Chapter Eighteen: Walls, Bridges, and Doors





The next day Edge and I returned to Baron. The night of sleep had done Edge some good - "It's the first real night I've taken to rest," he confessed - and we made good time back into the castle. Things were a little awkward between us; I wasn't really sure what had happened between us yesterday, and although I liked the feeling, it was most unexpected. We strolled through the town and hailed the guard at the gate.

Correction - guards. I recognized three of the Silveran men standing firmly at attention - you know, the Silverans, the race of folk that only reached my waist (some of them peaked around Cecil's knees) and sometimes looked vaguely like frogs, or pigs, or occasionally and disconcertingly, both. As they saw us approach, they drew themselves up to what could only be their full height. The one in the middle said huffily, "State your business."

Trying to tuck away my smile, I drew my hood back from my face and said, "It's me, Rydia. I wish to talk to Cecil."

I saw tiny black eyes squinting at me, and then the one in the center bowed stiffly and said, "Go ahead."

I went to enter, but the man on the left reached out - out and up, mind you - and clasped my arm. "M'lady," he said urgently, in a thick accent, "dun't go in 'ere! 'Ere be munsters wunderin' around th' castle." I looked into his face; I'm positive he was faintly green , and his eyes were golden, and bulged.

The third one put his thick hands on his hips and scolded: "Ach, dun't you know anythin'? This be Lady Rydia, and she be th' Lady of the Munstars! So you mind yer place!" And he gave a snort which sounded exactly like a pig.

The frog-man flushed a deep shade of brown. "Ach, m'lady, I do ap - apol - I am sorry, m'lady." I assured him it was no problem. Struggling and clambering all over each other, the tiny men finally managed to flip the switch - the frog-man launched himself from the back of the pig-man, who did not seem pleased by this. As we entered I head them begin another argument and clapped my hands over my mouth to keep from giving away my laughter.

"Looks like the crazy-folk have appointed themselves Cecil's guards," Edge murmured as the doors shut behind us.

"Maybe they're gathering tip money," I said back, under my breath.

The guards at the next series of doors - humans, in Baronian livery - reacted in just the same way. One guard bowed; he looked positively spooked as his eyes lit on me. "Oh, Lady Rydia, I'm so glad you're back," he said, hastily throwing the switch to unbar the door.

"Thank you," I murmured, surprised. Has the story about Mist been discovered so quickly?

"Odd," Edge said. "I'm pretty sure -"

"Lady Rydia!" I saw the Chancellor of Baron rushing across the room. He grasped my hands plaintively. "Finally, you're here. There are monsters all over the castle - they've come to speak with Cecil. And they've been asking about you in a most..." he swallowed. "Forgive me, Lady, but they're terrifying."

A week ago I would have been insulted, but now I laughed. "Yes," I said. "Where are they?"

"Um." The Chancellor looked distinctly nervous. 'There are a couple just, er, floating around, popping in and out. And there are two inside the Main Hall with King Cecil and Lady Rosa as we speak. They're ...um ...one of them has ..."

"It's a lady with three faces and six arms," I offered, "and a giant sea serpent." He nodded, looking relieved that I recognized them. "Calm down, they're not going to hurt Cecil. That's King Leviathan and Queen Asura. They've helped us before."

The Chancellor swallowed again, looking very worried at the mention of Leviathan's name. Nevertheless, he gathered himself bravely and said, "Can I show you to your quarters, Lady? We've kept you in the same room."

I shook my head politely. "I'm assuming they're busy, right?" with a nod at the Main Hall. The Chancellor nodded. "Then I'll go up myself and freshen up. I'll be back."

Edge coughed, and the Chancellor's pale face flushed. "And Prince Edge," he said, "Your quarters are untouched as well. Welcome back, my lord."

Edge gave him a haughty nod, but spoiled it with the large grin that spread across his face.

As we left I head the Chancellor mutter, "...so glad she's back. I don't know how to deal with these pesky monsters..."

We went to my room first, Edge at my side. I entered. They really were just the way I had left them; but on my pillow was a letter. I trailed off mid-sentence as I saw it, tucked neatly on my pillow. Rydia. The envelope was labeled in a thin, graceful script. I looked at Edge quizzically.

"Nope," he said with a shrug. "Not mine. Who is sending you letters now? I'm gonna hurt them."

But as I picked up the letter I recognized the tall, slender handwriting. "Asura," I said, wondering. I broke the seal on the envelope and gently tipped the parchment into my hands.

"What the hell is that?" Edge asked, for the pieces were thick with curves and symbols. Runes completely covered three or four pages. To him, it was indecipherable, looking more like artwork than a letter; detailed lines and swirls that were more ornamental than functional.

"Magic," I said absently, reading a small note inscribed at the top of the first page: Rydia. Please study this spell and be willing to make suggestions. Asura.

This must be the spell to seal away the monsters. My heart plummeted into my stomach. I hadn't thought about it for a while. They actually wanted me to cast this - to seal everything away forever ...

Swallowing my own emotions, I gathered myself to read the spell with a strictly scholarly mind. If this is their last wish, then I will do it for them. I owe them everything.

Edge bent over it, squinting his eyes as if to try to read the words. "That's magic? You're reading magic?"

I nodded, distracted. I was still fluent in the ancient runes, and the characters were all familiar - what I would have written, had I been creating the spell.

"But," Edge said impatiently, "what is it?"

"It's a -" I paused. Re-read the passage that had caught my eye. Read it again. Thought it through. My eyes widened.

"A mistake," I said incredulously.

Lost in the thrall of the magical runes and focusing only on my desire to serve the monsters this one last time, I picked up the remaining sheets of parchment and made my way down to the Main Hall. I heard Edge following me, protesting, but his words were vague in the back of my mind. Ignoring the disapproval of the Chancellor and the Guards, I knocked once and entered the room.

Behind me I heard Edge say, "She was just reading magic! See that - it's written magic. And she knows what it says. She's unbelievable."

"You just think that cause she's your girlfriend," the guard replied before initiating his pacing once again. Edge huffed.

I was ignoring this. Asura and Leviathan, in full monster form, were seated around a small table with Cecil and Rosa. Maps and books were strewn in front of them. All four faces lit up when they saw me entering.

"Rydia!" Asura cried out, and then saw what I was holding. "What do you think?" she asked, and then looked quizzically at my face. She frowned slightly.

"Asura," I said hesitantly, "I think there's a mistake. Down at the bottom of the first page ...once you establish the connection ...you're calling on the wrong rune, you're going to create a leak if we're not really careful..." I trailed off when I realized that Asura and Leviathan were smiling.

"Rydia, dear," Asura said gently, "did you finish reading it?"

That gave me pause. I looked at her for a second, and then looked back at the pages. Finished the first; carried on to the second. My eyes widened. Stopped at the third. My face was full of wonderment and amazement as I flipped back to the fourth page of runes.

"This isn't a seal," I whispered. "It's not a wall. It's a bridge."

For the first time I looked up at the table, realizing that I had just interrupted what could have been a very important meeting with a very large mistake - and flushed horribly red.

Asura smiled at me. "Yes. We talked it over in committee and decided that leaving the world right now would be a very irresponsible thing to do. The worlds are changing, and it is too late to stop much of the distance; but we have already bound the Esper-world to the Land of Summons. And we want to build a bridge between our Land and the Village of Mist."

"It was, in fact, the happenings in the Village of Mist that convinced most of the monsters otherwise," Leviathan said, his deep voice gruff. "And we have only you to thank."

"How..." I was still in shock. I hoisted myself on top of the long table, sitting on the edge, my legs dangling. "How did you know about Mist?"

"The monsters were so distanced," Asura said softly, "that we had no idea until we felt your soul-summon."

I flushed bright red.

"They told us everything," Cecil said, but that didn't make it any better.

"After we felt that we realized that something was terribly, horribly wrong. Many of the monsters reconnected with their summoners right then and there and, piece by piece, we put the story together." Asura bent her head, all three faces suddenly covered with sadness. "We felt the distance of the villagers of Mist and thought it was a sign to leave our lands; we never even thought of a mind-control spell."

"It was probably deliberate," I said. "Those ...those demons must have known that they could never hope to control the minds of monsters. So they went for the humans instead and forbid them mentally from summoning their beastly friends. It would have been ..." My voice choked up. "Perfect," I spat out. "Damn them."

"Rydia," Rosa interrupted. "Are you alright?"

I looked up quizzically, and then realized that she was referring to the ordeal in Mist. I nodded slowly. Alright? Yes. Drained? Yes.

"What happened, exactly?" Cecil then asked, assuming the kingship on his shoulders once again.

I took a deep breath. "There was a rogue group of soldiers left over from Baron when it was under Kainazzo's control," I said. "After Kainazzo was defeated - the first time - the soldiers fled the castle. Something in their subconscious drew them to Mist, where they remembered their master's fear of the summon people. However, this band of soldiers, consumed with the desire for revenge, decided to try to use the townspeople." I sighed. "But the lands were moving apart, and the monsters were too hard to summon for the people - so they sat in wait for me, using a recovering Mist as bait. And - I fell for it. They took me when I was sleeping, beat me up, and tried to get me to summon Meteo down on Baron's head. Luckily for me, Edge showed up and saved the day."

Edge made a grand flourish from where he stood by the door, leaning against the frame, watching the proceedings. "I'm awesome."

I stuck my tongue out at him as Rosa snorted. "You're lucky," is all she said, with a meaningful look at Cecil.

"Is the town alright?" Cecil asked, ignoring his wife.

I nodded. "The townspeople have recovered. Oh!" I hopped off the table, remembering. Bowing to Cecil formally, I spread my hands wide and said, "The Village of Mist would like to put itself under the protection of the mighty Kingdom of Baron. We await Baron's decision to accept us as a protectorate village."

I was very proud of my delivery, but Edge spoiled it by snorting as I made another bow, which made me trip, which made him laugh harder. I glared daggers over my shoulder and pondered briefly the sense of sending a nice low-level fire his way.

Cecil looked at Leviathan. "That would certainly facilitate what you were trying to do, sir," he said.

Leviathan nodded his long slender head. "Yes," he said. "With the help of Baron Mist will become an excellent gateway world."

That turned my attention away from the lovely mental picture of flames around Edge's face. "Mist - a what?"

"What we were trying to do," Leviathan said, "was set up a gateway between Mist and the Land of Summons. The lands are already connected, but it will still be a difficult spell. We want Mist to be a gateway into the Underground, much like Agart."

"And I'm sure Agart will be pleased," I said bitterly.

Cecil shook his head at me. "Now, now," he said. "That's no way for you to behave when I was going to make you an Ambassador."

I stuck out my tongue, but then my head registered - "A what?"

He seemed to be amused by the look on my face. "Well. You remember that I wanted you to be a Delegate, right? This is just a step up. We want you to facilitate the connections between Mist, the Land of Summons, and Baron - and the rest of the world."

"Cecil," I said uncertainly, "I wasn't a very good delegate. I just screamed at people a whole lot - Asura and Leviathan included."

Rosa snorted, her eyes fixed on the giant water-serpent and the beastly, three-faced war goddess. "Rydia, if you screamed at them, it speaks for your courage. No offense of course," she said hastily, and Leviathan chuckled, a deep rumbling sound.

"None taken," he said; his liquid eyes were sparkling with humor. "Rydia has borne our oddities better than most Summoners do. It is, perhaps, because she never knew anything else. But I vouch for her - she is spirited, yes, and brave. She will so well."

"Well," Cecil said, as if it was settled.

"Wait," I interrupted hastily. "So - that's it? Um..."

Looking at me with very serious eyes, Cecil said, "Rydia, we won't make you do this if you don't want to. But it's a position only you can fill - and I thought you'd like it, honestly. You'll be going back and forth between the Underworld, Mist, and the rest of us, no matter what. I thought I'd make it official." He blinked, and a different look crossed his face - one of compassion. "I also thought that perhaps giving you a very official title could help to make up for what you've lost," he said softly. "It's my final apology, Rydia. It's not a very good one - you'll have work to do, things to deal with - but it's all I have to give." He smiled crookedly. "I know how fierce you are about protecting what you care about. And ...well, this just seems to suit you."

Tears flooded my eyes; I gulped. "Thank you, Cecil," I whispered, unable to say more. I had never had anyone understand me as well as he did in that moment. I squeezed my hands into fists, hard, trying to swallow the tears.

"Are you okay?" Rosa's compassionate voice wasn't helping. "Do you not want this, Rydia?"

"No," I whispered, the tears plain in my words. Realizing I had to explain, I struggled to find words that would express what I was feeling ... "I - I do want this. I - I mean - I never had anything to fall back on. You all had kingdoms and castles and things to do - and I was ...well ...but now. It's ..." I wiped my face clean from the single tear that had fallen. "It's perfect, Cecil."

"Right." Cecil, obviously feeling awkward about my tears, hastily picked up the train of thought. "And as your first job, I believe, you have to establish the actual bridge between Mist and the Land of Summons, correct?"

Asura nodded in return. "The Land of Summons has become the country Espera," she said to Cecil. "If we are to establish ourselves as a nation, we can be called by that. We are known as Espers."

He nodded. "I'll be sure to note that," he replied.

Asura turned to me. "I've written the spell up to your full capacity," she warned. "I'm sure you'll be able to cast it, but it will be long, and quite dangerous. We must be sure of your safety - Cecil will have to send along some guards, or something..."

"No," Edge said, emerging from the shadows of the door, a look of determination on his face. "I'll go. There's no way anyone's gonna hurt Rydia again. I'll see to that myself."

I noticed Cecil and Rosa exchange a very meaningful look; they turned back to us with slight smiles on their faces. I flushed. "Very well, Edge," Cecil said. "Make sure that Mist is secure before they begin the spell."

There was a loud commotion outside the door then; there was a squabble, some voices yelling, and then a firm knock. I saw Edge furtively reach for his sword as Cecil said tentatively, "Come in...?"

The door opened. It was the mass of Silveran guards from the front gate; the burly man was holding something above his head. Something that was squirming and whimpering in a most familiar way...

"We found this," the small man stated firmly, "prowling around th' outside of th' castle. It's been quite disagreeable..."

And Remy said plainly, "Put me down, you little shrimp!"

I then realized how the Silveran men could even consider themselves guards - they were very, very, horribly strong. This man was hoisting Remy high above his head by the sash about her waist; and his grip held firm despite her shaking and twisting. The greenish man was limping slightly, and I suspected that Remy had lashed out with her one fire spell in defense. And yet the man in the center showed no signs of fatigue as he held the child three feet above the ground.

"Um," I said hesitantly, "I believe that's ...mine."

Remy squirmed violently as she heard my voice and her face lit up. "Rydia!" she yelled. "Put me DOWN!"

The Silveran finally obliged, and Remy threw herself at me, knocking me a few steps backwards. The poor girl was dirty and bruised and sobbing, obviously terrified. I whispered over her head until she stopped crying; I barely noticed as Cecil dismissed the guards.

As soon as she had calmed, I set her on her feet in front of me. "Remy," I scolded. "What in the world are you doing here?"

She sniffled. "I didn't want you to go," she said, sulkily. "An' so I decided to follow you. I kept up with you through the cave, but then I lost you in the big town... An' I saw the castle and remembered what you said about the King, so I tried to come inside ...and then the weird men grabbed me..."

"Does Kell know where you are?" Shamed, she shook her head. "And what do you think she is doing right now? Worrying about you, no doubt. Remy, I don't believe you."

She looked remorseful, but determined. "Riddy," she said, grabbing my hands, "you're my best friend and my big sister now ...I don't ever want you to go away again."

I shook my head at her. "Remy," I said slowly, "do you still know how to Call your Raven?"

She nodded, a little confused.

"Well, I want you to summon it right now," I said. "And you're going to send it home to Kell to tell her where you are. Do you understand? You can't just run off..."

She frowned, but nodded in agreement. I saw her eyes close and her arms extend in front of her in a perfect imitation of an adult summon. She was muttering the words to herself, stumbling occasionally, but with great effort the little girl managed to pull off the spell. A flare of light shot out from her hands and a black bird appeared, flapping its wings to light on her shoulder.

"Here," she said grumpily, but I knew she was pleased that she had cast the spell.

"Very good, Remy," I said encouragingly, and then turned to the Raven, my memories of its language coming forth.

"Haa'rrk maaa'ahh," I said. Good morning, Raven.

The bird cocked its head, intrigued by a human speaking its tongue. Remy's eyes were wide.

I gave the bird directions to Mist and told it to seek out Maara - the only one still versed in beast-speech - and deliver the message about Remy. With a friendly peck to the young girl's cheek, the bird took off out the window, shrieking Goodbye, bird-tongue back at me.

I looked up then and saw Asura and Leviathan looking at me and Remy. Intrigued, I put my hand on Remy's shoulder and said, "Now I want you to meet some of my friends."

Still crouching beside her, I said, gesturing to each in turn, "That is King Cecil and Queen Rosa; they rule Baron. And this is Queen Asura and King Leviathan. Do you remember who they are?"

Remy bit her lip in concentration, and then her face lit up. "You guys are in charge of all the Summons!" she said gleefully, her sulk forgotten.

Asura nodded, smiling happily. "You're a good Caller," she said politely to the little girl. "What's your name?"

"I'm Remy," she said before I could introduce her, "and I can summon that Raven a lot, and cast Fire, too." She paused. "But not all the time. Sometimes I forget the last word," she added honestly. "Are you a monster?"

The question, in the face of Asura's multiple sets of arms, legs, and faces, was hilarious. "Yes," the Queen replied, trying to hide good-natured laughter, "I am."

I made Remy promise to behave for ten minutes, and then turned back to Cecil. We finalized the plans; Edge and I could rest in the castle for a while, and then we would head back to Mist. Cecil was sending half of Cid's engineers and a lot of supplies for a rebuilding project. I would cast the spell under Edge's vigilance, connecting with Asura, who would be casting from the Land of Summons. Remy would probably make trouble once again. Everything would be off to a grand start.





Asura and I stayed up late into the night, pacing the halls of Baron, resting over multiple cups of coffee and plates of sweetmeats. She had reverted into her human form after the looks from the Baronian guards became a little too much to bear. Now their eyes followed the beautiful, silver-haired lady in a much different fashion, I found. We talked delightedly about everything and nothing.

"Rydia," Asura said finally, "I have a confession to make."

I nodded.

She tapped her long fingers on the stone of the wall before us. "You will probably be unable to summon Leviathan and I anymore once the spells are all in place."

I came to stand beside her, looking out over the sleeping town of Baron. "Whyever not? Not that I have any need anymore," I said sheepishly. "But what's happening?"

She bowed her head, silver tresses hiding her ancient face. "Levia and I have had to bind ourselves to the Land of Summons and Espera - too much. We have invested our own blood and spirits in the land, correcting the time difference, making the magics meet and merge. It is unlikely that we will be able to emerge from the lands very often - though you can come visit whenever you'd like," she added hastily. "But we are tied to the land now, and I am afraid you will lose our summon."

"Oh." I looked down at my hands. Somehow the thought didn't bother me very much; I couldn't see myself summoning forth anything more powerful than a Chocobo in this world. "Asura, what is Espera, really?"

Her eyes were distant. "Espera is ...it is like another dimension. The monsters of the Land of Summons retreated there in times of danger - it is sealed off from this world by a powerful cave. While Zeromus's power roamed the land many of our kind fled there for safety. Now we have merged it with our land in this world."

"What will you be like as Espers?" I had to ask. I wasn't sure if there was even a difference.

"Much like we are now," she replied. "Espers and monsters are the same thing. The difference is when we pass on."

"But monsters don't die," I whispered, in awe.

She nodded silently. "Occasionally, we do," she replied.

There was a long silence, and then I said half-heartedly, "Well, I'll put up with losing you and Leviathan. Although that wipes me out of my only healing spell, y'know. Guess I'll have to start studying White magic if I can't Call on you anymore."

"Don't you want to know anything about your soul-summon?" Asura asked suddenly. "I'm surprised you haven't forced all of that out of me yet. I remember a little girl quite full of more questions than she could handle."

I bit my lip. "Actually," I said. "I kind of wanted to let that go - discover it on its own. I'm in no rush to develop those particular powers, Asura. I'll let that happen as it may."

She nodded. "That's wise, Rydia."

I held it in as long as I could, and then burst out: "But why was it a dragon?"

Asura laughed. "Rydia, dearling, I know that you don't know much about your past. Let me tell you this secret. Your name, Drake, comes from your mother's side; in Mist, all the names are passed by the mother. Drake comes from Dracos..."

"And dracos means dragon," I whispered. Awestruck, I stared at the night sky, thick with stars.

Asura smiled. "Rydia, you should get some sleep," she said. "Tomorrow's going to be rough, you know." I bid her goodnight, then; she wrapped her arms around her body and vanished.

But I couldn't sleep.

The excitement and thrill and fear of the past couple weeks was too much, and it all had cumulated in me tonight. My monster family and my human one were going to combine. Everything I loved would be in the same world - a world I would create. A world I had saved. My mind was flying back to the trip into the moon, the fight against Zeromus. I had managed to protect my friends and save my people; I was going to rebuild my hometown. I had obtained my mother's powers and answered to our legacy. And I had found Edge - someone who loved me, and I could love back.

It was unbelievable. I paced the walls of Baron's tower all night, staring into the stars, my blood racing. It was the cumulation, the finality of everything I loved and wanted and dreamed of. And what was the best part was this - that it wasn't the end of the road, that it was a beginning for me and the things I could do. It was a journey, not a destination, to put it into cheap words.

Dawn finally came, rose and gold streaking the cloudy sky over Baron. Cecil came to collect us all (including Remy, who was less than pleased at the early awakening, but was stunned into silence at her first sight on Cid's fleet); he was bringing two airships. One was manned with engineers and suppliers and tradesmen and guilders who would help Mist rebuild and expand. The other was full of supplies and goods and gifts from Baron to Mist in the most lavish apology I had ever seen. Asura and Leviathan had transported themselves back into the Land of Summons - Espera - and awaited my call.

The sight of the faces of the people of Mist when we landed was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen. In between Kell's cries of joy over the lush fabrics - Maara's cackle at the seeds and seedlings - Dahrin, licking his lips as he eyes the strong planks of wood which would build a new Inn - Remy's laughter as her Raven perched upon her shoulder - I didn't know where to look or what to do. I was bubbling over. I barely paid attention as Cecil presented the goods with a radiant Rosa at his side. The guilt on his face was gone as he was embraced - exuberantly - by a laughing Maara. One of the little boys grabbed at his hilt and demanded to see the sword. I simply stood and watched as he told the people about the Land of Summons and the growth of Mist as a gateway into the Underworld. I saw them all looking at me, but I'm sure I just had a silly smile on my face.

Finally, Edge prodded me off the airship. "Focus, silly," he hissed. "It's time." I gathered my wits and my skirts and hopped off, greeting everyone as I went.

We were going to cast the spell in the Caves of Mist.

It had been the obvious choice. Thick with magic already, tunneling deep into the mountains, the Caves were closer to the Land than anything else. For me, it was a personal vendetta - the caves were where my mother had fallen, taken her last stand against darkness. It was thick with memory.

Edge guided me inside and then took up place behind me, leaning on his long thin swords, a smile on his face. "Well?" he asked.

I sighed. "Wish me luck," I said, clenching my fists. He put his arm around my waist and kissed me, much to my surprise. I grinned foolishly and then turned to stare into the caves. The mist was wild, moving, as if it knew what was about to happen.

I closed my eyes and connected with Asura.

I felt her mind respond to mine; I summoned forth all my magic and felt the rush as she did the same. In tandem we began to cast, chanting and whispering and concentrating in our minds on the spell she had put together. Our magics blended with each other until I seemed no more than an extension of the Lady of the Underworld and she of me, one mind casting one spell from two different places. It was exhilarating.

I could feel all of her love and trust, the faith that she held in me, a sense of all the respect from the beasts in the Land of Summons. I was surrounded by their sense of acceptance and belonging. My family below the earth called to me, and I strained to reach them through the spell, returning to them with all my heart, my magic, my memories.

And I felt the magic respond.

In my mind's eye I could see the earth shaking - not the clamor of an earthquake, but an answer to the request we had given. The caves molded and reformed, the mist snaking through the tunnels, urging, providing strength and power. The very rocks did the bidding of our spell. I could see the path - the long, twisting stairways formed from the glittering stone. Why dig, Asura's voice said in my mind, when the earth will dig for you?

I threw my head back, my arms wide, letting the magic rush through me, cleansing me. I felt buoyed by the power; a smile spread across my face. Finally I felt the tunnels meet. My magic splashed off of Asura's: human and monster, mother and daughter, goddess to dragon. The currents mixed and swirled. The backwash knocked me to my feet - but the spell was completed.

Dizzy, I stood up, cradling my head. The energies ebbed out of me, but I could sense something very different. I felt a presence in my mind, as I had when casting. I looked down at my hands and saw them shining with white light.

Here I grant to you, Asura said kindly, all of the knowledge I have.

And my head rushed, flooding, overflowing with Asura's white magic.

I awoke cradled in Edge's lap, feeling nothing save euphoria. He was looking at me, concerned, but I gave him a crooked grin as I sat up wildly.

"Rydia...?" he said, nervous, but I hushed him with a gesture.

"Look!" I cried, and lifted my hands to the air. Healing green stars floated down from the air and covered us with soothing strength. "I can heal!"

His eyes widened, and then he grinned, and grabbed me around the waist. Edge spun me in a circle as I laughed, giddily. All of the words and gestures and spells! I knew them all!

Finally he put me down, and I straightened my skirts. Before us was a long, dark tunnel, snaking through the stone of the earth, glittering with minerals. The mist had already blanketed it. I heard a gasp behind me and turned to see Remy, the Raven still perched on her shoulder, looking at the tunnel.

"Remy," I said impulsively, "do you want to see the Land of Summons?"

Edge narrowed his eyes, but I shrugged. "I have to go thank Asura anyway," I said flippantly, and when he looked inclined to argue I reached out and entwined my fingers with his.

And thus we entered the cave - Edge on one side, Remy on the other, and myself in the lead. I wanted to try it - I wanted to be the first one. This was my road, my creation. My bridge. Excitement and magic and adventure. I knew I was the only one who could walk this path, and I had earned it.

I stepped forward into my future.