Hello again, folks. I'm going to be doing something a little different for this Book; rather than spending the whole big Book focusing on one story, we'll be jumping back & forth between different Realms, as multiple stories unfold at the same time. Let's see what new friends – and new foes – the Dimensional Defense Force makes this time…

To understand the plot and concepts and characters of the first new series we'll visit, I strongly advice you watch through the animé Cross Ange (available on Crunchyroll), or at least find some detailed written plot synopses.

THE FOLLOWING THINGS ARE THE PROPERTIES OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS; I DO NOT OWN THEM AND MAKE NO MONEY OFF OF THIS STORY

Mahō Shōjo Lyrical Nanoha (Teana, various other characters) – 7Arcs

Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni (Shion and friends/family) – 07th Expansion and Studio Deen

Shuffle! (Kaede Fuyō and associated characters) – Navel and Asread

Erika's New Perfume (Marie, Sarah, Erika, Timmy, Veronica) – DeviantArtist 'Lance the Young'

Mai-chan's Daily Life (Mai, Kizuna) – Waita Uziga

Star Wars (Ahsoka, Cody, Rex, Force Unleashed cast) – George Lucas, Lucasfilm

Halo (Forerunners, UNSC, Sangheili Alliance) – Bungie, 343 Industries

StarCraft (multiple characters, events, and devices) – Blizzard Entertainment

Naruto (characters, techniques, abilities) – Masashi Kishimoto

Mahō Sensei Negima (characters, spells, abilities) – Ken Akamatsu

Kingdom Hearts (characters, weapons, enemies, concepts) – Square-Enix

Neon Genesis Evangelion (characters, concepts, tech) – Studio Gainax

Elfen Lied (Kaede K., others) – Lynn Okamoto, Arms

Red vs. Blue (The Blood-Gulch Crew, the ex-Freelancers) – Rooster Teeth

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic – Hasbro, Lauren Faust

Transformers Film Series – Hasbro, Michael Bay

Transformers: Beast Wars – Hasbro, Mainframe Entertainment

Yu-Gi-Oh! (card-game played by characters in this series once or twice) – Kazuki Takahashi, Viz Media

Sonic the Hedgehog – SEGA

Gears of War – Epic Games

Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles – Columbia Tristar (I think)

Mass Effect – Bioware

Metroid – Nintendo

Puella Magi Madoka Magica – Gen Urobuchi, SHAFT

The Legend of Zelda – Nintendo

Tōhō – ZUN

RWBY – Rooster Teeth

Pretty Cure / PreCure – Toei Animation

Kill La Kill – Trigger

Cross Ange – Sunrise

Cardcaptor Sakura – Clamp

Sailor Moon – Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha

Sailor Nothing – used with express permission of Stefan "Twoflower" Gagne; please visit his website for SN and his other original works

Other works, which I have not decided whether or not to implement in Teana's Travels, might appear in later chapters; in that case, their Disclaimers will be at the front of their introductory chapters.

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

-BOOK 32 START-

Evangeline McDowell sat in her cottage, relaxing as the credits of her movie played. Her life had definitely become interesting in the months since her freedom, though there were also times of calmness and tranquility like now. At least she'd gotten to have some fun cutting loose against Harbinger's and Amon's forces in the last two big conflicts. Even though she was now free of the old curse, she still hung around; Mahora Academy had pretty much become her home by now, and it was where most of the people she (begrudgingly admitted she) cared about were, so… why leave?

A tiny smile graced her adorable young features as she remembered shortly after the Lifemaker was slain, when she had finally admitted to herself the feelings she'd developed for Negi, and went to him. Letting down her emotional barriers and letting him see the 'real' Evangeline, the sad, lonely little girl at her core deep behind centuries of cynicism and pain, had been one of the hardest things she'd ever done. But it had been worth it. He had accepted her, all of her, and after so many years of being abandoned, he had sworn that he would be with her.

In the months since, Negi and the rest of Ala Alba had helped Evangeline start to slowly 'heal' from her nearly six centuries of 'issues' and pain, occasionally even letting herself act her physical age. Chizuru Naba, in particular, had grown fond of fawning over the immortal little girl. Asuna had… eventually forgiven her for everything (though not until after she'd performed a temporary power-sealing and delivered a beating of a fight that was immediately followed by a spanking with her harisen-form Artifact). She'd also made friends amongst the Dimensional Defense Force's people. She and the Wolkenritter warrior and fellow 'eternal child' Vita got along like two peas in a pod, and she had also become fast friends with Asari Matriarch Aethyta. She had a decent relationship with the Bureau's 'Three Great Aces' too, having helped Yagami master some lower-yield techniques so she wasn't as much of a 'glass cannon' anymore, and Takamachi was rather insightful with a gift for reading people (though the young woman's powerful maternal instincts occasionally led her to start mothering Evangeline a little, with Fate being the same way).

Eva shifted in her seat a little, both arms still lightly holding onto the big pink stuffed bunny-plushie in her lap, feeling its effect wash over her. Some of Eva's plushies had a special enchantment woven into them, so that when she was in physical contact with them, it triggered a 'loosening' of her emotional barriers and made her demeanor and emotions more childlike and innocent, and gave her feelings of security and comfort, especially if she was actively holding one. It was the closest she could get to the innocent childhood she had long since lost. The effect 'stacked' the more of them were touching her at once; if she were to be 'buried' by, say, 8-10 of them, it would leave her in a state of near-infantile bliss and carefree comfort. It was originally something she'd come up with for whenever she'd lay alone in her bedroom – a place of pink & white, frills and lace, full of dolls and stuffed toys and glowing with warm innocence, her 'refuge' from the dark, cynical real world. After a few of the others had found out about this, they – particularly Chizuru – had insisted that she always have at least one of the enchanted plushies either on hand or in a subspace pocket, to take out whenever she thought she needed it. Occasionally, if she was starting to show signs of stress or 'getting fussy' (as Chizuru happily called it, to the tiny immortal's embarrassment), they would manually take the enchanted plushie out and push/place it into Eva's arms, triggering the effect to calm and relax her (they also sometimes did the same for/to Negi).

She sighed. She could 'feel' that things would spring into motion soon, though right now everything was quiet. People were coming down from the excitement of the Amon War, but already some of them were scrying through the Realms, scouting for magical signatures, for signs of trouble or of strong heroes, just as Shenron had suggested. A few other things were in motion, too; just this morning the UNSC Infinity had departed for the Forerunner Shield World 'Requiem', to reclaim it from Jul Mdama's forces. The 'Blood-Gulchers', accompanied by Washington, Carolina, and Epsilon (though not by Lanstar's older brother; he'd been reassigned at the last minute), were hitching a ride with a military transport ship bound for a planet called Chorus on the fringes of the UNSC's Outer Colonies. And in a couple weeks, the planet Remnant's "Vytal Festival" – a combination fair and tournament – would be starting.

Evangeline suddenly sensed multiple energy signatures warp in, just outside her front door; some of them were old and powerful. Setting her stuffed bunny down and hopping down off the couch, she headed for the door just as a knock came from it. Extending her senses, she was a bit surprised as she sensed Protoss energy signatures. She floated a few feet off the ground, to bring her up to eye level with the aliens, and then opened her door. Her eyes widened as she was faced with three of the four great leaders of all Protoss civilization (Talandar was busy holding the fort back on Aiur).

"Greetings, Miss McDowell" Artanis said with a slight nod, Vorazun and Alarak flanking him, along with a few humans – Ryūko, Asuna, & Yang (no big surprise; the three of them had become fairly good friends lately), Ex-Agent Texas, and… four new faces, young women Eva hadn't seen before.

"Hierarch" she returned a respectful nod. "What brings you all here?"

"We were hoping to use your temporally-displaced 'resort' for training purposes."

"I assume it has something to do with these three newcomers?"

"It does indeed" Vorazun replied. "We will explain in detail, including exactly why we Protoss have taken an interest in them, once we are inside."

"…Very well. Follow me."

The odd group followed the little shinso as she floated in. Alarak had to suppress a gesture of amusement; he knew how powerful McDowell was thanks to the archival data and footage, and he rather liked her personality and ways of combat, but… The fact she was floating up so far in order to be at eye level with them did little to offset how positively tiny she looked – by human standards, she was small even for a near-preadolescent, while by Sangheili or Protoss standards she was pretty much toddler-sized.

'And to think she is 50 years older than I am…' he thought.

As she led them toward the basement, Evangeline snuck a few peeks at the three newcomers. They all looked around 16-18 years of age; two of them wore what looked like either uniforms or Barrier Jackets (though she could sense they were mere cloth with some armoring, not mana-formed clothing), while the third wore a maid uniform of sorts. The first had shoulder-length golden-blonde hair, a toned yet rather 'curvy' build, and the way she carried herself, her 'aura'… Evangeline assumed either royalty or (more likely) ex-royalty hardened by experience. The second had long dark-red hair, long and held in two large ponytails, and deep blue eyes. The third, the one in the maid outfit, had short dark-purple hair and orange eyes. The last one was slightly younger, with hair of a duller blonde than the first girl, bright blue eyes, a red & pink dress, and a royal air to her. What's more, the latter two had an odd magical energy signature.

'Mana transfer?' Eva thought.

Some people who used magic could transfer their own mana into other people, as a 'jump start' for healing magic-based injuries or helping a mage's body start 'refilling' after they exhausted their own reserves. With training, people could use someone else's mana to cast spells instead of their own energy, though they would always be 'diluted'. The maid-girl and the princess-type one felt like they were carrying a lot of somebody else's transferred mana, but not using any of their own. What's more, the transferred mana felt… tainted, unnatural, like something had been 'added' to it by force.

'Curious…' the shinso thought. 'I'll have to grill them for intel."

"Here we are" she said, standing in front of the rather sizable 'diorama' that contained her personal pocket dimension. "Every 24 hours in here equals one in the outside world. Step right in."

-Break-

Angelise Misurugi – better known to some as 'Ange' – was having a very weird day, even by her standards. It had started right after she, her faithful maid & friend Momoka, her old friend Misty, and her nemesis turned unexpected ally Hildegaard (or 'Hilda') had made their escape from the island nation/prison of Arzenal… literally 'right after', in fact; mere seconds after taking off in their stolen dropship, a swirling blue, black, & white portal had opened right in their path, and Momoka had been unable to react quick enough to prevent their craft from flying right through it in full view of the three 'higher-ups' watching from the deck they'd just left behind (she kinda had a feeling those three may have actually heard Hilda's shouted "What the fu-" as they passed through).

The slipspace portal had quickly deposited the craft into a new locale, on a new world in a new dimension. It had set down with a hard but safe landing, skidding along the grass for a few dozen meters before sliding to a stop. By chance, they'd landed in an unofficial DDF training field, one that was occupied by a few people, who were ready to help cut the now-stuck rear door of the VTOL open and get them out, the redhead – Asuna – using a strange and powerful weapon that formed a long blade of blue superheated energy to cut a large hole for the dimensionally-displaced quartet to emerge from.

When the four dimensional refugees emerged, they'd found themselves in a picnic/training field toward the outskirts of an utterly humongous locale known as 'Mahora Academy'. In addition to the four people right there to greet them and make sure they were unhurt – introduced as Asuna Kagurazaka, Ryūko Matoi, Yang Xiao-Long, and a power-armored woman called 'Agent Texas' – they had been deeply shocked to see actual space aliens among the curious onlookers – a group of Unggoy, a few Turians, a Sangheili, a couple of Protoss… Tex had been quick to give them a bare-bones explanation about the 'Dimensional Defense Force', and then remarked how they were not the first 'castaways' to randomly appear from trans-Realm rifts (though it was, she added, a very rare occurrence).

And the surprises hadn't stopped there. A flash of whirling blue light had heralded another alien's arrival – tall, with pale grayish-blue flesh and glowing blue eyes with no mouth to speak up, clad in elaborate white & gold armor with glowing blue lines running along it. The four 'greeters' had saluted, while even Ange felt the split-second compulsion to bow. He had greeted them warmly, and Tex had introduced him as Hierarch Artanis, explaining how he was the leader of his entire race and one of the handful of people (along with briefly mentioned names like Hood, Vadam, Arika, Hackett, Valerian, Celestia, and others) who held command over the DDF as a whole.

Artanis claimed that the fragment of Xel'Naga power still within him had allowed him to sense something out of the ordinary, along with a 'feeling' of 'needing' to be present. What's more, he had been accompanied by two other Protoss: Matriarch Vorazun and Highlord Alarak, two more of the four leaders of the Protoss. Then, Ange and Hilda had felt a 'twinge' in the backs of their minds, and the three Protoss' eyes had widened as they sensed… something; they wouldn't yet say what. Vorazun had then calmly insisted upon accompanying the group to a place where they could have 'a bit more privacy and plenty of time'.

During the walk over to 'Eva-chan's Cottage' (Asuna had called it), the first thing Ange had done was apologize profusely to Misty for everything. Upon learning Angelise's motivation, to save her endangered little sister, Misty had quickly forgiven her. Then, while still en route, Ange & Hilda had received a big surprise in the form of a message to Artanis from Phase-Smith Karax and his accompanying human & Huragok engineers: their Para-Mails had made the inter-Realm trip, too, being warped right into the Starshot's hangar! The various engineers were examining the two transforming mechs with interest, and – upon psychokinetically discerning that their owners were 'good guys' – already drawing up plans for various upgrades – better armor, better power cores, new & upgraded weaponry, maybe 'hazardous-environment functionality', energy shielding… Stunned, the two pilots had nonetheless quickly accepted the offer, with Karax assuring them that their machines were in good hands.

Now, as they all stepped onto a rune on the floor just outside the impressive-looking diorama in the little blonde immortal girl's basement, they were all enveloped in a brilliant flash of light. When it faded, Ange opened her eyes… and her jaw dropped, as did those of her three fellow 'castaways', as they found themselves standing atop a platform extending out from a huge and magnificent structure, which in turn was linked to other structures. A beautiful view of forest, rocky terrain, and sea was visible out to the sides far below.

"Welcome to my Resort," Evangeline said, "a place to get away from it all… or train until you drop. For every 24 hours that pass in here, one hour passes outside."

"This is my first time being in here…" Ryūko said. "It's even fancier in person… in a good way, I mean."

"I hear that" Yang replied, as Tex nodded in agreement.

"It's got plenty of resources to aid in study or training" a new voice chimed in.

The group turned, and were faced with the sight of a young boy around 10 or 11, in a dark-green outfit, with two-toned red hair tied back in a ponytail, and a warm smile on his face. The new quartet couldn't help but think he was cute (not in a romantic way, in an 'Awww…' way).

"Newcomers," Artanis addressed 'Group Ange', "may I introduce Negi Entheofushia-Springfield – S+-rank combat mage, prodigy in magical theory & applications, savior of this particular world… and Prince of the lost kingdom of Ostia."

"I didn't exactly save this world alone…" Negi admitted sheepishly. "It was a big team effort. And I… don't really like to advertise the 'prince' bit…"

"I'm surprised you haven't said some barb against him yet…" Vorazun murmured toward Alarak.

"I have seen what the boy is capable of" the Highlord replied. "Despite his… frustrating degree of humility, he has courage and fortitude to match the greatest of Tal'darim warriors. Not to mention his raw power… and the wonderful ferocity he can unleash upon his foes the rare occasions he is pushed too far…"

"If you'll follow me," Evangeline spoke up, "we can have a seat and some snacks… photosynthetic species notwithstanding" she shot the Protoss a mildly apologetic look.

Artanis gave a simple gesture of non-offence, and Eva led the whole group along the walkway and into an open-air patio with chairs and tables. Seated at one of the tables was a woman with long golden-blonde hair, wearing a loose pale-pink dress. As she looked up, setting down her tea, they saw that her eyes were heterochromatic, just like Asuna's.

"Newcomers?" she asked. "Dimensional refugees?"

"Indeed" Evangeline replied, a hint of softness to her tone; after she had fully moved on from Nagi (helped by the revelation she'd actually been subconsciously seeking a father-figure in him), she and Nagi's wife had actually come to get along quite well; in fact, more often than not Evangeline tended to trigger the woman's maternal instincts.

"I've only just met them," Negi spoke up, "so I'm… afraid I can't tell you much yet. Sorry, mother."

The woman smiled warmly. "It's all right, Negi" She spoke with the warmth in her tone that only a mother could manage.

"Mother…?" Momoka murmured, before her eyes widened. "Wait… B-But that means…"

"Correct" Evangeline smirked. "This is Arika Entheofushia, wife of Nagi Springfield, mother of Negi… and Queen of the nation of Ostia."

Realizing she was in the presence of genuine royalty (though really, part of her thought, Artanis could be considered a King, too), Momoka nearly tripped over herself hastily bowing, only for Arika to soothe her and tell her it was alright not to be that formal. Ange was rooted in place for a few seconds; Arika's presence was so similar to her lost mother's…

"I'm still a bit surprised to see you here, milady" Yang said to her. "I thought you'd be busy for a while tending to the situation back on Mundus Magicus."

"Well," the woman replied, "I was, but then the doctors felt that too much of the stress involved with that may not be a good idea as I am now. For that same reason, I won't be of too much help training the newcomers, I'm afraid."

"What do you mean, 'as you are now'?" Hilda asked, curious.

In response, Arika stood up, placing a hand on her stomach… which was visibly rounded. Near-immediately, the newcomer quartet understood.

"She's pregnant…" Misty murmured.

Arika nodded, a warm glow of a smile forming on her face. "In about four & a half months, Negi will become an older brother."

Misty looked to the young boy with a genuine smile. "Congratulations" she said to him sweetly.

"T-Thanks…" Negi replied, now sounding a bit… uneasy. "It… It means a lot to me, actually becoming a… *gulp*… a big brother, but… I…"

Ange allowed herself a little smirk. "Are you nervous about it?"

"Yes" Negi replied emphatically, his smile dropping into a plainly worried expression. "I mean… W-What if the fact that I don't really know how to 'be a kid' that well negatively effects my sibling's emotional development? What if I accidentally come off as too distant? Or by trying not to do that, I end up too clingy? What if I make new enemies in the future and they go after my sibling to get to me, like what mom's enemies did to me to get to her? What if I catch a cold or something and it makes them really, really sick? What if I say or do the wrong thing and end up messing them up later in life? What if-"

As Negi continued his quietly panicked rambling, slowly getting trapped in circular thinking, nearly pulling his hair from how badly he was fretting and worrying, the newcomer quartet sweat-dropped.

"Is… this normal?" Hilda murmured.

"Pretty much, yeah" Asuna sighed. "Negi's always been a natural worrywart; throw in something this big, and…"

"I don't think I was even this worried before Ruby came along…" Yang mumbled.

"Yang, you were two years old when Ruby was born" Ryūko replied. "And as for me, I am the younger of two siblings, so I got no idea what the poor kid's going through right now."

"Goodness, Artanis," Alarak said with mirth, "and I thought you worried too much about things…"

As Arika and Momoka both tried to comfort the poor prepubescent prince and pull him out of the downward spiral of worries and worst-case imaginings, Tex and Eva turned to Ange & Hilda. "So," the ex-Freelancer said, "what's you girls' story, anyway?"

After giving poor Negi a chance to calm down, the newcomer quartet got to explaining. They told about the 'World of Mana', of its technology, its mysterious power (what little they knew about it, anyway), its nations… and the 'Norma', how society viewed them, and the 'DRAGONs' they secretly fought. Several of the DDF group, particularly Negi and Artanis, tensed with calm anger upon hearing of the vicious racism and hate Normas faced. All the while, they listened, thinking…

"What are your names, anyway?" Alarak interjected. "We haven't actually been told that yet."

"Oh! My apologies. I am Momoka Oginome, personal servant to Angeli… Ange-sama."

"My name is Misty Rosenblum, princess of the Rosenblum Kingdom."

"Ange."

"Hilda."

Artanis looked at the latter two. "Please… What are your true names, the ones you were rightfully given by birth, that they stole from you?"

The two Normas looked at the Protoss Hierarch, surprised by the warm, paternal tone in his voice, by the fact he actually cared. "A… Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi…"

"…Hildegard Schlievogt" the red-haired young woman spoke with uncharacteristic softness.

"Oginome…" Evangeline addressed Ange's maid. "Show me this… 'Light of Mana'. I wish to see and sense it for myself."

"As do we" Vorazun added, with Arika nodding; the two of them shared a look.

"…O-Okay…" Momoka stood up, holding her hands together in front of her chest and then pulling them apart a few inches. Soon, a spark of green light formed, steadily growing in size for a few seconds; the light had a slight waver to it, almost flickering. The DDF people observed it closely, especially the dedicated mages. Before long, Evangeline's expression changed and she let out a "Tch…"

"I knew it…" she said. "Girls, I think your world's society is hiding some big secrets."

"What makes you say that?" Misty asked.

"There's something fundamentally wrong about your so-called 'Light of Mana'."

Evangeline's comment so startled Momoka that she lost hold of her power, letting it dissipate and fade out. She and Misty stared, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, with Ange & Hilda reacting with similar, but lesser, shock.

"Momoka-san," Negi spoke up, "the way you described it, how it works and where it comes from… True mana doesn't work like that."

"The energy known as mana, as we know it," Arika picked up the explanation, "is nearly everywhere throughout Creation – only the massive voids between galactic clusters are completely barren of it. It is concentrated wherever there is life; in particular, life-bearing planets brim with it, store and even produce it, as well as 'radiating' it out through space. It is similar to another omnipresent energy known as The Force – there is a theory they may have actually split off from a common 'ancestor' around 8 to 10 billion years ago, in fact.

"The shaping and manipulating of mana is known colloquially as 'magic'. Every person has a Mana Core, or 'Linker Core' as the TSAB call it; it's an… well, the best analogy would be an ethereal 'organ' within the body and soul. It continuously draws in raw mana from the planet, 'coloring' it with the person's life-force and 'self', and storing it. When a mage casts a spell of any kind, the mana contained within their body is shaped and 'linked' into whatever form the caster desires, like combining various atoms in certain ways to form molecules. Shaped by the user's will, the magical energy is then released and used accordingly. And the depth & breadth of things it can do is farbeyond the 'Light of Mana' capabilities you listed."

"Mana directly generated from and pulled into the body from the planet itself?" Angelise said, astonished.

"Every person's magical energy feels different," Evangeline said, "behaves differently, and people excel and are deficient in various things. The fact that everyone on your world has the exact same 'power set', with very little variation in capability and strength, even all having the same color, is not natural. …In fact, your 'Light of Mana' feels… diluted, and tainted. It's like someone… took a bunch of mana from one person, 'thinned it out' so to speak, added in some sort of… corruption, and then shoved it into everyone on your world. It feels like something somewhere between the magical-energy equivalent of external-source symbiotic and parasitic, leaning slightly towards the latter."

"Hey" Tex spoke up. "I think I've got a theory that could explain the 'Norma'. I was just looking through some of the stuff in our databases related to these latest topics, and I'm thinking… What if it's because they have… well, the magic-channeling equivalent of particularly robust immune systems? Their Linker Cores would detect how there's something 'wrong' with the mana that society uses, and reject it the same way the body would reject and fight against a pathogen."

Eva snapped her fingers. "That's gotta be it. At least, it makes the most sense out of anything I can think of."

"Agreed" Arika replied, with Negi nodding.

The visiting quartet were deeply shocked, especially Ange & Hilda. The reason Normas couldn't use the "Light of Mana" was because there was something fundamentally wrong with that power, and their bodies – their 'Cores' – were automatically rejecting it to protect them?

"Of course," Vorazun spoke up, "this brings to mind some good news: although Norma Linker-Cores reject that 'tainted' mana… there should be nothing preventing them from wielding true mana, directly from the planet and their own bodies, the way it is supposed to be done. In fact, being able to actively reject that tainted power, where others cannot, should be evidence of particularly robust Mana Cores, and correspondingly higher magic potential…"

After several seconds of silence, Momoka spoke up. "Would it… W-Would it be possible to… purge someone of the tainted, 'false' mana, so that we could learn true mana manipulation?"

"It should indeed be possible" Artanis replied. "In fact, there may be another reason to do it besides that…"

"Is this related to why you and these two came along, Hierarch?" Arika asked.

"Indeed it is. Shortly after our arrival, Vorazun, Alarak, & I sensed something astounding." He turned to the newcomer quartet. "There is something you should know about my people's history. Thought it is now gone, for centuries the Protoss bore a race-wide psionic gestalt link, known as the Khala. It enabled us to share thoughts and emotions to a degree far deeper than standard telepathy, to coordinate our minds and wills to a great degree, to 'become one' through its connection. The Khala was recently lost, when we all had to sever ourselves from it in order to free ourselves from a dark god's control. In fact, that very dark god created the Khala with the intent of using it to control us.

"When you four arrived here… Angelise, Hildegard, we sensed something dormant within you two that should be impossible. We sensed a psionic link just like the Khala, but 'cleaner'. And we believe this dormant link may be shared across every single 'Norma' in existence."

"Come now, Artanis," Alarak interjected, "didn't you sense it? It's not just the Norma; the other two have a faint signal of it as well, buried beneath the 'False Light' they carry. It is possible that the pseudo-Khala may be slumbering within every single person on their whole planet."

Ange's legs almost fell out from under her, while even the other DDF people were visibly shocked. "But… how?" she whispered.

"The Dark One who forged the Khala with the intent on bending the Protoss to his will had a good-natured counterpart," Vorazun replied, "a silent overseer and guardian. Considering that the piece of his essence within Artanis led us here… it is possible that Ouros reached across realities to bestow a 'purified' version of Amon's tool to the people of your world."

"Of course," Tex cut in, "the Xel'Naga weren't the only ancient race to meddle in other Realms for the greater good. This could also be another of The Librarian's actions, somehow, a delayed 'contingency plan' for something or the like."

"Regardless of its source," Artanis said, "it is at least partially connected to a powerful psionic potential I sense in you girls, a potential I strongly suspect is shared by the rest of your people. …Your entire race could be as psionically gifted as we Protoss."

"There is a reason we were brought here" Vorazun said. "And I believe that reason was to help you girls become the first of your kind to access this dormant psionic link, to… awaken it, and achieve your long-slumbering potential."

"Could… Could we wield this power, too?" Misty asked.

"You would first need to be purged of the False Light that infests you," Alarak replied, "but yes, I believe so."

"Please step forward, Angelise" the Hierarch spoke. "The time of your awakening has come…"

Stifling a nervous gulp, Ange came up to Artanis, having to look up to make eye contact with the tall alien. Then, Alarak came up to stand beside the Khalai/Daelaam Hierarch. "It may be easier with two" he stated.

"Clear your mind," Artanis coached, "and open it to yourself, to truth, to the universe. Reach out with it, and feel mine & Alarak's reaching for it in turn."

Ange took a deep, slow breath, her eyes closed. She could soon feel a… twinge in the back of her mind, very slowly moving toward the 'front' of it. She could feel… a strange warmth, and depth, the faint impression of an outstretched hand reaching for hers.

"Do not be afraid" Alarak spoke. "Feel the connection, the power, resting just below the 'sea' of your consciousness, ready to break the surface… and let it do so. Take hold of that power, that essence, for it is your own…"

It felt like something was welling up, out of the shadows – something big and a little scary, but also… comforting, even welcome. Emotions of all sorts flickered deep within her, split-seconds at a time, feeling like they both were and weren't hers… She could feel it beginning to grow, straining to break free. All it needed was one last push…

"Open your mind to everything" Artanis said. "All are connected; take hold of that connection, and its strength, its purity. Awaken to your true power. Embrace eternity!"

And then, it all broke free. Ange was enveloped and filled by a surging flood of sensation and essence and pure, true power. She could sense the life-forces of everyone around her, clear as day, shining bright, even the small but growing 'spark' inside Queen Arika's womb. Furthermore, she could feel a faint connection, one that defied words, to Hilda, and the 'echo' of one with Momoka and Misty. If she concentrated, she could faintly feel that connection linking her across the Realms, to every 'Norma' back home. This strange… network, for lack of a better description, carried significant power with it. On the outside, the others – especially the three fellow 'travelers' – watched in awe as this power was expressed, in the form of cascading blue and red psionic energy, coursing through and around her. She floated a few inches off the ground, as her right eye glowed red and her left eye glowed blue.

Soon, she gradually floated back down, and the formerly all-encompassing glow of her eyes faded to the point where it was just her irises carrying a faint glow. She looked down at her hands, watching and feeling as the energy softly crackled around them at her mental call, as she panted softly. This… This felt incredible…

"Did… you two…?" Asuna started to ask the two Protoss.

"No" Alarak replied. "That light was not our energy, but hers."

"There is little doubt now that whoever empowered her world's people with psionic power and a Khala-like link based it upon our people's abilities" Artanis said. "Angelise is wielding Khalai-type and Tal'darim-type psionic powers."

"H-How do you feel, Angelise-sama?" Momoka asked.

"I…" the blonde young woman whispered, her voice having a faint 'echo' as she also broadcasted it telepathically. "I feel… I-I don't know the words that could describe this… It's so…pure… I can feel emotions linked to it – courage, determination, a strange sort of… compassion, the strength to fight for what is right and just… and righteous fury…"

"That last bit is probably your Tal'darim side," Alarak replied, "the desire for vengeance against the wicked, hateful people of your world who have caused so much unjust anguish and suffering… You sense it even from here, don't you? The blind, ignorant, poisonous disgust and hatred your world's users of the False Light feel towards those who cannot wield it…"

"Along with a desire to lead your people to prosperity and freedom from that oppression…" Artanis added. "Am I correct?"

After a few seconds, Ange nodded, her expression slightly 'hardened'.

"Now then," Vorazun spoke up as she stepped forward, "Hildegard, I believe it is your turn."

The redhead held gave a slightly shaky nod, closing her eyes as she stood before the Nerazim Matriarch.

"Open your mind to the universe," Vorazun spoke softly, "let the Sacred Darkness bolster the light of your soul. Feel my essence reaching out to yours, to the spark that slumbers deep within you. Reach out for that spark, let it come to you… and let it grow. Awaken to your destiny. Embrace eternity!"

Soon, a soft gasp from Hildegard was immediately followed by a surge of psionic power, enveloping and coursing through her. Green and red energies orbited her, as her left eye brightly glowed red, and her right eye green.

"Nerazim and Tal'darim…" Artanis murmured as Hilda came back down from the 'rush' of awakening, panting softly as she observed herself with an amazed expression, watching the bi-colored energies course through her arms at her will.

"I feel… something else, besides this 'psionic' power…" she admitted. "It feels… cool and dark, but in an almost… comforting manner."

"That," Vorazun replied, "is the Void – the 'Sacred Darkness'. It is a power wielded by we Nerazim. Since the Fallen One was slain, calling upon its energies has become less difficult and mentally taxing, as it has been purged of the echo of his taint. I will teach you to wield it."

"Just as I will teach both of them to wield the strength of fury and crimson might of the Tal'darim" Alarak cut in.

"And I shall tutor Angelise in the ways of the Khalai's powers" Artanis added.

"I have a suspicion these two may be… special" Vorazun said. "From what I can sense and discern, it is likely that the rest of their world's people can only each wield one of the three types of energy – Khalai, Nerazim, or Tal'darim."

Now, Ange and Hilda could 'feel' each other to a surprising degree; already they could sense each other's presence and essence, each other's emotions, even glimpses of surface thoughts. Very soon, with only a slight effort, they figured out how to telepathically send each other wordless thoughts – images, ideas, concepts, and such. Angelise 'thought' words at Hilda instead of speaking them, and the redhead's eyes widened slightly as she heard the blonde's voice in her head.

"Um…" Rosenblum spoke up. "What next?"

"…Artanis-sama," Momoka spoke up, "Arika-sama… Please… If the 'Light of Mana' has something wrong with it, if it's keeping me from serving and protecting Angelise-sama properly… Please, get it out of me, and teach me how to wield true mana, and maybe connect with this 'link' they have!"

The two 'royals' in question shared a look, and nodded. "Very well" Arika said. "Let's get that parasitic mana out of you first. Asuna?"

"Got it!" the young redhead nodded, stepping forward as Arika got to her feet.

"What's Asuna-san have to do with this?" Angelise asked.

"Asuna has an exceedingly rare ability," Negi replied, "one that – as far as we know – is wielded only by her: Selective Absolute Magic Cancel. Basically, while she can use some magic, and spells meant to help her, like healing spells and physical-reinforcement magic and such – will work on her… any magic meant to harm, or stop, or inconvenience her, or the like, is completely, instantaneously nullified. She can instantly erase even the most powerful of army-busting spells, and tear through the most durable and complex magical barriers like wet paper, all while the support spells from her allies keep her going strong."

"So, like… partial selective 'Norma-ness'…" Misty murmured, amazed. "She can nullify mana-bolts and tear through mana constructs like a Norma, but can also still use mana herself, and mana-based healing & support techniques still work on her…"

"And considering the number of magic-using foes we go up against," Tex spoke up, "it makes her incalculably valuable on the battlefield."

"Add all that to my sword and martial-arts training," Asuna said, "my chakra-manipulation tricks, my Kankahō, and the Jedi training I've been getting from Master Kota, and I'm not someone to take lightly in a serious fight."

"If we combine facets of Asuna's power with Mom's arcane Vespertatia-family magic," Negi said, "we can safely extract the tainted mana from you."

Taking a deep breath, Momoka nodded, readying herself as Arika stood before her.

"I'm afraid I don't know whether or not this may hurt" the kind Queen said. "If it does, I apologize in advance, but I will try very hard not to let it."

The young maid closed her eyes, as a Vetus-system rune circle of white light formed beneath Arika's feet, the Queen calling forth her magic. She extended a hand, another small rune forming in front of it, and 'reached' out with her will. She quickly located Momoka's Linker Core, and telepathically transmitted a spell to allow everyone else to see a visual representation of what she felt. They all saw the 'shell' of altered mana around Momoka's Core, an almost-sickly green; Evangeline grimaced as she 'saw' and sensed its twisted properties – a polluted 'pale shadow' of what mana was supposed to be.

Asuna moved in, her hand overlapping with Arika's, and the rune gained a few extra details and shifted slightly in color. Within a few seconds, Momoka gave the tiniest of winces as the greenish energy began to be slowly drawn out of her. Arika and Asuna focused, melding their energies, as they carefully extracted the foreign mana from the girl's Linker Core. They kept it slow & steady, until finally the last of it was pulled out, leaving the girl's Mana Core 'clean'. Momoka visibly relaxed as the process was over, and opened her eyes to see a sphere of bright green energy being held in front of the rune hovering before Arika & Asuna's hands. This was the 'Light of Mana', extracted from her. Now that she looked at it… it did feel sort of… off…

"Seal it up" Evangeline said. "I'd like to study it, maybe figure out its origin."

Vorazun stepped forward, joining Asuna and Arika in weaving energies together to form a complex sealing spell of combined magical and Void energies, encasing the extracted energy in a stable form for storage and analysis. Eva in turn then conjured a transparent cube of magic-forged 'glass' around the sealed 'object', for ease of transport. She carefully set it down on the table.

Artanis began to step forward toward Momoka, only for Ange to hold out a hand to stop him. She walked up to her faithful servant & friend, who looked up at her with varying emotions.

"Relax, Momoka…" the newly-'awakened' young woman said. "Clear your thoughts and open your mind to me…"

The others watched as Ange performed the awakening 'ceremony' as it had been done with her, and soon blue psionic energy sparked to life around Momoka, her eyes gaining a blue glow – she was a 'Khalai-type', apparently. As the young maid came back to herself, looking herself over in quiet amazement, she felt the connection now tying her to Ange, strong and pure…

"Incredible…" she whispered.

Finally, it was Misty's turn. As Arika & Asuna got to work, the Rosenblum princess gritted her teeth as the foreign near-parasitic energy was slowly, carefully extracted from her. Finally, the sickly green 'mana' was out, an orb of green energy floating before Arika & Asuna's hands and rune. They looked to Evangeline.

"Since it's exactly the same as the first one, I don't need a second sample" the shinso said. "Destroy it."

Asuna nodded, reaching out and taking hold of the orb of extracted mana between her hands. With some slight effort, she crushed her hands together, and the energy 'popped' like a balloon, rapidly disintegrating into nothing. The redhead stuck her tongue out a little.

"I feel like I need to wash my hands now…" she complained.

The last 'awakening' was then performed, seeing Misty's body and eyes suffused in a green glow – Nerazim-type psionic power (contrary to what some believed, the Nerazim did have 'standard' psionic power in addition to their Void manipulation, able to perform such tricks as psionic-based energy blasts, lightning, and other techniques commonly associated with Khalai and Tal'darim; it just took them a bit more training than it did for the other 'races').

"Okay," Negi said, "even with all the extra time we've got from this Resort, we've still got a lot to do – archive 'footage', teaching, training…"

"I'll help oversee close-combat training" Tex said. "Yang, Negi, you two can help me with that."

"We will ensure they learn to wield their psionic powers effectively" Artanis said.

"A suggestion for something to add, Hierarch" Arika spoke up. "Why not teach them Khalani – your people's native language? It may aid them in learning your ways. If nothing else, it would enable them to speak with one another without their 'enemies' back home knowing what they're saying."

"…A decent enough idea" Alarak admitted. "We'll try to fit that in."

"And of course," Vorazun added, "they should learn 'true' magic manipulation as well, to further increase their power & capabilities over those of their world who wield the False Light."

"Right" Evangeline said, looking to the newcomer quartet. "Get ready, girls. You've got a lot of learning to do…"

-Break-

Realm H4-L0 – Melodia System – Chorus – Wreck of (half of) the Hand of Merope

"…Well, now what?"

Hearing Grif's question, Wash sighed as he looked around at the canyon they'd 'landed' in. "Someone will come looking for us… eventually" the Freelancer-turned-Spartan replied. "In the meantime, we should make camp."

"Epsilon and I can head out," Carolina suggested, "scout the rest of the planet. Maybe we'll find someone who can help us, or the crash-site of the other half of the ship."

"If you think it'll help…"

"So what do we do until help does come?" Tucker asked. "If it comes…"

"…How 'bout some War Games?" Donut suggested. "Y'know, like old times, except we won't actually be trying to kill each other?"

"You mean, 'red versus blue', opposite sides of the canyon, CTF and stuff?" Simmons asked.

"Yeah!" Doc replied. "It'll be like a blast from the past!"

"Hopefully not as annoying," Lopez chimed in, "or as taxing on our vehicles." In the wake of being recruited by the DDF, somebody had finally given Lopez an English voice-chip, though he kept his Spanish one as well; sometimes he'd deliberately speak only in Spanish so that the others wouldn't understand him… or to mess with them.

"How will we decide who gets which base?" Caboose asked.

"That's an easy one!" Sarge replied. "We'll use one of the oldest, most tried & true, most noble of duels known to mankind: Rock! Paper! Scissors! Winner's team gets to use the Hand's hulk… loser's team has to make a fort out of sheet metal and sandbags. Come on, Wash!"

'This is perfect…' the old soldier thought. 'In all my years, throughout hundreds of matches, I am the undefeated RPS champion! The Freelancer will bow before my hand's luck and might!'

Several seconds later, the canyon echoed with Sarge's loud "Son of a bitch!-!"

-Break-

Same Realm – Epoloch System – Requiem

"The Covies believe," Commander Palmer's voice was heard, "that this world is the home of one of their gods. The way I see it? If those freaks wanna meet God… it's our duty to help them along!"

A massive slipspace rift heralded the arrival of the UNSC dreadnought Infinity. Immediately upon emerging into realspace, it plowed right into a 'Didact's Hands' Resolution-class light cruiser, ripping the smaller vessel in half. Completing its emergence, the Infinity opened its ventral hatches, disgorging a small fleet of UNSC frigates and destroyers, which joined their 'parent' vessel in opening fire on the surprised Covenant forces.

As the dreadnought took position near the massive glowing hole that was Requiem's entry portal, a veritable swarm of Pelicans and drop-pods was released from the city-sized warship, making for the entrance and blowing away any Covenant craft in their path. The battle to take Requiem and its secrets for Earth and her allies had officially begun.

-Break-

In the past several hours/days, training had progressed nicely; Ange & Hilda, especially, had improved markedly in power & skill. Also, at one point, they discovered that their racial psionic link could perform a 'lesser' version of the Khala-style meld; they did not 'become practically one person' like the Protoss once could with the Khala, holding onto their individualities, but they were able to see deep into each other's minds and Hearts, seeing each other's memories, and gaining a much deeper understanding of each other that had gone a long way to improving their once-antagonistic relationship. Lastly, encouraged by what they had learned, how they had 'grown', and what they had planned, they had chosen to reclaim their true names, the ones taken by the cruel people of their world, asking to be referred to as 'Angelise' and 'Hildegard' (though they also still accepted their 'nicknames').

Now, as preparations for a return were finalized, plans and decisions were made, willpower was mustered, wishes of good luck and promises of support were given… The time for a return, for a reuniting and a rescue, had come.

'I'm coming home, mama…' Hildegard thought.

'Wait for me, Sylvia…' Angelise thought.

-CHAPTER END-

Next Time (might be a while again): The Cross Ange team returns home, and things are set into motion in a big way. Then: The start of the tale of another new Realm.