Disclaimer: None of the anime used in this story belong to the writer. This is a work of fiction done for fun, not money. Please do not sue. You won't get much anyway.

Prologue

Tear groaned and fluttered her eyes. She winced in pain as she tried to sit up.

"Take it easy," Meia murmured softly. "You took a hard hit…and a hard fall right afterwards."

"W-what…happened?" Tear gasped. She seemed to be lying in some sort of hospital bed…regardless of what that foretold, it was a vast improvement over where she had been.

"We were hoping you could tell us," her teacher replied dryly. "Suddenly the entire gate chamber was sealed off…then there was a massive discharge of gate energy…and then the entire structure collapsed. It seems that someone inside destroyed the Gateport's keystone, and caused the Gate to go out of control before it was completely eliminated. We found you in the rubble just outside, injured and alive. Shortly afterward, within a six hour period, the remaining gates across Arcanus Myrror were likewise attacked and destroyed. Earth is now, for all intents and purposes, completely cut off from Arcanus Myrror…."

"I…I see…." Tear murmured. "The discharge of energy…was my doing. We were attacked…by a terrible enemy…they must have been the Obsidian Star. Even Kain-sensei and his party were overcome. I used the Gate's energy to send them to safety…that's the last thing I really remember."

Meia nodded, slowly. "That makes sense…the spell seemed to scatter across the world…."

"I'm sorry…I didn't have the time, or the experience with Arcanus Myrror, to concentrate their destination more carefully…."

"No, I can't blame you. You did what you could under the circumstances. From the energy's signature…some of them are being drawn to places that they are…connected to, I think. But still…we're going to have to do our best to find them…and save them. There are…even more troublesome things going on. I'll tell you about it later.

"There is one other bit of news," she continued. "Word somehow reached Mahora that something was going on, before we even started through the gate. They organized a task force and sent them through the Gate in Sendai…apparently they made it through before the Gate on the opposite side was destroyed. Once you're healed, we'll travel to Grand Chokma to meet them." She turned and started out of the hospital room. "I'll tell you the rest while we're on the road. Rest well."

Tear stared after her. "Small chance of that," she muttered to herself with a wry smile. "I don't think any of us will rest well for quite some time…."

She considered her situation. Her father was Helveticus Fendes, guardian to the royal family of Kanev Kingdom. Her mother was Kelia Hammond, the daughter of Konosuke Hammond, headmaster of Caelar University. Twenty years ago, the kingdom of Kanev was destroyed, sacrificed to stop the efforts of the Obsidian Star at the end of the war. The Fendes family strove to protect the last remnants of the royal family and the nation, but the final destruction of the family sixteen years ago caused its final fall. Her older brother, Vandesdelca, escaped with her mother, pregnant with her, to Earth, where they were taken in by relatives of the Hammonds, the Grants family. Mira Talin, a sister of her mother, had taken her mother's name of Talin and fulfilled her family's duty, serving as the Princess Aeli Kanna's maid for years. She later became surrogate mother to Kain after the disappearance of his parents. Van and Tear often visited their grandfather after the destruction of the village of Halie, and while they were there, they cared for the 'remains' of their aunt. Then, after her brother left as part of the grand party ten years ago, the duty fell to her alone. She trained in magic and combat under her brother's primary subordinate, Legretta Oslo, as well as under Meia. She had determined to follow her brother's path, to become a Mage Knight and, if she could no longer protect the royal Kanna family, to protect everyone she could.

Well…now she had her chance. This action was obviously the beginning of another great magic war, and this time, she would be in the thick of it…she had no choice. Even if she wanted to run away, there was no longer any place to run to….

Not that she wanted to. She must do her part…for her mother's world…and for her family's duty. She raised a hand and began to let her healing light flow over her.

F I N

Author's Note: The Journey Begins

The prologues of the episodes of the magical world arc will focus on characters rather separated from the main events…largely consisting of the minor characters, with the occasional main character taking point. You'll see as we go through.

So we begin this episode with Tear and Meia, and dropping hints about others who will be joining us here soon…otherwise, not much to say right now. Let's get this party started!