And the night moved on, and everyone was sad. Udonna couldn't stop crying over all that was lost, and Fintan and Sorin just sat at the round table, sipping tea and thinking. What were they to do in this sort of situation? Sorin looked up; he remembered that this wasn't the first time this had happened, yet Fintan reminded him that it still hurt and there was still nothing they could do. The Xenotome's six Magicians of the Light were gone. There was nothing they could do. They couldn't bring them to life, because they didn't know how to in this case. Their souls had merely faded away, it seemed, and even if Fintan wanted to use dark magic to bring them back, without a soul, they couldn't be revived.
Udonna just stood by the fire, endlessly stirring up a cauldron of…something or other. Fintan and Sorin weren't even sure if she was really cooking something or just standing there over the fire, stirring an empty cauldron. They just let her go.
Suddenly, Sorin just began to cry. He pushed his tea aside, folded his arms on the table, and just plopped his head on his arms. Fintan knew what was wrong, he knew Sorin still missed everyone who had come before the six who were now gone, and the pain of losing six more was too much.
Fintan sighed as Kiran rushed in and helped his master up to his room. Having to watch his best ex-squire and closest companion become reduced to a puddle of tears was agonizing. He found it hard to cry, though. He had lost the feeling of sorrow long ago, and while he desperately wanted it back, he felt weirdly comforted knowing that he seemed so stoic, that other people could look to him for comfort.
Fintan sighed deeply and tried to think of how to move on. He walked over to Udonna and stared into the cauldron, it was nothing but water. He took her hands off the spoon and wrapped her arms around his neck. She just laid her head on his shoulder and cried as hard as she could. She missed Nick and Sylvie, and she hated that she had lost her little children to such a horrible tragedy. She had lost her foster children, Charlie and Clare, as well, and they had been the patches to the hole in her heart for so long…and now it was only her and Fintan. She knew that her children would grow up and leave, and that it would one day be just him and her, but this was not how she thought it would be.
The front door to Rootcore opened, and Fintan and Udonna looked over…
"We got the bad news just a few minutes ago, sir…" Bridget said, holding her Lion Staff horizontally in front of her as she walked in. "we are not going to leave this place, our old home, open to attack." Conway and Taliesin walked up and stood to her right, Oliver and Esin stood to her left.
"…You're…alive…?" Udonna's eyes lit up.
"No, no, you being alive is much more shocking." Oliver joked.
Udonna ran over and hugged them all. "We all thought you-"
"Yeah, yeah, that we croaked." Conway replied, patting Udonna on the back and she bear hugged him.
She looked at them all. "Where have you all been?"
"You know how Majiel is…" Esin said.
"'Do not interrupt with the way things are on the surface unless it is absolutely necessary.'" Taliesin added, speaking like a textbook.
"Majiel…?" Fintan seemed confused. "Are you saying…?"
Bridget smiled. "Yes. Yes, we got rewards for our sacrifices."
"We got a promotion!" Esin shouted, squealing.
"Well, what she exclaimed." Bridget replied.
"Bridget-"
"That's Flajiel to you, missy." Taliesin said, pointing at Udonna.
"She's our friend. No need for formalities!" Bridget replied.
"That's wonderful to hear!" Fintan said, walking over to them. "It's unfortunate that Majiel kept you back for so long…"
"Oh, we butted in a few times…but the kids did a great deal of the work." Oliver commented.
"We regret losing our new little friends…but there was nothing we could do. The Mahou Precepts are our laws, and they will not let us interfere, even in these sorts of things." Conway sadly added.
Esin noticed that all of the crystal-adorned gifts that had been given to the Magicians were sitting on the round table. "Oh…why are those here?"
The rest of the Marauders, Fintan, and Udonna looked over at the table. Conway walked over to the table and almost hovered over the items like they were glass-encased inside a museum.
"The Archer Brace, the Nature Brace, the Fishtear Anklet, the Feathersquall Anklet, the Fire Charmer, and the Ice Clips…they're all here…" Conway said, examining them all. He looked over at Fintan. "Why are these not with their appropriate bodies?"
"Why did you take our gifts to them away?" Esin added.
"I…I wanted to put them someplace safe in here…"
"They were safe in the graves." Conway replied, sounding a bit upset.
"Hardly. I wanted to bring them here so that we'd know if somebody like Midhat decided to come and take them."
"They were gifts from us…that's the point." Conway said, quite irritated. The rest of the Marauders got the hint and ran upstairs. Udonna was unsure as to what was going on and followed the Marauders up.
"So…any reason for your insisting, old friend?" Fintan asked his silent friend.
Sorin ran downstairs, smiling. "Conway!" He hugged Conway. "I should've known that the kids weren't losing their minds when they mentioned you!"
"Yes, we're here…" Conway replied, patting Sorin's back, then slowly and gently pulling him away.
"So, do you mind explaining?" Fintan asked.
"Explaining what?" Sorin asked.
Conway looked down. "I thought that they would protect these well…but you foiled it." Conway sighed. "What's lost is lost…best to keep them here anyways."
A silence fell in the room as Conway stood over the artifacts, looking down at them.
"You knew, didn't you?" Fintan asked.
Conway gently tapped the ground with the bottom of his Lion Staff, keeping silent.
"You knew this would happen." Fintan continued.
"Seeing into the future is something granted to few…it's Chronojiel's cruel curse upon us." Conway replied softly.
"Why…why didn't you let us know? We could have prevented this!"
"That would be interfering." Conway's tone was soft and dark, like a black silk sheet.
"You interfered before! You attacked Wolzard and saved Lunajiel!"
"It was necessary to do so. The children were fighting Branken…somebody had to keep the rest of Infershia sealed and Lunajiel alive. We did so because there was no alternative, same as now."
"So you let the little humans die, but not the rest of us?" Sorin shouted.
"It's the same as it's always been…to keep Infershia locked below the surface…to prevent Enma from rising…even if not all of us survive. It's been that way for ages. I haven't been alive much more than a few decades, and even I know that." Conway replied, looking over at Sorin. "Humans are, and always have been, considered lower than Saints. I'm a lower Saint…I matter less than you do…but you matter less than him-" He pointed to Fintan. "so if it came between you and him, they'd gladly give you up."
"That is why she gave me this…" Fintan looked down to his personal wand.
Conway looked over at Fintan. "Conall wasn't worth you."
Fintan looked up and glared. "Conall was worth more than you, though, wasn't he?"
"When things were different, yes."
"Then why do we fight to save this Earth when the most sentient beings on it aren't worth our time saving?" Sorin asked.
"That's not something I can answer."
"Well, you have all the other answers!"
"Just because you other General Saints are above us, doesn't mean you can be rude and demanding of us to give you things we can't." Conway harshly replied, finally breaking through his soft tone. He, however, dropped back down to it. "Majiel has her rules, and I do not ques-" Conway suddenly went silent, and his head jerked back.
"Well, that shut him up." Sorin joked.
"This isn't any laughing matter. Leave him alone."
Conway teetered a bit, and Sorin got concerned. "He's gonna fall backwards…"
"Leave him be!" Fintan ordered. He began to fall back, and Sorin leaped to catch him.
His hands connected, and his eyes flooded with light…
Red ribbons flooded the shattered structures of the street and its buildings, fires and the blackened sky…a sword clattering on the broken cobblestone as he looked to the sky, red filling his vision…the hidden sun screaming down…
"I told you to leave him alone." Fintan said. Sorin blinked, and Fintan was standing over him; they had both crashed to the ground.
"I saw fires and destruction and-"
"Shut it." Fintan said, frowning. "Go upstairs."
Sorin got up and walked upstairs. Esin quietly and meekly shuffled down the stairs as Fintan leaned over Conway.
"Is it another one of his…episodes?" Esin asked.
"Sorin might've seen a bit of it, too." Fintan replied. "He was talking about fire and such."
"…Should I check and see if-"
"I will…" Fintan ever so slowly grabbed Conway's shoulder…
The black sky above began to rain thick red ropes, a silent laughter filled the air as buildings fell apart around him…
"This is how we left off, isn't it…?" The voice whispered. "We dance into Oblivion, you and I…dance until the moon stains red…"
Fires erupted from abandoned and crumbling homes as the red ropes descended…
Fintan let go. "He's still seeing things…"
"I see." Esin said. "I'll get his bed blanket and pillow for him…"
"No need, we've got a few down here." Fintan replied.
Esin sighed and watched Fintan grab the pillow and blanket from the couch in front of the fire. He then properly took care of Conway.
"…The girl in my room….she liked birds." Esin said meekly. "I wish I could've talked to her…"
"Vida was very tough, though. She might've been too much like…like Tallie…or Bridget…for you." Fintan replied, slowly sliding the pillow underneath Conway's head.
"Oh, like Bridget…" Esin meekly replied. "well, anybody who likes birds can't be a bad person. Birds are friendly and they sing happily…mean people can't appreciate things like that."
Tsubasa squawked from the corner. "Oh! A very big bird…" Esin said. She slowly walked up to him. "…Hi."
"His name's Tsubasa." Fintan said, looking over at her. "He belonged to the Yellow Magician."
"Tsubasa….'wing', right? Very nice…name…Mr. Tsubasa…hippogryph…bird-thing." She gently petted Tsubasa's head, and Tsubasa made a pleased sound as he closed his eyes and enjoyed the pampering. "So, Mr. Redhead was your trainer-owner-person? He seemed very nice…very quiet…very alone. You must have cheered him up, though…you're still a baby, aren't you?"
"He used to be a Pink Magician." Fintan said, walking over to Esin.
"I could tell. Very silent…like a gentle breeze…like me." She smiled. "Miss Pink Lady-Vida was very loud, like a squall. Very unlike the Silent Wind…"
"She used to be Yellow, if I remember correctly."
"Loud like thunder galloping overhead…yupyup. Very Yellow." Esin giggled. She began to softly sing. "The water, sings beautifully, the wind, silent eternally. Thunder, gallops in the sky, Fire's screams, heard from on high. The earth, its howls, they're heard for miles, the snow, and ice, it rings so clearly…" She smiled as Tsubasa began to coo along. "You like that song? I know another song you would like…"
"I'll leave you two be…" Fintan said softly, retreating to the couch by the fire.
"Long, long ago, once upon a time, on Earth there lived five Magicians…" Esin began to sing.
"Today, the decomposing body of a local man was found in the dump…authorities are trying to identify the man-" The small TV on Bridge's new desk started to fritz out as he nursed a headache. He had given up hope of getting back to his own time, so he picked up a position with the Silver Guardians doing what he did best: screening employees. It was tiring, boring, mind-numbing…but it was something to pass the time.
He yawned and changed the channel on the small TV as he adjusted the brim of his cap; he managed to get a basic Silver Guardians uniform, which was little less than a blue jumpsuit with a bit of protective gear and a pistol and a baseball cap. "I wonder how much this would be worth at home…?" Bridge muttered to himself, staring at the pistol on the desk.
A woman walked up wearing a Scientist uniform; her hair was roughly the color of an autumn leaf mildly decomposed; an almost brownish orange to contrast her soft blue eyes and milky toned skin. She smiled brightly as she walked up to Bridge's desk.
"Badge please."
"Oh…yes…um…it's in my bag…" She shuffled through her sidebag, pulling out a few various tools before revealing a laminated card. "Ah, here it is." She said with a smile, holding it up.
"Okay, need to give a quick over…" She handed him the badge.
He ran it through the small barcode scanner on his desk; it bleeped and a green light went off. "Here ya go miss…" He checked the name tag. 'Thorn, Marlonetta', it read. "…do you have any relatives nearby? Little brother, maybe?"
She blushed. "We're from up north…I'm surprised. Was he here?"
"I was in another town and I met a guy with the last name of Thorn…bright red hair…"
"It's good to hear that he's up to something these days…" Marlonetta smiled.
"Hey, out of my way, lady…" A voice jokingly said from behind her.
"John! You clod! I'm getting my card." Marlonetta poked the guy behind her.
"You still love me, right?" John stuck his tongue out at her.
"C'mon, you two!" The dark blonde wearing a Silver Guardians-style patrolling suit behind them said bitterly. "Some of us have to actually work around here."
"Oh, bite me, Greg." John replied. "Without me, you wouldn't have a job." Greg smiled and gave him a little salute in arrogance. "Now let us get scanned in so we can let you do your job."
John handed his card to Bridge, and Bridge scanned it. Green light. "Ready to go Mr…" He looked at the tag and smiled. "Mister Carson."
"Have a good day, kid. Don't let this jackoff here screw with ya." John slapped Greg on the back and put his arm around Marlonetta's shoulder.
"Did you remember to-"
"Call the babysitter? Yes, yes..." John sighed.
"God, those two are sickeningly weird." Greg said, handing Bridge his tag.
Bridge's morpher began to ring. "Damn…" He quickly scanned Greg's card, and it got the green light. "Here." He said, handing Greg back his card.
"Better get that phone," Greg said. "Never know if there's an opportunity on the other side."
Bridge went to grab his morpher when a voice squeaked out behind him. "HI GREG!" Stella unnaturally shrieked. Bridge dropped his morpher underneath the desk, and it continued to ring.
"Hey there."
"How're the kids?"
"My boy's rambunctious…always playing Patrol and Monsters with his sister…"
"Yeah…how're their grades?"
"Um…good."
"Good, good…"
"Catch ya later."
"Bye!" Stella's voice pierced like a saccharine stake as she waved and walked over to Bridge. "Fucking chronic liar. Doesn't give a shit about his kids." She muttered to Bridge as he grabbed his morpher.
"Hey, babe. Whatcha up to?"
"I see Sky's trying to call you…" Stella said. "I'll leave you to talk to him." Stella walked outside.
Bridge opened his morpher, and Sky's voice boomed out of it. "Bridge! Meet me in the park!"
"Geez, okay!" Bridge replied, closing the morpher and clocking out.
Stella and Bridge met up with Z, Syd, and Sky in the middle of the park several blocks away from where the Delta Building was being built.
"So…what's the rush?" Bridge asked. They found that they had all decided to blend in and wear the regulation rookie uniforms, even Sky.
"Guys, we could be going home." Sky said with a smile.
"But I was getting used to this place!" Bridge said.
"We're still on-duty, even here. We waited until we could go home, and now we can!" Sky replied.
"What's your proof, Sky?" Stella asked.
"Take a look." He looked to the street to his left. The others followed his stare and far away they could see the B Squad's jeep parallel parked on the street.
"Our jeep!" Syd shouted, running for it.
"The jeep!" Z added, following Syd.
"Yay!" Stella shouted, running for the jeep.
"No way…" Bridge said, walking towards the jeep.
"You bet." Sky replied, walking with him.
"WHEE!" Stella shouted, jumping into the backseat of the jeep. Z and Syd were content with hugging the jeep doors.
"Where did it come from?" Bridge asked.
"Well, you remember how our friends from Briarwood talked about all of those….god-like people who they worshipped?"
"Yeah, the Saints. What about them?"
"One of them's gonna send us home."
Bridge stopped and gave him a look. "…Really?"
"Yeah. She said we don't belong here, and it's been a little mishap she'd be happy to fix."
"She told you this?"
"Yeah!"
"C'mon, Sky…"
"Really!"
"Fine. I'll believe you." Bridge said.
"Get in the jeep. We're supposed to meet her at the place we arrived at."
"Okay…" Bridge jumped in the back of the jeep, and Sky pried Syd from the driver's side door and squeezed her in the back.
"Alright kids, it's road trip time. Keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the vehicle at all times, and remember, buckle up for safety!" Sky said with a smile as he revved up the engine and sped off.
An hour later they found themselves off road, in the forest that bordered the road leading to Briarwood. In a clearing, Sky spotted the woman he had met before.
Her hair was long and white, her face shielded by a thick grey veil coming down from her wide-brimmed bonnet. She stood holding a long grey staff, wearing a long grey dress, waiting.
Sky stopped the jeep and the five of them crawled out to meet the woman.
"Good to see you again, child." She said to Sky.
"So, we're going home?" Sky asked.
"Of course." She tapped the ground with her staff, changing her outfit to that of her Saint Armor, and changing the B Squad back into their uniforms. "So…are you sure you want to do this?"
"I'm sure." Sky said, looking back at the group. "These guys are too."
Chronojiel stared at the group, then blinked. "I know that one of you is having doubts. I know my children well."
"I am." Bridge said, stepping forward. The rest of the group stared at him.
"What?" Sky asked.
"I have this sickening feeling that something is wrong…that we're leaving something important."
"Mmm, for the lack of ferocity you have, my child, you know when to speak up. Tell me…have you ever had this feeling before?"
"The week before Omni was completed…especially after he used me as a warning signal…" Bridge frowned, trying to fade out the thought.
"We're not leaving you here, Bridge, and we're not staying." Sky said.
"I just feel like this would be a mistake if we left now. What if something happens, with all the deaths going around lately? What if something bad happens? The Troobian signal's been pulsating badly lately…and you know that it's been pretty dormant ever since we got here."
"We're going, Bridge. These people can take care of themselves." Sky said. He then turned back to look at Chronojiel. "We're going."
"This is your choice? To leave?" Chronojiel asked. "Even though your fellow group member objects with good reason?"
"That's our final choice. 4-1, we win the majority."
"…I'm gonna stick with Bridge on this…" Stella said.
"Still 3-2." Sky said.
"I can't stand this place! There's no decent malls." Syd said.
"We have our own home to protect…we can't just act like futuristic rent-a-cops while our own home is torn apart by Troobians." Z added.
"So, 3-2. We're going."
"Sky!" Stella whined.
"Objectors to this can close their eyes while we're leaving." Sky said, sitting in the back. "Syd, you care to bring us home?"
"Of course!" She said happily as she took the driver's seat. Z took the passenger side, and Bridge and Stella sadly took the back. As soon as they sat down, they both punched Sky in the stomach.
"Assaulting a higher ranking officer, eh…?" He painfully muttered as he clutched his stomach.
Chronojiel opened up a wide blue time portal. "Drive through to your home, if that is what you wish." She said. Syd revved up the engine and drove into it, sending them back to their own time. Chronojiel walked away, leaving the portal open.
Down in Infershia, Midhat stood above the Spawning Grounds with all eyes peering up to him. Every Hideac, every demon, every low-level reject of the surface world stood in the pit, waiting for him to speak.
"My dear abominations, Madoushi generals-" Four armored Madoushi from the back stood up tall. "and general servants of our lord and master, Enma…today is our final day of condemnation to this veritable living hell!" The crowd cheered. "This is the dawning of a new age for the surface world! The humans and Mysterians will try to take us all down…and not all of us will be able to bask in the glory of a new tomorrow, but they will never destroy us all! Our master shall reawaken from the soul of the slain, and we shall destroy them all!" The armies of Hideacs thrust up their axes and shouted happily, some giving battle cries in Infershian.
"Death to the fools living in the Light!" One of the four generals shouted, raising his serpentine staff and releasing bolts of dark energy up into the air. Everybody else cheered.
"Now go! Divide into your troops and conjure up your plans of attack! We strike tomorrow…at dawn!" The troops cheered as Midhat walked back to the throne room.
He held his side and breathed a bit heavy as he walked to his throne. He leaned his head against the back of the throne and tried to mentally push the pain away. "Master…what am I to do…?"
You know what you must do…"He burned me…with a simple little trick…I can't repair the wound…it grows more painful by the day…"
I have done all I can to fix this problem myself…you know that there is a way…but you are afraid…
"I'm not sure if it is necessary…"
I think it is…I know that you would be glad with the results either way…Midhat thought for a moment, then hummed a tune of agreement. "Yes…yes, I see your point…I suppose that you are right…" He pointed his fan towards himself. "Megaro…Mezaara…Meru…Uuza…"