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

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

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

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

They were dead. NaDo. Maru.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{——————}

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

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

But that was all gone now.

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

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

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

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

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

Perhaps… it’s better this way.

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

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

A long, ragged breath escaped Zemi’s lips.

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

He stopped walking, having reached his destination.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{————–}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“SoYa?” she asked.

“SoYa?” she asked.

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

“AsaHi?” he asked in a similar tone.

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

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

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

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

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

“I know,” he told her and nodded.

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

And something about that felt just right.

{——-}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Something strange is definitely going on here.

Something strange is definitely going on here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Good morning, beautiful,” he teased.

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

“JouKa?” gave her a concerned look.

She didn’t respond to her name.

“JouKa?” he asked again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Certainly THAT will get a reaction!

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

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

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

“Then, what’s wrong?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she told him.

“How did you get here?”

“I don’t know.”

“What happened? Was there a fight?”

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

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

Good job you insensitive lug!

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

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

“It is?” she asked with a sad face.

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

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

SCORE!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just as NaDo described…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SoYa could only watch, his heart aching.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“JouKa!” he reached for her again.

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

“Seventy-five percent!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sygnus and Arweinydd.

And if legends spoke rightly, the Arweinydd would lose.

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

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

Tsu…

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

And it’s all… your… FAULT!

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

“ZEMI!” NaDo demanded.

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

“You… the son of ZenToYa…”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The black blade lifted.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Okay!” the little boy nodded vigorously.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“We are your people,” Maru said simply.

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

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

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

-It’s different entirely.-

“Is it?”

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

“Doggie!”

-What?!-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-That’s all that needs to be said.-

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

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

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

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

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

SoYa managed a weak smile.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Has anyone even tried to…”

“Reason with him?” Zemi finished.

Maru nodded.

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

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

“So we are going to the Vision Stone…”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Hi!” the boy answered looking up quizzically.

“Do you know who I am?”

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

“That’s right,” Zemi smiled.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You have an ouchy?”

Several days had passed since the battle between LuShi and KoGuRai had taken place. Several days since NaDo, who TsuYa had since learned more about, had been gravely wounded. But only half a day since they had all arrived in what was called the Shellab 1.0, home of the Tu Family, where NaDo lived.

Saving the winged man had been so important to LuShi. The young Sygnus had carried NaDo, weeping, down from the top of the stone structure. Back to the waiting ship. Though none of them knew how to fly it, they eventually found a way to get it to float them back to the shore. There, using the ship’s map feature that LuShi knew about, they planned what would come next.

KoGuRai sure knows how to call a diversion when he wants to. Mortally wounding a person… just so he could escape.

But it had worked. Instead of chasing down KoGuRai, all of their thoughts were frantically focused on how to keep NaDo alive. They had chosen to break up – LuShi would carry NaDo back to the Shellab. Zazo and TsuYa would ride back to the village to seek the help of JoKa’s healing power. They knew that the wounds made by KoGuRai’s blade would not easily be healed by normal means.

It had taken a bit of persuasion to rouse JouKa enough to get her to leave the village.  But when she heard TsuYa’s story, and he told her that KoGuRai had struck down yet another, she had agreed to come to heal the victim.

It’s as if she’s personally taking responsibility for cleaning up all of KoGuRai’s messes.

So they had all mounted up and rode — along with Oren, who proclaimed their need for a guide and protection — and made their way to the Shellab. There, they were greeted by the lady of the house, Maru, and were ushered quickly inside.

It had been only an hour ago that JouKa had walked into the other room. The door was shut. No sounds could be heard within. Nothing but tension and concern hanging in the house. Zazo had gotten restless and antsy during the wait and had padded off through the doorway, leaving TsuYa alone to his thoughts.

It’s a shame something like this happened. They seem like pretty nice people.

TsuYa pushed a strange white piece of meat into his mouth, chewing as he rested back against the comfort of the couch. Despite the tragedy that had fallen over the household, Maru had still provided the travelers with food and hospitality.

I guess it’s all wait and see from here. I don’t know who can heal him if JouKa can’t.

The slumped figure of LuShi sat in the far corner of the room. Every now and then, TsuYa glanced over, studying all of the changes that had come over the young Sygnus. The warrior never approached him about it directly, though he really wished that he knew exactly what had happened to LuShi in all the time that he had been gone.

He’s not talking much about anything. So I doubt he’ll volunteer information about that.

Though LuShi wasn’t outwardly unfriendly, but was far more silent than he used to be. Even now, as TsuYa watched, he thought he could see a flicker of something strange… silver… almost ghostly… wavering around the Sygnus’ shoulders. With a blink it was gone, leaving him chilled, wishing he hadn’t seen it.

He’s suffering. That much is obvious. He really does care about these people.

The child of the Tu family was sitting next to LuShi, offering him various toys and distractions. Trying his best to cheer him up. Though LuShi made half hearted attempts to respond to the boy, it didn’t take long before the child realized that his efforts were lost.

So he turned his attention elsewhere.

Before TsuYa knew it, a pair of little green eyes were stalking him from above the far arm of the couch. There was a sneaky quality to the look, as if the boy thought he was playing out some grand ambush that the warrior’s keen hearing could not detect. TsuYa just remained as he was, not responding as the child crept closer.

With the safety of self-assured stealth, the child inched forward. His interest had turned towards TsuYa’s dark bladed scythe that leaned quietly against the wall beside the couch. He stared up in awe and fascination, the face of an innocent that had never seen a weapon, much less really knew what one was used for.

As the curious hand reached closer, TsuYa cracked one of his eyes open a slit. His voice was a little gruff as he intoned, “Hey kid. Whatcha doing?”

The boy gave a gasp and jumped in a startle, his hand springing back where it belonged, away from the scythe. Then he stared over at the warrior, uncertain if he was in trouble or not.

“That’s not a toy, you know,” the warrior warned quietly. “You could get hurt. The blade is sharp.”

The boy clutched the hem of his tunic, backing up. Large green eyes stared at him questioningly. As if he didn’t understand why the warrior was in possession of something that could hurt other people.

“What’s your name, kid?” TsuYa softened his tone a little, remembering what it was like for him when his own father had come up missing. He knew how it felt as a little boy to wait and wait and wait with concerned adult expressions floating everywhere above.

I just hope the kid’s situation turns out better than mine did.

The child looked down in response. His wings flitted slightly at the ends, a sign of his uncertainty.

“Hey… relax. You didn’t do anything wrong,” the warrior told him, sitting up and leaning forward slightly. Then he offered, “My name is TsuYa.”

“KiNa,” the boy answered in return.

“Your name’s KiNa?” he echoed.

The child nodded.

“It’s nice to meet you, KiNa,” he stuck his hand out, attempting his best friendly tone.

The child looked at the extended hand for a moment. Then back up at TsuYa’s face. His eyes paused, tracing the dark line of the Mark along his cheek with a questioning look. “You have an ouchy?”

“Hmm..?” TsuYa paused, then realized what the boy was asking. “Oh, yeah. Ouchy.”

“Does it hurt?” KiNa asked with a concerned face.

“Sometimes it does,” he replied honestly.

“You should get a healer to fix it,” the boy counseled. “Mommy said the healing lady was going to fix Daddy. You should ask her to fix you too.”

TsuYa arched an eyebrow, entertaining the passing idea of telling the child that about the only thing JouKa would probably want to do is rearrange his nose. Permanently. But seeing as the kid was in the middle of family crisis, the warrior kept his mouth shut in that regard and tried to focus on something more positive. Afterall, the child seemed to have a lot of confidence in the healing powers of the world.

“Your Mom’s right. Your Dad’s going to be just fine,” TsuYa said.

But this didn’t divert the child’s newly focused crusade. “What about you? Will you be fine?”

TsuYa opened his mouth, suddenly lost for words. When he finally managed to answer, his voice was squeaky to his ears, “Yeah… It’ll all work out.”

“Okay!” KiNa chirped, seeming content with the answer. Then he reached out and with little conservation, took a hold of the warrior’s coat sleeve with a tug. “Come over and meet Lucci. He’s my friend.”

TsuYa gave a slight smirk, “I’ve met LuShi already.”

“Oh? Is he your friend too?”

The warrior glanced across the room at the young Sygnus. He could feel the silver gaze lift just a little, focusing and waiting for the answer that would come. There seemed to be little hope in the chilled depths of his eyes. Eyes that saw the world in blurred and tormented visions.

“Yeah,” TsuYa replied. “LuShi’s my friend.”

The silver head lifted just a bit, a motion of surprise. LuShi hadn’t been expecting a positive response.

Taking him off guard might be just what I need to break the ice. I’ve got a lot to talk to the kid about… if he’ll even respond to me anymore.

TsuYa rose to his feet and allowed KiNa to pull him across the room. The opportunity unfolding better than he could have hoped for. His dark eyes fluttered back and forth from the hunched figure in the corner to the long, black-draped sword at his side. The warrior did his best to cover the apprehension that gnawed in the back of his mind. All he could hope was that something of the child that had so eagerly trained under his guidance still remained.

“Hey, kid,” TsuYa greeted in the normal way. There was little to gain from estranging himself from the young Sygnus. No matter how nervous he really was about the whole thing.

“Master TsuYa…” LuShi lifted his head with a quiet and respectful voice, responding far more than could have been hoped for… as if what he really needed was for someone to treat him like nothing had changed at all.

The kid’s more scared than we are…

“How are you doing? You hanging in there?”

“Yes, sir…” the head went down again.

TsuYa paused before continuing, his dark eyes focusing on KiNa for a moment. Then he fibbed as smoothly as one could to a pint-sized mind mage, “I think I hear your mom calling you. Don’t you?”

The boy blinked a few times, tilted his head, then frowned.

“You better go check,” the warrior advised quietly. “You know how mom’s are about things like that?”

KiNa must have known exactly what he meant. Because the boy nodded and quickly scampered off down the hall.

With the child out of earshot, TsuYa crouched for a moment. Then sat down on the floor in front of the young Sygnus. He took a long, deep breath, “I mean how are you doing for real, LuShi?”

He glanced up, eyes calculating, studying the warrior that sat in front of him. Attempting to determine if he was ready to share the truth. Or if he would just be rejected like he always was. Then he turned the other way as if ashamed to admit, “I’m scared, Master TsuYa.”

“Scared… of what?”

“Scared of this sword… … what it was made to do. How it makes me feel.”

“What do you mean?” TsuYa furrowed his brow, tilting his head at where the sword lay, draped in the dark cloth. In a motion of curiosity, he reached his hand closer.

“No!” LuShi’s voice grew suddenly strong.

The warrior snatched his hand back without a second thought, surprised at the unusual sharpness in the young Sygnus’ voice. He turned a puzzled stare towards LuShi, accenting it with the hint of a disapproving frown.

Go easy on the kid. Remember… he’s just been through a lot.

“I’m sorry…” LuShi murmured the instant he realized how he had sounded. “You… just… shouldn’t touch the sword.”

“Why not?” TsuYa frowned.

“Trust me… you wouldn’t like what it could do to you.”

The warning was enough to raise the hair on the back of TsuYa’s neck, “Ah… alright.”

Silence hung between them for a while. It was awkward, neither of them knowing exactly how to start conversation again… since neither of them were really the most outgoing of socialites.

“So… is… that the thing you came here looking for?” TsuYa eventually tried to wander his way back into LuShi’s good graces. “The sword, I mean.”

“I didn’t know what I was looking for,” the young Sygnus answered cryptically. “This was just the thing I found.”

The warrior pursed his lips. “What do you plan on doing… now that you have it?”

“I have to go back. I have to destroy Zeromus,” he answered quietly.

Another chill rushed over TsuYa’s body. The way that LuShi spoke was so sure. Lacking even the slightest bit of doubt. He spoke about defeating an Arweinydd without so much as thinking twice.

“Do you really think this sword can do something like that?”

“I think so,” LuShi nodded slowly. “That’s what it was made to do. A long time ago.”

“I guess I don’t blame you then,” TsuYa leaned back, trying hard to remain casual about the whole thing. But it wasn’t easy. Not with the talk of weapons of ultimate destruction.

Before the conversation could fall any further, the curtain to the adjoining room folded back, revealing an exhausted looking JouKa. She was supported on either side between Aur and Oren.

The warrior got to his feet, rushed over to the couch on the far end of the room where he had been sitting before, and cleared it quickly. “Here. Bring her here.”

They walked the winged girl over and carefully placed her on the cushioned couch. Maru had followed the group through the doorway, carrying an extra blanket as she came. Between all of them, they managed to settle the worn out healer comfortably, leaving her to rest. JouKa fell into a deep sleep almost the moment she curled up on the couch.

“Is she going to be alright?” TsuYa asked.

“I’d wager so,” Maru replied. “She just wore herself out.”

“Your husband’s wounds were quite grave,” Aur nodded slowly. “We are lucky that JouKa is as skilled as she is.”

LuShi lifted his head slowly, his voice carrying across the room. He winced as if not meaning to have called so much attention to himself, “Then, is Master NaDo…”

“It’s hard to say within this span of time,” Oren leaned back with a grim look. “But she did a pretty solid job in cleaning up most of the gashes. The life threatening stuff has been taken care of.”

“So… he’s going to live?” LuShi let out a long breath of relief.

“I’d say he has a very good chance,” Aur answered. “However, his wing may be torn beyond repair.”

A tiny gasp came from behind the curtain where KiNa was staring at the group of grownups. His green eyes were wide with shock and dismay. “Does that mean Daddy won’t ever fly again?”

It was obvious that the child was too young to have realized how close his father had come to fatality. And no one had the time to sit down and explain it.

“We have to wait and see, KiNa,” his mother answered, putting her hands out. The little boy scampered over and was caught up in her embrace. “He still has time to heal before we can–”

“I’ll be just fine,” NaDo’s voice announced his presence with enthusiasm. Though he hobbled through the curtain with the aid of a walking stick now, his tone was still sure and cheerful. Hopeful. Enduring.

“Master NaDo!” LuShi was on his feet instantly, rushing across the room to the winged man. “You’re okay! I’m so glad!”

“Yes… yes… I’m fine. Just as I said,” he waved the concern away with a gentle motion. But he couldn’t avoid the tremulous hug that the young Sygnus wrapped him in. He laughed with a warm sound. “Lucci?”

“I was worried!”

“Well… there’s nothing to worry about,” NaDo grinned, patting the young man on the back. “It takes more than that to put a Tu down and out!”

LuShi grinned in return. Everything about his demeanor had changed from the slumpy form in the corner that TsuYa had just attempted conversation with. Everything was now open. As if hope was contagious.

“Did you get what you were looking for?” the winged man asked out of the blue.

“I… think so?” LuShi answered, his tone becoming a bit more grim.

“Good,” NaDo glanced up with a sure glimmer in his green eyes. “Then we need to talk about what we’re going to do to get the Current Skipper back… so we can board up and get you heading back towards the Inner Realms.”

“Mr. NaDo, you are not going anywhere until you’ve had some rest and healing,” Maru said firmly, her lips pursed together. “Besides, it would be rude for you to fly off without thanking the healer.”

“I didn’t mean right this second, dear?” he blanched.

But from the way his wife talked, it seemed as if he was well known for flying off on whims.

“I know you didn’t,” she patted his cheek lightly. Then she smiled up, a grateful light in her eyes. “We must at least give a proper thank-you supper to our guests. And a good night’s sleep.”

“Ma’am,” TsuYa found himself speaking, realizing how long it had been since he had either good supper or good bed, “That sounds wonderful.”

“I’m making Shellab 2.0!”

Walking through the halls of the Tu Family home for the first time, Lucci soon discovered why NaDo called it the “Shellab”. Funny enough – that’s exactly what it was. The whole structure was actually built inside of the hollowed-out heart of a giant set of shells. The walls sloped and spiraled, shimmering along with the blush of pale coral that sent rainbows scattering as he turned his head. The doorways and windows had been carved out of the smooth white bone, often covered with shining curtains that swayed back and forth with the distant ocean breeze.

At least, I think that’s where the wind is coming from.

Maru had told him all about the great ocean that lay just on the other side of the forests. And how the shell that they lived in was once the house for some vast, ancient creature that walked the ocean floor. What it had looked like, Lucci didn’t know. But the whole idea of giant creatures living in giant sea-lakes left him excited and curious to know more.

NaDo said that he’d take me to see it soon. I can’t wait!

Lucci’s silver eyes shimmered as he came around the corner, following Maru’s calm and sure step. There before him was the dinning table, stretched out with all sorts of wonderful smelling food. The table and chairs were all made from the same sort of shell material, carved by a steady hand into its current form. Designs of shell-shapes and sea stars were drawn into the smooth white surface, obviously a labor of great art and love.

The meal was also an artistic wonder. Plates of colorful flat and curled meats lay upon large gold-green tropical leaves, sprinkled with strange colorful fruits and slim grey-shells. Lucci had never smelled anything quite like it.

“Hey Lucci! So you finally got up?” NaDo exclaimed from the other room, which looked to be the kitchen. He stuck his head out, dressed in a white apron, his face powdered with spots of cooking dough and grease. “Good thing. KiNa was about to eat it all!”

Lucci peered over at where the young winged child already sat, in some sort of raised-up chair made to help him reach the table. Obviously, the little boy had already been helping himself to the foods there, and was now building a little wall out of the plate of grey-shells that someone had left too close to his hands.

“You just take a seat,” Maru told him, leading him to the table. “I’ll get the drinks.”

Excited, Lucci sat down in one of the small white chairs as she strode towards the kitchen. Along the way, she brushed a hand through her son’s wild white hair and gently chided him to behave.

KiNa simply gave a big, winning smile and continued to pile more grey-shells on his plate.

After a short time, Lucci spoke to the little boy, curiously, “What are you making?”

The winged child paused in his construction, peering quizzically over the top at the silver-haired youth. Then he proclaimed, grandiosely, “I’m making Shellab 2.0!”

“Oh?” Lucci intoned with interest. It didn’t really look like the Shellab. But he thought it was probably polite not to inform the little boy of this fact.

“What a superb Shellab it is, too, KiNa,” NaDo grinned as he brought a big bowl of steaming soup and placed it on the table. “The boy is going to be a great maker one day! Just like his father!”

“Like his mother,” Maru corrected, putting the drinks down on the table with a glance over her face decoration.

A clattering sound rang out through the room as one misplaced grey-shell caused the child’s creation to topple and scatter across the table in pieces. KiNa stared at it with wide eyes, echoing a tone of voice that he must have heard many times in the past, “Oops?”

“You’re right. Like his father,” Maru retracted with a sweet smile, reaching over and picking up some of the wayward shells.

“Nah! Nah!” NaDo gave a quipping laugh and put his arm around her, “Just like US.”

She teased him, wiggling a shell in his face before shrugging out of his embrace and finally sitting at the table.

Then it was time to eat. Plates were passed, Maru dishing a little bit of everything on Lucci’s, telling him to test things and discover what he liked best. She added with a warm smile, “NaDo might be a little shaky at some things, but he is a fairly good cook.”

Eating supper with the Tu Family was both a joy and an adventure. Lucci took the plate with relish and began to dig into everything in sight. He found a lot of strange tastes and textures, was surprised when some things still came with legs or tails attached, and had his trials in actually cracking open the grey-shells to find the meat that was hidden within.

As they ate, NaDo excitedly ran over the headlines for the day – updates on his studies, the new and unusual sort of sea-creature he thought he had found… and what he would decide to name his discovery, the things that were swept up on shore after the storms of last week — the list of strange and interesting things he brought to the table was endless. All the while, KiNa made a mess of himself while his parents sat rapt, discussing things together.

Lucci smiled. There was a warmth there in the room. And it didn’t all come from the meal.

After a while, NaDo leaned back, pushing away a finished plate. He arched one eyebrow at where Lucci sat, observing with a hint of a smile, “Someone must have really liked my cooking?”

Embarrassed, the youth looked around him at finished bowls and trays of missing food. In listening to all the stories and interesting things, Lucci hadn’t realized how much he had really helped himself to… or how hungry he must have really been.

“It’s okay,” Maru smiled, too. “Food is made for eating. I’d rather see you enjoy it than let it go to waste.”

“It was very good..?” Lucci rubbed his head with a sheepish look.

“See! Now don’t you think I could make millions if I took this back to the Inner Realms! Tell me the truth, Lucci!” NaDo gave a toothy grin.

His wife threw a napkin in his face with a huff.

KiNa thought it was the most hilarious thing he had seen all day and broke into a round of giggling quips. That’s when his mother noticed the mess that he had made.

“Excuse me, but I’ve got to clean up your son,” Maru got up with a wrinkled nose.

“MY son? Why is he always my son when he’s messy?”

“Take a guess?” she grinned, going back to the kitchen with finished plates in hand.

“Ahhh… women…” the winged man sighed and shrugged over at silver-haired youth. Then he leaned forward with a teasing look. “Do you have a girl back home, Lucci?”

“Well…” Lucci paused. His mind drifted back to Suzume for a moment. And he realized it was the first time in too long that he had thought about her.

I wonder if she’s okay… If she’s worried because I ran away?

NaDo sat quietly, hands propping up his chin, just watching for the answer.

“I have a friend who is really special to me. But I haven’t seen her in a long time. Not since they Migrated the people off the Islands,” the youth glanced up.

“Yes… I had heard about that,” the scientist’s face grew uncharacteristically serious. “I know things are rough right now in the Inner Realms. We haven’t had a lot of contact back there in longer that I’d like. And I’ve been checking with the teams in the Spiral most every week.”

“Oh?” Lucci’s tone was surprised. It was the last thing he had thought to hear mentioned. “There are people like you in the Spiral?”

“That’s right,” Maru came back in with a damp cloth. She captured her son’s messy hands and began to clean them. “Once the Spiral was opened to us, we sent teams of researchers in to that area. Partly to try and find a way to reverse the neural chips that were embedded in the people. And partly because of the Creature that was discovered there on the first expedition in.”

Does she mean Aur…?

“We’ve been out here at the Shellab for a good while longer. So we transport materials and information — that sort of thing — to the teams in the Spiral. It’s where we get most of our news,” NaDo frowned. “But with the battles going on, news hasn’t come. What I’ve heard from Lord Zemi has been pretty scarce as well.”

“You can talk to Lord Zemi from out here?” Lucci asked.

“Sometimes. Though it seems difficult for him,” NaDo answered, leaning back in his chair. “He did tell us that you had been sent out this way… and to keep an eye out for you. That’s how I took a good guess at who you were, when I found you on the beach. And why I brought you back here.”

The youth felt himself stiffen, a rush of fear flash through his body. Before he knew what he was saying, sounds spilled out of his mouth, “Then you do know what I am?”

“What you are?” Maru echoed with an arch of her eyebrows.

“Uh… I…” Lucci found himself at a loss for what to say, backed into a corner by his own words. He stared at the family who stared back at him, his throat tightening.

They’ve been so nice to me… but if they knew that I was the Bane, would they hate me like all the other winged people?

“Lucci?” NaDo encouraged with a soft voice.

But they deserve the truth… after all they’ve given me. I shouldn’t lie to them. Not about something like this.

But before he could say anything more, Maru offered, “We know you’re a Sygnus, yes?”

The youth sat back in his chair, napkin falling from his hand. He peered at them from behind the curtain of silver hair, face frightened. “I’m the Sygnus… I’m the… Bane…”

“Ah..?” NaDo replied, as if being informed of something that didn’t quite convince him.

“You don’t believe me?” Lucci swallowed, sweaty palms gripping the arms of his chair tighter and tighter. The last thing he wanted to do was try to persuade these kind people that he was marked to be their future destroyer and bringer of all that was evil.

“We’ve heard this Bane talk,” NaDo answered, tilting his head. Then he waved one hand through the air in a wide gesture. “But there’s no proof that the Bane really exists, much less that you are the Bane. And until there’s empirical proof, all it can be is a hypothesis.”

Lucci didn’t know exactly what that meant. Though it was difficult for him to take his eyes from the plate in front of him, when he did glance up, he could tell that the way that they watched him hadn’t changed. Not one bit.

“You don’t think I’m the Bane?” the youth asked. The same question, but a different way.

“I can’t answer one way or another about that, Lucci,” the winged man answered. “All I know is what I’ve seen with you while you’re here. Until something proves different, I will believe what I have seen.”

Lucci sat there, head down in shame. Something curdled in the pit of his stomach, sending a sour taste up his throat into his mouth. It was all he could do to keep his hands from shaking where they remained gripping the arms of his chair. His secret was out, even if they knew it all before he told them. It was still very hard to face them now.

Much to his shock and surprise, Maru suddenly got up, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his head. “Poor… poor boy. Who has filled your heart with so much worry? You carry the fear of the Bane with you all of the time… don’t you?”

The youth nodded, feeling tears rising in his eyes. Lucci had never cried about it before. He promised himself that he wouldn’t, no matter what people said to him. No matter how cruel people were. No matter how much they hated him. Because they had a reason to hate him — he was the Sygnus. He was fated to take everything from them… to destroy all that they loved. And all that he loved as well.

I deserve their bitterness.

But as Maru stroked her fingers through his hair, offering soft, reassuring words, the tingle of her mind magery worked to soothe his pain. Try as he wanted to, he couldn’t hold back the anguish any longer. It rushed out of him with a huge sob, his long, lanky arms clinging around the tiny winged woman.

He found himself telling everything… about how much he wanted the people of Ceiswyr to not hate him anymore. How afraid he was that Zeromus, the one that everyone said was his father, would overcome the Islands with his hatred and chaos. And most of all, how terrifying it was that he was predestined to become everything that he would hate to be.

“I wish I had never been born!” he finally sobbed, hiding his face in her shoulder.

“Lucci… Lucci?” NaDo’s voice was there. “Don’t say that.”

“It’s true!” the youth sniveled. “If all I’m going to do is hurt other people, I wish I wasn’t here.”

Maru glanced up at her husband with an appealing look. Then she took Lucci’s face between her hands. “Lucci, I want you to listen to me. Please?”

The direct tone of the mind mage silenced him, though he continued to fight back tears that threatened to come. Once released, it was hard to stop.

“You’re not hurting anyone right now, are you?” she asked him with a calm look.

He shook his head.

“That’s right. None of this has come to pass. And no matter what people tell you, nothing in life is ever set in stone until it actually happens,” Maru wiped his face with a napkin.

“We know that you’re here to find a way to stop Zeromus,” NaDo added with a nod.

Lucci’s eyes flicked up in surprise.

“We want to help you do that,” the winged man added.

“You… do…?” the youth croaked hoarsely.

“Yes. I don’t know how much good our information can do, but… if you’ll allow us, I think that we can offer you a little bit of direction,” NaDo’s slight smile had returned, seeing he had positive attention.

“Are… you sure… you want to… help a Sygnus?” Lucci swallowed, staring at them incredulously.

“Yes. NaDo and I have already talked about it. A lot,” Maru answered, wiping his face again. “We know what we’re getting into. But we want to help you.”

“Thank… you…” were the only words he could manage to squeak.

There sat a little boy, not much more than a handful of turns old. He gazed up with large green eyes from under a fluff of wild white hair.

Lucci woke from a deep, warm sleep with a heavy feeling pressing down on his chest. Gasping, the youth attempted to sit up, silvery eyes growing wide as he fought to make sense of where he was and what was happening to him. In a sudden flow of thought, realization came back to him.

That’s right. I’m in my room. Safe at Shellab 1.0. They told me it was best to just rest for another day.

He let out a long breath of relief before his glance fell downwards. The source of the pressure on his chest was now sitting sprawled in his lap, staring up at him in pure wonderment.

“Oh?” Lucci blinked back.

There sat a little boy, not much more than a handful of turns old. He gazed up with large green eyes from under a fluff of wild white hair. But this didn’t surprise Lucci as much as the pair of wings that were folded along the little boy’s back, seeming a bit too large in proportion to so young a child. The feathers bore a peculiar coloration – rather than being pure white, they were a slightly darker shade, with white tips in a diamond shaped pattern.

I didn’t know that children this young could Awaken…

“Hello world?” the child gave a big, innocent smile, as if in response to the thought. As the friendly tingling feeling in the back of Lucci’s mind grew stronger, another realization came to him.

Athrylith!? This boy… and Maru… they’re both Mind Mages?

As if on cue, Lucci could hear the sound of shuffling through the house outside his door curtain… and the call of Maru’s voice. Instantly, the winged boy stiffened, then made a beeline under Lucci’s covers in the bed next to him. All that was left poking out were the diamond-tipped wings.

Lucci blinked once at the giggling little lump under the covers, then once at the door.

Sure enough, Maru pushed aside the curtains with a sigh. She took one look at Lucci and mouthed silently, “Is he in here?”

With a shy smile, the youth motioned to the bedlump next to him. Then he proceeded to watch the rest unfold.

“KiNaTu. I know you’re under there. Come out, this instant!” One hand on her hip accented the command.

Giggling came from under the covers.

“Are you going to make me come over there?”

The fluffy white head poked out, followed by an innocent grin.

“KiNa. It’s your nap time.”

“I can sleep here?” the little boy replied.

“No, you’re going back to your bed and leaving poor Lucci alone. I bet you woke him up, didn’t you?” Maru crossed her arms.

“He has weird dreams,” KiNa intoned with a serious look.

“That doesn’t mean you should sneak into someone’s bed? How many times has Daddy told you to stop watching other people’s dreams?” she sighed and walked over with her arms outstretched.

“Aww… Mommy! I’m not tired!” the child protested and burrowed back under the cover quickly.

Just as quickly, Maru’s hand went straight under, fishing like an expert. “Nap time is nap time, KiNa!”

There was a bit of a struggle and a little wing flapping, but finally she managed to pull the boy out from his blanket fortress. His face was decidedly unhappy, and he proceeded to try every trick in the book, “Please!!! I don’t want to go back to bed!”

“I know that. But you still have half an hour.”

“But, I love you, Mommy?” big, innocent eyes. Already working with a suggestive charm.

“I love you too, KiNa. That doesn’t change the fact that it’s still nap time.” Mind Mage mother, unmoved.

“Awww! But, I want to fly!” his bottom lip curled.

Mind Mage pouting. It was so potent that even Lucci began to take pity on the child. “Ma’am… he wasn’t bothering me too much in here?”

“That’s very kind of you, Lucci,” Maru turned her smile towards him. “But he’s got to learn that when it’s nap time, he must stay put.”

“What’s going on in here?” NaDo poked his head in with a frown.

“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!!” KiNa reached his hands out.

“He slipped out again,” Maru sighed, giving her husband a long look. “I thought you said you were going to put an end to it?”

“Yes well… I’m working on it?” he winced a bit, taking the child in his arms.

“Daddy, I wanna fly with you? Please?”

“Now, KiNa… you heard your mother. It’s nap time. If you can promise to stay in your bed for the rest of the time, we can go out flying afterwards,” NaDo intoned, carrying the boy back down the hall again.

“You promise?”

“Of course I do.”

“We didn’t fly yesterday?”

“We’ll fly today. Just get through nap time first?”

Lucci watched as their voices trailed off, becoming fainter. Then he glanced over at Maru. “He is your son?”

She sighed, “He’s been quite the handful ever since his wings grew in.”

“I… didn’t know that children that young could Awaken?” he asked.

“Neither did we, honestly,” Maru pushed up her face decoration with one finger and fixed her hair back in place. “Even Lord Zemi seemed a little surprise. But I suppose he’s one of the first children born from two people who were already Awakened?”

“Oh…? Was he born… with wings?” Lucci blinked.

“No… no…” she laughed softly. “Thankfully not. He’s had them for a few months now. It figures that where most mothers have to worry about children teething… I have to worry about mine winging.”

“Is it so bad?”

“It’s impossible to keep him on the ground. We’ve tried everything… even a leash!” Maru crossed her arms and leaned back. “The child is everywhere. He’s completely obsessed with flying. I’m really not sure what to do with him. I hope he will eventually grow out of it.”

“And he’s an Athrylith,” Lucci added. “Like you?”

This time she did pause, glancing at him with an upraised eyebrow. “So you can tell?”

“I’ve… uh…” he found himself at a loss to explain, “I’ve had experience with Mind Mages before. I kinda know what they feel like.”

“I see…” her voice held a hint of concern, though she worked to keep it level.

“Don’t worry,” Lucci lifted his hands. “I won’t tell anyone. I know that Athrylith don’t like to be known about.”

Maru took in a long breath, looking at Lucci from over the two glass discs of her face decoration. Then, finally, she nodded with pursed lips.

“Alright,” NaDo announced, walking in without further warning. “I think this time, we’ve got him in bed for good.”

“Are you sure?” Maru turned, as if not even alarmed by his sudden appearance.

“One can never be sure with this child,” he answered with a sly grin, “He takes after his mother?”

“Oh! Blame it on me?!” she gave him a teasing slap on the shoulder.

“You’re the one that loves to fly?”

“Yes. But you’re the one that gets these crazy fixations on things.”

“Perhaps… but that’s why you love me?” NaDo offered his best beaming grin.

Maru sighed and looped her arms around his shoulder, hanging from him for a moment. “You’re just being bad in front of poor Lucci. Look, he’s so confused?”

Lucci did have a puzzled look on his face, he realized. But it wasn’t for a bad reason.

Never had he really seen a family unit at work like this – his whole life was built around a very different family structure. One where people were always struggling… sometimes not accepted… always uncertain of where they stood with each other. To see the way these people lived and how close they were to each other was vastly different from the lives of the people on Ceiswyr.

He didn’t know how to voice these thoughts. So he simply shook his head, “I’m fine. Really?”

“You sure?” NaDo asked.

“Yessir,” Lucci replied quickly.

“Are you fine enough to join us for a real supper tonight?” he rubbed his hands together. “I’ve got this great shrimmpy dish that I think you’ll absolutely love, Lucci. Have you ever tried shrimp before?”

“Uh… no?”

“No. Of course not. You’re all missing out soooo much stuck in the Inner Realms! No idea what real fish tastes like!”

Maru rolled her eyes, “He’s so certain that if we imported this stuff back home that we’d make a fortune.”

“It would work, I tell you!” NaDo gave a quip. “People back home would love it!”

“We have a battle to win back there, first?” she reminded him.

He paused. “Of course. But then, after that?”

“Lucci,” Maru gave him a droll look, “Just accept his invitation before he hurts himself trying to persuade you.”

“That’s not fair, dear. The boy needs to make up his own mind?”

By this time, Lucci was grinning from ear to ear. “No… no… I’d love to try your shrimp, Master NaDo.”

“Hah! Hah!!” the man laughed warmly as he sauntered his way out of the room. “MASTER NaDo! I like the sound of that!”

Maru just shook her head and followed. “I better make sure he doesn’t light anything on fire. I’ll call you when supper is ready. Okay, Lucci?”

The youth just nodded as he watched her leave the room. Then he leaned back, feeling comfortable and warm in his bed… and wondered what exactly a shrimp was.

here stood a man and a woman who, much to Lucci’s surprise, both bore the white hair and green eyes of the people of the Inner Realm.

As the darkness began to sift away, things didn’t feel at all like Lucci would have expected them to. Afterall, the last thing he could remember was the clash of steel and magic as Master TsuYa and KoGuRai met in the center of the Cynosure. The shouts of battle and the pressure of darkness closing in on them from the outside. And the rush of fear as Lucci gave into the voices in his head – all of which had told him to run. To get away.

And that’s what he had done. One of the scripted tiles of the chamber had lit up in a tall pillar of white. Seeing the opening, he had leapt through. There had been no thought of what he would find on the other side. No thought to whether the light was something safe to jump through. Simply a wild lunge into the unknown. Followed by silence. Darkness. And now waking.

A strange, lulling sound rose and fell in his ears. It was a distant woosh and swish of something vast and immeasurable. At first, Lucci wondered if it was a strange sort of wind or a rising storm. But as his senses became clearer, he realized it was the sound of moving water. A lot of water.

Lucci pushed himself up on his palms, a warm clear light streaming down through the windows into his opening eyes. A soft breeze trickled through the parted curtains, sending them waving in a white welcome. Moist fingers of air stroked past his face and through his hair, carrying the strange smell of brine.

Where am I?

The youth’s silver eyes flitted back and forth to observe his surroundings, completely unknown to him. He was in a small room with smooth, curved walls of pinkish-white. Rainbows of light seemed to dance over the stone surface as he moved his head. And though it wasn’t completely the same as his room in the Compound back on Ceiswyr, it was close enough to send a pang of homesickness through him.

For a moment, he simply sat there, hands gathering up the soft light blue bedcovers between his fingers. Sat there in a silence that he was unaccustomed to. That’s when he realized…

Where are They?

Once more, his head turned, looking for that which could not be seen, but only felt. The spirit voices. The eyes from the Mists. Even the comforting presence of Kaz. There was nothing.

For once in a very long time, Lucci was alone. And he had no idea why – whether this was good or bad. But it felt really strange to him… strange and somewhat scary. It was the first time he had been so far away from home, in a strange place, without the guidance of his friend.

“Kaz?” Lucci’s voice was creaky in his ears. “Kaz..? Can you hear me? Where are you?”

The answer he got was not one he expected.

He heard the sound of shuffling from the other side of the curtain-door followed by low voices. For the first time, the youth realized that wherever he was, however he got there, he probably wasn’t alone. A tightness gripped his throat at the sound of footsteps drawing nearer causing Lucci to clutch the blankets in a childlike motion. His wide, silver eyes focused on the motion of the curtain as it drew back. He held his breath as not one, but two faces materialized from the other side.

There stood a man and a woman who, much to Lucci’s surprise, both bore the white hair and green eyes of the people of the Inner Realm. An arch of feathered wings rose from their shoulders, marking them as Lord Zemi’s people. And just for a moment, the youth wondered if he had somehow been transported back to the Islands after all.

“Well, now… look who is finally awake. Hello world!” the man said with a wide, welcoming smile.

He sidestepped to allow the woman to peer through the doorway beside him… where they both blinked, watching him with great interest and expectation. There was a kindly sound to the man’s voice and an honest, friendly expression on his face… despite the fact that he was wearing the strangest face-decoration that Lucci had ever seen.

When the youth glanced over at the woman, he realized that she, too, wore a similar face decoration. Round and flat, it was as if two circles of clear glass sat within wire frames, balanced on her small nose. It gave her the look of strong intelligence, even as she pushed the straying waves of blue-white hair out of her eyes to smile at him.

“You must have had a long trip?” her tone was also welcoming. And her voice resonated in his mind with a strange, tingling feeling – something that Lucci had only felt in few other people before.

The youth nodded, fighting to reclaim his voice from the depths of uncertainty.

“Would you like something to eat? Or to drink?” the man followed up. “Don’t be shy? Whatever you need, just let us know.”

“Wat…er?” Lucci finally managed to croak.

“There you go. That wasn’t so hard, was it?” the woman smiled. She turned her words towards the man as she walked back out through the curtain to the other room. “I’ll fix him something. Just check him over.”

“Of course… of course…” the man waved her away with a droll sigh. Then he turned his attention back to the youth, adjusting his face decoration’s position on his nose. Before Lucci knew what was happening, he had pulled out a strange, slender object and was sticking it in his ear. “Do you feel any signs of dizziness?”

Lucci puzzled for a moment, knowing better than to shake his head with something poking in his ear. “No..?”

“Nausea?”

The youth didn’t know what that meant. But now the strange object was being held up to his eye. He realized that the man was using it to inspect him… but he wasn’t exactly sure why.

“Upset stomach?” the man clarified.

“No…”

“Headache?” The object now was looking up his nose.

“No, sir… I’m okay. I just need water. Really?”

“Open your mouth and say ‘ahhh’ for me,” the man intoned.

“Ahhhhhhh–?” Lucci did as he was instructed. Sure enough, the object was poked into there, too.

“Just like that. Good,” he nodded to himself, seeming to be pleased with what he saw. Then he pulled out another object, which was round, flat and made of some sort of silvery metal. This he placed against Lucci’s neck. “You can close your mouth now, son.”

Lucci did as he was told. Just before the device went down the front of his shirt, pressed against his chest. The youth squirmed and almost laughed – the metal was cool and surprisingly ticklish.

The man laughed along with a cheerful quip and told him, “Hold still, now. I’m listening to your heartbeat.”

“My heartbeat? Why?” Lucci found his interest peaked.

“Well, to make sure that you’re not hurt or sick,” the man answered with a smile.

“Oh..?” Lucci paused, mulling over the thought. It was the first time that a stranger – especially one of the winged people – had seemed so concerned with his health.

Maybe he doesn’t know yet… that I’m the Bane. Maybe that’s a good thing.

“Everything looks good here,” the man finally said, putting away his strange devices. “Did you get plenty of sleep?”

Lucci nodded. He found himself nodding a lot in response to the man’s somewhat eccentric, but friendly manner.

“Excellent. Now just relax. Maru will have that water for you shortly… and probably some good perth-broth, too,” the man winked over the rim of his face decoration. “That sounds good, doesn’t it?”

Lucci nodded again. Even though he wasn’t quite sure what the man was talking about. There was just something in the way he spoke that put the youth at ease… an easiness that was very much genuine. After not having seen a friendly face for so long, Lucci found himself drawn to the room full of smiles, welcomes and good will.

“Your name is Lucci, right?” the man asked, obviously knowing the answer already. Before the youth could respond, the man continued on, talking to himself in a genial manner. “Lord Zemi told me that you’d be a boy… but you certainly don’t look like a boy to me. Unless they grow kids taller in Ceiswyr now days? You can never tell anymore, I suppose, with all of the hodgepodge going on up there.”

Though the last statement was spoken with a chuckling-quip, Lucci couldn’t help but cringe.

He knows who I am? He knows Lord Zemi… and he knows about Ceiswyr? Then for sure… he knows I’m the Bane.

The woman came back through the curtain with a tray balanced between her hands. She offered a coaxing smile. And before Lucci knew it, all thoughts of worry had flown straight out of his head.

“He’s a scatter-brained lout, Lucci. Don’t let him fret you,” she said, as if knowing exactly what the youth had been thinking. “He’s not even socially apt enough to introduce himself before presuming other people’s names.”

“Huh? Oh?” the man gave a startled look. Then a wide grin.

The woman placed the tray on the little night stand next to the bed. “Either that, or he just has this delusion of grandeur that everyone already knows his name.”

“Don’t they?” came the quip.

“Maybe in your own little world,” she teased and kissed him light on the cheek.

Lucci found himself flushing. But smiling, too, in a peculiar sort of way.

“You ARE in the presence of greatness, Lucci!” the man chortled and gave a low bow, spreading his arms as he did. “I am known as NaDoTu – Scientist… Inventor… Seeker of Higher Truths! And you have arrived at Shellab 1.0… the utmost important locale of the Vision Stone project!”

Scientist..?

The youth’s face boggled. Though, again, he didn’t understand much of what was being said to him, it all sounded very big and important.

“And this is my beautiful wife,” the man reached over, hooked one arm around the woman’s waist and pulled her next to him, “KiMaRuTu.”

“Just Maru is fine,” she added quickly. “You’re going to overwhelm the boy, NaDo.”

He gave another laugh as she playfully pushed away, her palms braced on his chest. Maru then turned back to Lucci, putting a spoon and napkin on the tray and motioning for him to eat.

Despite being in strange company, when the smell of the broth reached his senses, Lucci realized he was very hungry. Any manners that had been impressed upon him in his youth had been erased during the long weeks of traveling out on his own. Added to the ravenous appetite, he had soon finished off the small loaf of bread and the whole bowl of soup, face hopeful for more.

“Nothing wrong with his appetite, that’s for sure,” NaDo laughed.

“Not for his size… I wasn’t thinking about that. I suppose I miscalculated?” Maru rubbed her head, then gave Lucci a wink. “Just hold on and I’ll get you some more?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the youth replied, this time remember his manners.

As Maru shuffled back out of the room, NaDo was already filling in the void with cheerful chatter — most of which Lucci didn’t really understand. But the feeling of friendly company and real conversation overrode his confusion. It was nice to be with people again, away from the pressing eyes of the spirits and the twisty world of the Mists.

I’ll have to remember to ask him why… this place seems to block Them. Nowhere else, not even Lord Zemi’s Islands, have ever had that effect.

Just then, Lucci noticed another shape appear on the other side of the curtain. A much smaller shape, followed by a pair of curious, large green eyes. The shape didn’t make a sound… nor did it attempt to come through the curtain. But Lucci could sense it there… and the strange tingling feeling that it caused in the back of his head – somewhat like the feeling that Maru gave him.

The feeling… it’s a lot like… Master SoYa?

“Oh!” NaDo broke off in mid-word, seeming to notice the shape as well. With a flutter of wings, the man walked over to the doorway and pushed aside the curtain, peering down. “Someone’s gotten out again, hasn’t he?”

Lucci couldn’t see past the folds of the curtain, but he could hear the soft protests of a child’s voice as NaDo reached down and scooped up the smaller shape.

“You’re supposed to be down for a nap, little mister!” the man scolded gently, before poking his head back through the curtain to Lucci. “Excuse me a moment. I have to put my wandering child back to bed.”

And just like that, the Seeker of Higher Truths was gone, nothing more than a retreating shadow on the other side of the curtain.

Lucci’s mouth was open with a reply he never got to speak. Instead, he blinked around the now-quiet room, his mind sorting out the strange and interesting turn of events. Already there was a calm, warm feeling moving through his body as good food, warm blankets and a safe place had already begun to work wonders. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he didn’t have to run. That he had arrived somewhere… even if it was a strange place with unusual people.

I think I like it here…