Chapter 15: Life and Death

Van lost sight of Hitomi as a giant, stone horse crashed in to him. It pushed him off course and further away from Hitomi, who was about to fall to her death. Van cursed and tried to push the thing off of him, but it was too heavy. It had its legs tangled around him, also preventing him from breaking free. With a quick turn of his head, Van saw that the mute statue was quickly approaching the side of a tall building, and since its speed had not decreased, it's intent was probably to smash Van into it. Van was desperate to escape, knowing that he had to get to Hitomi. Unable to find another way to escape, Van waited for the millisecond before they would hit the building. At that moment, faster than he ever thought possible, he reached out behind him with his legs, felt the wall, and kicked off upwards, as hard as he could. Time seemed to crawl by as the horse inched its way forward and Van inched his way up. He pushed off the stone head with his hands to increase his momentum. As the stone horse collided with the stone building, Van just barely escaped.

The corner of the building exploded with the impact and bits of stone and turbulent air currents caused Van to struggle to regain his flight path. A cloud of dust had risen as a result, obscuring Van's view of the bridge. Terror stricken, Van cleared the dust cloud just in time to see the giant man statue release Hitomi over the edge of the broken bridge.

Van was too far away to save her.

Fear, like no other he had felt before, gripped his heart. The pain and madness that took hold of him made him tremble as he sped towards the bridge, screaming Hitomi's name. He could see her panicked filled face and she cried out his name. He couldn't seem to move fast enough and he knew that if he lost Hitomi, he would lose his sanity.

Almost the same instance that the statue let go of Hitomi, Kylenia gathered her magic and released a force of shear power around her. As the power was released, the Ocean's heart jewel on top of Kylenia's staff pulsed brightly, catching Van's attention. The wave of power spread out like a ripple in a pond and the statues that had surrounded her toppled to the ground and crumbled. From above, Van watched as Kylenia dashed to the edge of bridge. To Van's complete surprise, and horror, Kylenia dropped her staff and leapt over the bridge.

A pair of almost incandescent white wings burst forth from Kylenia's back as she plummeted through the air after Hitomi. With her wings folded close to her body, Kylenia quickly closed the distance between her and Hitomi. Hitomi, just as shocked as Van, reached out and grasped Kylenia's outstretched hands. Kylenia opened her wings and gently broke their fall as she flew herself and Hitomi upwards.

"YES!" Van shouted with unsurpassed joy and relief. Seeing that Kylenia had a firm hold on Hitomi and that they were making their way to the other side of the river bank, Van dove down in an impressive dive and swooped up Kylenia's staff. He then flew up, brought both his legs up, and bashed them directly into the giant statue's face. The statue tumbled over the edge and eventually shattered in to a million, lifeless pieces.

As soon as Kylenia and Hitomi reached top of the opposite bank, Kylenia released Hitomi gently to the ground. Hitomi immediately held her aching arm close to her. It had practically been pulled out of its socket and it was throbbing with pain. She was unsure if she'd be able to use it in the immediate future.

"Hitomi!" Van called out. She twirled around just in time to see Van land beside her. He took her in to his arms and held her tight. Hitomi held him with her one good arm and watched as his wings fell to the ground around them.

"Van, you're shaking." She said softly. She pulled back to look in to his grim face.

"I almost lost you, Hitomi." He said quietly.

"It's okay. I'm okay. I'm sorry for scaring you."

"It's my fault. I wasn't able to save you. I'm sorry." Van said, once again embracing her. Hitomi didn't blame Van in any way, but she knew he needed a moment to gather himself. Finally, he pulled away and a small smile showed on his face.

"Let's not do that again."

"Agreed." Hitomi said smiling. Together, they turned to Kylenia. Her wings were slowly starting to fall around her. Her outer robes had been torn and blew away during the flight, but her blue and green dress was still intact. Van and Hitomi approached her and Van handed her back her staff.

"How did you do that?" Van asked. "Are you a Draconian?"

Kylenia smiled. "Yes, but we are known only as Keshians on Gaea because we have never revealed our wings, or more appropriately, our past to outsiders." Hitomi and Van exchanged glances with each other and then turned back to Kylenia.

"Recall that Daedalus told us that his people on Gaea were attacked and he couldn't locate any survivors. Well, he assumed they had all been killed, but he was wrong. A few scattered survivors melted in to the diverse population and over time, they became know as Draconians, as the truth of Atlantis disappeared into myth. However, there had been a large group of Atlantians away from the city, on an extended scouting mission, so they were spared from the massacre. When they returned to find their home in ruins, they were devastated and didn't know what to do. It was then that the goddess revealed herself to them and told them of an island where they could live safely. She promised to guide them there and watch over them, if they agreed to serve her."

"The people agreed almost immediately and the goddess took them to the island, now known as Keshia. The first thing the goddess commanded was to keep their heritage a secret, which meant no longer revealing their wings. The people struggled in this, not wanting to give up their ability of flight, but the goddess, in her mercy and wisdom, introduced the people to the ocean and the joys of swimming. Over time, she changed the people. There were physical changes, such as their hair and eye colour, and they became more adapt at swimming, but they also lost their ability to fly. Generations passed and soon the people forgot about Atlantis. Only the Mystics knew the truth. It was during the first couple of years on the island, that the goddess selected a handful of young girls to act as her hands and voice and that was how the Mystics came to be. During a Mystic's apprenticeship, the dormant trait of flight is awakened and we are taught how to fly. We did not understand why the goddess chose this, but after the last few days, I'm starting to understand."

"Wait." Hitomi said. "It's somehow related to all this, isn't it?" She asked as she gestured around her. "Did the goddess know we'd one day have to make the journey down here? Is there more to it?"

"I can't say for certain, but I don't think I would have been able to enter if I didn't have the blood of an Atlantian."

"If that's true," Van interrupted, "Then how was Hitomi able to enter?"

"Well…she has, and can use, the pendant, which was made in Atlantis, but she must have the blood in her. Not all the Atlantians were vanished or killed when Gaea was created. Perhaps there were survivors, or if people married off the island, or if they were traveling. Hitomi must have a strain of Atlantian in her blood, I'm sure of it!"

"I've never looked that far back on a family tree before," Hitomi said doubtfully, "But I doubt it would even reach that far. The important thing is that we're here now. Whatever that was at the surface, it let us in, so let's finish what we came here to do."

"Right!" Van said, flashing a supportive smile. "The tower is just up ahead and I think all the statues are trapped over on that side of the river. We shouldn't have too much trouble, but stay alert, Daedalus is still out there."

Van took the lead and Hitomi and Kylenia ran behind him through the deserted city streets.

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Van, Hitomi, and Kylenia came around the last bend and finally stood before the Ivory Tower. It rose from the ground in a graceful spiral, an impressive tower of rosy white stone. Its presence was intimidating, knowing that it was basically the heart of Gaea, and the final destination of their journey. Hitomi and Kylenia gasped at being so close to such a strong life force. If Hitomi used her inner eye, she was sure it would blind her. Even Van, whose mystical powers were limited, could feel the pulsating energies, like the heat from the sun. Electricity seemed to be coursing through the tower, since they could see white light crackle and spark. It did not look stable. Fragments had already crumbled and more were slowly breaking off before their eyes. An ominous rumbling reverberated through the air all around them, causing their clothes and hair to gently wave around them.

The base of the tower was actually a small amphitheatre; the same one Hitomi saw in her vision in Freid, where she saw the Atlantians use the power of their wishes. The three of them moved to stand at the top of the amphitheatre stairs and below they could see Daedalus bending over a pool of water at the bottom, except this time he had a pair of large, black wings protruding from his back. He slowly stood up and turned to face them. Resolve hardened, Hitomi took the first step down. Van reached out to protest, but Kylenia quickly stopped him and gently nodded no. Van glared at Kylenia, but his face relaxed as he saw her sincere and honest face. Hitomi had to go first. He dropped his arm and followed closely beside Kylenia.

As Hitomi neared Daedalus, the atmosphere of the place seemed to change. A storm materialized high above them, blocking out the stars, displaying brief flashes of light as lightning danced through the dark clouds. The tower itself gave off the only light, an eerie yellowish, gray sort of light. The only sounds were the crackling energies of the tower and the rumbles of thunder far above them.

"Can you see what's happening, Seer?" Daedalus asked calmly, motioning towards the pool of water. Hitomi glanced over and her heart almost missed a beat. In the water, she could see the angry, swirling red sky throwing down destructive lightning bolts, exploding on whatever they happened to hit. Homes were on fire, buildings were collapsing, and people and animals lay scattered around, dead. There were images from Asturia, Freid, Keshia, and Fanelia. Her home, her friends, they were suffering.

"Soon, they will have peace."

Hitomi turned away from the images in the pool and glared at Daedalus as she continued down the stairs. Her pendant started growing brighter with each step and it pulsated in sink with the tower.

"I won't let you destroy Gaea."

"You can't stop me!" Daedalus yelled as he raised his arms and fired dark orbs at them. Hitomi grabbed her pendant and brought up the shield around the three of them. The first volley of orbs hit the force field and she gritted her teeth at the effort to absorb them. Then, she adjusted her thoughts and changed the shape of the shield to reflect the orbs. They were too powerful this time for her to control where they went, so they few out in random directions, crashing in to the amphitheatre or nearby buildings. Hitomi watched in horror as one of the reflected orbs collided with the Ivory Tower. There was a small explosion as the dark energy collided with the white energy and a piece of the tower crumbled away. Horrified, Hitomi changed the shield back to its original form as Daedalus laughed and continued to throw more orbs at her.

"You can't stop me!"

Forced to absorb the blows, Hitomi slowly fell to her knees. Van reached out to support her, but Kylenia's arm once again snaked out and with a grip of steel pulled Van back beside her. He tried to pull away, but she held on and shook her head, telling him he wasn't allowed to interfere. Terrified for Hitomi, Van cursed under his breath and was forced to just watch.

As the dark orbs continued to hit the pink force field, dark energy started to gather and it slowly swirled around them. Hitomi was sweating with the effort of keeping the shield up, but she knew that she couldn't let the dark energy build up and overcome her. She lifted her head and through a break in the swirling darkness around them, she could see the pool. She watched the images continue to show Gaea being bombarded. Her eyes filled with tears.

"You can do it!" A memory of Merle said, while smiling and waving.

"You're strong, Hitomi!" A memory of Lola said, laughing with her.

All the madness around her: Daedalus' dark orb attack, the crumbling Ivory

Tower, the storm above; it all seemed to fade away as Hitomi focused on the sudden memories and visions filling her head.

"We know you can do it!" A memory of Millerna said, standing with Dryden and her children.

"Don't let anything stand in your way!" Allen said.

"We believe in you!" Celena said.

Slowly, Hitomi started to feel her strength returning as something powerful grew deep inside her.

"Go, Tomi!" Hanna shouted, jumping in the air.

"We trust you." Lord Finkbone said.

"Nothing can bring you down!" Patrick said with a wink.

Hitomi's head spun with visions of her friends and loved ones. Memories of laughing and crying together flashed by; the struggles, joys, and dreams they shared. Everyone had an unquenchable spark of life in them and hope for the future. Hitomi understood: life is the present, not the past. She couldn't allow their dreams, their lives, to be ended by regrets of the past. No matter what happens, there is always hope for the future.

She saw people from all over Gaea and realized they were no different. Life was precious and she had to do what it took to save them. Everyone was counting on her.

"This is your destiny." A memory of Kylenia said as a revitalizing warmth spread through Hitomi. It flowed through her body and mind and filled her with energy and hope.

"I wouldn't worry, we'll always be together." The memory of Van said. "I love you."

The vision of Van multiplied the warmth spreading through her, tenfold. The overwhelming sensation of love filled her until all doubt and fear were pushed away.

"I love you, too." Hitomi whispered in return. Van's love was her life, her future.

The chaos returned and once again Hitomi found herself on her knees, holding off Daedalus' attack. He was screaming and laughing like a mad man, repeatedly yelling, "You can't stop me!" Slowly, Hitomi lifted her head and managed to make eye contact with him through the seething dark energy swirling around her shield.

"Yes, I can." She whispered.

Hitomi slowly stood up and strengthened the shield around them. Daedalus was stunned to silence as he watched Hitomi slowly continue down the stairs. His eyes narrowed and he continued to hurl dark energy at her. Hitomi reached out with her power and grabbed hold of the dark energy. She flinched, initially, but the overwhelming love and hope pouring from her heart shielded her from the pain and made her strong. She gathered all the dark energy that surrounded them, and the energy being flung at them, together in front of her, into a large ball of sizzling energy. The sphere became a magnet for Daedalus' continued attacks and soon his magic was being pulled in to it. He stopped his attacks and backed up step or two as Hitomi reached the bottom of the stairs.

Understanding finally dawned on Daedalus' face a moment before Hitomi threw the large mass of dark energy back at him. Daedalus screamed in fright and threw his hands in front of him, but the energy ball never hit him. It exploded in to the pool of water and sent water and stone flying everywhere. The blast knocked Daedalus to his feet and tiny stone fragments and water mist rained down on him, obscuring his vision. Groaning in pain, he slowly pushed himself up and got back on his feet. Hitomi, with Van and Kylenia close behind, were now only a few feet away from him.

"Accursed child!" Daedalus spat. "That pool was my only means of seeing the outside worlds! I should-"

"You haven't been able to see clearly for a few millennia, Daedalus." Hitomi shouted firmly, startling Daedalus. "You've been watching over Gaea for longer than I can possibly imagine, but you can't seem to see the simplest things." Hitomi's tone became softer. "Yes, war and suffering exist on Gaea, but so does love and hope! We share laughter and sadness, prosperity and suffering, and hopes and fears. No matter what happened, the people always found a way to carry on. Hope for the future lives in their hearts and they will stand together until the bitter end to fight for it! We can't live in the past; we can only make the most of today and look with hope to the future.

To live in the past is to accept death, and they don't want it, and I won't let you force it on them."

"No." Daedalus whispered. "My purpose has been to end their suffering. Why else would I have been kept alive down here, alone!" His anger building, he started to speak more heatedly. "Gaea chose me to bring it death!"

"And Gaea chose me to bring it life!" Hitomi shouted back.

Shocked at her declaration, Daedalus stumbled back a step. "If that's true, why would it bring death to my people? We created Gaea and it turned on us!" He said frantically.

"You're people are not dead!"

"Impossible! How dare you! I saw the attack on the city, I saw them dying-"

"Show him." Hitomi said gently.

Two sets of white wings burst from the backs of Van and Kylenia. His eyes wide and unable to say a word, Daedalus fell to his knees and he looked back and forth between them, focusing on the truth the wings represented. His gaze finally settled on Kylenia.

"Who are you? What are you?" He asked weakly.

"My name is Kylenia and I'm a Mystic of Keshia. My people are descendants from the Atlantians that were spared the massacre that you saw. They were out scouting and returned long after the fires had grown cold. Over time, our bodies changed slightly, but at the core, we are still Atlantians."

"You see, Daedalus." Hitomi said gently. "By destroying Gaea, you'd be killing your own people and you'd be no better than those raiders."

"My people…are alive?" Tears ran down Daedalus' face as he tried to comprehend. His eyes turned away from her and seemed to focus somewhere near Hitomi.

"Icarus, my son, must you look at me like that?"

Hitomi glanced to her side, but saw no one there. She wasn't sure if Daedalus' grip on his sanity had just slipped away or if he was truly seeing ghosts of his past.

"Icarus…my brothers…my friends," Daedalus said as he looked around like a lost and frightened child. "Didn't you want this? Didn't you want to end all the suffering? Have I truly been wrong? Why did you leave me? What have I done?" Daedalus whimpered as he finally collapsed to the ground and held his head while he wept. Hitomi felt very sorry for him at that moment. He had suffered for so long.

The crackling of the Ivory Tower quickly brought Hitomi back to present matters. She looked up and the tower seemed to have gotten a lot worse. She glanced at Daedalus one last time, crying and moaning on the ground, and turned to face Van and Kylenia.

"Now's our chance! What should we do?"

Van looked around frantically and turned to Kylenia. Kylenia pointed to the tower and shouted over the steadily increasing noise.

"We have to get inside!"

"How?" Van asked.

"I don't know, the prophesies were very vague about this."

"Oh great!" Van said, following Kylenia's lead and shed his wings.

"Let's just go over there and figure something out." Hitomi said, pointing to the base of the tower.

They had taken a few steps when Van's ears twitched at a sudden whistling sound.

"Look out!" He shouted.

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"Didn't you want the suffering to end?" Daedalus whispered to the ghosts surrounding him. "Didn't you want me to erase our mistake? Didn't you want me to erase…my mistake?" Daedalus shook his head back and forth. "This was all my fault. It's all my fault! That's why I haven't been able to rest. I'm being punished and I'm letting my only chance for absolution slip away. I have to finish this. I MUST finish this!"

Daedalus rose to his knees and reached behind him and pulled out a long, evil looking knife.

"Soon, I'll have peace."

He looked up and focused on the three trespassers who were headed to base of the tower. He gripped the point of the knife, raised his arm, and threw it as hard as he could.

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Van was in mid-leap, attempting to put himself between the danger and Hitomi, praying that he'd make it on time, but he heard the wet thud of a blade going through flesh. He reached Hitomi's side and when he didn't see a knife anywhere, he looked in to her confused and puzzled face. Together, they spun around.

A pale and shocked Kylenia was staring down at a knife logged in her chest. She slowly looked over at Van and Hitomi, opened her mouth, but no words came out. Her staff fell from her hands and it clattered to the ground. Hitomi ran to her side and Van pulled his sword out and ran to stand in front of them. He spotted Daedalus looking at them and Van's eyes burned with rage. Just before he was about to charge, Van heard Daedalus grunt and watched as his eyes rolled backwards and then his body collapsed to the ground and was still.

Hitomi was frantically thinking of what to do as she stared at the horrible knife in Kylenia's chest when Kylenia reached up and gripped it in her hands.

"No, Kylenia, don't-" Hitomi started to say, but Kylenia grunted and pulled the knife out. She gasped in pain, threw the knife away, and clenched her chest. Her legs gave away and Hitomi grabbed on to her.

"Oh my god, Kylenia!" Hitomi cried. "Van! I need you!" Van re-sheathed his sword and quickly came to Kylenia's side. At Hitomi's direction, they gently laid her down. Blood was rapidly soaking through Kylenia's beautiful blue and green dress as she stared off in to the sky above her. Hitomi took off her sweatshirt, and used it to apply pressure to the knife wound. Van took off his sweatshirt and used it as a pillow for Kylenia's head.

"It's going to be okay, Kylenia!" Hitomi said as tears fell down her face. "We'll get help."

"No," Kylenia whispered. "We have to…go on."

"You're hurt, we can't." Hitomi said. Although the spark was slowly fading from Kylenia's eyes, she managed a weak smile in Hitomi's direction.

"This was…meant to be. We must continue or…Gaea will perish." Kylenia shuddered as pain arched through her body. She was using all her strength to try to speak.

"I…believe…in…you."

Kylenia's eyes slowly shut and her body relaxed as she died.

"Oh no. No, no, no." Hitomi wept as she leaned over Kylenia's still body. Van was frozen with shock and couldn't move. Tears quietly ran down his face.

"We were so close…."

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'Your task will not be easy, but it will be the most important. My beloved daughter, you will have to die to save the world.'

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"How do we continue?" Hitomi repeated to herself as she held Kylenia's cold hand. "How do we save Gaea?" Tears continued to fall down her face. She looked across at Van and saw him frozen with sorrow and despair.

"Why does she believe in me?" Hitomi whispered. The wind started to blow harder as the storm grew in strength. "What can I do?"

Hitomi's mind raced for any memories of Kylenia giving her instructions but she couldn't think of anything. Kylenia hadn't told them anything, and she even said that she didn't know exactly what to do. The prophesy said three must enter and a link must be forged, how were they supposed to do that? And why did Kylenia say 'this was meant to be'? Hitomi raised her head and looked around. She knew that Gaea didn't have much time and she didn't think she and Van would survive if the tower fell apart or exploded. She looked down at Kylenia's motionless body. Three must enter….

"Help me get her up, Van."

"Huh? What are you doing?"

"We need to get in to the Tower and this is all I can think of!"

Van looked at Hitomi strangely, but didn't object. They each took an arm, lifted, and put it over their shoulders to hold Kylenia up.

"I have to get her staff." Hitomi shouted over the wind. She quickly ducked under Kylenia's body and grabbed the staff. Hitomi came back and helped Van, and with Kylenia on her right and Kylenia's staff in her left hand, they walked the short distant to the base of the Ivory Tower. Van looked over expectantly at Hitomi. She handed the staff to Van and took off the pendant.

Daedalus said the pendants and the tower were made of the same material, Hitomi thought, so I hope this works.

Holding the pendant in her fingers, Hitomi reached out and pressed it against the tower wall. A flash of white light blinded her momentarily and she heard the deep toll of a bell in the far of corners of her mind. She tensed, waiting for some sort of pain, but none came. She opened her eyes, blinked a few times, and saw that an arched doorway had opened up right in front of them. It had worked!

"You did it!" Van cried as he looked over with amazement. "Let's get inside!"

As soon as they shuffled inside, the noise from outside was cut off and they were immersed in silence. The inside of the tower was dark and hollow, but the walls gave off a very faint glow. In the center, hovering a few feet above an intricate design on the floor, there was a magnificent and beautiful bright orb of the purest light. It rotated slowly and a multitude of colours seemed to sparkle from its core. Its presence was over powering and Hitomi felt tears come to her eyes. They were looking at the life force, the heart, of Gaea.

"Hey, what's going on?" Van said, startling Hitomi. She looked over and saw that Kylenia's staff had moved out of Van's hand and was rising upwards and closer to the bright sphere, apparently on its own. When it stopped it started glowing brighter than Hitomi had ever seen before. The weight of Kylenia was suddenly being lifted off their shoulders and Hitomi's jaw dropped as she watched the body rise above them like a defective puppet. She moved closer to Van and they held each other as they watched Kylenia's dead body rise high in to the air. They took a few hesitant steps to the side, to try to see more clearly. The body stopped in front of the staff and then it became suffused with a beautiful blue aura. The light from the jewel grew more intense and a mystical wind starting blowing inside the tower. It caused Kylenia's long blue hair to fly above her and her dress flapped violently against her legs.

Slowly, Kylenia's arms and head started to rise. Hitomi gasped and clung tighter to Van as her own hair whipped around her head. Kylenia glowed brighter and when the wind and light seemed to reach a peak, the jewel broke apart and the blue light flew into Kylenia and her eyes snapped opened. They were glowing bright blue. The staff clattered to the floor and Kylenia slowly sank to the floor, the wind dying down as she descended. When she touched down, she turned to face them.

Hitomi looked deep into the depths of the glowing blue eyes and realized that they reminded her of the life force a hovering a short distance away. She also noticed that all the blood from the knife wound had disappeared.

"Kylenia?" Hitomi asked, hesitantly, releasing her tense grip on Van.

"I am the goddess who watches over Gaea." Kylenia said with a deep female voice that seemed to echo on its own. "Kylenia is with me now."

"She's really dead then?" Hitomi asked sadly.

"Yes. My beloved daughter knew that this was the path that she had to take in order to save Gaea and she accepted the responsibility freely."

"So, we can still save Gaea?" Van asked hopefully.

"Yes, but we must make haste. There are but moments left." The goddess said, turning around and walking towards the life force. Van and Hitomi followed and stood beside the goddess when she reached it. It was so beautiful. Hitomi felt such a powerful sense of innocence from it.

"Stand around the heart of Gaea and join hands with me." The goddess said. Hitomi and Van moved into place and linked hands with the goddess. Hitomi felt a warmth flowing from the life force and her aches from the journey melted away.

"What are we doing?" Van asked.

"The link that has sustained Gaea since its birth is failing. We must create a new one. I am to be that link, temporarily."

"I don't understand." Hitomi said anxiously.

"Only I have the power and ability to temporarily uproot the heart of Gaea until I can place it on Gaea, where it belongs. Gaea will not be safe until I do so."

"What are we supposed to do then?" Van asked.

"Dragon of Noble Birth, Wolf with the Sacred Light, both from the same line of the ancient creators, yet from different lives on Earth and Gaea. Your presence is necessary to work the magic." The goddess turned to Van. "You represent the new way of life of Gaea." The goddess turned to Hitomi. "You represent the link between this world and Gaea. Both of you must link your wills with mine to force the heart to let go of this place. You must desire it most fiercely, for any hesitation or doubt will be a crack in the magic we will weave."

The goddess squeezed Hitomi's hand a little tighter and looked deeply in her eyes. "Dear child, once the heart is back on Gaea, no travel between Earth and Gaea will ever be possible again."

Hitomi gasped. Her heart seemed to skip a beat and she felt short of breath. She heard Van gasp beside her, but she looked right back in to the deep blue eyes of the goddess.

"Never?" Hitomi whispered as her eyes began to water.

"Never." The goddess said softly, her voice filled with compassion.

Hitomi had always been comforted that she and Van could use the pendant to visit her family and friends in Tokyo. True, their visits were few and far in between, but to never be able to do it again? If she and Van had children, her parents would never get to meet their grandchildren. Hitomi felt tears slide down her face. She took a deep breath.

"Will I still get to return to Gaea?" Hitomi asked.

"Yes, child."

Hitomi sighed in relief. She glanced over at Van. He was watching her with glossy eyes and he gave her a look of such intense love and understanding that she almost started crying again. She squeezed his hand and he squeezed it back.

"Will there be time to say goodbye, to my friends here on Earth?" Hitomi asked hesitantly.

The goddess smiled gently. "Yes, but it will be brief."

"Then let's save Gaea." Hitomi said, shedding the last of her tears.

"The stars truly did pick the right person." The goddess said with a warm smile. She looked back and forth between Van and Hitomi. "Relax your minds, open your hearts, and fill your thoughts with love for Gaea and its people. Wish with all your heart for it to leave the Earth behind and come home with us. Concentrate on keeping the magic in between us. Remember, the magic is very fragile and this is the most dangerous and critical part of your journey."

Van and Hitomi both nodded their readiness and the goddess nodded slowly back and closed her eyes. Van and Hitomi closed their eyes to and held on extra tight to each other.

The mystical wind that had blown before started again, but very gently this time. Hitomi's hair batted against the side of her face, but she ignored it as she concentrated within. She relaxed her mind and gently reached out to touch the essence of Gaea's life force. She was immediately filled with the sensation that something powerful, yet gentle, was flowing in to her mind. She realized that it was part of the magic and as she started to feel it slip away, she gently tugged it back and opened her memories to it. The familiar images of her friends resurfaced and she saw their laughing faces, but then she couldn't help but seeing them in danger from the storm. The magic pulled away again, but Hitomi held it there firmly and tried to show it how they would be safe again if the heart was moved. She thought of all the beautiful places on Gaea and all the people who were counting on her. The magic stopped fighting her hold and then it enveloped her….

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A small family huddled closely together in a small cave in the Zaibach forest. The Storm raged outside and the cave walls were shaking. A little girl who had been crying in fear suddenly stopped and shouted for her parents and siblings to look. They feared the worse, but when they turned their heads towards the sky they all saw the small break in the dark red clouds. White light was shinning through….

People all over Gaea started to see the holes appear in the storm. At first they were small and few, but then they started growing and multiplying. Keshians crowded together and watched in amazement as the ocean stopped banging so violently against the shore. Fanelians gathered in the castle library looked around hesitantly as the lightning bolts started to crash around the castle less frequently. All over Gaea, hope started to blossom in the hearts of the people.

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The three chosen ones of Gaea stood locked in a circle of magic around the life force of Gaea. The life force was spinning more rapidly then before and its light seemed to intensify every few seconds. The pattern below their feet had turned from white light to blue light. The three had their heads bowed and were only vaguely aware of anything else.

Outside the Ivory Tower, the ancient and lost city of Atlantis began to disappear. Starting from the edges of the island, everything started turning to dust and blowing away. Trees and plants withered; mountains shrank as they were blown away piece by piece; buildings started to crumble and turn to dust. Left in their place was nothing. Even the stars started to fade away, but the storm continued to blow just as strong over the Ivory Tower. Gaining momentum towards the center of the city, the structures crumbled faster and faster. Homes, stores, markets; they all faded and disappeared. The dead body of Daedalus vanished. Everything was vanishing.

Nothing was left except for the glowing Ivory Tower and the ragging storm.

Hitomi could feel the life force growing. She was somehow channeling it in to the goddess. The magic no longer tried to pull away from her but it was so powerful that it felt like she would burst, but Hitomi held on firmly. Deep within her, she felt the sadness of knowing she could never return to Earth, but the over powering love she had for Van kept her strong. She had decided, not that long ago, that Van was her home and she would go anywhere just to be with him. With an inner sad smile, she said good bye to Earth.

Hitomi suddenly gasped as the magic increased and filled her more than she ever thought possible. Her head fell back and her eyes snapped open as she stared straight up. At some point, the top of the tower must have crumbled away because she could now see the violent storm above them. She was struggling to breathe, but she focused all her efforts on keeping the magic from overwhelming her. She didn't know how much longer she could hold out. The magic flowed like fire through her mind and body. She tried to think about Gaea and the people, but her mind became so chaotic that the only thing she could cling to was her love for Van.

Hitomi glanced over at Van and saw that he was positioned just like her. The light was so intense that Van appeared to be a living shadow. Hitomi glanced over to look at the goddess and she too had turned her head upwards and Hitomi saw that her eyes were starting to open. They were still glowing blue orbs, but now they appeared to be sparkling with something more. Hitomi watched in amazement as a smile crept on to the goddess' face. A deep excitement started building in Hitomi as she felt the strain of magic receding. She could now visibly see the life force flowing in to the goddess and it began to shrink in size. She felt Van squeeze her hand and she looked over to see him smile and wink at her. Then he closed his eyes again and continued facing up. Hitomi closed her eyes too and let her emotions explode forth, just as they had when she faced Daedalus. She knew that everything would be okay.

The pattern on the floor intensified and suddenly shot in to the air, going through the hole in the tower and piercing the dark storm clouds. Hitomi, Van, and the goddess were enclosed in the column of light and a strong wind blew all around them, causing their hair to stand up and whip around wildly. The Ivory Tower crumbled around them until they were standing alone in the midst of nothing. They didn't notice though; they were completely intertwined with the magic. The column of light grew thicker and thicker, pushing back the dark storm clouds. The storm clouds could not fight against the light and broke up and vanished altogether.

Finally, the last bit of the heart of Gaea flowed in to the goddess.

"It is done." She said.

With that, Van, Hitomi and goddess, rose into the air, within the column of light, and then suddenly shot in to the sky, leaving the nothingness that was once Atlantis, behind forever.