Where am I? Zaria thought, looking around. She knew for sure that she wasn't in the real world. The last time she was like this she had been transported to the moon. She was floating around in nothingness. Everything was all black around her. What had happened? Zaria pressed her fingertips to her face. How did she get here?
Then she remembered. How the Destruction arrow had been shot into her back, how Zeth had pulled it out for her, how persistent the pain had been, how she bit his shoulder so hard that she drew blood. She remembered Masamune, how he had constructed the barrier around her. She remembered Zeth running towards her and getting brutally pushed away. Then she had lost consciousness, and here she was. Why had Zeth been thrown back? Was it some sort of force? It probably had to do with her Moon lineage, especially since Zeth was…
She didn't want to think about what she knew about Zeth and the Beings. He thought that it was his duty to protect her, but in fact, they were supposed to be eternal adversaries. If the Beings ever regained possession of him…they would become enemies again. So now, it was her duty to protect him. She didn't know about past lives…but from the legends and what the stars had told her, and especially since the Beings had sent Masamune to nullify her and take Zeth, she could piece it together.
The Beings looked like normal humans, except that they had wings made of light. They were in fact, humans, evolved to a higher level species. Masamune was unmistakably a Being. But how come the Beings had just started taking action? Why hadn't they acted beforehand? Zaria sighed inwardly. There was so much she had yet to understand…but she was going to find out. Surely Bink would know something about the subject.
All this knowledge that she had recently acquired about her past life frightened her. There were so many people that she had known then. It was during the Interplanetary War. Many, many years ago, she had lived on the moon with Princess Louvia and Prince Claude as the Moon Maiden Artemis. She had been reincarnated as the Moon Maiden Artemis as well. Anyhow, back then she was also a descendant of the Locke family, but her name had not been Zaria. Her name had been Rynn. Rynn Locke. She lived a propitious existence on the moon until the commencement of the Interplanetary War, when many prayers were directed towards Artemis to save the people whom were being attacked by the Beings. Princess Louvia had sent Rynn down to the Earth at Rynn's requisition, where Rynn was given the title Moon Maiden Artemis, the female deity of War.
She fought and charted out tactics alongside the leaders, and it was thanks to her and her celestial powers that the Humans won many a battle. One day, Rynn led her regiment and met one of the Being General's armed forces. To her stupefaction, the General was handsome and had an air of nobility, fascinating her with his charismatic charm. Some prominent features about him were that he had the silkiest and satiny tresses an individual could have and a long battle scar on the side of his face. His name was General Tide. It was the first time that Rynn had ever felt any signs of fondness in her entire perpetual life. However, she led her regiment bravely and battled General Tide. She fought her way up to him and rammed her sword into his side but he obstructed it deftly. It was an attenuated combat between them, and finally General Tide had defeated Rynn. She was no longer immortal ever since she had set foot on the planet, so he readily could have killed her. Yet he didn't. Although she put up much resistance, he managed to pick her up and carry her to the Being camp and then had her wounds treated. When he came to see her she was upset with him, but he spoke kind words to her and dazzled her, fortifying her. After she was thoroughly healed, he released her in secret, asking her one favor; that she would come to see him again. Rynn accepted, and from then on she would covertly come meet General Tide. It was a secret liaison between the supposed foes.
Somehow, Miefe found out about Tide and Rynn, and plotted a devious setup for their deaths, telling no one. For he had found a way to restrict Rynn's ethereal powers.
Although Rynn and Tide vanished for a short while, they were found and taken into the midst of a battlefield of one of the most decisive battles in Human-Being history. This was where Miefe planned to exterminate them in front of the entire Human and Being fleet, so he could prove his omnipotence. He seized Tide and Rynn and decreed them to be burned at stake for the crime of betraying their kind.
"You might be one of the finest warriors and magic-users ever," he told Tide. "But we can wait to exploit you in your subsequent life." He had then laughed cruelly and had taken indulgence in ordering his soldiers to beat Tide, who didn't utter a single word of protest. After that, Tide and Rynn were then tied to a stake in the middle of the battlefield, and all watched in trepidation as the Being Private set fire to the hay around their feet, yet no one dared to try to rescue them. Three Being soldiers were restraining Tide's childhood friend Dolph.
"Tide!" he shouted. "Let him go, Miefe! I demand that you let him go!" But it was to no avail. Miefe ignored his cries, even though Dolph was one of his best elite soldiers.
"TIDE!" Dolph howled. "You can't kill him! He's-"
"Somebody shut him up and I'll promote them!" Miefe finally barked, and Dolph was knocked unconscious by one of the lesser Being soldiers.
Tide's entire body was clenched and taut. "If only you had known, Dolph…" he muttered.
"Tide, we both knew that these would be the final hours we had alive," Rynn murmured regretfully, turning her dark eyes towards him.
Tide looked grim. "Don't lose hope yet, Rynn. I'll find a way to get us out of here and to where we really belong, a place where we can live in peace," he began, turning towards Rynn. His gaze softened when he saw her face. "Rynn…"
"We can't!" Rynn burst, shaking her head. Tide turned away to gaze back at Dolph, who had been taken away. "Even if we do get untied in time, they would capture us and kill us then, probably in an even more appalling way than to be burned in this fire of hell! They have the key to defeating us! It's my doom that is the cause of your untimely death! Oh, Tide, can't you feel the flames licking at your feet, just waiting to consume us? It's burning ever so strongly…just like the feeling I have for you," she said fervently.
Tide twisted his head to look at Rynn, his handsome face scorched. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, Rynn," he said woefully, a drop of liquid sliding down his cheek. Rynn couldn't tell whether it was a tear of sorrow or a bead of sweat. "But if we can't find each other in heaven, we'll meet again in our next life, in the place where we promised. I will find you! All you have to do is be there in that place where we promised and I will come and get you. I promise…no matter what."
"Tide…I will be there!" Rynn cried, clinging on to her last hope of seeing him again. "I will be there, waiting! At the place we promised! I will be waiting for you, so if you go there, you'll find me!"
He gazed longingly in her direction, his eyes cloudy. "If only I could see you one last time…"
The flames rose higher and higher, the fumes choking her and blocking Tide completely. Her lower body was now burning in agony. "Tide!" she gasped desperately. "NO! TIDE!"
He could no longer hear her, for he was completely enveloped in flame, and she could no longer see anything herself. She couldn't feel anything anymore, only a cold sensation on her forehead. She wrenched her eyes open and could vaguely see a ray of moonlight coming out from her forehead, shooting out in front of her. A crescent moon appeared on her forehead and wind was blowing everywhere, extinguishing the flames. Rynn closed her eyes again, aware that Princess Louvia was sending her power through Rynn's body. The moonlight spread out throughout the entire battlefield, encompassing all that stood there, including all the Beings and all the Humans. Rynn felt her body being lifted in the air…the moonbeams forming into bubbles, which captured her body and Tide's body. The Beings cried out as they were being sent back to their homeland through moonbeams. Rynn could faintly see the Humans looking on in amazement as their enemy was vanquished and she could see Tide's scorched body in a large bubble a few meters away from her.
"Thank you, Princess Louvia," she whispered, as she closed her eyes and let herself be taken back. She would meet Tide again. When the princess decreed, she would be born again. But what was it that they said about two lovers who were reincarnated…that they would be reborn as twin brother and sister? The only twins Zaria knew of were Zeth and Link, so that probably hadn't occurred in this case.
Zaria sighed. She was the only one who could protect Tide-Zeth, for miraculously she had been born again as the Moon Maiden Artemis, the only one with the endowment to stop the Beings. If Zeth was taken, they could plant false memories in his mind and brainwash him, turning him into a deadly enemy. The story was a renowned legend, but nobody would ever think in a million years that Zaria and Zeth were Tide and Rynn, yet Zaria knew it was true because she could remember every detail so vividly. Also, the stars had confirmed it, and the stars never told falsehoods.
Zaria looked around. She still didn't know where she was, and she needed to quickly find her way back before the Being tried something else. She needed to tell everyone what she knew. She looked around. How was she going to get back to see her friends?
Zeth lay down in his bed gazing sideways at Zaria, waiting for any sign that she would awake. She had fallen into a coma, and had not come out for three days and three nights already. The doctor said that it was because of psychological trauma as well as heavy loss of blood.
The hospital had no blood of any sort left in stock that would be compatible with Zaria, and neither did any of them. Zeth was the only one who could possibly give her blood but the doctor adamantly refused to perform the transfusion, saying that Zeth needed all the blood he had in order to make a safe recovery.
When will you wake up, Zaria? Zeth thought. And why had she thought that Masamune had come to take Zeth away? Everything was just so disconcerting and irresolute. Please come back, Zaria, Zeth silently pleaded.
There was a soft knock on the door and then Fuuko walked in, her sapphire eyes abnormally dull.
"Um, I stitched Zaria's clothing," Fuuko said, placing Zaria's folded garments next to the bed. "They were torn pretty crudely, so I managed to find some extra pieces of cloth that were the same color and material and sew in. It looks pretty much the same as before."
"I didn't know you could sew, Fuuko," Zeth said, surprised.
Fuuko smiled wryly. "Well, I can. Oh, and Zack wanted to demonstrate that he could sew too so he's stitching your clothing."
Zeth raised his eyebrows. "I won't be surprised if they come back torn even more," he quipped. Fuuko laughed gently and turned to Zaria, her expression turning solemn.
"So I guess she hasn't moved, huh."
Zeth shook his head sadly. "Not even an inch."
"I'm sorry," Fuuko said.
Zeth shrugged. "She'll come back. Zaria won't leave us. She can't. Not until I retrieve her at the place we promised…then we'll go together," he whispered quietly, so Fuuko could barely hear. Fuuko decided to ignore what he said, for it was probably some special, personal fantasy that kept his hopes alive.
Fuuko sighed and turned to leave the room. "Zack's coming in," she said at the door, and then left. Zack walked in briskly.
"Hey man, how are you doing?" he asked cheerfully, walking towards Zeth's bed.
"Not so good," replied Zeth tenebrously, turning his head to look at Zack.
Zack sat down next to him. "Well anyway, I tried to sew the hole in your clothing but I ended up screwing it up, so I asked Cat to do it."
"Thanks," said Zeth indifferently. He sighed and glanced over in Zaria's direction. "Zack…if she doesn't…make it, then I don't think I can keep fighting," he said softly.
Zack was stunned. "Whatcha talkin' bout, man?" he demanded. "Do you know what you just said? That's one of the most flimsy, self-defeating excuses I've ever heard!"
Zeth hung his head, ashamed.
"Zaria will pull through! And even if she doesn't, if she heard ya sayin' that crap from heaven she'd hate ya!" Zack shouted.
Cat burst into the room. "Zack, why are you yelling? What's wrong?"
Zack simply shook his head. He pointed at Zeth. "Think about Zaria and what she would want." He then left the room. Cat turned to Zeth.
"Zeth, are you all right? God, he was noisy."
"Cat," Zeth said, grabbing her arm. "I think we need to do something about Zaria."
Cat's gaze softened. "We're all trying our best, Zeth," she replied tenderly. "We-"
"No!" Zeth said, shaking his head. "I mean we have to bring Zaria back to us. She needs to feel us so she knows where to go! I can't bring her to the place we promised…not yet, anyway…so we have to do it this way. Please, Cat. Trust me on this."
Cat looked at Zeth with skepticism. "…All right."
She walked around the beds and sat down on the other side of Zaria. "Zaria, come back," she whispered, placing her hands on her arm.
Zeth closed his eyes and grasped both of Zaria's hands in his own, focusing all his energy towards her.
Zaria's eyelids slowly fluttered.
"Whoa, it worked!" Cat exclaimed, aghast. Zaria's eyes opened. She was gazing straight up with a blank stare.
"TIDE!" she screamed. Everyone burst into the room.
"#$, what happened?" Zack cried. Zaria burst into tears, reaching out in front of her, trying to grasp on to something. Zeth reached out his hand and took her floundering hand in his.
"T-T-T-Tide!" she shouted again, her whole body shaking violently. The doctor rushed into the room, two nurses by her side.
"Everyone except Zeth, get out now!" Dr. Reiko demanded. Everyone rushed out of the room. Dr. Reiko listened to Zaria's heartbeat with a stethoscope. "Oh no, her heart is racing," the doctor said. She turned to Zeth. "What happened?"
"I-I just held her hands and she opened her eyes and screamed," Zeth stammered.
"I've never seen anything like this before!" Dr. Reiko said, panicked. "This has to do with a deeply hidden, very complex psychological trauma that has suddenly resurfaced in her mind. Do you know anything about it?"
Zeth shook his head. "What are you going to do, Doctor?"
Dr. Reiko looked at Zeth. "Medically, there's nothing I can do now. Stay by her, Zeth. Hold her hand and give her the support she needs. Bring her back."
She sighed and departed the room. Zeth crawled over from his bed into Zaria's bed, ignoring the discomfort in his chest. He took a trembling Zaria into his arms.
Zaria shrieked abruptly in an anguished, shrill voice, and then started gasping, saying something. "Tide! P-promise me! At the place we pledged! I'll be waiting there, and if you come there, you'll find me!"
Zeth lay there and held Zaria devotedly to him. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.
"It's not his fault, it's mine," she sobbed. "Don't take Zeth…it's not his fault." She continued to cry until she cried herself asleep. Zeth eventually fell asleep, holding Zaria in fear that a relapse would occur.
Several hours later, Zeth awoke in the dark of the night. He shifted his weight slightly and then suddenly Zaria's eyes popped open.
"Tide?" she implored. Then her eyes refocused, the emerald orbs incandescent in the dimness. "Zeth…"
"Zaria!" Zeth said. "Are you…back?" She blinked. "Zeth!" she cried, and hugged him. Then she slowly pulled away. "W-Where are we?"
"We're in the infirmary. You were in a coma for three days, Zaria." Zaria's eyes widened.
"But…but..." Her expression softened. "A lot happened, I see. I have a lot of new…interesting information to apprise you with, but I'll tell you tomorrow morning."
"All right," Zeth answered. He indolently sat up. "Um, I'll just go back to my bed now…"
"You don't have to, Zeth," Zaria said gently. "It's fine. I need someone right next to me at a time like this."
Zeth hesitantly lay back down next to Zaria. He felt her resting her head on his shoulder and a few minutes later his shoulder was sopping wet from her tears.
"I'm sorry," Zaria whispered. "I'm just so confused…and I've caused so much distress…everyone most likely hates me."
"They don't hate you at all, Zaria," Zeth said. "No one dislikes you or wishes anything wicked against you. All we all desired was for you to get better and come back to us."
Zaria took a deep breath and looked up at Zeth. "Thank you for being here," she said quietly, and drifted off to sleep. Zeth shut his eyes, still feeling discomfited with Zaria sound asleep next to him like this like they had in the tents during the Mage war, and awaited for sleep to come.
In the morning Zitan, Breanna and Prince Luke were the first to come look in on Zeth and Zaria. Zitan pushed the door open, prepared to wake them up, when he saw them fast asleep under the same covers. His face turned scarlet and he cautiously shut the door, turning back to Breanna and Prince Luke.
"Uh…ah…um...hee hee…umm… let's go in some other time, shall we?" he said, trying his best not to let his face get any redder. He strode quickly towards the nearby sofa and plopped down soundly.
"Why?" Breanna asked. "Uh, I'll tell you later," Zitan replied nervously.
Prince Luke opened the door a crack and peered in. "Whoa!" he said, and hastily shut the door. "Tee-hee, I think they…um…deserve the privacy."
Breanna gave him a withering look and shoved past him and opened the door. When she saw them she gasped and started tittering. Prince Luke hurriedly reached over to her and looked at her reproachfully. "I think Zaria's pretty much revived," Breanna snickered.
A few minutes later Fuuko appeared with Adrian. She was dragging an indolent Adrian along behind her, and she marched over to the door. "We're going in to see Zeth and Zaria," she declared.
"Uh, I don't think you should go in there-" Zitan began.
"Aww, just let them go see for themselves," Breanna chuckled. Fuuko shrugged and pushed open the door.
"Oh god!" she swore, and threw the door shut, alerting Adrian. She started to giggle irrepressibly.
"Don't slam doors in hospitals," Prince Luke teased. Fuuko fell over on Adrian, cackling. Adrian yelped and struggled to writhe out from underneath Fuuko. Cat and Zack sluggishly trudged into the room, both of them with puffy eyelids.
"I think I slept too little last night," Cat droned.
Zack nodded in agreement. "Yeah, half an hour is kinda a short time. Fuuko was heartless to wake us up."
"Well, it's your fault you two went to sleep half an hour before you knew the rest of us would be waking up," Zitan pointed out, shrugging.
"There's a sight in there that will wake you up for sure," Breanna said, gesturing towards the door.
"Why, what's in there?" Cat demand. Nobody answered, so she shrugged and flung the door open and walked in with Zack, shutting the door behind her.
They heard a shriek from inside the room and Zack blaspheming at Cat. Cat rushed out of the room looking frenzied and Zack followed her in a hustle. The door was wide open.
Zaria's eyes slowly opened, and when she saw all her friends staring at her, her face turned bright crimson and she quickly undulated and slithered down underneath the blanket. The sudden movement woke Zeth up and when he saw them he abruptly sat up with a start, the blanket falling. Everyone's eyes widened, prepared for the worst. To their consternation, Zeth was still wearing his hospital gown, and so was Zaria.
"Sheesh!" Zack exclaimed. "And you had us all riveted, expecting to see-"
"Riveted!" Zaria shouted. She threw her pillow at him. "Expecting to see something? You pervert!"
"I hope you're better now, 'cause I'm gonna throw this back at you!" Zack exclaimed, heaving the pillow. Zaria shrieked and ducked behind Zeth. The pillow hit Zeth squarely on the face.
"This is so awesome! Everyone's all right!" Cat cried. She ran over to Zaria and hugged her, heedless of all the tubes that were still attached to her body. "Zaria, we were all so worried!"
Zaria hugged Cat back. "Thank you all so much for helping me come back," she said tearfully. Everyone crowded around Zaria and swept her off the hospital bed in one big group hug.
"I love you all," Zaria whispered. "Thank you so much for being here for me."
A few moments later Dr. Reiko walked into the room. "What happened here?" she exclaimed, waving her clipboard. "Everyone, please, get out! These people are recovering from critical injuries. Give them some air!"
Everyone cleared out of the room and Dr. Reiko walked over to Zeth and Zaria, her eyebrows raised. Then she broke into a grin.
"Good job, Zeth," she congratulated. "You did it. You succeeded in bringing Zaria back."
Zaria smiled. "Thank you so much for treating us both, Doctor…"
"Reiko. Don't worry about it. It's nice to see two young people like you so devoted to each other, willing to sacrifice your own lives, protecting each other. Zaria, if it weren't for this young man here, I don't think anyone could have helped you."
"Yes, I know," Zaria said, glancing affectionately at Zeth.
Dr. Reiko smiled. "Well anyway, you two have to stay in the infirmary for another day or so, and then you can get back on the Neptune's Daughter and go to your destination. It's important, isn't it? And bear in mind, no more intense combat for a few more weeks, okay? You need to fully recuperate before undergoing any physical exertion."
Zaria reciprocated a subtle glance with Zeth. The doctor didn't know about her healing powers.
"Um, Dr. Reiko, you know who I am by now, right?" Zaria asked. The doctor nodded and looked at the clipboard.
"Zaria Locke, age eighteen, blood-type B, one hundred sixty-three centimeters tall, need any more details?" She smirked. "Yeah, I know who you are, Zaria. Fine, if you have enough strength then you can regenerate yourself and Zeth and then depart today."
"Oh thank you!" Zaria exclaimed. Doctor Reiko smiled at them and then left the room. Prince Luke walked in looking solicitous as Zaria hastily sufficiently healed Zeth and herself.
"Ready to go yet?" the Prince asked. Zaria nodded.
"Yes…as soon as we change." She shooed Zeth and Prince Luke out of the room and quickly changed into the clothing that Fuuko had fixed up for her. After that Zeth changed and they all went to the port where Commodore Tax was waiting in front of the ship.
"It's nice to see you all well," the Commodore said cordially. "We've been waiting. Our next destination will be Denzeling. I hope you all have some warm raiment along with you, for it will be very chilly on the way there."
They boarded the Neptune's Daughter, and Zaria gathered her friends together and diffidently began to tell them about her knowledge of the Interplanetary War. Everyone listened intently to Zaria's story, taking it very seriously.
Fuuko turned to Zeth. "Are you really…the General Tide? One of the famed Being Generals whom had Destruction magic?"
Zeth's eyes darkened. "I don't know. I don't remember anything. How am I supposed to remember a previous life?"
"I'm pretty sure that Masamune was after you, Zeth," Zack said. "I valiantly fended off his advances towards you."
"You're so modest," quipped Breanna dryly.
"He must be Tide!" Cat said. "There doesn't seem to be any other rational incentive that a Being like Masamune would be after him, right?"
"We don't know that, and this particular reason isn't exactly logical," Prince Luke told her. He turned to Zaria. "Do you know if Zeth is Tide?"
"Zaria can't be expected to know all the answers to everything!" Fuuko burst. She took a deep breath. "Zaria was given back her memories from her past life, but how do we know they're accurate? Zaria told us herself that Beings know how to plant fake memories in one's brain to mislead."
Zaria nodded. "Yes, that could be possible. It's another possibility…yet…I feel like I really know that this is what happened, do you understand what I mean? It's just this gut feeling inside of me that tells me this really happened…or else I wouldn't be so affected by it. Does anyone know what I mean?"
"I…I do…" Breanna said quietly. "Sometimes I see these visions…I don't know whether they're memories or not…but I know I haven't ever experienced them in my life. I don't know why I see them."
Everyone turned around to look at Breanna, but when they saw the dark expression on her face, they decided to just leave the issue and ask her another time.
"Has anyone ever thought of why we were chosen to be the Warriors of Mage? Does it have anything to do with the Interplanetary War?" Adrian piped up. All of them were silent.
"I thought it had to do with only the Mage war…but maybe it could have something to do with it. In fact, it probably does, since the warriors are called forth when the planet is facing a Being threat," Cat said quietly.
"What about the Star Warriors? How did those people become the Star Warriors?" Fuuko asked.
"From the spell that Zelda cast during the Interplanetary War," Zitan muttered. Everyone turned towards Zitan.
"…That spell! We know it has something to do with us, but now we need to know why it is us and not any other person walking on the street!" Zack exclaimed.
Zeth cleared his throat. "Don't we need to find the eighth warrior first? Once we do, we might find out a lot more about…what's happening…or what will happen."
"And don't forget, the Toki government is still hot on our heels," Fuuko reminded them. "Could the Toki have something to do with the Beings? The idea isn't that far off, you know."
"Look, there's so much more that we could argue about," Zaria interjected. "There's so much we don't know. We shouldn't jump to conclusions just yet. I think the sensible thing to do is go with Prince Luke to Denzeling, where they most likely will have helpful information involving the Ice Warrior. Then we can decide what to do next."
"Yeah, that's a good idea," Cat said, nodding. Everyone nodded in agreement, one by one.
Zitan stood up. "Okay. Then see you all later, because I have to go do something."
"What would you have to go do on a ship?" Breanna asked mistrustfully. Zitan's face flushed.
"I have to go to the toilet, okay? Sheesh!" He left the room leaving all his friends laughing. Everyone started piling into their bunks, going to sleep. Zaria turned to Zeth. "I'm going to sleep," she told him bluntly. She climbed up on one of the bunks and went to sleep.
"Professor, there's a telegraph for you," the Toki worker said, handing a slip of paper to Professor Stonewall.
Rena was gazing through the glass walls of her cage with eyes of abhorrence. Professor Stonewall turned to her, grinning. "My dear, if only you weren't a Locke and some other wench was, you wouldn't hate me as much. It's time for another session."
The Professor flicked a switch on the cage, and the cage started filling up with liquid. Rena cried out in anguish as the level of the liquid quickly rose up to her ankles and then to her knees, but Professor Stonewall disregarded her cries.
"Sir, are you certain that she won't drown?" the Toki worker asked, alarmed.
Professor Stonewall laughed again. "Actually, I don't know. But she's a Locke; they always manage to survive through one ordeal or another. Anyway, that's not ordinary water."
"Logan…come back out…don't stay hidden in that body forever," Rena cried weakly, slamming her hand on the glass wall. The liquid rose higher and higher and finally over Rena's head. She tried to swim up for air but then it was too late. Rena gulped in a mouthful of water and coughed. She was in agony, her lungs burning and searing in pain as the liquid filled them up.
The Toki worker looked aghast while Professor Stonewall continued to impassively work. A few moments later, Rena reopened her eyes and gazed at them. Her eyes were such a light green that they were almost yellow and had a dark look in them now, a look with even more raw malevolence than before. Her chestnut hair had turned into a dark iridescent blackish color and was swirling around in the liquid. Her features looked sharper, and she was beautiful in a dark and malicious way. On her forehead was a shining crescent moon.
"The Locke ancestry in her has finally come out," Professor Stonewall whispered. The Toki worker was frozen in fear. Rena opened her mouth and screamed, and the glass cage broke, the liquid splashing everywhere. Professor Stonewall fell to the ground and hit his head. He opened his eyes and looked lost. He looked around in confusion, and then saw Rena standing in front of him.
"R-Rena?" he stammered. "Where are we? What happened?"
"Logan," she whispered, momentarily transforming back into the real Rena.
"Rena, what happened to you?" Prince Logan cried, trying to take her hand. She shook it off.
"I am no longer Rena. You destroyed Rena, tortured her soul with your cruel experiments."
"You're not Rena? What experiments?"
She laughed cruelly. "I can't believe you don't remember. I'm not Rena! I am Aya, and I am going to give you what you are entitled to."
"Rena, tell me what happened!" Prince Logan cried, tears leaking out of his eyes. Aya looked down at him in disdain.
"I would do away with you, but Rena's spirit inside me prevents me from doing so." Aya turned away and walked into the mist and then disappeared completely. The glass wall fell down on Prince Logan's head and then he reverted back to Professor Stonewall. He quickly stood up, brushed himself off and uncharacteristically pounded the button marked "emergency procedure".
"They'll be up soon to clean everything up," he muttered. He turned to one of his texts about the Locke family and started flipping the pages.
"Aya…"
Zaria woke up, breathing hard. "Aya," she gasped.
Zeth got up and quickly climbed up to her bunk. "Zaria! Are you all right?"
Zaria fell back onto the pillow and shut her eyes. "I…I'm just seeing things again. Don't worry about it. Go back to sleep."
"Are you sure?" Zeth asked. Zaria slowly nodded. After she was unequivocally sure that Zeth had gone back to sleep, she slowly climbed out of the bunk and went outside to the upper deck. She stood by the railing and gazed up to the moon, and held up her moonstone. A crescent moon appeared on her forehead, radiating with moonlight. Her hair was blown back from her face.
"Princess Louvia," she whispered. "Please answer me. Please!"
A strong gust of wind blew throughout the entire ship, and then Prince Claude appeared.
"Prince Claude!" Zaria exclaimed. Prince Claude smiled. "Hee hee, it's me again, Zaria! Louvia is busy right now so maybe I can help you instead."
"Why, what is Princess Louvia doing?" Zaria asked.
Prince Claude became solemn. "I don't know if you know yet, but it's about one of the Locke descendants…she has hidden powers that have just been called out.
"Aya," Zaria said automatically. Prince Claude was surprised.
"I see I have underestimated your communication with the planet. Yes, in fact," he replied. "Rena Ceres is one of the remaining Locke descendants. Most of them died during the Mage War. But she doesn't have the same controlled power as you have. You are, after all, the Moon Child. You can control Holy by your own will, and you can draw on the power on the moon when you need to, did you know?"
"No, I didn't."
"Well anyway, you can by using your moonstone and casting a normal spell, but it can draw on the powers of the moon and become a different, more powerful spell. Rena cannot do that. She is being taken over by one of the Locke spirits who have mysterious powers. That spirit is Aya."
"Aya…but who is Aya?" Zaria asked. Prince Claude looked down. "I'm afraid…she is one of the more ruthless members of our family, though she is not evil. Aya lived during the same time as when you lived as Rynn. She associated with the Beings as well, but not in they way you associated with Tide. She received powers from Ciefe, one of the Being leaders. Ciefe had a good heart, and when she bestowed those powers upon Aya, she meant well. She meant for Aya to create peace between the two enemies.
"You, as Artemis, should've been informed of this, but somehow the information was kept from you, so you had no knowledge about Aya at the time. Once Aya received the powers, she was corrupted by them, and didn't help at all. In fact, she began wreaking even more havoc during the war. Eventually, Miefe found out about Aya's powers, as did Zelda, Illius and Castor, the three leaders of the Humans. The three Human leaders worked together to construct an eternal curse which they laid upon Aya. The curse is that Aya may never rest in peace after death until the Beings and Humans are at total peace."
"That's not such a wicked curse," Zaria said dubiously.
Prince Claude nodded. "I know," he replied. "But we must find a way to help Aya's spirit leave the earth."
Zaria nodded cautiously. "So…how do you expect we accomplish that?"
Prince Claude sighed. "We have to bring a moment of absolute and total peace between the Humans and the Beings. The final battle is inevitable, and perhaps after that is over then that moment will occur."
"Battle!" Zaria exclaimed, greatly disturbed. "Must there be a battle?"
Prince Claude slowly nodded. "Yes. As I told you, it's inevitable. I must warn you, Zaria, that the battle will not be in an arena of your choosing."
Zaria was silent. "You must hasten and locate the eighth warrior before the time of reckoning comes," Prince Claude continued. "I'm pretty sure Aya could help you, but you must be wary of her, not because of her nature, but because of the Toki government."
"What about the Toki government?" Zaria asked.
The Prince grimaced. "They can track her down with a radar-like device that is attuned to her. They'll know where she is at all times."
Zaria nodded. "All right. I'll keep that in mind. Where can I find Aya?"
"Find the eighth warrior first, and then Aya can be summoned using your moonstone," Prince Claude replied. He looked back up towards the moon with a start. "Whoops, Louvia's summoning me. I have to go now, Zaria. If you need to know any more, feel at liberty to ask for me anytime. I know just as much about everything as Louvia does, although I am only the Prince of the Moon."
Prince Claude winked and dissolved into the moonlight before Zaria could say another word. Her moonstone stopped glowing and the crescent moon on her forehead faded.
Thank you, Prince Claude, Zaria thought silently. She slowly walked back towards the bunk and climbed into bed. Despite all the disquieting new things she had learned, she was exhausted and fell asleep right away.
Princess Star gazed up at the stars, which were her namesake. "Mother, Father. Will you ever return?" Tears dripped out of her soft charcoal eyes. Her wavy silvery bluish hair fluttered gently in the wind. She buried her face in her hands. Her twin brother walked up behind her on the balcony, his own silvery bluish hair whipping across his stormy gray eyes. He put his hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Star. We're not alone. We have each other. After all, we are twins."
"Yes, but Mother and Father have gone back in time to change the past…it's paradoxical! What if they are destroyed? Time is a perilous thing to meddle with. And right now there's no one on the throne of Torus…there is no King and Queen of Torus…we're in great danger, Sky! In danger of the usurpers who will come to assassinate us if they have the chance!"
"I know that, Star. But don't worry. Mother and Father will come back! They will make everything all right again, and I will protect you for now, my sister."
Princess Star turned to her twin and softly cried on his shoulder. "Thank you, Sky," she sobbed.
Prince Sky wrapped his arms around his twin sister. "Don't worry, Star. Remember what Mother said. Eight warriors will be summoned to protect us from the evil that will threaten Torus. We will be safe. They will protect us."
Cat yawned and sat up in the bunk, bonking her head on the bunk above her. "Ow," she muttered, rubbing her forehead. She looked around. Everyone else was still asleep. She chuckled to herself in satisfaction. Now she would be able to use the bathroom first. She leaped out of the bed and snatched her clothing and flew into the bathroom and then slammed the door shut.
The sound woke Breanna up. Breanna rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed. She climbed down off the top bunk, not quite unintentionally stepping on Prince Luke's face in the process.
"Umm," the Prince said, wrinkling his nose. "Breanna, as pretty as you may be, your feet don't smell that good in the morning."
"I was going to apologize for stepping on you, but don't even think about it now!" Breanna exclaimed, kicking his face again.
The Prince groaned and rolled over. "Go wake someone else, please."
"Is that an order?" Breanna asked mockingly. Prince Luke groaned again.
"Grr, just go!" Breanna laughed as a pillow hit her.
Zitan got up, stretching him arms. "What a cramped cabin we're in!" he exclaimed.
After they all were outfitted in their winter apparel and ready to go, they went up to the deck.
"We can see Denzeling from here," Prince Luke said affably, pointing off into the distance. Zaria squinted and gazed towards the direction he was pointing at.
"The sun's coming in my eyes," she complained. Prince Luke placed his palm over her forehead. "Now, look."
Denzeling was coming into view, the crystal peaks of the buildings glittering in the light of the sunrise.
"Denzeling is also known as the Crystal City, and the royal castle is dubbed the 'Crystal Palace of Denzeling'," Adrian read from a tour guide book that he had somehow conjured. "It is one of the prides of Northern Nova. Back in the Interplanetary War, it was one of the Human headquarters. In the Mage War, the Crystal Palace was destroyed by waves of powerful Destruction magic and then reconstructed to the splendor that it is today." He turned to Prince Luke. "I didn't know that Denzeling played such a big part in the Interplanetary War. In fact, I didn't even know that Nova existed during the Interplanetary War!"
The Prince smiled proudly. "There are many texts about the events that occurred in Denzeling during both of the great wars of the past," he said. "Go to the Crystal Palace Library, and you'll get a lot of information."
Breanna smirked and turned away. "Don't let your head inflate, Lukey Pooky," she mocked, mimicking Cat.
Zeth, who was standing nearby, turned to Breanna. "Bree, do you like him or something?" he teased. Breanna's face turned scarlet.
"NO," she said in a huff, sticking her acrimonious face two inches in front of Zeth's face. Zeth stepped back inadvertently, colliding into Zack.
"Hey!" Zack exclaimed, pushing Zeth away. Zeth lost his balance and almost fell into the brine if it weren't for Adrian quickly metamorphosing into his morphed form and flitting forth to pull him back. In the process he dropped his guidebook into the water.
"#$!" he swore, heaving a harried Zeth onto the deck. "My book!"
"Not to worry, I have a spare," Fuuko stated, bringing forth another book identical to Adrian's. Adrian squealed with delight and leaped for it. Fuuko handed it to him and patted him on the head. "Good boy."
"Oh yeah, and I'm fine, after almost plunging into the waves and getting hurled inhumanly onto the deck," Zeth said acerbically, dusting himself off.
"Allow me to continue!" Adrian shouted, flipping to the page he had been previously reading. "Currently, King Rufus and Queen Trisha are reigning Northern Nova. Prince Thomas Luke the Second is currently the crown prince, unless by some contingency the long-lost Prince Logan returns," Adrian read dramatically.
"They said that in the tour guide book?" Cat asked skeptically, reaching out for the book.
"Yes they did!" Adrian returned, pulling it out of her reach. He turned back to the book. "Anyway, King Rufus will still not give up in the search for his elder son. He is suspicious of the Toki government of abducting him, for he was phenomenally brilliant as a child, in contrast to the imbecile juvenile prince, Prince Thomas Luke the Second."
"All right, you gotta be making that up!" Cat said, snatching the book from Adrian. She scanned the lines and cast it back at him. "Fine, half of it's true."
Adrian grinned and reopened the book and continued to read aloud, but everyone ignored him.
"We're so close now!" Zaria exclaimed ecstatically. She shivered. "It is somewhat chilly around here, though."
"Dreadfully chilly," Fuuko agreed enthusiastically.
"I can warrant that this will be one of the most magnificent places that you'll ever see," Prince Luke said, gazing at his home with longing. "I haven't been home for so long."
"Neither have we," Breanna said dryly. "In fact, I've never been home my whole life."
"Bree, cheer up!" Zitan insisted, patting her on the back.
"Yeah, Bree, we'll be in the celebrated 'Crystal Palace of Denzeling' soon!" Cat chimed in.
The Neptune's Daughter gradually slowed to a stop, and they all piled out of the boat.
"Let's go to my residence now," Prince Luke said cheerfully, a broad grin on his face. They all followed Prince Luke through the crystalline streets of Denzeling.
"Everything really is crystal here. It looks so glacial around here…we're bound to find an intimation about what we're looking for. It's so beautiful," Zaria breathed, gazing at the crystal buildings. After not much walking they approached the most majestic crystal edifice of all.
"This is the Crystal Palace of Denzeling," Prince Luke said imperiously, gesturing towards the castle.
"Wow, this place is even more impressive than the Twin Castle of Heide Tiseau!" Cat exclaimed, emphasizing her remark by waving her hands up and down.
"Let's go in now," Zack said eagerly.
Prince Luke led them into the palace. All the guards bowed deeply and greeted the Prince with reverence. As soon as Prince Luke walked in the regal crystalline main doors of the palace, an elderly woman rushed up. "Oh Prince Luke, dear, you're back! Come see your sire and dam at once, they've been waiting for so long for your return! Come now!"
The lady led the way to the throne room, where King Rufus and Queen Trisha were waiting. King Rufus had light flaxen hair that had lightened into a gold-silver over time, and he was wearing raiment similar to Prince Claude's, with the same heavy silver mantle wrapped around his shoulders. Queen Trisha, although elderly, was still beautiful in her elven way, her miniature pointy ears sticking out from the masses of her silver-sheen baby pink colored hair.
"Queen Trisha is half elf, right?" Cat whispered to Fuuko, who nodded.
"Mom! Dad!" Prince Luke shouted, and ran up and hugged each of his parents in turn.
"Oh, my son," Queen Trisha breathed as Prince Luke hugged her. You have finally returned."
"Mom, dad, let me acquaint you to my honored guests," Prince Luke said, and he introduced all of them to the King and Queen. Queen Trisha's eyes rested on Cat.
"Dear, you are a pretty little one," she said softly. "Are you…by any chance…from Torus?"
Cat slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry, your highness, I'm from the elven stock in the Forest of the Elves," she replied.
"Oh," the Queen replied. "You remind me of my little sister, Princess Lara. Torus was my home…" she said longingly.
"Well, we must get you all settled!" King Rufus exclaimed in a disposition similar to King Julian's. "Luke, take them to the Snowflake Chamber. Its facilities are large enough to accommodate you all, I believe."
The Snowflake Chamber was a colossal chamber embellished with whites and light blues, and there were scintillating crystals everywhere.
Prince Luke told them to relax while he went to query his parents about the Ice Warrior, and he returned an hour later.
"I have some information that you all will surely find valuable," Prince Luke told them. "Mom's sister happened to have Ice magic, but Queen Lara is currently inaccessible. We have no way to contact her. Therefore we will have to transport you all to Ptero, the capital city of Torus, where you can speak with the Royal Twins of Torus, Queen Lara's children."
"Thank you so much, Luke!" Zaria exclaimed.
"But, there is one complication," Prince Luke said. "We intend to warp you all to Torus via our warping machine built right after the Mage War, but it only can warp you to one place…to Tenebatos."
"Tenebatos!" Adrian exclaimed. "Tenebatos is the ancient Being headquarters on this planet! They performed a myriad of magical experiments there, which left long-lasting results…who knows what we'll find there? It's one of the most treacherous areas on the entire planet!"
"Calm down," Cat whispered in Adrian's ear.
Prince Luke looked contrite. "Yes…it will be laborious, but we believe that you all are capable of journeying through the abandoned ruins. We will supply you with items and weapons that should help you get through there. Unfortunately, that is the only way you can possibly get to Ptero because the whole city is guarded while the King and Queen are on their mysterious journey."
"How can we get from Tenebatos to Ptero?" Fuuko asked.
"There's another warp machine in Tenebatos that will take you straight into the royal castle in Ptero," Prince Luke explained. "Nobody has used it in decades, but it is still supposed to work. After all, the magic used to build it is part of an interminable spell."
"We can handle it!" Zack declared, swinging his spear, almost knocking Cat over in the process.
"Thank you for all you have done for us," Zeth said graciously. "We will depart for Tenebatos tomorrow, if that's all right with you."
"Why don't you all rest now until dinner," Prince Luke suggested. "Tomorrow you have a prolonged day, so you need as much rest as possible. I'll come and summon you when it's time to dine."
"Summon?" Cat said after the prince left the room.
Rena opened her eyes. Where was she? This was the first time in years that she had woken up and had not seen the glass cage encircling her.
You are in Goblin Grove, a voice said in her head. Rena sat up with a start.
"What? Who was that?" she asked aloud.
I am Aya, an angel that cannot return to heaven, for a curse has been laid upon me.
"Aya? W-What are you doing inside me? Was it you that assisted me in escaping from the Toki labs?"
Yes. I am in you because you are a Locke, as am I. The time of reckoning is drawing near, so this is my opportunity to finally rest in peace. Will you allow me to use your body at times?
"Uh, I suppose so," Rena said, dumbfounded. "What is it that you need to be done?"
Absolute peace between the Beings and the Humans is what will release me from my bonds.
"Beings? Wasn't the Interplanetary War 10,000 years ago? I didn't know that Beings still existed!"
They do, but they have not disturbed us for 10,000 years. They are starting to act now, because they sense the strength of our planet weakening. They intend to reign over the Humans, for they believe that they are a superior species, which on some levels of understanding is true. Only one thing can save the Planet now. The Mage Warriors, who will act on the day of the Messiah.
"Um, I don't really know what you're talking about, but you can explain it to me later, Aya," Rena said.
Good. For now, we must quickly depart.
"What?"
Toki subordinates will be here soon to retrieve you. They unceasingly know your whereabouts. They have a device attuned to you. I will help you remain liberated, if you permit me to attempt to adjourn my curse using your body when I require to.
"Yeah, sure, whatever you want, Aya," Rena said somberly. "It's not really like I have anything to live for."
We'll see. No one knows about how things will work out. Now do you mind if I take control in order to leave this forest?
"Go ahead," Rena said dully, and let her spirit retreat while Aya's took over. Her body became more powerful, her features sharpened and her hair and eye color changed. Aya leaped into the air and flew away.