The cave was barren of human life yet again, with the exception of the young Klonian and inhabitants of the cave. Succubus, a demi-human whose life consisted mainly of stealing souls, has come to settle down and like this new form of life. Moonlight Flower, a young girl whose innocence reigns, grown fond of this new form of friendship. And Cat o' Ninetails, the older sister of Moonlight Flower, has accepted the task of helping Marie solve her troubles. After 3 grueling days of training little progress had been made. Cat got even more restless by the moment, yet no one worried.

"Ugh" Marie said, sitting down on the rocky floor. Water slowly dripped down the cavern walls as she thought aloud "It's just not working, I'm so tired..." she forced herself back up "but I must continue training" determination in her eyes glowed brightly "Again, how is it done? I need to get down this sight spell!"

"Look, it's no big deal. Sight!" Cat yelled, causing a bright red flame to appear in front of her and spin around her body "If you do this correctly, you can detect anything hidden. Now try again."

Meanwhile Succi and Moonlight sat on the other side of the statue, playing word games with one another. Each time Moonlight got a word right, she was rewarded with a long moment of back-stroking, the kind she loved so much. Marie sighed deeply and tried again, a small blue flame circled her, and for a moment, she cheered "I did it!" until a dull pain clouded her head. She winced as the flame flew at her with a "smack" causing her to fall over "Well... at least I think that's progress..."

Cat sighed with her hand to her forehead "...You're thinking too hard into this, aren't you--...?"

"Sister, sister!" Moonlight called out to her "I learned new word, Sister."
"Oh really? What is it?"
"Sister!"
"...Well?"
"Sister!"

Moonlight eagerly stared up wide eyed as Cat stood in confusion for a moment "...Meh I have no time for your games. One more time, Marie"

"Okay..." she sighed "I just want to be prepared for next time, fulfilling this promise means so much to meh..." as she spoke the flame reappeared, circling around her head. "I've always been too--" she noticed the blue flame orbiting around her head "Ummmmmmmm I think I got it..."

"Great!" Cat jumped with joy "...Now do it again, just for the sake of mastery."

"Ummmmmmmm" she blinked, focusing slightly, it consistently forming again, not disappearing "I guess I only focus a little, not too much"

"Perfect!" Cat cheered "Now you can test it out. Try using it to detect Steve over there." She pointed toward a grave, a resting spot for the recently deceased man. Marie solemnly nodded, heading over. She made out the faint silhouette of a man, complaining over his death.

"Err..." she scratched her head "I think it works..." She grinned goofily, a sweat drop falling down the back of her head.

"...Closer..." Cat said "Don't be afraid of the ghosts, not all of them are bad..."

Marie heard a loud sarcastic cough from down the stairs, followed by a louder whack.

"Ummmm okay" she said, timidly approaching the ghost "Ummmm hi, Steve, how's yer day?"

The silhouette changed into the shape of a small creature, red spiked with a dome shaped head "...Not too bad... If you don't consider the fact that I'm a DAMN MUSHROOM!" Succi tossed a rock at it "Hey, don't go teaching my Moonie any inappropriate language!"

"Meh..." Marie thought, turning back to Cat "Ummmmmmmm that was rather awkward... considering I have this down, I should try to clear my name, that way I can focus on my training without any interruptions from bounty hunters" she thought "Also I hope to get Kei out of prison..."

"oh...? OH, that's what you came to me for..." she shook her head "... And I thought you wanted to learn how to defeat assassins. Sorry about that." She walked over to a small nearby shack and opened it to reveal a Sohee with a collar and leash around her neck "Okay Nikki, hand me the legal book." The Sohee nodded and grabbed an old tattered book from the depths of the shack.

"Thanks..." Cat began to walk away.

"...Um... when can I get out of here?" the Sohee asked.

"Real soon Nikki... Really soon..." Cat slammed the shack's door back, a disappointed groan humming through the cracked wooden door "This is, all you need it right here in this book."

"Well... I want to get back at someone named Kresant... he used a cloaking ability against me" she paused "So I must train really hard and learn all sorts of new skills to be prepared!" She took the book, and looked back "I hope I can find my way back outside... this place is like a maze!"

"No worries, this'll help you back" Succi handed her a purple butterfly's wing "You have no idea how many Creamys I had to kill for that..." she said with a smile.

"Okay..." she paused, a beam of light surrounding her. She felt her body lighten with the soft rays surrounding her. As she faded away she reached out her arm and waved good-bye, saying "Thank-you!" When the cave disappeared from view, she felt the ground rushing back to her. Cobblestone underneath her feet, she found herself at the sanctuary where it all started. Backing into the shadows, she crept out of the church, and into the city streets.

"Can you believe it...?" Marie heard a voice ask someone in the area.

"Yeah, who'd have thought that someone would actually attack during a wedding ceremony? That's just pure evil, I swear."

"Whoever it was, they'll get theirs soon enough..."

Marie tucked away the book, curiously listening in on the conversation, but soon told herself "No, I have to clear meh name..." she peered up, seeing a castle pierce the skies in the west.

"I'm pretty sure kings live in castles..." flapping her wings, she set off in that direction. As the sound of her wings came to a dull buzz, she took flight high above the air, still feeling sore from training, but pushed herself to stay up. The castle came closer and closer with every passing moment as she finally landed at the gates.

"Welcome to Prontera Castle, home of King Tristam III." a guard greeted Marie as she came to the bridge. "...However, due to the unfortunate events of yesterday, the King isn't accepting any visitors."

"Yeah, he's in no shape for any company." the other guard added "Even his own wife isn't allowed in there."

She nodded and hunched over, panting "Wings... stiff... shoulda rested before flight..." she searched around, seeing a balcony overlooking the area. Retreating back into the dark shadows, waiting for the guards to take focus off her, she flew, heading towards it. Avoiding detection, she perched on the rail outside his room, where she stared in curiously. Inside she saw a figure standing above the bed, its hands placed in its lap as it stared down at the person resting. Marie slowly opened the window to take a better look. Peering in she got a better sight of the King lying in the bed. His arm gone, and the rest of his body badly cut, from what she could tell, he was unconscious and the person above him was watching over. A priestess, Marie could tell as she looked up her figure, her face was slightly familiar, but she couldn't quite make it out. She stared a few moments more, trying to match the images in her head, that's when it snapped.

"...Matilda!" Marie heard shoot from her mouth uncontrollably.

"Hello...? Did someone call my name?" Matilda looked over to the window seal.

Marie quickly ducked away, her wings too stiff to fly again, and she was too high up to try and jump. Though her dark patterns blended with the dark of night, she knew that she could still be spotted if anyone decided to look closely.

"...Matilda..." the King's raspy voice called out for her, taking her attention off of the window.

"Don't worry Mr. Tristam, I'm here..." she rushed back over to him to comfort the weary King. Marie slouched on the window and let out a sigh of relief, resting her head against the cool glass.

"Matilda won't be checking anytime soon." she felt so sore and tired, closing her eyes slightly "A little nap won't hurt..."

In a daze, she found herself lazily drifting off to darkness, the world fading away. She clenched her fist, thinking now wasn't the time to rest, however priorities could never overcome her dreams. Marie fell into the darkness headfirst, and continued falling until her body was seemingly lifted onto its feet and she floated downward to an invisible black floor. She saw a faded figure wearing a crown before her, facing away and not saying a word.

"Ummmm hello?" she asked, timidly approaching the figure "Do you remember me? I'm sorry for what I did..."

"...Remember you...?"
"Hello... Marie? Is that You?"
"She's going to pay for what she's done, I swear it..."

He spoke with several voices, its mind no longer being that of single person. One voice being his own, the others seeming vaguely familiar to Marie. He'd been taken over partly by two of those who were close to her.

"One at a time" she said, answering the second voice "Yes, it's meh, Marie... I stole that egg from you, though I never meant to hurt anyone..." she said to the king.

"...I hold no grudge against you..."
"Marie, it's so great to see you again!"
"...Don't worry; she'll be gone soon enough."

"Viv?" Marie thought, staring wide-eyed "What are ya doing in the king's dream... and my dream? Gee, never have I seen so many dreamers gather into one spot, it's so confusing. Well, Tristam, I'm glad you're fine about it..."

"...It's Matilda that's holding the payment for your head..."
"It's been hell ever since Matilda tossed me in here..."
"I'll kill Matilda and uphold my promise to Cat o' Ninetails."

"Kei!" she finally identified the other voice "I'm sorry, it's my fault you're in prison, but I'll get ya outta there! I'm sure once my name is cleared they'll let you out!"

At that moment, the two appeared before her, not using the king as their dream puppet.

"It's not your fault, it's mine..." Kei said, shackles on his hands and feet "I should've been more careful, I should've been able to help you more."
"Not to worry, Marie. I'll solve everyone's problem." Convivial spoke vacantly, the voice of slight insanity "She'll be dead by sunrise tomorrow, I can guarantee that."
The King remained silent, his spirit slowly fading away due to the lack of medical attention he needed from Matilda.

"I'm so happy to see you both!" she said, gleefully glomping Kei, then Convivial "Kei, so much has happened, and that's Aeon, he helped me while I was gone."

Kei and Convivial looked toward each other, reaching the same hand out to touch, yet phased through one another.

"I see nothing..." they both said in unison.

"Though, I do thank him for taking care of you... and Apple too, for that matter." Kei spoke "I hear that the king was assaulted recently, and requested Mother Matilda as his caregiver. That's one of the worst things he could ever do. Everyone knows Matilda could care less for him."
"I'll let you know when I'm done with Matilda. She'll be gone before you know it Marie, just you wait." Convivial spoke in an odd manner. "...I could place her head on a flag post in your honor if you'd like. It'll only take an arrow."

"Ummmmmmmmmmmm" a sweat drop slowly fell down her head "That's okay; I guess I should help the king if he's not getting the care he needs... I can't stand by and watch him die like that, besides, he's forgiven meh..."

She sat on the ground and thought again "I guess most dreamers can't see one another... maybe I can see them all because I live in the realm of dreams..."

"Marie, don't you have a home to go back to...?" Kei asked her, shackles clanging as he stepped forward "Allow me some time, I'll get out of this cell tomorrow. I'll take care of the king while Matilda's not there. I recall you having to do something important back on Mobius..."

"But... I'm not ready yet, I only learned one new skill and that's it... what if he beats me again? I must train harder!" she thought "I wonder... May mentioned having a brother, he might know someone... have any of you heard of Arch?"

"...Arc..." whispered the king.
"Arch...?" asked Convivial.
"Archinos..." responded Kei "…Kresant's youngest son. He got rid of him by dumping him off at his godmother's house. A few years later, people started asking Kresant about Arch and he kept denying it. He went and gassed the house a few weeks ago. But how did you know about him?"

"May told me about him!" Marie replied "I guess I should go find him first of all... is he still on Mobius? Probably..." she thought deeply, resting her chin on her knuckles.

"...I don't know anymore about him. I guess he died after the gassing. Perhaps you can find him with this, May person. It sounds as if they knew one another, and I'm pretty sure that friendly spirits stick together."

"I wish I knew what happened to May..." she said "I guess it'd make sense if he was back on Mobius, that's where May was when she died... so I know where to go now... but I can always come back here to brush up on training..." she felt her body slowly fade away "Am I waking? What's this? Bah, it looks like I have ta leave so soon! Bye you two!" she reached out her arm, slowly disappearing as she found the moonlight rays hitting her cheeks. Waking up and groaning groggily, she saw Matilda still there and the king in critical condition. She stood there, watching the king while smoking a cigar.

"...Come on and die already..." Marie heard her whisper as the king was resting. Suddenly the door slammed open, a knight stood before the door with his hand on his blade's pommel.

"How's he doing...?" he asked, stepping into the moonlight for Matilda to see his face. "...Is he holding up pretty well?"

"He doesn't have much time left Joe. I wish there was something I could do to help him." She lied. Oh how she lied... He could've been up and ruling once again hours ago if he'd been in the care of anyone else. Even an acolyte could do a better job that she was.

"Well... Long live Tristam... I wish him well..." Joe saluted and walking out the door, leaving it open.

"...And stop slamming the door, you bastard..." Matilda whispered before taking another puff of her cigar.

"This isn't right!" Marie thought aloud as she witnessed Matilda's true nature "It's ALL HER FAULT!" She gasped, noticing she caught someone's attention by accident, possibly even the knights "Manya... I'm in deep trouble..."
"All who's fault, Matilda?" Joe stepped back in, noticing Marie's Silhouette in the window.

"Hey! Whoever you are, show yourself!" he yelled as he unsheathed his sword and ran toward the balcony. He crashed through the window, looking everywhere. He caught glimpse of her figure floating high in mid-air "...now my own eyes are playing games with me."

In that split second, Marie zipped off into the horizon, opening the portal. She said "Sayonara!" and disappeared into the realm of Mobius.