I own my characters, nothing else.

We headed west into the ancient region of Gloriano. It was, if possible, even colder than Mille Seseau. We were about one third of the way through a snowfield when a blizzard broke out. We ran to a nearby cave for shelter; Dart started a fire to keep us warm.

While we rested, Lloyd told us more about his doings. Three years earlier, he had met Diaz in the ruins of Kadessa. (Presumably, this was how he got the Dragon Buster.) Diaz had told him of the state of the world, of its decay. The Humans were at war, the Gigantos virtually extinct, and the Winglies' magic power was deteriorating. Lloyd told us of the Moon Child, which would rejuvenate the world.

"That's not true," Rose said flatly.

Lloyd cocked an eyebrow. "It is the truth. Why else would the Black Monster continue to kill the Moon Child?"

Rose said nothing.

Dart grabbed Lloyd by the collar. "Why did you have Shana kidnapped!? What is she to you!?"

Lloyd shrugged. "The rest will be told by Diaz."

The next morning, we went on our way to Vellweb. The place reminded me of Kadessa: grand, yet sad.

Lloyd gestured to a tower in the distance. "That is the tower of the seven Dragoons. The throne of the Holy Emperor is at its base. That is where we must go."

We went down the stairs to the base of the tower. The first thing we saw was Shana lying unconscious.

Dart ran forward, only to have her float out of reach. "Shana!!"

A robed and masked man appeared in a bubble of light. This must be Diaz.

My suspicions were confirmed when Lloyd spoke to the man. "Diaz, here are the Divine Moon Objects. There are no more obstacles to hinder our utopia. Release the girl."

Diaz nodded. "Fine." Dart caught Shana as she drifted down.

I knelt beside her and muttered a Wingly incantation. She glowed briefly, then woke up.

Rose was speaking to Diaz. "If you are the true Diaz, you should know what this implies."

He nodded. "Total destruction."

Lloyd gaped. "What!?"

The Emperor said, "Lloyd, you have done well. Now the last species we desire, the God of Destruction, will be born."

Rose turned to Lloyd. "Lloyd, he showed you a false utopia from the beginning."

Lloyd drew the Dragon Buster. "My utopia exists in the future of the world, not its destruction!" he shouted.

Diaz shrugged. "I don't need you anymore." He pointed his staff and began charging a spell.

I recognized the effect instantly. You won't kill my brother, Diaz. I pointed my sword at Lloyd and yelled, "Wake up! Dragoon of the Divine Dragon!!"

"What the!?" The Dragoon Spirit glowed painfully bright, and there stood Lloyd as the Divine Dragoon. His armor was much bulkier than the others', save perhaps Kongol, and had massive wings. He turned to me. "Why did you…?"

I smiled. "Like it or not, you're my brother. Besides, I figured you'd want a chance to atone for your actions."

Diaz ignored this interchange. "Now I can tell you everything." He slowly removed his mask. "It's been a while. Rose. Dart." He was a blond, blue-eyed man who bore an uncanny resemblance to our leader.

Dart went bone-white. "Father!?"

That's Zieg Feld!?

Rose wore an expression that mixed agony with disbelief. "Oh, it cannot be!!"

Zieg then began a lecture regarding the fate of the world. I tuned out most of it, preferring to ensure Shana's safety. I did, however, hear him talk about his and Rose's role in the Dragon Campaign.

So that's how Rose knows so much about it. She was there.

After revealing the true nature of the Moon Child, Zieg said, "One Dragoon knew of the prophecy. Every 108 years she has killed the Moon Child and those around it. She was even called a demon." He pointed at Rose. "That is the true self of Rose---the Black Monster!"

Dart nearly had a heart attack. "Rose!?"

Rose spoke quietly. "The Moon Child has to be killed. And the people around it, too, before they become servants of the God of Destruction."

"Neet, too!?"

She sighed. "For eleven thousand years, there have been no exceptions."

Zieg was about to say something else, but I cut him off. "I know what you're going to say next, Zieg. Shana is the Moon Child. Or perhaps I should say, was."

He glared at me accusingly. "What did you do!?"

I smiled coldly. "I drove out the soul of the Virage Embryo. While she retains most of her powers, she is no longer of any use to you."

Zieg laughed. "You haven't beaten me yet!" He vanished.

Shana looked at me. "How did you manage it?"

"Krista and I are half Wingly," I replied. "I used that power to save you. Oh, yes, and Lloyd is our half-brother." Shana's eyes widened at my last comment, then she nodded.

"Thank you."

Suddenly, the White Silver Dragoon Spirit seemed to split in two, just as the Jade had at Hellena Prison. The extra Spirit lowered itself around Shana's neck.

Rose provided an explanation. "Shana, I believe that the Spirit left you because of your connection to the Virage Embryo. Since Kyle drove out the Virage soul, it considers you worthy again. Now you can rejoin us."

Dart stepped forward. "Rose and Lloyd were considered evil, once, but I believe that both were innocent from the beginning. Rose had a terrible duty, and Lloyd thought that he was doing right, but he was tricked. I would like them both to fight with us, to end this madness." He drew his sword and held it up in ritual salute. "Friends till the end."

Shana's bow and Haschel's gloved fist came up. Then Albert and Lavitz with their spears. Next Miranda's bow. After her, a hammer and a huge axe. Then a pair of katanas. Finally, Rose's rapier and the Dragon Buster.

While the others conferred, I decided to explore Vellweb. The city, once a magnificent capital, was now a mere historic ruin, just like Kadessa. Things were not always what they seemed, however, as I found out when exploring the tower of the seven Dragoons.

I climbed into the first tower and stopped dead. Inside, it was pristine, in stark contrast to the rubble outside. The room was dominated by a fountain, which spilled over onto the floor. The Water Dragoon must have lived here.

"Where is everyone? I don't like to be alone," came a plaintive voice.

I spun around, reflexively drawing my sword, and came face to face with the most exotic-looking girl I had ever laid eyes on. She wore armor identical to Meru's, showing that she was a Dragoon, but there was something ethereal about her. She had sea-green hair and pointed ears, showing that she wasn't entirely human.

I finally found my voice. "Who are you?"

"I'm Damia, the Blue Sea Dragoon," she answered. "What are you doing here?"

"Exploring."

"I don't believe you!" She attacked.

I jumped back, transforming in the same instant. A fight with a ghost. Just what I don't need. Knowing her weakness, I threw my sword into the air and charged a fireball in front of my chest. "Flameshot!"

Damia recoiled from the attack, then perched on her hammer. I recognized the stance instantly. Uh oh.

"Diamond Dust!"

"Oof!" I staggered, almost falling to the ground. Good grief, she's fast! If only- My thoughts were cut off by a hammerblow to the head. Had I not been in Dragoon form, it would have crushed my skull, killing me. As it was, Damia had me seeing stars, giving her an opening to deliver a kick to my solar plexus. Fortunately, it had little effect, thanks to my armor.

"Enough nonsense." I decided to use the Fire spell I had in place of Dart's Red-Eye Dragon. "Rebirth Flame!!!"

It was like being caught in a blast furnace. The flames obscured everything for a moment, then I saw Damia sprawled on the floor.

I frowned. Shouldn't she have vanished?

I landed and morphed out of my Dragoon armor. I knelt and gently lifted her torso onto my knees, feeling her neck.

My jaw fell open. What the!? She has a pulse!?

Damia groaned and slowly opened her eyes. She looked up at me fearfully. "What…are you…?"

I placed one hand on her forehead. "It's all right. I won't hurt you."

"Who are you?"

I smiled. "My name is Kyle Hunter. I'm a friend of Rose."

"You know Rose?" Damia relaxed visibly. "How did you bring me back to life?"

"I'm not sure." I thought for a moment, then snapped my fingers. "Of course! Rebirth Flame! It must be a reviving spell." I glanced down at her. "It isn't what I was trying to do, but I'm glad it worked anyway."

She grinned impishly. "Thanks. By the way, I've never seen armor like that. Which Dragoon are you?"

"There are actually two of us," I replied. "My sister Krista and myself. We are the Star Dragoons, who have no element per se. Krista has Darkness magic, while I have Fire, as you found out. We also have a nasty team-up attack called Gemini Beam." I paused. "Before you get too friendly, I should tell you that I'm half Wingly."

Damia shrugged. "We had Wingly allies during the war. I think we'll get along okay."

"Great." I hesitated. "You're not going to like what's happening. We have to fight a man who was once your friend. Zieg Feld."

"Zieg!? Zieg is fighting us!?"

I nodded. "I don't know what he's thinking. Rose is even more perplexed."

She was silent for a moment. "Who are the new Dragoons?" she asked at last.

"Our leader, the Dragoon of the Red-Eye Dragon, is Zieg's son, Dart. There are two Wind Dragoons: Albert, the King of Serdio, and Sir Lavitz Slambert, head of the First Knighthood. Also two Light Dragoons: Dart's girlfriend Shana, and Miranda, the First Sacred Sister of Mille Seseau. The Earth Dragoon is a Giganto named Kongol. For Thunder, we have Dart's maternal grandfather, Haschel. Your successor, the Dragoon of Water, is a Wingly, Meru. Oh, yes, we also have the Divine Dragoon."

Damia looked at me in shock. "Divine Dragoon!?"

I grinned at her expression. "Yep. My half-brother, Lloyd. He also has the Dragon Buster, so you don't have to worry about being hit with that."

She looked stunned. Finally she asked, "Will it be possible for you to revive the others?"

I shrugged. "Probably. It's certainly worth a try. We need all the help we can get. Who should be my next target?"

Damia considered. "Syuveil, the Jade Dragoon. He's a scholarly type, always poring over ancient manuscripts."

I laughed. "Another intellectual. Albert's gonna love that. Okay, Syuveil it is."

We climbed the steps to Syuveil's tower. Inside was a bespectacled man in the armor of the Jade Dragoon.

I laughed to myself. They already had eyeglasses that long ago?

"Hi, Syu," Damia said brightly.

He looked up. "Hello, Damia. I see you've brought a guest."

"Uh huh. This is Kyle Hunter, a friend of Rose."

"Indeed." Syuveil looked at me. "Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise." I sketched out the situation as I had for Damia. When I had finished, he was shaking his head in amazement. "So it looks like you'll have to die again before you can live again," I concluded.

"So be it," he replied. "Defeat me, and I will help you."

We sprang into the air for the first pass. He had a longer reach with his spear, but I was significantly faster. Syuveil's first strike missed cleanly, while I caught him in the arm with my katana, making him grunt.

"You're good." He spun his weapon in front of his face. "Gaspless!"

I dodged the attack and replied with my top Fire spell. "Rebirth Flame!" He dropped like a sack of cement.

Syuveil picked himself up. "Thank you, Kyle."

I grinned. "No problem."

Next on the list was Kanzas, the Violet Dragoon. As I entered his tower, Syuveil warned me to be careful.

"Kanzas isn't a nice person," he said. "He lives to kill. Watch yourself."

Kanzas's room was faintly disturbing. The walls were lined with some sort of dolls.

Kanzas appeared out of nowhere. "Who are you!?"

I sighed. "My name is Kyle Hunter, and I'm here to bring you back to life so that you can help us stop Zieg from causing the birth of the God of Destruction. Let's have it out so I can get out of this creepy room."

"These dolls remind me of blood dripping from my fist," he snarled. "I don't need to answer to you!" He charged lightning in his fist, as I had seen Haschel do several times. "Atomic Mind!"

I smiled thinly. "Nice try. Star Flare!"

"Gaa!" He was slammed against the far wall. He recovered quickly. "Thunder God Attack!"

We traded spells for about an hour, then I finished it. "Rebirth Flame!"

"Fine," he grunted. "I'll join you."

Syuveil decided to accompany me for the fight with Belzac. "Belzac is the strongest of the lost Dragoons," he explained. "You'll likely need my Wind magic."

We ran into Shirley at the base of Belzac's tower. When I explained what I was up to, she was delighted.

"Thank you, Kyle," she said. "Of course, I'll help, too."

I grinned. "I'll bet Rose has a heart attack when she finds out."

Belzac was the only human I'd ever seen who was as big as Kongol. His axe made me nervous.

"Syuveil? Who is this?" he asked.

"A friend of Rose," Syuveil answered. "But we can't explain quite yet." With that, he climbed into the air. "Rose Storm!"

I moved within seconds. "Flameshot!" I had to keep dodging to avoid his strikes.

After at least four hours, Belzac fell in defeat. "Yes. I will lend you my strength."

I led the Dragoons to our campsite near the Spear Shooter. Rose nearly fainted when she saw my companions. "Kyle…how did you…?"

I shrugged. "Damia was by accident. The others were at her request. Are you complaining?"

She shook her head. "No, of course not. It's just such a shock." Rose looked at her old friends. "It's good to see you again, everyone."

Rose and I took turns introducing the new Dragoons, then I went to bed.

Author's note: Three chapters to go. I'm finishing the upload all at once, so please tell me what you think of any chapter. D.S.