Disclaimer: I still don't own Digimon.

A/N: Okay,fanfiction's format is messed up and won't let me have any question marks at the ends of the slashes, so there won't be any question marks when TK and his wolves are communicating. Just so you know, it's not my fault and it's bugging the crap out of me! /hits head on computer./

RinoaHeart7/blushes/ Thanks for the great review, I really don't think I'm that good of a writer. Anyway, since you alreadyfigured it out, I'll just tell you now that, yes, Katya and Hiroki do both die. It gets repetitive, I know, but it's needed for the story as you'll see later. And, I have to apologize and say that this chap. probably won't clear up hardly any questions, but the next one with TK and Katya will. So, just bear with me, please.

Now, onto the next chap, please enjoy!

TK lay on his side, breathing heavily, trying to recover from his latest 'punishment.' It had been two weeks since Isan had trapped them in the center of those bluffs. They had been too surprised and scared to react right away, and even when they could react, they were no match.

They had been knocked out, and brought here, to another of Isan's keeps, not far from the oasis. They were separated now, and TK had no idea how Katya was. He hoped that she wasn't being beaten like he was, but knew that it was a definate possibility. He lifted his head slightly as a door was thrown open. He prayed it wasn't Isan coming to fetch him, he wasn't sure he could survive another 'punishment' just yet.

He sighed dejectedly as he heard Isan's voice, but perked as he heard a feminine one as well. Katya!

He jumped up, ignoring the searing pain, and rushed to the front of the cell he was in. Peering through the bars, he saw Katya fighting against Isan, and losing horribly. Isan looked both annoyed and slightly amused as Katya began punching and kicking him, having used up almost all of her energy and not being able to call on her Light.

"Murderer!" she yelled, voice cracking. "You filthy butchering bastard!" with each word, she twisted against his hold and landed a foot or fist on his scaly skin.

TK could see that she was dangerously low on energy. "Katya!" he called out, hoping to stop her. "Stop this Katya, you're going to destroy yourself! Please, don't do this!"

Katya's head whipped over to him; eyes flashing first with relief, then with grief and anger.

"The village," she exclaimed quietly, voice breaking. "He destroyed the village. He killed everyone! Now my whole family is gone! You son of a whoring bitch!" she yelled, directing her attention and struggles back to Isan.

Isan's expression lost all hint of amusement and he backhanded Katya, sending her to the ground. She cried out as her fresh 'punishment' wounds were jolted. Isan toward over her, continuing to slap her with both his hands and his tail. When he hit her with the latter, long scratches were left from the spikes.

He continued beating her for several minutes, ignoring TK's loud protests.

In his cell, TK was fuming, trying with all of his might to find a way to protect Katya. He looked inside himself for his Shadow power, feeling slightly discouraged when he found himself nearly drained empty. But, that didn't stop him from trying to dig deeper for the energy.

Suddenly, as he went even deeper, his mind began to spin, he couldn't understand. It began to spiral; down, down, down. It was engulfed in Shadows, it was being drowned. Panicked, he pulled his mind away from the energy in himself, back to the present.

Looking up, he saw that Isan had stopped hitting Katya, and was looking at him with an amused curiousity. Striking Katya one last time, he turned to leave, but not before sending a meaningful look at TK. The boy ignored it, focusing on the more important matter.

"Katya! Katya are you alright!" TK asked frantically after Isan had left.

The girl was laying on her back, gasping for air. Her eyes were half shut, and her hands were clenched.

"Katya!" TK exclaimed again when there was no answer, or even movement, from the girl. "Katya, answer me!"

"Ta…ker…u," was all she mummered before going completely limp, breathing hitching before stopping completely.

"Katya! Katya!" TK cried out, not sure why he was so upset. After all, he had been to the Underworld and returned, what indication was there that Katya wouldn't return as well?

But still, if he was Dark and she was Light, how would she find the Underworld? If it had been inviting to him, would it be frightening for her? And if it was, would she be brave enough to accept the Life Force Crystal? He knew he probably wouldn't have accepted it as easily as he had if the surroundings hadn't been so inviting, hadn't made him feel comfortable.

As he stared at her now-still form, he prayed that she would make the right decision and come back to him. He needed her. He really did.

"Hello?" Katya called out timidly. "Is anyone here? Takeru? Anybody?"

Cautiously, she walked a few steps forward. A rustling came from behind her. She spun around and let out a yelp as two red, glowing lights peirced the darkness. Then, they were gone. Letting out a shaky breath, she turned back around and continued down the broken passageway.

The passageway she was in was a stone one, and it was falling apart. Every few feet or so, there would be a pile of rubble somewhere in the corridor. The only light came from sparsely placed torches that were dimly lit at best.

After she tripped over the third or fourth pile of rubble, it finally occurred to her to use her Light. She carefully formed a small ball a let it float a few feet in front of her, lighting the way. She idly wondered why she hadn't thought of it earlier.

Now that the corridor was lit, she could see more of its details. She saw that, every so often, there would be a stone sculpture of a demonic creature to the side of the path. The areas directly between these sculptures and the walls were completely black and not even her Light could disintegrate the shadows. A few times, she thought she saw red flashes in the dark, and wasn't sure she even wanted to know what the shadows hid.

After nearly an hour of walking, she found that the tunnel seemed to twist and turn forever. She wondered if she would ever reach the end. Slightly out of breath, she stopped for a second, placing one hand on her knee and the other on the wall. She noticed that the wall under her hand seemed fragile and very bumpy.

Looking over curiously, she screamed and yanked her hand back. There was a skeleton on the wall! A skeleton! She hadn't noticed it before, even with her Light. Legs shaking, she backed away slowly before quickly turning and half-jogging down the tunnel.

'Okay, this place is way too weird for me! I want out! But, how do I get out? I don't even know where I am. Oh, I'd give anything for a way out of here.'

As soon as she finished that last thought, she found herself face to face with a door that seemed to appear out of nowhere. She yelped slightly and lept back. She sighed and shook her head.

'I must be going crazy, thinking that doors just 'appear'. Well, then again, this is Hiata. I suppose anything's possible.'

"Yes, anything is," came a soft and sweet female voice.

"Who's there?" Katya demanded, jumping a bit.

The door in front of her creaked open slowly.

"Come through and see," replied the soft voice. "and do not fear, nothing will happen to you here."

"How do I know I can trust you?" Katya challenged.

"Lord Takeru trusts me," was the soft reply. "If you trust him, you can trust me as well."

Katya was speechless. How did this woman know Takeru? More importantly, was she telling the truth about Takeru trusting her? She frowned slightly as she tried to look beyond the door. However, it was pitch black, and she couldn't see a thing. Her gut told her that whatever was beyond that door was dark, not evil, but dark. The woman was another story. Katya's gut told her that the woman could be trusted.

Figuring she had nothing to lose, she stepped through the door. She gasped loudly as the black that had been shielding the door became palpable, surrounding her. It became more dense, she couldn't breathe! She tried to left her hands to get whatever it was away from her airway, but her arms felt like lead weights. She was seriously doubting her gut feeling right now.

"Come through Guardian, 'tis not much further. Here, give me your hand."

Through the black, she saw a pale hand extend its fingers towards her. It was only a few feet away, she could make it, she knew she could. Forcing her panic down and pushing her heavy legs forward, she walked towards the hand slowly. When she was close enough, she forced her arm to lift and grabbed the slender pale fingers. The fingers closed around her hand and pulled her through the rest of the black.

Gasping for breath, she continued to cling to the hand. When she had regained her senses, she looked up at her savior and gasped, dropping the hand. Floating next to her was a lovely pale woman, dress and hair swirling around her. A white stone floated in front of her chest.

The woman smiled down kindly and offered her hand again. "Welcome my Lady Light Mage."

"Welcome to where?" Katya muttered absently as she took the offered hand.

"The Underworld, my Lady. The passage between life and death. I am the Angel of Death, protecter of this place."

Looking around, Katya took in the Underworld. There were more demonic statues lining a path that led to a horribly frightening energized portal. Sparks hissed within it, the occasional few lashing out and grabbing onto a red flash of light. These red flashes of light let out a beastly cry before disappearing. Katya shuddered and shifted closer to the Angel of Death.

"Be not afraid, my Lady," the Angel of Death cooed soothingly. "The Portal of Death will not harm you. It wishes you alive."

"Alive?" Katya asked, surprised. "I was under the impression that I was already dead. I mean, I am in the Underworld."

"So was Lord Takeru, before he returned."

Katya was rendered speechless again.

"And you may return as well, my Lady, if that is your wish," the Angel of Death continued, barely pausing.

"How? How is that possible?"

"Come my Lady," the Angel said, pulling Katya's hand slightly.

Katya followed with no protest, feeling safe with this woman. She was led to a corner of the room, away from the Portal of Death. For that, she was grateful. The Angel of Death dropped the young girl's hand, motioned for her to stand still, and went to go retrieve something.

As Katya stood, she wondered what object the Angel of Death had that could allow her to live again. The Angel returned shortly, holding what looked like a white glowing ball in her hands. Upon closer inspection, Katya saw that it wasn't a white glowing ball, but a white crystal surrounded by a white aura. It was beautiful. Katya instinctively raised her hand towards it.

"Here, my Lady. 'Tis your Life Force Stone," the Angel said, handing it to the younger girl. "It was made indirectly for you."

"Indirectly?"

The Angel smiled. "I mean, the person who made it does not know that he has made it. Should you choose to use it, you can return to the land of the living. The only catches are that you will not be healed, and you will be the Portal of Death's servant. It will not ask much, but you must do what it asks. The choice is completely up to you."

Katya fell silent, looking at the glowing crystal in her hands. She wasn't sure how she felt about not being healed, and especially about being a 'servant' to the Portal of Death, but if she got another chance at life…Besides, if she died she'd have to leave her lionesses, Akio, and Takeru behind. Even though she would be with her family, she wasn't sure it would be worth it. And she did have a destiny to complete.

"Alright, I'll do it," she said, looking back up at the Angel of Death with a determined face. "You just tell me how."

Still in his cell, TK growled at the two Garians who were moving Katya. They were being quite rough, even though the girl was obviously very injured. The Garians just sneered at him as they threw Katya into a cell across from his. Then, they turned their full attention to him.

Walking over, they took out the keys to his cell.

"Don't even think of trying anything," one of them warned, though they all knew he was too low on energy to do much damage.

TK growled as they unlocked his cell. They quickly pinned his arms to his sides, one snapping a chain onto his god-forsaken collar. He growled again as he was yanked down the hall. He had all but forgotten about the collar until he was recaptured, and Isan started using it against him again, treating him like a pet.

"Where are you taking me?" TK asked, trying to jerk away from the Garian who was pinning his arms behind him uncomfortably.

"Stop fighting boy," the Garian snapped, slapping him and pointedly ignoring his question.

TK muttered curses under his breath, yet ceased his futile struggling. He looked up as they stopped in front of a door. One of the Garians pushed it open and he was pushed inside. He saw that it was a rather plain room, with just a few chains on the walls and floor, and a couple boxes lying around. He inwardly shuddered as he saw Isan 'sitting' off to the side, watching.

The two Garians kneeled and forced TK to his knees as well. They then pushed his head down so that his forehead was touching the ground. He fought a little, but was already very weak.

"Here he is Master," one of the Garians announced.

"Good," resounded Isan's voice. "Leave us."

The two Garians nodded and left. TK sat up and glared at the Shadowlore who was advancing slowly.

"Well, my pet," Isan started off leisurely. "I see that you have acquired a new ability while we were separated. But it seems that you can't control it since you didn't use it when I was hurting your precious companion, you hid from it instead. I bet I could help you with that," he hissed, grabbing TK's chin and forcing him to look up.

TK tired to pull away, disgusted, but Isan kept a tight hold on him.

"Just tell me exactly what this new power is and I'll help you control it, yes?"

"Over my dead body," TK replied dangerously softly, glaring at Isan.

Isan growled and backhanded the boy, sending him all the way to the ground. He then dragged him over to one of the sets of manacles on the floor. After securing him, he slithered over to one of the boxes. TK gulped as he saw a whip being pulled out.

Isan turned to him with a malicious look in his eyes. "Last chance pet."

TK remained silent, not willing to give in, but afraid his voice might betray the fear he felt.

Isan growled slightly. "Very well. But remember, you brought this upon yourself." With that, he raised the whip.

The next 20 minutes was a blur to TK. A loud, angry, painful blur. Though it only lasted 20 minutes, in his mind, Isan couldn't have left soon enough. So now he was here, hunched over in the middle of the floor, back stinging from the whip marks. He didn't dare try to lie all the way down, or move at all, because he knew it would only bring more pain. He settled for sitting on his knees and curling over so that his head was on his lap. It was the position he had been whipped in for most of the time, so it was one of the least painful.

Outside the room, he heard some of the guards pacing and talking, but he couldn't make out words. Everything sounded fuzzy to him. Everything looked fuzzy too. With a heavy sigh, he finally gave in to his exhaustion and passed out.

A winged figure silently watched the hurt boy in Isan's dungeon from the high windowsill. He pitied the boy, more than anyone could imagine. He winced inwardly as the young one unconsciously moaned in pain.

Making sure the coast was clear, the figure spread his wings and glided down to the concrete floor. Landing silently a few feet from the boy, the man cautiously approached said boy.

He sighed in relief as he saw that the younger was asleep, or passed out as it was. While he wanted to help the boy, he needed to heed Kelmio's warning about being seen. The boy could not see him yet. It would ruin everything.

However, the boy couldn't see him if he wasn't conscious, so it was okay to bend the rules a bit.

The man approached the boy slowly still, not wanting to wake him. Crouching down next to the young one, the man carefully examined the wounds on the youth's back. None were very deep, but all would be painful. Though, perhaps, the healing could be sped.

Retrieving a salve from a pouch at his hip, the man got some on his fingertips and softly dabbed it on the open wounds. He froze as the boy whimpered and moved. Thinking quickly, he gently wrapped his dark wings around the boy, supporting him, and giving him a feathery surface on which to fall back asleep.

It seemed to work, but the man wanted to be sure that the boy wouldn't wake while the rest of the salve was being applied, so he began to speak soothingly in the Old Tongue. It was a very smooth sounding language that could almost always lull a person to sleep.

"Be calm young Shadow Mage," he whispered, while gently applying some of the salve. "Your suffering here will end shortly. You shall survive this easily, I foresee, and go on to do a great many things, young one."

"What great things?" the boy mumbled softly, still pretty much asleep.

The man froze. How did this boy know the Old Tongue? For one thing, he grew up on Earth, didn't he? And the Old Tongue was only known by a few of the more powerful beings, it had been lost to the rest. Where could this human boy possibly have learned it in the few months that he had been on Hiata?

"What great things?" the boy repeated insistently, though he was no more awake than before.

Deciding he should answer the boy before he decided to awake, the man replied softly. "Oh, a great many things. You are a Guardian, and that simple fact ensures that you will be a savior, perhaps more. Your life, and the lives of the other Guardians as well, will be one of the most important Hiata has ever supported. You hold our hopes and dreams young one. You will save us."

"How do you know?" the boy asked, troubled.

"I am old, I know many things. But, one does not have to be a genius to know to expect great things from the fabled Guardians." As he had been talking, he had finished applying the salve. He ran gentle fingers through the troubled boy's hair. "Sleep now young one. You will need your strength for the trials to come."

The boy, who was already mostly asleep, decided to take the man's advice. He snuggled into the dark wings and his breathing slowed, indicating that he had fallen into a very deep sleep.

The man watched seriously as the boy sleeped. He had not been lying when he said that the boy would need his strength for the trials to come. This time with Isan would seem like a walk in the park compared to some of the things he would have to go through.

The man looked up suddenly as the sound of quiet footsteps entered the room. Twisting his head and expecting to see an enemy, he breathed a sigh of relief when a friendly face appeared. Well, the face of a friend anyway…though it wasn't exactly friendly looking at the moment.

"Meersa?" the man asked quietly. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," she shot back.

"I'm helping him," was the bristled reply.

Meersa hmphed. "Last I checked, that was my job. It is too dangerous for you to help him yet, he might see you. You know as well as I that he is not to see you until later in his journey."

"We know that," he snapped, "But we can't just sit and do nothing."

"We? So, she's here also?"

"Yes, she's with Katya, of course."

Meersa sighed, irritated. "Leave."

"What?" the man challenged.

"You heard me. Leave. I can take care of them now, I will help them find a way to escape. You two shouldn't have come here in the first place." She sighed again and added in a gentler tone. "You have already done all you can by putting that salve on the wounds. You must wait until the time is right before you do anything more."

The man sighed and looked back down at the boy. "I know. I'll go now, and she will too."

Gently, he lowered the boy to the floor. Lying him on his side, he withdrew his wings and stood.

"Take care of them," he said quietly, with underlying warning in his tone.

"I will," Meersa assured, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Go now, dawn is approaching, and you must be back at your home before then."

The man nodded, spread his wings, and flew up to the windowsill with just one flap. Casting one last look at the two figures below, he leapt off the windowsill and flew into the night sky.

Meersa watched him go and shook her head. Stupid, stubborn man. Oh well, she sighed as she returned her attention to the boy on the floor. Kneeling down, she quickly checked over his wounds. The man had done a good job of fixing him up. He would be ready to escape the next day, probably, which was good, considering that the girl would need his strength.

Placing a light psychic barrier around the room so that she could sense any approaching presense, she sat down on the air, as if there was an invisible stool, and sent a message to to the woman with Katya, telling her to leave as well. The woman blocked it at first so, sighing again, she had made it verbal. That, at least had gotten the woman's attention and convinced her to leave. Now, all she could do was wait.

As TK came to consciousness, he briefly wondered why he was so sore. Then, his punishment from the previous night flashed back into his mind. Along with something else. The memory of a very strange dream.

He had dreamt that someone, a man, had come to help him. He had put something on the whipmarks while holding him in large dark wings. Then, the man had spoken a strange language, yet TK had understood. He had even answered in that strange, smooth tongue. Then the man had told him to go back to sleep, and that was the last he remembered.

He raised his head and opened his eyes as he heard someone breathing. He was afraid it was Isan. He was very surprised to see a girl just slightly older than him floating there. She had stringy blonde hair and dull gray eyes. Her very pale and thin figure was covered only by a ragged dress.

She regarded him with seemingly little emotion.

"You're awake? Good. We've much to do." With that, she stepped off her imaginary stool and bent down to fiddle with the chains binding him.

TK forced himself up, ignoring the throbbing pain in his back. "Wh-who are you?" he croaked, throat dry.

"My name is Meersa," was the short reply. "Hold still."

TK obeyed, not feeling any evil from this girl. Mystery, yes, but not evil. As he watched, she held onto his wrists, muttered something, and pulled his wrists through the manacles.

"H-how did you do that?"

"Simple craft," she replied, again shortly. She held out her hand to him as she stood. "Come on, Isan will be here shortly, and we must make sure that you are out of here by then. You must at least be reunited with the other Guardian."

TK moved quickly at the mention of Katya. "How is she?" he asked frantically.

"Shhh," Meersa hissed, placing two fingers on his lips. "She is well. Now follow me. Quietly."

TK nodded as they headed for the door. Meersa paused, probing the hallway with her psychic shield. Even though TK could have told her what she wanted to know using less energy, she hardly ever trusted anyone's powers but her own.

Satisfied that there was no one in the corridor, she slowly cracked open the door and motioned for him to follow.

They crept out into the hallway, making sure to tread softly. They knew that they were in Isan's territory, and he made the rules. There was always the chance that he was just evading their senses.

Luckily, they were able to get back to the first dungeon full of cages with no problem. However, the two Garians were inside, standing guard. Meersa frowned, she only knew some witchcraft and healing. Nothing destructive enough to kill two Garians swiftly and silently. But, the boy…

She turned around and yanked him close so that she could whisper in his ear.

"Kill them. Now," she added when he hesitated.

Sighing softly, he nodded and focused his mind so that he could find their exact position. When he had locked onto them, he cautiously delved into his inner power, not willing to have his mind 'spiral' again. Satisfied that he had pulled enough power up, he formed two Shadow Energy balls. Keeping a mental hold on them, he released them into the room and towards the two Garians.

He made sure that they were undetected in the room until they were right behind the necks of the two Garians. Then, with a slightly heavy heart, he released the Shadow Energy within them, causing a small explosion that immediately killed the two.

Flashing TK an approving look, Meersa entered the room and headed for one of the cells. TK followed. When they were close enough, TK saw that it was the cell Katya had been put in. He was about to yell out her name, but then remembered Meersa's warning to be quiet. He knelt by the bars, looking in. He was relieved to see that she was breathing again, even if it was shallowly.

He looked up as he heard the rattle of keys and saw Meersa unlocking the door. Once she had it open, he darted inside and dropped down by Katya, supporting her head.

"Katya? Can you hear me Katya?" he asked so quietly that only she would be able to hear.

As he watched, her eyes flickered and cracked open. She opened her mouth to speak, but her throat was so dry that she couldn't form words.

"Shhh," TK crooned, "We're going to get out of here, don't worry. This is Meersa, she's helping us."

Katya's vision shifted over to the girl standing by the doorway.

"Come on you two, hurry up," she hissed.

Katya's eyes widened slightly in recognition. She had heard that voice before, in her dream last night. There had been a woman helping her, speaking a strange language that Katya could actually understand. Then, this Meersa's voice came, telling the woman to leave. That was all she remembered.

She looked up, startled, as she was gently picked up by Takeru and adjusted so that she was on his back. She tried to hang on around his neck to help him keep her balanced, but her weak body wouldn't listen. As her head rested on Takeru's shoulder, she gave into exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep.

TK stood up slowly, not wanting to jolt Katya or the wounds on his back. He walked over to Meersa as quickly as he could. He looked around outside of the cell.

"Where to now?" he asked wearily.

Meersa bit the inside of her cheek. Oh, she knew exactly how to get out of here, even without opening a rift in the air, but her job was to assist them in escaping, not to do it for them. They needed to learn to fend for themselves in harsh situations. Realizing that TK was looking at her, still waiting for an answer, she replied simply yet carefully, revealing nothing with her tone.

"I'm not sure. You'll have to find the way." There, she had told him what to do without actually telling him what to do. If her plan continued to work, he should be able to discover a new power that he could share with his fellow Guardians if they couldn't figure it out on their own.

TK frowned. 'Okay, how do I do that?' Sighing, he concentrated. How could he get them out of this? His Shadow Power and ability to sense evil wouldn't be much help in finding the exit. Unless…maybe his wolves were outside already, and they could guide him to the way out. Isan hadn't mentioned having them here, and that was something he normally would have used to his advantage.

/Rage? Can you hear me/

A flicker of reply, very weak.

/Rage/

/Tak..eru? Is it really you/ relief and hope were evident in the wolf's voice.

TK smiled slightly. /Yes, it's me. I need your help, where are you/

/In a field, I'm not sure where, but we can't leave it, neither can the lionesses./

/What do you mean/

/There are guards here, a lot of them. They are feeding some kind of magical barrier that won't allow us to pass./

TK's frown deepened. /What kind of guards? Can you describe them/

/There are many kinds, of all different power levels./

TK inwardly cursed. While he understood why Rage couldn't explain about all of the guards, that description hadn't really helped him develop a way for the Shadow Beasts to escape. He knew it was impossible, but it would be so much easier if he could see it for himself. If only, if only.

Suddenly, he felt a small jolt from the Life Force Stone in his heart. Nothing painful, but enough to get his attention. He tried to brush it off and concentrate on coming up with a plan, but it happened again. It was like it wanted his full attention, like it was beckoning him. He decided that he should probably see what it wanted, Meersa could hold off any hostile beings that came…hopefully.

Shifting Katya's weight, he closed his eyes and began the inward descent. It didn't take him long to get past his readily available power and reach the power of the Life Force Stone. He hesitated when he reached it, recalling the terrible 'spiralling' moments. He decided to just take it slow, and hope that things would work out.

He carefully descended within the power, going extra slowly. He got past the first bit easily enough, but started to get nervous when the level of the energy was boosted again. This was where he had begun spiralling before. However, it was different this time. The power didn't feel so overwhelming yet. Perhaps…perhaps he could go down just a little bit farther.

Taking it one inch at a time, he continued down the twisted pathways of his inner power. Then, out of nowhere, a bright flashing ball of light appeared, sort of like what might appear at the end of a video game level indicating that the level had been cleared. Swallowing loudly, he approached the flashing light. He sensed the power begin to invade his mind again, and knew that he would be caught within it soon.

But, the ball of light was so close…it was calling him…it would be a waste to leave it here unexplored. Besides, he reasoned, if it got too dangerous, he could do what he had done before and just pull himself out quickly. Mind made up, he took another step towards the light…then another, and another. Soon, it was within reaching distance.

He stopped and lifted a hand slowly. He reached for the light, surprised by the immense power radiating from it. He gasped as he received a shock when his fingers brushed the light. The light was then absorbed into him, running through his body until it reached his eyes, where it settled.

As soon as this exchange of energy was complete, TK became all too aware of the power trying to overwhelm his mind. Deciding to figure out what had just happened after he was safe from himself, he began a rapid ascent.

Meersa watched with disguised interest as TK's eyes reopened. She smiled inwardly, the boy had done it. He had found another power to use. He looked very confused though, as his blended eyes looked around.

As soon as TK opened his eyes, he became very confused and shocked. While he could see the dungeon well enough, he could also see a place beyond it clearly. It was a field, a grassy field. Physically shifting his vision by moving his head, he saw Poison and Revenge lying on the ground. They didn't look too well. Swinging his vision around more, he saw seven more of his wolves as well as the ten lionesses. And then there were the guards.

They came from many races, TK didn't know most of them. Of course there were the Garians and Pixies, but there were also troll-like creatures, evil-looking Nymphs, and several other demonic beings. He also saw a faint glimmer in the air, revealing the shield that Rage had mentioned.

But…how was it possible that he could see all of this? It made no sense, even for Hiata.

"Of course it doesn't make sense you stupid boy," Meersa said quietly with underlying amusement in her voice. "New powers never do. And stop moving your head, you can look around your second sight by mentally moving."

TK's head whipped up. "New powers?" he asked, ignoring the last part for now.

"What did you think that bright light was in your Life Force Crystal?"

"How do you know about my Life Force Crystal?" he asked suspiciously.

Meersa waved her hand dismissingly. "I know all about you. And this new 'vision' of yours. "

"Tell me what you know," TK demanded.

Meersa pursed her lips. "Well, aren't we grumpy?" she sighed at his glare. He was in no mood for games. "Fine, I'll tell you. What you are experiencing is a version of Sacred Sight."

"Sacred Sight?"

Meersa nodded. "It's a trait of some people who control Shadow Beasts or Animal Spirits. By focusing on a specific creature, you can see what they see, or have seen. You happened to want to know what Rage was seeing. Your Life Force Stone heard this wish and decided that you had enough experience to handle this new power. It'll do that from time to time."

"You're kidding me, right?" TK asked, very surprised.

"No. And it also causes the most dramatic physical change. Look," she said, using craft to summon a mirror.

She held it up in front of him. He peered in it curiously, and gasped.

"Woah," he breathed. She wasn't kidding when she said it was a dramatic change. It would be clear to anyone looking at his eyes. The pupils had enlongated themselves a bit to become a cross between human and canine pupils. The edges of his eyes were still their natural blue, but starting around the pupil and fanning out in a star-burst fashion, his eyes were blood red, like Rage's.

Meersa vanished the mirror. "Which animal's eyes you look through will determine the color of your own," she remarked offhandly. "Now, why don't you put that power to good use and help your wolves get us out of here, yes? It's only a matter of time before Isan shows."

TK nodded and concentrated on his Sacred Sight through Rage. Taking Meersa's advice and just mentally shifting his vision, he took in the field. He noticed right away that the guards had been placed sporadically, and were not in equal groups of power and number. Using his evil sense, he quickly located the weakest group. It was comprised of a few Pixies and a single Garian. They would get out by going through that group.

/Rage/

/Yes/

/Do you see that group of three Pixies and a Garian to your left/

/…Yes. But…how did you know/

/Later. Now listen, that is the weakest guard group. If you can take them down before the others can help them, you should be able to create a breach in the portal big enough for all of you to slip out quickly./

TK felt Rage nod. /We'll try Takeru./

With that, Rage rose casually, so as not to draw attention to himself. He mentally relayed the plan to his wolves, and Tempest quietly spoke verbally to tell Star, who, in turn, told the other lionesses.

In order to seem less conspicuous, only Rage and Star moved around. The others still laid, appearing casual, but ready to leap up and fight. Rage and Star took their time in sizing up the enemy. Then, with a glance and a mutual agreement, they launched themselves; Star taking down two pixies first and Rage going for the Garian.

As soon as the other guards started to head over, the 18 Shadow Beasts who had been lying down jumped up to fight them off and give Rage and Star time to breach the barrier.

It didn't take the two long to finish off the group of the four weaker guards, and now they watched the shield anxiously to see if Takeru's theory was correct. It didn't seem to be working, but then, a flicker…and another. Soon a whole large portion of the shield was flickering…off and on…off and on…off.

/Come on/ ((Come on!)) Rage and Star called as they darted through the opening.

After taking one last snap at the approaching guards, the others followed suit, not giving their oppressors enough time to fix the shield before they were all gone. Surprisingly, the guards didn't follow, they were too busy trying to decide who would tell Isan of this failure.

Back in the dungeon, TK could practically feel the wind on his face as Rage ran flat out across the plain. Following instinct and a gut feeling, the wolf was drawing near Isan's rocky keep.

Suddenly, TK's Second Sight was abruptly ended as he was jerked back to reality by Isan's angry voice.

"How dare you try to escape!" the Shadowlore yelled. "Haven't you learned that you can never escape me, pet!"

"I'm not your pet!" TK yelled back. He vaguely noticed that Meersa had disappeared. Part of him hoped she was safe, but another part resented her for abandoning them.

"Mind your tongue!" Isan roared, backhanding him and sending him sprawling, Katya landing with a thud and a moan a few feet away.

TK's blood boiled at Katya's moan and he quickly fired at Isan, not caring about how low his energy was or about the throbbing pain in his back. However, his attacks had little effect on the large Shadowlore; they merely caused minor scrapes and bruises.

"You dare to attack me! You will pay you little bastard!" Isan slithered towards him menacingly.

TK scrambled back looking down quickly as he bumped into Katya. Gulping, he tried to tap into some power, but his reserves were dry, as well as what little of the Life Force Crystal he could use.

Out of options, he turned around a half-picked up Katya, trying to shield her with his body as much as possible. As Isan stopped behind them, razor sharp claws about to come down on their heads, TK sent out one last plea.

/Wolves, help us/

Meersa walked quickly down the halls of the old familiar castle, not bothering to see if the pink-haired girl was still following her. There was only one person she actually wanted to see here, and Alitea was not that person.

Sighing in slight relief when she approached the study door, she threw it open and walked in, not waiting for an invitation. She saw Reverend Kelmio sitting in a chair, watching Akio play on the floor with some wooden figurines. They both looked at her; Kelmio with slightly amused interest, Akio with curiousity.

"What are you doing here Meersa?" Kelmio asked casually. "I thought you were watching over the Guardians."

"I am," Meersa replied shortly before pointing to Akio. "I came to fetch him."

"I see," Kelmio replied as Akio became even more confused.

"Who are you, lady?" the small boy asked.

"My name is not 'lady', it's Meersa. Now, will you come with me? We haven't much time."

"Come where?"

"To see the Shadow and Light Mages."

Akio's eyes brightened. "You can take me to see Papa and Mama?"

'Papa and Mama?' Meersa sent a curious glance towards Kelmio, who sent her a knowing look. 'Oh, right.'

"Yeah, now come on," she said, scooping him into her arms and not giving him a chance to answer. She flicked her wrist and a rift appeared in the air. Just before she stepped through, she glanced back towards Kelmio. "I'll be back to speak with you later."

Kelmio smiled, amused at the warning in her tone. "Until then, Lady Meersa."

She scowled at him before stepping through the rift. It disappeared immediately, leaving no indication that either it or its creator had been there. Kelmio smiled slightly. Some people never changed.

TK tensed as he waited for Isan's killing blow. He could sense the claws coming down, getting closer and closer. Just as they were about to come into contact with his back, the doors burst open, angry, growling Shadow Beasts rushing in. They all launched themselves at Isan, stopping his attack dead in its tracks.

'Impeccable timing, yet again,' TK thought, relieved. While Isan was being kept busy by the 20 growling beasts, he lifted Katya again and headed for the door.

"Rage, Star!" he called aloud.

The two Shadow Beasts detangled themsleves from the bleeding, howling Shadowlore, who was trying in vain to escape, and rushed over, leaving the other 18 beasts to deal with Isan.

When Star reached him, he placed Katya on her back, making sure that she was firmly balanced. Then he swung up on Rage.

/Let's get out of here/

Rage growled his agreement and took off through the door, Star following. They raced through the halls at top speed, going out the same way they came in. When they reached the outside door, TK sent out a call for the rest of his wolves to follow. They were running behind them in seconds. The lionesses were right behind as well.

They continued running at a top speed for several minutes, until they could no longer sense Isan. TK sighed and sent an order for his wolves to slow. When they reached a grove, they stopped to rest.

Sliding off Rage, TK went straight over to Star and Katya. He gently lifted Katya down and laid her on the ground. She shifted and winced a little, but seemed to be doing better. He hoped she would wake up again soon so that he would know exactly what was wrong and where it hurt.

"Star, keep an eye on her, okay?" he asked quietly, standing up.

Star nodded and laid down next to the girl. TK started to walk out of the grove, deep in thought. He sensed Rage following behind him. He stopped when he reached the outer grove and leaned against a tree, arms folded, and thought about Katya. She had gone through so much in the last couple weeks. First she lost Aleja to the Gryphons, then Isan had killed Kosjo and all of the other Kols. She had lost her entire family, her entire home, in just a few days. Then she had been beaten to death before coming back to a very painful existence. He wondered if she was going to be okay.

"Of course she'll be okay, stupid boy. She's a Guardian, you lot are tougher than that."

TK's head shot up at Meersa's voice. He was ready to yell at her for abandoning them, but stopped short when he saw what she was carrying.

"Akio?" he asked, shocked.

Akio smiled and held out his arms towards the older boy. "Papa."

TK walked the few feet quickly and pulled the boy into his own arms, holding him tightly. During the little reunion, Meersa had slipped into the grove, but TK didn't notice she was gone until a minute or two later. He walked back into the grove, silently, trying to find her. He found her kneeling by Katya, eyes closed, hands glowing. As he watched, she touched her fingertips to Katya's temples, causing the younger girl to tense a bit. Then she simply released her and stepped back.

She turned to TK. "She is healed now. See, she is waking up."

TK did indeed see. Katya was slowly but surely opening her eyes. Akio struggled out of TK's arms and ran over to her, giving her a big hug. She opened her eyes, looking first confused, then shocked, then ecstatic, and returned it.

While that was happening, TK walked over to Meersa, who was starting to leave. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she turned her head back towards him.

"Thank you," he said quietly, sincerely. "For everything."

Meersa shrugged. "Do not thank me, I was merely doing my duty. Now, your beasts injured Isan, but he will return. You should move on to your destination quickly."

"Vorago," TK said quietly. "Tell me, do you know where it is? How we can get there?"

Meersa, tilted her head, debating with herself. She finally settled on a suitable answer."It is much closer than you think," she said. "To get there, just try to sense it. That's all I can tell you for the time being. I should go now. Until we meet again," with that farewell, she flicked her wrist and stepped into the rift that was created. TK watched in awe as she and it disappeared.

When she was gone, TK pondered her words. What did 'sense it' mean? He didn't know what Vorago would 'feel' like, so how could he sense it?"

He turned his head as Rage nuzzled his arm. /You will know. Just use your power./

TK looked at his Shadow Beast curiously before smiling wryly. /How is it that you always seem to know more about me than I do/

/Takeru/ Rage replied dryly/Everyone knows more about you than you do. Haven't you noticed that/

TK chuckled. /I suppose I have. Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to at least try./

With that said, he closed his eyes and concentrated on sending a mental probe around the area. He had never tried to do one before, but he figured it wouldn't be much different than when he scanned for evil; he just needed to tune it so that it would pick up mostly anything, not just evil.

It took him a few tries, but he eventually got something to that effect. He sent it out over a wide area, looking for…well, he wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for, but he figured he'd know it when it appeared.

He sighed, disappointed, when nothing out of the ordinary was picked up. He was about to call his probe back when…something…started to happen. It was miniscule at first, just a tiny twinge. Then it grew into a small jerk before going to a full-blown insistent tug. It was trying to get him to go to the left.

He turned around as he heard footsteps and saw Katya approach, holding Akio.

"Do you feel that?" she asked, quietly.

TK nodded. "It's coming from this way," he replied just as softly, heading up the hill on the left quickly.

Katya followed, nearly having to jog to keep up with him. The Shadow Beasts followed at a close distance as well. When they reached the top of the hill, Katya's breath seemed to disappear.

It took a few minutes before she could speak again. "Takeru…this must be…"

"The entrance to Vorago," he finished breathlessly, almost unable to believe his eyes.

After all these months, had they actually arrived? There was only one way to find out.

"Come on," he said, still quiet, before taking off down the hill.

Katya nodded and followed, carrying Akio, her excitement building. They were here. After all this time, they were really, finally here.

A/N: I hope it was to your liking, and if you want me to continue, please review! I should have the next chap. up in about a week if it's wanted. Hasta Luego.