Temple of the Zodiac

Chapter 15: The Comets of Hope

What happened next went by so quickly, it was almost instantaneous. The bright light of a terrible curse shot from the tip of the Staff of Alabasta, sailing through the air with the intent of ending the lives of a small boy and his badly injured father. At first, it looked like it was the end but, like a miracle, something leaped out and saved them but it wasn't any of the Ham-Hams or a guardian angel. No, what saved them was a single Telekinetics Spell that thrusted Kaiu and Neteru out of harm's way. The spell tossed Neteru and Kaiu to the side and they hit the hard stone floor of the temple just a few inches from where they were. Glabrezu's spell harmlessly struck the floor of the Sidereal Palace, blasting a hole into the stone floor with a loud explosion. This sudden rescue caught everyone by surprise, including Glabrezu who turned his gaze around the room to find out where the spell came from and to his surprise, the spell was cast by Spat who stood in-between Glabrezu and Neteru and Kaiu to protect them.

"Spat, what are you doing?" demanded Glabrezu as his confusion and anger rose.

"I wont let you harm these two," said Spat as he raised his pitch fork defensively.

"Are you mad? They are our enemies and they should be eliminated as soon as possible," said Glabrezu.

"You were about to kill a sweet little boy and his father," seethed Spat. "The portal is open to us now. There's no need to commit murder upon an innocent child."

"What about you?" asked Glabrezu. "You endangered the baby of that samurai."

"I didn't intend to put Kuni in any real danger," said Spat. "I personally ensured the safety of Kuni and her mother by allowing Agasha to come and save them and I even watched the fight through a Scrying Spell to make sure Kuni made it out okay. My heart was pounded when Agasha nearly killed Kuni."

"So you're nothing but a softy," said Glabrezu. "Bocka would never approve of having a soft hearted fool serve him."

"Despite how much he hates humans, Bocka would never harm another ham-ham for his own gain, unlike you who had taken at least a hundred lives, including ham-hams, in the centuries we've worked together," said Spat. Many mouths dropped open in shock at Spat's sudden display of a conscience

"These so called 'ham-hams' are nothing but a bunch of slaves to the human race," said Glabrezu angrily. "Have you forgotten what Bocka has always taught us about humans. He warned us that the human race will dominate the world and destroy us all and they have. Humans everywhere have been expanding their populations so quickly, their own planet can barely support them. Their disrespect towards nature has been appalling with their pollution and their dominance over other animals. If they are not stopped, they will destroy the world."

"Not all humans are that bad," insisted Spat. "All the hamans in this room were faithful and got along well with not just their own pets but with ham-hams in their own environment. After watching their teamwork, I realize now that there is still hope for humans."

"You're just a pathetic weakling," said Glabrezu. "After Bocka has you destroyed, he will appoint me as King of the Ham-Hams. This world will fall under my rule and under Bocka's and no weakling such as yourself is going to stop me." With that, Glabrezu turned around and headed towards the portal to release Bocka from the Astral Plane.

Glabrezu repeated "Ticky-Ticky" as he approached the two dials in front of the portal.

"Of-course, I'm smart enough to not include instructions on how to open the portal in the papers I gave to Daruth," said Glabrezu as if he was talking to himself. "To open the portal, the dial on the right must be set to the current zodiac sign. Right now, we're in the middle of the zodiac sign Cancer." To demonstrate, Glabrezu grabbed the knob of the dial on the right and turned it until it was set to the zodiac sign of Cancer. "The dial on the left is meant to be set on our current ascendant zodiac sign. The ascendant zodiac sign is the zodiac sign that the sun is currently rising up to. Now according to my calculations, the current ascendant zodiac sign is Capricorn." Glabrezu turned the left dial until it was set to the sign of Capricorn. Once the dials were set to the right setting, the portal immediately began to glow. The doorway within the borders of the portal was beginning to glow a white light as the portal was being opened. The writing along the border also glowed brightly in a dazzling display of light and color.

The light from the portal glowed brighter and brighter as the door to the Astral Plane began to open. The Ham-Hams averted their eyes as the light began to grow brighter until, all of a sudden, the light went dim. Now that there was no blinding light, the Ham-Hams turned their gaze to the portal and gasped. They were able to gaze into the Astral Plane through the portal. Gazing into the Astral Plane was like gazing into outer space itself. Through the portal, they could see the vast realm of stars and planets that was beautiful to behold.

Not wanting to waist any time admiring the stars, Glabrezu raised his staff over his head and said loudly and clearly, "I summon the great and powerful Bocka, God of the Earth. Follow the sound of my voice and find your freedom. Come out, enter our world and grace us with your presence." Through the open portal, the Ham-Hams could see a blue light. An orb of light that was flying towards the exit to the Astral Plane. The Ham-Hams watched in anticipation as the orb grew closer and closer. The blue light from the orb flowed into the temple as the orb exited the portal and hovered off the ground in front of Glabrezu. The orb began to expand and change shape as the orb transformed. Mara, Neteru, Terra, and Moonbeam began to feel a strong energy coursing through their foreheads since they're more receptive to the energies of the divine that was radiating from the orb like a sun. The energy was so strong, it was almost overwhelming to them. When the glow disappeared, the Ham-Hams gasped as they got their first look at Bocka.

Bocka looked like an ordinary ham-ham but there was clearly something very powerful about him. He stood as tall as Boss and had a muscular chest. His arms and his entire backside was completely covered in black fur but his face and the front of his body had fur that matched Boss's bronze colored fur only it was darker in hue. When Bocka opened his eyes, an amazing power began to radiate from his eyes. Although they couldn't see it, they could certainly feel it.

Upon seeing Bocka, Spat immediately dropped to his knees and said, "Oh master, I'm glad you've finally returned." Bocka turned his gaze towards Spat and smiled upon seeing him.

"Oh Spat, my loyal servant," said Bocka in deep voice that sounded like an echo. "It is so good to see you too."

"Don't forget me, master," said Glabrezu, stepping into the conversation. "It was through my brilliance and cunning that has brought you here." Bocka turned his gaze towards Glabrezu and eyed him as if he was studying him. Bocka casually approached Glabrezu and as he did, Glabrezu knelt down in order to bow to him.

"Indeed, if it weren't for you, I never would have been able to escape that accursed Astral Plane," said Bocka. "Now, here's your reward." Without warning, Bocka grabbed Glabrezu by the neck and then lifted him off his feet. Everyone, even Glabrezu, was surprised by this sudden action. Glabrezu tried to fend himself with his staff but then Bocka began to surround Glabrezu in an aura of red light which paralyzed his body.

"You don't seek to destroy your loyal servant, do you?" asked Glabrezu in fright.

"No, instead I'll do much worse," said Bocka. "I'm banishing you and that accursed staff back to Hell where you came from." With a flick of his wrist, Bocka opened a round portal right behind Glabrezu. A cold chill ran down everyone's back as they gazed upon the portal which looked like a swirling mass of red colors. What lay behind the portal was hard to see since the image of the world beyond was obscured as if they were seeing it at the bottom of a toilet bowl as it was being flushed. But through the obscurity, they could make out lots of red and black shapes which could only be the most terrifying images known. Glabrezu cried out, "Noooo" as he and the staff was tossed into the portal and it sealed itself, trapping Glabrezu forever.

The Ham-Hams were amazed at what they had just witnessed. Bocka had just imprisoned one of his own servants but why, they couldn't figure out. To make the situation even stranger, Bocka proceeded to the open portal to the Astral Plane. He stood in front of the portal, spread out his arms and said, "Neanna, hear my voice. Follow the sound of my voice and find the path to your freedom." From deep within the Astral Plane, a bright golden light could been seen. Like before, a glowing sphere was flying through the Astral Plane and towards the portal, filling the temple with its bright light as it came closer and closer to the exit. Bocka stood back as the sphere flew into the temple and immediately began to change form. As was the case with Bocka's entrance, this sphere too began to morph and change shape until the light died down, revealing a beautiful ham-ham.

She was completely white in color and had an aura of power glowing around her. Her eyes twinkled like jewels and strapped around her head was a single gold band that was decorated with quartz crystals and moonstones. Without another word, a strange energy began to surround the ham-ham as a spell was cast. A white light shot out from her body and expanded outwards in all directions. For a brief moment, as the power coursed through their bodies, the Ham-Hams felt weightless as if they had left their bodies for a moment. When the spell came to pass, the Ham-Hams opened their eyes and were shocked to find that all the scars from battle that once covered their bodies had been removed.

All the Ham-Hams who were trapped on the walls and ceiling by Glabrezu's web had been freed and they had been miraculously placed safely onto the floor. Moonbeam had been freed from the ice that had imprisoned her and now she laid on the floor warm and without any signs of frost bite. Harmony had been freed from her prison of quartz crystal. Mara had been freed from the plant that held her pinned to the wall and all the cuts on her body caused by the plant's thorns had been removed. But most importantly, Neteru had been completely healed from all his injuries. Every cut, every bruise, and even all the blood that was spilled had been removed. Now that he wasn't in pain, Neteru sat up from the ground and as he did, Kaiu immediately hugged him with joy.

"Daddy, you're all right," said Kaiu with joy. Neteru lovingly returned the hug. Mara ran up to them, repeating "Badda-Badda" as she ran up to them, and hugged them both.

"Thank goodness you're both okay," said Mara. As the family was embracing each other, the rest of the Ham-Hams had their eyes fixed on the second deity who came into their midst: Neanna.

Bocka turned one of the dials in front of the portal which closed the portal automatically. He then smiled as he said to Neanna, "It's good to see you again, sis."

"Same here, my brother," said Neanna in a soft voice as the two embraced each other in a hug.

"Heke," said the Ham-Hams.

"But I don't understand," said Hamtaro. "I thought Neanna and Bocka are mortal enemies."

"We were but after spending so long trapped in the Astral Plane, we had a lot of time to think to ourselves," said Neanna. "Despite the fact we were trapped in temporal stasis, we were still aware of what was happening on Earth."

"You see, years ago, back when the dinosaurs became extinct, the two of us began to rebuild the world so new life could form," explained Bocka. "Using the Giga stone Neanna had invented, we guided the evolution of the world and then created humans and ham-hams. As soon as the question over who the dominate species was going to be was brought up, arguments began to arise between myself and my sister. After studying the humans' behavior, I saw hatred and violence amongst their kind. Believing that they would cause great pain and suffering if aloud dominance over the Earth, I vowed to have them shunned from the world and forever be primitive apes while the Ham-Hams took over."

"When Bocka made that suggestion, I was horrified," said Neanna. "I personally believed that the human race would do great things and I wanted them to rule the world along side ham-hams but Bocka was determined to rid the world of the humans race. Fearing that he would do something drastic, I kept him away from the Giga Stone. Also, I made sure that no one on Earth knew too much about him because I feared Bocka's violence towards humans would spread to other ham-hams and make them become violent and evil."

"I was furious how my own twin sister had me kept in the dark like that," said Bocka. "It only made me more determined to save the world from the wrath of the humans. I knew I couldn't over power my sister because we were both equally strong and we had just as many celestials working for us. I decided to seek help from somewhere else but the only place where I could acquire the help of spiritual beings was from Hell. We both feared Hell because it was a place that prevented the most fearsome monsters from escaping into this world. Left with very few options, I decided to risk it and seek the help of a demon. After searching through the horrors of Hell itself, I found two demons who where willing to serve me. Their names were Glabrezu and Ulzogga."

"When I found out that my own brother had enlisted the help of demons, I was terrified that he was spiraling down a path of destruction that would surely affect the world for the worst," said Neanna. "Knowing I had to stop him, I began to devise a way to keep him from destroying the world. Since I had no known methods of destroying him, my only option was to imprison him and the only place I could send him that would contain him forever was the Astral Plane. I put together the twelve Caidoz pieces and then unlocked the door to the Astral Plane. I lured my brother into the temple but the only way I could force him into the Astral Plane was to drag him into the plane, thus imprisoning us both into the Astral Plane. After we were imprisoned, one of my loyal celestials closed the portal then separated the Caidoz pieces and spread them through out the world."

"After we were imprisoned, our celestials returned to their home plane, except for Harmony and Spat who volunteered to stay in the Mortal Plane and find a way to free us," said Bocka. "Meanwhile, the demons I had let loose on the Mortal Plane was still free. Ulzogga had betrayed me by seeking out his own personal power by stealing the Giga Stone. Meanwhile, Glabrezu and Spat worked together to find out how to free me. They found the ancient scrolls that contained the information about the Caidoz pieces and they later gave that information to Daruth."

"Over the years while we were trapped in the Astral Plane, we still had the power to see what was happening on Earth and, at a very limited extent, we could still influence the fate of small groups of people and ham-hams," said Neanna. "As I watched the evolution of humans, I soon realized that Bocka was right along about the human race. I was devastated and horrified by how violent the human race was towards each other and how they showed so much disrespect towards nature. Watching the horrible actions of the human race, I quickly realized that what Bocka said about the human race was all true. Undaunted, I was determined to find the good inside humans. At first, I tried changing a boy named Roberto into a haman but I quickly realized he was a rather poor candidate since he was reluctant to exploit his powers so he could be better connected to ham-hams and Harmony knew this. I waited for years for another chance until the day came when I discovered the Ham-Hams. I was amazed by the kind and friendly nature of the Ham-Hams. I suspected that their humans would be the same way so I decided to use that to my advantage."

"I decided to use the statue again but this time, I used it on five kids who were close to the Ham-Hams since they were the owners, except for Travis. I then used my powers to lure you all to Ankorbak to see if humans can peacefully interact with other ham-hams in their territory and the hamans had done so just as I had planned."

"While in the Astral Plane, Neanna and I could not communicate with each other so at the time, I didn't know what she was up to," said Bocka. "Then came the day when Glabrezu turned the citizens of the your town to stone. That caught my attention and as I watched the proceeding events unfold, I quickly learned about what Neanna had been doing. I was curious when I learned about what happened with Laura and her friends. Watching them interact with each other, I was amazed at how well the humans got along with the Ham-Hams. For the past four years, I've watched in amazement as ham-hams and humans worked together and from what I've seen, I've learned that I was wrong about humans and that they were not as bad as I thought. Also, after seeing the violence that took place here, I knew that by consorting with demons, I've put others in danger. You have to under stand, I just wanted to help the ham-hams and because of me, I've only made things worse."

"Don't say that," said Neanna gently. "You were right about the human race and what they would to do this planet if they became a dominant species. Not to mention I should have listened to your opinions rather than shun you from others." Bocka smiled in response.

"Perhaps we've both been rather foolish," said Bocka. "From now on, lets work together rather than against each other. Deal?"

"Deal," said Neanna as she hugged her brother. Harmony and Spat couldn't help but cast a smile to each other. At long last, there was peace.

"So now that you're back, what are you going to do know?" asked Kaiu.

"Well, we've been away from the world long enough," said Neanna. "I say it's time we took charge again but first, we're going to need the Giga Stone. Moonbeam, if you will." Moonbeam walked up to Neanna, knowing what she was about to do. Neanna placed a paw to Moonbeam's chest and said, "Gegolock envenious sedonus." The Ham-Hams watched in amazement as a strange green stone came out of Moonbeam's chest. Moonbeam didn't feel any pain as the Giga Stone was removed from her body. The stone she had kept inside of her, thanks to Neteru's magic, for all these years was finally removed and returned to its rightful owner. With the Giga Stone in hand, Neanna said to her brother, "You ready to change the world?"

"I'm ready," said Bocka. Paw in paw, the two walked towards the exit of the temple, repeating, "Ticky-Ticky" as they walked. The Ham-Hams followed close behind as the two deities walked out of the temple.

As soon as all of the Ham-Hams were outside, Bocka telekinetically closed the double doors to the temple. He then telekinetically pulled the Caidoz pieces off the door and directed them to hover over his up raised paw and instantly, the Caidoz pieces fell apart, their symbols removed and their power once again disabled. With the Caidoz pieces now in pieces, the Sidereal Palace began to sink into the ground, the Earth shaking as the temple disappeared under it. Once it was entirely underground, all traces of the Sidereal Palace was gone except for the single rock that protruded from the ground. Bocka held all twelve of the Caidoz pieces in his arms.

"Now we must go, thank you all for your help," said Neanna with a smile and with that, Neanna, Bocka, Spat, and Harmony began to rise off the ground and fly up into the air.

"Bye-Q, Neanna, bye-Q, Bocka," said Hamtaro as he waved "good-bye."

"Bye-Q, Ham-Hams," said Harmony as she floated away.

"Please come back soon," said Bijou.

"Glad we could help you," said Kaiu. All the Ham-Hams waved to the two ham-ham deities as they ascended into the sky.

That night, Kaiu and his family was in his bedroom as they read him a bedtime story. Kaiu sat on the end of the bed between his mom and dad as his father held up a book and read the story to him.

"'With the evil Bonchi Raven destroyed, nothing stood in Kaeru's way as he made his way to the Galena Mountains to find Zellax, the fire breathing dragon,'" read Neteru from the book.

"That was so cool that Kaeru could take on those huge ravens by himself," said Kaiu.

"Well, that's enough for now," said Neteru.

"What?" said Kaiu. "But I want to hear more."

"Sorry, but it's time for bed," said Mara. "You'll hear the rest of the story later, I promise. Now get into bed." Reluctantly, Kaiu laid down onto his bed, allowing his mom to pull his blanket over him and tuck him into bed. Mara lovingly kissed Kaiu on the forehead before saying, "Good night, son."

"Good night, Mommy," said Kaiu.

Neteru was about to kiss his son good night when suddenly, the door to Kaiu's bedroom swung open. To everyone's surprise, it was Terra who came in and she seemed out of breath as if she had been running.

"You guys, you got to see this," said Terra.

"What's wrong, Terra," asked Mara.

"Come out and see," said Terra. Curious, the three hamsters followed Terra as she led them outside.

Upon stepping outside, they quickly realized what Terra was talking about. High above them in the night sky was a meteor shower but not like any ordinary meteor shower they've ever seen. This is because the meteors they saw sailing through the sky were giving off a dazzling display of light and color, like nothing they had seen before. It was like the sky was raining rainbows which flashed colorfully in the sky like fire works. Kaiu stared up at the sky in amazement as if mesmerized by the shear beauty of it all.

"What is it, Daddy?" asked Kaiu.

"It's a meteor shower but I've never seen a meteor shower like this before," said Neteru.

"This is no ordinary meteor shower," said Mara. "I've heard of this. They are The Comets of Hope."

"Comets of Hope?" asked Neteru.

"What's that, Mommy?" asked Kaiu.

"When I was a girl, my mom always told me that according to legend, when Neanna comes back she will conjure the Comets of Hope which signals to the world that she has returned and the world is going to turn into a new direction."

"So this is Neanna's way of telling the world that she's back?" asked Kaiu.

"Exactly," said Mara. "However, instead of announcing Neanna's return, this is an announcement of the return of Bocka and Neanna.

"Wow, are they really going to change the world?" asked Kaiu.

"Yep, they sure are, son," asked Neteru with a smile.

As Neteru, Kaiu, Mara, and Terra admired the sky full of meteors, other ham-hams and humans around the world were watching the astronomical display as well. All the Ham-Hams and their owners were standing near their bedroom windows, watching the falling stars and admiring the dazzling light show above them. Boss had stepped out of Clubhouse to get a glass of water when he saw the display of lights overhead. Like Neteru and his family, Boss stood there at the entrance to his home, transfixed in amazement at the sight of the meteor shower overhead. Of-course, the Ham-Hams were not the only ones who was watching the skies.

All the way in Rokugon, Soshi and her family was standing outside their home, admiring the astrological display above. Soshi stood there with Kuni in her arms, Kitsu standing to her right, and Jingle standing to her left. The family was watching the meteors in amazement and wonder.

"Look at that, Kuni, a meteor shower," said Soshi. Kuni only giggled as she reached towards the skies as if she was trying to catch one of the meteors. Soshi just laughed at her daughter's antics.

"Yeah, you want one of those, don't you?" asked Soshi as she cradled the infant in her arms. Meanwhile, the two men had their eyes on the meteors.

"Well isn't that a pretty sight," said Jingle.

"It certainly is," agreed Kitsu.

Meanwhile, not too far from them, Arwrew and Asakura were sitting on the roof of their home and staring up at the sky. The lights and colors from the meteors danced across Arwrew's face as he stared up at the meteors.

"Amazing," said Arwrew. "The Comets of Hope. I never thought I would live to see them."

"Me too," said Asakura. "This is the most incredible thing I've ever seen in my entire afterlife." Arwrew giggled in response.

Meanwhile, about five miles away from Rokugon in a tribe located in the middle of a forest, two newly weds, Cade and Ilde, were sitting on top of their home and admiring the stars when all of a sudden, the sky was filled with meteors.

"Wow, I've never seen a meteor shower before," said Ilde in wonder.

"I know, it's so beautiful," said Cade. As he watched, he felt Ilde's paw grab his own and the two sat their, paw in paw as they admired the falling stars together.

As the two lovers sat and watched the stars fall, two other lovers were also doing the same thing all the way in Halastia. Those two lovers were Seamore and Barrette who sat in front of their photo shop, admiring the sky full of light and color. Not far from them, Daruth stood outside his mansion, watching in amazement at the display of falling stars above him. He smiled to himself as he said, "At last, the Comets of Hope have finally arrived."

Five miles North of Halastia was a small island called Drumstone. Even from this small island, the meteors were clearly visible and all the now free citizens of Drumstone was watching the meteors in wonder. This included Tick and Amy who was standing on a balcony of the castle.

"I don't believe it, it's the Comets of Hope," said Amy.

"I knew Neteru would be able to free Neanna," said Tick.

"And to think, the world is finally going to be set on a right track," said Amy.

"Yes, it's no wonder why they're called the Comets of Hope," said Tick. "For the first time, there's hope for everyone."

"What do you mean?" asked Amy.

"Everyone of every species has been given a second chance," said Tick. "This world has been spiraling out of control for centuries. With Neanna back, the world will finally have guidance."

Of-course, Tick wasn't the only one who was thinking that Neanna's return signified a change for the future. Hamsters and humans all over the world were looking up at the night sky with wonder and amazement at the sight of all the colorful lights that flashed along the night sky. Some of them knew of the legend of the Comets of Hope, filling them with joy and excitement knowing that the world was finally going to take a new turn for the better. For those who didn't know about the legend, they only thought the meteors were just a natural phenomena and were very pretty to look at. But out of all those who was watching the falling stars that night, none of them had the same impact from seeing those meteors as the Ham-Hams did because this all would never had been possible if it hadn't been for the Ham-Hams. It was with teamwork and friendship that united not just themselves, but many different ham-hams from miles apart. Out of all the terrible things Glabrezu had done, he was right about one thing: Only teamwork could possibly bring the twelve Caidoz pieces together, teamwork that Glabrezu could not manage with his evil and selfish ways. If he had only known about the power of friendship, he would have known that even the kind hearted Ham-Hams could convert an all powerful god to their side. Even little Kaiu realized how important friendship is and he also realized how special he was to have been a part of it. Without saying a word, he wrapped his arms around his father and said, "I love you, Daddy." Neteru didn't say anything but instead, he picked up his son into his arms and hugged him tightly. The future is bright for both the present generations and the new generations, and as father and son held each other, it symbolically sealed their happy futures together. After all, there's no stronger love than the one between a father and his son.

The End

Author's Note: Yes, it is finally over. I would like to give a big thanks to all who read my saga and stuck by it for all this time. Now that you've managed to reach the end of this story, I suppose you're wondering if there's going to be another story in the saga and the answer: no. I know I had mentioned that I would think about the possibility of a sequel and after thinking about it for months, I decided not to write another story. After writing four stories over a period of one year, I've grown bored of it. There are so many other things I'd rather do with my time than write the fifth story to the Neteru saga and I wont have that chance to do those things if I'm stuck writing a fifth story. And even if I did write the fifth story, it would be nothing more than a way of pleasing my fans. A story written without any passion to it would not turn out as good as the other stories so it would be senseless to write the story. I'm sorry but this is where I have to leave the audience wanting more. Thank you again for reading my saga.