. His breath choked, frozen cold within his lungs. The world swam in front of his eyes, threatening to grow dim.

-Hold on now. Just a little more!-

The stone under his touch began to shake as a silver light began to expand, first in an outline around his hand, then streaming along the cracks of the stone wall. His eyes fought to make sense of the vision. Millions up on millions of tiny etched runes began to burn, like the scripture written of the finest-point pen, glowing brilliant in tall columns that slowly formed into a doorway. The stone shifted and began to recede like a dark ocean tide.

-Here it comes, boy! Watch it happen!-

When the mists drew away and Lucci’s senses came back to him, he found himself staring into a huge entrance built into the face of the mountain – large enough to even fit Zemi’s Dragons through. The doorway seemed like a simple rectangle at first. But as he moved his head to stare at it, the structure gave the feeling of shifting and changing, as a liquid would.

“Wow…” at a loss for words, it was all he could say. His voice came out in a hoarse croak and he realized that his whole body ached from channeling the amount of energy that it took to open the lock on the chamber.

-If you think that’s neat, wait until you see inside,- Kaz told him. Though there was enthusiasm in the tone, there was also the sense of weariness. As if he, too, had been taxed by taking on such a feat.

Lucci took that as a cue that it was safe to enter the chamber. Carefully, he strode forward, the only sound came from the stone under his boots. Abruptly, the sound changed from a gravelly crunch to the click of his heels on a slick, solid floor. The youth looked down just in time to see a silver glow illuminate the square tile around his feet, reacting to his touch. The light caught like wildfire, pulsing from one tile to the next until the whole floor of the chamber was humming with a cool, quiet energy.

“It’s beautiful!” the youth caught in a sudden breath.

The Cynosure rose above him, a tall structure of gentle slopes and great pillars. The walls and the floors looked to be carved out of the heart of the mountain itself, made of a serene crystalline stone. Everywhere Lucci looked, reflections upon reflections upon reflections shown, leaving a hazy and unreal feeling about the whole room.

There in the center of the Cynosure, a fantastic circular pattern was etched into the crystal. Long looping designs and exquisitely ornate script crossed from one point of the circle to another. Lucci realized after studying for a moment that it was like a giant compass – like the ones that he had seen on some of Master ZenToYa’s old maps. Except this one was far, far more complex. At certain points on the circle, patterns converged into spirals and stars – tiles that seemed set apart from the rest of the design. There looked to be some sort of logic in their placing on the floor, as if they held an important function to be discovered.

If only I could read that script on the floor. I wonder what it says?

-It is the name of the Pathways,- Kaz told him. -The writing is in the language of those who lived in the Time Before.-

Lucci bent down in curiosity, reaching his hand towards the nearest tile.

-Careful! Don’t touch that. There’s no knowing where it will lead you if it transports you!-

“Sorry!” the youth drew back with a wide eyed look.

-It’s okay. I just don’t want us getting sent off somewhere impossible to return from. There are a lot of Pathways that don’t have a connection back to the Cynosure. You can travel to them, but not back from them. That wouldn’t be good right now.-

“No… it wouldn’t. You’re right,” Lucci nodded, staring at the tiles in wonderment. “So this place.. this Cynosure… allows for travel all around the world?”

-Yes.-

“Like… to everywhere?”

-Just about. You can find your way to any place you want to go eventually from here.-

“So why did it get closed up?” the youth tilted his head, looking back at the designs that spiraled far above his head.

“Do you really have to ask that. Or are you truly that naive, Lord LuShi?” a deep, cold voice echoed across the chamber.

Lucci rounded on his heel with a look of alarm. He had been so engrossed in the energy of the Cynosure that he hadn’t felt the presence of someone else entering. And for some reason, even They had not alerted him to it. In fact, They were almost silent to the point of non-existence since he had entered the chamber.

The slick, disfigured smile and the black, glittering eyes was all that he needed to see.

KoGuRai? How did he get here?

-I don’t know. But I don’t think he was the one that we’ve been running from.-

You mean… there might be more?

-I don’t know that either. But my advice to you – watch the one that’s here and worry about the others later!-

Just as Lucci was about to take that advice to heart, a large fist shot out from the folds of KoGuRai’s cloak, grabbing him by the shirt front. The smile had twisted into a vicious snarl as the putrid breath seeped out from between the blackened teeth. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting with you again, Lord LuShi. This time it’s going to be just you… and me.”

“Did you live... in the Time Before?”

Lucci didn’t know how many days had passed on their journey. It was impossible to measure time in day and night on the Mainland. Everything was dark and there was always a storm raging over their heads.

Where are we now?

The youth leaned over the map and scratched his head in curiosity. When he looked at the little marker that the First Voice made on the map, it seemed that they were covering ground a lot faster than steady walking could account for. The map spoke of the landmark called Hawk’s Perch. Looking up at the tall rock formation just a short distance away and noting the very winglike shape in the stone, there was no doubt that had to be one and the same.

Just how fast are we moving…?

-Fast enough,- the First Voice echoed in his mind.

Lucci turned his head in the direction of the Voice. A hazy, swirly form stood there, as if the mist was attempting to become a real person. Though no features could be seen within the shape, it was easy to tell from the outline that it was a man. A tall man – maybe even as tall as Zemi and Aur. Sometimes when it spoke to him, he could see the mists part and move where a mouth should have been – which fascinated Lucci enough to watch for hours. It was a good thing that the First Voice had lots to say.

“How?” Lucci asked, folding away the map neatly.

- It’s nothing for you to be concerned about.-

It had only been two sleeps ago – since it was hard to measure time without the passing of the sun, Lucci measured it in sleeps – when the First Voice had appeared to take a form. The youth remembered being afraid at first, and rightfully so. None of the other Voices had ever come to him in a form. They were nothing more than the feeling of eyes in the Mist.

Maybe it was because Lucci had spent far more time with the First Voice than any other that such a thing could result. That’s what he tried to tell himself. But the truth was, he also knew that the First Voice seemed to be a creature of great strength… possibly great power… even beyond death. To take on a form from the Mists of its own free will was no small thing. And as time passed, the First Voice seemed to be growing more stable and shaped.

“Is it safe to make a fire here?” Lucci asked.

There was a momentary pause. Then a mental nod. -Yes, a small one. I don’t sense anything dangerous within this area.-

Though he was afraid of the First Voice’s unexpected development, Lucci also found himself relying upon him more and more. A journey was not at all as easy as he had imagined it would be. There were so many complex things that he did not know how to do — like reading the map and plotting a course… finding a good place to make a camp for sleep… making meals for himself… and especially avoiding potential dangers.

I’m glad I’m not alone. First Voice knows a lot about all these difficult things. If he wasn’t here, I’m sure I would have gone the wrong way!

Then there was also the fact that it seemed like the First Voice also knew where to find the items that Lucci was looking for. Though the youth questioned time and time again exactly where their ultimate destination was, he never got an answer. When he asked why he was never answered, the First Voice patiently told him that he would understand these things in time and to wait.

So Lucci waited. And he held on to what little trust he could find – even if it was in one of Them.

The youth prodded the little fire into a crackling warmth and held his hands out over it. It was far colder down on the Mainland than it had been on the Island at this time of year. Sometimes a dismal grey rain would fall over the land, leaving the hunched over scenery slimy with a sickly dark film. Lucci was glad that he had brought along one of Zemi’s cloaks, at the First Voice’s suggestion. It was big enough to cover him fully and kept the rains away.

But there was no rain now. So there was a fire to sit next to. Lucci didn’t realize how nice fires were until now, with both hands cupped over it to find warmth.

The image of the First Voice sat not far away. It never came too close to the fire. Lucci didn’t know if it was because, being made of mist, if the Voice would put out the fire. Or if the fire would melt the mist away instead.

Taking out a roll from his pack, the youth began to eat. Though he wasn’t ravenous hungry at the moment, he knew that he had to eat consistently. Traveling took a lot of energy.

For a while there was no other sound than the occasional crackle of the flame. It was strange that They were so quiet now. Even the First Voice seemed to have nothing to say. Lucci could only wonder why… even though the silence was a rare and kind thing when he got it.

Maybe They’re all asleep?

A warm chuckle came from First Voice. -They don’t ever sleep, Lucci-boy.-

“Then… what do They do?” the silver eyes peered over the waver of flame at the mist form.

-They wait. And make plans. They are the restless ones that never found peace in the Mist.-

“Is… the Mist the place that everyone goes to when they… die?” Lucci frowned suddenly.

-I don’t know,- came the honest answer.

Lucci couldn’t help but find it strange that a creature that had passed through life and death didn’t know such a thing. His curiosity must have been apparent, because the First Voice spoke again.

-It may be different for those who were born after the Time Before.-

The youth’s head jerked up in surprise, “Did you live… in the Time Before?”

-Yes.-

Lucci wasn’t sure if he was more surprised at the answer. Or the fact that he actually got an answer. His breath came in an astonished gasp and he didn’t know exactly what to say. It had never occurred to him that creatures that existed in the Time Before might be in the Mists as well.

Maybe that’s how he knows where to find the items that were used by the Sygni in the Time Before?

-Ahhh… now you’re catching on, boy.-

The silver eyes flicked upwards and he gave an open mouthed nod. “So… these items are really here? On this world somewhere?”

-If my memory serves me correctly.-

“Why this world in particular?” Lucci didn’t know how he knew. But he felt, deep down, that there were other worlds out there. Alive. Somewhere.

-This world has always been a Living World, home to many types of people, ever since I’ve known. I don’t know that there is a reason why. Just that it was,- First Voice answered. Then his voice shifted, sounding somewhat sad and longing. -It was also the homeworld of the Dragonkin. Back in the Time Before… they were very powerful. In fact, they were so powerful that even the Mistake did not completely kill them.-

“Really?” the youth blinked. He hadn’t known that anything actually had lived through the Mistake. “Where are they now? Are they Zemi’s Dragons?”

-No. The Dragonkin grew weak after the Mistake and eventually died away. Zemi… imitates the Dragonkin through his creations for reasons I don’t think he completely understands himself. But that’s a whole nother story.-

As usual, First Voice had decided to stop right as the story was getting interesting. Hints and pieces of riddles. Fascinations that tugged at the back of Lucci’s mind. It was all so hard to be given these little mysteries without a means to answer them.

The youth broke a deep sigh and leaned back. “So if you come from the Time Before… that means you know about the items that were used by Sygni. You know about the Sygni that lived then. They were supposed to have been evil?”

-There’s a difference between that which is evil and that which is not understood.-

“Then… you don’t think that Sygni are all evil?”

-I think it’s hard to make a judgment call on something that is so unknown.-

“Is that why you’re helping me?” Lucci asked, looking puzzled.

-It is a part of the reason,- First Voice replied. -I saw the events that lead up to the Mistake. I don’t wish to see something like that play out again.-

“Do you think something like that is going to happen?” the youth blinked, shifting his weight where he sat.

-I hope it won’t. And I believe that you may have a part to play in keeping it from happening.-

“Me?” Lucci’s head jerked up. “But I’m the one that’s supposed to be the Bane? How am I supposed to be able to save people?”

-You’re trying to save people by what you’re doing right now, yes?-

“Yes.”

-Then keep right on doing it, kid. Keep following what you know is right. What we choose plays a big part in what we become.-

“Lord Zemi tells me that, too,” the youth gave a slight smile. Something about the fact that the First Voice would echo the words of Lord Zemi made him feel better somehow.

-He does? Now… that is interesting.-

Lucci didn’t understand what that meant. But he didn’t want to pry. Instead, he drank a mouthful of water – careful to conserve just like the First Voice taught him. As he wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve, a passing thought tickled the back of his mind. Something that he should have thought to ask long ago. But didn’t until now.

“What’s your name?” the youth asked, tilting his head back at the strange misty form.

-My name?-

“Yes. You do have a name, right?” he asked. Then it occurred to him, “Or do people in the mist not?”

-Oh. Yes. I had a name once. Of course.-

“Will you tell me?”

-I don’t know. You might laugh. It was just a pet name, really. I didn’t ever have another.-

“Nooo. I won’t laugh. I promise!” Lucci held up a hand to show him that he was telling the truth. He didn’t know why people did that to show they meant what they said. But he did it, anyhow.

-Well…. okay. I was once called Kaz.-

Lucci smiled, “Kaz?”

-See? You’re laughing aren’t you?-

“No! I’m not laughing!” the youth grinned wider. “I think it’s a good name?”

-Uh-huh. I can see it. You’re laughing.-

This time, Lucci did laugh. It was the first time in a long time… maybe since Suzume left… that he had really laughed. Like a funny sort of laugh. And it felt good.

The feeling that Kaz gave was one of pleasure. As if despite what he had said, he really was glad to see the boy cheered. -See what you can do to get some sleep now, Lucci-boy. We’ve got a long road tomorrow.-

The youth nodded, pulling the cloak around him tightly before laying his head back to try and get some rest.