Fifty Years Later

Birthing time had come again…and a brand new world had come from the days of Griever.

First of all, Wyvern had never returned. Bahamut spent a lot of time during the first ten years looking for him after his strength returned. As it turned out, Bahamut's power was much reduced, but still well above all of the others. He was clearly the strongest one of the five, and would be much stronger than Wyvern too. He had used his power to scour the globe. But he had found nothing. No sign of Wyvern was anywhere. After the ten years, Bahamut decided he had to give him time, although after that long period no one remembered the sting of that night save Bahamut and Wyvern. He went back to his work.

Terratopolis was soon furnished. Starlet had painstakingly went through everywhere, putting in places for sunlight, sculpting the halls, and furnishing everything. Each one had a room to their own needs, and even Slepnir had a stable. Starlet's skill increased with her conjuring ability. She learned so much that she was eventually able to take items from linen reeds and cotton plants among other things, and weave them together to make clothes that actually seemed like their own. Of course, the first thing she had to do was make a new cape for Odin. But she soon discovered that the cocoons of a certain caterpillar make a much softer, smoother set of garments for herself.

The Crystals had been scattered throughout the world, each in the type of place Bahamut wanted. In the end, as king, he did make the decisions where they went. The world was recovering nicely now. Saplings had grown of broadleafs and hardwoods. Smaller plants were all over now. Everything was flourishing again. Even their old battlefield with the Fiends was overgrowing again. The Crystals only helped. The extreme south and north were still cold, but the Crystal of Fire made a habitable area to the far north. The Crystal of Water turned a desert into a lush seabed. The Crystal of Air turned a dead region into a healthful countryside. The Crystal of Earth turned a salty waste into a rich forest…full of fully grown trees that had done in fifty years what took generations. The world was at peace.

…Somewhat.

The humans stuck together for exactly three weeks. But then, the first division occurred. A group refused to believe Griever was dead, and that the idol was a trick. They went off and formed their own town apart from the others. But among the others, there was a growing number of individuals who not only respected the espers…they wanted to worship them. Palad kept quelling this, but eventually they wouldn't listen to him either. They grew so strong that even though Palad had been the only one who really interacted with them, they called him a blasphemer and moved away to form their own town as well. So now, the humans had three cities.

Aside from that, they had been proliferative. Their numbers had tripled. Palad's group and the esper worshipping group soon developed their own technologies. Everyone there had taken up wearing animal skins within a year. That enhanced survivability incredibly, as did hunting with weapons now. The two societies mastered fire of their own, further defending them from animals and cooking their food. Thanks to Palad's herbal remedies, they began to blossom even more than ever. What more, thanks to the feathers of Phoenix that he had, even serious wounds could be recovered in his town. From time to time, the feathers showed up in other towns, and they began to use them as well. Palad's town initially settled in caves, as the others had. But now, Palad's group experimented with cutting wood into strips, setting it up, and then covering it with hides to make smaller, more portable, warmer houses. For twenty-five years the Griever group refused this. But in the end…they too began to wear pants. They also moved more south, despite what Griever had used to forbid them, to warmer areas. So all in all, they were doing somewhat better.

The group had continued to practice their abilities, trying to learn more. Leviathan, after three months, finally learned his Omniapex, the Tsunami. He could now summon a giant deluge himself. But he hadn't been satisfied. After learning this move, and unveiling all his knowledge, he quickly began to desire to learn more. He scrambled around the world in all his free time, seeing things and learning things new every day. He learned what types of flowers there were, what fruits tasted like, how certain insects landed on other things, and began to speculate about the nature of the Planet. It eventually became too hard for him to remember it all, so he even built a new chamber in Terratopolis, and there he began to place tablets made out of clay that were covered with figures like he had made earlier. Each figure represented a word, and Leviathan was such able to record things.

Odin was next to reach his Omniapex after two years. It turned out it wasn't much. Apparently, like Phoenix, he too had realized his Omniapex from birth. His Zantetsuken attack seemed to be all he needed, along with his Gunge Lance. However, they did increase in power, and Odin trained himself endlessly. He soon bypassed Leviathan as the second strongest esper, but not satisfied he always pushed himself harder. He seemed to treat Bahamut with disdain sometimes…seeming to envy or dislike him…

Starlet reached her Omniapex afterward after ten years. However, no one was sure what it was. Starlet simply had a great deal of powers available to her. Every so often, she revealed another one. Once in a while, one of the esper children would bump their heads and get a bruise. Starlet would wave her hand over it, and it would heal with barely any energy drain on her part. Likewise, she was able to put down poison, cure eye infections, and do any other cure imaginable. She could even extend her curing powers over all. Still, no one knew the limit of her power. But Bahamut thought he had a good idea. One night, he saw her step out, and fire an immense beam of pure radiant energy into the sky. She called the attack Holy, but he kept the matter to himself.

Not for a full thirty years did Ogopogo learn his Omniapex, which was the same as Leviathan's. He lagged behind the others more with each passing year. He seemed to always be behind them, and needed constant help to reach the level of the others. Leviathan helped him out a lot…but something else was going on. In addition to Ogopogo, Leviathan had begun to form a friendship with Bahamut. Their ordeals against Griever, where they had to work together so much, had formed a bond between the two of them. Now, both regarded the other with respect, and seemed to greet the other with great smiles and nods all the time. They seemed to only get closer as time went by. Bahamut was about the only one who seemed interested in Leviathan's work…for the moment. And Leviathan constantly gave Bahamut advice…as it seemed clearer and clearer that Leviathan, not Bahamut, was becoming the wisest esper.

Then there were the kids.

The esper children grew at a very slow rate. Fifty years later, they were only at the edge of their "tweens" mentally and physically. The drag-ons, which had been shortened to dragons, were a different story. They grew up in twenty years, and by the twenty-first bid the espers farewell and went out on their own. Soon, they too began to breed. But they weren't alone. Apparently, Bahamut's other offspring began to show up…and they didn't like the new ones. There had been reports of constant scuffles between the two…and even a story of a red one attacking and murdering a human. But other than that, they were fine.

Ifrit was a troublemaker. His mane had filled in and he had teethed, and his horns were growing longer and extending behind him. He was always running around, beating on the others and making them cry. He constantly got into things, and was frequently punished for all that he did. He was indeed a big hothead. His favorite instrument of torture was Shiva. She was maturing into a young lady as well, and wore her hair tied back now. She was cool, calm, and always reserved. But when Ifrit teased her, she flew into a rage and punished him back just as bad. Strangely enough, as both grew older, they grew hotter and colder respectively. But they always seemed to cancel each other out when they touched, so soon only they could bear to touch one another.

Ramuh was a naturalist. His poor head remained totally bald, but his eyebrows had only grown longer and bushier. He liked to go out frequently and play among the plants outside. Inside still had some work to do. Although the trees were growing and slowly breaking the rock down, it was still quite a while before it would be fertile enough. On the other hand, the treefrom Terratopolis was already above full grown, and larger around than any of the espers. It shed fruit continuously, and many of them fell to the ground and made flowers. These flowers broke away the ground below as well to make more soil, but never seemed to get to be more than flowers. Bahamut, in truth, was surprised that a tree had arisen at all. But Ramuh liked it. He constantly played around it and napped against it.

Titan…was special. His chubbiness had vanished only to be replaced by ever-growing muscle, which he was now ripped with. Already he was very strong, but he was also very slow and moved only gradually. His hair was covered with dirty blond hair as well. Titan tried hard to do the right things…but his mentality was reduced compared to the others. He always made bad choices or stupid decisions, and no matter how many times he was told to do something he couldn't get it right sometimes, or would forget it the next day. He needed constant supervision, which was why Leviathan employed him to dig up clay for his tablets. He enjoyed this, especially the part about playing in the mud, and did it until Leviathan had more than he'd ever need.

Palidor became Starlet's little Phoenix. She always doted about her mother. As she grew, splendid pink and white feathers filled in around the esper, and she had grown very beautiful and magnificent. Starlet loved to do nothing more than groom her and play silly games with her all day. Apparently, Starlet was still rather flighty, and so was her daughter. But she was never flighty to Odin again…

Not after his son was born.

Gilgamesh was technically the youngest of them all though they all looked roughly the same age. Odin refused Starlet to console him or baby him like the others. He immediately took his son into his own chambers after he was born, where he made him sleep every night on the hard ground, uncovered, and made him suffer through the cold. He yelled at him to shut up when he cried, and made him eat food too hard for him at a young age. When he could walk, he immediately forced him to constantly work out and train for battle. As he grew older yet, he subjected him to his own training, never being afraid to beat him around or break something of the small boy's.

Gilgamesh didn't share in his father's roughness. His skin was pale and had red lines on it, he had four arms, and his eyes were pure white, but other than that he looked like a normal boy. A look of fear and regret was always on his face when he had to go train with his father. He always looked dejected and hurt when they were done. He didn't smile at all for his first few years, always hating to hoist his stone sword and protesting that he didn't want to train. But his father never let him, and trained him all the harder. He seemed obsessed with making Gilgamesh stronger than anyone. But Gilgamesh never cared for any of it.

What Gilgamesh did like was Leviathan's work. From the day he entered Leviathan's growing library, he was amazed with it. He asked Leviathan about everything, and the sea serpent was pleased to have someone so interested in his activities. He held back nothing from the boy, and the more he asked the more the esper wanted to know. Soon, Gilgamesh spent all his free time helping Leviathan with his work or reading his books. He was the first esper to learn how to read Leviathan's language, and he loved to do it more than anything. His favorite was to recall Leviathan's own historical account of the fight with Griever and the Four Fiends. He went with Leviathan out to the forests and grassland all the time, collecting his own specimens and writing his own books.

Odin hated this in Gilgamesh, and warned him not to waste time with Leviathan. But Gilgamesh had bowed too much with his father. He wouldn't bow to this. He still trained, but he continued to go out and learn with Leviathan non-stop. He wouldn't give it up. And so Odin let him. But in the meantime, he planned for the espers to meet together…and wanted the big five to make a special item for him.

That was the present situation as Bahamut looked out over Terratopolis' interior. He looked out from an opening high above the ground below. There, he saw the river and the green plants that now covered it. He beamed down on the sight. Ifrit was running around chasing Shiva as always. Ramuh rested under the tree and ate a fruit. Titan was laughing as he picked up huge rocks and hurled them into the water. Palidor was sitting with Starlet sipping a drink she had invented called "tea". All in all, the espers didn't look much older. Their aging had slowed as well. But now, they did look like fully grown young adults and no longer teens. The sun was shining, and birds that had moved in flew around in the sky within the mountain. All in all, Bahamut was very pleased.

That was why his big event was going to be a big success.

He turned and began to walk inside again. The meeting would happen soon, and he couldn't wait to give the news.

"Well guys, it's been fifty years. Time for another birthing."

The others gave their ascent in the small chamber. It had been refurnished somewhat. A representative crystal was now mounted in the center. Cushioned chairs had been made for the espers. The whole wall was smooth. But they still had a tablet for each one of their names. And Bahamut made sure to always keep one tablet there, even when Odin said to be done with it. Wyvern's place still remained no matter what.

"How time flies…" Ogopogo mused.

"It seems I had just weaned Titan yesterday…" Starlet sighed.

"That brick of an esper probably was weaned yesterday." Odin darkly answered.

Starlet looked angrily at him…much more than the playful anger from before. She never forgave Odin for what he did to Gilgamesh. Later in life, she tried to be kind to the esper…but her son didn't recognize her, and he didn't know how to respond to that kind of love. He had already been changed into something else, and Starlet had hated that. Her baby had been nearly snatched from the womb, and she wouldn't ever forget that Odin had done that to her.

"I actually have a few special events planned this time around." Bahamut continued. "But Leviathan will know more about that then I do." Here, he gestured to the esper. "Leviathan."

The sea serpent immediately rose. Before him, he held a tablet, with things he called "notes" on them. They helped him remember what to say, though the group couldn't understand how he could get anything out of his symbols. However, Leviathan was very enthusiastic as he spoke up about his items.

"As some of you may know already, I made an exciting finding five years ago on one of my scouts. It seemed as if humans were not the only intelligent creatures that survived the great deluge."

The espers that didn't know reacted to this. They looked to each other in amazement. Ogopogo mouthed to Starlet whether she had known this, but Starlet merely shrugged in response. Everyone was very pleased to hear the news. They all listened more intently as they heard the words of Leviathan.

"The group that I encountered, which called themselves 'elves', claimed they had put themselves in suspended animation years ago when Griever arrived, and his winter had killed their trees. They were forced to go into hiding to escape him. But when he was destroyed, and the sun and life returned, they woke up and resumed their former way of life. They looked to be entirely dependant on plants for their way of life, both in dwelling and in clothing and food."

Starlet smiled at this.

"Furthermore, they directed me to another race. These ones called themselves 'dwarves'. They lived in the ground and had luminescent orbs for eyes…"

"Lumi-what?"

"…They glowed."

"Oh."

"…and long beards, even the females. They made their living on metals and stones in the ground, and seemed to be capable of making swords the like of Odin's. They too had hid in the ground from the wrath of Griever while it waged, and only broke the surface after it had perished. Both of these races were far more advanced in technology than the humans.

"I tried to find Cetra examples after this, but found nothing. I did find numerous sub-races that seemed more primal and below the humans at this time. However, I also found another item. Apparently, thereis another flying island as well on this world."

On hearing that, the espers looked extremely intrigued. Bahamut leaned in and was covered with curiousity. He listened intently to the next part as Leviathan continued, the whole room seeming to have gone quiet.

"These people were the most advanced by far, having technologies I couldn't even guess the use for. They seemed very surprised to see me. However, they said that they had been studying this world for some fifteen years, and were 'researchers' who were investigating the Planet and its life forms and actually came from another world far, far away in space. Interestingly enough, they seemed to have a different language entirely that I was only able to pick up by reading their minds directly."

Leviathan put his notes down at this, and sat down again afterward. The room was silent, but was surprised to hear all this. They didn't know anything about these races. But suddenly, there were a lot more on the world than they had thought. On one hand, it was great to know that there were more. But on the other, it filled them all with confusion and uncertainty. However, once Leviathan had finished, Bahamut readily spoke up again in response.

"I am interested in learning more about these races, and in having a sharing of knowledge among ourselves." Bahamut continued. "Because of this, during this first anniversary of the birthing, I am inviting representatives of the four races here…humans, elves, dwarves, and these strange visitors, along with all the dragons that will attend. And to further celebrate this coming together of our peoples…I am holding a thing I like to call a 'tournament'."

The espers looked puzzled at this. They turned to each other and shrugged to one another for a moment, before turning back to Bahamut, who explained. "This tournament is to be held between our six children. I will build a ring and put it in the midst of the main courtyard. Tomorrow, when the birthing day begins, we will start by having a friendly competition between our children. They will enter the ring two at a time and battle with each other. The winner advances to the next round. This will go on until we have one winner over them all."

Most of the espers looked skeptical at this idea.

"Bahamut…do you really want our kids to be beating their brains out?" Starlet asked.

Bahamut waved it away. "Don't worry. It's just a small competition. It's nothing serious. Besides, we've all been asking each other who we think is the strongest esper. This will decide it."

"But I'm not sure if my kids want to fight…" Leviathan protested.

"Pheh. Your kids always look for an excuse to fight." Odin grumpily replied. "Only one problem, Bahamut. There's only six of our children. There won't be an even number of matches."

"I have that figured out." Bahamut answered. "They'll be a drawing of six balls. Four blue, two red. Whoever picks the red balls gets to bypass the first round."

Odin hesitated a moment after that, but then shrugged. "Why not? I'm game. I'd like to see my son in a real fight."

"Well, I don't!" Starlet protested. "There's no reason for them to fight like this!"

"Well…" Leviathan answered with a shrug. "Maybe it will teach them not to. Or they'll be sore enough to stop fighting for a while. And we can really see what they can do at last…"

"Ugh!" Starlet yelled. "Fine. Have your children slaughter each other. The only reason I'll be watching this silly tournament is to make sure none of the kids die!" Leviathan cringed a bit at Starlet's biting rebuttle, and he didn't say anymore. However, that now meant that the matter was settled. Everyone was consenting.

"Alright." Bahamut answered with finality. "See you guys tomorrow."

The first two kids took the news rather well. Walking home that night, Ifrit couldn't resist boasting to Shiva about the coming attraction.

"Alright! Now no one will stop me when I push your face in the mud!" Ifrit's canine face snapped at Shiva.

The girl stuck her tongue out in reply. "Now everyone will see you cry after I beat you up." She retorted.

"You never beat me up!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not…"

"I'm not too big on this fighting thing…" Ramuh mused to himself as he leaned against his tree. He had just heard the news, and was a bit tense about it. He scratched his chin nervously, but in the end shrugged. "But then again…I'd really like to humiliate Ifrit for all those times he's tugged on my eyebrows." He turned his head a bit to the side. "What do you think about this fight, Titan?"

"Titan love fight!" The behemoth of an esper responded…as he raised a giant boulder over his head. He turned around and grinned sinisterly at Ramuh. "Titan crush brothers!"

"No Titan! Not today! Tomorrow! Tomorrow!"

"Now, you know you don't have to fight if you don't want to." Starlet spoke as he brushed Palidor's feathers that evening. "I'm not for any of this roughhousing…"

"Mom…" Palidor whined. "If I don't fight and everyone else does, they'll say I'm a wimp."

"Who cares what they say?"

"Mom…it's no big deal. I can beat them up." She paused a moment, and grinned a bit. "After all, you're my mother. You taught me all about hidden tricks."

Starlet paused at that, and she looked down at Palidor. She saw her smile, and after a moment Starlet began to smile as well. She knew that look all too well. "Well…maybe a little fight wouldn't be that bad…"

"This is your chance, boy."

"…"

"I have a special gift to give you tomorrow. Use it well."

"…"

"Look at me and stop moping."

Gilgamesh slowly looked up to Odin. The room was a bit furnished, but it was still rough and bare…the only room not sculpted in the mountain. The dark warrior esper glared down at him. Gilgamesh hated that look. He hated what it meant. Most of all…he hated that his father didn't respect him. He was always calling him weak and a failure. He was always getting on him for not being stronger. It was because of all this that Gilgamesh was eager to fight for once. If he could beat the others, maybe his dad would respect him.

Maybe…he would love him.

"Now, are you going to win tomorrow?"

"Yes sir."

"Don't disappoint me."

"I won't, sir."

"Good. Now go to bed. You need to be at your best tomorrow."

"Yes sir."

Bahamut was up with the dawn. As before, he moved over to the opening that overlooked the courtyard below. This had a stone railing made on it now, and banners hung from it splendid with colors that Starlet had woven. The rest of the field below was decorated with flowers, and everything was made up nice and wonderful. In the center, Bahamut's ring stood, a square of tiles with a rim around it, and plenty of places to sit all around. As he rose to this sight, full of happiness and enthusiasm, he saw that guests were already coming in. The other espers joined him in time, but only very slowly.

The dragons were first. They all flew in pairs, two by two. There were many of them now. They had huge clutches of eggs. All of the metallic colors shone brightly. Still, Bahamut felt a pain in his heart on seeing them. He had hoped that some of the other dragons, which he heard were brightly colored, would come and stand with their breathren. They were, after all, his children too. Already, they looked more mature than Bahamut did. They had a regal look on them, and they gracefully bowed before their king and father. Bahamut blushed a bit in response, but managed his own nod.

The elves came next. They rode on the backs of silver dragons. There were eight of them in all. They were dressed in green linens, tight fitting and close to their bodies. They bore strange items on them. Shafts of wood bent back by strings, and plumes in small containers on their backs. They too entered and gracefully bowed to Bahamut, making the esper blush a little. After this, the dwarves came next, riding on bronze dragons. There were ten of them all together. They were as odd as Leviathan had described. They were like little beards and blond hairs arranged around dark spaces with yellow, beady eyes. Their heads were topped with horns from some animal Bahamut hadn't encountered, and they all welded axes made of real metal. They bowed to Bahamut too. Now, the esper was growing rather uncomfortable. These people were treating him like he was their king. Never had he had to deal with that with his family.

A strange sight came next, one that puzzled all there no matter how advanced or strong. A great black shape seemed to move across the sun and blot it out. Bahamut and the others looked up at it, and soon saw a strange thing descending. It looked to be made out of wood, only not rough but smooth and arranged together. But as it continued to descend, it appeared to be made out of metal as well. Metal pieces were turning and clicking and moving all over the top of it. But above it all, great posts were put up made of metal, and multiple sheets of metal were arranged around them. They spun rapidly, seeming to somehow hold the great bulk up. Everyone was amazed at this newest sight. No one said a word, and all were quite taken. The great item landed on the ground. When it did, the metal stopped turning, and a part of the wood suddenly fell open from the side of the ship, landing on the ground afterward. Moments later, strange people began to come out, to the surprise of all…some of them thinking the great thing was actually alive. Six of these people came out together. Bahamut saw that they looked like humans somewhat…but their faces were perfectly clean. Their hair was washed and tied back. Their clothes were unblemished and smooth, and gleamed an unnatural blue. They were long and flowing, unlike any other clothes Bahamut had seen before. What more, they had some knowledge on them that the humans couldn't dream of. They also had some sort of unnatural air about them. Bahamut tried to pick up thoughts from them…only realizing to his surprise that he couldn't. Either they were on a totally different wavelength than the Planet…

Or they were shielding themselves…

The esper descended at this, coming in and walking down the tunnels until he reached the bottom level, then exited onto the field and came out to meet these strangers personally. He arrived just as they walked forward to him. They both met on the field, and there they stopped. One of them came forward and went before Bahamut. He had that same confident, knowledgeable look on his face. It was so potent, in fact…it upset the esper a little.

"The great Lord Bahamut." The man addressed. He gracefully bowed before him afterward. While his head was still down, he spoke again. "I have long waited to see the being that defeated the monstrosity known as Griever. We are Lufenians, the Sky People."

Bahamut returned the bow. "You are most welcome."

The Lufenian raised again, gave Bahamut another smile, then turned and walked away with the others to join the crowds again. Bahamut would have been more preoccupied with these people, had not the last guests arrived at that moment. He turned his head to the sky, and saw that the gold dragons were descending at last. And with them, they were bringing twelve of Bahamut's favorite race…the human. The Lufenians were forgotten as the dragons all landed one by one, and the people dismounted.

The humans had changed. Their intelligence had grown. Their faces were harder, yet their bones were clothed in more flesh. They wore hides of various animals on them, obviously having not discovered plant fibers yet for their clothing. They carried weapons made out ofbranches and stones, and they actually looked a little barbaric compared to everyone else. But Bahamut greeted them warmly as ever as they dismounted. After doing so, they slowly made their way through the crowds. They did so much slower than before this time, seeming to actually be caught up. The others were much faster in coming to the front. Bahamut wondered at this change, and grew a bit impatient as they passed by everyone and finally broke the front lines.

Then he saw the man in the lead. He looked older and weary, but still getting by somewhat. His leg seemed to have a limp, and there was traces of gray and white throughout his long hair and beard. But there was still a blonde tint to them. His face was haggard and dirty from having gone though much. But his smile was warm and unchanging. He hobbled forward a bit on an old staff decorated with feathers, and he was clothed not only like the others but wore a long fur cape as well, and a helmet made of bone with deer horns on the top of it. Yet from beneath that helmet…Bahamut saw the same eyes…the same eyes that had been so full of life and innocence fifty years ago.

It was Palad.

The old man beamed at Bahamut a moment. But then, supporting himself as best he could…he began to lower his old body down to the ground. He struggled, but didn't stop. He was determined to kneel before Bahamut. Seeing that, the esper couldn't bear it. Immediately, the great esper rushed forward, put his arms around the old man, and pressed him to his chest as he had all those decades ago. Yet while Bahamut had barely changed, Palad had changed greatly. The old man hesitated, but then began to hug back as well.

"My friend…never bow to me." Bahamut instructed softly, tears coming in his eyes.

"…In times of hardship…" The deep, older voice answered from his arms. "I dreamed of the day that this moment would come, Bahamut."

The old friends held for a long time. Bahamut gently patted his back, while Palad merely held, enjoying the feeling he had never forgotten. But in the end, they did part from each other, and went away a few steps. Bahamut beamed down on the old pupil of his. Then, he stepped to one side, and gestured behind himself. There stood the other four espers. They stood in stunned silence a moment. Starlet's eyes filled with tears, and Ogopogo and Leviathan grew misty as well. Then, as one, they all came forward to meet their old friend again. Starlet reached him first, and swept the old man off his feet and twirled him around, just as when he had been a boy. Palad laughed aloud at the idea, a bit amazed that Starlet, all but unchanged, still regarded him as a child. As they all rushed in and greeted him, Bahamut turned to the other humans. All eleven of them bowed immediately to him.

"It is an honor to meet you at last." The lead addressed. "Chief Palad has told us the legend of you for our entire lives."

Bahamut nodded to them. "So, you were born into Palad's tribe?"

The man paused for a moment, then responded. "We are all Palad's sons."

Bahamut's eyes expanded greatly. He could have been knocked over with a feather. He had forgotten that the boy they left was still growing, and could have had a lot of children. By now, he probably had grandchildren. It had been fifty long years… However, he was still happy that he was with them now. He looked to the crowds, and held up his arms to all of them.

"Welcome! Welcome, people of the Planet! Let the festivities begin!"

The crowds had soon mixed, and soon a great clamor was going on among all of them.

"Are things still going well?"

"As well as can be expected. I don't know what to do about the other tribes. Hopefully, they'll come to their senses one day. There are people among my own who would seek to be hostile…"

"You should give that technique to the humans. You see how all they do is wear animal hides?"

"The elves have always had a policy of non-involvement. That said…there aren't any humans around us or even on our continent."

"You're kidding… You can't be serious."

"Lali-ho! I speak the truth! There's a big underground world, and we've got a big rumor that there was a Dark Crystal down there that mirrored yours. Also rumors say that it broke up and moved around the same time yours did."

"Another Crystal…wow…"

"So…what are you guys studying exactly?"

"We're interested in life patterns and development on this world. We were most interested to make contact with you, however. We heard of numerous races spreading your fame throughout the world. We wanted to see what sort of power you were capable of. I personally am most interested to see this tournament you have planned. I'd like to observe your young in action, if I can't see you at your peak."

"To tell the truth, I'm kind of interested myself. This will be something to remember, at any rate."

After the initial meetings were over, the tournament was scheduled to begin. The groups gathered around the square ring that Bahamut had built. They picked their places and sat, with the shorter humanoids in the front and the taller dragons in the back. The espers had built raised seats for themselves so they could sit at one end all over one side. Bahamut stood in the center with a leather bag containing the balls. There he stood and waited, as the tournament opening ceremonies began.

After a few minutes, the six competitors came out from the opening tunnel. They marched single file toward Bahamut in the middle of the ring. Leviathan cheered them on. Starlet called out for Palidor not to get hurt. Odin said nothing. However, he kept a wooden case with him, and eagerly tapped it while waiting for the children. Finally, they were all in the ring. Once there, they all lined up before Bahamut and halted. The crowd went quiet. Everyone focused on the children, and waited patiently.

Bahamut held the bag out to the first one in line, Ifrit, and called out to the others. "We will now draw to determine the fighting order." He announced to the crowd around him. With that, he looked to Ifrit and opened the bag wider.

Ifrit held for a moment, but then reached forward and dipped his claw into the bag. He fished around for a moment, but then pulled out a blue ball with a symbol. Bahamut nodded to him, and then the esper moved to one side. Shiva moved up next afterward. She dipped her hand inside fished around, and then pulled out a red ball.

"You're fighting in the second round." Bahamut told the girl. The other kid espers frowned and cursed at their bad luck. Shiva said nothing. She calmly stepped to one side, and Ramuh came forward next. He reached into the bag as well, dug around a moment, and then pulled out anotherblue ball. However, it didn't match Ifrit's. He stood to one side as well, sighing in relief that he wasn't fighting the bully of the group. That soon changed, however. For Titan walked up next, and he pulled out the matching ball.

"Second match, Ramuh vs. Titan." Bahamut announced. Ramuh swallowed as he looked to his big brother. Titan grinned enthusiastically, and clapped his hands in delight. Ramuh dropped a few beads of sweat, and stood still. After Bahamut reminded Titan that he had to stand with the others, he soon did so, and the others had to stop Titan from fighting with Ramuh that instant. Gilgamesh stepped up afterward. He reached down into the bag, and after grabbing one he ended up pulling out a red ball.

"You're in the second round too, Gilgamesh." Bahamut responded. Gilgamesh patiently walked to one side. Finally, Bahamut put the bag down. It seemed Palidor wouldn't get to draw, as the conclusion was already forseen. Palidor joined the others. "First match, Ifrit vs. Palidor. Everyone else, get on the sidelines and we'll get started."

Palidor swallowed a little. Truth be told, she was nervous. Ifrit was a fearsome looking fellow, and he had always teased her a lot. She tried to focus on that aspect, and thought of wanting revenge for all of his tricks. Ifrit himself grinned widely, beaming his sharp teeth at her. Bahamut went off the field and returned to his head, then turned and prepared to watch. As for the other espers, they sat down on the sidelines and turned to watch the ensuing fight. As for Palidor and Ifrit, they moved on to each end of the ring, and then stood and faced each other. Palidor exhaled nervously. She trembled and began to sweat, thinking this wasn't a good idea. Ifrit burned with enthusiasm. The crowds were still silent, and focused in on the fight.

"Say your prayers, Palidor." Ifrit mocked.

Palidor swallowed in reply, but refused to give up then. She kept focusing and didn't move, ready to fight this through.

"Alright, here's the rules." Bahamut announced. "Either fall out of the ring, give up, or stay down for the count of ten. Begin on my mark." Bahamut held his hand in the air at that. "Three…"

Ifrit held up his claws. He grinned wickedly, and sneered at Palidor. Palidor swallowed, but unfurled her own wings.

"Two…"

Ifrit's eyes burned with merriment for battle. Palidor focused and showed nothing.

"One…go!"

Immediately, Ifrit took off. He was so full of power that heat clouded around his mouth. It poured forth and rippled the air, nearly turning it into flame. He charged forward, gnashing his terrible teeth and casting his horns one way and the other. Palidor stared at him, frozen in shock. He was so full of ferocity and terror that she could barely move.But then, right as it was about to hit Palidor…the great bird suddenly shot into the air, and flew toward the sky. The fiery esper sailed right underneath her feet…and soon had to grind himself to a halt. He nearly fell out of the ring right off the bat. However, he did manage to halt himself right at the edge. He panned forward and waved his arms around, struggling to stop his body and keep himself from falling off. He wavered and spun, but finally stopped himself. He leaned back into the ring, and turned around to the sky angrily. He saw Palidor flying overhead.

"Hey!" He angrily called. "That's cheating!"

"Says you!" Palidor called back down. "I can fly if I want!"

Ifrit grit his teeth. He jumped in the air and swung his claw at Palidor, but the esper merely rose a bit. Scowling, he jumped up a few more times, but failed to touch the esper. She was simply too high for him.

"Ha ha!" She mocked, then stuck her tongue out at him.

Ifrit grit his teeth in anger. He quivered and held for a few moments. But then, at last, he smiled instead. He held up one of his hands, and opened the palm. After that, he focused for a few moments. Seeing this, the other espers were intrigued, leaning inward and trying to see what was going on. But Bahamut began to realize already. He felt the words run in Ifrit's head. As he did…lines of heat and red light began to gather in. They all seeped into a single point, and the heat grew and built stronger and hotter. The air waved, and it began to glow. At last, a ball of fire suddenly came into Ifrit's hands. Palidor gaped in reply, while Ifrit snickered.

"Time to heat things up! Pyro!" He called, as he swung his hand forward at Palidor. Immediately, the ball of fire was thrown out and headed straight for Palidor. The bird gaped. She stared in shock, and didn't move in response. She just stared as the ball headed straight for her. But then, just as it was about to hit…Palidor abruptly vanished into thin air. The ball of fire shot through where she had been, and then erupted into nothingness.

Ifrit stared back in surprise. He was shocked at the sudden disappearance. He looked around in confusion for a moment, trying to see where Palidor was. Then, he heard a mocking cry.

"Up here!"

Ifrit looked up, just in time to see Palidor dive straight down at him and strike him on the head with her curled feet. The blow was strong, and Ifrit let out a cry as he felt the powerful blow strike him. He grunted, however, and swung at her again. But Palidor quickly went into the sky once more and flew out of the way. Ifrit's hand hit nothing. Palidor quickly pulled up more and laughed down at him.

"Give it up, Ifrit!" She called down. "You can't get me!"

Ifrit scowled again in reply. He held for a moment. However, an idea was already forming in his mind.Abruptly, he fell down to the ground. He dug his claws into the floor, and began to pull up the tile beneath him. He grabbed it, and focused his strength for a moment. Then, in a flash, he pulled up and threw the huge piece of tile right at Palidor.

The bird gaped at this new blow, much faster than the past one. She had to dodge this time, and quickly flew back to avoid the piece of debris. That, however, was what Ifrit wanted. After throwing the tile, Ifrit quickly leapt into the air behind it, shooting over and beyond her. As she went back, Ifrit came down from his jump, and began to fall down on Palidor. The bird esper looked up just in time to see Ifrit bring both of his clawed hands down. The blow was strong and powerful, and soon sent the bird esper flying down, toward the exit of the ring.

Ifrit quickly fell to the ground and landed on his feet, and he eagerly awaited Palidor to fall out. She was sailing straight for the edge of the ring. It seemed as if victory was assured for the fire esper. However, just as she was about to go out, abruptly the esper swung around and flapped her wings again. She quickly flew up and back into the air again, and spun around to face Ifrit. She looked a bit dizzy and pained, but still flew on.

"Sorry, Ifrit…" She answered a bit wearily. "But…it'll take more than that."

Ifrit frowned in reply, snapping his fingers in irritation. "Nuts…"

After that, Palidor smiled again. "Alright…now it's my turn. Get ready!"

In a flash, Palidor abruptly vanished again. Ifrit knew what was happening this time. He knew that she was going to try her jumping attack again. Ifrit paused at that. He tried to think of what to do…what would be the best counter-offensive. He thought of nothing immediately, but then an idea came to his mind. He waited afterward, waited for a few precious moments to go by. He held and thought of the timing…when Palidor would strike. Then, at last, based mostly on luck, he suddenly leapt backward.

A moment later, Palidor fell to the ground, narrowly missing the fire esper. Her legs smashed down onto the stone tiles instead. There was a hard knocking, but no sound of breaking. Still, the impact was hard, and Palidor yelped in pain. After that, Ifrit beamed in happiness.

"You lose!" He chirped. Then, he immediately dashed forward with his head out. He smashed into Palidor's back with all the strength he could muster. Palidor soon cried out again, this time as the power of Ifrit smashed into her and sent her flying back. There was so much force this time that she couldn't recover. She arched back and was thrown out of the ring all together. At the last moment, she tried to fly again, but it was too late. She fell forward and struck the ground outside the ring. On doing that, she didn't bother to keep struggling. She let herself fall and slumped into a heap outside the ring.

"Palidor is out of the ring!" Bahamut called. "Ifrit is the winner!"

There was applause from the crowd that had assembled. Ifrit grinned, and bowed to the group around the ring. Palidor slowly got up to her feet, frowning at her loss. In the end, she was still upset that she had fallen out of the ring, and all due to a slight miscalculation on her part. She rushed over to her mother on the side of the ring. She soon reached her and crawled over to her lap. Starlet responded by extending her hand and patting her head reassuredly. In truth, Starlet was simply happy that Palidor hadn't gotten any more beaten up. She and the rest of the espers were astonished that Ifrit and Palidor had already learned some of their new abilities without any help from the adults. This was turning out to be interesting. There was no telling what the others would do.

Bahamut was finding the tournament very agreeable. Immediately, he leaned back and motioned on for the next match. "Ramuh! Titan! Step up for your match!"

Ramuh swallowed deeply. Titan grinned, and stood up with a look of enthusiasm. He readily hopped out onto his side of the field. Once there, he pranced around eagerly and clapped his hands. Ramuh was much slower. He only nervously stepped out onto the field, remembering how he had nearly been crushed yesterday by Titan's pre-game enthusiasm. He hated to see what would happen to him now.Once hewas on his side, he swallowed and licked his lips. He looked up to Titan, who had now gone to beating his chest in excitement. Ramuh trembled and quivered. His life flashed before his eyes. His battle stance was him somewhat hunched over and cringing before the hulking humanoid in front of him.

"G-g-go easy on me…Titan…"

"On my mark! Three…two…one…go!"

Ramuh shut his eyes and covered his head, immediately expecting a body slam at least from Titan. He held like that a moment, expecting something horrible and bad for the longest time. However…nothing came. He hesitated a bit longer, but then suddenly opened his eyes, looking around to see if any monster was coming. But there was none. He opened them wider, and looked down to the end of the field.

Titan hadn't budged. He was still beating his chest with a happy look, seeming to be enjoying that. "Titan fight!" He yelled in happiness.

Ramuh stood in stunned silence. The rest of the crowd was much the same, staring at the sight and wondering what was going on. But Titan didn't move. He continued to beat his chest and look merry. A few people began to chuckle at this. Bahamut blushed a little, and called out into the ring. "Uh…Titan? You have to go and fight Ramuh."

"Titan fight!" Titan answered, and continued to prance around. Ramuh blinked in astonishment, not knowing what he should do. Should he attack? He wasn't too keen on that. Titan was a mountain of an esper.

"What are you waiting for, Ramuh? Go get him!" Ogopogo called.

Ramuh turned white and swallowed, shaking his head. "No way! Let him come first!"

"Titan! Get out there!" Ogopogo responded.

"Titan fight!" He laughed, still beating his chest.

Leviathan sighed and shook his head. Then, he craned his neck up, and spoke out clearly and calmly to his son. "Titan…if you want to fight, you have to go and push Ramuh out of the ring. Go to Ramuh, Titan. Go…go to Ramuh. Go to Ramuh."

On hearing this, however, Titan stopped. His look went to confusion instead. He turned and looked around to Leviathan, and saw him talking to him. "Daddy?" He asked in puzzlement. At that, he turned his whole body around, and began to walk toward him.

"No!" Leviathan immediately called, as the other espers waved their hands as well. "No! Don't come here! Stay in the ring! Stay in the-"

Leviathan sighed in the end, bowing his head in frustration. It was too late. Titan had walked right out of the ring, and now stood before the adult espers. He looked at them inquisitively, wondering what all of this meant. His stare was perfectly innocent. Ramuh was even more astonished than before. He looked at himself, and realized that he had just won the fight without throwing a punch.

Bahamut rubbed his temples, and half-heartedly made it official. "Titan loses by ring out. Ramuh is the winner."

"Huh?" Ramuh responded, not knowing how to take this. But it only confirmed his thoughts. Abruptly, he smiled, and threw his hands up in a cheer. "I win! I won the match! And it was easier than I thought!" He beamed. However, his face suddenly turned dark afterward. "But…my next opponent is Ifrit…" Instantly, Ramuh's joy turned into terror. Trembling and quivering, he turned and began to walk out of the ring.

Titan, on the other hand, scratched his tiny head. "Titan lose?" He asked in disbelief.

"Don't worry, Titan." Starlet reassured. "You did very well. Didn't he?"

The other espers gave their customary half-hearted ascensions to Titan's screw ups. They moaned yeses and nods and approvals. Odin alone snorted and shook his head.

"Blockhead."

Titanmerely smiled at all of them nodding at him, then he turned around and sat on the edge of the ring to watch the next fight. Bahamut regarded the whole thing as a pity. Slow as Titan was, he was incredibly powerful. He had been betting on him winning. But now, they didn't even get to see him fight. Oh well…perhaps the espers were still too young. In the end, Bahamut called out the next combatants.

"Shiva! Gilgamesh! Step up for your match!"

To be continued...