Chapter 1: Westbound
The four woke up the next day. YQ stretched out and walked over to a nearby pond to get a drink. Picard, still half asleep, struggled to get up. Keja, who was the first one up, stared at the city beneath the shattered ruins of the large castle. It seemed somehow familiar.
"What are you doing?" Ameph asked Picard.
"Trying to get up. This armor isn't all an upside you know." Picard said as he finally got to his feet.
"Freeze!" A man said from behind.
"Huh." Keja said as he turned around to see six Magic Swordsmen with their swords drawn.
"You're trespassing on an off limits area." One of them said.
"Officer Vice." YQ said as he walked up to the group. "It's ok. They're with me."
"YQ. What are you doing here?" Vice asked.
"See that?" YQ asked as he pointed to the rubble of the Castle. "That's what we were doing here."
"The castle. You destroyed it." Vice looked on in amazement.
"Well. We didn't destroy it." YQ said. "But we did play a part in it."
"Yes well." Vice said. "The Queen still would like a word with you. This way please."
"Whatever." YQ said as he followed the Swordsmen.
"You know what I've been wondering?" Picard asked.
"What?" Keja replied.
"Why is a Dark based monster the Queen of the Luminous Spark?" Picard continued.
"Because she isn't really a Dark based monster. The Queen you know isn't the Queen of Luminous Spark." YQ answered.
"Who is?" Ameph asked.
"The Queen you know is the Cosmo Queen. She is the sister of the Queen." YQ answered.
The group walked the path to Fountain for a few hours. They arrived in the west side of town and stopped at YQ's house. YQ ran upstairs and came back with a folded piece of paper in his hand. They continued to Bright Castle and arrived at the massive fountain in front of it.
"Take a rest if you want." Vice said. "I'm going to inform the Queen of your arrival."
Vice and the five other Swordsmen ran up the long stairway and into the castle.
"Well. Shall we go?" Keja asked.
"Yeah." YQ said.
The group ran up the stairs and entered the large hallway that led to the Throne Room. They were stopped at the entrance by Vice who had his arms folded.
"Now. The Queen isn't very good at being patient. So if you have to tell a story, make sure it isn't long." Vice said.
"Got it." Keja said.
"Very well then." Vice said as he pushed open the large doors. "You may enter."
They all walked into the throne room to see the Cosmo Queen standing next to the Throne where a Wingweaver sat.
"So Vice. These are the ones responsible for the destruction of the Castle of Dark Illusions?" The Queen asked.
"Not exactly your majesty." Vice answered.
"Then why have you brought them to me?" The Queen asked.
"We helped play a part in it." YQ said as he stepped forward.
"YQ. You have returned." The Queen said.
"Yes you majesty." YQ said. "Now. I need to tell you what happened."
"Be quick about it." The Queen said.
"Can do." YQ said.
YQ began to tell the story. Start to finish from the time they entered the final chamber in the Castle, to the Shin's Summoning of Kazejin. Despite her impatient manner, the Queen seemed to be very into YQ's story.
"So there you have it." YQ finished. "We would be met by Vice and his comrades the next morning."
"I see." The Queen answered. "Well. Even though it wasn't you who destroyed the castle, I think you deserve a reward for your efforts."
"Rewarded how?" Picard asked.
"Follow me." The Queen said as she pulled back the right armrest on her throne. The throne then began to move. It screeched hard to the right and revealed a passageway.
The Queen walked into the dark corridor and the group followed. At the end of the passageway was a wall with a symbol on it. The Queen reached out and touched the inscription on the wall and it opened like a door. They all walked into a well-lit room where a statue of a man with a top hat sat. The Queen walked up to the statue and touched it's hat. In an instant the statue sprung to life.
"Why have you awakened me?" The statue asked.
"Behold children." The Queen said. "This is Question. As reward for you efforts in the Castle of Dark Illusions, you can each ask him one question."
"I'll go first." Ameph said. "Question. Where is my mother?"
"The mother of Ameph Est Mako is within the Castle of Elsewhere, home to the exiled Prince of Yami, Dominus." Question answered. "Next Question."
"Where is the Castle of Elsewhere?" YQ asked.
"The Castle of Elsewhere is a flying castle much like Dark Illusions, only very much larger. Because it is a flying castle, Elsewhere cannot be found in a specific place. It is everywhere." Question answered. "Next Question."
"Let's see here." Picard said and turned to the Queen. "I think I'll save my Question for another day."
"Very well then." The Queen said. "That just leaves you, Keja."
Keja thought about his question for a second. "Alright. Here's my Question." He said. "What is the Pentagram?"
"The Pentagram is a sacred puzzle of five pieces. If all five pieces of this puzzle are assembled, then the assembler shall release and control the beast imprisoned in it. This beast is said to be one of the most powerful creatures in history. The creature's name is yet to be uncovered but it has frequently been called, The Unstoppable." Question answered. "Next Question."
"That will be all Question." The Queen said.
"Very well." Question said. "I await the day where I answer another question." With that Question reverted to his stone form.
After leaving the chamber and thanking the Queen before leaving, the four stood along the rim of the large fountain outside the castle.
"The Unstoppable huh?" Picard asked.
"Obviously, Dominus wants those pieces so he can control that thing." YQ said.
"And he already has three pieces." Keja replied.
"So where are we going next?" Ameph asked.
"West." Keja said. "That's the direction Shin and Huan flew off to so we'll follow them."
"West it is." YQ said.
The four began to head west they headed through the destroyed town that had the ruins of Dark Illusions. Dark Illusions was nothing but a memory now, and all they had on their minds was finding the Castle of Elsewhere, where Ameph's mother would be, and were Dominus would be.
The four woke up the next day. YQ stretched out and walked over to a nearby pond to get a drink. Picard, still half asleep, struggled to get up. Keja, who was the first one up, stared at the city beneath the shattered ruins of the large castle. It seemed somehow familiar.
"What are you doing?" Ameph asked Picard.
"Trying to get up. This armor isn't all an upside you know." Picard said as he finally got to his feet.
"Freeze!" A man said from behind.
"Huh." Keja said as he turned around to see six Magic Swordsmen with their swords drawn.
"You're trespassing on an off limits area." One of them said.
"Officer Vice." YQ said as he walked up to the group. "It's ok. They're with me."
"YQ. What are you doing here?" Vice asked.
"See that?" YQ asked as he pointed to the rubble of the Castle. "That's what we were doing here."
"The castle. You destroyed it." Vice looked on in amazement.
"Well. We didn't destroy it." YQ said. "But we did play a part in it."
"Yes well." Vice said. "The Queen still would like a word with you. This way please."
"Whatever." YQ said as he followed the Swordsmen.
"You know what I've been wondering?" Picard asked.
"What?" Keja replied.
"Why is a Dark based monster the Queen of the Luminous Spark?" Picard continued.
"Because she isn't really a Dark based monster. The Queen you know isn't the Queen of Luminous Spark." YQ answered.
"Who is?" Ameph asked.
"The Queen you know is the Cosmo Queen. She is the sister of the Queen." YQ answered.
The group walked the path to Fountain for a few hours. They arrived in the west side of town and stopped at YQ's house. YQ ran upstairs and came back with a folded piece of paper in his hand. They continued to Bright Castle and arrived at the massive fountain in front of it.
"Take a rest if you want." Vice said. "I'm going to inform the Queen of your arrival."
Vice and the five other Swordsmen ran up the long stairway and into the castle.
"Well. Shall we go?" Keja asked.
"Yeah." YQ said.
The group ran up the stairs and entered the large hallway that led to the Throne Room. They were stopped at the entrance by Vice who had his arms folded.
"Now. The Queen isn't very good at being patient. So if you have to tell a story, make sure it isn't long." Vice said.
"Got it." Keja said.
"Very well then." Vice said as he pushed open the large doors. "You may enter."
They all walked into the throne room to see the Cosmo Queen standing next to the Throne where a Wingweaver sat.
"So Vice. These are the ones responsible for the destruction of the Castle of Dark Illusions?" The Queen asked.
"Not exactly your majesty." Vice answered.
"Then why have you brought them to me?" The Queen asked.
"We helped play a part in it." YQ said as he stepped forward.
"YQ. You have returned." The Queen said.
"Yes you majesty." YQ said. "Now. I need to tell you what happened."
"Be quick about it." The Queen said.
"Can do." YQ said.
YQ began to tell the story. Start to finish from the time they entered the final chamber in the Castle, to the Shin's Summoning of Kazejin. Despite her impatient manner, the Queen seemed to be very into YQ's story.
"So there you have it." YQ finished. "We would be met by Vice and his comrades the next morning."
"I see." The Queen answered. "Well. Even though it wasn't you who destroyed the castle, I think you deserve a reward for your efforts."
"Rewarded how?" Picard asked.
"Follow me." The Queen said as she pulled back the right armrest on her throne. The throne then began to move. It screeched hard to the right and revealed a passageway.
The Queen walked into the dark corridor and the group followed. At the end of the passageway was a wall with a symbol on it. The Queen reached out and touched the inscription on the wall and it opened like a door. They all walked into a well-lit room where a statue of a man with a top hat sat. The Queen walked up to the statue and touched it's hat. In an instant the statue sprung to life.
"Why have you awakened me?" The statue asked.
"Behold children." The Queen said. "This is Question. As reward for you efforts in the Castle of Dark Illusions, you can each ask him one question."
"I'll go first." Ameph said. "Question. Where is my mother?"
"The mother of Ameph Est Mako is within the Castle of Elsewhere, home to the exiled Prince of Yami, Dominus." Question answered. "Next Question."
"Where is the Castle of Elsewhere?" YQ asked.
"The Castle of Elsewhere is a flying castle much like Dark Illusions, only very much larger. Because it is a flying castle, Elsewhere cannot be found in a specific place. It is everywhere." Question answered. "Next Question."
"Let's see here." Picard said and turned to the Queen. "I think I'll save my Question for another day."
"Very well then." The Queen said. "That just leaves you, Keja."
Keja thought about his question for a second. "Alright. Here's my Question." He said. "What is the Pentagram?"
"The Pentagram is a sacred puzzle of five pieces. If all five pieces of this puzzle are assembled, then the assembler shall release and control the beast imprisoned in it. This beast is said to be one of the most powerful creatures in history. The creature's name is yet to be uncovered but it has frequently been called, The Unstoppable." Question answered. "Next Question."
"That will be all Question." The Queen said.
"Very well." Question said. "I await the day where I answer another question." With that Question reverted to his stone form.
After leaving the chamber and thanking the Queen before leaving, the four stood along the rim of the large fountain outside the castle.
"The Unstoppable huh?" Picard asked.
"Obviously, Dominus wants those pieces so he can control that thing." YQ said.
"And he already has three pieces." Keja replied.
"So where are we going next?" Ameph asked.
"West." Keja said. "That's the direction Shin and Huan flew off to so we'll follow them."
"West it is." YQ said.
The four began to head west they headed through the destroyed town that had the ruins of Dark Illusions. Dark Illusions was nothing but a memory now, and all they had on their minds was finding the Castle of Elsewhere, where Ameph's mother would be, and were Dominus would be.