Life Aspect: You know it's been forever since you updated, right?

Yeah, I know…

Death Aspect: And you've disappointed all your fans…

Shut up.

Life Aspect: You could win them all back you know…

Death Aspect: All you have to do is write a new chapter…

Life Aspect: C'mon, you know you want to…

Death Aspect: Do it for us! Do it for the fans! Or we'll keep bothering you…

AARGH! FINE! I'LL WRITE A NEW CHAPTER ALREADY! HAPPY! SEE, I'M WRITING! HAPPY NOW?

Life Aspect: Actually, yes. Quite.

Death Aspect: Well, I'd be happier if we owned Baten Kaitos and the characters from it, but we don't Namco does. For now…

The Past

"So that's it then," said Kalas as he looked up at the steel and brass structure towering above him. "It looks darker than I remember."

Kalas, Xelha, and Lyude stood in front of the main entrance to the former imperial capitol building. In their time, it had been completely overhauled by Lyude so that it looked inviting, rather than foreboding. Metal had been polished, windows added, and grotesque statues removed in favor of more appealing décor. In this time, however, these changes had yet to take place, and the tarnished metal and leering gargoyles made it clear that they were not looking at a rural teahouse.

The most dramatic change in their time, however, was the lack of imperial walkers patrolling the grounds. There had been no need for them ever since the monsters stopped attacking. This change, like many others, had been reversed. In fact, there had been several walkers guarding the front doors. Emphasis on 'had been.'

"Yeah, I guess so…" said Xelha. Her voice had a far-away quality to it, like she wasn't really paying attention, despite the fact that they had just finished a fierce battle.

"So, what now?" asked Lyude as he kicked aside an armor plate from a destroyed walker. "Do we just walk in the front doors? I mean, they have to know we're coming. As if the, err…, Invitation wasn't enough, we just smashed lots of things on their front door."

"What choice do we have?" asked Xelha, still sounding flat and hollow. "We've come this far…"

"If we don't do this now, then there was no pint in having Mizuti send us back in the first place." Kalas's voice was strong, and his eyes fixed on the doors in front of them. "Xelha is right, we don't have a choice. Right, Haru?"

The spirit was silent for a moment. "Given what we know… What we've seen… I don't think we have any other options. We have to end this before it starts, for everyone's sake."

Kalas stood from where he was crouching and walked up to the large steel doors that barred entrance to the metallic mansion. Xelha and Lyude followed, wordlessly. "Here goes nothing…" Kalas muttered. He raised one gloved hand to the door and pushed. There was a creak of metal, and the barrier slowly began to swing open. No light could be seen through the crack, and cool air poured out. Kalas shoved once more, and the door swung fully open. The entrance hall was deserted and dark, barely visible in the small amount of moonlight that trickled in through the door. Cobwebs covered the ceiling. Cool air billowed out into the night. There was no movement, no sound. Kalas turned back to Xelha and Lyude. "Are you sure about this?"

Lyude was about to answer, but he was cut off by a sound from deep within the mansion. There was a great echoing noise that sounded like a waterfall or windstorm tearing its way through the halls of the great building. Kalas glanced over his shoulder. "What the hell is…?" He never finished. A sudden gale shot forth from the open doors, catching the party by surprise. Xelha and Lyude were each sent flying in opposite directions, crashing to the earth well outside of the entrance. Kalas was knocked off of his feet as well, but instead of being thrown to the ground he was lifted into the air. He tried to cry out in surprise but the swirling winds ripped the breath from his lungs. For a moment, he hung suspended in midair. Then the vortex reversed itself, flinging him deep within the Mansion.

Xelha was on her feet in an instant and Lyude just beyond that. They exchanged a surprised glance, then they both dashed towards the open door. Racing against the retreating winds. Twenty feet to the door. Ten. One. Still, as fast as they ran, the wind was faster. The last of the cold air sucked itself back into the building, and the door slammed shut behind it. Xelha skidded to a stop. Lyude did not, slamming his shoulder into the closed door. The metal barrier didn't budge. Lyude placed his palms against the door and shoved as hard as he could, but to no effect. Xelha moved to help him, but even their combined strength caused no change. They were well and truly locked out.

"Umm… so, what do we do now?"

The Present

"What do we do now?" Savyna asked herself quietly. She had long since stopped crying, finding herself unable after a while. The depression was still there, weighing heavily on her, but the tears would no longer come. She had gathered the broken pieces of Gibari's paddle blade, but was unable to make any repairs on the shattered handle. Without any way of fixing the weapon, she had eventually just stored the pieces in a bank Magnus. Luckily, no more guard patrols had appeared to examine the small balcony. After a while, Savyna had settled into a calm pace around the outcropping. Although she appeared outwardly calm, her eyes betrayed the conflict inside of her.

Voices in Savyna's head fought for her attention. One screamed about the fact that she was a coward for not doing anything. Another countered that there was nothing she could do. A few argued over weather or not she should care. One suggested that Lady Death would never have shed a tear for a fallen comrade, and another noted that he had fallen to protect her, and that she should feel honored. A quiet voice volunteered that maybe she felt so bad because she had never told Gibari how she really felt about him, but it was shouted down by a voice that suggested she feel nothing at all. As the turmoil and drama played itself out in her mind, Savyna simply continued pacing. She repeated to herself in a flat tone, "What do we do now?"

Although the question was not intended to have an answer, one was provided anyway. "We do what heroes must do."

The tumult of voices dies down in the sudden start that shot through Savyna's mind. Turning, she saw that Mizuti was awake. Savyna nodded in acknowledgement of her companion's statement. "And what is that exactly?"

"Be heroes, of course."

"But what does it mean to be a hero?" asked Savyna again, her voice still flat.

"We be the good guys!" said Mizuti sleepily. "We do what we must do. We fight if we must. We beat the bad guys. Nobody else can do it. Nobody else is heroes like us. We fight more. Sometimes we die fighting." Mizuti considered for a moment. "But we are not dead. Us heroes still have much to do!"

"You still haven't really said anything useful," said Savyna irritably. She returned to pacing. Maybe it was the moonlight through the shield of Cor Hydrae, but the expression of Mizuti's mask looked almost hurt to Savyna.

After a few moments of silence, Mizuti spoke again. "Where is Gibari?"

Savyna spun and regarded the diminutive sorceress for a moment. She opened her mouth to speak, to spit out a harsh word or bitter statement, but stopped. She realized that Mizuti had not meant the question to hurt her. Rather, the spell caster had missed the events of their landing on Cor Hydrae altogether. Mizuti merely wished to know what had happened to their companion. Still, the question had started all of the voices in Savyna's head arguing again. A minute passed, then two. Mizuti merely floated looking at Savyna. Finally, the taller woman managed to voice a quiet answer. "I… I don't know…"

Mizuti said nothing. She merely continued looking across the moonlit balcony at Savyna.

Savyna took a deep breath and attempted to remain calm while relating the story to Mizuti. "You saved the ship for a moment, but the blast still killed the engines. We were falling, so we had to carry you, but then I fell. Gibari tried to carry us both. I told him to stop, to let me go and save you, but…" Savyna's voice became soft. "That idiot. He could have made it fine. Why did he have to hurt himself like that…?"

Mizuti said nothing.

Savyna continued. "We made it here, but we made a lot of noise, and we heard some guards coming. I tried to hide you, but when I turned around…" Savyna trailed off again. She had been reliving the events in her mind for hours now, trying to find some other solution. Her recounting of the scenario brought the sting of the memories forth anew. "He tried to fight, but he was too exhausted, and they broke his weapon, and they took him and I…" Savyna became soft once more. "I was useless."

Mizuti still said nothing. She merely looked at her companion across the balcony.

"I could have done something. I shouldn't have let him carry me." Savyna was more talking to herself than to Mizuti at this point. "I could have stopped… I was just too weak. I should have been able to fly… with minor injuries like that… I was just weak…" Reliving the feelings of helplessness and despair became too much for Savyna, and she slumped to her knees. Struggling not to cry again, Savyna became aware of Mizuti floating in front of her. She did not raise her eyes to look at her companion. "God, why am I so useless. I'm pathetic!" Savyna's words were becoming sharper as she indulged in bitterness and self loathing. "I couldn't even do anything to save the man I…"

The palm that connected with Savyna's face was completely unexpected. It completely interrupted Savyna's thought and silenced the voices. The impact echoed across the balcony and resounded off of the steel towers of Cor Hydrae. Before the echo of the smack had died, Savyna was on her feet holding Mizuti by the collar. Savyna stared into the earth child's eyes.

It took Savyna a moment to register that thought. She was staring into Mizuti's real eyes. The wooden mask lay on the stone a few feet from them. Mizuti stared back at Savyna with a spark of determination that Savyna had rarely seen in even the most zealous of soldiers. There was more in those eyes that Savyna would have guessed possible. Beyond the fierce determination there was a speck of pity. Deeper still was sorrow for the unknown plight of Gibari. And beyond that there was something else… something hidden deeper than the others yet stronger than all of them. Something that Savyna couldn't quite name just yet.

They stared in silence for a minute longer before Mizuti finally spoke. "Do not blame yourself. This is not your fault." Her normally cheerful and airy voice was uncharacteristically serious.

"What do you know about it?" spat Savyna back. "You weren't even awake."

"Maybe Mizuti knows nothing. Maybe Mizuti knows much."

"Right. And maybe I was just a pathetic, washed up ex-hero who couldn't do anything." Savyna's tears came from equal parts anger, self loathing, and sorrow.

"Were you capable of helping him?" asked Mizuti simply.

"No! I was worthless. I couldn't…"

Mizuti cut Savyna off with another question. "Would you have helped if you could have?"

"Of course I would have! What kind of question is that?"

Mizuti continued, ignoring Savyna's rage. "If he were falling, would you have tried to save him?"

All at once, Savyna's anger and self hatred lessened. She tore her gaze away from Mizuti's eyes and looked up at the moon for a moment. Then she closed her own eyes. "Yes," she finally said, barely a whisper.

Some of the usual cheerfulness returned to Mizuti's voice. "Then you not be pathetic. You not be useless." Savyna opened her eyes to see Mizuti smiling. "You be a hero."

"Maybe," said Savyna after a pause. "Maybe I am." Another pause. "Mizuti?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you." Savyna looked up at the sky again. I needed that.

"Good," said Mizuti, all of the cheer flooding back into her voice. They stood still a moment longer before Mizuti spoke up again. "Um… Savyna?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you maybe put the Great Mizuti down?"

"Oh, sorry," said Savyna sheepishly. She lowered the smaller hero to the floor. "The question remains though, what do we do?"

"We find Gibari." Said Mizuti matter-of-factly as she retrieved her mask.

"I have no idea where they took him."

"Me neither" confessed Mizuti with a shrug. "But we will find him."

Savyna sighed. In her military days, she would never have been able to accept this. It was a partial plan, and they were going into it with almost no information. Entering enemy territory with no battle plan, no escape route, and no contingency was foolish at best and suicidal at worst. Furthermore, they had no strategy of what to do one they found Gibari and no contingency for if they didn't. Even if they did complete this objective and somehow find and defeat their unknown opponent, they had no transport. There was literally no way out. Even by suicide mission standards this was crazy.

"Alright, let's go."

"How are we going in?" asked Mizuti. "Should we try to be sneaky? Stealthy? Quiet as mice? Or…?"

Savyna looked down at Mizuti. Mizuti back up at Savyna. Finally, Savyna recognized the light that she had seen earlier in her companion's eyes. It was hope. Childish? Maybe. Desperate? Certainly. But it was hope nonetheless.

They both smiled. Mizuti pulled on her ceremonial mask. Savyna drew a handful of Magnus. "Let's go with or," she said with a determined grin.

The Past

"We're going to try to force our way in?" asked Lyude in disbelief. "Weren't you the one arguing for sneaking earlier?"

"That was before Kalas disappeared," replied Xelha. And we won't really be forcing our way in. "At least not in the front entryway."

"Then what are you planning?" asked Lyude again. "All the windows we've tested have been locked and barred, and the side entrance is sealed as well. I'd say it's a fair bet that all of the entrances to this place are shut tight." He sighed. "Do you expect us to just go in through the wall?"

"Actually, yes," said Xelha flatly.

Lyude blinked. He hadn't been expecting that. Xelha was not one to joke around, particularly in a situation like this. On top of that, she actually sounded serious. But how could she be. Even in their time, the imperial fortress was just that: a fortress. The walls were thick steel, stone, and brass with numerous layers of support. He doubted that even his stronger Magnus would penetrate very far.

If Xelha noticed his confusion, she ignored it completely. "Follow me." She led Lyude around to the rear of the Palace. Looking up, she said, "I think this is it. Wait here." Materializing her iridescent wings, Xelha flew straight up the side of the building. Lyude watched as she disappeared over the edge of the roof. A minute later she reappeared. Floating down to him, she said, "Yep, I was right."

"Can you explain to me what is going on then?" asked Lyude, still confused.

"Ah, right. Sorry," said Xelha. "When I was being held here, the witches broke me out by blowing a hole in the wall. They repaired it, but not well. We should be able to blow it open if we both hit it together."

"Oh," said Lyude. "How am I getting up there then? I'm not as adept at flying as you are…" Lyude trailed off. After generations of using artificial winglets instead of real wings, Lyude's family had pseudoevolved small, stunted wings. In reality they could barely support his weight, and he couldn't do more than glide without extreme effort.

"Don't worry, I've got it covered." With that Xelha grabbed Lyude's hands and leapt skyward. Lyude felt a rush of air and realized that his feet no longer touched the ground.

"Xelha, what are you…" Lyude gasped as they ascended. "I'm not sure this is such a good idea."

"Relax, Lyude," replied Xelha without looking down at him. "I can support us both"

"That's not quite what I meant," said Lyude softly. His face became paler than usual as the ground receded from him. "It's just…"

"Lyude!" Xelha looked down at him with a mixture of surprise and amusement. "Don't tell me the great Prime Minister is afraid of heights!"

"No! I just…" Lyude looked embarrassed. "I just don't like them is all."

Then, as suddenly as it had started, the trip was over. Lyude stood on a wide ledge near the roof of the Capitol Building. Xelha released his hands and set down next to him. "This is the place," she said.

Lyude looked for a fissure or a crack of some type, but the fortress wall and roof looked completely intact. "Um… where?"

"I'm not sure exactly where the hole was," Said Xelha as she intently studied the architecture.

"Then how are we supposed to know where to hit?"

"Just get ready." Lyude had no idea what Xelha was up to, but she seemed to know what she was doing. He followed orders and loaded a handful of Magnus into the firing chamber of is weapon. Xelha also drew a handful of Magnus. "You'll need to be fast. Ready?" Lyude nodded.

"Light Flare!" Xelha yelled as she activated her first spell. Crystallized radiance splashed against the side of the building. Within the flash of brilliant light, Lyude could almost make out something on the side of the building. It was a crack or maybe just a seam where the new construction met the old. Before he could act on it, however, it was gone. As his vision recovered from the flash, Xelha readied two more spells. "Alright Lyude, this is it. You'll only have a few seconds."

"Right. I'm ready." Lyude leveled the barrel of his gun and squinted against the imminent glare.

"Light Flare!" Again the spell bathed the wall in luminescence, momentarily dazzling Lyude. However, this time another spell followed. "Chronos Blow!" The green time energy of Xelha's Chronos spell shot forward and enveloped the previous energy. In the small area directly surrounding the two spells, time took a short break. The light from the flare froze in place, and in that split second Lyude could see every crack and weak spot. "Now!" Xelha shouted, but Lyude was already firing. Guided by the light, His shots found the points where the metal and stone were weakest. Sonic shots joined the bizarre lightshow, and for a second nothing could be seen. Then the spells ended as time returned to its rightful throne. The Light and Chronos energy faded and died away.

The wall stood perfectly intact.

"But… I don't understand." Xelha looked at the wall in shock. "That should have been more than enough to get us through…"

"We could try again," Volunteered Lyude. "It might work if we do it a second time."

"Dammit!" Xhella shouted, slamming her fists against the wall. Except her fist didn't so much hit the wall as pass through it. Around her arm, the stone crumbled into powder. A large circle of wall crumbled away into dust, which collapsed to the ground and hung in the air like a cloud.

Lyude stepped past the startled Xelha and peered through the billowing soot. "Then again, that might have done the trick after all," he said with a cough. Xelha merely blinked and nodded. Lyude stared down the passageway. It was dark, and aside from a few pieces of wall still breaking away, silent as a tomb. "Quiet…" he remarked.

"Too quiet," Xelha agreed. "That wasn't a subtle entrance. There should be guard drones or soldier mutants or… something."

They both listened for a moment, but heard nothing but the breeze outside,

"Where to now?" asked Lyude after a moment.

"Basement," said Xelha simply. The pair walked cautiously down the hallway, glancing behind them as they went. The further they got from their entrance, the darker the road became. Doors flanked them on either side, but they dared not open any. After what seemed like an eternity, they reached the elevators.

"Now, if I remember, we needed a key of some sort…"thought Xelha aloud. "But where could we find…" She trailed off into her thoughts.

"Do we even know if these still…" Lyude was cut off as the door slid open noisily, the sound echoing down the empty hallway. "…work?" he finished meekly. They stepped in, and the doors shut behind them. Without command, the elevator began to move downward.

"Alright, Lyude, What do you remember about the last time we did this?" asked Xelha as they descended. "We'll need as much information as possible to win this fight again, especially without Kalas."

"To be honest, not much." Lyude replied. "This stage of our adventure wasn't the most pleasant, and the battle happened so fast… To tell you the truth I kind of suppressed those memories. It wasn't something I really wanted to think about…"

There was a bell from somewhere. The elevator stopped. The door slid open. Lyude's words caught in his throat. Xelha gasped. They both stared in confusion and shock.

Beyond the elevator door, the world as they knew it was gone. In its place there was a massive vortex of swirling energies and colors. It spiraled around a dark hole in the universe that seemed at the same time far away and within arm's reach. Lightning raced silently across the portal and disappeared among the colors. Tongues of flame leapt up and died down without warning. Light and darkness merged and separated at random. Almost tangible chaos filled the air.

Lyude found his voice first. "I do think I would have remembered this though…"

There, I wrote a new chapter. Are you satisfied now?

Life Aspect: Well… you see… we want another one.

Death Aspect: And you better make it sooner this time. Also, put in more action.

Is there no pleasing you guys?

Life Aspect: Don't blame us! You're the ones who left it off with more cliffhangers. And we still don't know what happened to Kalas or Gibari.

But I…

Death Aspect: And we're overdue for another fight scene.

(Sigh) Fine. I'll think about it. But only if I get reviews… So please review!

Life Aspect: (That is, If you didn't alienate all of your reviewers.)