Journey to the Island of Halastia
Chapter 12: It's Not Over Yet
The next morning, Harmony, Cappy, Panda, Oxnard, and Roberto were packed up and ready to leave Rokugon. They stood at the exit to the city with Soshi, Topaz, and Nin-Ham there with them.
"Well, I'm sorry to hear that you guys have to leave so soon." said Soshi.
"I know but we'll come back." said Panda.
"Yeah, we'll come back." said Oxnard.
"Well, don't forget to write once you guys get your town back." said Nin-Ham.
"Yeah but first we need to get back to Halastia so we can see if the others are all right and to return Daruth's Caidoz piece." said Oxnard.
"Oh, that reminds me." said Topaz. "Before I forget, we have something for you." Topaz swung the back pack he was wearing onto his arm and then used the other one to grope around inside. From his back pack, he quickly pulled out the Caidoz piece that they had taken from Spat. "The owner of the museum said you can have the Caidoz piece he had."
"Certainly, we'll take them." said Harmony quickly as she took the piece and held it in her paws.
"What use are those going to do for us?" asked Roberto.
"It's important that these pieces do not fall into the wrong paws." said Harmony.
"Why?" asked Roberto. "What is it that you know about those pieces that we don't know?"
"Lots, but I better explain it to you all once we regroup in Halastia." said Harmony. "Speaking of which, we better get going."
"Okay, see you guys later." said Soshi.
"Bye-Q." said Oxnard as he and the others began to walk off.
"Bye-Q." chorused Soshi, Topaz, and Nin-Ham as they waved "good-bye."
"I'm going to miss them." said Cappy as he followed close behind.
"Me too, they are such nice ham-hams." said Harmony. They walked along the road, repeating "Ticky-Ticky" as they walked and along the way, Roberto kept his eyes on Harmony because the feeling that he had met her before just wouldn't go away.
The trip back to Halastia was fairly uneventful. The two groups that had separated had rejoined along the way back to the docks where their ride back to Halastia was located. After another boring boat ride, they reached Halastia where they met Neteru and the others back at Daruth's house. Neteru had made it back first so they been there waiting for the others to return. The Ham-Hams all crowded into Daruth's living room. As a result, it was so crowded that Seamore and Barrette had to stand on the stairs while everyone else crowded in the rest of the room. Everyone eagerly began to share their stories, including Harmony who got to introduce herself to Neteru and Neteru was rather surprised to be seeing a ham-ham with wings. As they all began to tell their stories, there were numerous gasps and cries during some of the more dramatic parts of their adventures. When it was Neteru's turn to talk, they were amazed at their struggle back at the evil island with Glabrezu and the demons. All except Harmony who didn't seem at all surprised about the story, almost has if she was expecting it. It was then that Harmony remembered the Caidoz pieces.
"Oh, by the way, while we were in Rokugon, we managed to obtain the Caidoz pieces." said Harmony as he she pulled the two pieces out and held them out into view. Daruth took the pieces in both paws and then he examined the them in an attempt to try and find some distinguishable features about the two but he found none.
"Fascinating, they look exactly alike." said Daruth. "I can't even tell which one is mine."
"Well, do you want to keep both of them?" asked Terra.
"Naw, I'll let you guys keep them." said Daruth as he handed the pieces to Terra. "I've had that one piece in my possession for years and I still haven't come closer to figuring it out than I was when I first got it. Perhaps you guys can figure it out."
"Why thank you." said Harmony. "You are so thoughtful." Harmony giddily wiggled her hips and laughed softly like a little girl. Roberto observed this strange display and when he realized how familiar that looked, it suddenly struck him as he remembered why Harmony looked so familiar to him.
"Now I remember you." shouted Roberto, pointing a hamster finger at Harmony and surprising the Ham-Hams with his sudden outburst. "You're that hamster, the one I met when I was first changed into a hamster when I was seven."
"Heke?" came a loud chorus amongst the Ham-Hams. Everyone turned their gaze towards Harmony who just smiled widely.
"It's about time you figured it out." said Harmony.
"Wait a minute, what are you talking about?" asked Daruth.
"I was changed into a hamster when I was only seven years old and I remember there was another hamster who changed me back to human and I think it was Harmony." explained Roberto.
"You mean this is that hamster you had met?" asked Neteru surprised.
"He is quite correct." said Harmony. "I witnessed his transformation into a hamster all those years ago and at the time, I decided to help him. Roberto probably didn't recognize me the second time we met because last, my identity was concealed by the poncho I was wearing. I remember that because I had worn that poncho because I was afraid it was going to rain."
"So if you can change Roberto back to a human, then you must know what that strange statue was." said Laura. "The one that changed us into hamsters, too."
"And you mentioned that all of the Caidoz pieces are unique even though visually, they look exactly the same." said Neteru. "I'm beginning to suspect that you know more than you're telling us."
"I admit, I know exactly what that statue was and what the Caidoz pieces are." said Harmony with a smile as if she was proud of this fact. "The statue you speak of is an artifact that belongs to my master, Neanna."
"Neanna?" asked Mara in shock. "You mean the Ham-Ham goddess?"
"The one and the same." said Harmony. "I'm one of the thousands of celestials who swore their servitude to Neanna but after she was banished, I was the only one who stayed behind incase she ever came back."
"So what is that statue that changed us into hamsters?" asked Travis.
"It was a Haman Statue." said Harmony. "One of several statues that was created by the priests of Ankorbak back when it was still in use. Some of the statues were spread out throughout Japan which explains what was doing there in the first place."
"Well, if you could change Roberto back to normal, can you change us back to normal?" asked Kana hopefully.
"Child, you don't need my power." said Harmony. "You never did. The statue has the power to change humans into what are known as 'hamans' which are humans with the power to change from human to hamster and back again at will."
"Wait a minute. Are you trying to tell us that we could have easily changed back at will?" asked June.
"Yes." said Harmony. "When that statue changed you to a haman, you always had the power to change back to human and visa versa. It's easy. You just have to focus your mind and just imagine yourself changing shape."
"But if it was that easy to change them back, then how come I couldn't change them back with my own magic?" asked Neteru.
"The statue was formed with the raw power of Neanna herself and no mortal magic can affect it unless they are drawing power from Neanna or some other deity." explained Harmony. "And, in case you are wondering, the Ankorbak Pylons were also infused with the power of Neanna, enabling the pylons to change the humans back to human form. As for me, I simply used a spell to force Roberto back to human form and I was capable of doing this because my magic is drawn from Neanna herself. At the time, I didn't tell Roberto that he was a haman because I knew he wasn't ready to learn the truth about his powers. I could tell just by looking at him and his negative reactions to his transformation."
"And what forced us to turn into hamsters again?" asked Roberto.
"The magical stone that Glabrezu had stolen was created through divine magic." explained Harmony. "It's not Neanna's magic but it was strong enough none the less and what happened was, when the spell came in contact with the hamans in the area, they subconsciously changed back to hamster form as a way to defend themselves. Since the spell has no affect on hamsters, Laura and the others simply changed back into hamsters as a way to protect themselves from the spell. Now that the spell has already past, you can all change back now."
There was a silence as everyone began to think about the information they had just learned. There was a buzz of excitement around the former humans as their ordeal with the statue began to make sense.
"But how was the statue activated?" asked Neteru.
"It was the will of Neanna that had done it." said Harmony. "Even though she is not in our world anymore, she is still capable of influencing our fate. It was she who had changed the humans into hamans and it was through her will that the Ankorbak Pylons moved by themselves and sent you all back home. For years, she has been guiding our fate for some unknown purpose."
"But where eez Neanna?" asked Bijou.
"She is imprisoned in the Astral Plane." said Harmony.
"Heke? What's the Astral Plane." asked Hamtaro.
"I've heard of the Astral Plane." said Terra. "It is a parallel universe of timeless qualities. Through the use of a magical ritual known as 'Astral Projection,' someone with magic or psionic powers could actually separate from their material bodies, allowing their spirits to travel into the Astral Plane. Once there, their spirit can to travel miles away at the speed of light, enabling the person to travel to far off places at the speed of light."
"Like, that sounds awesome." said Sandy. "And somehow, Neanna is trapped on the Astral Plane."
"Yes, along with Bocka." said Harmony.
"Who's Bocka?" asked Neteru.
"Bocka is the hamster god." said Harmony.
"God?" asked Mara in surprise.
"Yep, he is Neanna's twin brother and both of them were banished to the Astral Plane." explained Harmony. "Spat is a celestial servant of Bocka and Glabrezu was a demon summoned from Hell by Bocka himself. Back in the day when Bocka and Neanna was still in rule, Neanna was a peace loving goddess. She believed in harmony amongst all species but Bocka had other plans. He despised the human race. He considered them as the bane of the world and he wanted to arrange it so that it would be the ham-hams, not the humans, who will be the dominant species of this world. His influence began to grow and Neanna knew that if it continued, he could lead to the destruction of the human race. In order to arrange it so that Bocka couldn't have that kind of power, she placed the power to control the world inside a magical stone which had the power to guide the evolution to this world and you may all remember the stone as being the Giga Stone. Her attempts at stopping Bocka were in vain, however, and she knew that her only hope of saving the human race from Bocka's wrath would be to banish him forever on a plane or alternate universe that he couldn't escape from. In a desperate struggle, she managed to use the only known portal into the Astral Plane to imprison Bocka but the only way to banish him there was to allow herself to be imprisoned in the process. The Astral Plane is a plane where you can't safely enter physically but you can enter it in a non-material spiritual form. Since both deities entered the plane through a portal instead of Astral Projection, they ended up trapped in the timeless world of the Astral Plane, unable to escape without a physical portal which was closed when they were placed into the Astral Plane."
There was a heavy silence as everyone took in this information. The Ham-Hams were absolutely shocked about the idea that Neanna and Bocka were trapped in the Astral Plane after all these years.
"But what does all this have to do with the Caidoz pieces?" asked Daruth.
"The only physical portal into the Astral Plane is located in an ancient temple known as 'The Sidereal Palace." explained Harmony. "It is a hidden temple and who ever gets inside will be able to unlock the portal and free either Bocka or Neanna but the palace itself is locked. The twelve Caidoz pieces, when put together, form some kind of a key to open the Sidereal Palace. Spat and Glabrezu plan on putting together all the pieces of the Caidoz and then use them to free Bocka from the Astral Plane."
"But people have tried to put the pieces together and so far, no one has figured out how." said Daruth.
"Each of the pieces have their own unique symbol." explained Harmony. "When their symbols are hidden, their power is suppressed but when their symbols are revealed, their magic becomes active again, enabling them to come together like a magnet. Problem is, I don't know how to reveal their symbols and I fear that Glabrezu may know." Harmony's last sentence was spoken with such concern and emotion that it hung in the air once she had finished the sentence.
There was a heavy silence in the air after hearing Harmony's story. It was so quiet that you could literally hear everyone thinking about what they had learned. Even Neteru never realized that the Caidoz pieces were that important and if they really were to fall into the wrong hands, it could mean the end of the human race. The silence was finally broken when Daruth noticed the clock on the wall and gasped.
"Hamgoof, we're late." said Daruth. "You're boat ride is in an hour and we're not ready yet."
"Hamgoof, he's right." cried Hamtaro. Everyone quickly began to scatter everywhere like ants. As they did, Terra still held out the Caidoz pieces and said to Daruth, "Are you sure that you want us to have these?" Daruth smiled at her and said, "If Glabrezu and Spat want those pieces then they are safer in your's and Neteru's possess. Now you better get a move on." With that said, Terra also ran off to find her back pack.
Thirty minutes later, the Ham-Hams all got back to the docks where they had entered Halastia, ready to come home by boat. Although it was a strain on Daruth's expenses, he agreed to pay for all their tickets. As they all gathered on the docks, the Ham-Hams all began to say their "good-byes" to Daruth, Seamore, Barrette, and Harmony. Sabu hugged Daruth and said, "Bye-Q, cuz. It was great to see you again and it was nice to be able to fly that old zeppelin again."
"It was nice to see you, too." said Daruth. "Only next time, don't bring so many visitors with you. Oh, and say 'hamha' to Francoise for me."
"Will do." said Sabu.
"Don't forget to write." said Barrette.
"And don't forget us either." said Seamore.
"Bye-Q, everyone." said Hamtaro.
"Bye-Q, Ham-Hams." said Harmony cheerfully. The ship heading back to Japan came to the docks and the Ham-Hams boarded the ship, ready to head back to Halastia. As the ship began to sail off from Halastia, all the Ham-Hams gathered around the railing of the ship and looked on in awe as the ship sailed off further way from the Ham-Ham island.
"I wish we could stay longer." said Oxnard. "Imagine, an entire island inhabited by ham-hams. Couldn't you just imagine what you could find in a place like that."
"I know how you feel, Oxy." said Hamtaro.
"Perhaps one day we could come here on our own." said Mara to Neteru.
"Sure, if we can find the money." said Neteru. Mara laughed. One by one, the Ham-Hams left the railing as time went on until Mara and Neteru were the last ones standing to see Halastia as the last of the island disappeared in the distance.
The rest of the trip was uneventful compared to the rest of their adventure. The ship reached the docks in Japan where Francoise had been waiting patiently for Sabu's return. Once Mara dispelled the Merge Spell she had cast on the Ham-Ham Train, they took the train back to town with no bad weather like they had the first time. They finally reached the Clubhouse early in the morning, at sun rise, repeating "Hamma-Hamma-Hamma-Hamma-Choo-Choo" as they pumped the peddles of the train. Once the train was pulled over to the entrance to the Clubhouse, Sabu and Francoise landed on a tree branch over head and Sabu called down to them, "Well, I'm going home myself. Bye-Q." The Ham-Hams waved "good-bye" as Sabu and Francoise flew away. Once the train was put away in storage, the Ham-Hams all gathered once again outside the Clubhouse entrance with Neteru holding the magic stone.
"Are you sure that you can work that thing?" asked Mara.
"Well, Harmony did give me very useful instructions." said Neteru. "I think I can manage."
"What about us?" asked Laura. "Do you really think we can change back to our normal selves."
"Harmony says so." said Neteru. "It wouldn't hurt to try."
"Well, who's going to try it?" asked Roberto.
"I'll do it." said Laura.
"Okay but you need to move away from us so you wont hurt us when you grow back in size." said Neteru. Following instructions, Laura anxiously walked way from the other Ham-Hams, repeating "Ticky-Ticky" as she walked. Laura closed her eyes and, as Harmony had instructed, she began to picture herself changing back into a human, focusing on that one thought. Almost at the same time, she felt herself grow in size. The Ham-Hams all gasped as Laura changed into her human form like a blade of grass springing out of the ground through Time Laps photography. When she reached her full height, Laura opened her eyes and was surprised to see herself back to her full height without any fur on her body and with hands instead of paws. As she examined herself, she noticed that she was still dressed in her pajamas. She began to panic, worried that someone would see her but remembering that everyone else was stone, she calmed down.
Meanwhile, the Ham-Hams looked up at Laura opened mouth.
"Wow, she did it." said Hamtaro. "Hey Laura, down here." The Ham-Hams tried to call back up to Laura but since Laura was in her human form, she was unable to hear them. Remembering that Ham-Hams, Laura then attempted to change back into a hamster. she focused her thoughts on becoming a hamster again and sure enough, she felt herself shrink down to size and when she opened her eyes again, she was once again a hamster.
"Wow, that was hamsterrific." said Hamtaro joyously.
"Yeah, this is so cool." said Laura.
"Now that we can change into hamsters at will, we can now join the Ham-Hams on their adventures." said Kylie. "Isn't that right, Penelope?"
"Yes." said Penelope.
"Hey, that's the first time Penelope said 'yes." said Pashmina. "Isn't that cute. She'll be talking in no time."
"But why was Laura still in her pajamas when she changed back into a human?" asked Travis.
"Well, you guys had changed into hamsters during the night, while you were all in bed and wearing your pajamas." said Neteru.
"Well, now that we can become human again, I guess I might as well change back and go home." said Roberto.
"Don't change back just yet." said Neteru. "No doubt when everyone is back to normal, they will begin to wonder about all of you if you're not back at your house. Here's the plan. I'm giving you guys forty seconds to scurry back home and once you are all there, I'll free everyone from the spell and then you guys continue on as if nothing had happened. You all got that?" There were a few assurances given out before the Ham-Hams all went their separate ways, repeating "Badda-Badda" as they ran home.
Laura could hear herself repeating "Badda-Badda" as she and Hamtaro ran home. Upon reaching the lawn of the house, they ran past the statue that was Brandy and then they crawled up the drain pipe and into Laura's bedroom through the hole in the wall. While Hamtaro crawled into his caged, Laura immediately changed back into her human form.
"Get ready, Hamtaro." said Laura.
"I'm ready." thought Hamtaro. Meanwhile, Neteru, Mara, and Terra all ran home, waiting for the forty minute time limit to be up. In order to keep track of time, Terra used her psionic powers to keep track of the time like a living clock. Once the forty minutes was up, she said, "The forty minutes is up."
"Okay, here it goes." said Neteru. He held up the stone over his head and then he chanted the incantation. "Zovolla chour dogga magnia dello dawg ginow." The stone glowed a bright white light as he spoke the incantation. Once the incantation was complete, there was a huge red light shot up into the sky and from that light, a curtain of energy (just like the one Terra saw almost a week before) flew through the city, changing everyone back from stone to flesh. Laura, her friends, and the Ham-Hams felt the curtain of energy pass through them but they were unaffected. As expected, everyone who had been changed to stone was oblivious to what had happened and Laura and the others greeted their families with open arms, although there would definitely be some confusion when they realize they had been asleep for over a week. As for the stone and the Caidoz pieces, Terra agreed to hold all of them safely in her home, in order to keep them away from Glabrezu. Ever since then, everything has finally gone back to normal. For now...
That night, back in Halastia, Glabrezu waited inside the dark abandoned building he was in a few days ago. He paced back and forth, anxiously awaiting Spat. Finally, he was greeted by the sound of beating wings as Spat flew in through the open window and landed gracefully onto the ground.
"You're late." said Glabrezu.
"I'm sorry but this place is hard to see at night, even from the sky, pfpth." said Spat. "And what are we doing here anyway?"
"We need a change of tactics." said Glabrezu. "We are not beat yet."
"Pfpth, are you crazy?" said Spat. "We've lost. Neteru and the others have two of the Caidoz pieces, we don't know where the remaining ten are located, we don't have the Giga Stone or know who has it, and your portal to Hell has been destroyed. We've lost."
"Don't be so sure of yourself." shouted Glabrezu. "There is bound to be at least one other portal to Hell out there. The loss of one is meaningless."
"And what about the Caidoz pieces?" asked Spat. "I couldn't activate the pieces and not to mention that we have no clue as to where the other pieces could be."
"Fool, you don't have what it takes to activate the pieces." said Glabrezu. "Only someone chosen by the stars can activate them."
"Chosen by the stars?" said Spat. "What does that mean?"
"I'll explain it to you later." said Glabrezu. "As for the remaining Caidoz pieces, I have a plan on how to obtain them. But we can't start the plan now. We must wait. Oh yes. We will wait before we strike..."
The End
Author's Note: Are you're eyes tired yet? Well don't give up. There is one last thrilling story left so don't quit now. Not when you're so close to seeing the ending in The Temple of the stories are currently on under the Hamtaro section.