"Wow! This room suits its reputation of being in such a ornate castle like this!" Cat exclaimed, looking around the impressive guest suite they were all lodging in. She opened the door to the bedroom. "Oh my! This room is enormous! Eight beds!"
Zaria peered inside. The room was spectacularly furnished with a starry motif. "This is nice," she agreed. "But we should hurry, it's almost evening and there's still much to do, according to Ligeia."
They all put their stuff down on the beds and went to see Ligeia, who was waiting diligently by the door.
"All the ladies please follow me to the dressing room," Ligeia instructed. "The men may be dressed in their warrior attire, but the ladies must change!"
Zaria, Cat, Breanna and Fuuko reluctantly followed Ligeia out of the room. Zeth shrugged and plopped down on one of the beds. "I guess we wait," he said.
Ligeia opened the door to the dressing room. "Please come in." Zaria entered the room first, closely followed by Cat, Fuuko and Breanna. "Oh, wow," she said, gazing at all the elegant dresses on the racks. "We're going to dress up in these? But these garments are even finer than what Princess Rochelle and Princess Giselle wore," she said.
Ligeia smiled. "Princess Rochelle insisted," she said. "Please select the gown of your choice."
"Pick? How are we supposed to pick out of all these?" Cat exclaimed. "You can choose for me, Ligeia," Cat said, walking away.
"Yeah, me too," added Fuuko.
"I want this one," Zaria cut in firmly, marching towards a gown that looked exactly like the one she had worn on the excursion she had on the moon. It had the exact same amethyst hues and tones and it even had the glittering snowy tiara and long ivory gloves. She tried it on and the elaborately designed bodice fit her perfectly. It was as if Princess Louvia had somehow transferred the dress from the moon down to the planet, just for Zaria to wear on this occasion.
"Oh my!" Ligeia exclaimed. "It seems like that dress was made distinctively for you, dear. You look indubitably stunning in it."
"Thank you," Zaria replied, smiling.
"Now, now, go put this in your hair," Ligeia said, handing Zaria the coronet and gloves and pushing her in the direction of another lady. "Orb will do it for you."
Ligeia then turned to Cat. "Miss Cat, I believe you do look finest in saffron, or maybe an off-white creamy tinge would be better," she said, scrutinizing Cat. "Your frame is very petite, so I think this one would be best," Ligeia finished, taking out an opalescent off-white cap-sleeved gown trimmed with golden pearls.
"Whoa, no way!" Cat exclaimed.
"Come on Cat, this is a once in a lifetime thing," Breanna said, laughing.
"It's very darling, and it would look perfect on you," Fuuko chimed in.
Cat wrinkled her nose. "OKAY, okay, I'll wear it," she grumped, and stomped into the changing room.
After generating a bunch of shuffling sounds, grunts and complaints Cat stepped out garbed in the extravagant gown. "That looks really nice," Fuuko said appreciatively. Breanna nodded in agreement.
"Lovely!" Ligeia declared. "Leave those dear violet locks of yours down. Orb will brush it and style it for you." Ligeia then turned to Fuuko and looked her over. "Miss Fuuko…let's see…you have an almost ivory complexion and ebony hair…willowy figure…I think that any color would look nice on you, but now it all depends on the style. I think you could pull off a two-piece!" She picked a light cobalt two-piece gown off the rack. "This one, with a sequined strapless top and a crinoline skirt," she declared, "would look exquisite on you, Miss Fuuko. The color complements your eyes as well!"
"Isn't that kind of…overstated?" Fuuko asked hesitantly.
Breanna giggled. "Isn't that what you want, Fuuko?" she prompted roguishly. Fuuko scowled at her and reluctantly went to put the dress on and brushed out her hair. "That looks perfect, Fuuko," Breanna said shrewdly, and then she turned to Ligeia. "I'll just wear what I have on now," she informed her.
"No, no, no!" Ligeia exclaimed. "I have just the thing for you, Miss Breanna." She ran over to the racks and plucked out a halter gown and brought it back to Breanna.
"Baby pink!" Breanna exclaimed, wrinkling her nose with distaste. "No, I don't think so. Even though it is really nice," she admitted, stroking the material of the skirt. It had the same kind of color scheme as Zaria's, the tint turning darker as it went down.
"Oh, please, just try it on, Miss Breanna. You're so attractive that it would be a shame to not wear garments that accentuate your comeliness."
"All right," Breanna consented, giving her acquiescence. She went into the changing room and changed. She walked out, adjusting the elbow-length gloves. "I feel so uncomfortable," she complained.
"You look lovely!" Ligeia exclaimed, bustling about, adjusting the gown. "Now go let Orb brush your hair out!" She shooed Breanna to the next room and sat down with relief. Princess Rochelle would be delighted.
Ligeia entered the room where the four guys were comfortably lounging and clapped her hands. "The ladies are ready!" she said, looking elated. "Would all you gentlemen please follow me to the Chamber of the Sun where the banquet is being held."
They all wearily followed Ligeia to the Chamber of the Sun, but once they entered, they regained their strength when they saw all the food. "This is all for us?" Zack exclaimed incredulously. "Hey, let's eat!"
"Zack, not so fast!" exclaimed Adrian, his eyes wide. He pointed. "Look there!"
Zack turned around to the direction in which Adrian was pointing and saw Fuuko was standing there, a small smile on her face. She laughed nervously. "Hey, Zack."
"Fuuko!" Zack exclaimed excitedly, and sped over to her side. "Why don't we get something to eat together?"
Zeth laughed. "Hey, where's Zaria?" he asked Cat.
Cat shrugged. "Find her, Zeth," she said enigmatically and giggled. She looked elegant and mature in her gown, and her hair cascaded down her back in violet waves. She had sprouted her wings and had them tucked behind her, which added to her grace and made her look like an angel. "Adrian!" she exclaimed, peering behind Zeth.
Zeth smiled and moved on to look for Zaria, but was then intercepted by Breanna. "Zeth!" she said, grabbing his arm. "Dance with me!"
"I-I-" Zeth stammered, but then Breanna grabbed his other arm and started dancing.
He stopped arguing and relaxed. "Bree, you look real nice," he said.
Breanna smiled. "Maybe, but I know you only have eyes for your precious Zaria," she said, looking away.
"What do you mean?" Zeth asked. Breanna raised her spellbinding gaze so that she was looking into his phosphorescent aqua eyes.
"I have to admit, you are quite a guy, but I know that you and Zaria are meant to be," she replied, shrugging. He looked mystified. She smiled. "When this dance is over, go find her," she said cheerfully, shrugging off the issue. "She's waiting for you. You don't want her to catch a cold all alone out there, do you?"
"She's outside?" Zeth asked.
Breanna laughed and shrugged again. "You'll find her, I'm sure," she replied. The dance ended and Breanna turned to look at Zeth. "Don't tell Zaria," she said, and went on her toes and pecked Zeth on the cheek. "My only chance to kiss someone as wonderful as you," she said, her expression rueful. "Be happy, and protect her like you said you would." She started to walk away, letting her eyes linger on Zeth, finally wrenching her gaze away and ran over to Zitan, dragging him out onto the dance floor.
Zeth looked after her, not knowing what to think. "Don't worry, Bree," he said softly. "I'll protect her, for everyone's sake." He then turned away, continuing to search for Zaria.
Zeth went up to where Princess Giselle and Prince Luke were standing. "Oh, hello, Zeth!" Prince Luke exclaimed. "Where's Zaria?"
Zeth shrugged. "I'm looking for her," he answered.
Princess Giselle smiled slyly. "Look real hard," she said, and laughed. Zeth then walked up to where Princess Rochelle, King Julian and Queen Yvette were perched.
"Hello, Zeth," Princess Rochelle said sweetly. "It's nice to see people having fun, isn't it?" Zeth nodded. "Fanciful dresses and other material things are not enough to make a girl illuminate and radiate with happiness, making her truly beautiful," the princess said thoughtfully, eyeing Zeth. He tilted his head, puzzled. "It is the knowledge that she is loved by a cherished one which will make her shine with effulgence and natural beauty," the princess finished. She smiled at Zeth. "You are every girl's fantasy of the knight in shining armor riding on a white horse, but the only girl whose dream will become reality is her. Go find her, and tell her." The princess then turned away, leaving Zeth even more disconcerted.
"Zeth! We have so much to catch up on!" King Julian said from behind Zeth, his old eyes animated with exuberance and gaiety. Zeth turned around to face the king. "But I know that you don't exactly have a lot of free time on your hands, so we'll reminisce some other time. Giselle has told me everything, and I will tell you anything I can tomorrow," the King finished.
"Thank you, King Julian," Zeth replied humbly, and bowed down low.
Queen Yvette turned to Zeth. "Zeth, I believe Zaria's waiting for you. Go to her," the Queen said, winking. Zeth flushed and thanked the queen and walked away. Everyone seemed to be in on some kind of secret…they all were saying the same kind of things…go to her, go see her, go tell her, go protect her, go make her happy. He would do those things anyway without having to have been told. Zaria was the most valuable thing in the universe to him. Where was Zaria anyway? He once more scanned the throng of people. He just couldn't seem to find her amongst all the nobles at the banquet. He sighed and went out to the balcony and gazed up at the stars. There was a crescent moon that night, and the stars were glimmering brilliantly. A soft breeze was in the air, making Zeth feel cool and reinvigorated. He turned towards the wind and vaguely saw Zaria standing on the far side of the terrace.
He silently walked towards her, and she turned around to face him, her head slightly bowed down, wisps of dark hair softly whipping across her face. She looked radiant in the moonlight. She truly was a precious angel of the moon sent down from the Divine Ones above, and it was his duty to cherish her and protect her. She continued to walk towards him, seemingly floating, until she was standing a foot or so away from him. The glittering snowy tiara in her hair sparkled from the starlight shining down on them.
Although they had been through so much, she remained as the same wonderful Zaria, except that they both had matured in many ways over the events that had occurred.
He took a deep breath. Zeth had always known that she had raw beauty, but he had never seen her looking so stunning. She stepped towards him, keeping her head slightly bent, and slowly raised her eyes to meet his. Her gentle gaze was probing, as if she was waiting for his reaction.
"You look beautiful," he said simply, smiling softly at her. The corners of her lips slowly rose, and her skin turned a sweet shade of pink.
"It's just this dress…it does a whole lot for me…without it then I'm just plain old Zaria," she stammered, blushing.
"That's not true," Zeth said gently. He stepped closer towards her.
"Thank you," she said shyly. She then turned to face the stars. "I was just standing here, looking at the stars," she said wistfully, brushing back the wisps of hair blowing in her face. Zeth turned around to face the stars as well, and then saw a shooting star plummet across the sky. Zaria turned back to Zeth, smiling shyly, and he turned back towards her. She pointed to the shooting star. "I just made a wish on that shooting star. Do you think it will come true?"
He stepped even closer to her, seeing nothing but the depths of those intense, vivid emerald eyes. "Yes. Because I wished the same thing," he said softly. Wordlessly, he slipped his arms around her waist and she gazed into the brightly illuminated sea blue-green windows to his soul, which seemed rugged on the outside but on the inside was the softest, most tender, gentlest soul there could possibly be. "Zeth," she whispered, a single tear of rapture sliding down her cheek just as his lips met hers for the first time in sixty long years.
"I'm tired, but I still wanna party!" Cat exclaimed, jumping on the bed.
"I'm just tired," Zaria declared, climbing into her bed. "It's been a long…and special day," she said softly, turning her eyes towards Zeth, and then shifting them away. She lay down. "Good night, everyone."
"Good night, Zaria," Fuuko answered.
"Aw, come on, don't sleep now!" Cat whined.
Zeth walked over to Zaria's bed and stood over her, gazing at her. He reached down and pulled the blanket up higher. "Zzz, zzz," went Zaria.
Zeth smiled and sat down on the next bed. "Aw, Zeth, you ain't sleepin' now, are ya?" Zack slurred.
"Zack, I think this time you had too much to drink," Breanna smirked. Zack, who was sitting next to Breanna, fell down dead asleep on her lap.
"Get off!" she screeched, quickly getting up. Zack fell to the floor, groaning.
"So tired…but still gonna have some fun! Hey, Bree, let's get married!"
Breanna rolled her eyes. "Zack, you just go to sleep," she said.
"No, don't do that," warned Zitan. "It's dangerous to put a drunk person to sleep."
Breanna shrugged and glared at Zack and Zeth. "Well it seems that some people do that to me all the time." Zeth looked away nonchalantly.
"I have an idea, let's go raid the castle kitchens for a midnight snack!" Adrian piped up.
Fuuko sighed exasperatedly. "You guys are still not full?" she demanded.
Adrian laughed. "We're never full, Fukiko," he said gleefully.
"That nickname will stick for sure," Fuuko sighed, pulling up the covers and turning over to sleep.
"Fukiko, don't sleep yet!" Adrian shouted, jumping on the bed. "Yeah!" Cat chimed in, jumping on her own bed. "What should we do?"
"I'm going to sleep," Zeth announced, lying down on the bed and pulling up the covers. "Good night and see you all tomorrow. Don't sleep too late or tomorrow morning when we have to wake up you'll regret it."
"No we won't!" Cat shouted. "Three hours of sleep a night is plenty for me!" There was no reply from Zeth.
Zitan shook his head and laughed. "Well, you guys can stay awake but I'm sleeping too," he said.
"Fine, be a party pooper," Cat said, waving her hand. She turned to Adrian. "Let's do something."
"Let's get married, Bree," Zack said drunkenly.
"How about no," Breanna replied winsomely. "For once, I'm going to sleep before everyone else. Good riddance and good night!" she declared, flopping down on the bed.
"Aww," Zack whined, and then turned to Cat. "Okay then, Cat, let's go get married now!"
"Okay!" Cat exclaimed, jumping up and down. Zack smiled and then fell down headfirst on the bed, snoring.
"Ha ha," Adrian said, pointing to Zack. Then he turned back to Cat and was about to say something when he saw that she had fallen asleep as well. He smiled and picked her up and carried her over to her bed and pulled the covers over her. Then he went to his bed and went to sleep.
"That's how it is," Zeth finished. King Julian nodded. Zeth had just explained the situation that they were in to the king.
"I see," the King replied. "Well then," said King Julian. "What we must do is to have you go to Northern Nova, for I sure do not know much about this subject. If anyone here knows, it's Giselle, and I don't think she knows."
"But I would feel guilty imposing on royalty," Zeth said contritely.
"Nonsense!" the king cried. "You have helped the planet in so many ways, it's the least we can do to express our gratitude. Anyway, you saved Prince Luke, and everyone in the continent of Nova has been notified of your noble deeds. You all are heroes welcome anywhere."
"All of Nova has been notified?" Zeth asked in disquietude. "But…Zaria is wanted by the Toki government!"
The king looked dumbfounded. "She is? Oh yes…because she's a Locke…rest at ease, Zeth, the only surname known is yours. I mentioned no other names. They wouldn't know whether she was Zaria Locke or not, just that she's traveling with you."
Zeth sat back, still troubled. Wherever they went, they would have to be cautious not to divulge Zaria's true identity, lest she be captured. Of course, they would be able to tell those that they trusted.
"I have an idea," King Julian said thoughtfully. "Why don't you and Zaria get married? Then her name will formally be changed to Zaria Lanier."
Zeth turned bright pink. "Oh, I don't think that's necessary, King Julian," he said hurriedly. "We'll just make sure no one finds out who Zaria really is."
King Julian laughed heartily. "All right, but I think you denied that possibility a little too quickly…or have you already thought about that option?" he said slyly.
"Oh, no, not much at all," Zeth said, flushed. "We're not ready to get married…just yet. She's only eighteen…you know what, it's not a big problem anymore. Thank you for your help, King Julian." The king laughed even harder.
"Whatever you say, Zeth." Then his gaze turned longing and nostalgic. "You don't know how much I looked up to you when I was young, and how during the war I was always listening for news about you and wondering when you would come again. Who would've thought that I would have met you again sixty years later, yet with you looking not a day older, and with me as an old geezer."
Zeth smiled. "King Julian, you have done a wonderful job governing your kingdom…you should be proud of yourself."
The elderly king looked abashed. "No, I didn't do so well," he said morosely. "I was weak, letting the Toki seize control."
"It's not your fault. Those officials are so corrupt and intent on power that no one could stop them, but now we must do our best to protect the people," Zeth said emphatically.
King Julian nodded. "Yes, so today you will ride one of Heide Tiseau's ships over to Northern Nova, where I have already informed King Rufus and Queen Trisha that you will be visiting. They will probably know more about what you wish to know, and if they don't then they can refer you to someone else who does know. Prince Luke will accompany you back to his kingdom, where I'm sure you'll be well received."
"Thank you very much, King Julian," Zeth said, and then he stood up. "I must go wake the others now," he said.
"Yes, go ahead," said the king. Zeth bowed and left the Chamber of the Sun. He walked back to their quarters and entered the large bedroom. Everyone was still asleep, except for Zaria, who wasn't in her bed. Zeth scanned the room, looking for her, and finally saw her outside on the balcony. He quietly made his way over to her. She turned around to face him and smiled just as he approached her.
"What are you doing up so early?" she asked. He told her all that King Julian had told him. She nodded in discernment. "Zeth, I have a question…do you know that what it feel like to love?"
He blinked. "Um, why are you talking about that out of the blue?"
Zaria pursed her lips. "Answer my question. Do you know?"
His gaze softened. "Well I sure hope you do, because I definitely feel that way about you," he replied.
She smiled softly, her eyes looking at him lovingly. She turned away. "Then you know how it is to always want your loved ones to be happy, no matter what you have to do, right?" she asked, leaning over the balcony. Zeth stared at her. Her hair was being blown back in the wind. She turned back to him, smiling, still leaning over the balcony. "I know you feel awkward, Zeth. That's all right."
He crossed his arms over his chest. "Why are you saying these things, Zaria?" She lowered her gaze. "I was just thinking…lately…I've been experiencing weird things," she said, and then turned away again.
"What? What things, Zaria?" Zeth asked her in alarm. She looked back at him, her eyes troubled.
"I…I can talk to the planet…to the very spirit of the planet…as well as the stars and the moon. They just tell me things…and I ask them things…and it's been making my life so much more discomfiting yet I feel enlightened. But I know that no one else in the world can do this…so I feel so alone. I don't know if I want to be able to do this or not! I hear voices all the time…and I just know where they're from. They're cries from the planet and from the souls of all those who died in pursuit of protecting the planet. I just don't know what to think," she whispered, burying her face in her hands. Zeth stood there, not knowing what to do.
"Well…I know it's a lot to handle, but why don't be you try to be a little more mature about it?" he asked candidly. She looked up at him, her eyes round.
"What?"
"You know that you are mature enough to handle something like this. Don't be so weak, Zaria. Be strong. There must be a very good reason that these abilities, if you can call them that, have been bestowed upon you. None of us may know why, or ever know. But still, we have to handle it."
Zaria was silent, just standing there still as stone, the strong breeze whipping her hair across her face. She sighed. "…I…I'll try," she said softly, turning her head to face the direction of the breeze. She closed her eyes and breathed in the ocean air. She turned back to Zeth and sighed deeply.
"Thank you," she said, her expression tender. "Thank you, Zeth."
He took a step closer to her. "Zaria, I-"
"Zeth! Zaria! You're here!" Cat exclaimed, bounding out onto the balcony. She peered out the view overlooking the ocean and shivered. "It's really pretty out here, but now the wind's kind of blowing hard," she said, turning to Zeth and Zaria.
"Zeth, why do you have such a sour expression on your face?" Cat asked. Then she looked from Zaria to Zeth. "Oh," she said, understanding. "Hee hee. Sorry. I'll just leave you two alone…" and with that Cat left.
Zeth turned back to Zaria. He then took a tentative step toward her again. "Zaria," he began, "I really-"
"Hey guys! It's really nice out here!" Zack declared, barging out onto the balcony. Zeth sighed and Zaria turned away and smiled politely.
"Good morning," she said tritely.
Zack laughed. "Ha ha, don't you know I know that you two want to be alone? I'll just leave now. See you two later. Oh, hurry up, King Julian requests our presence, but I'm sure you can spare a few moments," he said, winking. Zaria smiled weakly.
"See ya, Zack." Zack laughed again and left.
Zaria spun around to face Zeth. "Well, King Julian requests our presence," she said, shrugging. "Let's go." She then left and Zeth followed her inside.
Fifteen minutes later, everyone was assembled in front of the entire Southern Nova royal family.
"Well, this is goodbye for now," King Julian remarked.
"Yes, and we are grateful to you all," Queen Yvette said kindly. "You are all indeed worthy of your titles."
"Thank you, Queen Yvette," Zaria said humbly. Princess Giselle suddenly sprang forth and hugged all of them in turn.
"I'm going to miss you all!" she exclaimed. "Come back and visit us soon!"
Princess Rochelle nodded. "It has been a great pleasure meeting all of you," she said sweetly. "Goodbye."
"All right then, now Luke will take you on the ship to Northern Nova. First the ship will dock at Dias Point, one of the largest cities in Nova. I'm pretty sure that Zaria will be safe there, for it is not under Toki occupation. One day after the ship will take you to the capital city of Northern Nova, Denzeling, where Prince Luke will escort you to the Crystal Palace," King Julian explained.
"Thank you so much for your help, King Julian," Zeth said gratefully. "This is really too much."
Prince Luke then turned to Princess Giselle. "Goodbye, Giselle, I will see you soon," he said. "Then when the planet's future is secure, we will get married and rule Nova together."
"Yes," replied Princess Giselle, her eyes resplendent as stars. "Yes, I will wait for you, Luke. Distance makes the love even stronger."
"Okay, I don't need to hear this!" King Julian interrupted loudly. Princess Giselle looked abashed and Prince Luke simply smiled.
"Goodbye, Great Uncle Julian and Great Aunt Yvette," he said. Then he turned to Princess Rochelle. "See you some other time, Princess," he said affably. Then he turned to Zeth. "Let's go," he said. Before he turned to follow Prince Luke, Zeth and everyone else bid their last farewells.
They followed Prince Luke to the port. "Ahoy, voyagers," a man called walking towards them.
"That's Commodore Alen Tax," Prince Luke told everyone. The Commodore strolled over to them.
"Hello, hello!" he exclaimed, shaking Zeth's hand. "How do you do! Welcome to Neptune's Daughter, the ship that will be taking you to Northern Nova." He turned to Zack. "Are you Zack?" he asked.
Zack nodded. "Nice to meet you, Commodore Tax," Zack said. "Zack, your airplane will be safe here in Heide Tiseau, under the care of one of my assistants," he assured Zack, who relaxed and thanked him.
"Now, let's come aboard Neptune's Daughter!" the Commodore said eagerly. He led them onto the ship. Your sleeping quarters are down below. You may all take it easy until we reach Dias Point."
Everyone nodded and went about the ship to hang around. "Zeth Lanier?" the Commodore asked, turning to Zeth.
"Yes, Commodore Tax," Zeth replied. The Commodore grinned.
"Follow me." He led Zeth to the control room. "You seem like you have the grit to be a man of the sea, so I thought you might want to see what it's like in the control room," he said.
"Well, thank you," Zeth said, and sat down and faced forward overlooking the ocean. He crossed his arms in front of him. The Commodore stood proudly. Zeth looked down at the map in front of him.
"Torus," he read, scanning the map. He looked up at the Commodore. "Where is that? I've never heard of Torus."
"Torus is Hyrynd," Commodore Tax explained. "The king of Hyrynd changed the continent's name to Torus."
"Why would he do that?" Zeth asked, confused. The Commodore shrugged. "I don't know. And I can't think of a reasonable explanation either. It remains a mystery."
"I think that there has to be a very important reason that a king would change the name of his own domain," Zeth said thoughtfully.
"Well, maybe you'll find out someday, a sharp one like you," Commodore Tax replied, and turned away.
Zeth took a deep breath. That was something that he would have to think about. Maybe he would go ask the King of Northern Nova once they reached Denzeling.
The seagulls flew by swiftly, the wind was blowing gently, and the ocean breeze caused her hair to be whipped across and away from her face, instantly exhilarating her. Zaria smiled and took a deep breath, taking all of it in. It was so nice out at sea! Although she had felt very queasy earlier, after one of the ship's crew had given her a pill, she felt much better. She had thanked the crewmember and went to the bow of the ship, watching the ocean foam in the back of the boat. It was such a beautiful day, and this was such a beautiful place to be. She sighed contentedly. Even though life was tough, it was moments like these when she was consciously glad to be alive.
She turned around to face the deck. Hmm, where was Zeth? She hadn't seen him ever since they had boarded the Neptune's Daughter, which was about three hours ago. What could he be doing for so long? She shrugged to herself. Well, she would just have to go find him then. She scanned the deck and spied Fuuko doing the same thing she had been doing. She skipped over to Fuuko. Fuuko was so eye-catching, her glossy sable hair flying back behind her. When Fuuko heard Zaria approach, she turned around, smiling, and her long lustrous tresses seemed to flow out from the side of her head.
"Fuuko!" Zaria exclaimed pleasantly. "It's sure nice here, isn't it?"
"Oh, yes," Fuuko said dreamily, closing her eyes. "This air whipping across my face…it's great!" She opened her eyes again and smiled at Zaria. "The wind is so strong! Can you believe I've never been on any kind of boat before?"
Zaria smiled. "Anyway, I was just wondering, have you seen Zeth?"
Fuuko shook her head. "No, not since we boarded. Sorry."
"That's all right! Hey, wanna come look around the ship with me?" Zaria asked cheerfully.
"Thanks for the offer, but no thanks," Fuuko said. "I really like it here. Anyway, talk to ya later."
Zaria smiled and waved and walked away, looking for the others. She went below the deck and saw Zitan sitting amongst a large pile of magic orbs. He looked like a little child in his own secluded heaven.
"Zitan!" Zaria burst, running over to him. She tripped over the magic orbs, falling flat on her face.
"Owwwwww," she groaned. She pulled herself back up and looked at her brother. He had a restrained grin on his face. He shook his head and turned back to rearranging the magic orbs.
"Yo, Zitan!" Zaria yelled, hands on her hips.
He looked up. "Yes?" he answered amiably.
"Where'd you get all these magic orbs?" she demanded.
"I brought them with me!" Zitan said defensively. "All I'm doing is arranging them! Don't think too much, Zaria. They might be beneficial."
Zaria counted the magic orbs. He sure seemed to have stashed a lot of them along with him. "Whatever," she replied. "Anyway, have you seen Zeth?"
"Nope," Zitan answered, not looking up. "Not here. Go away, Sis."
"Whatever. Have fun being callous to any other of your comrades who happen to come by to see you," she said acrimoniously, and then left. She went back up and then went into a chamber on the upper deck. She entered the nearest room, which happened to be the kitchen.
"Oh, hello, Miss Zaria!" the chef exclaimed. "Are you hungry? I have some of this wonderful-"
"No, it's all right, I'm not hungry, just came to visit," Zaria said cheerfully. The chef nodded understandingly.
"You're looking for Mr. Zeth," he said, and turned back to chopping vegetables. "I think he's somewhere upstairs, I saw him follow Commodore Tax."
"Thank you!" Zaria exclaimed, jumping up and down. "I'll visit you later again!" she said happily, and then left the room and went upstairs to the control room, where Zeth was sitting, Commodore Tax standing next to the crewmember who was steering the boat.
"Zeth!" Zaria ran up to Zeth. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"
"Mmmm," he replied absently, not even looking up.
She furrowed her brow. "Why do you look so serious?" she asked, batting him playfully.
"Nothing, nothing," he said quietly, almost to himself. Zaria shrugged.
"Well, you don't seem in the mood for anything fun, so I'll just see you around." She waved and left the room.
The Commodore turned to him. "Zeth!" he chastised. "I do believe that you should go apologize to Miss Zaria!"
"Huh?" Zeth said, looking up. He glanced around. "Hey, where's Zaria?" The Commodore and the crewmember steering the ship rolled their eyes simultaneously.
"Zaria left because you wouldn't say a word to her," Commodore Tax explained.
Zeth stood up with a start. "Oh, I did it again! I was too involved in…" he stood up. "See ya later, Commodore!" He then rushed off in the direction that Zaria had. Where could she have gone? He climbed the ladder up and saw Breanna standing alone in the lookout. Her eyes looked so far away.
"Bree, have you seen Zaria?" he asked hurriedly.
Breanna turned to him. "Zaria," she said softly, and then laughed airily. Her eyes looked so sad.
"What's wrong, Bree?" Zeth asked. Breanna shook her head and looked away again.
"No, I haven't seen Zaria," she replied. "She's probably down below."
"Okay, thanks!" Zeth said and quickly went back down the ladder. Breanna sighed and looked away. She felt so…trapped at times.
When she first saw Zeth, she had thought that he looked pretty good, very similar to someone that she had known before…but that person she had known before…that was what was puzzling her. She didn't recall knowing someone who looked like Zeth since her childhood, but still, sometimes she saw visions of a man with Zeth's color hair and Zeth's eyes and Zeth's disposition calling out to her.
Breanna shook her head. She didn't know why she had these visions…they were something private, something she hadn't revealed to anyone. But why? Why did she see these pictures in her head? During the night she would dream about herself in inexplicable scenarios, but in every one, that man was always there. She felt like she knew him well, and she would talk to him often, getting to know him even better. It was almost like it was…a recollection of a past life. No, but it couldn't be. There was no such thing as reincarnation…was there? Breanna felt so confused. Thinking about that man made her head hurt…it was just too much.
Thinking about Zeth…he was such a wonderful person, and seeing the way he treated Zaria made Breanna feel even more so. Yet still, he was kind to Breanna, and had defended her on that first day they met. Sometimes it made Breanna ache to see Zeth and Zaria together, and Breanna didn't know why. Was she jealous? No, she didn't think so…for they seemed so perfect for one another…but she was envious. She saw her ideal reality in them…and she envied them greatly for their happiness. Breanna sighed. All of a sudden, she wanted to see Zeth, to see his little mannerisms, to hear his voice, to look into those deep aqua eyes…even though she had no right she still wanted to. As if in a trance, she acknowledged herself climbing down the mast into the control room, where she saw the Commodore.
"Where's Zeth?" she heard herself saying.
"Hmm, seems like Zeth is quite popular with the ladies," the Commodore remarked. "Zeth went to look for Zaria."
"Oh yes, thank you," Breanna replied, and then all of a sudden her senses returned. What had she been thinking? The Commodore was now glancing at her askance. She sighed and went to the cabin, where Zack happened to be, sitting there in deep thought.
"Hi, Bree!" Zack exclaimed as soon as he spied Breanna. "Looking for something?"
"Nothing in particular," Breanna replied. "I just…oh, never mind." She turned away and sat down.
"Is something amiss?" Zack asked seriously, and then broke into a grin. "Hee hee, I've always wanted to say that."
Breanna shook her head. "No. I'm just confused with myself, I guess."
Zack's eyes widened. "Hey, that's something we have in common. Wanna talk?"
Breanna shrugged. "I guess. Hey, Zack, do you believe in reincarnation?"
Zack sat back. "Well, me in particular, I don't really know whether I believe it or not. What I believe is that when you die you find out, and I'm in no hurry to find out."
Breanna turned to him and leaned forward. "So you're not completely ruling out the possibility."
"Basically, yeah," Zack replied, shrugging. "In some cases though, reincarnation does make a lot of sense. Here's one thing think makes sense, though, in my secret, romantic heart. If two souls are soul mates, then they will always be, no matter how many times they are reincarnated or what kind of body they're in. According to that belief, reincarnation can or cannot be possible. It doesn't really matter, you see," he said pointedly.
Breanna nodded. "Yeah, I get your point. But then, what if those two souls never meet?"
Zack thought about that for a second. "Simple," he said. "Maybe in their past lives they had committed a lot of sins, so in this life they don't deserve to find the one they truly love, so they can never be truly fulfilled in that jurisdiction for that life."
"I must have been real vicious my last life," Breanna said, laughing.
Zack didn't laugh, but remained solemn. "Bree, you're only seventeen, ya know. Most of us are about the same age. We're barely old enough to be considering life partners. Zeth and Zaria, well, they're a completely different story. They…well they've seemed to find each other at a very early age. I mean, I'm not one of the Divine Ones, so I'm not decreeing anything, but it sure seems like it. I've never seen anyone like them, albeit Hyde and Faye, Fuuko's sister."
"Fuuko," Breanna said slowly. "Zack…what about you and Fuuko?"
"Hell, how am I supposed to know?" Zack declared, suddenly sounding frazzled. "Fuuko, well I can admit that I like her as a friend, but the other stuff…that's just too heavy. Me, I just wanna enjoy my young life while I can, have adventures, save the planet, be written about in the well-known historical texts as one of the great heroes of the past, the usual stuff. I think everyone should live for today, and enjoy today while you can, without forgetting about either the past or the future."
"…You know, I think I understand you a lot better, Zack," Breanna said suddenly.
"All I did was tell you what I thought," Zack replied modestly.
Breanna smiled appreciatively. "Well, thanks. I feel much better now."
"Hee hee, anytime," Zack said gleefully. "And now, if you would excuse me, I gotta go get something in the bunks." He then stood up and left the cabin and went next door to the bunks, where Cat was lying on one of the beds.
"Oh Divine Ones, help me," she moaned in a deadbeat tone.
Zack laughed. "Feeling sick, Cat?"
She rolled over to face him. "That's the understatement of the…just shut up," she groaned.
Zack dug around in his pocket and produced a pill. "Here, take this," he said, grudgingly handing her the pill. "It's my last one."
"What, are you trying to poison me?" Cat demanded. "I won't fall for it, Apocalypse-man. Now leave me to die in peace."
"It's not poison, it's medicine!" Zack flared. "And you won't feel any better lying here like this, you gotta walk around and defeat the nausea!"
"You are trying to kill me," Cat said. "Let me sleep."
"Cat…TAKE THE FRICKIN' MEDICINE!" Zack shouted, thrusting it at her. She stuck out her tongue. Finally Zack put his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "Fine, but it's for your own good. If you don't want it, then fine." He started walking off, but then Cat reached out.
"Not so fast." She snatched the pill from him and popped it into her mouth. She lay there for a second, and then slowly sat up. "Hey, it's working!" she said, looking surprised.
Zack rolled his eyes. "See ya later."
"See ya later, Zacky-poo!" Cat shouted, and sprang up off the bed. She didn't notice Zack laughing his head off behind her. She bounded out of the room, and went into the largest cabin in the ship where Prince Luke was residing.
"Hey, Lukey Pooky!" she shouted. Prince Luke looked up from his game of cards with Adrian. "Oh, hi Adriana," Cat said, waving at Adrian, whose face grew red. She turned back to the prince. "Whatcha doin', Lukey Pooky?"
"Cat, are you high on something?" Adrian asked bluntly.
"Only you!" Cat exclaimed, and fell into Prince Luke's lap, knocking over the stack of cards.
Prince Luke suppressed a smile, and helped Cat up. "Are you all right, Miss Wingheart?" he asked.
Cat giggled. "Lukey Pooky!" she shouted in the Prince's face, and skipped around the room chanting.
Adrian exchanged an amused glance with the Prince. Then he turned to Cat. "Did someone give you something…to sniff?"
"Nope!" Cat declared. "All Zack gave me was a pill to cure my malaria!"
"Malaria?" Adrian asked, confused. "I don't think Zack gave you a malaria pill, I think he gave you something else," he concluded.
"Think whatcha want, Adriana," Cat shouted, and then she fell into Prince Luke's arms once more. Her dark eyes widened as she let her head roll back, her purple hair nearly brushing the ground.
"I don't feel so good…I'm hungry," she said. She reached up and pulled his head down to hers and kissed him full on the mouth.
Adrian widened his eyes in shock, frozen as Cat's head abruptly dropped back, her eyes closed. Prince Luke smiled. "Don't tell Giselle," he told Adrian. He then picked Cat up as if she weighed nothing more than a feather. Cat was dead asleep, snoring loudly. Prince Luke took her back to the bunks, where Zack was still doubled over in hysterics.
"What did you give her?" Adrian asked Zack sternly. Zack quickly straightened up.
"Only a little pick-me-up," he said innocently. "She was feeling down in the dumps." Adrian burst out laughing. Prince Luke slowly set Cat down on the bed.
"Well, we know what Cat will be like once she's drunk," he said, smiling. He gazed down at her. "She's one of 'em sleeping angels, but tough to handle when awake." He winked at Adrian. "You'll have quite a time with her, Adriana."
"W-what are you talking about?" Adrian stammered, as Zack burst out laughing again. He scowled and left Prince Luke and Zack laughing together in the room and walked towards the deck, where he saw Zeth approaching Zaria. He stood there where they couldn't see him and watched.
"Zaria, I'm sorry!" Zeth exclaimed.
She whirled on him. "I'm not mad," she said coldly, and turned away again. "Zaria, really, I was thinking about something," Zeth protested.
"Thinking about what?" she demanded.
"There's something about the continent of Hyrynd…you remember Hyrynd, don't you?" Zeth asked, holding on to her. She didn't pull away.
"Yes, I remember Hyrynd," she said quietly.
"It's not Hyrynd anymore," Zeth said.
Zaria's eyes widened. "Hyrynd isn't Hyrynd? What do you mean?"
"I mean that the King of Hyrynd has changed the continent's name to Torus," Zeth explained. "There has to be a reason why…nobody seems to know."
Zaria's eyes narrowed. "Torus…Zeth, do you know about Torus?"
Zeth looked perplexed. "What about it?"
"Torus is the name of one of the ancient Being capitals!" Zaria exclaimed. "I think there's something going on in Hyrynd…"
"Torus," Zeth corrected thoughtlessly.
Zaria put her hands on her hips. "Whatever," she said, and turned away.
"Wait!" Zeth said, stepping towards her.
She turned back to him. "And don't worry, I forgive you," she said, a small grin on her face. "Well?"
Zeth smiled and reached over to her and grasped her hand in his. "So what do you have in mind, Mrs. Zeth?" he asked.
She laughed. "Whatever you wanna do, Mr. Zaria," she replied, her eyes eminent.
Adrian smiled to himself and walked up to them. "Hey, guys," he greeted. "I think we're pretty near Dias Point already." He pointed out into the distance.
"Oh, wow!" Zaria exclaimed, and let go of Zeth's hand and ran up by Fuuko, pointing out the tall towers of Dias Point.
The ship approached Dias Point at full speed, and they reached it about an hour later.
"Come this way," Prince Luke said, as they all got off the ship, Cat still a little lightheaded from the innocuous drug Zack had given her. They all followed Prince Luke through the busy streets of Dias Point.
"Don't you have an escort, Prince Luke?" Fuuko asked.
Prince Luke smiled. "You all are my escorts…and I couldn't have any better warriors at my side."
The people they passed looked at Prince Luke in amazement and awe, and gazed at Zeth, Zaria, Fuuko, Zack, Breanna, Zitan, Adrian and Cat curiously, wondering whom these strangers were, looking like warriors yet escorting the Prince through the streets of Dias Point.
"She must be elven! How wonderfully cute and petite she is!" the townspeople whispered about Cat.
"He looks like the war hero Jean-Claude Strife, but with dark hair!" the townspeople exclaimed about Zack.
"She looks so elegant and poised, yet tough in her own way," the townspeople agreed about Fuuko.
"She has big blue eyes!" a little boy chimed in.
"Oh, look at her. That one is quite enchanting, yet so mysterious," the townspeople gossiped about Breanna.
"He is so handsome it's unbelievable!" the town maidens of Dias Point whispered about Adrian.
"He looks like that girl who is standing next to him. Might they be brother and sister?" the townspeople wondered about Zitan.
"That girl …she looks very familiar…the stern yet sweet face …might that be Zaria Locke?" the townspeople whispered about Zaria.
"That guy with the honey-colored hair…he is the finest looking of them all! Not because of his looks...but because of his flawless features and his confident demeanor! I wonder what his name is…" the town maidens of Dias Point giggled about Zeth.
Prince Luke led them through town to the residence of one of the generals who didn't work for Toki, General Cutter. General Cutter lived in the biggest house in the entire city; a large mansion called the Presidential Residence.
As soon as the guard saw Prince Luke he bowed deeply and automatically said, "Good day, Prince Thomas Luke. Please come in and sit down while I go summon the General for you."
The guard then rushed off inside the mansion, leaving the door open for them to enter. They all walked into the mansion, amazed at the splendor of the General's home.
"This place is almost as fancy as the Twin Castle in Heide Tiseau!" Cat exclaimed in awe.
Prince Luke smiled. "General Cutter is an old friend of the family," he informed them.
They all sat down and waited for the General. A few minutes later a man with military poise entered the room. As soon as he spied the Prince, he walked briskly over and swept him up in a big bear hug.
"Luke, I haven't seen you in awhile! You're doing fine, I see," the General observed. Then he turned to the rest of them. "I don't believe I've met any of you young folk. How do you do, I'm General Cutter." He extended his hand.
They all shook his hand in turn, each of them introducing themselves. As Zack did so, the General looked at him queerly.
"Um, I'm Zack Strife," Zack said dubiously, gazing at the General.
The General's eyes lit up with recognition. "Zack! Are you by any chance the son of Jean-Claude Strife?"
Zack shook his head. "No, sir. Jean-Claude Strife was my grandfather."
"Your grandfather! I knew that old weasel quite well!" General Cutter burst. "My, you're a spitting image of Jean-Claude, but with much darker hair." He paused. "Did you say 'was' your grandfather?"
Zack nodded. The General looked sad and disappointed. "Ah, well, we all have to go someday, even the brave Jean-Claude, one of the saviors of the world." he said sadly. He looked up at Zack. "Do you know how great a hero Jean-Claude was?"
"Well, somewhat. My father told me of some of the adventures that Granddad Jean and Grandma Alexandria had been through. It is pretty amazing. Grandma Alexandria passed away before I was born."
The General nodded. "Yes, and in quite drastic a way did she die. Poor Jean-Claude. They couldn't be away from each other long. Alexandria was a year older than Jean-Claude. She took care of him. They were such caring people, but they showed their affection in such subtle ways. I feel lucky to have known them."
Zeth and Zaria smiled at each other. They had both known Zack's grandparents as well. At the time Jean-Claude had been twenty-one and Alexandria had been twenty-two.
"What are you two smiling at?" Zitan asked. His eyes widened. "Or did you happen to know Jean-Claude…"
Zaria laughed and nodded. Zack's head snapped towards them. "You knew my grandparents?" he asked incredulously.
The General looked confused. "How is that possible, unless you all grew up together…or did you?"
Prince Luke laughed and explained the whole story to the General, who listened intently. As soon as he finished, the General turned towards Zeth and Zaria. "I heard a lot about you two!" he exclaimed. "You both are heroes of the Mage war, and still you come again into the future, performing more heroic deeds!"
Zaria blushed. "That's not exactly it," she began.
"But it is!" the General protested, preventing her from explaining. "Zeth Lanier and Zaria Locke, I remember you two now!" He turned to Zeth. "Didn't you have a twin named Dink or something? That got youthened and sent to Torus after the war was over?"
Zeth nodded. "Yes, Link was my twin brother," he confirmed.
The General looked awed. "Well, well," he said. "Luke, you certainly have an interesting group of people traveling with you," he told the prince, who laughed blithely.
"Yes, but they are all brave warriors who have helped me greatly," Prince Luke replied. "General Cutter, I wonder if we might prevail on you for a favor. Could we all stay here for a night? Then we will all board the Neptune's Daughter in order to go to Denzeling."
"With old Tax, eh?" the General chuckled. "Yes, yes, of course. You all must stay here at the Presidential Residence for the time that you are here! In the meantime, you can tour Dias Point. It's a very large city, you know. In fact, it is one of the largest in Northern Nova."
"Thank you, sir," Prince Luke said.
The General smiled and nodded. "Anything for a nice boy like you, Luke." He then turned his head and waved over a servant.
"Please take these young people to their rooms," he instructed. The servant nodded and turned towards Zeth, her head bowed.
"May I take your luggage, sir?"
"Uh, you don't have to, it's quite all right," Zeth said politely.
"Yes sir, very good sir," the servant replied and began to make her way up the stairs.
"She will lead you to your quarters," the General informed Zeth. He turned to the Prince. "Luke, you may stay in your usual room."
They thanked the General and made their way up the marble stairway that went up in a spiral formation. They climbed up to the third floor where the servant showed them into an extremely large suite that had enough space for ten people to stay in comfortably.
"Thank you," Zeth told her as he walked in. Prince Luke followed them all inside and put his belongings down on a bed.
"Um, your highness, aren't you going to stay in your usual room?" the servant asked anxiously.
Prince Luke smiled and shook his head. "Nope, I'll just stay here with my friends," he replied. "You can go now."
"Very good, your highness," she answered, looking slightly bewildered. She curtsied and then exited the room.
"Hey Lukey Pooky, are you really staying here with all of us?" Cat asked, bouncing on one of the beds. Prince Luke laughed and nodded again.
"Of course."
"Hmm, just imagine, royalty like you sleeping the same room as us commoners," Breanna remarked caustically. There was an awkward silence. She opened her mouth to say more when Zitan cut her off.
"Bree," he admonished. She then closed her mouth and shut up.
"Well, let's get settled," Zaria said, changing the subject. "Put your stuff down on whichever bed you all want."
Fifteen minutes later when the sleeping arrangements were finished, the grouped trooped down the stairs and sailed out the door, ready to explore one of the biggest cities in the continent.
"Whoo-hoo! I've always wanted to come and see Dias Point!" Cat exclaimed, clapping her hands together.
Fuuko smiled. "Yeah, I've always wanted to come here too!" she chimed in.
"Okay, everyone just go where they wanna go," Zeth said pointedly, knowing that them all traveling as a group would overwhelm the citizens.
"I'm going with Fukiko and Adrian!" Cat cried, grabbing on to Fuuko's arm.
"Me too!" Zack said, and started towards the three but then Breanna pulled him back. "You're not leaving me alone with Zitan and the Prince," she said.
"But you have Zaria and-oh, okay, I'll go with you," he agreed quickly. They all walked off in different directions, leaving Zeth and Zaria standing there in front of the Presidential Residence.
Zeth smacked his hand on his forehead. "It's so obvious that they're trying to set us up that even I can see it," he said. Zaria fingered the moonstone around her neck, a small smile forming on her lips.
"Well, we definitely don't want them to get the wrong idea about us!" she remarked gleefully.
If you don't want them to get the wrong idea about us, why do you look so delighted? Zeth thought, amused.
He tilted his head. "Is it a wrong idea?" he said, grinning. She ignored his comment and grabbed his arm, dragging him off in the direction of the market.
"Let's go there!" she exclaimed. Zeth internally sighed. It was going to be a long day.
"Zaria, how much longer are you going to be doing this?" Zeth asked in a tone that was verging on whining.
"Don't be so impatient!" she chastised. "We've only been walking around for three hours! We have a whole day to do stuff!"
Zeth rolled his eyes. "Zariaaa, that's my point! We've been circling around the marketplace for three hours and you haven't bought a thing!"
She grinned sheepishly. "Hee hee hee. I need more time to make up my mind." Zeth looked up and counted to ten, but as he was gazing up at the sky, he saw a smudge of black in the distance, as if a black cloud were descending onto the horizon.
"What the hell is that?" He grabbed Zaria's arm and pointed up to the sky. She looked at it and squinted. A look of recognition entered her eyes.
"Oh no," she muttered, shaking her head. "It can't be. No! I thought they were just being cautious. I didn't think…oh!" She fell back into Zeth's arms, limp. "No…no…they won't take you away from me. No!" Her head then rolled back, her eyes closed.
"Zaria!" Zeth cried, alarmed. He shook her firmly. "Zaria!"
She slowly opened her eyes and turned to him and held him tightly. "No!" she repeated. All of a sudden a gust of violent wind blew through the marketplace. Goods flew everywhere, and everyone was running about in frenzy.
"Zeth, don't let go of me!" she whispered fiercely in his ear. "Don't let them take you! You have to hold on!"
"Who? Who's going to take me?" he asked.
She shook her head and held him tighter. "Hold on!" she cried. "They're coming for you!"
"Zaria, we're standing in the middle of an open area!" Zeth shouted over the noise. The dark cloud was descending lower and lower, almost reaching them, but she still wouldn't release him from her grasp.
He scooped her up and carried her into a sheltered area.
"Don't let go of me, Zeth!" she gasped, grasping him tightly. "If you're with me, they can't take you. I won't let them!"
"Who?" Zeth cried.
Zaria shook her head. "Hold on," she whispered.
The dark cloud reached them and enveloped everything in darkness. The wind grew stronger and stronger, trying to wrench them apart.
"Noooo! I won't let you take him!" she cried hysterically, holding on to him so tightly that it was physically painful for him. The wind continued to howl fiercely, whipping at their hair and clothing. All of a sudden the wind stopped, and they were on their knees in the middle of the cloud. Their surroundings were pitch black.
Zaria cried out in pain as a sharp stick whirred straight into her back, embedding itself underneath her skin. She went limp in Zeth's arms. Zeth held her tightly and felt her sticky blood running down his fingers. His eyes widened in horror and he ran his hand up her back until he felt the arrow.
"Pull it out!" Zaria rasped, breathing heavily as she slumped into Zeth's arms.
"No!" Zeth exclaimed. "If I pull it out, you might bleed to death. And you would be in tremendous pain!"
Zaria shook her head weakly. "P-pull…it out…" she gasped. "It…has...magic…Destruction magic…in it…it will kill me…please…take it out! They want to kill me so they can get to you easily!" she cried out with her last ounce of strength.
Zeth reluctantly placed his right hand on the arrow. "All right," he said quietly, keeping his left hand placed on the small of her back. "Bite my shoulder so you don't bite your own tongue. This will hurt more than anything you've ever felt before, Zaria."
Zaria set her jaw on Zeth's shoulder, bracing herself. Zeth took out his small pocketknife and sunk the tip of it into the wound. Zaria's body immediately tensed and she bit down, hard. Zeth grimaced from the pain on his shoulder and also from the pain he knew Zaria was experiencing. Zeth sank the small knife down deeper and Zaria bit down even harder, this time going down so deep that Zeth's shoulder began to bleed. Zeth took a deep breath and carefully tilted the knife under her flesh so that it was underneath the Destruction arrow. Zaria cried out in pain, a shrill cry so agonizing that it chilled Zeth to the bone. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead as he attempted to gently pry the arrow out. Zaria wails grew louder, and she buried her face into Zeth's bloody shoulder, shaking. Finally, Zeth dropped the knife and placed his hand on the arrow and pulled it out in one small, lithe movement. Blood was pouring from the wound on Zaria's back.
Zeth put his hand on her wound, trying to hold back the flow of blood. "Zaria, now you have to help yourself. Use your healing magic to heal it."
Zaria was frozen, the tears sliding down her cheeks. "It hurts too much…I can't…" she whispered.
"You have to!" Zeth cried forcefully. "If you don't, then you could bleed to death! Remember that I promised that I would never let you die. Zaria, please! Try!"
Zaria closed her eyes. She would try, although the loss of blood was getting to her head. "Healing wind," she muttered with clenched teeth, and then a moment later, a gust of wind blew through the dark cloud and passed Zeth and Zaria. Zeth could feel himself being revitalized as the wind blew on him. Zaria felt weak as all the magic that was in her body was sucked towards the wound. She slowly closed her eyes. I'm too weak to fight, she thought. But she had to. She shakily attempted to stand up, but then fell back down. "W-weak," she whispered. Zeth supported her as she struggled to stay standing.
"Use the healing magic again," Zeth said soothingly, although inside he was trembling with fear.
Zaria nodded and used her last ounce of energy to summon the liquid magic into her body. It coursed throughout her veins, barely closing up the wound.
All of a sudden, a loud crash was heard. Zaria stopped her healing process and glanced around inconspicuously. She backed up so she was standing in front of Zeth. "Someone's coming," she said darkly.
"Ultima X-ray," Zeth muttered, and the whole area was in X-ray vision. "I don't see anything at all," Zeth said, surprised. "It's as if-"
"We were taken somewhere out of this world," Zaria finished.
"Or it's some kind of illusion," Zeth said pensively.
All of a sudden, a figure coalesced out of the cloud substance before them. Zaria stood in front of Zeth protectively. "You won't take him!" she shouted, feeling a sudden burst of energy. "Not while I'm standing here! Never!"
She leaped forward, brandishing her twin swords. She slashed at the figure but then it seemed to be to no avail, for it dodged Zaria's strikes expertly.
Zaria landed off to the side, and her wound was opened again. Blood spurted out, and she fell to the ground, moaning. Zeth rushed over to her but was thrown back as soon as he was within a two-foot radius of her. He landed hard about ten feet away. He looked up, angry and in pain.
"What the hell did you do to her?" he shouted at the dark figure.
"Nothing," the figure replied smugly. "It's her own Moon magic operating, for you are the enemy, and you can not help her."
"The enemy?" Zeth shouted. "How the hell am I the enemy?"
The figure laughed. "Because. You are not normal. You are one of the…"
"One of the what?" Zeth demanded.
"I can't tell you yet," the figure replied.
"Show yourself!" Zeth ordered. The figure laughed and formed into a sinister looking man with wings made of light. The man turned around, showing off his light-wings.
"Remember anything?" he asked mysteriously.
"Remember what?" Zeth asked. The man laughed harshly again. "All you need to know is that you can not help that forsaken creature…you and she are not meant to be so stay well away from her. She is one of the enemies. Remember that. If you have the chance to slay her, do so and you will be redeemed."
"How dare you speak of such things!" Zeth flared. "I'm here to protect Zaria, and you nor no other creature can stop me!"
The winged man laughed again. "Maybe, but your origin will prevent you. The Moon Maiden Artemis is your ultimate enemy, remember that."
"What?" Zeth asked confused.
"You are but a puppet, being used to get through to the Moon Maiden Artemis," the man chanted.
"I am not a puppet!" Zeth shouted. "I am Zeth Lanier, the Ultima warrior, and I will destroy you and protect Zaria with my life." He leaped up angrily and whipped out his sword.
"Ow!" the man yelped mockingly. "I was only to be a messenger, but I see now that I will have to fight! Ultima Pulsar Wave!"
A semi-strong wave of Ultima magic hit Zeth. "Ha ha!" Zeth said jubilantly. "You can't hurt me with your magic, for I can absorb Ultima!"
"As can I," the man replied complacently. "All right, we'll resort to normal weapons." He unsheathed out a titanic sword, much bigger than Zeth's. "Kind of one-sided, isn't it," he said cruelly. He aimed the sword towards Zeth, but Zeth was too quick for him. He leaped out of range and sprang on the winged man from behind. The man whirled around and blocked Zeth's blow with his sword.
"Ha!" he shouted, his eyes flashing.
"Don't be fooled by illusion," Zeth muttered. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall, and I'll have you know that I have the advantage with my sword." Zeth kicked him from underneath, and the man fell to his knees. Zeth prepared to deliver his deathblow when the man flew up out of his range.
"You'll never beat me, even if you were once a leader of the Beings!" the man howled. "I am Masamune, one of the greatest swordsmen out of all the Beings!"
"Beings?" Zeth exclaimed incredulously, lowering his sword. "What's that about Beings? Are you a Being?"
"What else could I be?" Masamune asked devilishly. He aimed his sword towards Zaria. "I can't seem to get through your defense, but most likely I can get through the Moon Maiden Artemis's automated defense.
"No!" Zeth shouted, and leaped towards Zaria, dropping his sword. But it was to no avail, for when he hit her barrier he was thrown back roughly.
Masamune laughed. "You can not protect the Moon Maiden Artemis!" he said gleefully. He flew straight down towards Zaria. "Ultima Float!" he shouted, and Zaria's body was levitated. "The Ultima magic can't penetrate the barrier, but it can carry the whole package!" Masamune clarified, laughing cruelly.
Zeth looked up in animosity and made ready to draw his sword, when he realized his sword wasn't with him. He looked around frantically, and spied it about six meters away from him.
"Don't move!" Masamune shouted. "Or else the Moon Maiden Artemis dies! I can simply release the Ultima hold on her, and she will plummet to the ground. I'm sure that she could not survive such a fall in her weakened condition. The moonbeam barrier will not protect her from foolishness."
Zeth was frozen. What was he to do? Masamune laughed again. "So you're stuck in a rut, General. How do you feel now?"
General?
Masamune flew down and slashed at Zeth with his sword, leaving a big gash across Zeth's chest. Zeth fell backwards, clutching his chest. Blood was spurting out and soaking his clothing.
"Looks like I win!" Masamune cried victoriously. "I'll be going now, but where's my victory prize? Maybe I'll just take the Moon Maiden."
"You're not taking anything!" Zeth shouted, his teeth clenched. Another surge of pain hit him and he flinched and fell back.
"I'd like to see you enforce your statement," Masamune replied smugly. "See ya, ZETH!"
"He said, YOU'RE NOT TAKING ANYTHING!" came Cat's voice from behind Zeth. She flew towards Masamune with her whip, Adrian following closely behind. She whipped Masamune, hard, and Adrian followed with some of his fire-based arrows. Masamune fell to the ground, but Zaria also plummeted down.
"Noooo!" Zeth cried, but then Zack charged forward and caught Zaria just in time. They both rolled over to the side, Zack holding on tightly to Zaria.
"Oh #$," he exclaimed, looking at his crimson fingers. "She's losing too much blood!" Breanna ran to his assistance, producing bandages, which Zack quickly wrapped around Zaria's body. The blood began soaking through the bandages. "Take her," Zack instructed Breanna, and she nodded. She picked up Zaria and hauled her over to a safer area, far from the battle. Zack turned to Zeth. "You're bleeding real bad, man!" he shouted.
Zeth shook his head. "It's all right!" he shouted back, clutching his wound. "I just need my sword." Zack nodded and tossed over Zeth's sword. He then ran over and wrapped Zeth's chest with the remaining bandages. Meanwhile, Cat and Adrian were still battling Masamune, who had been able to stand up and continue flitting around in the air with his light wings.
"That guy is good! How could you hold him off yourself?" Zack asked, awed. He hoisted Zeth up on his back and carried him over to where Zaria was.
Cat summoned the Aztec Thunder God, Quezacotl, and Masamune's wings disappeared and he fell to the ground. He stood up again and charged towards Cat. Adrian shot another arrow from behind, producing a ring of flame around Masamune, but Masamune simply howled and jumped out of it, charging onto Cat. She tried to dodge, but Masamune pinned her down and directed his sword towards her head, but then she snapped her head to the side at the last moment. As he struggled to pull his sword out of the ground she swiftly kneed him in the stomach and rolled away before he could fall on top of her. Fuuko pounced on him, slashing his back with her claw. Masamune weakly stood up again, his wings dimly flashing.
Breanna left Zitan and Zack to tend to Zaria and Zeth and jumped forward, punching Masamune in the face. She then stuck her boot under his limp body and kicked him away. "Quake!" she shouted, and the ground rumbled. Masamune was thrown up and down, and when the earthquake ended, he was still.
"Whoo-hoo, we won!" Cat exclaimed, jumping up and down for joy. Everyone cheered and walked over to Zeth and Zaria. Zack turned around and saw Masamune slowly getting up, the rage visible in his eyes. He charged towards Cat.
"You took away my victory!" he howled, but then was intercepted by Zack's spear right in front of his face.
"Move an inch closer and I poke one of your eyes out," Zack warned. Masamune scowled and retreated, reforming his wings. He flew up.
"This is not the end! Your real enemy is the one you call Zeth!" he shouted, and flew higher and higher until he disappeared. The dark cloud disappeared with him, and they were left standing in the abandoned streets of Dias Point. Prince Luke came running over.
"What happened?" he asked. "I was so worried when I couldn't find any of you!"
"We need a doctor, now!" Fuuko exclaimed, examining Zeth and Zaria. "Neither of them has stopped bleeding, and there's a chance that these injuries may be fatal!"
Prince Luke nodded, his face stricken. "Follow me. I'll take you all to the nearest hospital. It's just down the street."
Zack and Zitan picked up Zeth and Adrian scooped up Zaria, morphing into his vampire form in which he was stronger. He flew after the Prince while the others ran through the empty streets.
"Where is everyone?" Breanna asked Fuuko as she ran.
"They all evacuated the streets and scurried into their homes as soon as the black fog settled over the city," Fuuko replied. "And it's a good thing that they did."
They all ran to the hospital as quickly as possible, and as soon as they reached the hospital lobby Prince Luke burst through the throng of people and shouted, "We have two people who need medical attention immediately!"
Everyone who had taken shelter in the hospital glanced over in his direction, their eyes widened in amazement.
Zack, Zitan, and Adrian burst in after Prince Luke. The people stared at them, wondering who they were to have the Prince of Northern Nova be escorting them.
The hospital staff rushed over and had them set Zeth and Zaria on gurneys and wheeled them into the emergency room.
Breanna, Fuuko and Cat ran into the hospital, panting. "Are Zeth and Zaria getting treated yet?" Fuuko asked.
Zack nodded. "They just went into the emergency room."
A few hours later, one of the nurses came out to see them. "Your friends are still being treated," she told them. "The young man is recovering fine, his wound was deep but the doctor is taking care of it, and most likely he will recover because one of you was smart enough to use first aid procedures to stop the bleeding almost immediately. As for the girl, she was not as lucky. She lost too much blood, as well as sustaining severe internal damage, and the bleeding stopped only about an hour ago, after the operation. She's currently in critical condition, and whether she lives or dies is entirely up to her."
"Zaria," Fuuko whispered, putting her hand to her mouth in consternation. "Can we go see her?"
The nurse slowly nodded. "Yes, but only one at a time, and only for five minutes. She's in the intensive care unit right now. As for your other friend, you can all go visit him in his room. His room is on the third floor, second door to the left."
"All right," Zack said, standing up. "I'll go stay with Zeth while you all go see Zaria, and when you're all finished, come see me so I can see her too."
Everyone agreed and they went up to the ICU to see Zaria. Zack got off the elevator on the third floor, looking sadly back at his friends. The elevator doors slid shut and Zack walked to Zeth's room at the end of the hallway.
Zeth was sleeping peacefully with a large bandage wrapped around his chest. Zack sat down next to the bed, gazing at his friend, his eyes full of sorrow. How horrified Zeth would be when he woke up. In fact, a relapse might occur, and Zeth might go into a coma from the shock of having a loved one being in such critical condition.
"I'm so sorry, man," he whispered. "If only we had gotten there to help you both sooner…"
They walked soberly into the intensive care unit, heads bowed down in sorrow. As soon as they reached the intensive care unit Adrian turned around to face them all.
"We can only visit her one at a time, for five minutes each," he said, repeating the words of the nurse. "We have to try to bring Zaria back...we need to call her back to us. Who's going in first?"
"I-I will," Cat said shakily. Adrian nodded and stepped aside to clear the way. Cat took a long, deep breath and slowly stepped into Zaria's room, lifting up her eyes. As soon as she saw her friend lying there so peacefully and still the tears that had been threatening to spill for so many hours finally fell out of her eyes, clouding her vision.
"Zaria," she sobbed, casting her eyes away. She couldn't bear to see her friend in such a different state than what she was in while alive and well. Although she had been unconscious for a long period of time before, this was the first time where a doctor had actually declared that she might never come back, and it had nothing to do with the mysterious forces of magic. After a minute or so of crying, she calmly wiped the last of her tears away and stood next to Zaria's bed, watching Zaria sleep. "Come back, Zaria. Try, okay? You have to try to come back to us. Zeth needs you. I need you. We all need you. Please…" she begged her friend. Zaria remained still and unresponsive. Cat sighed.
She gently laid her hand on Zaria's cheek and let it linger there for a moment. She quickly pulled her hand away, as if all of a sudden Zaria's skin had become on fire. Then she turned on her heel and left the room, sobbing even harder than before. She ran into Fuuko's arms, her whole body shaking violently from her sobs.
Zack looked up as his friends entered Zeth's hospital room. He nodded and then got up to go see Zaria. Breanna sat down on the seat Zack had been sitting on and took Zeth's hand in hers.
"I'm sorry," she told the sleeping Zeth. Everyone was then quiet for a long time, until suddenly Zeth stirred slightly. Everyone held their breaths, and after a minute of anticipation, he finally woke.
"Where am I?" he asked, looking around. "What happened?"
"You were unconscious right after the fight with Masamune," Adrian told him. "We brought both you and Zaria here, where the doctor tended to your wounds. You are recovering fine, but Zaria is…"
"What happened to Zaria?" Zeth said, sitting up. Arrows of pain shot through his chest and he groaned and sat back down. He looked back at Adrian. "She's all right, right?" Adrian looked away.
"She's all right, right?" Zeth repeated more forcefully.
"She's not all right," Fuuko snapped. Her expression immediately displayed her regret. She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Zeth, she lost too much blood," she said in a softer tone, looking away. "The healing elixir just isn't working."
"WHAT?" Zeth exclaimed. "NO! Zaria can't be gone! NO!"
"She's not gone!" Fuuko interrupted, snapping her head back towards him. "Zeth, don't stress yourself. It's bad for you. You still have a major injury that needs some more time to completely heal. It's all up to Zaria, and only Zaria can now determine whether she comes back or not!" Zeth crossed him arms and looked away, his eyes and his heart stinging.
"Don't be such an immature child!" Fuuko burst. "Trust Zaria! You love her; we all know that you do! What you have to do now is believe in her so that she tries harder to come back!"
Zeth looked up at Fuuko with eyes so full of grief that she winced and looked away again.
"Take me to her, now," he said softly.
"But Zeth, we can't!" protested Fuuko. "The hospital staff-"
"If you don't want to help me, I'll do it myself," Zeth said shortly, throwing off the blanket. He stood up and then sat back down, groaning in pain.
"We'll take you to Zaria," Prince Luke said quickly. "I'll go arrange for them to move you to her room."