Rise Of Zionus: An Introduction

by EternalSage

This is a story of Ragol. Zio was defeated, but his malignant spirit lingers, leading to an entirely new cycle of chaos. A new generation of hunters must take up the challenge of defeating him.

3. Dezolian Holiday

Just to recap what's been going on... The fight with Zionus ended rather badly. Standing in the aftermath of the struggle, a strange woman appeared. After healing them, she told of Dezolis, and a way to obtain the power necessary to defeat Zionus. Sage, feeling desperate, decided to take the gamble and follow her. Stepping towards the portal with the woman known as Lissandra, he was stopped by Lucca:

"But Sage, how are we supposed to fight a god? He's invincible..."

"I'm going to find out. Hold out here until I get back. And tell Dante what happened, he can help you."

"Lucca, good luck. I shall help Sage to the best of my ability, and then we will return to aid you. Be strong, young one. There will be trying times ahead for you..."
Sage and Lissandra stepped through the portal, and vanished.

Sage felt as if he had left his body, and was floating free through space. He couldn't see, hear or detect anything with his senses, other than a general feeling of incredibly rapid movement. With his psychic abilities, however, he could stay in mindtouch with Lissandra.

So, how long will this take? It feels entirely different from a telepipe.

It'll only take a few more seconds. It feels different from a telepipe because we're travelling an exponentially greater distance. Dezolis is on the other side of the galaxy from Ragol. Anyway, we should be arriving... now! Brace yourself, and please try not to be ill.

He was able to brace himself, but the request to not be ill was impossible. His entire body felt as if it had been turned inside out and upside down. After vividly recalling his breakfast onto the snowy landscape, and sitting down for a few minutes until he was able to stand, the feeling of disorientation subsided. He was in the middle of a vast, snowy plain, and he was very cold. His clothing, suited to the relatively warm weather of Ragol, was entirely unsuited for this alien landscape. Looking around and not finding Lissandra, he reached out a subtle tendril of thought, at the same time wondering what the low rumbling noise he was hearing could be.

Lissandra?

I'm over here, Sage. About ten meters behind you. I have a bit of a problem... Her mind-voice was tinged with the slight edge of barely-suppressed panic.

Turning around, he saw why she was panicking. Standing over her was what appeared to be a mole. Normally, this wouldn't be cause for panic, but most moles are not 10 feet tall, and white. With enormous claws, and a look as if it was entirely carnivorous, and very skilled at it.

To make matters worse, Lissandra seemed to be unable to stand. Her foot was lying at an odd angle, and it looked as if her ankle had been broken. In the one and a half seconds it had taken Sage to absorb all this, the mole had lumbered forward and looked as if it was about to put its massive claws to good use.

As he drew his gun, he telekinetically focused his aim on the creature's chest. Hoping he was about to hit something vital, he fired three quick shots, which left enormous smoking craters in the mole's flesh. It toppled onto its back and stopped moving, letting out a keening moan as it died. "Hrrreearrgghhh!".

Holstering his gun, he rushed over to her, the ankle length hem of his coat sweeping the fresh snow.

Lissandra looked up at him gratefully, then reached out with her telepathy. Thanks for the save, she spoke into his mind." I couldn't get to my weapon" came out seconds later, in a soothing contralto voice. Startlingly, the voice he heard seemed to be entirely different from the one he had heard in the temple on Ragol. As he stood staring at her, she continued. " I landed wrong as we teleported in, and I think I broke my ankle. I had the bad luck to be lying on my weapon belt." As she said this, her entire body shuddered, as if she was waking from a deep sleep. Stretching her arms out, she gingerly placed her hands on either side of her injured ankle. A murmured "Resta!" and a bright flash of energy later, and her ankle was good as new. Standing, she regarded her mute companion.

"What's wrong? Oh, my voice." Laughing, she pointed to the crown that framed the top of her slightly rounded face. "On Ragol, I was a conduit for one of the elders. They felt that me alone wouldn't be quite impressive enough to persuade you, and they are all too fragile for gating, so they gave me a mindlink crown. I channeled the elder's message to you. Intergalactic telepathy isn't possible until a connection has been formed between the individuals. I was basically a human communicator. The spell disengaged when we teleported back, and I was unable to move my body for about thirty seconds. If it wasn't for you, I would've been that Dezo Mole's dinner. Thank you."

"Uh, no problem. So, are you okay now? No more paralysis, or anything?"

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine. We should probably get moving soon. I can explain things as we travel. Dezolian night comes on rather quickly, and though it's not that cold now..." She said, as Sage was obviously shivering with cold. Looking slightly bemused, she continued "It's going to get a lot colder. The town of Tyler's near here. We'll stay there tonight. Oh, and don't worry about the Gate. It will close soon on its own."

Not entirely believing that he could be colder than he currently was, he pulled his coat around him and began following his guide. Her white robes made her hard to see against the white background, and despite her slightly shorter height, she was walking rapidly. He struggled to keep up. A twenty minute walk had them within sight of the town of Tyler, and Sage was colder than he had ever imagined he could be. The exertion of the walk was making his lungs burn, but it had done nothing substantial to warm him.

Approaching the snow-mounded walls of Tyler, Lissandra turned to look at him. "We need to get you some more weather-appropriate clothing, then we're going to head to an inn. I for one am starving." The guard, stationed inside a snug-looking guard post, simple looked at Lissandra and waved them through the now-open gate.

With nightfall rapidly approaching, the denizens of Tyler were hurrying about their errands, or huddled inside the snug-looking dome shaped houses that made up the majority of the town. Heading towards a two-story building, Lissandra motioned for him to follow. Positioned over the top of the building was a crude iconic representation of a suit of armor and a shield.

About an hour later, Sage and Lissandra emerged from the armor shop. Sage was wearing a set of Dezolian clothing that was made of adaptable molecules. It would stretch to fit him, and would adapt it's properties to fit the environment he was in at the time. He hated robes on general principle, but at least he was warm. Leaving the shop, they headed to the local inn and booked a double room for the night.

After stowing their belongings, they headed down to the dining room for a late meal. At this hour, the room was sparsely populated.

"So, Lissandra... can you tell me what the hell's going on? I'm a bit confused. You said I could find the ability to defeat Zionus here, so why are we sitting here in a restaurant?"

"Well, we do have to eat. The journey to the Esper's Mansion is a long one, and traveling at night on Dezolis is a good way to die."

"Hmm.. alright. So, who exactly are you, what are the 'Espers', and how are you connected to Zionus? And how did Zio get that immense power, anyway? I thought X killed him long ago."

"First off, you should eat something. Gating is rather draining, and you can listen while you eat, instead of letting that excellent stew go to waste. Besides, if your mouth's full, it'll keep you from interrupting me with annoying questions that I'd get around to answering if you let me talk. Okay?" With that, Lissandra set a good example by taking a few huge bites of stew and bread, and washing it down with fragrant Dezolian ale.

"Alright, I am kind of hungry." Sage began eating, and for a few minutes, silence prevailed. The food was quite good, and did a good job of warming his insides after the trek through the snowy wilderness. After Lissandra had taken the edge off of her hunger, she began talking.

"I'll start with who 'I' am. I'm an Esper, one of a select group of people with special powers that were chosen by the Great Light to protect the universe against the Profound Darkness. The Darkness is the basis behind the entity that appeared on Ragol known as 'Dark Falz.' Both the Great Light and the Profound Darkness are entities that existed at the beginning of the universe. They battled for eons, alone, until the Great Light sealed away the Darkness. It then created the Algol solar system to act as a seal against the Darkness. The seal's power waned every thousand years, and luckily, protectors would arise every thousand years to seal it again. It was assumed that since the Great Light was the victor, and the Darkness was the loser in the original conflict, that the Great Light was more powerful. Since it seemed benign, creating planets and sealing away evil, the Great Light was worshiped as an agent of good. Recent events on Algol have made us question that hypothesis, however."

"Oh, you mean the part where Zio absorbed its power and began killing people? What ever could have given you that idea...?'

"Hush, and eat your food. It's getting cold. Anyway, after the last near-breaking of the seal, the leader of the Espers at the time, a man known as Rune, decided to try a different tactic. Rune, as the leader of the Espers, was able to access the knowledge and power of all the previous leaders, and had determined a pattern. The Darkness always seemed to return, and each time it was harder and harder to seal away. He was a member of the group that had sealed away the Darkness most recently, and wanted to find a better way to do things. So, he set about to try and summon the Great Light, hoping to obtain it's help in sealing away the Darkness, or at least strengthening the seal. Unfortunately for Rune, it did not go as planned."

Meanwhile, near the gate, a humanoid dressed in robes landed with a loud thud.

Hmmm... I think this thing's broken. Anyway, I need to find Sage. Where'd he go?

"Rune, wanting to break the cycle of rebirth, decided to summon the entity that had been capable of sealing away the Darkness originally, the Great Light. However, his attempt failed. After much deliberation, it was found that the Great Light could no longer be contacted from the Algol star system. So, a group was sent to the planet now known as Ragol, to attempt to summon the Great Light there."

"Why was Ragol chosen, again?"

"Because, it was relatively stable, uninhabited, and not i that /i far away. On their first attempt to summon the Great Light, the Darkness was attracted to Ragol, and with their manipulation of the dimensional barriers, was able to break free.

After a long battle, which claimed the life of Rune, the Espers that accompanied him were able to seal the Darkness on Ragol. Unknowingly, they had weakened the dimensional barriers around Ragol. It was now the point of 'least resistance' for the Darkness. Being unable to risk summoning the Great Light for fear of freeing the Darkness yet again, they set a contingency plan into effect.

If the Darkness was awakened, the plan they set into motion, known as the 'Path of the Nephilim' would be activated, and the Great Light would be summoned to cleanse the universe of the Darkness. When the crew of Pioneer 1 awoke Dark Falz, the physical manifestation of the Profound Darkness, they also opened up the 'Path of the Nephilim'. Zio discovered this fact, but for the longest time was unable to do anything about it."

"Didn't they put safeguards on it, or something?"

"Yes, but there was a way around them..."

"The safeguard was that someone with a pure heart must activate the Path by willingly sacrificing their own blood. Zio, being evil, was unable to do this. However, fate would soon intervene. After his defeat, he possessed a young boy that seemed to have another soul inside him. The boy was possessed by a being known as Sye that had died fighting Dark Falz. Screening himself from the Esper's magic by exploiting Sye's hold on the boy, he proceeded to use the boy's blood to activate the path. Zio, being stronger willed than the child or Sye, was able to take over his body and summon the Great Light. He usurped the power that was flooding through the temple, and used it to restore his body."

"What happened to the kid, or Sye, or whoever it is?"

"The 'kid' as you so eloquently put it, is Sye. He was reincarnated, but before he regained full knowledge of himself, Zio took over. It is likely the power flooding through the temple restored Sye to his original state as well."

"So would killing Sye kill Zionus?"

"No, it wouldn't. The link between them is almost completely non-existent now. Zio is completely tied to the power of the Great Light now. And that's a rather large problem. You will be informed of more tomorrow, at the Esper's Mansion. I'm tired, so I'm going to bed. Our beds are upstairs."

"Alright, then."

With that, Sage followed Lissandra up to their adjacent rooms. Opening the door to his private room, he looked around. It was plainly furnished, dominated by an enormous bed piled with thick coverings. Wow, I think I might actually be warm today after all. Divesting himself of his robes and gear, he slid into bed clothed in the adaptive Dezolian bodysuit. Sensing the change in temperature, it changed to a lighter makeup. His dreams were not untroubled, however...

Meanwhile, Brom is slowly making his way towards a town that his sensors can barely make out in the distance.

As Brom trudges along, his hobo robes get coated with snow, and begin to slow him down greatly. Stopping to extricate himself from his sodden covering, he hears a faint squawking cry. Whirling, he draws his Imperial Pick, only to find a stout, innocent looking penguin behind him. Scanning the area, he finds why it's squawking in fear. Ten hulking creatures are approaching it, with upraised claws. With Brom's superhuman fighting ability, it's a matter of seconds before the Dezo moles are reduced to headless and limbless corpses.

Sheathing his weapon, his sensors detect two heat sources approaching him. Re-covering his more obviously android parts with the robes, he is startled to see a child and an adult human coming towards him.

"Morty! Why'd you run away?" the child began, running rapidly towards the rotund blue creature with the big eyes.

The adult, which seemed to be a slightly larger version of the small blonde child, put a hand on her smaller companion's shoulder. She had obviously seen the Dezo Mole's corpses.

Readying his hidden daggers, he calculated how quickly he could silence the new arrivals. He was saved from having to go on another killing spree when the girl exclaimed "You saved Morty! Thanks, mister!" Before he could move, the child had thrown her arms around the highest part of his body she could reach, his waist. Stepping closer, the woman spoke. "Thank you for saving our penguin, Morty. You must be freezing. Why won't you come back to Tyler with us, and get warmed up...?"

"Please, mister?"

Brom, sensing defeat, complied." Sure. Thanks for the invite" he said in a coolly even, synthesized voice. Finding Sage would likely be easier with the aid of the populace, anyway. The penguin was following him closely, and as he raised a leg to kick it away, the child looked up at him and said" Wow, Mister! Morty seems to really like you. I hope you can stay for awhile, so Morty can have a new friend."

Wonderful, Brom thought. I'm surrounded by an overgrown chicken, a snot-nosed brat and a bimbo. Hopefully I can find Sage soon, and get off this iceball. The boss is really gonna owe me for this one...

Inside Sage's room, he's tossing and turning violently, occasionally crying out in his sleep. "No! Dante... I tried to stop you... Eriror... you'll pay for this!"

Sage is standing next to a teleporter, talking animatedly to some other hunters. It is apparently a few years previously. He's not as thin, and his light reddish-blond hair is a bit more neatly parted. He's wearing the tan battle robes he so despises these days.

"Nova, I don't think this is a good idea. Bounties for monster corpses are one thing, but this one seems more dangerous than usual," he says to the tall Ramar dressed in black.

"Relax, Sage. It's nothing we can't handle. Well, nothing the Dreamchasers can't handle. I'd be more worried about yourself, Dante and Eriror. They don't seem to be working as well as they usually do."

A younger Axios spoke up: "What, are you afraid Dante and Eriror won't be able to back you up this time? You seem to be the only thing keeping them alive sometimes."

Kiara, fiddling with her ponytail, flicked it over her shoulder." Well, I think the problem isn't that they're incompetent. They're just constantly at each other's throats lately. Why is that? Is something wrong?"

Sage, looking distinctly uncomfortable, replies: "Yeah, they're constantly fighting. It seems as if they are trying to outdo each other even more than usual. I think it has something to do with Jessie..." He stopped speaking, as his telepathy picked up the familiar thought patterns of his two friends.

Dante, sauntering along with his usual smug look on his face, was trading jibes with Eriror. Dressed in similar black Humar battle-suits, they looked almost identical. The only distinguishing features were Eriror's white hair as opposed to Dante's black hair. Physically, their builds were strikingly similar. Tall, athletic and fit, most of the female hunters on Pioneer 2 fancied a relationship with them.It was one in particular that was causing the current trouble.

"Hey Eriror, 5000 meseta says I get more kills on this run than you."

"You're on, Dante. We're racing against the Dreamchasers too, so..." As he approached the group of four hunters, he stopped.

"Eriror, we're supposed to be working with them. This is a more dangerous outing than usual." Sage said, looking at his two friends with a scowl on his face. Their behavior lately was rather reckless and irresponsible, and it was worrying him. Ever since Jessie had broken up with Eriror, he'd seemed determined to outclass Dante at every possible opportunity. Dante had greater natural ability, but Eriror trained like a madman.

Smiling, Nova replied:" Relax, Sage. You worry too much. This should be a cakewalk... We're going to split up, and wipe out all the monsters we see in this area. A few more cleanup missions and this portion of Ragol should be able to be settled." Turning as a unit, the Dreamchasers went through the teleporter, followed closely by Sage's group.

The two groups of hunters split up, and went their separate ways. The task before them was to clear a section of forest of monsters. Nova's group, the Dreamchasers, began rapidly plowing through the herd of Bartles they came across.
Nova was dodging attacks left and right, blasting the huge turtles with his Yasminkov mechs. Kiara was darting to and fro, slashing gracefully with her twin Kamuis. Axios, after boosting his teammates with Shifta, and lowering the defensive abilities of the herd with Zalure, began chain-casting Gifoie. As the clumsy beasts attempted to come towards him, he cut the few survivors of the flames down with several swings of his trusty twin-saber, Rokujou.

Sage's group was having a bit harder time. They had came across a clearing that was filled with Hidelts and Gulguses. Dante, drawing his Zanba, charged the lead Hidelt and cleaved it in two with one massive swing. Sage was able to blast the first Gulgus that leaped at his unprotected back with his Red Hangun, and Eriror disemboweled the remaining brave one with his replica of the Flowen's Sword.Sage ran towards his teammates as the carnage ended, casting the supportive techs that they had outran in their zeal for slaughter.

"What was up with that, you two? These aren't those stupid Bartles. They're smarter than that. We need to stick together!"

"Ah, shut up Sage! I'm tired of your babysitting. Let's go, Dante. Leave the worrywart here. We don't need him, anyway..."

Quickening their pace, the two hunters rapidly outstripped the panting Force. He'd twisted his bad knee, and walking was agony.Resta healed the fresh damage, but the underlying problem still persisted. After about ten minutes, he had to give in and draw his Staff. Leaning against it for support, he reached out with his senses, trying to find his friends.To his shock and dismay; he could feel a murderous anger coming off of them.

Meanwhile, a trail of monster bodies led to a large clearing, where the Dreamchasers discovered Dante and Eriror in the middle of a shouting match.

"I'm tired of you always showing off, Eriror! You almost got us killed. You provoked that Hildetorr to Megid, just so you could be cool and deflect it. If you weren't so busy showing off, I wouldn't have had to save you from the other one!'

"And I saved your ass from the third one! You're the show off! At least I can kill what I hit!"

"Oh really, you think so? Well how about trying your vaunted 'skill' on something that can actually fight back! Duel me, !"

"Alright then, let's go. I've wanted to wipe that smirk off your face for a long time. You have no right to wield that Zanba..."

This testosterone overload was interrupted by Kiara. "What are you two doing, and where's Sage?"

"We left his whiny ass behind. He was slowing us down, with his tactics' and strategy. It got annoying, and we didn't need him..." Dante said, taking his battle stance." Now, I'm gonna beat down Eriror, and prove I'm better than he is."

"Yeah, right, Kiara. I'm gonna slaughter Dante. Why don't you go look for Sage, if you're so worried?"

"Hey, Nova... whispering we might not want to let this happen. Sage's gonna be pissed," Axios whispered.

"If it's a fair fight, we can't really stop them."

"Alright then, should I make popcorn?"

Inside Sage's bedroom, the bed coverings have been thrown off. He's tossing and turning, looking the part of the nightmare he's having. However, when psychics are under severe mental stress, it affects their surroundings. Both people and objects. About twenty feet away, in the next room, Lissandra is awakened from a fairly light sleep. Nervous about the coming conflict with Zionus, and her ability to help, she wasn't sleeping well.

Sage's mental turmoil was like a psychic slap in the face, yanking her back to consciousness. Her psychic abilities, while not as developed as his, were still fairly sensitive. And anyone with any type of sensitivity at all would be able to feel this for miles around.

Worried, she considered getting up. Realizing how cold it would be, and knowing that awakening him in the middle of the nightmare would not allow the underlying issue to be addressed, she decided to stay in bed and wait it out.

Brom had trudged back to town with Morty, Sana (the kid) and Nichole (adult). They were a penguin-raising family, and lived alone. They were sisters. Failing to find Sage at first, he decided to turn in for the night, taking the bed that Nichole offered him with a forced politeness. Morty was still following him incessantly. Wondering how he could somehow outfit his new stalker with weaponry to act as a sneak attack platform, he powered himself down for the night.

Back to the nightmares of our half-protagonist...

Dante and Eriror are standing in a clearing, surrounded by the expectant Dreamwatchers. Nova is watching with an intent look on his face. This has been building for a while, and he hopes their conflict will end after this. Axios has a small smirk on his face, and is mentally putting odds on who will win. Kiara is worried, sure that this isn't a good idea, and already wishing Sage was here to stop it.

Sage is stumbling through dense foliage, hoping against hope that he can arrive in time to stop the imminent battle between his two best friends. He always seems to end up being the peacekeeper; the stable, responsible one. Inwardly, he has doubts about his ability to do this, but Eriror and Dante don't seem to mind. Lately, even he has been unable to defuse the tension that has been building between them. It's gotten so bad on some occasions that he's been tempted to use his powers on them, to try and calm them down. That goes against his rather strict code of ethics, however, and he's resisted the temptation thus far.The hate that has begun growing between them would inevitably reach a breaking point, and the thought that it might happen today sends cold fingers of fear down his spine.

Reaching out with his powers, he brushes against Dante and Eriror's minds. They are both furious, consumed with hatred and self-righteousness. It's beyond his abilities to try and mentally stop them from the distance he's at, but at this point he's willing to try. Deciding on a different tactic, he reaches out to Nova, instead. Although relatively dormant, Nova has psychic abilities as well. That, and the fact that he's always so calm make it easy to converse, even with Sage's mind as clouded as it is at the moment.

'Nova, what's going on?'

'Dante and Eriror have reached their breaking point. I'll keep it from becoming lethal, but I can't stop them from fighting. Let them duke it out, it might do some good. I don't think they actually want to hurt each other.'

'Nova, you don't understand, they're in a killing rage! If I had the strength, I'd teleport there. I'm too drained. They took off, and attracted a pack of Tollaw to me. I wasted time fighting them off by myself, and it was rather draining. Just keep them both alive til I get there, please?!'

'Okay, relax. They're my friends too, remember? I won't let them kill each other...'

'Thanks, Nova.'

Sage broke the mindlink, and quickened his pace. He should be there in a few minutes. Hopefully Nova can keep them from killing each other.

"Dante, Eriror... seriously, "Nova spoke up. "You two are friends, why do you need to fight? More importantly, why do you want to fight with your actual combat blades? Someone could be seriously hurt. Put the swords down, at least!"

"Oh, been talking to our 'babysitter', again?" Eriror exclaimed. "You had the funny blank look on your face. I wish Sage would stop treating us like we're incompetent children!"

"Yeah, Nova. Besides, it's not like Eriror can actually hurt me. This'll be over in a second or two." Dante said, taking a wide legged stance and bracing himself.

Kiara chose this moment to speak up." Sage treats you like children because you act like damned children! You are irresponsible, hot-headed and unable to plan anything! Without him, you two would never made it as hunters. I'm surprised you could even figure out which end of the sword to hold."

"Shut up, Kiara. You just want us. And yeah, Sage is helpful. He just bores us with his 'planning' and 'thinking things through.' We don't need plans. We're stronger than he is..."Eriror said, taking a similar stance to Dante's, with his Mick-made Flowen's sword held high above his head.

Kiara, greatly affronted, just crosses her arms and scowls. "On your heads be it, then. Maybe if you actually have to deal with the consequences of your actions without him watching your backs, you might learn."

Axios, laughing, turned to Kiara. "Heh, all this time, I wondered why you were so 'appreciative' of these two. You always wanted us to team up with them I figured it out. You have a sword fetish. The stupider they are, the less they talk, and the more you like it. They're guys in tight bodysuits with big, phallic weapons. You probably wet yourself in anticipation every time we go on a mission with them. "He narrowly dodged the punch she threw at his nose, laughing all the while."C'mon guys, this should be fun. I could make popcorn..."

With a look of pure loathing on his face, Dante spoke. "Eriror, let's do this. I want to take you down before Sage gets here to yell at me."

"Alright, then. If you miss your date with the Reaper that much, then bring it! I'll make sure you see her..."

"Like you could actually set up a date with anything. Even Jessie..."

"Sorry, Dante. I don't have a thing for skanky whores, like you. People with actual standards don't go for any Ramarl that wiggles their hips at them."

As a wise man once said, beating someone down is okay. Insulting their girl is the last straw, however. With an incoherent roar of pure rage, Dante rushed at Eriror, brandishing his mighty Zanba.

Raising his sword to block, Eriror was momentarily taken by surprise. Dante was swinging at full force. They'd trained together since they were children, and knew each other's abilities intimately. Eriror could tell that Dante wasn't going to hold back. Bracing himself, he managed to barely parry the first blow. He realized that he'd gone too far. Dante was going to deserve the beating he was about to receive. He'd recently slacked off on his training, and despite his better weaponry, was probably not an even match. Sometimes, even experts are surprised, however...

Blocking the first upward swing, Eriror managed to push Dante's blade to the side, and went for a quick strike at his off-balance opponent. Astoundingly, Dante used the momentum of his blade being pushed away to fuel a rapid spinning slash at Eriror's face, swinging his sword over his shoulder and spinning on his heel. Eriror blocked, and responded with a rising slash that pushed Dante back.

Snarling, their blades locked together inches away from the other's face, they were at a stalemate. Pushing on their intertwined blades, sparks flew from their weapons as each struggled to gain the upper hand in the contest. Eriror, channeling technique energy through his sword, briefly gained enough strength to push Dante away. A quick series of alternating horizontal swings from each combatant were blocked and countered, with neither gaining an advantage. The blades sang as each vented their hatred.

Watching through Dark Nova's eyes, Sage could see the titanic clash unfolding. It was honestly frightening, seeing his two friends using all of their power on each other.

Dante caught Eriror with a quick kick, preempting the kick that Eriror was about to try. Eriror stumbled backwards, but regained his footing quickly. Neither fighter had drawn blood, but the effort of swinging their massive weapons was starting to drain them quickly.

Resolving to end the contest quickly, they stared at each other across the intervening few feet that separated them. Breathing heavily, surrounded by the enraptured Dreamchasers, a mutual decision was made, though neither knew it at the time. They were going to commit fully to this next attack, risking everything to end the fight.

Both of their weapons allowed them to channel energy to increase the power of their attacks. Dante's sword, the Zanba, used life energy for this. It was stronger, but prolonged use of the special attack could be life-threatening. Eriror's sword, a replica of the legendary Flowen's sword, used technique energy for the process. It was a weaker weapon, but it's full potential could be used with much less risk.

Regaining their breath, they seemed to mirror each other as they assumed the stance for their most powerful attack, each using a version of it. Readying themselves for the Cross Reaper, they raised their swords, grasping it with both hands as they put their left foot forward and leaned into a lower posture. The sword came to rest over the right shoulder of each. Like grotesque puppets dancing to the same master, they charge as one, using the momentum to ready a powerful downward diagonal slash, fueling their blades with their personal energy.

Colliding as one, there was a loud explosion, ending with a blinding flash of light that subsided as Sage entered the clearing. The results of the dual attacks were shocking. Sage was too late...

In Sage's room, his sleep has gotten even more troubled, if that were possible. He's screaming in his sleep now. "No! Eriror, Dante, why...? I failed you both."

Lissandra, in the next room, hears his screams and decides to go check on him. The psychic interference he's putting off isn't going to let her sleep, anyway. Throwing a robe over her nightgown, she steps to the door that links their two rooms. Placing her hand on the door handle, she is surprisingly unable to open it. His telekinetic powers are keeping the room sealed. Sighing, she reaches out a questing tendril of though, searching for his troubled mind. As she reaches him, she links with his mind. Through the link, she's able to see what he's dreaming about. It's an invasion of privacy, but she has no choice. The unfettered power he's giving off could attract 'things' that would be best left alone.

She appears inside his dream, her astral form floating above a large clearing on a planet that's recognizable as Ragol. She sees a fairly short, slim Fomar with reddish-blond hair hurrying towards the clearing behind her. Hmm... I suppose that's Sage. He looks younger, though. I wonder what the big problem is? Following him with her gaze, she turns as he rushes into the clearing, being momentarily blinded by a bright flash of light.

Sage had finally made it to the site of the duel, catching up with his friends. Cursing his slowness, he hears two voices shout "Cross Reaper!" He runs into the clearing just as the bright flash of light from the colliding blades subsides.

Striking at the same time, the empowered blades had met. Dante's swing was a split-second faster than Eriror's, and had caught Eriror's sword about a third of the way down it's blade. The Zanba's superior construction cleaved through Eriror's sword, shattering about a third of it off. The remainder of the blade completed it's swing, and hit what Eriror was aiming for. The shattered Flowen's Sword cleaved neatly through Dante's shoulder, severing his arm in a gout of spraying blood and a bright flash of released technique energy. His swing unbalanced by the loss of his arm, Dante cried out in agony as his sword hit the ground. As his swing was completely thrown off by Eriror's counter hit, the Zanba hit the ground with a loud thud, missing Eriror entirely. Dante released his grip on his sword, and dropped to his knees, screaming in pain as he automatically reached for the stump where his arm had been seconds before. He managed to cast a feeble Resta, slowing the flow of blood as he passed out.

Eriror threw away his broken weapon with a look of triumph on his face. Bending down, he picked up Dante's Zanba, and raised it high above his head, preparing to finish off his downed opponent. "Now, Dante, you die! I'm the superior one!"

Suddenly, a series of gunshots rang out. Nova had drawn his Yasminkov's and opened fire on the Zanba. The force of the repetitive shots drove Eriror back, away from Dante's huddled body. "That's enough, Eriror! He's beaten. This fight is over, "Nova shouted.

Just then, Sage ran into the clearing and witnessed the carnage before him. "Eriror, you...! What have you done?" Sage stood there, shocked and incredibly angry.

Axios and Kiara, not as completely stunned, moved towards Dante, Axios' hands already glowing with a prepared Reverser technique. Unfortunately for them, Eriror had snapped. Brandishing the Zanba, he swung at them as they approached Dante's unconscious form. "No, he's mine! He deserves to die for his arrogance!" He then rushed Kiara and nailed her with the flat of his blade, knocking her to the ground, unconscious. Before Axios could move, he was kicked in the temple, and slumped as well.

Lissandra, observing all this from her astral vantage point, began to understand why he was so disturbed. From the thoughts she was picking up, he blamed himself for this debacle. Unable to do anything for fear of destroying his mind in the fragile state it was in, she resolved to sit and wait.

Sage, seeing Eriror attack both Axios and Kiara, had reached his breaking point. "That's it! Eriror, this has to end NOW!!!" Reaching out his hand, he attempted to telekinetically yank the Zanba from Eriror's hands. Staggering slightly, Eriror regained his balance and unleashed a wave of technique energy, breaking Sage's hold.

"Sorry, Sage. I'll deal with you in a second. I'm going to take out our trigger happy friend here, first." As he said this, Eriror charged at Dark Nova. Unwilling to use lethal force (since the weapons he had out were his Yasminkovs), Nova hesitated for a split second. That moment's hesitation was all Eriror needed, as he swung at Nova with all his might. Nova dodged the first swing, but was hit with Eriror's shoulder as he charged, knocking him to the ground and knocking his guns from his hands. He hit his head on a large rock, and as the loud crack his skull made echoed through the forest, he swiftly passed into unconsciousness.

Wheeling about, Eriror turned towards Sage with a murderous gleam in his eyes. "Well, Mr. 'Leader'. Not so tough now, with your meat shields out of the way, are you? I wonder if they would even associate with you at all if you weren't constantly warping and twisting their minds."

"I'm not... I never did that! They're my friends..." Sage stuttered, clearly thrown off balance by Eriror's accusation.

"Yeah, right. Like a telepath that's as manipulative and power hungry as you could ever have 'friends.' You've been using us this entire time. I'm just glad I figured it out..."

"Eriror, you're wrong! I don't want to have to hurt you..."

"As if you could! You're just as bad as your pathetic little 'friend' here, Dante. At least he had the honor to face me like a man. You've been manipulating me this entire time, haven't you!?"

"Eriror... after your encounter with Falz, you changed. The Principal asked me to keep an eye on you, and try to calm the murderous rage that swelled within you. All I did was keep you from giving in to your dark side. I NEVER made you do anything you didn't want to do. I can't. Your mind is too strong..."

"Liar! I wanted to kill again, to feel that rush of power... and you stopped me. You'll pay for that. Prepare to die, Jonas!" Eriror rushed at Sage, the Zanba raised high above his head. Sage, staggered by the loss of his friends and with a weakened knee, didn't seem to stand a chance against his onrushing opponent. His telepathy wouldn't work on him, Eriror was too strong for telekinesis, and he was too drained to use techniques...

Lissandra, seeing the enraged Eriror charging Sage in his dream, almost forgot where she was. She made a move to help, but then realized that this was simply a flashback, and interfering would do more harm than good. Checking on Sage's thought patterns, she could sense that he would be awake soon. With a thought she dispelled the mind-link, and came back to her body. Pressing on the door handle, it turned easily, allowing her entry into Sage's room.

Inside Sage's dream, he was reliving the personal Ragnorak of his shattered career as a hunter.

Eriror, his eyes filled with hatred, was stalking Sage through the clearing, the blood-dripping Zanba resembling the tooth of some prehistoric beast as he held it high over his head.

"Sage, you know I had to kill my teammates. They were possessed by Falz! Yet the military made me out to be some kind of psycho, when I should've been lauded as a hero. No one believed me, though. Not even you, and you'd seen inside my head... you have to pay for your treachery!"

"Eriror, the problem wasn't with what you did, it was how you felt when you did it. You reveled in the violence, the feeling of power over other people. That's why I was assigned to watch you. You were too skilled to be locked up, not with the need for good hunters, and the powers that be felt that you could be kept from killing again." Sage said, as he dodged a wide swing from the Zanba. 'Perhaps if I can keep him talking, maybe I can figure a way out of this...'

Unfortunately for Sage, Eriror quickly caught on to his plan. "Sorry, Sage, but your mind tricks won't work on me. I have to kill you now, so no one can tell what really happened today. Then, when I make it back to Pioneer, I can tell the story of how I heroically fought off Dante after he went berserk. He was so arrogant, he thought he was better than everyone else, like the lives of other people didn't matter. When we confronted him, he snapped... I'll be a hero, and the world will be rid of him! But for that, you must die..."

"Eriror, you're insane. You need help..." Sage said, drawing his gun as he backed away from the enraged hunter.

"No, Sage, I've never been saner. I realized how you were all using my power for your own ends. I won't be a pawn in your little game any longer!" With that, he charged, swinging the Zanba in lethal arcs. Sage, using his telepathy to read Eriror's thoughts and determine where he would strike, was temporarily able to dodge him. The effort was draining, and he couldn't keep it up for long.

An outstretched root almost proved to be Sage's downfall. Backing away from Eriror, he stumbled on it, and started to fall backwards. "Oof!" Eriror took advantage of his unbalanced posture, and lunged forward, swinging the Zanba in a flat horizontal arc. The telekinetic shield Sage erected just saved his leg from being sheared off, but the impact of the weapon shattered his left leg, bending his knee towards his other leg.

"Aaaah!!" He cried out in pain as he fell onto his back. Eriror walked towards him, blocking the few panicked shots that Sage sent at him through the haze of pain he was in.

"This ends now, Sage... Goodbye!" Raising the Zanba over his prone foe, he prepared to strike. Sage was frozen in fear and out of options. 'I guess this is the end. Wish it had turned out differently.' A flurry of movement from behind Eriror caught his eye. The broken sword was no longer lying on the ground...

Closing his eyes, he awoke from his dream, drenched in a cold sweat. Lissandra was standing in the corner, a worried apparition in a pale gown. Sitting up, the emotion of the flashback overwhelmed him, and he broke down...

Sage sat up, drenched in a cold sweat, his skin clammy. The bedcovers were mostly thrown off the bed, and what remained was in total disarray. Pale moonlight filtering into the room lent a soft white glow to everything. His heart was pounding, and he began shaking. Not from the cold, but from the emotional reaction he was experiencing.

The dream had come back, after five years. After it had happened, he'd had flashbacks, of course. But the inexorable march of time had faded them, and made them much less frequent. Now, they were back with a vengeance. At least that meant that the final blocks on his powers were gone, and his full potential would be returning shortly. This would mean nothing if he could not regain control of himself, though. The shaking continued, as his body became racked with harsh sobs. He wasn't crying, he wouldn't cry... but trying to tell his body that was like speaking to a stone wall. Shaking with repressed tears, his hands clasped over his face in a futile attempt at regaining control, he failed to notice Lissandra in the corner until she spoke.

Tempted to try a mind touch, she refrained. Sage's psychic powers were on overload at this point, and it might be dangerous to try. When he started shaking and sobbing, she could remain silent no longer. This was the one chosen to save the universe from Zionus, but in this state he would be less than useless. If he lacked confidence in himself, he had no hope of becoming the heir to Lutz's power. That's it, Liss. Tell yourself that you only care about the mission... She broke her silence with a question. "Sage... are you okay?"

"What... what are you doing in here?" His voice was as shaky as he was, and it sounded hoarse and weak, like a whispered statement from someone who doesn't want to speak, but feels compelled to avoid the deathly silence.

"I heard noise coming from the room, and it woke me. The psychic turmoil you were going through could have woken the dead. Well, the psychically gifted dead, anway."

"It was a nightmare... I'm fine now. You can leave." Was it really that bad? I need to center, and get myself under control. This could be dangerous.

Lissandra looked at him, moving closer so the moonlight spilling through the window could give her a better view. He's lying. He just doesn't want me to see him like this. "When you started lashing out with your powers, I mind linked to see what was going on. I was able to stop you from hurting anyone inadvertently, but I was also able to see your dream. Did that really happen?"

"Yes. Now that you've invaded my privacy, are you done yet?" He was starting to regain his strength, but was far from being under control. The anguish he felt at his failure rose up in him, and he had a sudden desire to break something. Wrestling himself back under control, he uncovered his face and looked at her.

"I... I'm sorry. Not just for looking at your dream, but for what happened in that dream. That was horrible, but you shouldn't blame yourself. If four highly skilled hunters couldn't stop him, what makes you think you should've been able to do it? Alone and wounded, no less. There's no way anyone could've done any better in that situation!"

"It was my responsibility to stop him, and I failed. Besides, it's none of your business. Please, leave me alone..."

"Well, since you want to be alone so badly, I'll leave. But you need to realize something. Failure isn't necessarily a bad thing. If you don't learn your limits, you will never learn your strengths. Only when you dwell on failure, and fail to learn from it, does it become a problem. If you can't trust yourself, then you won't be able to carry out your mission."

"You may want to find someone else. Everytime people's lives are entrusted to me, or when I try to lead, I fail. People die..."

"Yes, but without you there, they likely would've all died. And stop dwelling on the Zionus thing. He's got the power of a god, there's nothing you could have done. If you were a bad leader, then you and Lucca would have died as well. But you didn't. You're human, Sage. Just like the rest of us. You aren't perfect, and no one can or should reasonably expect you to be. Not even you... The elders picked you because you're the person who can get the job done. You're already worthy; you just have to accept it." Finishing her diatribe, she turned and began to leave.

"Lissandra... thank you."

"For talking sense into you? No problem. Now get some sleep. "She went back to her room, dwelling on the conversation she'd just had. He's far too hard on himself. If he would loosen up, he'd be able to use a lot more of his power. Hopefully, the Elders can help him to see that.

The next morning, sunlight broke over the chilled surface of Dezolis. The planet gleamed like a diamond as it's snowy fields reflected the light. The glare was horrible, but anyone who could have seen it without going snowblind would have been at a loss for words to describe the sheer, desolate beauty. Sage and Lissandra were downstairs in the inn's dining area, taking in an early breakfast.

"Sage, are you doing alright? I know last night you probably didn't sleep well..."

"Yes, I'm fine. I just need some food. What are we doing today, again?"

"We're journeying to the Esper's Mansion, to meet with the Elders. They will explain more of the situation to you, and begin to prepare you for what you must do. The power to defeat Zionus is partly within you, and partly within the Esper's mansion. It's the Elder's and my job to unite those two halves."

"That sounds very cryptic, but I guess I can't argue. When are we leaving?"

"In two hours. We aren't walking this time, because it would take far too long. Camping on Dezolis is a death sentence, and we couldn't make it there on foot before night fell. We'll be taking a vehicle called the Ice Digger, and the owner will be ready to leave in two hours. So relax, and enjoy your breakfast." She set a good example by attacking her pancakes like they were her greatest enemy.

Sage munched on bread, and drank several cups of a strong, sweet stimulant tea to try and clear his head. His stomach was upset from the turmoil of last night, and the lack of sleep was making him sluggish. Worrying about how events on Ragol were unfolding, he resolved to try and make contact with someone that was there after breakfast to find out what was going on.

I wonder who it should be, though? At this distance, I can't keep contact with anyone who's not psy-gifted. Hmm... ah, I've got it! Nova has a fairly weak receptive telepathic ability. He can't send messages to save his life, but he can receive them from a long distance. Besides, I know him well, and I haven't talked to him in a while. It'll be good to get back in touch... especially after last night. I need to hear some friendly thoughts.

Lissandra broke in on his internal monologue. "Are you going to finish your porridge?" Sage had mostly pushed his food around on his plate, nibbling on bread and eating a few sausages.

"Um, no. You can have it..."

"Thanks! The food at this place is wonderful, always has been. I eat here every chance I get."

"Ok, here. Is there somewhere I can go to be alone for a bit?"

"Not if you're planning on going back to sleep. But yes, the room upstairs should be fairly quiet. If I find out you went back to sleep, though... you're in for it,"she said, glaring at him with a mischievous gleam in her eye.

"Yes, ma'am" Sage said mockingly. He reacted instinctively when she threw her wadded up napkin at him, catching it in mid-air with his telekinesis before it made it a foot from her hand.

Staring at the hovering napkin, Sage's fears of the night before were realized. I shouldn't have that kind of ability at such short notice. I'm hair-triggered again... He released his hold, and the napkin fell to the table. Luckily, the dining room was mostly deserted at this early hour, and no one saw the mysterious levitating napkin.

"If you weren't so afraid of your power, you'd both be able to control it better and use more of it. You have to learn to trust yourself..." Lissandra said, eyeing Sage and the hovering napkin intently.

"How did you know that I...?"

"Well, it's rather blatantly obvious. You're pale, and the expression on your face makes you look like you've just seen a ghost. And if your hand trembles any more, you're going to knock your mug off of the table. Relax, Sage. It'll do wonders for your peace of mind, and your control."

Sage let the napkin fall. "I'm going to go upstairs, now."

"Alright. Let me know if you need anything. I'll be down here."

"Ok" With that, Sage stood and left the table, heading to the stairwell in the corner of the room. After a very brief trip, he had returned to his room. He'd picked up the few things that his telekinetic temper tantrum had thrown into disarray, and briefly decided to make the bed. Dwelling more closely on it, he chose not to. Heh, I'm sure what the inn staff will assume... yet it's far more comfortable like this. Sitting on the bed, he braced his back against the headboard and stretched out his legs. His knee was aching again, like it always did after he had the nightmare, or when he exerted himself. It was 'phantom pain', the medics had said, yet it still ached abominably. Making himself comfortable, he stretched a questing tendril of thought out into the cosmos, searching for a familiar mind...

Elsewhere.

Ayame was standing at the edge of a cliff, overlooking the ocean outside Gal Da Val Island. A storm was coming in, and the slate grey clouds were rapidly gathering. It wasn't quite raining yet, but waves far below were beginning to crest. Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance, and a flash of lightning briefly lit the sky.

The wind was blowing her short purple hair, and tears were streaming down her face. Her black skirt and outfit were ripped in several places, and the shine of a fresh scar was on her cheek. Gazing at the two halves of the broken Summit Moon she was clutching in her hands, she fell to her knees, screaming a name into the stormy gray sky.

"UNCLE X!!!!! WHY!!!!!!!!!!" She screamed again, an incoherent burst of rage and sorrow mingling in the wind...

Why did you join that bad man, Uncle X? He hurt Mister Sage, and killed Megatron. And now he's trying to take over the world... Why did you defend him? He's evil, but you're supposed to be a good guy. You saved me from him last time, but why weren't you there this time...? I need your help, Uncle.

Letting out a curse that she had picked up from her 'uncle', she flung the two halves of her broken weapon into the sea before slumping forward from her kneeling position, her hands pounding the smooth stone of the weatherbeaten cliff until they were bruised and raw.

She had barely escaped the wrath of a god, but had lost the only person she ever truly trusted in the bargain.

As she cried her heart out, the promised rain began to fall. The storm seemed to match the turmoil going on inside the young woman as she sobbed. She had never felt so alone...

Meanwhile, on Pioneer 2... Nova was outside his dwelling, running through his morning practice routine. He was hurling a Flight Cutter at targets that popped up, dodging the colored light beams they sent at him in response. Just as he landed the hit that "killed" the last target drone, he felt a familiar tingling in the back of his skull. He heard Sage's voice in his mind, as though it was a long ways away.

Nova...? Can you hear me?

Sage, is that you?

Yes. I can't believe this actually worked! I'm on a distant planet right now. What's going on there?

Hold on a minute... weren't you supposed to be leading an investigation into some ruins, or something?

Yeah, I was. Have you heard about a guy named Zionus?

Yes. He's wreaking havoc, and spouting off like he has his own show.

He came out of those ruins. Some weird lady popped up, and told me she knew how to beat him. I teleported with her to a strange planet, and I'm here now. I'm about to go meet with some 'Elder's ' to find out the whole story. What has Zionus done so far...?

Well, he's attacked the Principal, and brought Eriror over to his side. And he blew up the Hunter's Guild, attacked that Lab robot, and in general made a nuisance of himself.

Great. I'm trying to find a way to stop him, but it's probably going to take a while. Look up Dante, and try to find that Sye kid. I think they'll both be helpful.

Alright. I'll get in touch with them. Are you alright? You seem rather... unsettled.

It's nothing. The flashbacks are returning, that's all.

Sage, you know that's not your fault. There was nothing you could've done...

Nova's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Axios. He was yawning, and looked to be half-asleep.

"Nova, we have a problem. Zionus has Eriror on his side, and now the Military's joining him. He's spouting off right now. You might wanna come and look at this."

"Ok, sure." Sage, you might want to stick around. This is going to get ugly.

Nova and Axios walked back into their shared apartment, and stared at the spectacle unfolding on their viewscreen.

Zionus' intimidating visage filled the screen.

"People of Ragol. I am the avatar of the Great Light, the one who will cleanse the universe of the impure. I am salvation for those who follow me, and damnation for those who are foolish enough to oppose me."

The camera pans behind him, where Eriror, X and Brom are kneeling reverently. Brom has been repaired, Eriror has the look of a fervent cult member, and X has the blank stare he has worn ever since his reappearance.

"As you can see behind me, not all are self-centered, blind animals that vainly strive to resist my will. Some have seen my way, and have decided to gain salvation by following my truth. Those who continue to resist will be purged by my light. I am about to give a small... demonstration of my miracles, but one of my followers wish to give a testimony first. Eriror, speak of my truth!"

Eriror stood, bowed solemnly to his master, and began to speak.

"I wish to testify of the glory of Zionus. I was confused before I saw his power. I was stumbling around in a blind haze, unsure of my purpose in life, lashing out wildly at those around me. But after meeting my master, and pledging my loyalty to him, I found the reason for my existence. I exist to carry out his will. To my troops... you are now under his command. Any that resist the will of our new master will be punished by his hand. Those who join willingly will not only be following their commander's orders, but the whims of the cosmos.Zionus is the ultimate power, and the original force for good. He is the divine power of the Great Light, brought to us in the form of a man to be our glorious savior. Zionus is the answer we have been searching for. Join him, or die. There is no other choice..." Eriror inclined his head, turned to bow at the feet of his new master, then rejoined X and Brom on the floor.

People of Ragol. Now you see that your prime defender has seen the truth, and joined me. It is my will that you all do the same. Judgment will be harsh for those who do not. As a gift to the pure followers of the Light, I shall destroy that pit of filth known as Vega. Behold my glory, and tremble at my might!!!"

Sage... did you get all that?

Yes, Nova. It's worse than I feared. People are actually stupid enough to follow him. And he seems to have broken X's spirit... he looked like a lifeless doll.

"Hey, Nova. You've got that look on your face again. Is it Sage?"

"Yes."

Nova. With Eriror joining Zionus, we have a new problem. There's no one that can stand against him anymore, with the military gone. There aren't enough hunters left to fight off the military.

The Dreamchasers can hold him until you get back. I'm sure there are many people who won't agree with that moron Eriror. I should have killed him years ago.

I tend to agree. Get in touch with Lab, Dante and Sye. They'll be willing to help. I'll hurry, but I'm not exactly sure what it is I have to do. I'll keep in touch, but I have to break the link. I'm leaving soon.

Very well, Sage. Be careful, and keep me appraised. We're going to need whatever miracle it is you pull off this time.

Goodbye, Nova.

Nova turned to Axios. "Sage is looking for a way to beat Zionus, but he's not sure how long it'll take. He suggested we find Dante, the robot from the guild and that kid that was reported missing in the ruins."

"Sounds good to me. If the military's stupid enough to listen to Eriror, we're gonna have a civil war on our hands. And no one's paying us this time..."

"Well, Resistances have never been easy. I'm not looking forward to fighting the military, but it seems we have no choice. If we let Zio run rampant, we may not live to see the end of it."

"So, where is Sage?"

"On another planet. Some chick warped him there."

"He never could do things the easy way, huh? His plans were always complicated, but they worked more often than he liked to admit. Except for the Eriror thing...'

"Let's wake up Kiara. We have work to do."

As he broke the mindlink with Nova, Sage was startled back into full awareness by the feeling of someone standing over him. Opening his eyes, he gazed up at Lissandra, who had been standing beside him for an unknown amount of time.

"If I couldn't feel the psychic energy you've just been giving off, I'd swear you were asleep. Lucky for you I'm psy-sensitive, or you would've gotten hurt. I told you not to go to sleep..." she said playfully, sitting down on the bed.

"How long have you been there?"

"About ten minutes. Apparently, there's a five-cup limit on the free refills of tea. They kicked me out of the dining room a little bit ago. Apparently to make way for some crazy thing called 'paying customers.' If the food wasn't so good here, I'd never put up with this savagery. Anyway... what were you doing? If you don't mind me asking, that is. And I remember Eriror and Nova from your dream."

"Is spying on me part of your job, or just a hobby? Between last night and now..."

Whatever he was about to say was cut off by a pillow to the face."I'm supposed to get you to the Elders 'in one piece.' They specified nothing about your comfort level. Keep this up, and you're riding on top of the Ice Digger," she threatened mockingly, punctuating 'supposed', 'piece', 'nothing' and 'comfort level' with further blows from the pillow.

"Alright, alright... I'll talk. Just stop...please! " he said, gasping with laughter as he vainly attempted to defend himself from her disturbingly accurate blows. I really, really wouldn't want to make her mad

"That's much better. Funny that the only smile I've seen on your face since we got here results from a severe beating. And after I bought you breakfast and everything..."

"Sorry."

"You need to loosen up. Being brooding and angsty all the time will get you nowhere. Being afraid to fail will always make you fail. You can dislike failure, but your fear of it is unhealthy. So, what were you going to tell me before I assaulted you?"

"I made contact with a accquaintance of mine on Ragol. His name's Dark Nova. He allowed me to watch one of Zionus latest 'announcements' through the mindlink. Eriror, a leader in Ragol's military, has joined Zionus, and it's looking as if the rest of the military will soon follow. Between the followers he's attracting and the members of the military that'll follow Eriror... he's going to have an army soon. We may not even be able to get to him to stop him. Not that stopping a god's going to be easy, but..."

"Stop worrying about it! There's nothing you can do about it right now, and the more you worry, the less you're going to be able to do. If you're doubting yourself all the time, then you won't be able to do what we brought you here to do. So relax... the Ice Digger's almost ready. We leave in ten minutes. Get your stuff together, okay?" Lissandra stood up, and headed towards the outer door of the room. She was stopped in her path by a question from Sage.

"What am I supposed to do here? You said I could find the way to defeat Zionus... but how?" He said, with a puzzled look on his face.

"All will be explained when we arrive at the Esper's Mansion. The Elders will tell you what you need to know." Lissandra replied as she turned towards him.

"Alright, then. I don't want to get hit again, so I'll refrain from asking anymore questions. You're violent, you know that?" He said as he stood up. Luckily for him, the pillow was out of her immediate range.

"Yes, I know. I'm quite good at it, too. And if you stall any longer, you're going to find out what I can really do," she said, moving towards him with a mischievous gleam in her eye. "Remember, your comfort isn't exactly 'required..."

"You're almost as scary as Zionus. I'm coming. Don't worry."

Mere moments later, Lissandra and Sage were packed and ready to leave. As they exited the inn, early morning sunlight reflecting off of the snow lent an almost glazed appearance to everything. Two buildings down from the inn, a large vehicle with tank-like treads and a drill attached to the front was watched over by a fairly tall man in white robes.

Approaching the Ice Digger, Sage and Lissandra were hailed by the man."So, Esper-Lady, are you and your boyfriend ready to leave yet? You're paying me well, but it's still rather early."

Sage barely contained a laugh. He was helped in this by the sudden necessity of stopping Lissandra before she killed the man. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he whispered into her ear. "Relax... he might actually press charges if you assault him." Adding telepathically "And we need him, remember?"Lissandra slowed back to a walk, and her muscles untensed. Sage breathed a sigh of relief, and responded. "Yes sir, we're ready to leave."

"Ok, then." The man opened a door in the side of the vehicle, and waved them inside. "It's a might cramped, but it's a lot faster and warmer than walking."

"Thank you, sir." Lissandra managed, finally having gotten her temper under control. Sage and Lissandra got settled, and the driver disappeared behind a door in front of them, into a room that was presumably the cockpit.

"If you're all settled then, we're leaving." With a loud rumbling, the engine switched from its idle into a full purring roar. Looking out the window, Sage saw that the hangar they had been parked inside was receding. As the vehicle picked up speed and turned onto the main thoroughfare of the town, the walls of Tyler were soon left behind as well as they began their journey.

Lissandra reached out to Sage with a telepathic probe. He could feel the slight emotional tinge of her embarrassment as she spoke into his mind. "Sorry about that..." she began.

"Don't worry about it. I actually found it rather flattering, if you want to know the truth.'

"Yes, but... wait a minute. What?!"

Lissandra broke the mindlink, her face as pink as the emotional tinge her telepathic link had given off mere seconds before.

"Like you always tell me... relax."

If she'd had a pillow, she'd have thrown it at him. Seeing that (luckily for Sage) she didn't have any handy non-lethal weapons, the trip to the Esper's Mansion was relatively peaceful.

Elsewhere...

Ayame is kneeling on a cliff overlooking the ocean near Gal Da Val Island. A furious storm is raging around her, but the emotional tempest inside her makes it seem insignificant in comparison. She thinks back to the events of the past few days.

As Ayame teleported into the room, unnoticed by all, the first thing she saw was X disappearing in a flash of light. Stunned as she was by this, she was even more shocked when the shiny silver guy tried to kill Sage. Seeing the robot sacrifice himself to save Mr. Sage was the last straw, however.

Raising her Summit Moon, she cast a massive fireball at Zionus' unprotected back. It hit him squarely, as his attention was elsewhere, and winded him. Ayame proceeded to follow up with every technique she had, blinded by rage as she poured arcane destruction onto him.

"You big meanie!! Why'd you have to hurt Uncle X?!!? I'll make you pay!!!" Sobbing with rage and anguish, she loosed her full power, attempting to blast him into oblivion.

Seeming to be staggered by the blasts she was throwing at him, Zionus hesitated.With but a word, he vanished, teleporting away to parts unknown.

Ayame, seeing her prey escaping, decided to follow. Focusing on the energy he was putting out, she attempted to teleport to where he was. "Hinas!', and she was gone.
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That was how it all started. He was giving off energy like a glowlamp gives off light, but it was still rather difficult to follow him. Instead of one single teleportation, he was flitting around from place to place, never staying in one spot for long. After about an hour of this, he seemed to disappear. Straining her senses to the maximum, she was still unable to find him.

She had given up, and gone home. She supposed she should have told Aunt Leah, but she couldn't bring herself to accept it. The next day, however... she sensed Zionus' energy again. Locking on to where it was coming from, she teleported.

She appeared in a flash of light inside the Hunter's Guild. Zionus, apparently sensing her approach, disappeared, another person that she couldn't see disappearing into the flash of light with him.Looking behind the desk, she saw an android lying on his back, not moving. She hesitated briefly, wanting to help him. Getting the man that had hurt Uncle X was more important, she decided. Little did she know at the time that her "Uncle X" was still alive. Following Zionus' energy trail, she tracked him to a large building on Ragol.

The Central Dome. To her, it would soon become the place where her dreams died...