Author's Note 1: This is mostly Nel and Cyrus right here. It is also my theory of what happened to Nel during Fayt and Cliff's absence (Cyrus is just the add in, of course).

Part 8.1: Perilous Pilgrimage

Cyrus and Nel ran through the whole night. They hiked through the Aire/ Kirlsa Hills, traversed through Kirlsa and trekked across the rough terrain of the Grannah Hills just south of town. By daybreak, they made it to a large castle. Nel and Cyrus looked up at the large structure. "So this is the Training Facility?" Cyrus asked. "It's huge!"

"Yes it is," Nel said. "It used to be a training ground for many of the soldiers. But now, it's under the control of the Black Brigade."

"What are they using it for?"

"This is their main base of operations, although it is said that they torture and execute people here as well."

"Seems like we better play it safe."

"That's right." They walked inside the establishment. The walls of this castle were beginning to show the damage caused by time.

"This place looks pretty quiet," Cyrus said.

"A little too quiet," said Nel, scanning the surrounding with her large, green eyes. "Stay on guard."

"Roger." They continued walking.

Meanwhile, a soldier wearing black armor and a helmet with two horns peeked around a corner behind the two warriors. He slowly retracted his head and hurried off to his current commanding officer. He came back and knelt before a massive, armor wearing man sitting on a chair. "What have you found, soldier?" asked the large man.

"I have spotted the Crimson Blade captain, Nel Zelpher; within the premises," the kneeling soldier said.

"Excellent. The plan's working perfectly."

"I've also discovered a young male that is also accompanying her. Our sources believe him to be one of the detainees."

"Really now," the man said. "This is working out better than I expected."

"What other tasks should we carry out, Sir Shelby?" the soldier asked.

"I want you and your men to capture the spy and the juvenile. I want to add them to my set." Sir Shelby chuckled and pushed back in his chair. "See that they do not escape."

"Yes, my lord." The knight moved back, gathered a few men and left the scene.

Nel and Cyrus have had no luck finding Tynave and Farleen. They've reached the second floor of the complex. There were no guards at the moment, only fighting frogs, sword wielding lizards and horned wolves.

"Nel, how do you think they're holding up?" Cyrus asked.

"Don't worry," Nel comforted. "I'm concerned about them too, but I think they're still okay."

"I guess your right. Heh... Maybe we have to go up another floor."

"Good idea." They started to walk to the next flight of stairs until Nel stopped walking.

"What? Something wrong?" Cyrus asked.

"We're not alone." Just then, a group of Black Brigade soldiers appeared in front of the two.

"Halt," the commanding soldier said. "We are the Black Brigade, the military cavalry of Airyglyph. We have been expecting you."

"So this is the Black Brigade," Cyrus said, unimpressed.

"That's right," Nel said.

"Now, come here quietly and no one will get hurt," said the knight.

"Sorry we just can't do that," Nel said.

"So if you fools just step aside...," Cyrus said, sweeping his hands.

"Well, it seems that you two are a bit reluctant to cooperate," the soldier said. "I guess if you won't go by your own free accord, you will go incapacitated. GET 'EM MEN!" The soldiers charged at Nel and Cyrus , swords drawn. The only response that Nel got from Cyrus was a light smirk when he pressed the buttons on the mp3 player to "Minerva" by Deftones. They both jumped up at the unit, drawing out their weapons. Cyrus swung his sword at the incoming soldiers, causing them to fly backward. As soon as he landed, bodies were in mid air and the sword-wielding shizznit was kneeling down, sword extended and hat turned back. Nel had launched herself at a soldier, knocking him back and ricochet at another flunkie. A soldier came up from behind to grab her, but she quickly turned and charged with her dagger. Another came from her side, but Cyrus jump kicked him in the head, sending him falling. The commanding officer saw that his men were taken out quickly. The battle was over and the remaining soldier went running back to Lord Shelby. Nel put returned her dagger in her sheath and Cyrus ran his sword along his side and put it back in his sheath.

Nel walked over to one of the fallen soldiers and knelt down while Cyrus stood over them. "Where's Tynave and Farleen?" Nel asked him after she raised his shoulders.

"If you are talking about... your captured comrades... they're on the roof... in the Aerial Arena," the soldier said. "You better get a move on... Aquarian scums..." The man had fainted and Nel threw the man back to the ground.

"Alright. Let's go, Nel," Cyrus said.

Nel gave a nod. "We should go downstairs," she said. "There's a lift that can transport us to our destination." Nel got up and they hurried back to the lower level.

Meanwhile, the commanding soldier returned to the sitting Lord Shelby. "Where is the other Crimson Blade spy and the escapee? Capture them, you bumbling fools!" he roared as he slammed his mace down.

"We're sorry, My Lord. We had them cornered, but they put up quite a fight…" the knight said.

"I ordered you to apprehend them, not admire them," Sir Shelby said.

Nel and Cyrus returned to the first floor. They continued moving forward and saw one two doors. "Do you know which door is which?" Cyrus asked.

Nel took a quick look at both doors. She turned back to Cyrus and said,"It's the right. The left takes us back the front." Cyrus nodded. They both opened the door, but they found themselves ambushed by waiting knights. As soon as they turned around, they saw a soldier lock up the door.

"Crap, we're trapped!" Cyrus said.

"You won't get away so easily," one of the knights said. "Give yourselves up."

"We won't submit to your blades," Nel said.

"That's right," Cyrus agreed.

"Fine. Be our guests," the soldier said. The soldiers surrounded Nel and Cyrus in the small room, ready to overpower them. In a few seconds, the men ran toward them. Cyrus held out his hands together into a cup. Nel stepped in Cyrus' hands and tossed her up. He then drew out his sword and slashed the knights in front of him. Nel cartwheeled over the marauding crowed and landed on her feet. From behind, she used her Shockwave and many of the cronies collapsed on the ground. Cyrus threw his sword up and started to used his flying palm where he jumped up, legs tucked in; and with his palms extended outward, knocking a soldier out. His sword went spinning down and with great skill, he grabbed the handle, spun around and made a cross slash. As soon as he ended that chain, his sword began to change color from red to blue. Nel was through with her crowd and hurried to assist Cyrus when she saw the sword's strange ability. As Nel and Cyrus were about to finish the remaining one off, Nel was struck from the back along with Cyrus. The blows came from two other soldiers. Now, lowered to the ground, they were at the mercy of three knights.

Suddenly, the locked door had opened and Fayt and Cliff stepped in surprised. The soldiers stood towering over them.

"It's Nel and Cyrus!" Fayt exclaimed.

"This is bad. They've got them cornered!" Cliff said.

"We've gotta help!"

"Let's do it!"

Nel and Cyrus turned around and saw the blue hair and the blonde rearing to go. "Fayt! Cliff! What are you doing here?" Nel asked.

"That can wait until later!" Cliff said.

"We're here to help!" Fayt replied.

"I'm normally not a rushing man," Cyrus said, "but hurry up, guys!" The middle knight raised his sword and was about to slash down. Fayt and Cliff rushed to the soldiers. The knight's sword was about to make contact with Cyrus when out of nowhere, the blade was halted by another. It was Cyrus' sword still flashing from red to blue. Cyrus had no idea that he just stopped the attack and the soldier was still pushing down but to no avail. Cyrus shoved the soldier away and got up. He then jumped of the ground and started kicking rapidly at the foe. Every powerful thrust sent sparks from the armor and the soldier was yelling in agony. With one last attack, he leapt up from the standing man and made a spin kick that made impact with the helmet, knocking the man against the wall. Cyrus crashed onto the floor as soon as Fayt and Cliff finished off their combatants. Nel and the others walked over to Cyrus.

"Cyrus, are you okay?" Fayt asked.

"I'm cool," he replied. "Nel, how are you doing?"

"I'm alright," she said. Nel turned to Fayt and Cliff. "Why did you come? If you'd gone to Aquios you would have been free!"

"We know—Clair told us," Fayt said.

"So, why then?"

"Nel, weren't YOU charged with bringing us to Aquios? How could you neglect your duty?"

"I..."

"Yeah, what he said. Besides, I didn't appreciate the fact you left without saying goodbye," Cliff said.

"Cliff..."

"Plus, we also had to see what happened to Cyrus."

"I was helping out Nel. I knew she couldn't handle this by herself, so I volunteered," Cyrus said.

"We'll give you a piece of our minds later. Let's rescue Tynave and Farleen first," Fayt said.

"That's right. The clock is ticking, and time is of the essence."

"With the four of us, we won't even break a sweat!" Cliff said. The group walked to the elevator and took it to the 4th Floor as soon as Cyrus arose,whose legs werestill wobbling from the last attack.

Part 8.2: Heavy Metal

"Cyrus," Nel said.

"Yo."

"Your combat abilities, I've never seen anyone fight like that," she said surprised.

"Yeah, well you know..."

"And what's with the glowing sword," Cliff said.

"You know," Cyrus started, "I haven't figured out why that happened."

"Whatever it is, don't get overwhelmed," Fayt said.

"I know: Absolute power corrupts absolutely. I could hardly walk without wobbling and tripping."

The elevator stopped and the group walked out to the new floor. Cyrus' legs had healed and he walked with a little less wobble. In a few minutes, they reached the last room of the castle that lead to the outside training yard. The group made sure to recheck their inventory and charged outside. As soon as they got to the center of the arena, their search had finally ended. "Look!" Nel yelled as she saw two familiar women chained to the wall. "Tynave! Farleen!"

"Man, this is just too obvious," Cliff said suspiciously.

"Tynave, Farleen!" Fayt hollered. "We're here to get you out!"

"Yeah," Cyrus said. "Just hold on."

The girls stirred back to consciousness. " What—What are you doing here?" Tynave asked, still unsure where she was.

"We'll get you out of here!" Fayt said.

"No, run! It's a trap!"

"She's right… They're hiding…behind those pillars!" Farleen said.

"What?' Cyrus said. Suddenly, gruff laughs were being heard from behind. They turned around and saw a group of soldiers emerging from the pillars. "Great, more unwanted company." The surrounding soldiers yelled and began their attack. Cyrus rushed at the men, pulling out his sword, he slashed at the enemies. The men attacked again and, in a few seconds; he learned one of Fayt's attacks: Blazing Sword. With the weapon wrapped in an inferno, Cyrus began slashing at the men. In no time at all, the soldiers had fallen to the ground, smoke coming from the falling bodies. "Ambush my ass," Cyrus said.. The others had finished just as soon as Cyrus had. They then rushed toward Tynave and Farleen. "How do we get them down?" Cyrus asked.

"I'll handle this," Cliff said. He pulled on the shackles until they broke. First Tynave who was caught by Fayt, and then Farleen who fell in Cyrus' arms. They helped them stand, even though they were still pretty worn out. "Are you okay?" Fayt asked.

"Thank you so much," Tynave said.

"I'm okay. The pain's…not too bad," Farleen said.

"You faced incredible danger to rescue us… You should not have come!"

"Thank you so much."

"Don't worry about it," Nel said. "If you're going to thank anyone, thank them."

"Forget about it," Cliff said. "It was nothing."

"Hey, you guys needed saving," Cyrus said, "So here we are."

"Our pleasure—but we'd better get moving!" Fayt said.

"Right. Our work is done here. Good riddance to this hellhole." Cliff then noticed a look in Nel's eyes. There was someone else besides themselves."

"Something's coming," Nel said.

"Yeah. I can feel the hairs standing on the back of my neck," Cliff said.

"Not only do I sense it, the smell of bad BO was what got my attention," Cyrus said.

"So it's you! The three who were in that strange object that fell in Airyglyph!" The voice said. It was Sir Shelby with an entourage of knights.

"Maybe."

"So what if we are," Cliff said.

"Surrender peacefully, and I shall spare your lives," Shelby said.

"Who the heck are you?" Fayt said.

"I am Shelby… Lieutenant of the Black Brigade, soon to be Captain by the looks of things. You should curse your luck for falling into my hands."

"After all that, now we have to fight Shelby?" Nel said.

"Is he dangerous?" Fayt asked.

"Yeah… He's the Black Brigade's second in command. They didn't leave him here for nothing!"

"I can see that," Cliff said. "He looks way too powerful to be some watchdog. Not like the last bunch."

"Luckiness?" Cyrus said."Oh yeah, I could see I won the lottery."

"Of course, we'll only spare the men. The women may die," Shelby said.

"You sick bastard."

"Over my dead body," Fayt said.

"If it comes to that, yes. Now, come quietly…"

"I'll give you quiet!" Cliff scoffed. "And you, kill me? Hah!"

"You will regret those words."

"Not before you do!"

"Tynave, Farleen! You two stand back," Nel said. The two of them nodded.

"Don't worry, he won't get pass us," Cyrus said.

"Here he comes!" Fayt alerted.

Shelby rushed at the gang; mace in one hand and an axe in the other, soldiers not too far behind. The group moved out of the way of the oncoming mob. Shelby was about to attack Nel, along with another knight, until Cyrus thought of an interesting tactic. "Hey Shelby," he called. Shelby halted his attack and turned to Cyrus. "Yo momma's so fat, that when I asked people what the heaviest creature in Airyglyph was, they all replied 'Shelby's mom.' She's the big piece of lard over there, you can't miss her." Shelby looked pissed off when he heard the remark. "What's wrong? You want some? Come get some, chump!"

"You're gonna pay for those remarks, insolent whelp!" Yelled a furious Shelby.

"Bring it on, biyatch!" Cyrus' plan worked and Shelby was on his tail. "You owe me, Nel," he hollered back. Shelby's axe came hurling down at Cyrus and it was stopped by his blade only a few inches away from his face. As soon as Shelby held up his mace, Cyrus slid under him and kicked his back. The lieutenant lost balance and quickly turned back. He then started to swing his axe and mace. Cyrus was able to dodge one of the attacks, but he fell victim to the mace's sweep. Cyrus was thrown back. He sat up and saw Shelby only a few feet from him. Shelby struck downward at Cyrus with both weapons. In an instant, Cyrus rolled out of the way, barely getting hit. Cyrus kicked forward to his feet and quickly started a his symbological attack. Shelby quickly spotted him and charged toward Cyrus. In a few seconds, Cyrus had unleashed Fire Bolt. The flames made direct impact with Shelby and he was taken a little off balance. Cyrus then used one of his most powerful attacks: the Rocksteady. He pushed Shelby and started punching and kicking rapidly. He then swung his legs low to the ground like a break dancer and forced them up in Shelby's face twisting afterwards. Shelby flew backward and Cyrus thrown himself in midair. He landed on his feet on top of Shelby's stomach and bounced off. The lieutenant was out of it. Everyone else finished with their combatants before Cyrus. The battle was over. They all gatherednear the large and unconscious body of Shelby.

"Ha! He wasn't as tough as his talk." Cliff said.

Suddenly, a sharp voice that simply said "Pitiful," cut through the celebration. Cliff looked around. "Over here," it said again. Everyone looked up and saw another swordsman wearing a purple skirt and having two long braids.

"Another one?"

"So this is what Shelby was up to. How pathetic. Always strutting, preening his feathers, but to lose to the likes of you? Huh. Once a maggot himself now, he's food for the maggots," the man said.

"That gauntlet," Nel observed. "You're Albel Nox!"

"So, you've heard of me."

"Who the heck is he?" Fayt asked.

"He's the best swordsman in all of Airyglyph and the Captain of the Black Brigade. Better known as 'Albel the Wicked'…" Albel gave an insulting chuckle toward his audience.

"I'll believe that," Cyrus said. "I mean anyone that carries a katana around and wearing a metal gauntlet has to be bad news."

"Why thank you for your compliment, maggot." Albel said.

"Hey, I'm gonna smack that cocky look off your face!" Cliff said.

"Bah, the maggot talks big," Albel said, leaning down on his perch. "You might have some potential, but you're no match for me."

"What did he just say?"

"I'm not interested in fighting a bunch of tired fools. Easy wins have never been my style. And unlike Vox, I take no joy in trouncing weaklings."

"Who ya callin' a weakling?"

"Go back to your own lands. This is your only warning, fools."

"Come down here and say that." Cliff was about to take a step toward Albel, but Nel stopped him from making a nasty mistake.

"You're gonna let us slip away?" Nel asked surprised. "That's pretty nice for a guy like you."

"Don't get me wrong—I just can't be bothered. And taking hostages isn't the way I do business."

"What do you call this, then," Fayt asked.

"Yeah, a victorious strategy?" Cyrus said.

"Those maggots did this without my consent," Albel said. "I knew nothing about it. Besides, your escape is his blunder. I've no obligation to clean up his mess."

"But he was your subordinate!" Fayt exclaimed. "You have to take responsibility for his actions."

"Yo Fayt," Cyrus said. "Clearly, there is an 'I' in team. And loyalty is not something to talk about around here."

"I tire of your lectures, fool. Now leave, or I will kill you." Before Albel left, he turned his head to Cyrus and said, "Before you go, what is your name, worm."

"He must be talking to me," he thought. "I'm Cyrus Splicer."

"I must say, worm, your combat skills were somewhat amusing. And no other fool has been able to defeat that peacock until now."

"Gee, thanks. I think."

"But know this, maggot. You and I will fight. You better be ready."

Those words had pierced through his soul. But Cyrus never backed down from a challenge. "You got yourself a duel, Nox." Albel slowly walked away. "Believe me, Albel," he thought. " We'll meet before you know it. I just hope my training is enough."

The stunned silence was broken by a pretty pissed Cliff. "What? You gotta be kidding me! He acts like he's doing us a favor!"

"Well… I'm relieved to tell you the truth," Nel said. "It would have been foolish to face him in our current condition."

"Let's hurry up and get back, I'm sure everyone's worried about us," Fayt said.

"Yes, let's go."

"Before we head back," Cyrus said, "We should stop at Kirlsa. You know, restock and stuff."

"He's got a point." Cliff said. "Those knights were tough, and Cyrus looks pretty beat up."

"Hey, you don't look like a new Fubu sweater yourself."

"We should all go there to take a rest," Nel said. The group left the arena and went back to the building. Before they left, Cyrus looked back at the top of the wall where Albel was. He was both eager and a bit nervous.

Farleen walked back over to the still Cyrus. "We should get going, Cyrus," she said.

"Err... Right," Cyrus said, snapping back to "reality." "Uh... Let's get outta here." Cyrus and Farleen left the area and rejoined the group. As they left, they didn't notice another presence that was standing on top of the Angel statue.

"Hmm... So this is the boy that breached through the dimensional barrier. Intriguing." The woman was dressed in white clothes that we similar to Cyrus' attire. "He's sorta cute, I'll give him that. And his moves are 'blazin'' as he would put it. I think I'll keep an eye on this boy. Until we meet again."

Part 8.3: The Reasons for Helping

In at least half a day, the tired group had arrived back at Kirlsa. The town was just as bustling as always, hardly could tell that there was activity going on here. Nel had booked reservations for the party of six. Tynave and Farleen slept in the bunk beds as the rest started to converse. Nel still didn't understand why the people that didn't want any part of the situation still came to when they needed her help the most. "Is something wrong, Nel?" Cyrus asked.

"No. Everything is okay. Again, I thank you for helping me rescue my subordinates."

"Hell, don't worry about it."

"Still... I never thought you guys would end up helping me. You guys were supposed to be indebted to me. Funny how things go sometimes, eh?"

"I suppose," Cliff said. "Of course, I was thinking we should made a run for it. But this guy wouldn't hear of it."

"I see. You may think it strange for me to say this after you helped me, but... I think Cliff is right. Whether you wanted to cooperate or not, there isn't a whole lot you had to gain from helping Aquaria. No... The truth is you have absolutely nothing to gain if you consider the time you'll lose and the danger you'll face. But agree you did... Why?"

"Why?" Fayt said. "Well, you know... You can't expect us to abandon you? Do you really think we could do that, knowing you'd be killed?"

"Listen to me, Fayt. I only saved you three because I thought you could help save the Sacred Kingdom of Aquaria. That is why I risked my life and infiltrated Airyglyph Castle to save you. Putting your lives in danger just to save one person is absolutely pointless. On one hand you have the life of one person, and on the other, the fat of an entire kingdom and all its people. It's a very simple choice. Even a child would know which was more important."

"You cannot place value on human life. Abandoning a life that could be saved is wrong, no matter how you look at it! Life is too precious to reduce it down to your two simple choices."

"Ideally, that would be so... But we are at war! It's just not possible to save everyone who needs saving. My only choice is to do my best to help as many people as possible by ending the war."

"Then let me ask you this Nel: do you plan on teaching that to your children, too?"

"Whoa, Fayt!" Cyrus exclaimed, shocked by the question.

"Will you tell them to abandon somebody they could help in order to save even more people?"

"That's..." Nel was lost for words as silence fell over the room.

"Alright already," Cliff said. "I understand what you're saying. Both of you, that is. Logically speaking you should try to save as many people as possible. I agree with that, but I also agree that each life should be treated equally. The fact is, it all depends on the circumstances at the time and the person who has to make the decision. I guess you could say it is the most difficult choice you could make."

"You don't have to agree with me," Nel said. "There really is no other way."

"Yes," Cyrus said. "Like Cliff pointed out, all lives are important. Even the enemies we fight have their purposes and reasons. It's not right to take somebody out of this world to save millions or sacrifice whole groups for the sake of one. Putting a price tag on people's life is immoral and dishonorable in itself for all sides. When will people learn and think this through?" In a few hours, Tynave and Farleen were fully rested and ready to go. They still had minor injuries, but that didn't prevent them from walking. They reached Arias in a matter of a couple of hours.

Near gate, a female soldier was conversing with two male guards. Suddenly, she saw Nel and the rest of the group. "Lady Nel!" The young soldier yelped in surprise. She and the guards ran over to the party. "You're alright!"

"Yes, I'm fine… I'm sorry to have worried you… Where is Clair?"

"She's at headquarters. She was worried—she'll want to see that you're back." Nel nodded. The group proceeded to the mansion and entered the conference room.

"Nel!" Clair exclaimed in surprise. They embraced.

"Sorry to keep you!" Nel said.

"And you two are safe as well," Clair said as she turned to Cliff, Cyrus and Fayt. "I want to thank both of you…" she bows in appreciation. "I fear they wouldn't have made it back safely to us had you not gone to help."

"Don't mention it," Fayt said.

"It was nothing really," Cyrus said.

"We didn't do much," Cliff humbly commented. "It was mainly small fry."

"Don't sell yourself short," Nel insisted. "And, we were able to defeat the second-in-command of the Black Brigade, thanks to your help."

"You defeated Shelby of the Black Brigade?" Clair said shocked.

"Correct."

"I can't believe it..."

"I'll admit, he did have something going for a bit," Cyrus said, "but in the end, he was all smoke but no fire."

"Yeah, but that show-off in shining armor is still cruisin' for a bruisin'," Cliff said in an aggravated tone.

"Oh, you mean that Albel guy?"

"Just thinking about it makes my blood boil. He won't get away so easily next time I run into him."

"Albel? You can't mean... Albel the Wicked?" Clair was stunned.

"Amazing, isn't it? Frankly, I'm surprised we made it home in one piece," Nel said.

"Is he really that strong?" Fayt asked.

"Indeed. I'm sorry Cliff, but I'm not sure even you could beat him."

"Bah, I've heard enough of this."

"Watch out," Cyrus said. "The young Cliff's gonna have a hizzy." Before Cliff could grab Cyrus, Clair got in between their path.

"All right, enough talk," Clair said. "You must all be very tired. I'll have them prepare dinner—it won't take long." The group calmed down and nodded in unison. After the meal, it was back to business as usually.

"So…you won't help us after all?" Nel said.

"I'm still thinking about it," Fayt replied, still unable to make draw out a conclusion. "The whole prospect of making a weapon doesn't sit well with me."

"I see…" Clair said. "Well, you don't have to answer immediately. If you can decide by the time we reach the royal city, that will be soon enough."

"Clair," Nel said, "I think I'll ride with them all the way to Aquios after all. Is that okay with you, Fayt?"

Fayt thought briefly. "Of course it's okay. Isn't that your mission?"

"That it is." In a few minutes, the group leaves the mansion and begin to disembark on their journey. "First, we'll head to a town called Peterny, in the northeast. After we've obtained supplies there, we'll head to Aquios."

"Okay, understood," Fayt said.

"Gotcha," Cliff said.

"Let's get started," Cyrus said.

"I'll be back..." Nel says to Clair.

"All right… See you soon. Everyone, please be careful."

"You guys, too," Fayt said.

"We'll be just fine!" Farleen said.

"Yes. Take care of Nel for us, please," Clair said.

"Don't worry, Clair," Cyrus said.

"May Apris guide your path!" Tynave said.

At the same time, Farleen replied with, "May the grace of Apris be with you!" The group left the village and headed on to Peterny.