Chapter Ten

" Magic Town," Zechs said to himself. " You are indeed beautiful. But I'm sorry, I'm sorry I have to do this. I'm sorry, Father…" Without another word, he burned the buildings and trees. Zechs turned his back on the fiery scene and walked away. His father, the deceased king of the once great Magic Kingdom, was murdered because of his beliefs. These magical realms – EverlastVille, Waterworld, Paradise and Garden Realm were all directly involved with the death of his father and the fall of his realm. To avenge him and his realm, he joined OZ. His father was a man who valued peace and his doings were totally against his teachings. But this painful hatred in his heart…he has to get rid of it and there is no way to pull it out other than to take revenge.

What had happened was already history and he did not want to think about it anymore. Though Magic Kingdom is now recovering, and my revenge is nearly done, with only EverlastVille to go, I cannot return back, Zechs thought. My hands are stained with too much blood and I no longer qualify for the throne. Only her, only she can rule it and bring glory to our realm once more.

Sister…where are you?

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Dorothy watched Relena, shaking her head. Such a weak girl! But that Heero boy, oh is he strong! In war, only the strong thrives. But where are the rest of his friends? Oh, this is so exciting! Dorothy was shaking with excitement.

She ran to Relena. " Relena! Get up and come with me."

Relena merely stared at her. " Dorothy…"

" Come on! Come with me!"

Dorothy pulled her to her feet and half-dragged her away from the battle zone to a safe corner. " Relena, you need to buck up!" Dorothy said to her.

" I…"

" I what? It's no big deal killing someone in a war. If you did not kill that soldier, he will kill you! This is just the way war is."

Relena shook her head. " No…no! This is too cruel! This is murder! I murdered someone!"

Anyone could see that Relena was on the verge of hysteria. To wake her up, Dorothy had no choice but to give her one tight slap. " Wake up Relena! Look around you, look at everyone! Everyone is killing each other and they aren't crying like you! I repeat, this is war and war is all about killing and winning! No one bothers who you kill as long as they win! I thought you were a very strong girl, but I was wrong. You are such a disappointment to all of us."

Relena's left cheek was pink from the slap. Weak…I'm a weak person…

Dorothy continued, " I know you are very upset. You realize that war is wrong but realizing isn't enough. You should do something."

" I should do something?"

" Yes. You should make the others realize the horrors of war. Once they comprehend this, all these would stop."

" But how? I am only a student."

" A very charismatic student you are. You can talk. I'm sure besides you there are a whole lot of people who are against wars. You can be their leader and lead them! Just think! How noble you'll look! Everyone will look up to you!" Dorothy gushed. She was not comforting Relena. She was merely immersed in her own daydreams. She could imagine Relena leading a whole lot of people, protesting against OZ. Oh! How impressive this will look and how very, very thrilling!

Relena was not a foolish girl. She could see the castle her schoolmate was building in the clouds. She knew Dorothy only too well. Ironically, that was what brought Relena back to her former self.

" You're crazy," she said.

Dorothy paused. " Not as crazy as you are."

" You are the one who needs waking up." With that, she turned her back and ran off, back to the battle zone.

" Retreat!" Noin yelled as soon as she saw the thick haze of smoke in the distant. This was Zechs' signal for them to leave and proceed on. Immediately, the OZ army retreated hastily, leaving the citizens of Magic Town in bewilderment. What's the matter? Why the sudden retreat?

" Fire!" someone cried and all of them turned to see the smoke curling up into the sky, threatening to burn down the entire town. Quickly, the few surviving ones rushed to put out the fire, including Hilde and Catherine. Heero did not go along. He knew that Magic Town was doomed and that OZ had won. For now.

Relena returned. " Heero! Heero, are you okay?"

Heero turned to face her. She was shocked to find his face cold and expressionless, not like someone who has just come out of a battle. " Are you okay?" she repeated her question.

" Miss Une has joined OZ," he told her unexpectedly.

" What?"

" She is now under Treize."

" No, it can't be! Miss Une is a good woman, she can't have joined OZ. They must have forced her, put a spell on her."

" The fact is we all saw her on OZ side. She even tried to kill us. Trowa has dealt with her."

" You mean he killed her?!" she gasped.

" No."

" What are you going to do now?"

" Eliminate OZ." He began to walk away.

" Heero – "

" Whatever happened to you just now, I hope you are all right now. Tell the others I'll be staying here to deal with OZ. We need to change our strategy if we want to win."

" Where are you going?" But he did not answer her.

She watched him till he disappeared from sight. " Heero, please come back safe and sound."

" Elements of Nature – Water!" Hilde said and a huge spray of water splashed onto a burning shop. However, the fire was spreading too fast for them to bring it under control. Even though everyone, including those who were previously hiding underground, tried their very best to put it out, they knew that Magic Town was finished.

" Quick! Spray these buildings with water before the fire gets it! At least, we can save a few!" a familiar voice directed them. Hilde turned.

" Miss Po!"

" Talk later," Sally Po chided her.  She was dressed in a green and brown army-like attire. She must have left them just now to change into this. " Put out the fire first!"

" Where have you been?"

" Fighting those OZ soldiers at the front. I must say they are really smart."

Catherine ran up to join them. " Hilde!"

" Catherine!"

" Have you seen Relena?"

" No, I thought she was with you."

Both girls stared at each other for a brief moment before they spun round and headed back to the other side of the town. " Was that Miss Po?" asked Catherine. " I was so busy asking about Relena that I didn't notice her well just now."

" Yes. She was fighting against OZ too."

" I wonder how the boys are."

" Yeah, I wonder too."

Mr J and his four friends arrived at the scene. Miss Po acknowledged their arrival with a curt nod.

" I have informed the military of our plight and send them the latest information. Hopefully, they will develop a strategy soon to stop OZ. EverlastVille is one of the biggest magical realm around, it will take them some time to bring us down, though I hope this will not be the outcome," said Mr J with a sigh. " All right, now to stop this fire."

G interrupted, " Did anyone consider a rain spell?"

Miss Po brightened up. " A rain spell! Why didn't I think of that?"

" We are going to have a big one. Stand back people!"

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Over at Dragon Land, the four boys finally managed to eliminate all of the MD soldiers. Treize was nowhere to be found – he had escaped. Exhausted, all collapsed onto the ground.

" So," Duo began. " When do we make our way back to Magic Town?"

" Now," Quatre answered.

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The fire was finally put out. The whole town was relieved, as well as sorrowful. Magic Town, their home, was ruined. It was gone. Everything they had treasured has vanished in the fire and the attack. Some could not help but cry. Others shook their heads in despair. Even more vowed revenge. But how to take revenge when they have lost all? They could only swallow the burning anger in them. The dead bodies of the citizens were moved to a side to be buried later. Those of OZ's – burn.

Sally Po took it all in, mouth set in a thin, stubborn line. OZ…She turned her head to a side. In the distant, four tiny figures ran towards the dilapidated town. They grew bigger and bigger and bigger. She strained to see who they are. Relena, Hilde and Catherine were all doing the same thing.

" It's them!" Catherine exclaimed in excitement. " It's the boys! Trowa!"

" Hey!" shouted Duo, waving a hand. " Hey!"

The four came into clear view and Catherine rushed forward to welcome her little brother back with a quick hug. In her heart, he will always be a five-year-old boy who needs her care. Wufei raised an eyebrow. Behind the young women were the five professors. The boys stared at the town, each thinking his own thoughts.

" Where's Heero?" Mr J asked them.

There was a pause. " You mean you didn't see him?" Duo questioned back.

" Why? Is he here?"

" He left Dragon Land earlier than us after he see through OZ's plot. He came back here to fight them off. We can't leave 'cause those idiots kept bringing in reinforcements. We just finish them off."

" Looks like you all need more practice," O commented.

" Don't worry. We only need warming up. It has been some years since we were involved in a battle," Wufei said.

" So where is Heero?" asked Qautre, bringing them back to the original question. " Has anyone seen him?"

" I have," Relena answered softly.

" So where is he now?" Mr J said anxiously. " I've got something very important to tell him."

" He saved me from an OZ soldier just now, at the back of the town. He fought against them, fiercely. I-I was frightened. And he just went on fighting. He was powerful," she said, feeling somewhat dizzy. " Then he left, after Noin and her troop retreated. He said he would continue to stay here and fight them. He said he would protect us. And he wants the four of you to change your strategy if all of you want to win OZ."

" You mean that flying stranger I saw just now was Heero?" Hilde uttered in disbelief. " He was awesome."

" And he didn't even discuss it with us!" said Duo, shaking his head. " That's just like him, always on his own."

" I think he means we should divide ourselves," Trowa said.

" I think it's the best. With five of us at five different places to intercept, I think we can force a hasty retreat on OZ even quicker," Wufei nodded in agreement.

" Is it such a good idea?" Quatre asked, worried. " You think we should find Heero first?"

" Not to worry," Duo assured him. " I'll stay here and look for him. Who knows what that fathead may try to do? I won't be surprise if he tries to commit suicide."

The look on the five professors' faces caused a sudden sense of panic in Relena. " Mr J, Professors, is anything the matter? Is it about Heero?"

" As a matter of fact, yes. I need to talk to him about the Zero System in his tablet," Mr J told her.

" The Zero System?" all repeated the strange word.

" What is it?" Quatre asked.

And so in one whole breath, Mr J explained the dangerous system. The others listened in awe, captivated by the power of it all. " …But it is highly dangerous and can even endanger his life. So I need to find him and talk to him soon and advice him how to conquer the system and not be fooled by it. Duo, can you help me?"

" Sure, no problem."

Quatre caught sight of the dead bodies. " Those bodies…" Everyone turned. " Those bodies, are they OZ soldiers?"

" Yes," Hilde said.

" They are real people?" This question does not sound right to him. " I mean, they were real humans?"

" Yes," Hilde said again.

The four boys were confused. " In Dragon Land, the soldiers we fought against were lifeless. But they are powerful nonetheless," Duo explained. " You mean they have real ones too?"

" Those lifeless soldiers are called MD, Mobile Dolls. Under a certain person's control, they can be brought to life. Their strengths are on par with an average OZ human soldier but they have a higher threshold for pain and so can fight for a longer period of time. In other words, they can fight and fight as long as they are not destroyed. That's the main difference between a real one and a MD."

" Eh, how come you know so much?" Duo asked. Hilde did not answer him.

Seeing her in an awkward position, Relena hurriedly said, " Duo, Mr J, you must find Heero soon."

" Not to worry," the principal of Gundam Boys' School of Magic replied. " One Gundam tablet can trace another Gundam tablet. By using Duo's, he will be found in no time." I hope, he silently added.

" So we'll be separating from here," said Wufei.

There was a brief silence. " We will take revenge on OZ!" Duo vowed. " For everyone who sacrificed their lives and every innocent thing, we, the Gundam Guardians, vow to take OZ down!"

" That's the spirit!" Hilde agreed.

" We take our leave," Qautre said bravely, hiding his uneasiness behind a quiet smile.

Catherine wanted her brother to stay but could not. She knew she cannot make him stay. This is his duty, his scared mission, what he had come to EverlastVille for. The time has arrived. " Trowa, promise me you will stay alive. If you die, I'll never forgive you."

He did not answer her, but merely nodded. He had long prepared to die but he must not tell her this.

" Go, go. But come back soon. Meanwhile, we will try to rebuild this town for you and everyone," G said to them.

The four boys regarded one another for a moment. " Don't tell me where you are going," Duo grinned. " Let me have the element of surprise."

" Right," Wufei grinned back.

" Bye," Quatre said.

The three vanished in another blinding light, this time each heading a different place. Hilde could not help thinking they were attending one funeral after another, all in such a short time. Miss Po, who has not been saying a word to all these, now said, " Mr J, get the girls a new principal. I quit." She began to walk away.

" Wait. Where are you going?"

" You need not know. I am not cut out to be a principal anyway. I just apply for the job because it was my wish to see who are the chosen Gundam boys."

" But where can I get another principal to lead the girls?"

" How about Relena? She is matured enough. And all the girls look up to her. See you."

" Miss Po!" Relena shouted after her.

" The battle has begun," a new voice said to the remaining group. It was Dorothy. " And all of these tragedies are only the beginning of a long, long marathon."