The old Desian base had seen some wear and tear over the past two years. Yuan noticed this as he guided their shuttle through the clouds and landed on what was the landing pad. That observation only served to intensify his anxiety about whether or not the machine would work, and he yelled at Sheena and Zelos to stop their arguing and get off the ship. He didn't care if they were discussing what had happened at the Shrine regarding Martel's concern for Zelos' condition. He wasn't the one in a coma right now, slowly dying (at least Yuan didn't think Zelos was slowly dying at the moment). Presea was the first priority. A year ago, the pink-haired girl had come to him with a question and request. The seraphim had promised her a solution, a way to reset the aging of her body in exchange for her service as an agent. At the time, he was just beginning his infiltration of the group that would become the Erinyes, and he had told her it would be dangerous. But she had accepted it nonetheless. Her desire to fix her body outweighed the possible danger. Now, Presea was dying, and he was no where near to fulfilling her wish. Picking her up from the portable hospital bed, the angel took the young girl in his arms and headed down the ramp of his shuttle, biting the inside of his cheek. His two companions, both sullen and silent, hurried off after him.

It didn't take long for the trio to reach the room that housed the mana cannon. It was at the center of the old base. When they arrived, Yuan stopped, taking in the scene. The cannon room was a huge dome. He remembered that the dome retracted and the cannon platform rose so it could shoot at targets miles and miles away. The room was dark, save for the few slivers of light that trickled through in the cracks in the walls. But he could make out the outline of the cannon in the middle of the room. There it was, just as he remembered it all the years ago during the Kharlan War: large and foreboding, especially in the dark. It felt like a weapon capable of mass destruction. The memories threatened to overcome him and he closed his eyes to silence the intruding thoughts. He had one goal now. Opening his eyes, the angel strode over to the mana cannon and laid the unconscious girl on the pedestal below the cannon. "Sheena, ready your spirits. Zelos, check the control panel with me."

Yuan and Zelos went to the darkened control panels. After touching a few keys, the board limped to life, a few lights around the slowly turning on one by one. The sound of electronics slowly whizzing and beeping was a good sign, but he was afraid that they would fail at any second. He had no idea where the source of the electricity was in the base, let alone if it was still able to draw a steady flow of power. And they didn't have the time to fix the whole system. Yuan looked over at Zelos, who had his hands held just over the control panel, electricity flowing out of his palms and into the machine. The electricity seemed to flow into the machine and back out over Zelos' hands and up his arms. He was feeding the panels on his own. Yuan's eyes went wide with curiosity as he watched the rest of the lights in the room turn on. Soon, the entire room was alit and the control panels buzzed with full operation. Zelos pulled away and swayed. "What's wrong?" Yuan demanded.

"Just feel…woozy."

"Go sit down or something."

"It was no problem getting the lights on or anything." Zelos said sarcastically. Yuan grunted in acknowledgement and Zelos walked towards a rusting chair. Just as the ex-Chosen sat down, he turned his head to the right and vomitted. "Zelos?!" Sheena called and ran over. He vomited again and again, Sheena helping him keep his balance as the nausea overtook him.

Yuan kept typing away at the controls, running a diagnostic on both the cannon and the operating system. Despite the inaction of the base, his inspection revealed that the canon had little wear and tear (most likely since this place wasn't a frequented destination for looters and bandits, being out in the middle of the ocean). "Looks like we have just enough battery to operate it for one shot." He called over to them. Zelos was sitting up, breathing steadily and Sheena crouched next to him concerned when Yuan interrupted their private conversation. Sheena helped Zelos up and they walked over to Yuan.

"I don't know about this Yuan," Sheena said, "What if it kills her?"

"She's dead already if we don't do anything." Yuan snapped back. They'd been over this already.

"Calm down, man. She's worried, just like you." Zelos responded.

Yuan arched an eyebrow but said nothing, knowing the angel was right. Instead he fiddled with the knobs on the control board, and the cannon began to reposition itself. As it moved, the groan of gears and mechanics filled the air, and the building began to shake. The shaking slightly unnerved Yuan, but for the reason that he didn't want the machinery to fall apart before he got the chance to use it. However, the cannon successfully positioned itself right over Presea. As he pushed the main power lever, the blue lights of the cannon illuminated. The room was flooded with fluorescent light as the canon powered on. Yuan had to blink the get the spots from his vision.

"Ready?" he asked.

Sheena nodded and made her way behind the canon and directed the summon spirits, who listened patiently. Yuan's eyes fell on Presea, and a lump grew in his throat. His hands curled into fists. This couldn't be the end. She had been an excellent agent, and at times, even a friend. And now he had one shot to save her. Her locked his jaw and closed his eyes. After 4000 years, he prayed for the first time. Whoever is out there, save her. Please.

Yuan opened his eyes and his finger hovered over the 'Go' button. It was now or never. "Now!" he shouted and pressed down on the button.

Sheena called forth her spirits, and they gathered in a circle. As each called upon their element, they began to glow with a soft white light. The air crackled and their voices bounced off the walls. Each spirit focused its energy, shooting a stream from its palms into the cannon. They loaded the cannon and the mana cannon roared. The mana cannon burst forth. A flood of green energy funneled through the cannon and exploded out onto Presea, engulfing her with the force and speed of a hurricane. Parts of the walls flew off and joined the swirl of energy in the center of the room. Yuan lost sight of Presea, and he gripped the ledge of the control panel, his eyes glued on the growing twister of mana. The lights began to flicker and the building continued to shake.

"IS THIS THING GONNA COME DOWN?" Zelos shouted.

"IT SHOULDN'T. WE'RE USING ALL THE SPIRITS BECAUSE THE CANNON WILL ABSORB HALF OF THE MANA IN ITS OPERATION. WE WON'T BE BLASTED AWAY."

"I'M ASKING STRUCTURALLY!"

Yuan didn't know.

The twister turned the air cold. The cannon continued its torrential downpour. The whistling of the wind became louder and louder. Yuan clamped his ears over his hands and squeezed his eyes shut. And then it was over. Yuan slowly opened his eyes and uncovered his ears. The twister disappeared; a green mist clung to the atmosphere. The cannon shut down, and the lights of the room flickering with their last ounces of electricity.

Yuan ran to the platform, Zelos following at a slower pace. She was there, glowing a soft green, like the flora in the World Tree Shrine. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Her skin was flushed pink, no longer the characteristic paleness she had previously. Her pink hair had grown exponentially, and was tousled all around her head. The exsphere in her left hand had blossomed into a Cruxius Crystal, glinting red in the light. But that wasn't the most astonishing of all. She was taller, curvier…older. Presea was no longer the stunted child she had been: she was in her natural state.

Averting his eyes, he flung his cape over Presea's naked body.

"Oh my goddess. Did it work?" Sheena asked as she ran over, her eyes wide with what she saw.

"We won't know until she wakes up." He said calmly.

"Dude. Presea grew up! How cool is that?" Zelos grinned.

The young woman stirred and Yuan held his breath, but she did not wake. But he was comforted by the steady heartbeat and strong breath he felt from her body.

"Let's get her to the ship. I want to monitor her vitals."