The Sun shined brightly above the bristling green plains of Breezegale, clouds shimmering in its light as they slowly floated through the light blue sky. Birds were chirping, Moos were sleeping, all was well in the realm of Phantomile. But there seemed to be a new presence amongst the casual beauty of the windy valley.
"Marie..." May whispered into her ear as she sat on the bed next to her. "...There's someone I want you to meet."
"Oh?" she said "Same here, though he hasn't come yet..." she got off the bed, looking to Klonoa and the aged hound , both nodding as a signal to go to her friend.
"You'll all hafta meet him..." She walked over to May, nearly forgetting to glomp her "Looks like I didn't have ta kill Kressant" she said gleefully "That's good, he's wicked strong!"
May stumbled a little from the sudden hug, it'd caught her off guard for the moment, but she closed her eyes and returned the hug.
"Silly Marie, you didn't have to kill him... Now come, I'm sure he'd like to meet you as well." she broke the hug and held Marie's hand, tugging her softly and leading her down the stairs.
"Okay, okay" she said "I didn't know, I never did think anything through before... and even though I lost the most recent battle it has made me grow a little..." she followed down, throwing her arms behind her back "It's a little hard ta explain..."
"That's okay Marie. You have all the time in the world to tell the story." May said, walking down the stairs. Oddly, Marie remember her stairs being fairly creaky. However, May's steps made barely a sound, if any.
"Where's the creek?" She thought to herself as she took a step and heard the loud creek she'd grown to love "oh...Okay then"
She walked behind May into the next room, a pleasant breeze filled the room from an open window. "It feels so good...the wind, how it blows gently..."
"You're telling me..." A calm yet unfamiliar voice said from the other room, grabbing Marie's attention "But, after living most your life here, I'd think one would get used to it." She looked just past May to see a hedgehog with white fur and topaz yellow eyes looking back up to her with a grin. Though a welcoming smile, it reminded her greatly of a certain assassin she'd met in a dream.
"Hello..." Marie said, she shook off the thought of Kresant, pushing it to the back of her mind "It's very nice to meet you... you are... another dream traveler? I feel like I know who you are..."
"Nice to meet you as well..." He said, standing in his furry hooded, no sleaved jacket and doubled over pants. "My name's Archinos. May has told me a lot about you, Marie."
"May's brother!" she said, snapping into reality "Man, I'm slow at times..."
She chuckled to herself, things seemed normal for once "May, I'd like you to meet someone too..." She closed her eyes, a white aura gently emitting from her hand, she said "Spirit that dwells within, can you hear my voice? It is I, your host, I'd like to see you again"
"Spirit...?" Archinos asked, looking over to May with a puzzled expression on his face. May shrugged, for she had no idea either. Archinos raised a brow.
"...I guess he has that effect..." he whispered to himself, not knowing that Marie's ears could pick it up.
"Give it a second..." she told him, the light growing stronger, an energy materialized from her wrists taking the form of the ghostly Klonian figure that she saw before, this time having substance. He stared at himself, seeing that his body was solid this time, and thought a second, until Marie interrupted "Spirits have solid forms in dream worlds..."
"Ah... So this is the spirit.." Archinos said, relieved to know that his sister hadn't befriended a lunatic "It's very nice to meet you."
May giggled spontaneously. "Is this the energy that you were filled with when you hopped into the pool, Marie?" She asked, looking at the bewildered spirit.
"Nope" Marie didn't seem to understand the joke either "Though he's been a part of me for a long time... You know what this means?" she looked towards him "You need a name!"
"Wha? A name?" he asked surprised "Why would I need one of those?"
"Well, you're the one who's developed your own will, so I'm deciding to recognize you with your own identity!"
He stared around, awfully confused "Well, how random, I'm a part of you, why can't we just share-"
"Nope" Marie interrupted with a giggle "First of all, that's meh name, and second of all, you're a boy, you need a boy's name!"
He sighed and paused for a moment "How about... Sausica?"
"Sausica...? Sounds very... creative." May said after Archinos nudged her between words.
"It sucks, doesn't it?" he asked, looking at Marie "I'm about as good as inventing names as my host..."
"No, no!" Archinos insisted. "It's really unique. I've never heard anything like it."
"Thanks..." he said, looking down at his hands, fingers curled slightly, he reached out towards an object, pressing his hand against it, asking "Is this what it's like? To feel? To be an actual living, breathing thing? I noticed that every time your body would come in contact with something you'd have some reaction... it would be different at times..."
"Yeah, that's touching. Everything has a different feel to it. Here, try this..." May explained pulling Sausica off to show him the world of touching. In the meantime, Archinos shuffled over to Marie.
"So Marie," he spoke rather clearly, his voice only slightly carrying the tone of his father's "May tells me that you came in contact with my Father, Kresant. What was he like in combat...?"
"Neeeeeee" she whined at the thought "It happened twice, he's awfully painful... The first battle didn't last long at all because he identified my weakness, and I blew out a lot of energy into one shot..."
"Oh... Well I guess he's good at that..." Archinos rolled his eyes at the thought. "How was the second time?"
"Well, thanks to a forbidden magic, strategy, and of course a few new skills I learned, it lasted so much longer than last time... at one point he threw me across the room, and Sausica appeared for the first time..." she paused "As powerful as he was, the dark powers Kresant had forced him to retreat back in my body..."
"Dark powers...?" he asked. "Kresant doesn't have any dark powers...does he...? Maybe there's more that he's hiding from me..."
"He hid it from me the first time as well..." Marie said "It was like all the darkness was at his command. It surrounded me, trying to choke out the light. The last few moments before everything faded was me sinking into all the darkness, seeing the bottom of his boot about to come down on me..." she sighed. "It was rather terrifying, I'm glad I won't have to fight him again, he probably thinks I'm dead..."
Archinos nodded. "...He really doesn't like opposition... especially when it actually posses a threat to him."
He walked back over to the couch and took a seat, placing his head in his hands "But now... I just hope that Sonic'll be okay."
"I guess so too..." Marie said, assuming 'Sonic' was on their side "I wish I could do more, but now, there's something else on my mind... Sausica needs my help, it'll only become a matter of time before Bendilen discovers him and tries to seal him away once again, so he has this last wish for us both before that happens, though he hasn't explained it fully yet..."
Out a nearby window, Archinos was able to see Sausica playing with May in the grass. She was showing him the different textures of plants and Moos, leading him around Breezegale and allowing him to see the sights.
"...You say Sausica is an extension of yourself, Marie?" he asked while keeping an eye on them. "Perhaps you can find out more about him by looking at the source."
"I had that in mind..." she said "I prolly knew all about him at some point, but every time I knew all about something, someone would alter my mind... I'll have made a new friend, only to have him erased out of my mind... he'll never be free, spending a lonely eternity in my soul..."
"...Well Marie, It doesn't have to be that way." Archinos turned toward her with a grin. "Sausica won't always be lonely. He'll always have a place in your heart for him. And even then, once your Memory's erased he'll still be with you. Within you…"
"Uh huh...I just don't find it very fair at all..." she paused "So I feel obliged to carry out our last wish..."
She stepped towards the door, calling the spirit back in "Sausica, you wanted something from me, right?"
He looked back, nodding, but then said "That can wait, really!"
"It can't, Bendilen will only find out in a matter of time..."
May tilted her head at the new name. "...Bendilen...? Is he some kind of spirit too? Is he coming to join us as well?"
"No, though he's my friend, we don't want him here for now" Marie said "He'll flip when he finds that Sausica is around... he means well, but doesn't go about it the right way." The spirit walked up to her, staring deeply. "I should have never come, this could cost you dearly..."
"I am aware, but it's not your fault. You wanted me to do something that you could not because you're bounded to my body, right?"
"This Bendilin fellow sounds like someone we've met before, doesn't he May?" Archinos glaced over to the approaching fox kit.
"...Huh? Yeah sure, I guess..." She looked a bit confused.
"...You know, red dreds... big hands... good with defending..."
"...oh, Oh! Naacruze!"Archinos shook his head. "Knuckles, May..."
"...One of the two... they sound so familiar."
"He might be... Marie said "I dunno... he's really a softie at heart, but they say you hurt the ones ya love..."
Sausica turned to her, manipulating light energy with his hands to create an illusion "Remember the planet you grew up on, even if they were altered memories?"
Marie stood in silence, pondering "Cryssna? Yes, I remember, that place was nice and beautiful, I always loved playing in the temples..."
"...To erase your memories. This Bendilin guy must really like you then, Marie." May said playfully, Archinos nudging her once again "But why...? What's so bad inside you that you'd need to have your own memories erased? You seem pretty nice and understanding to me... Not knowing yourself makes you a lot weaker when fighting your opponent than not knowing them."
"It has to do with fear, since he is the energy itself he and I have the power to bend reality... a power that no one should possess" she said.
"Yet it's the power that kept Cryssna alive..." the spirit added, his illusion coming into view, a beautiful meadow on-looking a utopian city; an empire. Everyone working hard, doing their jobs whether it was repairing roofs or selling in the market, everyone was busy, but happy. In the distance, an elegant temple rose into the sky.
"This was the planet before you left, right?" Marie nodded, he changed the illusion, soon, darkness covered the city, causing destruction everywhere, everyone panicking and running, some disappearing into the dream portals, others dying on the streets. In the end, vine covered the rubble, fog floated about as the area became dark and swampy, completely barren of life. The only thing that remained intact was the temple. Marie stared deeply in horror as she saw her home change in an instant.
"This is present day Cryssna..." he said "The world was kept in light by the power that created it, our power, that no one else possessed... You didn't know because of your altered mind, so the planet died soon after we left"
May gasped. "...how horrible..." On her face dawned the same horrified look as Marie's, but Archinos' stayed solemn.
"...The world was engulfed by darkness after its brightest light was taken from it. It was your being that kept it alive indeed..." He said, walking closer to Sausica's illusion. "...But what of those who escaped... Where are they now?"
"...Is Klonoa one of them...?" May added.
"He is a descendant of a survivor" he said "The race of Cryssna is an advanced one, even after they were scattered across the dream realms they were able to live on, but it's also thinning out because of that" he continued "If you can let me, Marie, we can regain your original memories, then, you and I could revive the world, and give it its own light, we'd have enough energy to create a star as well" he said "So after you leave again, they can still have a home..."
Archinos placed his hand on her shoulder. "You should go Marie."
"After you've learned more about your own light, you can overcome any darkness. Even that of Kresant's..."
"This isn't about me..." Marie said "It's about my home, as the creator it's my duty to revive the world."
"Good," Sausica said "it'll ease my mind that I get to help you do this before I'm sealed away forever... you have no clue how many times your memories have been altered, if they try it one more time, it could warp your mind, literally" he said "Bendilen will be left with no choice but to erase it altogether..."
"All those people..." May whispered to herself, exhaling softly. "...Maybe you should see if you can find of them. Any who might've survived on the planet..."
"But don't hesitate to help them..." Archinos added "They need you more than anything Marie."
"Yes" she nodded, looking over to Sausica who nodded.
"The trip shouldn't be treacherous, the terrain, though rough and swampy can be overcome, but the monsters inside the temple are brutally strong, so we'll need a party..." he continued "Of Klonians, the temple forbids outsiders; even on a dead planet, we must have respect for the souls that rest there, and they are quite picky, only welcoming those of our race..."
"That's fine, it'll be nice to see the sigh--..." Archinos was interrupted as his eyes glowed a bit and he looked slightly upward "...It's time May. Joe and Kei have found it."
He left the room unexpectantly, without saying goodbye.
"I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse Archie." May apologized "He doesn't want to say goodbye to anyone anymore. We'd love to join you, but it seems that our buddies have found a new realm to explore. It was very nice seeing you again Marie..."
"Same here!" she said, waving "I guess I can find a Klonian, though that could take forever..."
"Not with me" Sausica said "I can track them, I can see through any light, and find someone in an instant..."
"Oh, before I forget..." May exclaimed, rushing back to Marie with an object in her hand. " Good luck, Marie. May our strength forever aid you in your quest." She opened her hand to reveal a crystal of pure light. No shadow could be found within the room as it was uncovered. "Take care..." May 's figure began to fade as Marie accepted the jewel. She nodded, looking to her other Klonian friend as he sat in meditation.
"I found one, back in Rune Midgard where you've been for awhile now..."
"Wow, that was fast"
He chuckled "But then again, nothing is faster than light!"
"Okay, you can bring me there, right?" she asked him. He simply nodded, merging back into her soul "You must let me control you of a bit, does that bother you?"
"No, of course not..." she thought, her eyes becoming red. Using this willing puppet, Sausica raised an arm, shrouded in a great energy that he used to make a portal. In an instant they both disappeared in a stream of light to start a new adventure.