Author: Sparkling Moon Phoenix.

Genre: Anime, Adventure, Fantasy.

Rating: T just to be safe/ M rated in later chapters.

Status: Work In Progress.

Chapter: Act 6.

Standard disclaimers apply. Clamp, Sunrise Television owns the rights to MKR. I am just using the characters for a fiction of my own devising and the enjoyment of Rayearth fans everywhere. Any original characters, spells etc are ©Sparkling Moon Phoenix 2012.

Author's Note: Bold italic speech indicates radio conversations. *Starred Italic script like this indicates telepathic speech.*

Author's Note 2: SnowChildMemoires, my apologies if the way I write is confusing. I do try and experiment with a plethora of varying writing styles to ensure the readers enjoy my fan crafted stories!

Author's Note 3: as this fiction gears towards an 'M' rating, I will be uploading a more adult version at MediaMiner. My writer's ID at that site is Moonlight Phoenix. I am doing this, as is cracking down on any inappropriately rated fictions.

Summary: This new MKR fiction begins just after Hikaru Shidou is kidnapped by Eagle Vision. The once mystical realm of Cephiro is falling apart far faster than anyone could ever have imagined. But the meeting of two people could save Cephiro, and possibly more than one world.

Spirit of Cephiro, Heart of Cephiro

Act 6: Personal Log of a Commander

~:O:~

Within a shadowed room, the faint sounds of a resting individual could be heard, penetrating the gloom. Sparks of radiance appeared, illuminating surrounding area briefly. Their bright glow revealed a young woman, very close to full maturity lying supine and immobile upon a bed, garbed in strange clothing, a red focal crystal, a thin gold rim along the outer edges, affixed to her right hand.

Within the darkness, the sparks formed into a perfect circle, eight slender lines spaced apart at regular intervals along the circle's circumference. A similar insignia flashed upon the forehead of the slumbering Knight, then faded.

The larger symbol flowed over and sank into the body of the Knight, sending power coursing through her slender frame. Bright, pearly radiance shone through her porcelain skin for a passing instance, covering her from head to toe within shimmering nimbus. From within her chest, a vague spherical shape emerged, bathed in radiant light, before vanishing, taking the gathered magic with it.

The chamber once more fell into darkness.

~:O:~

Personal Voice Recorded Log of Commander Eagle Vision

More than a full day has passed.

The young Magic Knight is still unconscious. I must have activated a much higher setting on the Energy Cage than I thought. Still, the medical technicians report she is fine physically, healthy for a girl her age, apart from the signs of bodily exhaustion. I guess I shall have to wait for her to awaken on her own. She has been moved to a private room, with guards stationed directly outside. They have orders to check on her every thirty minutes, alerting me the instance she awakens.

The shields have been raised and are at full power. I am doubtful, but I believe someone may try to follow after and try to rescue her. From the information Lantis imparted to me, Cephiro does not have much in the way of technology, relying instead on the force known as magic to arrange their lives.

He would be the only one capable of retrieving the young Magic Knight. His gifts would enable him to puncture through the energy barrier and find his way to the Lady Knight. The other two Magic Knights would not attempt to reclaim their lost companion. They are young, but an intuition if you will, tells me they would not leave Cephiro unprotected.

This mission will be long and rather protracted, one that I must accomplish at any cost. Autozam will not survive for more than a few generations at most. The bio-domes and purifying technologies can no longer stave off the stark, inevitable truth. Autozam is dying, the atmospheric envelope falling apart. No doubt lies within me, that my people are suffering in some way. My affliction, hidden from the conscious knowledge of others, is testament to that fact.

I do wish to see my people fall or my world fail.

I would do ANYTHING to safeguard my home planet; even steal the very life-force from another world. That would be seen as reprehensible by some, or an act of outright desperation by others. I see it as a necessary act, taken by someone who holds a deep biding love and sense of honour for his home and people.

Yet, whilst I begin to do this, the dark sting of shame pierces me to the core of my soul. Knowing I am betraying the trust of one I used to call friend cuts like a knife. For the sake of my home, I must vanquish these feelings and carry out my task.

Or watch with my own eyes; the collapse of Autozam-

His voice broke and wavered, then faded into nothingness. The recording device chimed, displayed a brief message in luminous green script informing the young Commander his journal entry had been saved in his personal computer's memory banks. A series of faint clicks and whirs, then the machine turned itself off.

Pushing his tall, lean frame out of the conformable chair, he walked towards the only window in his spacious cabin. The view of the star cast night did not calm his nerves as it normally did. So many thoughts flitted through his turbulent mind. Most of them focussed upon his current mission, a few on the young captive he brought back with him during one of his scouting forays into the unknown world of Cephiro.

So many questions he wished to ask the Magic Knight. But he had no doubts she wouldn't answer most of them. To her, Eagle realized he would be an enemy, only after one thing; the near infinite powers of the Pillar.

Touching a button on a small panel located on the left side of the aperture, a pane slid down, blocking out the sight of the passing stars.

Turning back to his console, his communicator vibrated against his waist. Unclipping it from his belt, he flipped the lid, noting the ID code of the officer attempting to contact him. The ID code flashed persistently on the miniscule screen.

The caller; Chief Medical Officer Sheran Duranis, Head of the Medical staff currently onboard the NSX.

Depressing a button on the small keypad, the young Commander answered the call. His fingers moved swiftly over the keys; activating a setting. Resting the communicator on his desk, he sat down.

'Eagle Vision receiving. What is the reason for your call Lieutenant Commander?'

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Eagle could feel a faint throb of pain. A headache was coming on. With all the stress of the past few days, Eagle wasn't surprised. It wouldn't be long before he searched his desk for a strong pain reliever.

'You asked me to inform you of anything unusual concerning the Magic Knight, Commander. I have finished perusing the reports generated by the medical scans. Some rather interesting facts have been unearthed.'

'Such as?' Any information that could assist him in disabling or defeating the other Magic Knights would be a boon.

'It appears Cephirans are similar to Autozamians, at least in a biological nature. There are a few differences; some of them rather striking. The Matrix of Life of a Cephiran is very similar to those of the average Autozamian. More genes are active in their Codes. Perhaps it has something to do with their capacity to wield magic.'

This information sparked curiosity within Eagle. 'What else did you discover?'

A crackle of static burst from the communicator, as the voice of the Chief Medical Officer sounded along the connection.

'The neurological scans I carried out revealed something rather worrying. Besides that of the Magic Knight, I detected two other brainwave patterns. I don't know what this indicates. My suggestion is to be cautious when she eventually regains consciousness. I am performing regular checks on her. I'll inform you if her condition alters or she awakens.

Chief Medical Officer Sheran Duranis logging off.'

Tossing his communicator on his desk, Eagle began to ponder the ever deepening enigma the Magic Knight represented thus far.

~:O:~

Deactivating her own communicator, Sheran leant against a cupboard. The soft, even breathing of the Magic Knight filled her ears. Brushing back a few errant strands of blonde hair away from her eyes she regarded the slumbering redhead lying on the sleeping platform. Unknown to the youthful Commander she served, albeit grudgingly, the young Healer had risked discovery and cast a minor spell of sleep on the Fire Knight.

Until the Magic Knight of Spirit and Prophecy arrived, Sheran couldn't allow Hikaru to learn of her own existence. At least, not until the proper time warranted the Healer to break her silence concerning her own powers.

Only another Magic Knight would be trusted to explain the changes being wrought upon the body of Hikaru Shidou. The triple alpha-wave pattern was testament to that. The secondary powers of the Fire Knight, just as forceful as her talent for Fire magic were on the cusp of awakening. Already Sheran could sense Knight's mind-channels instinctively shifting, to further accommodate the increased magical strength Hikaru would soon be able to summon and call upon at will.

The Healer, during her myriad examinations of the Magic Knight during the day, also cast spells of shielding, placing them as barriers within the vibrant mind of Hikaru. She would require such protections as the gifts of her specific bloodline awoke over the coming days, until she could learn to do so for herself.

Even now, when the mental barricades were only hours old could Sheran see the tendrils of the Knight's powers eroding the protective magic charms. During the next scan, if the Magic Knight hadn't awoken by then, she would cast more enchantments over the necklace and bracelet she had given to Hikaru more than a day ago. She could only provide a certain amount of help without blowing her cover or arousing suspicion.

That sleeping enchantment was close to expiration. Hikaru would soon wake up, wondering where she had ended up. Performing another quick scan, the readout indicating everything was fine Sheran packed away her medical kit and vacated the chamber. Acknowledging the guards stationed just outside the entrance, she walked briskly to the closest hover bike. Clipping her physician's bag to the back of the seat, she directed the vehicle along the track and one floor up.

The bike came to a halt. Retrieving her bag, the Healer swung her legs over the right side, onto the platform. A small passageway branched off from the hover bike station, lit at regular intervals by illuminated panels set high up on the plain, grey walls. Nestled above the entryway to the corridor, a sign, script etched onto its surface.

SENIOR OFFICERS QUARTERS – LEVEL ONE

Doors receded into the distance, metallic name plates displayed next to the portals. She kept walking, until stopping outside a particular door. Placing the palm of her left hand flat against the scanning pane, the entrance to her private chambers opened, once the computer verified her identity. Stepping through, the portals closed, plunging her into blackness.

'Lights.'

At her voiced command, brightness pushed back the dimness. Dropping her pack onto her bed, Sheran tugged her boots off, dropping them haphazardly into a messy pile on the floor. Walking over to a large ebony table that dominated the room, she activated her personal console.

'Computer, activate Privacy Setting Level 5.'

With a quick succession of whirring and humming, the computer initiated the Healer's request.

The sterile voice of the computer rang out. 'Privacy shield activated.'

Finally some breathing space, now to update my journal.

Kneeling down, Sheran removed an ornately carved wooden casket from underneath her bed. Carefully lifting it, she placed it upon her sturdy desk. Tossing the moderately heavy lid aside, she reached into the box pulling out three objects. A thin golden needle, a crystal sphere, and a rather unusual tripod, seemingly constructed of a crystalline material were set on the desk.

The healer erected the peculiar instrument on the desk. Picking up the gold needle, she pricked her thumb. Picking up the crystal globe, Sheran let a few drops of her lifeblood fall onto the clear surface. Dark lavender light filtered into the core of the orb. Dropping the globe onto the top of the tripod, the gem did not fall as it should have done. Instead, it floated over the top of the device, conjoined by a delicate web of lavender radiance.

Reaching into her uniform tunic, Sheran removed a crystal pendant. Touching the tip of the adornment to the sphere, the hue of lavender shifted until it became violet in nature.

Silvery White Light Age – 10th Minor Rotation

In accordance with the orders received from the High Council, I have created this journal to record the events currently occurring in this present cycle of time. Crafted with my life's vitality and activated with Spirit magic, I leave behind this memory crystal, as a living reminder of the days that followed.

One of the Four has arrived. She is everything mentioned within the ancient Prophecies. Already I can see her potential, the blinding radiance of her Gifts a sign she may be the one we of Antarra have been waiting for.

The conflict now raging within Cephiro is nothing compared to what may follow. The three countries invading this once brilliant land must realize going after the powers of the Pillar is an exercise in futility. Only with the assistance of the Cephirans will all of us stand a chance of survival. With the awakening of the four Knights to their true selves will the healing of us all truly begin at last.

Beginning with the vitalization of Autozam. Only one thing can spark this; the unearthing of the Great Source. But its location has been lost to the dim clutches of history. Not even fragile human memory recalls a trace of knowledge concerning its existence.

Snapping her fingers, the mystical light flowing from the orb dispersed.

Author's Note 4: right my lovely readers, you have a choice here. Would you like me to upload the chapter when Eagle and Hikaru physically meet for the first time?

Or instead, would you like the chapter noting the second arrival of the Magic Knight of Spirit and Prophecy in Cephiro? The choice is yours! I am on holiday for the next few weeks so I am able to upload chapters swiftly.