Final Fantasy IV

Prologue

I stand, leaning against the mast of the Red Wings, watching the world go by below me. The wind is gently blowing my ivy green hair into my eyes, which are a remarkable emerald green, as I've been told numerous times before. I watch the ocean and the landscapes move below us as we continue to fly back to Baron.

The Red Wings are large airships, painted in the color red, of course. It was the best way of transportation nowadays, but not every city or village possessed one or more. To be honest, Baron was the only city that had them. The King wouldn't allow others to possess even one of the airships. This trait made Baron the strongest city of all. It sort of made me proud to live in Baron, but for the past few months, my pride starts to fade away, slowly.

The King's been acting strangely for these past few months, demanding so much of us. So much that I'd rather not do.

"Captain Ryoku! We are about to arrive at Baron!" one of my men says, shaking me from my thoughts.

"Yeah…" I mumble calmly, not moving from my position against the mast, which does not hold a sail, but large propellers to keep us afloat.

I lower my head as the wind continues to ruffle my hair. The other soldiers start talking amongst themselves.

"Looks like it's bothering the Captain as well…" one says.

"Even if we were ordered to do so…" another fills in.

"Taking the crystal from innocent people is…" a third starts, but is unable to finish.

I close my eyes, trying to banish the thoughts from my mind, but finding myself unable to. We are on our way from Mysidia to Baron, from what must've been the worst mission I've ever had. I hang my head silently, as if in defeat. The King had ordered us to get the Crystal of Water from Mysidia. The Crystal of Water was a large crystal that was considered a national treasure there, but the King of Baron demanded that we went to retrieve it.

I did not enjoy this at all, trust me.

"Give us the Crystal of Water!" one of my men had shouted at the elder, two Black Wizards, and a White Wizard blocking our way.

"What have we done?" the elder had asked.

I wish I knew the answer, but I didn't.

"The crystal or your life!" I had shouted, knowing my mission had to be completed, no matter what the costs.

"Never!" a Black Wizard shouted in anger, and started preparing a Black Magic spell.

I simply scoffed and said to my men to take the crystal by force, though I hated saying that. My men also disliked the idea, but they did anyway, not daring to refuse an order. Before the spell could be completed, two of my men had taken down both of the Black Wizards, who screamed in agony, before dropping to the ground, dead before they even touched it.

The White Wizard looked at her fallen comrades, and said, close to crying: "No! Don't!"

"Dare to defy us?"

Before she could make a response, she was already killed without remorse. Or at least, that's what all watchers would've seen. Trust me, my men might follow orders, but they're not heartless.

The elder looked at the fallen mages, then slumped and said: "All right… Take the crystal!"

"You should have said it earlier!" the crewmember in front of me said, knocking the elder aside.

Without a second thought, I stalked up to the crystal, and easily grabbed the glittering gem from the pedestal. I studied it for awhile, before putting it in my pouch and heading for the exit.

"Why is the King of Baron doing this?" the elder suddenly asked. "Why do you pursue the crystals so eagerly?"

I never turned around. I had no answer to either of those questions. For one of the many times of my life, I was without words to use.

And so, here we are, back on our way to Baron to give His Majesty the news of victory. But for once, I have no pride over the victory.

None at all.

"We earned our positions as the Red Winds crew through valor and bravery!" one of them suddenly says, catching my attention. "Looting innocent people is an act of cowardice!"

I feel anger boiling up inside me. Sure, I dislike this as much as they do, but that doesn't give us a reason to disobey the King. I know I must sound a little overprotective of the King, but I can't help it. I've been abandoned as a child, and the King willingly took me in. I trust him like he was my own father. But right now, I'm starting to lose that trust in the King.

"Stop!" I say, stepping away from the mast.

A few members of the crew walk over to me, looking terribly saddened by what they'd been forced to do.

"Captain! Why are we going as far as pillaging a town of Magicians who don't even resist!?" one of them pleads.

I desperately want to tell them that I disliked this as well, but I just can't.

"Listen, everyone!" I say instead. "His Majesty has decreed that possessing the crystal is absolutely necessary. The people of Mysidia knew too much about the secret of the crystal, and were a threat to the continued sovereignty of our country. We are the Red Wings, the air power of Baron. His Majesty's orders are absolute…"

I don't mean a word, and they know it.

"Captain…" they plead with me again.

"Captain!!"

I look up in confusion, along with everyone else.

"Monsters are attacking!"

I look up, squinting against the sunlight, before I shade my eyes with my hand. Oh crud. He's right too. A whole swarm of Float Eyes is heading our way. Float Eyes are large monsters with a single eye that almost cover their entire face, if you can even call it that. Attached to their heads are bat-like wings, and their legs are too small to carry their large bodies.

"Prepare to fight!" I cry out, and everyone immediately takes on their destined positions.

I quickly put up my helmet, hiding my hair under it, and making me look more threatening. The Float Eyes give a loud screech as they start to attack us in groups of four or five. I pull out my Dark Sword, which is to be wielded by a Dark Knight only, and that being me, it'd be logical I was the wielder. I easily manage to get rid of two of them, before this starts to annoy me. I pull out a Red-Fang, which I easily throw at the Float Eyes, causing them to catch fire as it explodes. They're nothing but ashes when they hit the deck, before the wind blows them away.

"Agh!" I suddenly hear behind me, and I turn around to find one of my men with a rather deep wound on his arm.

"Are you all right?" I ask, walking over.

Before he can respond, we're suddenly shrouded in darkness.

"More are coming!" someone shouts, to which I respond with a loud: "Damn!"

I quickly look up, and gasp at the large Zuu dropping down from above. Hurriedly, I use a Blue-Fang item, which knocks the oversized bird out of the sky with relative ease.

I guess, sometimes it pays of to be a Dark Knight. But Dark Knights are the most feared by people, because everyone thinks they're trained to kill without a single bit of remorse. Also, they're easy to recognize with their pitch-black armor, which is supposed to make us look tougher than we already are. But there's always one Dark Knight in the army of Baron, always has been, and probably always will be.

I stand near the mast after giving the injured man beside me a potion, and shout: "Is everyone all right?"

Everyone turns to me, saluting.

"Yes sir!"

"The monsters surely have been increasing lately though…"

"There's just too many of them nowadays."

I know, but I don't know how that happened. I don't know what caused it, but something tells me it's not good.

"Is something… trying to happen?" I whisper almost inaudible.

I lean against the mast again, thinking things over once or twice. What's happening nowadays? It's like nature's turning against us for some reason.

"We have arrived at Baron!" I suddenly hear.

Perfect! We're back! It's about time, too.

"Prepare to land."

The airships all halt, hanging still in mid air, before lowering gently to the ground. No matter how many times I travel with these things, this part always makes me feel a bit queasy. I don't know what it is, once I'm on it, it's okay, but once we have to get down, I get all sick and stuff. I never let it show though.

Once we've completely stopped, I calmly get off of the ship, heading for Baron Castle immediately, like I was supposed to. Funny, I've never once really made my own decisions. I always allowed the King to run my life. I wonder why.

When I get to castle, Beigan walks out. Beigan's the King's right hand, a chancellor you might say. I've never really liked him though. Ever since I was a kid, he'd been plotting to get rid of me, one way or another, but the King wouldn't allow it. Beigan has blonde hair and light green eyes, but even so, he's still no sight to see, trust me.

"Oh! You have the crystal, boy!" Beigan said gladly.

That's his nickname for me, and I hate being called a boy. When I was a kid, I didn't bother, but now, it's starting to annoy me. The guards of the castle also hate it, seeing as I'm very popular amongst people in the castle. Don't ask how come, I don't know myself.

"Yes, I do. But the Mysidians didn't resist at all…"

Beigan looks at me curiously.

"What are you saying?" he asks.

I say nothing. What was I supposed to say anyway?

"Come, His Majesty is waiting," he says, and leads me into the castle.

I follow soundlessly, watching as a guard pulls a chain in the wall to open the door. Another something that you'll only find in Baron. It's something Kikai, our master engineer thought up. He's a good guy, and one of the few good friends I have. A lot of people say he's a nutcase, always fiddling with machinery, but he's not. No one's very sure of his age, but everyone suggests he's somewhere in his mid-forties, though he doesn't act that way. Not at all.

As we approach the throne room, Beigan suddenly stops. I'm lucky I have fast reflexes, or I would've run into him.

"Please wait here a moment," he says, looking at me briefly, before walking into the throne room.

I wonder what's going on.

Beigan walked over to the King, and said: "Your Majesty… It seems Ryoku has developed a distrust of the Throne…"

The King quirked an eyebrow at Beigan, and asked: "Truly!?"

Beigan simply nodded.

"Well done, Captain of the Guards! Thank you for letting me know! But all that matters is the crystal…Call in Ryoku."

"Yes, my liege."

Beigan bowed and walked back to get Ryoku.

I look up as the door opens.

"Sir Ryoku, His Majesty awaits. Please enter."

Whenever the King's around, he always calls me by my title. He doesn't want to lose his job I suspect. Nonetheless, I don't let my thoughts show as I walk into the throne room calmly. Beigan's already there as I go through one knee for the King, before standing up again.

"Well done, Ryoku," the King says. "So, where is the crystal?"

What is going on around here? What's wrong with the King?

Nonetheless, I pull out the crystal, holding it up and saying: "Here, My Liege, I have it."

Beigan walks over, and takes the crystal from me. I watch as the King and Beigan examine the crystal, calmly waiting to be dismissed.

"It appears to be genuine," I hear Beigan say.

"It is! Oh how it glimmers… like light shining on the depths of the sea…" the King says. "You may leave. Ryoku!"

I bow once more, and make for the door… but stop halfway. The Mysidians we murdered came back to my mind, and again, I find myself mourning their deaths, and wondering if it'd been really necessary. I will myself to just leave, but my mind's against my body and I turn back around.

"Your Majesty…" I call out, making Beigan and the King jump.

The King's crown nearly topples over, and he quickly straightens it.

"Wh-what!?" he asks.

"Wh-what is it?" Beigan asks, equally confused.

I take another step forward, saying: "Your Majesty, we do not understand your motives. Why is it you need the crystals? Was it because the Mysidians were becoming a threat? Then why didn't they resist? We do not understand why innocent bystanders had to die."

I hesitate for a moment, but then I continue.

"Some have even wondered if your actions are… altogether… honorable…"

The King frowns angrily, and demands: "So you distrust your own King, Ryoku?"

I gasp in surprise at what he says, and stumble back before regaining my composure again.

"No, I didn't mean that at all…" I say, sounding calm, though I was starting to panic on the matter.

"Did you think I knew nothing about your true feelings!?" the King demands, and I blink a little in confusion.

What is he talking about? What true feelings? I really don't understand what the King means, and I'm not even given the chance.

"To think that I took you in and raised you just like my own son, and trained you…"

Okay, that didn't really make sense. Even though I was trained properly, most of my training had still taken place outside the castle-walls. The King only added his dose of training to it.

"Now, not even you can trust me… I can no longer entrust you with the command of the Red Wings," the King says, and I flinch.

Oh no. Please no…

"As of now, you are relieved of your post!"

Startled, I take a step back, unable to form any words at all.

"Your new charge is to eliminate the Phantom Beasts that haunt the upper valley!" the King says with his most angry voice, and it scares me.

He's never been mad at me before. What have I done to deserve this?

"Please wait!" a familiar voice calls out behind me, and I can only pray that it really is who I think it is.

Stepping up next to me, is the only Dragon Knight in the army, the first female knight ever, and my best friend in the whole world.

"Ryoku wasn't…" she starts, but she's rudely cut off.

"Karei, if you're so worried about Ryoku, then you may go with him!" the King orders.

Oh no! I can't let that happen to her! She's done nothing at all to get involved in this!

"But your Majesty!" I say, trying to reason with him, but it doesn't help.

"I have nothing more to say! Here! Take this ring and go!"

I get a ring shoved in my hand, and we are forced out of the throne room by the guards, even though I see regret shining in their eyes.

Once we're in the hallway, I hang my head sadly and say softly: "Sorry for getting you mixed up in all of this, Karei."

Karei releases a soft chuckle and says: "Don't worry your pretty little head off, Ryoku! Once you defeat those Phantom Beasts, the old man will surely forgive you, and you will be reinstated as Commander of the Red Wings."

"And you're going to lose your job as a Dragon Knight if you keep talking like that," I say softly.

We both laugh at that, with Karei leaning on my shoulder for support as she has her other arm slung over her stomach.

That's Karei for you, always good at cheering people up, yet still serious when need comes knocking. Karei's been my best friend ever since I was a kid. Karei was the first and only girl in a family of 8, meaning she has 7 older brothers. Her mother had died a month after her birth in an accident at her house, as I've heard. Karei's father had been the last Dragon Knight before her, so, being raised with nothing but warriors around her, it was natural that Karei learned the arts of fighting herself.

Also, if there's one thing Karei loved doing, it was jumping, for good reason too. Karei was famous for her strong legs, even though they looked like any other girl's legs. She could easily jump up onto the highest tower of the castle if she wanted to. And she did, whenever she couldn't sleep. No one was sure how she did it, but it's that that made her so very special, along with her coloration.

Few people know Karei's haircolor, seeing as she's always seen wearing her armor when in the castle and Baron, but it's a deep bluish hue, close to light purple. And her eyes were like a pair of rubies that no one could possibly afford. I swear, I've never ever seen eyes of such a brilliant red color.

As I mentioned before, Karei's a Dragon Knight, so her armor is the light green, almost blue, dragon-like armor. Her helmet was shaped like a dragon's head, with two dragon ears on the side, and her entire armor seemed scaled, though it was awfully smooth if you moved along with the scales, and there were claws on the top of her hands, but they overlapped her fingers, not making her hands the claws. Her boots had a sharp edge at the heels, which she used to embed into her enemies. The pads on her shoulders held her cape in place, which was the same color as her armor.

All in all, she was a girl many a men would kill for, if only to touch her skin, instead of her armor. The only part of her skin not covered up, was her still young looking face, while she was already in her twenties, around 5 years younger than me.

"Come on, Ryoku! Let's get some grub! I'm starving!!" Karei says, and starts pulling me away from the throne room, toward the mess hall.

I really appreciate her company and her friendship. Without her, my life would've been completely empty, for all of my friends, I got through her. So you could say, without her, I wouldn't really have a social life.

After we get some food, we seat ourselves on a table, still in armor, simply eating in silence, though I don't really taste the food. My thoughts keep going back to what I've gotten myself into. I overhear someone saying that if Karei and I team up, there'd be no one that could ever stop us. Oh, too true. Karei and I work as a team, even if we're only the two of us.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Karei suddenly asks, making me look over at her.

She looks confused, her slanted eyes looking at me intently. She's concerned about me, I can tell. I look down at my plate in shame, poking a little at it with my fork.

"I'm really sorry, Karei…" I start, but she cuts me off.

"Why are you still apologizing? It's my own fault by the way! If I hadn't barged in, I wouldn't have to help you. And besides, I can't let my best buddy go somewhere without me being involved, can I?!"

I smile at her, silently thanking her with my eyes. She can read me perfectly, so I don't even bother hiding my gratefulness. Still…

"It's not that, Karei. It was my mission today…"

Karei looks at me curiously, cocking her head to the side.

I look back at my plate and sigh.

"I learned the art of the Dark Sword as ordered by His Majesty. But it should have been to defend Baron, and not to harm innocent people. Maybe apologizing will help clear my conscience," I whisper softly.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Ryoku! I'm sure the old geezer has a good reason for his actions."

Somehow, I find that hard to swallow. And this food too.

"Ugh," I say softly as I try not to choke.

Karei chuckles, then turns serious and puts a hand on my shoulder, making me look over at her.

"He raised us, Ryoku. He would never do anything less than honorable… That's the same lesson he taught us, remember?"

I smile at her, nodding softly to show her I did.

"Karei, I really envy your faith in His Majesty," I say softly.

Karei chuckles and turns back to her own plate, mumbling: "That's where you're wrong. The only one I am truly loyal to, is my father. But… he's dead."

I drop my fork, and I stare at Karei in shock. My mouth opens and closes, trying to form words, but nothing comes out, safe for a single word.

"When?"

"Do you remember when I came to Baron the first time? Proclaiming that I couldn't get any training done at home?"

"…Yes."

"Then."

"Then?"

"Yes. He became terribly ill when I was still young, and he died 7 months later. But he made me promise something to him. You know how he was a Dragon Knight as well, right?"

"Of course I do! Your father was truly loyal to the King. I don't think he…"

"That's a lie. He might've acted like it, but he wasn't. His loyalty lay with my brothers and I, and he served the King only because he had to. You know, the King actually wanted me to be the Dark Knight," she suddenly says, catching me by surprise. "Had I mastered the art of the Dark Sword, like the King had commanded, I probably would've ended up like you!"

I chuckle, and Karei smiles warmly at me.

"But father made me promise I would honor him by following his path as a Dragon Knight," she says, turning to her plate again. "Sometimes, I just wish he could see me today. I truly hope he would be proud of what I've become…"

"Of course he would've been proud!" I say, putting a hand on her shoulder like she had done to me. "If I compare you with how you used to be, then I have to say you really grew up! And fast!"

Karei smiles at me again, then says: "Maybe so, and I started to ramble a lot more than before. That's just not like me!"

I laugh briefly, but then she turns serious on me.

"But as for you!" she says, poking me in the ribs. "You shouldn't be worrying about today, but at me besting you! Because I'll be the one to kill those Phantom Beasts!"

"What?!?!" I say in surprise. "No way! I won't let you best me! It'll be a cold day in hell when that happens!"

"Really?" she says, peeking over my head to the window. "Holy crap! I think Satan's giving free sleigh-rides!!"

"Karei!!"

"Ryoku!!"

We laugh whole-heartedly, and I can't help but feel like a weight has just lifted off my shoulders. But as the laughter fades, my fingers gently turn the ring I'd gotten from the King before me. I finally just take it in my hand and look down at my plate. I only ate half of it, and I just figured out I wasn't as hungry as I thought I'd be.

The Mysidians come to mind again, and I give a shuddering sigh.

"I'm… not really hungry. I… I'm going to my room."

Before Karei can even respond, I leave the hall, heading for the tower in which I sleep. I don't want to leave her like that, but I just need some time alone for awhile. Karei's my best friend and all, but I don't want to give every single burden I have to her. This is my burden to carry, not hers.

I calmly descend the stairs, heading for the tower, which was on the outside, but still inside the castle.

"Ryoku!" a voice behind me suddenly says.

I turn around, confused, and notice Mae standing there. Ah, yes, Mae's a fine example of the friends I made through Karei. Mae never once noticed me before I met Karei, and she always thought she was better than me, just because she was a few months older, but Karei fixed that. Karei became quick friends with Mae, but she was still my best friend, and Mae, at first, couldn't stand it, until she learned that I was an okay guy. Or, that's what she said.

Still, now, whenever Mae wants to talk to me when Karei's around, Karei always says something that makes it sound like we don't want her around, and she leaves, laughing as we're left behind, most of the times spluttering, and rather embarrassed. Okay, Mae's my friend, but I don't like her that way. But Karei just can't seem to get it.

Mae had light white hair and pure blue eyes, which always sparked with some kind of emotion. Right now, it was concern.

Mae's not a knight. She's actually a White Wizard, which means she has no offensive magic, and only has healing magic up her sleeves.

"You're not hurt are you? Karei and I were worried sick about you!" Mae says, looking a tad angry, though I know she's relieved to see me uninjured.

"No, I'm not hurt. I mean, how could we be? We couldn't get hurt by a bunch of Magicians who didn't even resist…" I say, trying to sound casual, but the single sentence makes me feel even worse than before, though I don't show it.

I turn around and plan to head toward my room, but Mae stops me again.

"Hey, Ryoku, can I talk to you later?"

"Yeah, sure," I say calmly, before Mae bounds up the stairs she came down from.

With a sigh, I head out the door, and make for the tower. It's one of the highest towers of the castle, and still Karei can jump all the way up to my window up at the top floor. I smile faintly at the memory, because she's already done that when we were still kids, on more than one occasion.

"You're back, Ryoku!" I suddenly hear, and I jump at the sudden sound.

I look around, confused, until I hear a whistle from somewhere above me, and I look up and to the right to see a familiar face smiling at me. A little later, from just beside the tower, comes Kikai, our master engineer around here.

Like I said earlier, he looks like he's in his forties somewhere, but he's still as hyper as a child. He has a rather bushy fiery red beard, which fails to hide his mouth somehow, and he always wears a pair of goggles over his eyes. He practically always wears his work-attire.

"Karei's been worried sick about you! If you make her cry, I won't forgive you!!" he says, but I can tell he's teasing.

"Make Karei cry?! Never!" I cry out, indignantly, but I'm also teasing.

Even so, I dislike thinking that Karei would cry over me. I just don't want her to mope over me if I were to die.

"By the way, how are my lovely airships doing? I don't want your crewmen abusing them!" he asks, smiling that broad smile of his.

I know I must look down, for when I don't answer, he asks: "Hey, what's with that face?"

I sigh and tell Kikai how the King dismissed me from my post as captain of the Red Wings, and how Karei and I got stuck with the mission to head to Village Mist.

At the end, he gives me a blank look for awhile.

"What?!" he finally demands. "Nobody besides you could command the Red Wings! Jeez, what's with His Majesty recently?"

I shrug to show him I didn't know.

"I'm not sure what the King is thinking."

"No, me neither. I mean, the King hardly ever gets angry with me. So what did I do wrong?"

"I don't know, but he keeps telling me to make a new model of airship… but I don't want to turn the airships into war machines!" Kikai says, lightly pissed off. "And now he tells you to go hunt Phantom Beasts?"

I nod simply.

"The townspeople are all confused…" he mumbles. "Not to mention me. In any case, you be careful! You'll kill those Phantom Beasts with one strike of your Dark Sword!"

I chuckle quietly, and nod calmly, though I certainly don't feel that way.

"I'm going home. I've been spending a lot of time at work recently… and my daughter is giving me hell about it!"

And with that, he's off. I don't even have the chance to say goodbye.

Slowly, I head up the stairs of the tower to my bedroom, finally arriving in my room. I carefully remove the helmet from my head, shaking my head to get rid of the sweat that had gathered on my head. After fully getting rid of my armor, I get into bed, still in a shirt and some trousers. It takes quite long for me to fall asleep, as my thoughts are nowhere near sleep.

"Why is His Majesty behaving this way?" I whisper into the darkness of my room, as my clock ticks away without a care in the world. "As a Knight he was known for his kindness and valor. Karei and I were orphans, but he took us in and raised us like his own children. But now…" I trail off a little. "Mysidia's Crystal… is it something so necessary that we must take it by force from innocent villagers?"

The only answer I got, was silence. Still, I didn't want to kill anyone else.

I scowl up at the ceiling, hissing: "To think that we would do such a thing, even under orders!!"

Finally, I close my eyes, and try to fall asleep.

"Ryoku?" a voice asks, and I open my eyes to see Mae enter the room.

Oh great, just what I need. I turn away, facing the window as she comes closer.

"What happened? One second you're being sent to Mysidia… The next you're being sent off to kill some ghastly monsters. And you've been acting strange since you came back."

"No, it's nothing…" I mumble softly, still refusing to turn to her.

She comes closer again.

"Then why aren't you facing me?" she asks, sounding confused as well as concerned.

Oh, I don't want my friends to carry my burdens around… but I have to get this off my chest.

I sigh sadly and mutter: "In Mysidia… I killed innocent people, plundered their village, and stole their crystal, all for what?! Why did I do such a thing? It's as if my heart has become as dark as my armor!"

I hear Mae gasp in shock as I place my chin in my throat.

"Did you tell Karei? She might be able to help you."

"I don't want to trouble her with my troubles. She's got enough of her own."

That's quite true. Even though she's a Dragon Knight, she does get into trouble every now and then. Nothing she can't handle though.

"I'm just a spineless Dark Knight, just a mere pawn of the King…" I mutter before I even realize it.

"Oh, come on Ryoku! If Karei were here she'd literally knock some sense into you, you know?" Mae says, tapping on my skull with her knuckles, making me wince lightly.

"Ouch."

"I heard you were going to Mist tomorrow, what'd you do to get the King upset?" Mae asks as I sit up.

"Truth is, I don't know. But I might as well do as he says. I mean, what choice do I have?"

"Good point. But be careful! I've got a bad feeling about this!" Mae says, looking at me with a worried look and adjusting her white robes a little.

"Ah, don't worry about me. Karei's coming too," I say, trying to lighten her spirit.

"Haha! Right, you two are the 'Invincible Duo'! How can I forget?" she says, laughing.

I frown. Actually, I had hoped that she had forgotten. As kids, Karei and I were always known as the 'Invincible Duo', because during training, we sucked when we were apart, but once we worked together, sorting out strategies on how to defeat the enemy, we were unbeatable.

"It's late, Mae," I say calmly. "You should get some rest."

"Sure, take care, Ryoku!" she says, and leaves my room.

I wait until she's gone, before smiling.

"Thanks, Mae… But I'm only a Dark Knight… What can I do?"

With a sigh, I fall asleep, and have a dreamless night.

Morning comes quickly, and I put on my armor, fasten the Dark Sword's sheath on my belt, and grab my pouch and the ring. What's with this thing anyway? Oh well, it's probably something important. So, I head out of the tower, and head for the hall.

The second I arrive, Karei walks over, holding her traditional spear in hand.

"Are you ready, Ryoku?" she asks, a confident smirk grazing her face.

I return the small smirk, and say: "I'm counting on you, Karei."

She nods calmly and says: "Just leave everything to me! Let's head for the city of Baron first. Get some equipment, information, the usual. Come on! We're off!"

Walking side by side, and in step, we march through the castle, with the guards watching us leave, some smiling and encouraging us, while others simply tell us good luck.

Finally, we leave the final barriers of Baron Castle, and the world greets us with bright sunlight that almost blinds us both. Still, we look at each other, smirk, and step out into the world, ready to face it in battle whenever we have to.

Thus, the Dark Knight Ryoku was stripped of his command of the Red Wings.

And he and Dragon Knight Karei were ordered to journey to Mist, a provincial village, which lay beyond the mountains in a valley encased by a deep fog…

Airships…

Flight long had been an unattainable dream of mankind.

These vessels gave men the power to soar through the heavens.

Soon, like all of mankind's gifts, it became a tool of greed.

The country of Baron became the world's strongest military power through their Airships, the Red Wings.

But why would such a powerful country seek out the crystals?

What power do they hold?

Why does mankind corrupt every realization of its dreams?

And why are the monsters increasing even in daylight?

The crystals shed their light silently……