The familiar sight of Home Bay came back into full vision quickly. Trellia's song died down quickly, her mind eager to continue the duty of her friends. Tara immediately recovered from her slight dizziness and sent waves of communicative song resounding throughout the coral. Radero followed after them as fast as his small fluke could, carrying behind him the great Glyph of which he himself crafted using an ancient and forgotten song. Unlike the Glyphs of his home, some of which he saw were scattered in pieces and no longer glowing, the Glyphs gathered from the age before Singers held a steadfast hope. They glowed brightly and most brilliantly, sparkling like true crystals of the earth; with a much greater power behind them.
Upon hearing the songs of the returned, the pod was nearly rejoicing. The first sight that had come into view was that of the Asterite, the great and mysterious entity whose double-helix strand of balls held mystery and awesome powers of song. Behind it, Tara was relieved to see Ecco's mother and the rest of the pod safe and sound here in the bay, for now. Radero squealed with excitement as he reunited with his mother and father, though Enuia seemed more relieved than he did.
"Well done Radero," Lonus chuckled, "you have completed a great task. My son, I am proud to call you a true descendant of the Glyph Caller bloodline."
"Was that task coming back alive, father?" Radero asked incredulously.
Lonus rolled his eyes at his son and gave him a playful shove with his snout. "That is only one of your great attributes. You seem just like Ecco in a way."
Radero grinned. I? As great as Ecco? I never thought I would ever hear that, he thought.
Tara meanwhile confronted the Asterite, while Trellia watched from nearby. The great entity's orbs seemed to rotate faster upon her approach, as if he could read her mind. The young dolphin started to speak, but she was cut off.
I know of what you return for, Tara, there is no need to say it nor no need to worry. I have received a telepathic message from my past self, and I know I must return the globe to it. We must hurry as well, for you have been gone for an entire day. Glance at the sky, and tell me what you see.
She did, and gasped loudly. The moon was full, and had grown extremely large in the night sky; five times its normal size. There was a slightly reddish halo enveloping the orb, causing the lunar light mirrored on the ocean's salty surface to appear greatly troubled and distorted.
In all of her distraction, she had forgotten that they had a deadline before the mysterious darkness enveloped this timeline: the next harvest moon, when the moon's size would match that of when Lunar Bay was covered in vile energy.
And now it seemed the deadline was passing quicker the more they wasted time. Tara slipped back beneath the surface to face the Asterite as it spoke again.
I must inquire now as to the whereabouts of Ecco. Was he not with you, Trellia, when you traveled to Atlantis with him?
At that reminder, the young Sky Singer sagged, her long fins looking like flailing and broken flesh beneath her. "Ecco...well...when we observed the Glyph Caller rising to face the Vortex forces, he was accidentally thrown into a ripped dimension. And now...I have doubts...I doubt if he's even alive."
That earned her immediate scorn and songs of disapproval from every Singer who overheard, along with a death glance from Tara. She heard various argumentative mutters: "Ecco cannot be dead, he's immortal!" and "Don't be a fool, you weren't there when it happened!"
The Asterite, however, sent an unexplainable wave of calm through everyone to quell the conflict. Trellia, do not dispair your ancestor. For it was I who bequeathed unto him his powers of invincibility and immortality. No matter how great the danger, how powerful the wind, how remote the dimension, we all have faith he is alive and is therefore searching for a way back here now. I am surprised at you, of all Singers, could doubt this.
Trellia's guilt welled up in her body and heart once more. It was true, the first time she met him she had no doubt he would find his way through the Sky Tubes, past the Domain of Medusa, and over Eagle's Bay. A known hero then and better reputed now. She turned her head away and closed her eyes, unable to glance into the faces of those that loved and knew Ecco far better than she did. How could Ecco look at me now, after I pronounced him dead?
Dispair not, Trellia. I sense everyone here is troubled in some way by these tragic events. But now all good hearts are scattered through the Tides of Time: Ecco in an unforeseen future or past, and Kitnee's brave heart is painfully trying to suppress his mind from true destruction. We must hurry; I have a last assignment for all of you, one that is certain to decide the outcome of this fierce strain of battles. The fate of the world rests not just on the hero Ecco, but on the wits and fins of those who influenced his pure heart best.
Trellia, use the power of Radero's Glyphs combined with your song and some of my strength. Take the Caller's persona back with you to the time from whence you first came, for your battle now is there. Afterward, Tara must take my globe back to the past, and aid Kitnee. As for you, young Radero; and you too, Lonus; you are now the caretakers. Find as many Glyphs as each of you can find with the Caller's Song that still hold their Atlantean powers.
"But great Asterite, what do we hope to accomplish with such a task?" Lonus inquired.
The globes again whirred and glowed softly, the Asterite's form of a knowing chuckle. We are going to reenact the original Glyph Caller's feat back in Atlantis. Only this time, with the Caller's Song united with songs of hope from heroes in other times and dimensions; and of course from the Hero himself and all of his blood, whom Delphineus has chosen, we will seal the Tides of Time once and for all.
The path to the Queen's chamber was indeed swarming with more Vortex drones. Songs of battle echoed across the tubes and around the vast valley over a broken ocean. Below in a transparent wall, Ecco could see Killer Beasts already on an assault, their army diverging and surrounding the field. Work immediately stopped, drones were destroyed, and Singers set free. Ecco marveled at Kitnee's strength and leadership; they could have liberated the dolphins from the Vortex long ago.
No, they couldn't have, Ecco realized, as long as the Vortex has control, they could not have found such strength without me. This HAD to happen...they were expecting me...
But Ecco shook himself from darker matters and focused on his task ahead. His small army of about fifty or more dolphins surrounded him within the vast machine chamber, disabling the robotics and machinery with sonar as strong as that of Ecco's. He himself charged through the remains of the metallic bubble, charging the drones that came after him his killer sonar, one by one causing the drones to separate head from body. The head was destroyed, the body a useless mass of arms and a reptilian tail that no longer floated. He powered through every level, his determination and battle cries tuning out the deafening roar of the alarms.
"Ecco!" Hunju called after him, "Do not charge ahead, I am to lead you there!"
The young hero stopped and turned to face the rebel. "I can find her on my own now, Hunju," he sang slowly, his gentle ebony eyes burning with hatred, "See to it your army doesn't destroy the machine, just defend yourselves from the drones. When my signal comes, the Queen will face her demise."
He added with malice in his voice, "She must die." He then smiled warmly to her, "And when this is done, return to the lower levels, and retrieve your mate, and tell him I have kept my promise. He awaits you."
Hunju only gave him a curt nod in reply as she commanded her armada to cease destruction of the machine. Ecco swam against the current and up the tunnels that led to the top level. The last the rebels heard of Ecco were his songs of battle, the charge and sound of sonar against the soft bodies of Vortex drones, and their screams of pain when they finally knew what defeat meant. Only when they stopped coming and retreated did she express surprise that Ecco knew what her dream was.
He blasted through glass with his sonar, shattering it and cutting his flanks ever so slightly. He paid no heed to his blood as little by little it billowed out from him. The dark chamber he faced illuminated with artificial light energy, giving his senses a jolt of familiar adrenaline he felt before destroying a great evil.
The Queen was before him, her gigantic insectoid body connected to a machine that fed her nutrients from below. Tubes connected to her veins fed her the remains of Singers and animals from their planet, natural prey. Her gigantic head, much familiar to him, glanced down at the small cetacean. Her eyes shone a powerful crimson red, a single slit for a pupil throbbing with her anger. The two old foes regarded one another with recognition far placed into both of their heads. It was even more so from the Queen, as she let out an angry shriek of surprise when the dolphin let his faceplate fall to the chamber floor. The five bright stars of Delphineus shone on his brow, now brighter than ever.
Ecco... she hissed in his mind, barely able to contain her suppressed rage, I have waited for so long to taste dolphin flesh again...are you here to kill me? Or is it vice-versa?
The young Singer glared at her, never moving from his spot. "I've come to give you what you've deserved for so long. For threatening our world in the first place...for daring to take my family from me and making the mistake of sparing me. For using the Atlantean time machine to alter the past to your desires. For creating the possibility of a world where Singers are merely slaves and something to be eaten and exploited...this is the end.
"I will put you in your grave once and for all."
A gigantic clawed hand launched at him then, a screeching noise was heard, and the battle begun once more, for the last time.
Oh, Delphineus have mercy...Trellia thought as she returned in a ring of stars to her own familiar skies, though no longer familiar. Tremors ran through the entire length of her body as she gazed about the destruction of her world.
It was no longer day here, but night. The background of the sky was pitch-black, no stars. Delphineus could no longer be seen in the night, which caused the lone star on Trellia's forehead to vanish completely. She was back where she and Ecco had teleported from once before, in the great empty bay that once boasted the sunken city of Atlantis, the Cape of Archeo. The great crimson fog that she had first seen and that had haunted her dreams now lay above her, smothering the earth. The Aqua Tubeway was no longer visible, as if it had been destroyed.
Almost immediately, the same vision floated slowly in her head. Her heart wept worse than her eyes did as she saw the lifeless body of Tiderider seemingly floating in front of her. She wanted to swim over to him, awaken him somehow, and hear his voice again.
She shook her head violently to get rid of this vision. The sea below her was very dark, darker than it ever was at night. The water felt vicious and filled with evil malicious spirits. It seemed as thick as blood on her skin as she dove under, the only light coming from the persona of the Glyph Caller upon the Elder's Stone, hurriedly guiding herself to the underwater cave where the ancient dolphin was held captive for so long. Her sonar probed the empty, sandy floor of the sea, until at last she found the entrance near the island. Her light guided her as she swam in, awaiting the gentle and hopeful glow of the ancient Caller.
Finally, she arose within the air bubble of the gigantic cave. Rotating slowly before her was a familiar form, the ancient Glyph Caller. The marking of a crystal upon his chest proved his countenance and power. Immediately, Trellia let burst a requiem of notes that she and Ecco sang the first time. You must awaken...you must!
The light burst forth from the giant Glyph. Who has summoned me?
"It is I, Trellia. I have in my possession your persona, great Caller!"
The Glyph's light grew more intense. I owe my greatest thanks for your return. Is your ancestor not with you?
Once again, she seemed to falter as she answered. "No, he is not. He is trapped in another dimension at this time."
Then we must act quickly. I sense the darkness has already started to wreck this world. The epicenter is back in Trella Bay, I am sorry to point out. Teo and the other Sky Killers are gathered there as well. Quickly, press the Elder's Stone to me.
Gently, Trellia nudged the small crystal to the surface of the Glyph with her snout. Immediately, the Caller's Song immersed in the cavern, bringing with it the familiar sense of peace. Trellia listened gravely, though a part of her desperately wished to sing with him.
Then, the song quietly deteriorated in the stone walls of the cavern. Once again, Trellia could hear nothing but the water below the air bubble lapping against rock. The Elder's Stone around her neck was gone, and in front of her eyes the great Glyph cracked open in half, the great crystal reverting also to nothing but dust. The powerful dolphin, whose song caused the dilemma in the first place, slowly opened his eyes to reveal that they shone a soft hazel green. He gave Trellia a warm smile, exactly the same as Tiderider's always was. She smiled back, relieved, and filled with hope anew that her love may yet still be saved.
His beak clapped together a few times as he tested his sonar, for he hasn't sung in many a century. Then, he spoke. "Lead me to your bay. It's time right my wrong. Let us just hope that my descendants, both Radero and Tiderider, have wills stronger than mine ever was."