Episode I: Origins
Chapter 1-8:

Unbound by Time, An All-binding Grand Design

Fresh footprints are stamped into the snow bank of the dead silent mountaintop. Once again, the lonesome hut lay before Z. He was currently closer than he had ever been before; the constant downpour of snow was still bombarding the windy tundra as it attempted to deter him from progressing. Any evidence of anyone ever being on this arctic highland would have been erased by this timeless giant; all indications but the single cabin. His stride was uneasy and his arm tightly caressed the hilt of his blade as he slowly crept nearer and nearer to the mysterious abode.

[What could possibly be in there? Why am I so drawn to this place?]

Soon, he was upon the doorstep, the door already slightly ajar. Wind was blowing into the house which allowed the snow to advance and collect in and around the crack. Z finally gathered the courage to open the door; it nearly falls flat off its hinges as he touches it. The twilight that devoured the forest around the hut immediately dove inside and made it impossible for him to see. A small lantern was sitting on a nightstand right next to the door with some oil and a tinderbox; he decided to light it so he could get a better view of the interior of this darkened shed. In a flash, brilliant light filled the room and a treasure trove of knowledge became apparent to Z. He approached the desk that managed to beat Father Time as it continued to defiantly stand tall to the left. On it was a journal and an enticing helmet. Upon grabbing and dusting the helmet off, Z realized that its shape and design was impeccably similar to his own body, almost like it was made for him. Next to where the helmet was a small pin; he used it to fashion his hair into a tight bun. He decided to put the helmet on; it was a perfect fit! Turning his attention elsewhere, he stopped on the cabinet that was lined neatly with books from ceiling to floor. However, a handgun caught his eye; it was lying on the second shelf. Repeating the same process as the helmet, the craftsmanship and design of it was of an obvious incredible caliber. The pitch black handgun matched his ensemble as well; "MASTER RAVEN" was inscribed alongside the right side of the barrel. The aged and brown grip fit Z's hand snuggly, almost as if it too, was custom-made for him. On the side of the iron sights rested a red dot, also the same shade of red as Z, along with a zig of red that dropped off from the muzzle and moved along the bottom of the barrel before ending on a clip extension. He squeezed the trigger and the gun fired off three flaming yellow bullets in rapid succession, only leaving one hole in the shed where he aimed it at.

[Amazing!]

The recoil was nearly non-existent for him. His focused veered from the bullet hole to the desk again that was right below it. Peculiar assortments of leather-like wrappings were nearly falling off the back end to the floor next to an open journal. Picking it up revealed that it was in fact a holster for the same gun he just shot; he fashioned it to his right thigh and holstered the pistol in it. Next to where the holster was sat a tattered but durable looking sling pack, he decided to take this as well as he wasn't done collecting things from here just yet. His sight was now on the journal. Running his hand across it, Z inspected what was written:

"Soon, it will unleash another evil that will surely wipe my memory and my ability to function. I am writing this specifically to detail whoever manages to survive the third and final weapon to the tragedy that our civilization has endured and succumbed to. My name is Z…"

[…What…?]

A stick that ended in a point was sitting next to the journal, the tip steeped with a viscous black liquid; Z picked it up and put it the end to the paper and began to write. To add to the astonishment, his handwriting was identical to the one written in the journal; no matter how hard he deviated, the result always made him come to the same conclusion. As he flipped through the pages, dog tags from various people were found left inside. One of these was of a Lieutenant Q. Peters; on the same page describing the same man with an illustration to match. He decided to keep the dog tags inside the sling pack before shutting the book which disclosed his true identity. "The Journal of Zachery Steele" the title read.

[So that's my name…Was I really that much of an arrogant prick?]

Hungry for more, he poured his time through the remainder of the books. He read though many books with titles like "The Four Heroes", "Nation's Destruction", "Survival to Coral's Wilderness", "Beginner's Guide to Technique Usage"; and much, much more. A folded piece of parchment caught his eye next that stood crumpled between two books. After removing it, it appeared to be a schematic for a starship that was found by accident somewhere on the surface of the planet. The parchment it gave a detailed location of the facility of where it was stored along with the name of the ship: "LANDALE". Its location was in a desert far to the east of a city known as Aroma; the city itself was just a few miles south of Dairon. Zachery decided to take the books, schematic and finally the journal with him; depositing them all in the sling pack. Before closing the glass encasement of the cabinet, a small rusted grey cylinder that was closed with an air-tight lid fell onto the floor. Upon picking it up and opening it, the cylinder exposed several musty scrolls. They all portrayed Zachery performing various and complex sword techniques. He decided to head outside and practice them. Each technique was incredibly easy to master; apparently muscle memory stood for something, Zachery being the prime example of its existence. The final scroll, however, came with a warning and a label: "Tendou Zahaken: DO NOT PERFORM UNLESS COMPLETELY NECESSARY! This technique will cause self-injury from severe usage of stamina and physical strain on the body. The effects are devastating." The scroll displayed Zach charging up his strength as his blade drew higher and higher above his head as he pointed it more and more towards the ground. It ended with his form nearly vanishing until it reappeared quite a distance away from his starting position. He failed the first few tries and attempting this technique; only motivating him more to succeed. After much deliberation, he finally mastered the final technique. All said and done, Zachery had barely noticed that a week had passed since he first arrived in at his wintry home on the silent mountaintop. Returning inside once more to see if he had missed anything, he finalized his preparations for his departure back to civilization. His thorough inspection was complete, looked up as he took his first step back towards his current home when the profile of a man blocked his exit.

"It's good to see you again, Zach" it spoke.

"Who are you? And how do you know my name? I only just found it out myself recently!" Zachery questioned.

"Ah, yes, ever as inquisitive as you are demanding. Never mind that, it is good to see you old friend. You can call me Luntz Bohgad." The man stepped into the light to reveal himself; an incredibly aged Newman. His hair wasn't completely white, but something between blue and white; it flowed neatly down to the small of his back. His ears were propped slightly downwards and were relatively short for a Newman standard that Zachery only just became accustomed to. Donning a long and elegant ruby red robe, it had strange cyan glyphs that ran perpendicular to his shoulder which ended at the bottom. His eyes were a sad shade of blue, almost as if his pupils were solidified tears. Quite tall in comparison to himself, the man stood roughly six feet; the only thing bigger than him was his unusual staff however. The staff had a deep solid green color coloration, but it gave off a radiant light green energy near its trident-like tips. "Come Zachery, there is much to discuss. We are to make a journey to the Eternal Tower."

"Wait a minute…why should I trust you? I don't even know who you are still or why you are even here. I can still barely make sense of anything at this point. I don't know what to believe…"

"You should trust me because I know that the encounter you had with Dark Falz and what you saw when it tried to possess you was not a dream. You and I both very well know that the figure you saw was. True evil." Beneath the helmet, Zachery's expression turned incredibly morose. "Do not look so down, for what I am going to propose to you is a very serious matter. I know you have an extraordinary willpower and you are capable of great acts of bravery. The task at hand requires you to tap into both." After studying the man's face and his own thoughts, Zachery mustered his words to formulate his next question: "So what is the Eternal Tower?"

"A very important and holy site, it was set up to test a noble hero to be worthy of the title Protector. At the top of the tower lies an important relic that you will need for your quest" Luntz answered as every word had a remarkable air of patience weighing it, as if he had planned this entire conversation, word for word, from the start. "I can understand your skepticism. If you are feeling that you are up to the task and you wish to know what you are truly capable of and who you are; you shall meet me at the entrance to the Oblivion City. From there, I will guide you to the Eternal Tower and you will uncover you destiny. If not, you will remain here, peacefully, with your friends and newfound family for the rest of your time. Maybe the galaxy will be safe from harm's way, maybe not. My abilities are limited in my advanced age, and my time on this plane is short. The decision is yours."

After finishing his lecture, Luntz Bohgad bade Zachery farewell with a kindly gesture of one handed bow. Once his hand returned to his chest, the mysterious man shone brightly and disappeared completely from view. Pondering what the chance encounter with the mysterious sage could mean for him, he gazed at the city below before revisiting it once again. Standing alone at the market square in the early morning, he twisted his head towards the direction of Paru. In the distance, a large tower was looming out from the dispersed clouds which seemed to go on up into the sky near infinitely. He was positive that it was not there before; he was now all the more intrigued in what that old man had said. Silence overcame his surroundings, as if the universe hung on his decision to take up the strange seer's offer. Finally, his mind was made up: he would investigate the Eternal Tower and see what fate had in store for him. Daybreak strikes the city as Zachery went to prepare for his soon to be long and arduous journey; he bought enough Monomates and Dimates to hopefully last him for the duration. Before he could finish his transaction he heard a voice call out to him: "So you are leaving already, huh Z?" He turned around to see that Sarisa was standing behind him; she appeared depressed. "I always had a feeling you would just pick up and leave here for something else…but I'm glad we met! I'm very happy to have shared the adventures we had together…I...I guess I thought…that you know…we would always be together…" she continued, slightly choking and trying to hold back her tears. Zachery took off his helmet and went into a sling pack he took from the hut and removed a book entitled "The Four Heroes"; he hands it to her and hugs her.

"I know this is hard. But there is something I must do. I have realized who I am, and I must start my own adventure…unfortunately, you cannot join me. I know this is hard for you…as it is for me…I really don't know what to say…" Zachery replied.

"Tell me that you will return one day!" Sarisa demanded; tears began to cascade down her reddened face. Zachery became shocked, as well as upset, but he swallowed and nodded.

"…I promise, I will. I promise to eventually come back and once I do, to spend the remainder of my life here, with my friends and family!" Zach choked in declaration. The two of them hugged each other for another whole minute before the final goodbye. They shared a glance for a fraction of a moment; he put his helmet back on and made his way to the Hunter's Guild. Looking back only once, Sarisa was still clutching the book while staring at him, sobbing; he turned again to move on with his journey.

The teleporter was set to the Oblivion City. Zachery returned to the forest-encroached and old metropolis. Everything was as he left it on his original journey with his friends; wild birds and other animals still making a ruckus throughout the decaying halls. Up ahead was the familiar yet unfamiliar old man. He waved to him, as if he was an old friend greeting a close friend or family member they haven't seen in a long time; it appeared creepy yet heart-warming to Zachery. His mind was clouded and disordered from the sage's coming, speech of riddles and lack of a sense of space and time. Once they were within earshot, Luntz spoke: "Good, you have decided then. Now from here on out, you shall listen and do whatever I say. The entirety from here on out holds significant importance; you should take great care to not forget anything I will teach you." The two of them walk towards this mystical location as Luntz drones on: "What you experienced with Mother Trinity was known as Dark Falz. Its origin will take us back to the very creation of our universe. Before the dawn of time, there was but a single race of spiritual entities. Something happened that caused them to divide. Once the two races divided, they fought throughout space and time. Eventually, a victor was decided. The victor we have come to known as is The Great Light. The Great Light was known for quite a while on Coral and was even taught to be a deity of sorts to our culture, a culture obviously since forgotten. The fallen however, was cast into another dimension. Its intense hatred and malice for The Great Light gave it a new form, a form which you saw in that hellish vision. This form, is The Profound Darkness. The ultimate evil, it seeks for nothing more than the utter destruction of all existence. To prevent it from escaping its dimensional imprisonment, The Great Light created seals throughout the cosmos in the forms of stars and planets. On the planets, The Great Light created successors to keep the seals in check, and if necessary, to call to arms to defeat The Profound Darkness' minions and its evil, should it ever escape. These successors, or Protectors, as The Great Light called them; are us. Now, the seals that The Great Light created are imperfect. Through every thousand years, the seals fluctuate within space-time. Eventually, they get weak enough so that a physical manifestation of the malice and hatred that The Profound Darkness has can escape into the physical world and attempt to free its master. This physical manifestation you have come know of is Dark Falz. Despite being a physical manifestation, it requires a host to perfect itself so that it can carry out its master's wishes. The Dark Falz you encountered initially took Mother Trinity as its host before attempting to use you as a new host and better host after you defeated her. Thankfully it didn't, but I fear that the chance encounter might have had an adverse effect on you; I pray that this isn't true."

This part of the lecture done, they stopped walking as they have arrived at the gate to the Eternal Tower. Zachery looked up to see that the tower scraped at the clouds themselves and pushed even further beyond. Its golden design was other-worldly, yet phantasmagoric. His feelings towards it were ones of animosity and curiosity; unsure whether the tower was made with evil intentions or for the greater good. The pillar itself rose from a single island that gravitated in the center of a pristine lake; connected by a single bridge to the landmass they stood on.

"I will ask you one final time. Are you ready to endure the challenges ahead and accept the title as Protector? If you do so, the possibilities of seeing your friends again are highly unlikely." Zachery gazed at the tower once more, then down to his feet. After a minute or two, he turned to Luntz and declared: "No. I am ready to accept what my fate has been woven into."

"Excellent. I will assist you in this trial. As being a Protector myself, or rather one of the original Protectors, I am more than qualified to enter and teach and help you on the matter."

"Wait, if you are the same person as one of the original Protectors… how old are you exactly? Wouldn't the original Protectors be thousands of years old? Isn't that too old even for a CAST?" Zachery rambled, baffled.

"Your befuddlement is understandable. I was going to explain this to you later, but I guess now is as good a time as any. The staff I wield is known as the Psycho Wand. It is a staff of unrivaled power, one that is capable of dispelling the powers of magic and keeping Dark Falz's energy at bay. More importantly, however, it contains the will and memories of myself, or rather my original self. I am a successor of the great Esper wizard known as Lutz, one of the original four Protectors who once took down the first incarnation of Dark Falz that managed to escape the void. Should we succeed in our endeavors here in this tower, you will undoubtedly meet me again; even most likely assist me in acquiring this very staff" Luntz explained.

"Wait…what?"

"Do not worry about this now; everything will sooner or later make sense to you. Are you ready to enter?" Zachery nodded and drew his blade. "Then let us be off."

The wide entrance of the tower gave off a radiant and powerful white light that enveloped them as they entered. A set of sea green stairs was the first thing to greet them; at the top stood an entryway to a larger room filled with hostile creatures that eagerly awaited them. The monsters were a conglomeration of ones that Zachery had already faced through his travels; some were from the wetlands and some from the valley. Confused, yet determined, Zachery charged forward to overcome the trial ahead. Each monster was slain with ease, Luntz sat there and watched however. Once each and every monster was killed, their corpses completely evaporated into thin air. Zachery took the mysterious occurrence with stride and onto the next floor with Luntz. The stairs led to an empty square antechamber in the same coloration and pattern as the steps before it. Once more, monsters awaited them in the following room; all of which were another grab bag from Zachery's memory. Zachery manages to handle these with ease following with some quick footwork, a few well-placed shots, and strokes of his blade; no help from Luntz again. The monsters and stairs repeat themselves, getting only slightly more challenging with each floor until the cycle is broken upon entering the tenth floor. Following the antechamber was an enclosed white room that was larger in size in comparison to its predecessors. Suddenly, a golden robot materialized from ether that gently wrapped and caressed the room and tower alike. It looked identical to Mother Trinity's design but with a few modifications. With four arms, a miniskirt, and in each hand, a golden saber; it attacked. The robot provided quite a challenge for Zach; his strikes we unable to find purchase as many a time the robot would deflect them with two of its four blades. Each failed attempt resulted in reciprocation with one or two of the other blades not in use; the robot also proved to be proficient in deflecting the shots from his handgun in a similar fashion. Luntz finally decided to step in and fired off an intense beam of white light that utterly disintegrated the robot.

"What the heck was that?" Zachery shouted.

"That was magic, not like the Techniques you are used to. Not many are capable of producing actual magic. In response to this, my original self made Techniques as a more generic form of magic that normal people can use without any extensive training. The arts of magic are all but lost to the cultures of these times; it is now only something that people can only use with the innate traits to do so. Such people are usually capable of being a successor to the wizard Lutz. This leads back to the Psycho Wand. Only someone who is capable of being a successor will actually be able to wield and use it to any efficiency, for everyone else, it might as well be a decorative stick. Speaking of Techniques…we should teach you how to use them" Luntz dictated.

"…But I'm a CAST, I thought CASTs weren't able to use them?"

"Not exactly; you're current form is unable to use them. Let us just say that with the way that our society has worked, CASTs aren't able to truly work with the natural Photons in the environment; you especially after being hit with the Photon Noise. I can still teach you them. I will demonstrate how. First, for fire-based Techniques, you want to focus your attention on the Photons around you to heat up. Focus as if your wrath was welling inside you and making your metabolism boil. Focus this all on a single point. Doing this will allow the Photons to ignite into a fire based Technique. From there you can branch out into all the different parts of fire." Luntz demonstrated by concentrating and then releasing an incredible ring of fire that circled around him, rising up until it dissipated above him. "For ice-based ones, you want to do the opposite. Focus on calming yourself and keeping your body temperature to a minimum, then go beyond that. Again, focus it on a single point, soon the Photons around you will freeze over in a chain reaction." He again demonstrates by creating large pillars of ice that rise around him in a juxtaposed pattern in six different places surrounding him; each breaks and then vanishes into thin air. "For lightning…"

"No, I have no interest in that type. That stuff hurts…" Zach interrupted.

"Hehe, stubborn to a tee, as usual. Fair enough" Luntz acknowledged. He continued: "For Earth-based techniques, you want to focus on your inner strength. Focus on them from within and then from with the ground around you; then moving that area with the force of will alone. This type of Technique works better with a natural environment surrounding. Next, to perform wind-based you want to focus on the ability of movement, focus on the flexibility of yourself and your spirit, then on the air around you; and like earth, force it with your will alone. Earth and wind Techniques are about the movement of natural Photons, not so much on their attributes. For light-based…"

"What about Dark-based Techniques?" Zachery interjected once more.

"Dark Techniques focus on the gravity around you. To use on, you would have to focus on the affect the universe has upon you and then completely bending that force to your control" Luntz answered back.

"This is fascinating and all, but shouldn't we continue?"

"Agreed" Luntz finished as the two renewed their trek through the tower. Again, a set of ten floors stood between them, each holding more challenging monsters than the last. Luntz ceased providing his services until they reached the twentieth floor. Another golden robot identical to the last one appeared, this one wielded handguns instead of swords. Its attacks were relentless, Zachery was unable to even retaliate as he was too busy dodging the barrage.

"Stop focusing on only your tactics and start focusing on how its tactics works! C'mon! You're better than this and you know it!" Luntz yelled at Zachery in encouragement. Taking his words to heart, Zachery paid attention on what the automaton did instead of just dodging its attacks. Zachery took notice to the fact that each shot came was fired in the same order from each gun. After dodging the next bullet, he advanced closer and closer until he drew his blade and made a single slash that reaved it in two. Hitting the floor, the pieces vanished in the same fashion as they appeared.

"Well done Zachery."

"Hey, how come these ones are different from the other monsters? Also why are they so similar in design to Mother Trinity?"

"Mother Trinity was aware of this tower's presence. She helped create it to help test heroes, not knowing that the prime programming was to test Protectors. Eventually a descendant of The Great Light took over the tower and made the visions of the past appear to challenge would be heroes or intruders. Mother Trinity originally designed the automatons that you have fought so far. She also went about hiding this tower by cloaking it, in an attempt to stop intruders from investigating this location. Once she was defeated, the tower reappeared to the world" Luntz replied. Zachery pondered the thought before they continued on again. The following monsters were even harder than the last, and on the thirtieth floor stood the yet another automaton, this one wielded nothing in its arms, instead used a variety of Techniques on Zachery. He again has trouble, but he devises a plan to injure himself to get close to it. Taking a fire ball to the face, he deflects most of the fire with a slash of his blade that rends the robots head clear off its body where it dissolves into the air once it hits the ground. After drinking a Monomate, he motions to move on. Something changes though for the fortieth floor. The following room appears darker in coloration; two different types of the robots appear at the same time. Luntz offers his assistance but Zachery declines it. A bladed robot alongside a gun toting one attacks him. After taking a few bullets to his chest, Zach leapt over and behind the bladed one as the other continued to shoot at the same direction, forcing it deflect the bullets. He shot three rounds in the back of the bladed one's head before leaping off it and burying his sword in the head of the other. This new duality trick continues for the next fifty floors. Continuing the same trend, each floor proceeds to be more of an ordeal than the last. Zachery's determination to find out what this title of Protector will mean to him proves to be his source of strength that allows him to subsist. His body endures a substantial amount of physical stress, so much that an ordinary CAST would have failed under the pressure. It is as if he became the embodiment of undying willpower that Luntz told him he was capable of. On the hundredth floor, all three robots appear to face him at once. The goal near, Zachery musters his strength tries a tactic he didn't try before; he starts to wield his blade with only one hand and his handgun in the other.

"Here, I will assist you in this matter" Luntz assuaged. He raised his staff in the air and a fiery light rose up through it followed by a ripple of frigid light. Once both reach the top, a wave of energy surged past him and it emanated into Zachery. Every part of his body felt supercharged from the aura. With new found strength, he succeeds in dodging the Techniques while seemingly ignoring the gunfire that pelted him. Putting nearly thirty rounds into the caster, it responded by ceasing to exist. His strength unfaltering, he cleaves his sword straight through the swords of the blade user into its chest; he finishes the slice by spinning counterclockwise, ending the cut with it descending it into nothingness. Ending his stylish combination attack by individually shoot off each of the arms of the guns off the wielder before holstering his pistol and slashing the machine into a stream of vanishing circuitry. His display completed; the upwelling of power began to disperse from him.

"What was that Technique you used?" he asked, fascinated.

"Those were called Shifta and Deband. They are fire-based and ice-based Techniques. Shifta allows uses Photons to supercharge every cell in your body to be capable of more output, increasing your strength drastically while Deband creates a microscopic Photon shield helps absorb the impact of attacks and damage" Luntz stated. "Are you ready? The end is upon us."

The heavens above accelerated at an alarming pace, as if they were racing through time. Green and flat in appearance, the flooring was perfectly angled with the tower upon observation from the final stair case to leading to the final floor. Tentatively taking his steps onto this hallowed ground, Zachery searched for the item they sought for. Once his entire body was on the floor, the staircase vanished behind him and Luntz was nowhere to be seen. At that instant, the sky ceased its perpetual rapids and stood completely still. Nervous, Zach cautiously peered around as he crept forward until a single voice boomed from all around him: "Noble youth! You have done well to make it thus far. Are you ready to take your final test and accept the title of Protector of the cosmos from The Profound Darkness and its kin?!" Assured, he unsheathed his sword and nodded. Out of thin air; Sarisa, Ogi, and Kai appeared. Confused, Zachery sheathed his sword again, the three of them were waving him over. Cautiously, he moved towards them when a shadowy figured emerged from the blackness behind them. Soon the figure came into view; it was Zachery himself! The doppelganger drew its own blade and then one by one, to Zachery's horror, it cut through each of his friends. They each fell to the floor, bleeding out. The emotionless stare his mirror image gave off from behind the blank helmet held a tremendous enmity as it looked up upon Zachery; blood dripping from the blade that it displayed to its side. Clarity struck him; he had finally realized what his mission was and what it meant to be a Protector. He was to give up the emotions and fight for the greater good, for the sake of all life, not just a single one. Zachery once more drew his blade and engaged himself in combat. Every motion he made was countered with a parallel one from his mirrored opponent. Every slash was stopped with one equal and reverse to his, every bullet stopped by a reciprocal. Ever-calculating, Zachery stopped letting his rage consume him and instead waited for the doppelganger to attack. A tense silence befell the ethereal tower top, both waiting patiently for the other to move. Finally, the doppelganger strikes; charging forward with its blade at the ready. Within the single slash it makes, Zachery nimble moves to the side, still taking the blade halfway across his chest, and then ends the fight with a single slash of his own. Both sit on opposite sides of each other facing the endless expanse of the cosmos. Zachery sheathed his blade as his doppelganger dematerializes and carries off on the wind along with the visions of his fallen allies.

"Well done, noble youth. You clearly have what it takes to hold the title of Protector. However, that rage that you allow to well inside you could prove to be your downfall. Now, receive what you have sought for!" the voice boomed. Slowly, a small crystal materialized above Zachery as it levitated in front of him until he grasped it. Translucent, yet radiant, the crystal was clearly supernatural in origin and function Zachery thought to himself.

"That crystal is what you need to power that starship that you have a blueprint of. It is called the Aero-Prism. It has the power to reveal that which is unseen to the naked eye, as well give off the true intentions of anything in the process. Mother Trinity knew of its power and hid it here before she went mad" Luntz said, appearing from nowhere. "I'm sure you know what you must do from here, correct?" Zachery admired the prism some more before turning to Luntz and gesturing acknowledgement. "Good, I shall use the last of my power to transport you back to Dairon City. May the Great Light guide you on your quest, and shall your blade never falter."

Luntz quickly raises his arms and his staff as white light starts to emanate from him. The power of his magic causes the wind to pick up, whipping his robes around his feet. With a thrust of the staff, the light encapsulates Zachery and his vision completely whites out. Once the effect subsided; he was standing on the outskirts of Dairon City. Zachery put the Aero-Prism into his sling pack and then headed south through the setting sun to Aroma City. Before long, nightfall set its way across the land as Zach approached the entrance to the new city. It wasn't that hard to find, a cable network was laid between the two cities for easy communication. The city didn't seem all that different in comparison to Dairon; it had a market square with tons of stalls and its own Hunter's Guild. A few late-closers were ending their day at the market; Zachery decided to approach them with the map and blueprint of the facility to see if they know anything about it. Alas, each and every person he asked had no idea; unsurprising to Zachery. As he expected, he would have to enter the desert blind, only guided by the blueprints details of the facility. Without any time to spare, he sent off for the uncharted and barren desert that laid to the east. Three days and three nights he spent searching for the facility until at the beginning of the fourth, he found something. On the fourth dawn, he came across a metallic structure that stuck out amongst a tall dune. Upon closer inspection, it revealed to be a door, and it was functioning still as well. Zachery entered and pressed forward through the dark corridors of the abandoned facility. A few minutes of navigation later, he came across the hanger. Entering inside, a row of lights clicked on, high above him on the ceiling; then the next and the next until the entire hanger was illuminated. On the distant end of it stood the proud white ship; The Landale. Approaching the ship only made his excitement intensify, finally he ran up to it as the side opened up without any command and a small ramp presented itself to the floor and Zachery. Reverent, he slowly walked inside.

[It's even bigger on the inside!]

Most of the interior was beige and grey in color. From the blank entryway, one could see the entrances to the engine room and the cockpit, alongside a side room which had a bed and a starboard window. He entered the engine room to see that everything was completely functional; on the floor was a strange sigil that he never saw before. Giving off a strange and faint golden light, it enticed him to approach it; as he entered, the light magnified and rose to the ceiling in the shape of a conical wall around him. Soon after the light weakened, Zachery felt completely revitalized. From the back of the engine room, one could see a staircase that led to the bowels of the ship; Zach decided to double back and enter the cockpit to get this show on the road. The cockpit had three rows of paired grey seats, the initial two reaching the terminals at the helm. Nearing the main terminal, Zachery sees that there is a peculiar module in the center; it had an impression built into it that looked like the Aero-Prism would fit into it. Putting it inside, the entire ship began to rumble and whir. A face took shape on the main terminal alongside the flashing lights popping up in all different places. After finalizing its shape, it spoke: "Greetings adventurer. I am a virtual intelligence construct, but you can call me by my creator's name: Wren." The hologram looked like it was a CAST, but older in design. It had shining black hair that curled slightly on both the left side in the front and towards the right in the back. His emotionless greyish eyes had a hint of green to them, yet they seemed calm and sincere to Zach. The eyes were connected by an indentation that ran out of the bottom corners which both connected to obvious mechanical extensions that covered up what would be ears. Soon it spoke again: "Judging by the fact that you have acquired the Aero-Prism, you are by no small feat; here to stop the calamity of Dark Falz from rising to power once again. This ship is known as the Landale. In my time, I used it along with other Protectors to across the Algol Star System to do the very same task that you are going to embark on yourself. However, I have made many modifications to this ship since I used it. You shall find that it is more than capable of space combat and espionage. I integrated a stealth camouflage system that used optical illusionary devices to melt in with the surrounding environment. Alongside this, there are two main high-grade artillery cannons on either wing along with a limited burst rocket amount. For self-defense, this ship is also capable of exceeding normal speeds by a substantial amount and deploying anti-measures such as flares and hi-frequency jammers. As you have might have seen, there is also a living accommodations in this ship as well as special modification by a descendant by the great Esper wizard Lutz. The sigil you can find in the engine room is capable for completely revitalizing one's health and spirit. Finally, the ship is capable of auto-pilot and self-repair thanks to the maintenance robot that I've included to work on and maintain this ship; it will automatically activate should the ship need repairs or auto-piloting. I shall now license and identify you as the user of this ship." A blue light emitted from the hologram's eyes and it produced a radial line that covered Zachery; it descended to his feet and then back to the top of his head. "Confirmed. Zachery Steele. Race: CAST. Age: 213 years. Sex: Male. Zachery, you shall now be the owner of the Landale. Are you ready to embark to the next available source of the Dark Energy Wave?"

"Wait a minute, what is the Dark Energy Wave?" Zachery inquired.

"The Dark Energy Wave is a corrupting frequency that either mutates or instantly kills life around it. Its source is Dark Falz; as long as a Dark Falz exists, it will emit this wave. I have programmed this ship to coincide hyperspace travel with the use of the Aero-Prism by tracking the coordinates of the nearest source of the Dark Energy Wave in available space-time. I shall repeat, are you ready to embark?" Wren answered. Zachery took a seat at the helm and responded: "Yes, I am ready to embark."

"Acknowledged. I am currently scanning the most likely scenario in space-time for its appearance…Target found. Destination is set. Brace yourself for hyperspace travel." The sentence clear, Zachery braced himself for what was to come as the sands of the desert poured in from the now opening hanger; bombarding and slowly covering the ship. Ignoring the mass that was accumulating on top of it, the ship steadily began to remove itself from the ground. Its ascension began to accelerate at an alarming pace; before long it had left the atmosphere of Coral. "Hyperspace jump commencing…now!" Wren shouted as Zachery was heavily set back in the chair. A rainbow of light assaulted the spaceship; everything was completely discertainable at this point. After what seemed like hours, the light subsided, but a new magnitude of light assailed the ship this time: the ship was heading directly towards the ground of an unknown planet! Instinctively, Zachery grabbed the throttle in front of him and pulled back as hard as he could. Finally, the ship obeyed his command as it readjusted itself and slowed its incredible descent speed. Despite this, it was still on fire from the ignition of the planet's atmosphere and was currently hurdling towards the planet at a startling velocity. Within the next few moments, Zachery finds the ship crashing into a dense and green forest where he blacks out on landing. He awoke a few minutes later, his head still firmly attached to the throttle handles.

"…Dammit…that hurt…" he groaned, forcing his head upright. The monitor flickered until it stabilized with Wren's hologram again.

"I apologize for the rough landing. Apparently I did not program a measurable distance algorithm so that entry from hyperspace would be viable. Should you survive your encounter with Dark Falz, the next entry will be much smoother" it said. "In the meantime, you should take this wrist communication device. You can activate various features of the Landale using it, such as the stealth camouflage, an airstrike, or even call it over to pick you up."

"…Thanks…thanks for the heads up…" Zachery picked himself up, and after grabbing the device that stood in a newly opened tray next to him, he hobbled his way outside the Landale. Once he successfully stumbled onto the forest floor, he gazed back at the wreckage. The ship was in perfect shape; the same couldn't be said for the forest. Trees were on fire and knocked over, along with a large upheaval of topsoil. Devastation scarred the ground for at least two hundred feet. Footsteps were soon heard coming from the opposite direction of the crash, and they were getting louder. Airing on the side of caution, Zachery decided to cloak the ship and act as if he was the first on-site to the crash. A red headed girl with glasses appeared, shocked at the site of a large crash that corresponded with fire.

"What happened here?" the girl asked. She was wearing a light and dark pink with red and pink earrings. One thing caught Zachery's eye: the vivid red ring that she wore on her left wrist.

"I...I'm not entirely sure myself. I heard…I heard a large explosion that coincided with what felt like an earthquake. I came here and this is what I saw" Zachery stuttered, trying to fake the fact that he wasn't the reason for the crash.

"We tracked a rogue starship, one that wasn't part of the original Pioneer fleet, it should have crashed here, but there is no evidence other than this giant crater…and then there is you. Who are you anyway?" the woman continued; soon more armed troops appeared. The word pioneer struck a chord in Zach's mind: this must be the location that the Pioneer fleet that he wrote about in the past went to! However, the question didn't do the same for him, and he slips up.

"Oh, I'm…uh…"

"…Suspicious and coming with us. Civilians shouldn't be outside the Central Dome, nor should they be armed. It has been dangerous around here lately, we don't want you getting hurt or interfering with Hunter business."

"Hunter? As in the Hunter's Guild? I'm a member of that!"

"Really now? With what division?"

"Division?"

"Trick question. There are no divisions here. Let's go." Zachery realized the jig was up and surrendered to the mystery woman and the other Hunters; he didn't want to end his first arrival on this uncharted planet with an unnecessary confrontation. The group of Hunters escorted him through the forest for a bit; no handcuffs or anything, almost like a casual stroll. In the distance laid a large white dome; it had to be the Central Dome the woman was talking Zachery thought. Once the approached the dome, Zachery had an odd thought pop into his head which blurted out of his mouth: "Hey, what year is it?"

"…AW 3084…What the hell is wrong with you?" the red head responded. Zachery still seemed oblivious to the fact that he was acting absurd to normal standards and continued his train of thought aloud: "Hey, that would mean that Pioneer 2 should be arriving soon here, if I remember correctly. Hey, this is Ragol right?"

"Yes, this planet is Ragol…you sure are a strange one. You will have a lot of explaining to do once we get inside." At a protected gate stood two armed guards, military in outfit design. They silently stared at Zachery with malevolence as he passed them through a series of short range teleporters which took his entourage to the main floor of the Central Dome. A few scientists were walking about the grounds here; moving equipment, accessing terminals, checking check lists amongst other things. One of the scientists took notice to Zachery and started trailing behind the group of Hunters as they walked through the giant blast doors that led inside the dome itself. Once inside, they started to rush him towards a room that was secluded from the rest of the grand lobby to the left of the entrance where more armed guards awaited him. Before they were able to force Zachery inside, the eager scientist ran in front of them to halt their advance.

"What are you doing with this man?" the green haired scientist meagerly, but somehow confidently spoke.

"Uhh…We are taking him in for questioning. We found him around a crater that seemingly appeared out of nowhere; his story about being there gave us suspicion into his intentions" the red head replied.

"Well, what exactly has he done wrong? Did you even see his equipment? No civilian could get ahold of weaponry of that quality."

"Umm…"

"Did you ever consider the fact that he might be a high-ranking military officer who was sent out on reconnaissance on my request?" the scientist's expression removed any sign of uncertainty and was now one of anger.

"Uhh…No, I did not…" the woman inputted with shame.

"Good. Now I would assume you would release my bodyguard out of your jurisdiction as you have interrupted his valuable work to our betterment, less I tell your commanding officer?"

"No! No, there is no reason for that Dr. Grave!" the woman turned to the other Hunters that stood behind Zachery and motioned them to leave. "I apologize for the inconvenience, sir. I hope I didn't interfere too much…" she said directly to Zachery; he decided to play along.

"It's quite alright. Say, what is your name?"

"You haven't heard of me already? My name is Rico; Rico Tyrell."

"I see, I'll remember that name. Be sure to keep up the good work and never stray from what you believe is right." Rico bade farewell and left.

"Thank you…uh…"

"Dr. Grave; and don't mention it! I don't like that group of Hunters that she built up anyway; I honestly think it is silly to give a name to a band of mercenaries. Speaking of which, where did you acquire that sword? Are you a friend of Great Sword Zoke?" Dr. Grave enquired.

"This one? I found it when I woke up. It has served me very well ever since."

"What? Since you woke up? No, seriously how did you acquire the sword Agito? It is one of the four swords of legend! I almost could have sworn that Zoke Miyama had access to all of them!" Zachery was trying to figure it out what he was talking about until he was able to link the information that he acquired from skimming through books he found at his hut.

"Oh right, that Agito, from the Nation's Destruction. I read that there were many replicas of this blade. Maybe mine is a replica as well" Zachery attempted to explain.

"Oh…Anyway, the reason I stopped you was because I noticed you clearly don't belong here, even though you look like the rest of the androids around here. What is your name?"

"Zachery Steele."

"I see. Now I am going to ask you something very important. Are you willing to be my bodyguard? There have been a slew of native creature uprisings as I'm sure you are aware of. My line of work requires me to move here and there and because of such I need protection. The work is tedious but incredibly secretively. Are you willing to take up this job for me? I'll pay you handsomely." Zachery immediately became suspicious. Thoughts raced through his head, all viewing the possibilities of what this job could entail. Deciding that it could lead him to more information on Dark Falz, he accepts.

"Excellent. Now, come with me. We are going to Gal Da Val Island; once we get there, I want you to meet someone. This must feel very strange to you, I'm assured. Unfortunately, the less my clients know the better. It is hard to get competent workhands without them getting greedy; you seem like a kindred spirit though. Enough chatter, let us be off" The eccentric doctor finished. He led Zachery outside of the Central Dome and towards a port on the northern end of the outer facility. A large domed room was constructed at the end; still white, but smaller than the main dome. Once they entered, the doctor pulled a strange tablet from his coat which he pressed against the security panel next to the door. After removing it, a secondary door opened from within the wall behind them; he escorted them into the adjacent teleporter room. They entered the teleporter which took them to another facility. Upon entering this new facility, the smell of sea salt wafted across Zachery's nose. This facility appeared to be on a much higher scale of advancement in comparison to the Central Dome. A hallway connected the receiving teleporter room to an elevator. Once the elevator began to descend; the doctor started to whistle. Minutes continue to pass as the elevator perpetually went down through the floors. The doctor stopped whistling to ask Zach a question: "Do you have any family Zach? I can call you Zach right?"

"No, it's fine. No, no I don't have any family per se" Zachery responded, perplexed by the arbitrary query.

"I do. You want to see them?"

"Sure, why not." The doctor scurried through his coat and took out a small wallet that he then opened to reveal a shiny holographic card that displayed four people.

"The beautiful woman is my wife, and the tall gentleman is our butler, Blant. However, the little sprite there is my darling daughter, Matha. I love them all very dearly. Soon, Matha and Blant will be joining us once Pioneer 2 arrives, I can't wait to see her again. My wife works with me here on this facility. Now, I will reiterate, everything here is incredibly secret and not to be discussed with anyone. Do I make myself clear? If you do not follow these rules, not only will you not get paid, but you will also be subject to punishment far worse than 'Red Ring Rico' would ever have been able to subjugate you to."

"…Understood." The elevator finally stopped and the doors opened. Inside the facility was a ton of unimaginable things. He saw monsters in cages, security machines being built; and worst of all, creatures that he swore were from the essence of Dark Falz, all being manipulated and fused together. Zachery was awestruck that all this evidence of Dark Falz being here was right in front of him, and if he did anything, he would immediately be put into suspect for treason and sentenced to a punishment he would most likely not survive from. As much as he liked Dr. Grave and his kindness, he couldn't continue. Yet, Zachery's determination to solve the matters at hand was arrested by the fact that he wouldn't willingly hurt another person, nor put them in danger's way. The ultimatum ate away at his conscious. Would he stop the monstrosities out right? Or would he wait until a different opportunity to reveal this dark secret to everyone in hopes that they would see the error of their ways? Unable to come with a justifiable action, Zachery remained stonewalled as he did the devil's work. Within a month, the situation escalated. Soon, people were escorted into the facility, bearing wounds that gave the impression of being created by the dark spawn. Within a week, all of the people stopped coming until one final man came in. This one was alive! Not only was he alive, but he was capable of walking on his own and speaking with the doctors and scientists at the facility. Unable to contain himself any longer, Zachery dragged Dr. Grave aside to his laboratory to question him.

"What exactly is going on here?! I will not ask again!" he demanded of Dr. Grave.

"Zachery, I've told you time and time again, I can't explain to you what is going here! Now keep your voice down! You'll attract the attention of my superiors and you and I could get in a lot of trouble!" Dr. Grave squeaked.

"That's a load of crap! I know what is going on here is wrong and I know you are too good a person to believe that what you are doing is right!" Dr. Grave sighed heavily and looked around the laboratory entrance to see if anyone was around before tightly shutting and locking the door.

"You are right…I know what we are doing here is wrong and I just can't tell you. You have been a great help to me and a good friend Zachery for this past month. Look, Pioneer 2 should be entering Ragol's orbit within the hour. I planned to escape from here along with my wife to be with my precious daughter again. Once that happens, I'll tell you everything you want to know. Do we have a deal?"

"Fine. Well then, let us go back to the Central Dome to meet your daughter." Gathering their things, they left the facility to return to the Central Dome. Before leaving, they were brought Dr. Grave's wife along to the event. As they exited the secret dome at the back of the port, a large crowd of people had already amassed throughout the port and along the rest of the dome's perimeter. All three of them traveled around the side to the designated meeting site for where the first of Pioneer 2's colonists would arrive. Amongst the crowd, Zachery recognized the red headed woman from before. She seemed anxious; she was wearing a communication device around her head. She must have been assigned as security detail for the event, but her nervousness seemed a bit much for everything to be alright Zachery thought to himself.

"Is everything alright, Rico?" he asked as he approached her. She turned to Zachery when her expression became one of surprise; it was only momentary as she gave a slight sneer.

"Yes, everything is fine. What are you doing here?" she snarled.

"I'm here awaiting the arrival of Pioneer 2, just like everyone else. Are you sure you are alright, can I help you with anything?"

"No…actually…argh."

"What is it?"

"Most of the Hunters here have to act as security detail, but I am getting some information that some citizens managed to leave the area in the forest. There are reports that the native creatures are going completely ballistic and I don't think there any people that are able to help me with this situation. You have a sword, are you capable of using it in a fight?"

"Of course, my skills with the sword are excellent, I'd be glad to help you after the previous encounter with me ending badly for you."

"Great, let's go now. We have to hurry or someone will get hurt." Both Rico and Zach rush into the forest and away from the crowded populace of the Central Dome. It doesn't take long for the isolation to be broken as native creatures dug their way out of the ground and attacked. As savage as they were, the combined might of Steele and Tyrell attested to suffice against their measly opponents'. Soon, their quarry was in sight: a group of kids were busy rustling through shrubbery and playing with bugs.

"What are you three kids doing?! It's dangerous out here; you should be with the rest of the group at the Central Dome!" Rico shouted. A brilliant red beam suddenly emitted from the Central Dome as a similar blue one fell from the sky, most likely from Pioneer 2. All five heads turned to the sky in awe at the spectacle. Suddenly, the ground shook violently. Rico ran to kids where she tripped over the seismic force beneath her. Zachery struggled to stand his ground when an enormous silhouette emerged from the Central Dome. All light around it gravitated towards the outline of a massive creature. Ragol itself seemed to come alive from this magnitude of kinetic frustration until it reached a boiling point. In the next second, a tremendous explosion erupted from the object and it continued to inflate into a gargantuan proportions. The blast sent a ripple from the shockwave that nearly knocked Pioneer 2 off course. Then all was completely silent.