TWF: *doing the crab dance, with Yusei's hairstyle*

Fen: Dude what the hell are you doing?

TWF: I've been infected by a long-gone disease… o.o

Fen: It's not what I think it is… is it? *facepalm*

TWF: CARD GAMES ON MOTORCYCLES! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! *riding with shabby motorcycle with duct-taped duel disk at front*

Fen: Oh no… *facepalm*

*the sound of whirring sirens can be heard*

TWF: You'll never get me, coppers! *draws out a card* Let's duel!

*BANG!*

TWF: *the sound of a crying I.R. Babboon* AAAAAAHHH! Fen-kun, helping me~! They have guns! 8O

Fen: No…

Disclaimer: Same thing.


That night, I couldn't sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see my two families. All of them staring at me with disapproving looks on their faces. All because they felt betrayed for never choosing one of them. I know that I had to this so that they could compromise and work together, but… I feel that I can't. Not at this rate.

"Dammit…" I muttered as I sat up from my bed, scratching my head.

"Yaaaaa~, I didn't think you'd be having nightmares, ne, young'un?" the Sage said, already inside my room, reading a scroll that he picked up from a shelf.

WHEN DID HE GET HERE?!

"Sage… what are you doing here?" I groaned.

"Premonition, young'un." he said, still reading. "This is all what this old man can do."

"Premonition… what are you talking about?" I asked.

"Ojou-chan's going to lead you somewhere tomorrow, ne? That means you'll encounter something that will change the tide." he replied.

"I… see…" I muttered.

"Who knows? Maybe you can find a new ally. Like a new spoopy ghostie or a boney comrade?" he teased childishly.

"I… guess…" I trailed off. "I need to get fresh air," I then got up and left the bedroom to go outside.

"BOO BADA BOOGAAAA!" Yurusen jumped out of nowhere, wearing a very scary looking mask on his face. Although, I completely ignored Yurusen as I went on my way. "Heey~, you're being a big meanie!"

The Sage sighed sadly, "I was hoping to lift him up a bit… but it didn't work."

"Spoopy tactics not working?"

"Yep… WE MISSED OUR TIMING!" the Sage was on all fours, followed by Yurusen.

I have no clue how to handle those two. One minute, they're perfectly good allies and next thing I know, they pull pranks on me. I really need to get my head on them.

"Hiroji?"

I turned around to see Aqua approaching me.

"Aqua…"

"You can't sleep?"

"No…" I shook my head as I sat on a stone bench that was there and looked up at the moon. "Every time I close my eyes, I see my two families, all disappointed in me for not choosing either one of them… and…" I stopped myself, not wanting to finish.

"Is it hard for you to bear?"

"I would be lying if I said no." I answered. "I know I'm doing the right thing but… it doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt… both of my families… they care so much for me… and yet I betrayed them for doing the right thing."

"Do not worry, I shall lead you to a place where we can properly talk."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Everything you need to know, all shall be answered." she said. "And learning the cause of the war between the two nations."

"Aqua…"

"But tonight…" Aqua began, sitting next to me. "I must mend your heart…"

"Huh?"

"Your heart is in turmoil because of your mother's death and now your families have turned against you… because of that, you feel alone…"

I could only bow my head down, as I didn't say anything. But moments later, my body trembled as tears came down my eyes. "Why…? Why does hurt so much?" I sobbed, "I only wanted…"

"It's because you love them." Aqua answered, as she pulled me into her embrace, surprising me. "You do not want to hurt them in anyway. You wanted them to put aside their differences and come to an understanding, yet, the opposite result happened. You have a delicate heart and sometimes that's not always a bad thing."

"It… isn't?"

"That's the very essence of what it means to be human. Embracing your emotions and not being consumed by them. You are crying for the right reasons and you have always stayed true to yourself." Aqua continued, petting my hair slowly and gently. "I understand that this is a most difficult time, but you must not lose heart. All of your struggles will soon end. I promise you, I will stand by your side through all of it, and I know you will persevere. Because you will never be alone."

I could only stay silent as she said those things to me, before fresh tears fell on my face again. "Please… stay with me…"

"I will." Aqua smiled as I silently cried into the night.


(Cue Theme Cry For the Truth by MICHI)

(Instrumental) As the electric guitar started playing, the lights turned on, revealing Aqua in her dancing pose on the floor with a thin layer of water on it. Surrounding her were 15 Eyecons in a circle and her signature necklace glowed radiantly around her neck. As soon as the music started playing, she began to dance, with the Eyecons floating up by her water spheres, circling around her. While she danced, the ground revealed the purple 'Eye', prompting the title to reveal itself. The camera briefly flashed from Aqua's white dress to her black dress, then back to white before her hand gesture prompted the water to cover the screen, moving to the next scene. Then, Aqua began to sing.

(Shoudou kara makuakeru unmeitachi) On top of the Northern Fortress, on the balcony, Hiroji looked out the window of his room as he saw looked up at the dark sky.
(Matsu no wa kibou ka? zetsubou ka~?)
The surroundings then turned white, surprising Hiroji. He noticed his Hoshido family in front of him, and when he looked behind, his Nohr family called out to him in a black background.
(Akaku sabita tokiyo no haguruma ga ima)
His surroundings then suddenly changed to a new location where there was a huge lake surrounded by the forest trees. And in front of the small bridge that led to the lake was Aqua who had her back turned before she turned around to see him and held out her hand to him.
(Kishinde azawarau~)
As he reached for it, the view before him shattered again, as he stands on the new battlefield on his own. Enemies like Nosferatus and Gammas, appeared in a ruined land, surrounding him.

(Seijaku o kakikesu doukoku) On a battlefield, Hoshidan and Nohrian troops battled each other.
(Kono mune o hikisaku erejii)
In a quick series of cameo appearances, the royal families of Hoshido and Nohr, save for Sakura and Elise, went against their counterparts.
(Karadajuu abaredasu)
Aqua, Jakob, Felicia, Silas, Suzukaze, Mozume and Ashura could only look on worriedly, as Hiroji ran towards the battlefield, trying his best to stop them.
(Chishio ga sakebu omoi wa "kimi wo, tomaru na")
Both sides continued to charge forward, as they are determined to eliminate each other. As soon as the two sides are in contact, the screen flashed brightly, shifting to the battle.

(Tachimukae ikusen mebuku sono konnan ni) On the ground, Xander and Ryoma continued trading blows with Raijinto and Siegfried, creating sparks that burned the grass around them. As the screen viewed to the sky, Hinoka, in a serious expression, guided her Pegasus towards Camilla, where the latter had a smile, guiding her wyvern towards her. The two then clashed, crossing their lance and axe, while looking at each other.
(Shiro ka kuro ka abaku sono shukumei ni)
Takumi fired energy arrows from Fujin Yumi while Leo used Brunhyld to make trees grow out from the ground, but the former used this to his advantage and jumped off of its branches to fire off more arrows. Sakura and Elise could only look on, seeing as there was nothing they do to stop their families from fighting each other, holding their hands in prayer with tears flowing out from their eyes.
(Ikitoshi ikeru mono subete)
As the screen moved to another side of the battlefield, Hiroji gestured his hands to have the GhostDriver appear around his waist, before taking out his Eyecon and placed it in the Driver. The Parka Ghost flew out of the GhostDriver and Hiroji pulled and pushed the lever.
(Shinzou o tataku wake ga aru soshite)
After his transformation into Ghost, he noticed three Nohrian figures, showing their backs at him. As Hiroji noticed the familiar Driver on two of the boys, two very familiar mechanical familiars flew towards the girl in the center. As the three turned to Hiroji, a brief flash of two new Riders and one very familiar Rider were seen before the screen was enveloped in a water sphere, courtesy of Aqua.

(Cry for the Truth~) Aqua sang the last part, as more water spheres floated around her, while the Eyecons remained inactive. Only the Ghost, Lyndis, Katarina, and Yen'fay Parka danced around her.

(Instrumental) As the song reached the end, she kneeled down to finish her dance. The last four beats revealed the neutral side behind her, followed by the Hoshidians on the right and finally the Nohrians on the left, and the final beat zoomed out, revealing the whole group, ending the song.


Chapter 7: What Lies Beneath

When morning arrived in the Astral Plane, most of us gathered at the tavern. When I said most of us, the Sage and Lilith aren't here, for obvious reasons.

"A new day, a new plan." Katarina began, looking at a map on the table.

"…" Yen'fay nodded in agreement, with his arms crossed.

"Um, Herr Hiroji? Are you alright?" Felicia noticed. "You have black circles around your eyes."

"I'm sorry… I… didn't get much sleep…" I apologized.

"Oh…" Felicia said, worried. "I-I'll make some coffee for you later."

"I'm truly sorry, Lady Lyndis." Aqua apologized, since she slept in Lyn's tent.

"That's alright." Lyn assured. "I just didn't expect it coming from you, this morning…"

"What happened?" I asked.

"Hiroji." Aqua cut in. "It is best… to not know."

"Oh…"

"So, the moment Hiroji and company teleport back to his world, he'll have to start from his last position." Katarina added, placing a piece on the table. "Since we are merely phantoms in their world, we can only rely on Hiroji's summoning to be there."

"Yes. Not only that, Hiroji will be up against Hoshidan and Nohrian forces." Lyn added. "And our list of allies are already thin enough as it is."

"With both sides against us… I don't know if we have many friends to help us…" Felicia said, worried.

"That means, we will have to lay low and plan our next move." I stated.

"That's one course of action." Katarina agreed. "Also, did the Great Sage mention something to you, Hiroji?"

"Eh?" I said, looking at her.

"I noticed him entering your home last night. I assumed he had something to tell you."

"Something about a premonition…" I answered. "Something that can turn the tide in our favor."

"Hm…" Katarina pondered.

"Don't worry, I will guide him once we step back outside the Astral Realm." Aqua said.

"Very well. If this is all, you are all dismissed." Katarina concluded. With that, the group dispersed, and here I was sitting at the table, trying to think our next move. But how could I, after everything that happened from the other day?

"Hiroji, are you alright? You seemed to be worried about something." Aqua noticed.

"I guess I'm still out of it from last night after all that crying…" I said. "Sorry if I got your dress soaked with all the salty tears… I usually don't cry that much, but…"

"It's fine. What's important is you are resolved to do whatever it takes to save what is important to you. Never forget that." she said calmly. Looking away, she continued, "Come, time is of the essence."

"Right…" I said, before the two of us left the Astral Plane.


Having the stream of light strike on the ground where we were last standing, Aqua, Felicia and I were ready to fight anyone that noticed us, but there was no one. "E-Eh? There're no enemies on both sides. Last time we saw them, they were ready to kill us."

"Time is different between the two worlds." Aqua explained. "The Great Sage said that if we stayed in Astral Realm for more than a week, if given, we would end up staying in the living world as if it's been an hour ago."

"I see… no wonder why the battlefield looked like it just ended." I said, looking at my surroundings, where there are still fresh corpses on the battlefield before both sides retreated.

"Come, follow me." Aqua said, and Felicia and I followed.

"Um, Herr Hiroji, is it really okay to follow her?" Felicia asked nervously. "I mean, it's not that I don't trust her or anything, but… due to circumstances, there's a possibility that-"

"She hasn't betrayed us, Felicia… not yet anyway," I said. "Besides… I have no reason to believe that she would. She's been helping me all this time and I don't see why she would try to betray me now."

"If you say so… though I doubt Jakob would say otherwise." Felicia recalled. "He'd do anything to protect you from harm, Herr Hiroji."

"That's very him, alright." I chuckled a bit, as we continue to trail Aqua.

It was about an hour's walk before we reached the place where the veteran knight, my trainer, mentor, and friend, fell to save me. "Herr Hiroji, this place is what I think it is?"

"Yeah… the Bottomless Canyon…" I muttered, looking down at the darkness that was deep within. "Wait… Aqua are we going to-"

"Yes. We're jump into the canyon."

"What?!" Felicia exclaimed, surprised by the idea. "H-hold on just a minute! If we jump down there, we'll all die! It's called the Bottomless Canyon for a reason!"

"Don't worry. You won't die if you jump. You have to trust me." Aqua assured.

"Then… once we jump, you'll tell us everything?" I asked.

"Yes, if that's what you wish."

"Ahhhh... are you really serious about this, Herr Hiroji?!" Felicia panicked.

"We have no other choice. As they say, 'Desperate times calls for desperate measures'," I quoted.

"Even if it means plunging to your death?! What would happen if your family found out you're dead from this resolve?!"

"I guess… I already made a choice, Felicia."

"Uuuuuuuuuuh, I knew you're a wise lord, but to think you'd go that far, that's too reckless…"

Aqua seemed to subtlely smile at this, "Just like him."

"Hm?" I blinked. "Him?"

Aqua shook her head. "I'll go first and wait for you to follow." And with that, she jumped in.

"W-WAIT!" Felicia cried out.

"Here goes nothing." I said, before jumping in after Aqua.

"Oh, Herr Hiroji…" she mumbled cutely before she decided to follow suit. "This is crazy, but… I vow to be his maid and I must do what I must do…"

And with full of worries and made up her mind, she eventually took the leap of faith.


"WAAAAAAHH!" I exclaimed, as we dove deeper and deeper into the Bottomless Canyon. How come Aqua's not affected by this height?! I could only close my eyes and wait for the supposed death to pick me up and save me from the horror I had to deal with. After it feels like eternity, something happened.

"We're here."

Wow, that was fast.

"Here? In heaven?"

"Oh, heaven's no." Aqua giggled lightly. "You may open your eyes now."

I slowly opened my eyes and they widened when I saw a field. My eyes wandered to see a sideways land formation, only to reveal numerous floating islands, some inverted and others sideways, and broken skies. The islands had remains of buildings and grassy fields.

"This is…" I muttered.

"…yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I looked up to see Felicia… falling straight down on me!

*CRASH!*

"Owwwwwie…" Felicia groaned as she was coming to. When she regained her senses, she saw that she was on top of me. "Oh! Herr Hiroji!" She gasped.

"Mmmphmmmmph!" I tried to say something, but somehow, my whole face is being muffled by something… soft? Wait, what is this feeling?

"EEEEKK!" she squeaked, quickly getting off from me an immediately apologized, while defending herself. "I'm so sorry, Herr Hiroji!"

"It's… fine…" I blushed a bit.

"W-Why are you blushing like that?"

"Pink… and white stripes…" I muttered.

Felicia blushed heavily at that, "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

*WASPISH!*

"ITE!"

"…" Aqua didn't say anything, other than standing there, in total silence.

"Uuuuuuuuuuh, at this rate, I'll never get married…" Felicia cowered to one side, feeling embarrassed from the situation.

"Sorry…" I groaned, as I felt a throbbing sensation on my left cheek. "Did we make it though?"

"Yes, we're here." Aqua replied. "It seems your first jump to this realm had small hiccups."

"Tell that to Gramps…" I grumbled.

"The Great Sage has also made the jump here, before. He was the first one to show me this place."

Felicia and I got up as we looked around, "So… Where are we? This place looks like it's definitely seen better days…" I noticed.

"…This is the kingdom of Valla. It's responsible for the war between Hoshido and Nohr." Aqua answered.

"Responsible? How?" I questioned.

Aqua didn't say anything, other than pointing to a nearby cave, while remained calm. "Follow me, both of you. If we linger here, we'll be spotted."

"Right." I nodded. Turning to my maid, I replied, "Felicia, let's go."

"Y-Yes…" she replied, despite how embarrassed she was.

While heading towards the cave, Felicia kept her distance between us, due to the awkwardness she felt earlier. I mean, that's nothing, compared to how my face was always shoved into big sister's chest, all the time. After all of that, I guess that ended up being a norm for me.

"This should be fine here." Aqua added, as we went deep inside the cave. Turning to both of us, she continued where she left off. "As I was saying... The throne of Valla is occupied by King Anankos. Before his arrival, this land was a peaceful one. All was well until Anankos killed our king and took the throne for himself. Once bountiful farmlands were devastated, replaced by wastelands and graveyards."

I was floored by this revelation. "He destroyed an entire kingdom?! For no reason at all?"

Aqua nodded at this, "Yes. And he isn't finished. He wishes to lay waste to the entire world. First Valla, then Nohr and Hoshido. Even now, he's the hidden influence that quietly forces Nohr and Hoshido to fight. King Garon's invasion is the result of Anankos's subtle manipulations."

"That's horrible!" I exclaimed. "But… if it's true, then maybe we can stop this war by defeating Anankos! We need to get back up above and explain this to everyone, including Gramps! If we can get Nohr and Hoshido to work together with-"

"I'm sorry, but you can't." Aqua reminded, much to my confusion. "You mustn't talk about Valla to anyone when you're beyond its borders. If you do, you'll trigger a curse that will cause your body to dissolve and disappear. That's what happened to my mother…" she trailed off, holding onto her necklace tightly. "To Arete, the former queen of Valla."

"Eh?" Felicia blinked.

"I'm sorry, what?" I said confused. "Your mother was a queen in Valla, not Nohr?" Aqua shook her head lightly. "Then, that makes you…"

"Yes... I am a Vallite princess." she responded. "The king that Anankos murdered... he was my father."

WHAT?!

"And you were forced to flee?" Felicia asked.

"Yes… with the Great Sage helping me."

"Wait, what? Gramps?"

"That's correct." she nodded. "Don't you feel it's odd the Great Sage acted that way?"

"With all that randomness he does, I do find that odd." I deadpanned.

"Yes, as I have stated before, he was the one who showed me the way to escape during Anankos's invasion." she replied. "But the Great Sage gave me a warning: never tell the secret to anyone outside Valla, or your body and soul shall fleet off without a warning."

"T-That's sounds ominous!" Felicia stuttered, scared.

"Because of that curse… even if I wanted to talk, I couldn't. I was trapped- no matter how much I missed my parents." she added. "I had to keep it all bottled up inside… Until now."

"Aqua…" I muttered.

"Listen, Hiroji. I'm sorry to say this, but… now that you've chosen this path, you'll know exactly what I've been feeling. No matter how much you want someone to understand what's happening… no matter how much you want to tell them the truth… you won't be able to tell them. You need to prepare yourself for that. I can't even express how painful it is to know the truth and not be able to say it."

"Lady Aqua…" Felicia got out.

"All right. I understand."

"Eh? Herr Hiroji?"

"You heard me, Felicia." I said, smiling a bit. "There's no reason why Aqua would want to betray us in the first place. After hearing all of this, there's no way I'll turn a blind eye for that. If she wanted to find someone to place her faith on, then I'll be the one to give her my all."

"!" Aqua seems a bit surprised from my revelation. "You'd go that far… for my sake?"

"Of course, Aqua!" I said. "You saved my life, twice this time. One when I turned into a dragon, and two when you saved me from my inner turmoil. No one ever does that twice, until now. Look, all I'm saying… after what you did, I… I'm practically indebted to you."

"..." she didn't say anythng much, other than having that small smile of hers.

"Eh? What's that?" Felicia asked, as the two of us noticed… a floating eyeball? Wait, that's no ordinary eyeball, that's-

"This is bad…" Aqua realized, as the said eyeball quickly flew away. "The enemy had found us."

"Already?!" Felicia panicked.

"Calm down, Felicia." I said. "We'll fight our way out of this." I said, before placing my hands in front of my waist and the GhostDriver materialized. I then took out the O-re Eyecon and pressed the button, making the 'G' appeared before opening the Driver, inserting the Eyecon in, and closing the GhostDriver back up.

EY~E!

BACCHIRI MINNA! BACCHIRI MINNA! BACCHIRI MINNA! BACCHIRI MINNA!

"Henshin!" I shouted, before pulling and pushing the lever to make the eye 'blink'.

KAIGAN: O-RE! LET'S GO! KAKUGO! G-G-G-GHOST! GO! GO! GO! GO!

The Parka Ghost came out of the Driver as orange lines formed on my body before motes of light came together to form my armor and the Parka Ghost attached to me, before my faceplate sprung up and I let down my hood.

"Arm yourself, Felicia." Aqua added, readying her lance. "This battle is something of what's to come."

"What's about to come?"

"Ganmas." she said calmly, as a humanoid black beings approached us. "These are just minor ones, but it would take more than a human to take down one of the undead."

"Then let's not waste any more time." I said, pulling out the Yato Blade. "Let's go!" I shouted, then charged in at the army of Ganmas.


Somewhere, deep within the forest, a familiar veteran knight rushed through the trees, as a group of Ganma were chasing after him. "I cannot let myself get caught, not after what I had to go through for Herr Hiroji's sake!"

"HISSSSSS!" the minor Ganma transformed from the mechanical eyeball to their minor forms, still chasing after him.

As he continue to run, he held a tome close to him, added, "For some reason, I cannot let go of this tome. Something led me to it after my fall. Maybe there's a reason for me holding it?" as he continued to run, he noticed another bunch of Ganmas in front of him, causing him to stop and look carefully. "Another group of those beings? How are they able to catch up to me? Wait, that's not it… they look completely different. It's as if…"

"Hiyah!" Splashes of black ooze came out from one of the minor Ganma's body, and the knight recognized the voice.

"That can't be…! That's…!"


"Hiyah! Hah! Soryah!" I shouted as I punched and kicked several Ganma before slashing another with the Yato Blade, across their slash, turning them into black ooze. When one was destroyed, another five took its place. "It's endless!" I gritted.

"Calm down, Hiroji." Aqua said, as she pierced a Ganma with her Blessed Lance, before we were back-to-back. "Remember your training with Lady Lyndis. A warrior must be calm at all times."

"Herr Hiroji!" Felicia exclaimed, throwing a dagger with accuracy at the minor Ganma with ease. "Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine, but these Ganma are annoying." I growled, as we were all back-to-back.

"Humans!" most of these minor Ganma hissed.

"How about using Katarina for this situation?" Aqua suggested. "With her tactics, you could overcome this matter?"

"Right." I nodded before taking out Katarina's Eyecon. "Let's go-"

"Kyaaaaaah!" they hissed, before volleying dark energy blasts on me, causing me to drop my Eyecon.

"Herr Hiroji!" Felicia shouted, being on the defense, while blocking the enemy's attack with her own dagger.

"We're being overwhelmed,!" Aqua added, also playing defense.

"HERR HIROJI!"

Wait, that voice!

"HYAH!" the roar came out from one direction, and I saw the person that called out to me.

"G-Gunter!?" I gawked in surprise.

"Herr Hiroji!" Gunter shouted as he rushed towards the group of Ganma that surrounded us and swiped at them with his lance, skewering or slashing any that got in his way.

"Gunter! Is that really you?! And you're alive?!" I asked, as I got up.

"I am." he added, now standing by my side, as the Ganma were suddenly defensive upon seeing him. "I lost consciousness as I fell, and when I awoke, I was here. I have no idea how I survived such a fall... but I swear on my blade I'm no ghost. My arms and legs are as sturdy as ever."

"It's good to see you in one piece, Gunter. I'm so glad we found you." I grinned sheepishly.

"Ha, ha… oh, Herr Hiroji." he smiled a bit, as well. "I would love to celebrate, milord, but it appears we don't have time right now... these foes are truly challenging. I'll help you fend them off!"

"Always needed a helping hand." I got out, before noticing something on his arm.

"Hm? Something the matter, Herr Hiroji?"

"What's that in your arm?" I asked.

"Ah, yes," Gunter began, "I've been meaning to give this to you,"

"To me?" I blinked.

"Yes. I do not know why, but I found this after I fell. Traveling around the area to look for clues, I've stumbled upon a place and this tome had guided me to it. I've been holding onto it ever since. Perhaps you would find a use for it." and for some reason, the tome let out a gentle dark glow, much to Gunter's surprise. "What's this? The tome reacted?"

"Could this be…" I muttered. "Gunter, hold out the tome."

"Hm?"

"Call it a hunch." I said. Gunter still look confused, but nonetheless held it out. Once he did, I placed my two fingers out and drew the Eyecon symbol in an oval. The dark tome glowed, changing into a purple light before reforming itself… into an Eyecon. This one having a purple frame to it. "I knew it…"

"Hm? Is there something I don't know, Herr Hiroji?" Gunter asked.

"There's only one way to find out." I said, before holding the said Eyecon… and my mind went elsewhere.


I slowly opened my eyes, trying to clear out the view to know where I am. I seemed to be standing at the roof of the castle, where it was surrounded by a city. It was beautiful, I admit. But not as bright as Hoshido.

"So, you are here, Chosen One."

I turned around to see a young woman who had very long silver hair that reached over her hips, having light brown eyes, wearing a sleeveless maroon vest that had a tailcoat, while wearing black arm warmers, as well having a belt around her waist. She also black pants and brown boots; and to finish it off, she had a dark blue scarf while holding a tome in her hands.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Micaiah."

"M-Micaiah?! As in the Queen of Daein, Micaiah?! The Silver Haired Maiden?! Leader of the Dawn Brigade, and older sister to Emperor Sanaki of Begnion!?"

"Yes, that is me." she nodded. "You… seem to know me, Chosen One."

"How could I not!? You and Ike defeated a goddess and were heroes right after!" I exclaimed.

"I see. My tale is well known throughout the world." she said. "I can tell just from looking at you that you are the type that loves the history of other heroes… but in a way, I do not see myself as such. I would do anything to protect my people, even if it affects me."

"Really?" I asked.

"Tell me, Hiroji." she said, getting my attention. I didn't tell her my name, yet she already knew. It's as if she's a fortune teller or something… or maybe she is, considering she was one before her war began. "What plans have you weaved to secure your victories? If you had to resort to something underhanded and dirty, would you? What if failing to do so would get your comrades killed?"

"Huh?"

"Are you willing to dirty your hands for the sake of others, even if it means risking your well being?" she asked, still having the same kind gaze upon me.

"I…" I trailed off, thinking about her words. "To be honest, I'm sort of doing that now."

"Hm? What do you mean by that?"

"Both of my families in Hoshido and Nohr… they both turned on me, but there's someone else pulling the strings. I plan to expose them, but in order to do that… I have to dirty my hands in blood and keep silent until the time is right… no matter how painful it is not to tell… I…"

For some reason, I can see her smile gotten a bit wider, adding, "Just like Kiva."

"What was that?"

"Once, I imposed the same question to that man. While his words are different from yours, his answer was the same. Thanks to the foresight instilled within me, I was still able to cling on those words and I have met him during my time to help in his cause."

"What would that be?"

"His daughter was poisoned and he and his friends were finding a cure, but what stood in his way… was his real daughter. The daughter that was poisoned was from an alternate future, and she tried to kill her alternate self in revenge for her father forgetting about her. Yet, in the end, near her death, she was able to reconcile her feelings for her parent and loved him."

"Oh…"

"I foresee that your battle will be just as dangerous as his." Micaiah presumed. "But, if you are willing to reunite with your family, even if it isn't much, allow me to help you for your cause, just as I have for Kiva."

"You would do that… for me?"

She extended her hand, with the Branded Mark on it. "My name is Micaiah, Priestess of Dawn. Art thou the one who has summoned me to help your cause?"

I looked at her for a moment longer, before nodding. "I am."

"May my foresight guide you to victory… Kamen Rider Ghost."


"H-Herr Hiroji?!" Felicia squeaked, as the Eyecon let out a dark glow before shooting out its Parka form. This caused the Ganmas to froze as the rest of us are able to see this new form of Parka. The Parka was in dark maroon color, with black highlights on the edges, accompanied by brown lens on it. The said Parka struck a pose of having its sleeves gestured of having a bird perched on it.

"My word, Herr Hiroji. What is that?" Gunter asked, confused.

I ignored Gunter's words as I clicked the Eyecon, making the number '10' appear. I then took out the O-re Eyecon and replaced it with Micaiah's.

EY~E!

BACCHIRI MINNA! BACCHIRI MINNA! BACCHIRI MINNA! BACCHIRI MINNA!

I made the eye blink, and the eye now showed the picture of the faceplate, which was a maroon colored symbol, similar to her Branded mark on her hand.

KAIGAN: MICAIAH! MIRAI NO YOKOKU! RADIANT DAWN!

The said parka hovered around me before equipping itself on me. On cue, why whole bodysuit changed as well. While donning the Parka, I had dark maroon body armor with her black sleeves that are detachable, leaving my shoulders all white, having a blue scarf around my neck, and on my fake long hair after removing my hoodie that was tied with the same cloth. The Branded Mark was on my faceplate, which separated the brown lenses. In my arm, is her tome, Micaiah's Pyre.

I have accessed Micaiah's Ghost Form!

I wonder what kind of power would this armor provide?

Just as I wondered what's going to happen, my vision suddenly turned gray, as I saw an arrow fly from another direction. Instead of hitting me, it was aiming at the distracted Aqua, which struck her on her chest and killed her on the spot. Noticing the predicament, Felicia panicked and ended up being struck down with a swift blow of the Ganma's claws. After that, a whole bunch of them swarmed Gunter and I and we ended up being ripped to pieces.

After seeing the bad end, it reverted back to the current timeline, moments before it happened.

"Hiroji, is something the matter?" Aqua asked, worried. On cue, a Ganma conjured an arrow from its hand and thrusted it forward, aiming at Aqua. I quickly opened Micaiah's Pyre and the pages flipped wildly before I conjured up a fireball and threw it at the Ganma archer, and burned it to death.

"Yeah, you almost got killed." I answered.

"E-Eh?! Herr Hiroji can learn magic?!" Felicia got out, as another Ganma quickly rushes forward.

"Not while I'm around!" I exclaimed. My hand gestured out, transforming it into a dragon claw. The Ganma didn't see it coming, as I ended up scratching it, turning it to black ooze.

"Herr Hiroji, what did you just do?" Gunter asked, as the swarm of Ganma wasted no time jumping on us.

"Foresight." I added, as I lowered the tome to my belt, activating it.

DAI KAIGAN!

GAN GAN MINNA! GAN GAN MINNA! GAN GAN MINNA! GAN GAN MINNA!

In an instant, a black sphere dome stopped everything within a certain radius. All of the enemies and my friends froze in it, as the Pyre starts to flip pages and came to a halt. My free hand grabbed the dark aura that was formed into an orb and got into a pose: back hand throwing the magical ball to multiple directions, striking every single minor Ganma with ease.

OMEGA FLARE!

"And time went on…" I muttered, as the said dome sphere shattered, resuming time and space to its normal pace. In an instant, all of the Ganma had been struck down and exploded, turning nothing more into black puddle of ooze.

"Eeeeeeeek!" Felicia shrieked.

"My word…" Aqua said in awe.

"Forgive me for saying this, but… did you just mentioned Foresight, Herr Hiroji?" Gunter asked, making sure of it.

"Yes. Aqua would have died by an arrow struck on her chest, Felicia would have been struck down too. And then you and I would have been shredded to pieces. I prevented all of that from happening." I explained.

"Micaiah…" Felicia noticed. "Isn't she the one that ruled the Kingdom of Daein, when we talked in our book club, Herr Hiroji?"

"The very same." I nodded before taking out the Eyecon and closed the Driver, going back to civilian form.

OYASUMI~!

"Thanks for the help. I'll be looking forward to know more about you, Micaiah." I said before the Eyecon disappeared, along with the Katarina Eyecon that I dropped earlier. Turning to my mentor, I continued. "It's good to know you're actually alright, Gunter. For a moment there, I thought I'd never be able to see your face again.

"Yes, and it seems like you've gotten much wiser and stronger, Herr Hiroji." Gunter chuckled. Turning to my maid, he added, "And I've seen you protected Herr Hiroji in my place. I can't thank you enough, Felicia."

"T-There's no need to thank me! It's a maid's job to serve her master!" Felicia waved off.

"But, tell me- why are you all here?" Gunter asked.

"I brought them." Aqua said, taking a step forward.

"And who are you?"

"My name is Aqua." she introduced herself, bowing her head slightly. "If I said I was the princess kidnapped from Nohr as a child… would you understand?"

Gunter thought about it, before remembering, "Ah! Yes, I remember when you were little. I apologize for my failure to protect you from your Hoshidan kidnappers…"

"There is no need to apologize, really... It doesn't matter at the moment." she added. "I'd rather learn how you've survived here. You are quite the knight to have avoided meeting a terrible fate."

"You seem familiar with this place, Lady Aqua. Where are we, exactly?"

"This is Valla, an invisible Kingdom tied to the world by the Bottomless Canyon." It is ruled by Anankos, who wishes to destroy the entire world. So long as he remains in the Vallite throne, the world will not know peace."

"Yep, like what little missy said, ehehehehehehe!" Yurusen pops out of nowhere, scaring the timid maid while surprising my mentor.

"Eeeeeeeeek!" Felicia squeaked. "Don't do that!"

"Warui, I'm a scawy ghostie, so woooooooooo~" he teased.

"Stand back, Herr Hiroji! I shall slay this… fiend." Gunter got out, getting into his stance.

"Waaaaaah, save me, boya~!" he squeaked playfully, planting his whole ghost body on my face and latches on it.

"Get! Off!" I grunted, pushing him off my face.

"Yada! The big meanie ojii-san is going to kill me! Your pretty face would save me!" he added, now literally planting itself on me, while Gunter lowers his guard, noticing how I exchange a conversation with an annoying floating eyeball.

"Herr Hiroji… do you know it?" he asked, sheathing his sword back in.

"Yeah…!" I grunted, pulling Yurusen off my face. "His name's Yurusen, he's a ghost that guides me around… although he's more useless than helpful and wants to play pranks, just to make me suffer…" I grumbled.

"Yurusen-sama da!"

"…" Aqua remained silent, looking at us.

"Um…" Felicia got out, getting our attention. "Yurusen, is there a reason why you're here?"

"Mmmmmmm… nope!" Yurusen giggled. "But Gramps told me to get ready if you wanna go back up! Yurusen-sama has the power of returning back to the surface!"

"Is that so?" Gunter asked.

"Yep! Ehehehehehehe!" Yurusen giggled.

"Oh, but, Gunter, you must be careful! If you talk about any of this when you aren't within Valla… a curse will dissolve you and you'll disappear into thin air!" Felicia warned.

"Is that possible?" Gunter turned to me.

"I've… made enemies of both Hoshido and Nohr, Gunter. I couldn't bring myself to side against either of them, so both turned on me. Whenever we meet next, it will be a difficult fight." I sighed. "My list of allies are already small enough as it is. But… with you here, I hope it would lessen my burden. Will you stand with me?"

Gunter remained stoic, before a small smile was on his face. "Of course, Herr Hiroji. I shall always remain at your side. Just like before."

I sighed in relief. "Thank you, Gunter. It means so much to me, more than you know it."

"I must admit. I feel like I must be in a dream, surviving being attacked and falling so far… and Hans was a disappointment. He barely left a scratch."

"Oh. That reminds me: Hans said something strange. He claimed he was following King Garon's orders by attacking you." I remembered.

Gunter frowned at this, before sighing, "I'm embarrassed to admit this, but… King Garon despises me."

I was confused. "Despises you? Why?"

"After being honored for valor in battle, I was granted an audience with King Garon. He offered me dragon's blood; accepting would require absolute loyalty to the king. It would have meant becoming his most trusted retainer, the highest of positions." Gunter explained. "However, it also would have meant leaving my homeland, my wife, and my child. So I turned him down. I wanted to live a normal life." He looked at his fist as he clenched it. "I begged for his understanding. I will never forget his resentment… his rage."

I could only look at Gunter sadly, "I'm sorry… I didn't know…"

"Worry not, Herr Hiroji. All is under the bridge." Gunter assured me.

"Oya? Who's that lady?" Yurusen got out.

"I swear, if this is one of your pranks…" I grumbled, turning to where he looked.

"No, seriously. Who is that?" Yurusen said, for once being serious. I looked to where he looked, but there was nothing… except there was something. It was clear and invisible, but I barely make out the outlines and shapes of those figures. There was a silhouette of a woman, accompanied by two soldiers.

"Leave now... You should not be here."

AND IT TALKED!

"What the- Who are you?!" I demanded, jumping back to gain distance.

"I am a mage of Valla…" the mage said, as all of a sudden, more of these soldiers appeared, followed by the lesser Ganmas that served the kingdom. "You were warned. Vallite warriors, eliminate them." Without a second thought, the group marched, letting out sinister auras. Some of these Ganma must be stronger than the ones I've fought so far!

"This is bad... I don't think we're strong enough to defeat them." Aqua grimaced, worriedly. "Let's retreat to the other world. Yurusen!"

"Aye, aye, ojou-chan! Follow the ghostie~!" Yurusen said with glee, starting to fly away as we quickly tagged along.


It took us a while, but with Yurusen guiding us, we managed to climb back up to the top of the Bottomless Canyon. "Phew... It looks like we've made it back." I sighed in relief, before turning to Aqua. "Who was that woman down there? She said she was a mage…"

"And why is there such monsters that serves her as well?" Felicia asked.

"Any suggestions, milady?" Gunter asked, as Aqua recalled something.

"…when dawn turns to dusk. When dusk turns to dawn. Then the door will spawn."

"Huh? Is that a poem, Aqua?"

"If it is, it sounds pretty." Felicia said.

"My mother…" Aqua said. "She said those words to me a long time ago. She said that when dawn turns to dusk, and dusk turns to dawn… The pass in the Bottomless Canyon opens or closes."

"When the dawn turns… Hmm…" Gunter pondered.

"Gunter?" I looked to him.

"Oh, I get it." Gunter realized. "Once every few decades, the skies above Nohr and Hoshido will reverse. If I remember right, that should happen several months from now."

"Yes. I'm sure that's the sign that the pass down there has opened or closed. Since we're obviously able to travel there now, it will close next time. Once it closes, it will stay that way for decades. We won't be able to get there…" she said, concerned. "We don't have much time.

"But… wouldn't we be stuck there, if it closes like that?" I asked.

"There's a possibility that could happened. Perhaps the Great Sage knows more about it." Aqua added. "Nonetheless, should we leave it be, the said army shall grow stronger, strong enough to conquer both kingdoms while they are still at war."

"That's what will most likely happened…" Gunter agreed.

"Right. But in any case, we'll need both kingdoms to stop fighting each other and help us. If we had Xander and Nii-san, there's no way we'd lose." I said.

"But how can we convince them? We can't tell them the truth, Hioji." she reminded me.

"We'll just have to find another way. It's the only chance we have." I said. "Now that I know there is a common enemy for both countries to fight... I think we can save Nohr and Hoshido. All I can do is believe in myself and try to convince others to join us. Besides, that's what Micaiah said to me about the King of Plegia."

"Hm?" Aqua got out, looking at me. "The King of Plegia himself?"

"Yeah. Micaiah told me he tends to be reckless, yet his heart remains firm of protecting something important to him, even if it means staining his hands… now I see why she said that…"

"I see…" Aqua smiled a bit. "I suppose you're right." She nodded. " I felt so powerless on my own, but together we might be able to pull something off. Nothing will change if we stay here. Let's return to Hoshido first. I feel like they might be more willing to listen to us."

"But, before that!" Yurusen exclaimed. "Time to see how she's doing right now!"

"Huh?" I blinked, looking at Yurusen. "She?"

"Yep! That pretty lady that popped out of nowhere!" Yurusen giggled. "The meet-n-greet, silly human! Er, you are a human, ne? Because you have pointy ears and scary angry face, sometimes, too! Ehehehehehehe!"

"Let's just go…" I grumbled.


Fen: Finally! I never thought we'd get this chapter done. And yes, this Micaiah is the same Micaiah from the previous fic, Awakening of Kiva: Twist of Fate. But I changed her outfit to the one she wears in Radiant Dawn.

TWF: Much better than the one we saw the artwork of her in Awakening. I mean, yeah, she's damn sizzling in it, but I prefer the modest Micaiah. That's how we know her… until Heroes came around and start having different variations of their original selves.

Fen: Speaking of which, you still can't get Valentine's Lyn, can't you…

TWF: Aren't you the same? I mean, you tend to ship Lyn WAY too much for your story… most of the time. :S

Fen: Hey, at least I'm not freaking out about it when I don't get her… unlike a certain someone I know… -_-

TWF: …who dat? 8/

Fen: We'll see you next chapter…

Eyecons Collected so far!

Ghost, (? ? ?), (? ? ?)

01: Lyndis, 02: Katarina, 03: (? ? ?), 04: (? ? ?), 05: (? ? ?), 06: (? ? ?), 07: (? ? ?), 08: (? ? ?), 09: Yen'fay, 10: Micaiah, 11: (? ? ?), 12: (? ? ?), 13: (? ? ?), 14: (? ? ?), 15: (? ? ?)

Other Obtainables

(? ? ?), (? ? ?), (? ? ?), (? ? ?), (? ? ?), (? ? ?)