"Dammit, wake up! Sakura!"

Tori Avalon was trying as hard as he could to keep calm, even though his sister was lying lifelessly in front of him.

"Come on, kid...if you don't come back, there's nothing left! Isn't there something we can do?"

Layla Mackenzie shook her head softly. "I'm sorry, but I don't know what to do either…I just want to have faith that everything will be okay soon."

"So this is it? I really can't believe…"

Sakura…not you, too…


Sakura could feel herself slowly disappearing, the light covering her up bit by bit. However, in that time, she had figured out the meaning of those words she kept hearing.

I know now…I know what it all means. If I…if I can keep going, if I can keep believing in myself, if I can keep fighting as hard as I possibly can, then the future in front of me…

The future in front of me will become a reality! Whatever I choose will be my future!

Yes, I understand now…the future is only my dream.

But this feeling…I still don't know what's going on here. It's so bright here that I can't see. This must be what it feels like to be blind…

Then again, I could see myself for a moment before everything got so bright…and I can feel the presence of a Clow Card somewhat. It feels like I'm lying in the sunshine…

Concentrate, Sakura. Put the pieces together! It's warm, it's bright, and it's all around me, like light from the Sun…light…

The card…! This is the Light Card!

The perpetual warmth continued to go though Sakura. Was that not it…?

It's getting harder…to put together thoughts…that means I don't have much time…

But what could it be…? Is there something more…to figure out?

Madison's words suddenly came to the front of her mind.

How is it that stars shine?

Against the darkness…the only star you can see in the daylight is the Sun, because there's too much light otherwise.

Too much light…

Without darkness, there's nowhere for light to shine through.

That's right…but did she mean something else? Maybe she was speaking about my heart as well. I've bottled up all of these emotions inside of me, and lied to myself about how I really felt, about my true feelings. I suppressed my anger and my hurt all of this time, because I thought it would get in my way…but that's not the person I am, right?

If we wander in the darkness, we can't see a thing…but it's just the same if we stand in front of the light all of the time. To look inside of ourselves, to find our true feelings…that's what it means to become strong.

Is that what this is, too? It…it must be.

Not just one, but both…the light and the darkness together!

The other part of me…the Dark Card!


"Sakura…?"

"It looks like she…she did it…"

Sakura opened her eyes and sat up in her bed, looking straight at the two figures in front of her.

"It looks like I made it…"

Two women wearing long, flowing dresses – one black and one white – stood at the foot of her bed. Tori and Layla turned and looked on in awe.

"Who…who are you?"

"I'm Light," the woman dressed in white said.

"And I'm Dark," the woman dressed in black responded. "The last cards on your journey, Sakura."

"You're very strong, but you need to grow even stronger for the journey ahead," Light said.

"Journey? What do you mean?"

"There is a way to restore this world to what it was before. You'll have a lot of help in that," Dark said, looking over at Layla.

"I see…so I'll have to use that power here, then."

"Yes, that's correct. However, if Sakura had not found the strength inside of herself to escape that world, it wouldn't have mattered what you did. This was a test by our creator, to test your true strength, Sakura. Of course, he figured that you would pass it for sure."

"How could that be? You'd have to be able to see the future to do that…" Tori said.

"Yes, something like that," Light said with a smile. "Sakura, you must remember what you learned."

"I will…I won't ever forget, I promise!"

"Good. Are you ready?"

"Ah…" Sakura noticed that her sealing wand was already transformed under her covers. She pulled it out and made her way out of bed.

"Thank you very much…I'll definitely become strong…"

She took a deep breath. "I command you to return to your rightful forms! Light and Dark!"

In a flash of light, the two spirits were transformed into cards, floating down into Sakura's hands.

"I did it…I really did it…but…"

"Sakura, take it easy, okay? You've been through a lot."

"I know, Tori…but…something's happening…to me…"

Suddenly, Sakura felt herself start to rise slowly above the ground, all of the cards that she had captured so far starting to circle her.

"What is…?"

"What now? She caught all of the cards! What's happening to her?" Tori yelled.

"This might be a sign…this might be the time for me to help her."

"I can see…someone…" Sakura said to herself faintly.

Layla closed her eyes as she searched her handbag for an item. There it was.

"What's that?"

"This is a special bell…I was supposed to use it to help Sakura at a certain point, but it seems like what I was waiting for won't happen. So I'm going to help her here."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to have Sakura absorb this power…"


"Hello."

"Oh…hello."

"I'm sorry that we had to meet like this, since I know I'm tiring you out."

"I don't think we've met before, but you seem familiar…"

"Well, you don't know me, but I know you very well, Sakura Avalon."

"Huh? You know about me? How can that be…and where are we?"

"On the spiritual plane."

"The spiritual plane…Madison told me about it once…"

Sakura gasped. "So…I'm…"

"Don't worry, don't worry. You can return to your body soon, it's just that this is the only place we could meet, since I'm not alive."

Sakura looked at the man wearing glasses and a strange robe, with a kind smile on his face. He looked a lot like Dad.

"You think I look a lot like your father, right? I'll explain that in time, as well."

"I think…I know who you are. You're the person who made the cards, right? You're Clow Reed!"

"That's right."

"I see…but the cards took away people I cared about…" she said sadly.

"That's why I called you here, Sakura. You're the only one who can solve the problem. The cards weren't exactly made that way, but they can be fixed. The thing you need to do is find a great power outside of your world."

"A great power? But how will I get there? How will I find it?"

"You'll have help with that, don't you worry."

"Okay…can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Can you see the future?"

"Indeed I can."

"Then…can't you tell me where everything is going to be? Can't you just tell me what's going to happen in the end?"

"That's a very good question, and one I expected from you, Sakura. If I had to answer honestly, though…I really couldn't tell you what the future is going to be like, not exactly. The future is something that changes all of the time, because people make decisions and choices based on what happens to them and the people in their lives. People like you, for example. So, even if I were to tell you what the future is like from right now, that could very well change with the next step you take, or the next breath you make."

He smiled. "In any case, you're the one who determines your own future, Sakura. If you use the power inside of you, you can do anything you need to."

"I understand. When I reach that great power…I'll know it, right?"

"You definitely will."

"In that case, what do I do when I reach it?"

"That decision lies with you, Sakura. You're the only one who can make that choice when you get there."

"…I see…I want to meet you again."

"In time, Sakura. Make sure you build up your strength before you go on your journey."

"Yes, I will."


Sakura felt herself returning to the living world, her body alight with energy. It was taking everything she had just to stay conscious now.

"I feel…like I'm…going to…explode…"

The cards were circling quickly around her, like some kind of magic carousel. She felt herself start to reach for a card reflexively.

"It's…this one…"

Her hand didn't stop moving for a moment, and finally, she plucked a card out of the spinning circle before she dropped to the ground. The Clow Cards broke their circle and filed themselves back into the book.

"Sakura! Kid, say something!"

"Tori…I'm fine…just tired…really tired…"

"Sakura…are you sure you're alright?"

"Miss Mackenzie…I just feel like there's something strong inside of me…I don't know…when it happened…"

She managed a weak smile. "It's good…because…I will change the…future…"

Having taken all she could, Sakura Avalon drifted off to sleep.

"You feel it as well, Tori?"

"It's hard not to. She's been getting stronger by the minute."

"Let's hope that doesn't change, then…"

Layla took the card that Sakura had clutched in her hand.

"The Mirror…hmm."

"What does that mean?"

She looked over at the sleeping girl.

"We won't know until we get to that point, Tori."

"I guess…I'm fine with waiting."

He placed his little sister back into her bed, covering her up gently. The two quietly left the room.

"Sleep tight, Sakura."

"Yeah…rest easy, lil' sis."

As the lights went out, Sakura whispered to herself through her sleep.

"I want…to…be strong…"


At that moment, in another world, a girl just like Sakura Avalon was staring outside of her classroom window, thinking.

She could feel it only faintly…but something was definitely coming.

"I wonder what it could be…"

She smiled to herself as she went back to writing.