Well, my second try at a Seiken Densetsu 3 (aka Secret of Mana 2) fanfic, and I fervently hope this one comes out better than the first one. Well, not much more to say other than a BIG thankyou to Helel Ben for looking this through. Please send reviews, they're my isnpiration (meaning they keep me writing). Enjoy! (I hope)

Human world

Deities world

Dream world

Koren, Angela, and Pink

Angela frowned. The fine trickle of magic that was supposed to come to her wasn't coming.

"Concentrate, princess!"

Well, if Joseph were quiet maybe she'd be able to!

"...I still cannot understand why you can't seem to do it, highness."

Angela exploded.

"Maybe if you shut UP I'd be ABLE to concentrate!"

"Princess! That's not the way to speak for someone of the royalty-!"

"Oh shush!" Angela left her casting stance, thowing her hair back in an irritated motion.

"Princess...this cannot be! You are daughter of Queen Valda! How can you not cast magic! I haven't had such an exasperating student since Koren's apprentice days!"

She hissed at the name. Koren this, Koren that. The old coot seemed to take pride in having had Koren, the greeeat Red Lotus mage as an apprentice. Even if at the time he had been as inept at it as she was now.

"I've had enought for today." she announced airly, already walking to the door.

"Princess wait!"

"My queen..."

"What is it Debe?"

"They are summoning you, mistress of all..."

"They do that every second. Am I supposed to listen to them? No!"

"But my godess...Didn't you say it was time to start...?"

"I didn't say nothing of the sort. Now leave."

"...Yes my lord."

The great Queen of Nightmares, attending summons like a simple desk receptionist...ha! Her body, now resembling a dark flame, shook in the golden throne. She (because the deity fancied itself a she, and always had) a great godess, LISTENING to little humans praying to her!

She shifted. Now she was an elegant young lady sitting in a great bubble bath.

"Mmm...Diane."

Her servant appeared, kneeling at the foot of the richly decorated bathtub, blushing slightly at her master's appearance.

"Who is it that is calling?"

"Eh...?Ah! Well..."Diane concentrated, the third eye in her brow opening "A young man...the human world...the ice contint...Altena...Koren, the Red Lotus..."

"Calling from that ice cube of a land again! I said no! It's not my business to change the wather!"

"Well princess of the dreams, he's asking for...oh."

"What? Wealth and fame?"

"Well, no..."

What was it so offensive that her servant dared not voice? She swirled the bubbly water of her bathtub, creating a little screen. She watched and listened as a handome man recited the summons for her, speaking his request. He was saying it over and over again. Good thing he did, beacuse it was hard for it to kick in. And when she did understand, the deity suddenly fell back into the water, laughting so hard the walls of her dimension shook.

"M-mistress...! Should...should we kill him?"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The nerve they had! To open the gate to the mana holyland! She laughted louder, and moved her hands in glee, making the human a little present...

Koren stopped the prayer. It was commonly known these prayers were purely customs, they never worked. It was even doubtful the goddess they were dedicated to existed.

"Tell the princess to come."

If the godess of the chaos didn't answer, they could always use that other way...and the princess was now but an annoyance.

Princess Angela entered the room, kneeling before her emotionless mother. Koren smirked.

Well, this way would be a little more slow, as not all the countries were going to surrender their mana stones...but it would certainly be more entertaining.

"Now, princess..."

"Mistress...what did you...?"

"Ohhh, such a daring young man! Praying to me without believing of my existence!" she snickered "I just can't wait for my little present to reach him..."

"Mistress..?"

"Do not worry, Diane dear. It will cause no life extinctintion."

"But mistress...what did you send?"

"Curious aren't you? Well Diane, you're a magician yourself, aren't you? What would be your favourite present?"

"...Well...a new powerful spell...but why would you-"

"He's a handsome young man." she stated "And I've set my eyes on him now. It'll be interesting to see how he does. And besides, it's about time the Mana heroes are chosen."

"Eh?"

"Diane dear, I told you already, I promised the mana godess to watch over her kingdom...but nobody said I had to take care of it in a...benign way."

To herself, Diane pitied the human world.

Koren snarled the orders to the soldiers. And damn that Angela! How could she have gotten away...that had been a very powerful spell that had made her dissapear from his presence...

He headed back to his room, fuming. Sitting on his workdesk, he tried to calm down. Take deep breaths, you're a great magician! You cannot lose your cool!

He looked around his desk for something to do and keep himself busy.

"Mm? I don't remember having this."

He grabbed the book that sat atop his strategy archives. It was small and thin, with fragile covers of white paper. Curious, he opened it, but all pages were blank.

All but one. The page in the exact center of the little book had a single word written to it.

Duerme.

Without even noticing, Koren fell asleep.

"Mistress...he's fallen asleep..."

"But of course! Now go. I have to make myself presentable.

"You...you'll meet him!"

"Leave, dear." she ordered.

"Y-yes mistress..."

She shifted her body to black smoke and did the throne made bathtub disappear. Her dimension rippled. What would be best for meeting the young presumptuous man...?

She snikered.

Koren had the distinct sensation of being face down on a hard floor. Everything was kind of woozy and blurry at the sides in his head, and when he tried to open his eyes, he saw nothing.

"Maybe you should try to lift your face off the floor?" came a giggly voice.

He did so. It was hard to see still, as everything was very dark...but he could discern something,a...!

"You do not have to get so scared." The dragon pouted.

"A...a...!"

"Dragon lady?" she smiled, showing rows of teeth "But you have met the dragon emperor, have you not? I thought you'd be used to us!"

"I...I have never seen the dragon emperor in such..."

"What, you mean to tell me you see him as human?"

"Ooooh! That cheater! Well fine! Take a good look at a great dragon, dear!"

Koren watched, mesmerised. The dragon was...huge. With lots of teeth. Inmense claws. Definitely fierce looking...But it wasn't that wich made him watch it in a mix of awe and dread.

It was that the dragon, as big as a hill, was a shoking pink color.

"Now my dear, name?"

"Koren..."

"Koren...it's a pretty name...well Koren, would you like a present? I shall not give it to you if you don't want it..."

Koren perked up. He nodded vigorously, feeling very much like a child.

"Tought so. Now listen well Koren. These are the words for a great spell I'm going to teach you. Pay close attention, as I'm only going to say them once. Well, here goes..."

The pink dragon lowered her great head to were Koren lay, blocking sight of anything else. She intoned the words, clear in his mind, and he clung to them greedily.

"Now that's settled. Go back to sleep. Use the spell wisely."

"But what does it do!"

"Who knows? Find out by yourself dear! And send your master my regards."

As the dream faded, Koren told himself he would never be able to watch a dragon without remembering that...pink.

"Mistress..."

"Ha! Shows that emperor right! Now the boy won't be able to respect him as much!"

The pink dragon laughted maniatically. Diane winced at its color.

"You are so cruel master..."

"Tell me about it, dear."

Angela shivered. Her dress wasn't tailored to this cold, nor to fighting. Those monsters of the sub zero snowfields had done a pretty good job at almost breaking her only weapon at hand, and almost ripping her dress. Almost.

Trudging thought the snow was hard and painful. She couldn't feel her feet anymore, and the tails of her dress whipped at her tights painfully because of the fierce wind. Tired, she fell to her knees.

"I can't go on anymore...mother..."

"She's fainted."

"I noticed...go get her Diane. Take her near Elrand, and make sure someone finds her."

"Yes master."

Diane didn't dare comment on her goddess' sudden bout of mercy.

Warmth. That's the fist thing that registered. She didn't dare open her eyes, might she be dreaming and wake up.

"Mommy! She's waking up! She moved!"

"It's normal for people to move in their sleep, Chichi..."

People? She opened her eyes slowly, adjusting to the dim light of the room.

"But mommy look! She opened her eyes!"

Steps coming towards her. Someone coming in her blurry field of vission. A woman?

"Oh my! You're awake! Thank godness! Are you feeling better now?" A weak nod "You still look tired. Sleep some more, my child, you'll need it."

And with that, Angela fell into a deep, paceful sleep wothout dreams.

"Master? May I ask about your sudden mercy? I thought you said you favored this Koren character..."

"I said nothing of the sort" the small girl sitting in the onmious throne said in a squeaky voice. "Besides, that doesn't mean I don't like the girl."

"But you always let..."

"People die?"

"Well, yes."

"These days will be very strange Diane, I suggest you get used to it."

Sooo, how was it? Very bad? Impossible to shallow? Passable? Please let me know!