(I really cannot say how many chapters are left; it's seriously tough. I do know one thing for sure though: there will be no more stalling, interruptions, plot twists, or new villains to hinder our progress. It has been great, and I'm considering doing a prequel; yes, I love this too much to let it go. But, really, the final conclusion is about to be upon all of us, and then we can only imagine the type of crap Jet gets himself into.)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Fifteen: Beyond Tomorrow I

Todd felt numb inside; he was at an absence of what to do. Even as he tried to sleep inside of Lombardia, he could not; something was nagging at him, almost killing him. This feeling of dread continued to grow as he watched his companions sleep. He could almost sense that Aaron and Virginia felt similar, but their reasons were entirely different.

However, the feeling inside of him was a completely separate one; he thought it was one of jealousy, perhaps even sorrow.

He was not human, or at least Guile did not think he was. It seemed like a foolish and impossible idea, but the more Todd sat there and thought about it, he knew it was true. He had only met one demon in his lifetime, and that was Haruko. That demon had even stated that he had once been human, but while he was not sure if the others thought so, Todd agreed. He could relate to Haruko on so many different levels, but he despised the fact that he was an entity, or something similar, that could hate so strongly; even kill. He had attempted to think about why the demon had wanted to eliminate Filgaia. At first, he had thought it was because he had been sealed within a mask for thousands of years, but he knew it was incorrect; nothing like that could drive someone to kill; no, it was something much more personal, something that had affected Haruko so deeply that he grieved for his entire life. It must have forced him to sit alone on a hilltop and watch life go by, slowly, uncaring. A tragedy that great is difficult to come by, and it may only occur for those who lead the most happy life.

Todd felt tears roll down his cheeks as he thought about the entire incident. He would never be able to find someone he truly cared for; someone that could hold him when nothing seemed right.

He sighed and examined the room; everyone else seemed to be sleeping silently, but he noticed Aaron was absent from his seat beside Enrique. Standing slowly, as to not awake the others, he crept outside and onto Lombardia's right wing.

Todd closed his eyes and let the wind touch his face. He had never been outside of the compartment when the dragon was flying, so he carefully realized his situation and began to walk around the structure. He spotted Aaron sitting down; he was leaning against a small spike on Lombardia's neck.

"What are you doing out here?" Todd asked while approaching Aaron, who did not respond until the boy had sat down next to him.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? You can see all the stars, and the moon is so magnificent," he said as Todd stared at him. "I don't mean to pry, Aaron, but what are you going to do when this is all over?" The swordsman pondered the question before smiling slightly. "I was thinking about visiting that town, Vallaice. Actually, other than that, I have no idea. I suppose I'm just going to follow the path that life wants me to follow."

Todd frowned. "So it's not clear for you as well…" he stated as the man stood up. "This is it, Todd. You have to tell yourself that life wants you to keep going; you might just find what you're supposed to by pressing onwards… to the future."

The boy chuckled as the great bodies of water below them suddenly shot upwards, spiraling around an imaginary pillar.

"Like I said," Aaron started while watching chunks of land fly up to join the water. "…we have to keep going."

Jet struggled to pull himself a few feet forward, clutching his right shoulder at random intervals. He ground his teeth and tried to stand, but his legs gave away, and he collapsed. The endless, huge stream of water above him crashed loudly as land, debris, and air spun around the small remnants of the island he laid upon.

He found himself starting to cry though, and it was quite surprising even to him. Jet had been ignoring his emotions until now, but everything just seemed to spill out. His control faltered, and he found that it was a hopeless situation; he was too weak to even stand up, and all he really wanted to do was succumb to the pain and fall asleep.

"Would you like some help?"

Jet stopped rolling and struggling on the ground and listened. He could not track down the source of the voice, but it was extremely close.

"Hey, can you hear me, Jet?"

The Drifter groaned and coughed. It was a male voice, and it sounded like that of a young boy, most likely almost a teenager.

Jet ignored the growing pain and began to sit up, straining his eyes to focus on the boy standing before him. The boy's hair was a tad lighter than Jet's; long bangs drooped over his cobalt blue eyes. His baggy, beige pants were held up by a leather belt, while his shirt was a navy blue under a black vest. Jet watched him as he extended a hand towards him.

"So, do you want some help, or not?"

The Drifter gradually reached up for the hand with his remaining left arm. He grasped it, and the boy, somewhat tiresomely, heaved him up to lean against him.

"I've been watching you, Jet; thanks for looking after Todd for me," the boy stated while allowing Jet to lean against a boulder. "What… are you talking about? Who the hell are you and what do you want?" The Drifter felt some of his anger leak out as he asked this. After having his right arm shattered and being physically beaten down, he was in no good mood.

"Well, I really shouldn't be here, anyways. If Crystaelius hadn't opened the seal over Dawn, we wouldn't be here."

"We?"

"The souls who can't rest in peace; I'm one of them."

Jet seemed a tad surprised, but shrugged it off. "So, you're dead? And tons of other ghosts are wandering around. The boy shook his head and pointed towards the sky. A circular pit was growing, and everything in its radius was being sucked up. "You see that? The portal to Dawn was never meant to open. Any of the spirits can come and go as they please, but I came to help you. I'm pretty sure that Crystaelius wants Dawn to swallow all of Filgaia. Everyone sucked in will be trapped for an eternity."

Jet sighed. "That's all fine and dandy, but you still haven't told me who you are, and what exactly you're going to do."

"Oh, yeah, well, I died, about ten to eleven years ago. See, when you die, it just feels like you black out, and then you wake up again, but you don't wake up in your bed, or where you fell asleep; you actually wake up in a place that's serene and tranquil. It's and endless field with flowers; that's Dawn. I can't tell you about a heaven or hell, but that was the place I went to after I saved a friend of mine. Really, I don't feel horrible about it; I'm actually glad, because I'm still here, just not with my friends or loved ones. It's lonely sometimes, but I'm glad it wasn't Aaron."

Jet gasped slightly. "You're… that kid I was modeled after? The real Jet Enduro?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah, at least I was. But I'm glad that you're the one who's living out my life, which is why I've come to help you. You're the only one who can stop this madness, Jet, and I came to make sure you do."

The boy grinned and approached the Filgaia Sample. "You won't be able to defeat Crystaelius or close the seal of Dawn in your current state, but once we've merged, you can stop him.

"Merged! What the hell do you mean?" Jet was beginning to grow afraid for some reason, but he did not understand why. This boy, the person he was based off of, had a peculiar feeling to him. He seemed friendly, but he had a cold, steely aura around him. This, 'Jet Enduro', was different; he had existed in a place where he could no longer see or hug those he loved.

Jet suddenly felt horrible. His own life was given at the cost of this boy's, and now he was expected to save the world? He could not do it.

"I can't… it's…"

"Our last chance," spoke the boy. "Please, let me do this. There's still time to stop all of this! Once this is over, you all can live in peace and I can go back! You have a choice, Jet, but please make the right one."

The silver- haired Drifter glanced at the ground and then back to the boy. "F-Fine… Do whatever you want." The boy smiled and nodded. "Thank you," he replied before his body began to glow.

"This might sting, but only for a little bit." His body faded into a small sphere of light which darted into Jet, causing him to scream out in agony. He fell to his knees; his body shook and burned in pain. However, after a moment, the pain elevated, and he felt perfectly fine.

Jet stood up, glancing at his body. He looked the same, but he felt like he had completely recovered since his previous battle with Crystaelius.

He nodded and looked up to the sky. "This is over."

A sudden rocking awoke the passengers within Lombardia's back. The great black hole was increasing in size; it would soon grow large enough to suck up most of Filgaia.

"Excuse me, but what the hell is that?" Enrique asked while watching the pit. Ileana frowned. "Yes, what is that? Grandfather, do you know?"

"No, I have no idea what that is, but Crystaelius must be involved with it; that's the only explanation," Guile answered as Virginia ground her teeth. "Then we have to go to the base of that thing; he should be there."

"And so should Jet," Todd stated as he stepped inside, followed by Aaron.

"Right then, let's do it!"

Crystaelius sighed and stood patiently on the large platform of emerald. "Finally, I won't be lonely anymore… All of those pesky humans will endure the same sorrow I did," he thought aloud as something suddenly landed on the platform.

The Ewl had no need to turn around; he knew who the person was. "How interesting; you recovered quite quickly Jet."

The Drifter shrugged. "I had some help."
"I'm sure."

Crystaelius turned and frowned. "Why did you come? Are you going to stop me; defeat me?" he inquired as Jet scratched his forehead. "You're right; I did come, but not to defeat you. I came to send you back."

The boy began to laugh. "It's too late for that! Dawn will consume Filgaia, and then I will finally be free! I'll no longer have to wallow in sorrow and loneliness!"

Jet smirked. "That's nice, but you forgot that I'm here to stop you."

"Oh, and how do you intend to stop me? The last time we skirmished I was the one who came out fine, but you lost an arm, and all that power."

Jet chuckled. "I won't need both of my arms to beat you down." Crystaelius shrugged. "Well then, let's see what exactly you have planned for me, eh?"

"Sure."

The platform began to tremble lightly as a bright green aura surrounded Jet. Two spheres of light appeared of light appeared on his back. They sunk into his skin and burst out; two golden wings.

The aura weakened, forming a small shield around him. A beam of light shot from his right shoulder, forming a bare arm. The aura shrunk down into a sphere in his right hand. It transformed into a green sword.

Air burst around him, and everything suddenly grew silent.

"Well, very impressive. You have synchronized completely with Filgaia, but so have I. What does that make us, Jet, tell me."

"How the hell should I know?"

"Hmm, I'll tell you; this grand power we both have achieved has made us gods; we are the ultimate beings."

Jet smiled. "Are you done talking? You're really starting to piss me off." Crystaelius grinned. "Of course."

(Two more fights to go.)