It was dark. But not the usual night-time-without-a-light dark. This was different. The black that encompassed him was so pitch that he couldn't even see his own hand in front of his face. It was so dense he couldn't breath. In fact, he wasn't breathing at all. And then, through the pitch black, he saw something move, like a smoke blacker than that which already surrounded him. It moved with the fluidity of water, yet lacked any form of substance at all. He realized that whatever it was, was moving towards him. It moved slow, yet with the speed of light. The entity struck fear into him and the only thing he could think to do was run- run away. He had never ran from anything before, but this was different. He could feel the entity- or whatever it was- behind him. And then something hit him; the entity wasn't just following him, it was all around him. Like he was in the entity. He was trapped. His legs though, kept moving, running, but his feet weren't hitting anything solid. It was as if he was running on air.

"Mortal!" A deep voice sounded all around him.

The voice was unlike anything he had ever heard. It was so pleasing to the ear, yet had a dangerous undertone.

"You don't talk, mortal?" the voice queried.

He stopped his legs and looked around, frantically searching for the source of the voice. The fluid smoke was surrounding him, passing through his very being.

"I have the power to restore your life, Dark Ace." The voice seemed to whisper with such persuasion.

"What? who-what are you?"

"You talk now?"

"What is this? Who are you?"

"My name is Aurel and I have the power to give you your life back, restore what has been lost. Will you accept what I have to offer?"

"But I died. Starling killed me. There is no way to bring the dead back. I don't believe what you say."

"I thought you might say that...What about now...?"

Suddenly, striding through the pitch darkness was a familiar woman.

"M-master?"

"I can materialize the form of anyone you have ever seen, even if just for the briefest moment. What do you say, Dark Ace? Will you go back to your dear Master?"

"No! It cannot be done. Why are you toying with me?"

Aurel did not answer, instead the woman in front of him changed to that of a new being. Her bright olive-green eyes shone brightly through the darkness, like beacons amidst the darkest night. Purple hair that imitated silk framed her delicate face.

"Come back to me, Ace. How I miss your quick wit, please come back to me," Starling spoke, but Dark Ace knew it wasn't really her.

The entity that was impersonating Starling stepped forward and cupped the side of Dark Ace's face gently. He tried to resist the urge to close his eyes and savor her touch, but he could not. He gave in almost instantly, sighing heavily.

"I'm sorry, my love. I did not want to send you into an abyss such as this. You have the choice of coming back. We can be together again, just like we used to be. My love, come back to me," she whispered against Dark Ace's lips.

"You can go back to her you know. If you simply accept my offer."

Aurel's strange voice interrupted Dark Ace's delusion, and now Starling was standing a few paces away, the same expression on her face now as when she had driven his own sword through his midsection. The pain behind her eyes ate away at him. He only wanted to hold her again. He didn't care if this was some delusion, Dark Ace began stepping toward her, but with every step, it seemed he could not get any closer.

"Why do you torment me so?" Dark Ace yelled, punching the air.

"I can tell by your reaction that you would rather go back to your beloved than your young Master. Will you accept my offer now? Or would you prefer to spend eternity only able to look at your beloved, not able to touch her, feel her skin against yours, her soft breath on your neck. Would you not like to make love to your dear Starling as you once did? I can give it all back to you. All you have to do is say 'yes'."

"Yes! Yes, I will. I will...Please, let me go back to her," Dark Ace finished in a barely audible whisper.

"The deal is struck. You belong to me now, Dark Ace. I shall imbue you with power, with life. BUT, you will have to stay here until it is time."

"Time for what?"

"You will soon find out. You could be here for years."

"Years! Why did you not tell me this before?"

"Relax. There is no time here. Actually, how long do you think you have been dead for?"

"I-I don't know, half an hour at the most?"

"That is incorrect. It has, in fact, been exactly two weeks since you died. So, as you can see, the time will just fly by, and soon you shall be back with your beloved. Meanwhile, enjoy your time here. I can create anybody you wish to see, hold conversations as they would."

"I don't care for anybody, I just want to see Starling."

"Then that is what you shall have. If you've any other requests, simply ask."

"Uh...Thank you."

Starling again paced towards him, and soon her lips were on his.


Aerrow sat alone in the living quarters, his head bowed. A realization had struck him just days previously. A connection which he made. It sounded absurd even to him, but he had to find out if his hunch was true or not. He stood and set off to find Cyclonis, which he knew to be in her throne room.

As he paced through the large doors, Cyclonis stood to greet him.

"Is there a problem, Aerrow?" she asked, placing her hands on top of each other.

"No. But I must go to Terra Atmosia. There are some things I need to sort through. I am just letting you know. I should return by this time in two days."

"Very well. Safe journey, Sky Knight."

Aerrow then made his way to the private hanger, mounted his ride and set off for Atmosia.

Night had fallen by the time Aerrow reached Atmosia, but he made his way to the Headquarters of the High Council. He knew of course, that they would have retired for the day, but the night staff would still be there. As he approached, he took a deep breath. Aerrow strode through the front doors and up to the reception desk where a young woman with auburn hair pulled into a loose bun sat, scribbling on a piece of paper.

"Sky Knight Aerrow, what brings you here at this time?"

"I need to see Jaqueb," he replied.

"Indeed? Jaqueb is not currently in. Would you like to make an appointment to see him?"

"Sure. When can he fit me in?"

"Let's see...Well, there is an opening for Thursday next week, how does that sound?"

"That's no good. I need to see him as soon as possible. Is there a chance you could give me his address?"

"Sorry, I cannot do that unless you are family."

I think we are, Aerrow replied internally. He instantly thought of an idea that would work.

"That's a shame. I have spoken with him and he said that If I arrived too late to just get his home address from here."

"Oh, well in that case, here."

The woman pulled up a file and scribbled an address down on a notepad. She tore the paper free then handed it to Aerrow.

"Do you need directions, or can you find his house okay?"

"I'll be fine, thank you for your help."

With that, Aerrow left in search of Jaqueb Lebeau's home. As he walked, he rolled his eyes. They should really be more professional in there. He could have been a serial killer. But he didn't complain about it too much, he had got what he wanted. After fifteen minutes of wandering, Aerrow finally came to the address written on the paper. Pacing up to the front door, he knocked three times. There was shuffling behind the door before it opened, and then stood Jaqueb, in his night clothes, a satin robe tied loosely around him.

"Aerrow? What are you doing here?"

"Jaqueb, I need to talk to you. It's...forgive me if this is not a good time, but it is kind of a big deal."

"Very well. Come in, Sky Knight."

Aerrow stepped through the door and found his way to the living room where he took a seat on an overstuffed armchair.

"What is this about? Have you run away from Cyclonia, is there danger?" Jaqueb asked.

"No, nothing of the sort. Everything is perfectly fine. No, I came here to ask you about...a delicate matter."

"Oh?"

Jaqueb took a seat on the opposite armchair and crossed his legs, regarding Aerrow suspiciously.

"I apologize in advance if anything I say sounds absurd, but just bare with me on this."

"Get to the point Sky Knight," scoffed Jaqueb.

"You're from Terra Gale, are you not?"

"Of course. Everyone who knows me knows that."

"Indeed. Have you ever had children?"

"What? I'm sure everybody who knows me-"

"Would know if you had children," Aerrow cut him off.

By now, Jaqueb had grown very suspicious of Aerrow, and was dreading the next question.

"Jaqueb, I'm good at telling when people lie to me, so I want you to be completely honest; do you have a daughter by the name of Jaqueline?" Aerrow asked, cutting right to the chase.

Jaqueb felt the air leave his lungs. Somebody knew. How in the Atmos did Aerrow find out about this secret he had kept hidden for so long?

"How?"

"It was simple really. Firstly Jaqueline told me the only thing she knew about her father was that he was from Gale, which to be honest, didn't really strike me as odd. Secondly, it was her name; Jaqueline, Jaqueb. Really, it wasn't that hard to piece together. You have always been the one to send correspondence to Cyclonia. You have never held much animosity when speaking of Master Cyclonis and when you have it was forced."

"It's true. Master Cyclonis is my little Jaqueline. If anybody ever found out, then she would find out, then she would hate me. I am not going to risk that. Aerrow, I do not deserve to be in her life, I gave up that right the day I left Cyclonia."

"If you're worried that she would hate you, then you are probably correct. But, she gave up control of a sector of Gale to seal the treaty. Do you know why? Because of her father."

"Don't be ridiculous, Sky Knight. She gave up that sector of land because it was the least use to her. I know how the Cyclonians think."

"I only have one question for you, Jaqueb: why did you leave her?"

Jaqueb hung his head ashamedly, refusing to look at Aerrow.

"I knew it was a bad place to be, Cyclonia I mean. I didn't want to raise my daughter there. But when I wanted to leave Old Lady Cyclonis would not let me take Jaqueline with me. I wanted to stay with Aleksandria and my baby girl I truly did, but then I got banished from ever returning to Cyclonia. And that meant that I would never ever get to see my girl grow up. I could have saved her from the life she now leads, but I was too much of a coward to stay in that place. I regret leaving my little Jaqueline still to this day."

Aerrow sat back in the armchair, taking in what Jaqueb had just said. Both men sat silent for what seemed like half an hour.

"Do you want to be in your daughter's life again?" Aerrow asked suddenly.

"Of course! But she would never want to see me. Old Lady Cyclonis filled her head with lies about me."

"I can think of a way for you to be. Just give me some time.."

"No, I cannot have anybody finding out, they would shun me."

"That's not going to happen. I will send you a coded message from Cyclonia, giving you a reason to go there. No one from here will think twice about it if it is I who summons you. Will you do it?"

"Yes, yes!"

"Good. If I can make Jaqueline smile again I will be happy."

"What? What has happened to make her sad?"

"Oh, does nobody know?"

"Know what?"

"Dark Ace died. It was over two weeks ago that he was...killed in a one on one battle with Starling. She is in hiding from Cyclonis, and for good reason."

"Well that is good news is it not?"

"That depends through what perspective you view it. Ours, yes, it is most definitely a good thing. But for Jaqueline...She was a wreck, and still is extremely upset about the fact he is gone. Although she doesn't show it, I know these things."

"Why are you going through all this trouble for her? Do you love my daughter, Sky Knight?"

"No, I do not. We cannot be in the same room for more than fifteen minutes without a screaming match, but I am fulfilling my duty as a husband. And maybe if she has some happiness in her life she won't be so...despotic all of the time."

"I see."

"Now that we have this sorted, I am going to check into a motel for the night before returning to Cyclonia. Keep an eye on the post."

"Indeed, I will."

Both men stood and Jaqueb escorted Aerrow to the door.

"Au revoir, Jaqueb," Aerrow said as he jumped onto his ride.

"Au revoir. Oh, and Aerrow, as your father-in-law, if you ever hurt my daughter, I will hunt you to the ends of the Atmos," Jaqueb warned.

Aerrow grinned in reply. Now his hunch was confirmed, and he knew that Cyclonis' father did want to be in her life, he could begin hatching a new plan for hopefully more peace within their small section of the Atmos.


Master Cyclonis had felt more alone in the last two days than she ever had in her entire life. Dark Ace was gone for good, and Aerrow was away in Atmosia. Not until this point in time did she realize that she needed the company of one person frequently throughout each day. For the first time she felt truly lonely, but she knew she could take advantage of her time alone to mourn the loss of her right hand man. And mourn did she. A sadness in her heart that had been present since a young age grew stronger. First her mother, who she never knew, then her grandmother, and now Him. Jaqueline Cyclonis' life had been fueled by the loss of those around her. Every day she would convince herself a little more that it made her a stronger person, when in fact it had the exact opposite effect. To Jaqueline Cyclonis, attachment was not a choice for fear of loss. So that was why, no matter how kind the Sky Knight Aerrow was, she could not befriend him. At all costs emotional distance had to be a priority.

"Laid to rest, my dearest friend, on angels' wing shall you be sent, to your rest of unending sleep, but your memory alive I will always keep," Master Cyclonis whispered quietly as she held the cold hand of Dark Ace.

She had not been able to bring herself to bury or cremate him yet. As morbid as it was, she refused to let go of him all together. So for two weeks he had stayed in the morgue, kept at a temperature to prevent decay. His skin had a grayish-blue tinge, it was not hard to tell he was never coming back, but it did not stop Master Cyclonis from trying. She had exhausted almost half of her supply of healing crystals in the two days that Aerrow had been away, but she couldn't find it in herself to give up on her friend. She had to keep trying. And she knew that if she told anyone they would think her clinically insane. She did know, of course, that it was impossible to raise the dead.


"Oh, you are back sooner than I had anticipated," Cyclonis muttered as Aerrow paced into their private dining hall. She left out the fact that she was glad he had returned a little early form his trip.

"I was going to stick around Atmosia for another few hours, but decided I didn't want to be flying at night."

Cyclonis nodded once as she returned her gaze to a plate of food that was barely touched. Every now and then she would chase a bit of food with her fork, but never brought it to her mouth.

"Can we talk?" Aerrow asked softly.

"What about? Are you not tired of conversations about what we have done in our lives up to this point?"

"Actually, I wanted to talk about your father, if that is okay with you, of course."

Cyclonis sighed jadedly before replying. "If you must."

"I was thinking, let's go back to the living quarters. I intend to keep this conversation going and I would prefer to be comfortable."

"Very well."

They walked silently the whole way to their living quarters, and once there took opposite seats.

"Start talking then," Cyclonis sighed.

"I want to know...do you hate your father?"

"In a way, yes. Why does it matter?"

"Given the chance, would you want to get to know him?"

"I don't know...maybe. Where are you going with this?"

"Bare with me. Have you ever given any thought to who your father might be?"

"Not really. Is this a conversation or an interrogation?"

"I'm just trying to gather facts. Now, honestly, do you hate your father?"

"I've already answered that question," Cyclonis growled, growing more exasperated with each question Aerrow was asking.

"I want you to really think about it though. Do you hate your father, a man you have never met, never known. Can you really hate a person who you do not know?"

Master Cyclonis remained silent, and she did think about it. She thought about all the years without a father, all the times she had wanted to show her father something he would be proud of, all the things she never got to do because she had no father. She thought about what it would be like to have not just a father, but a dad. Many thoughts crossed her mind. Why did he really leave? Did he want a child at all? What if the man who was her father had a whole different family now? What if he had forgotten her very existence? Master Cyclonis thought long and hard. And did she truly hate her father? No. No she didn't. She loathed him. but at the same time, wanted to know him. She continued to think. And think. She thought until she had curled into a fetal position on the chair she was in. She thought until the streams of tears were being wiped away by somebody in front of her.

"Crying doesn't suit you," Aerrow whispered quietly as he brushed the remaining tears from her face. "Do you hate your father?"

"No..."

"Do you want to get to know your father?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"And you honestly have never given a thought to who he might be?"

"No."

"I'm going to ask you one more time, just to be sure; given the chance, would you like to meet your father?"

"Yes. But I don't know who he is, so it doesn't matter."

Aerrow stood up and resumed his seat on the opposite chair. He argued with himself internally for a while whether or not to tell Cyclonis what he had found out just two days ago. Seeing her so vulnerable made his decision easier, and he decided to tell her.

"My trip to Atmosia was a success. In fact, I was doing a bit of, for lack of a better word, recon."

"What could possibly be so important that would require you to do a reconnaissance mission on Atmosia?" Cyclonis asked, almost instantly back to normal.

"If I tell you, will you promise not to go berserk?"

"If I haven't injured you yet, there is a chance of it not happening at all. Please do go on."

"I found a man. A man I have known for a few years now. He was originally from Terra Gale."

Immediately Cyclonis sat up in her chair, leaning forward intently.

"I noticed a remarkable resemblance to a woman I know. Pale skin, dark hair. His eyes resembled, too, that of the woman I know, only his were a few shades lighter. But this is where it gets interesting," Aerrow paused, he could see that Cyclonis was almost bursting at the seams. "He loved a woman very much and they had a child. One day he had to leave the place he was in, and tried to take the child with him. The ruler of the land banished him from ever returning, or ever knowing the child. Ever since then he has lived on Atmosia, fearing that the child may hate him for not being able to be a part of their life. But the most important thing he said to me was this: 'I regret leaving my little Jaqueline still to this day.'"

Master Cyclonis sat completely still, stunned from what she had just heard. Was Aerrow really telling the truth? She couldn't believe it at all. Slumping from the chair, she went almost completely limp, trying to register what was just said to her.

"Who is he?" she whispered. Her voice was barely audible.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, Aerrow, I do."

"Very well. Jaqueb Lebeau."

Cyclonis sat up abruptly, not believing her ears. Could it be, at last, that she would finally know enough about the man who was her father to track him down, maybe even get to know him?

"Are you mad at me for doing that? Because if you are, I'm sorry."

"No...I'm Not mad. I'm...in shock...Wait...Jaqueb? Why is that name familiar?" Cyclonis thought for a moment and then it sunk in. "Jaqueb, of the High Council of Atmosia? You're not...serious are you? That man is an idiot. I have corresponded with him over a dozen times throughout the past six months, and there was no indication that he knew me more than from my reputation."

"True, he is kind of an idiot. But he is your father, trust me."

"If he regrets leaving so much, then why did he make no attempt to see me when he could have?"

"Because he felt he didn't deserve to be in your life. A fair call if I am to be honest."

"Indeed."

"If it is okay with you, I will send out a carrier pigeon to deliver a message. I kind of told him when I got it sorted he can come meet you."

"Give it a week or so, I just need time to let it...let it sink in."

"Of course."

"Why did you do this?"

"Would you have preferred it if I hadn't?"

"No, I'm just curious as to why you did this...for me. I've never..."

"Not having parents is hard. I knew my dad, even if only for a few years, but I knew him. You should get the chance to know yours," Aerrow stated while repressing a yawn. "You obviously need some rest and time to take all this in. Go to bed, I'll see you in the morning."

Aerrow was glad that that had gone as well as it did; Cyclonis didn't even get mad for a change. He stretched before heading to his bed, throwing one last glance at Cyclonis before he did so. Perhaps he could find it in himself to love that woman one day. But it all came down to one thing; if she wanted to continue being the bad guy, or if she changed her ways. Only time would tell.


Now that we are all up to date I feel so much better! Please review, my lovelies.