New Megaman Battle Network

A complete reimagining of the universe and stories of Megaman Battle Network.

Story 3: The Dimensional Core


Chapter 15: The Dream Sword

Inside a top-floor classroom of ACDC Elementary, the cross-fused Lan lay unconscious on a teacher's desk, his arm and leg wrapped up with bandages and splints. The HubStyle connection between Lan and Megaman had altered his appearance; his hair lay about wildly, peeking out from under his helmet, and some armor had returned to his hands and feet.

Standing over him, a middle-aged, blond-haired doctor waved a small handheld device over Lan's frame, while a nearby screen was displaying a rough picture of the damage on the inside. Yuichiro sat close by, hands clasped nervously, his right leg bandaged and splinted like his son's. Haruka was standing nearby, too anxious to stay seated, holding herself with her arms and trying to force down the queasiness in her stomach.

The doctor eventually set the instrument aside. "Well, it… could be a lot worse," he began, as Yuichiro sat up. "Some broken ribs, some muscle damage… I don't see any organ damage, or anything else that would be disastrous. But I don't know what this weird…" He gestured toward the armor covering the young boy. "…Navi nonsense is. I don't know if it's having any effect on my tools."

Haruka nodded, trying to keep tears down. "So he's going to be alright?"

"Not for a while," the doctor replied frankly, rubbing his head. "He's going to spend a month recovering, maybe two. Thankfully, he's young, so he'll recover faster. But so long as he takes it easy, he'll be alright… as far as I can tell, anyhow."

"Thank goodness…" Yuichiro let out a long, slow breath. "Thank you so much. I really can't thank you enough." He stayed sitting as the doctor stood, packing up his tools before shaking the scientist's hand. Haruka turned away and took a few steps into an unoccupied corner of the room, needing a moment alone with her thoughts.

On the opposite side of the room, Chaud was sitting in a nearby chair, watching and listening in on the conversation with one ear, and listening to the rain pound against the window with the other. He let out his own sigh of relief upon hearing the diagnosis. He didn't have any particular attachment to Lan, but all the same he didn't want anything bad happening to the boy. He understood well the pain of losing a loved one.

With Forte in possession of a Dimensional Core, and Lan out of commission, the situation had become dire, Chaud realized. This was no longer just a cyberwar, but a deathly real one, a war that may require conventional weaponry in order to stop this menace. To hear Dr. Hikari explain it, Forte could travel back and forth between the real world and the Cyberworld at will, moving across the globe almost instantaneously if he so desired. Chaud had never imagined such a fearsome foe, but now that one had been unleashed, he didn't know how it could be stopped.


Out in the hallway, Mayl, Dex and Yai sat with their backs against a row of lockers, awaiting any kind of news from the doctor. Mayl was completely distraught, hugging her knees, her eyes stained red from tears. Yai was trying her best to comfort her friend, while Dex was seated and looking into his lap, an intense look on his face.

"They stopped talking." Yai spoke up, turning a bit toward the door. "I wonder if they're going to tell us what happened..."

"I don't know why we're here," Mayl managed, looking down at her knees. "We should be at a hospital... there should be more doctors, operating, helping him..."

"Well... Lan's dad said no, I guess..." Yai shook her head. "He said something about being found... and Cross Fusion... I think he was scared..." Her friend hugged herself closer, looking like she was going to cry again.

On the other side of her, Dex was clenching his fists slowly. "It's my fault..." he muttered, looking down. "I should have helped him... me and Gutsman should have stopped that Forte guy..."

"What were you supposed to do?" Yai sat up, looking over at him. "Didn't you see how strong he was? There's no way that's all your fault!"

"Yes it is!" he exclaimed loudly, jumping to his feet. "I'm supposed to be the strong guy, the good Netbattler! I used to kick Lan's butt every week! But now this Forte comes to wreck everything and I just stand there and watch, like a sissy! I stand there because I'm weak!"

As he yelled the last word, he slammed his fist into the locker behind him with a loud bang, causing the door to rattle and nearly buckle. The two girls were now staring at him, wide-eyed and silent, as he breathed heavily through gritted teeth, ignoring the throbbing pain in his hand.

"Well, I'm not gonna be weak anymore," he growled. "I'm done standing by... I'm gonna get stronger... no matter what it takes..." His eyes burned with rage as he spoke, as the two others watched on, slightly scared.


Dr. Hikari took another moment to look over his son, feeling a weight lifting off of his chest. He's going to be alright. He's going to be alright. He repeated it over and over in his head like a calming mantra, needing the reassurance. His minimal thoughts were interrupted by his wife's voice.

"Yuichiro," she spoke calmly but firmly. "When all of this is over… when this Forte is taken care of… I don't want you coming home."

"Wha… what?" He paused, not sure he had heard her correctly. "What do you mean?"

"I don't want you around Lan and Hub anymore," she elaborated, not looking in his direction. "I can't trust you with our children. You're a danger to both of them."

"You can't be serious!" He tried to stand up indignantly, but his broken leg forced him back down, hissing in pain. "Haruka, if it weren't for the two of them, this would have happened earlier! Tons of horrible things would have happened if not for them! I told you, this is who they are!"

"And what good has that done for us now?" she replied, her voice menacingly calm. "For all they've done, they're still beaten and broken, and that monster is still on the loose out there. What difference has it made? How are we better off?" Yuichiro's mouth opened and closed several times, a whirlwind of emotions swirling through him, as he tried and failed to come up with a rebuttal.

"Our first responsibility is to keep our children safe," Haruka continued, her words clearly rehearsed in her mind. "And they're not safe around you."

He held his head in one hand, his breaths growing shorter and harsher, starting to feel overwhelmed by the apparent collapse of his marriage on top of everything else. "Can we talk about this some other time?"

"We can talk about this whenever you like," she replied reasonably. "But not around our kids." Yuichiro leaned forward, holding his head in both hands, trying to calm himself, no longer able to think properly. Haruka continued to hold herself, refusing to look at her husband, knowing she wouldn't be able to handle the expression on his face.

Their lamenting was interrupted by screaming from the hallway. Chaud quickly leapt up and raced to the door, throwing it open and freezing in place. Yuichiro reflexively tried to stand, crying out in pain as he shifted weight onto his broken leg; Haruka ran over to help him stand, and they made their way toward the door together. As Lan's parents reached him, they gasped in shock at the sight of multiple Swordy viruses, sword-wielding knights, advancing down the hallway. Mayl, Yai and Dex were retreating backwards from them, scared out of their wits.

"Viruses?!" Chaud exclaimed. "How is that possible? Is this because of the core?"

"It shouldn't be possible…!" Dr. Hikari answered, at a loss. "It… the core might… leak dimensional energy, but it shouldn't be enough for… this!" They watched in fear as the viruses continued to advance.

"Well, if a virus can appear…" Chaud stepped out into the hallway to defend the other children, holding his PET firmly in his hand, operating without looking down at the device. The closest of the Swordy viruses let out a low and haunting cry, raising a flaming sword and bringing it down in Chaud's direction. The Hikaris watched in terror as the blade came down, but right before it made contact, it clashed against another sword that seemed to appear out of thin air. A moment later, the sword's owner appeared in front of them, as the red frame of Protoman materialized. The Navi was as focused as always, not at all fazed at the fact that he had manifested in the real world, as he easily dispatched the viruses.

Dr. Hikari sighed in momentary relief, before jumping again and whirling around at the sound of his wife's scream. Another virus, resembling a spiky-furred dog, was rushing down the hallway from the opposite direction, its jaws ready to rend its prey to pieces. Protoman dashed forward, ready to attack, but stopped in his tracks as an entirely different Navi emerged in front of him. The blond-haired, female Navi grabbed the Spiky virus firmly by the snout, before her other hand assaulted the virus with an electric energy blast. The resulting explosion reduced the virus to digital dust, and left light scorch marks on the surrounding walls.

"Serenade…" Protoman spoke, familiar with this new arrival. "What are you doing here?"

She turned back to face the Navi, as well as the Hikaris, ignoring the shock and fear on Haruka's face. "I've been following an anomaly across the Net. I was hoping it wasn't from a Dimensional Core… so much for that." She turned to look at the various humans gazing at her. "I shouldn't have to tell you all to get out of here. It's not safe. We need to move."

"We're not leaving without my son," Yuichiro spoke up forcefully, hoping that his wife noticed.

"I'll take care of him," she replied, stepping past Lan's parents into the room. "I can do a better job of protecting him than any of you." As she spotted Lan's cross-fused form lying on a desk, she heard the distinctive sound of Navis teleporting into an area; she turned around to see that Roll, Gutsman and Glyde had appeared beside their operators, all of whom looked taken aback. "All of you, get the humans out. Drag them by their arms if you have to. We have to leave before he arrives."

"Before who arrives?" Haruka's panicked question went unanswered, as Gutsman lifted up both of Lan's parents in his large arms before lumbering down the hallway, ignoring their protests. The other Navis and operators followed behind, eager to leave before more viruses showed up. Serenade turned back toward Lan, walking up to him and glancing over his unconscious body, folding her arms.

"What do we do with you… where could we possibly hide you…" She tried to imagine someplace off the grid, away from the reach of the Net, where they could be safe from Forte's clutches. Having spent her entire existence on the Net, she didn't have many ideas. As he was now, though, Megaman was barely in a position to walk. She had to get him away, somehow, until he was ready to battle again. As much as she hated to admit it, Megaman was the only Navi who had a chance of standing up to Forte.

The sound of screams drew her attention to the large window. She rushed over and looked outside, glancing down to see that everyone had made it outside. The humans were cowering in fear behind the Navis, who were looking up at something above them. Following their gaze, she froze as she spotted a figure hovering in the air. Instantly, she realized why the Dimensional Core was allowing viruses and Navis to manifest freely in the real world.

There was more than one Dimensional Core here.


Down on the ground floor of the school, the others finally managed to burst out the front door, only to come to a screeching halt as soon as they exited the building. They all looked forward in fear, as the imposing form of Forte floated before them, undeterred by the downpour around him.

"It seems you received my greeting." His cold eyes scanned the group slowly, settling on the injured Dr. Hikari. "Hmph. Still alive, are you? The human body is more resilient than I thought."

Protoman dashed in front of the scientist, holding up his blade. "If you want him, you'll have to go through us."

"In due time," Forte replied, unfazed. "But first, the doctor and I have business to discuss."

"Business?" the man called out, puzzled. "What business? What do you want?"

"You know what I want." Forte floated closer, looking down on the man from above. "There's another Dimensional Core here. I can feel it." He glanced back at the building, able to feel its energy radiating out from within the school. "Lead me to it now, and I will spare your lives for the time being."

Yuichiro could do nothing but stare back up at Forte in response, torn between rage and fear, not speaking a word. Haruka lightly put her hand on his shoulder from behind, trying to transfer some courage to him. A few moments later, Forte shook his head. "Very well. I don't need you to show me where the Core is, anyway. I can find it myself."

He flew upward, eyes roaming across the building as he ascended, trying to discern the area where the energy of the second core was strongest. As he passed by the window of the room where Lan lay unconscious, it spontaneously exploded in his face, showering him with glass shards that disintegrated as they came into contact with his Dark Aura. As the smoke faded, his eyebrows raised at the figure that was standing before him.

"If you're looking for the core," Serenade taunted as she gestured toward herself, "you've found it."

"You… how did you survive?" Forte's eyes narrowed, frustration welling up within him. Between Dr. Hikari and now Serenade, he was turning out to be much less adept at murder than he thought.

"You thought it would be that easy to get rid of me?" She leaped out of the window, landing on the ground among the other gathered Navis, before turning to look back up at him. "Not a chance."

Forte whirled about to glare at her. "I won't leave the job half-finished again. I will tear that Dimensional Core right out of your wretched frame and claim it for myself." She met his gaze, not backing down. She had to keep his focus on her and the other Navis down here, and away from Megaman.

Dex took a terrified step forward. "We… we won't let you… take the core!" he yelled, trying to force his courage up to the surface. "We'll… stop you!" Mayl grasped his wrist, trying to pull him back, but he stood his ground.

"If you're so eager to die, then so be it!" Forte snapped back, unimpressed by Dex's courageous display. He formed a Wide Sword on his arm and dashed down toward the stocky young boy, but his blade was intercepted by one from Protoman, who leaped to Dex's defense. Forte's fist swung into the Official Navi's gut, sending him rocketing away like a cannonball.

As Forte chased after his adversary, and the humans tried to find a place to cower and hide, Roll started to run after the villainous Navi. Her charge was immediately stopped by a hand firmly grasping her wrist, keeping her in place. Looking behind herself, she saw Serenade holding her back.

"We can't do this without our other friend," she advised sternly. "You need to get inside and heal him, wake him… whatever you can do."

"What? But he's hurt!" Roll protested. "He can't fight right now!"

"He has to. He's stronger than any of us. He's the only chance we've got."

"Are you sure…?" Roll responded, still uncertain. "I don't even know if I can heal him right now…"

"You have to try," Serenade answered. "Without him, we're all dead."

Roll eventually nodded, slowly, not liking the idea but knowing that Serenade was right. She turned to look at Forte, seeing him throwing Protoman and Gutsman around like rag dolls, before turning and dashing inside the school at an almost untrackable speed.

It wasn't long before she arrived on the second floor, stepping into the classroom where Lan was resting. She walked over to his unconscious body in the corner of the room, her eyes drifting over the splints and bandages on his broken limbs. Doubt quickly spread through her, as she tried to imagine him battling with one arm, barely mobile as he dragged one leg behind him. She had no confidence in her ability to fix those injuries.

Hearing a digitized scream of pain, she turned to look outside, through the hole that Serenade had made in the wall. She gasped when she saw Forte hovering in the air, holding what was clearly Gutsman's arm in his grasp. Down below, Dex's Navi was groaning in pain, clutching the now-severed stump on his body.

Gritting her teeth, she turned back toward Lan and placed her hands on his chest, closing her eyes and focusing. She summoned the powerful Recovery 200 chip that Mayl had set as her preset chip, giving Roll access to it at almost any time. Her hands glowed with a soft pink light, one that spread to Lan's frame. The room was bathed in a gentle, radiant light for a few seconds before the glow faded, and Roll removed her hands, hoping against hope that the Recovery chip had done something.

Her eyes lit up as she saw him stir, his brow furrowing in pain. His eyes slowly opened, then squinted, as he tried to process what he was seeing. "Roll…?"

"Megaman…? Or…" She realized for a moment that she wasn't sure if she was addressing Lan or Megaman. The two Hikaris were sharing a body due to the Cross Fusion, and thanks to their activation of HubStyle, their minds were deeply linked as well. It was hard to tell where Lan ended and Megaman began right now, making them very nearly the same person.

"Where are we? Why are you here?" He tried to push himself up into a sitting position, crying out in pain as he put pressure on his bandaged arm. He tried again with his good arm, looking around in confusion.

"We're at ACDC Elementary," she answered, reaching out to help him sit up. "We were trying to hide you from Forte, but he's here. He wants your core."

"Ugh… damn it…" He swiveled on the desk, wincing as he did so, until he was sitting with his legs hanging off of it. "I don't know what to do… he was nearly as strong as I was before, and now he's way stronger than that. How are any of us supposed to stop him?"

"There isn't anything you can do?" Roll pleaded. "There has to be something… we can't stop him without you. Please, think…"

Megaman thought to himself for a minute, racking his brain for anything he might have seen online, in battle, or in SciLab. "Well," he finally spoke, "there might be something. But it's a huge longshot... I don't know if I can even pull it off, let alone if it will work." He slid off of the desk, hissing in pain as one leg hit the ground, immediately crumpling.

Mayl's Navi reached out to support him. "We have to try it, whatever it is. We'll buy you whatever time you need. Just focus." She helped him get into a standing position.

"Alright..." The two of them helped him limp closer to the window, hanging back to stay out of sight, watching Forte battle outside amidst the storm. "I'll do what I can. You should go back outside and help."

Roll nodded. "Be careful, okay? And good luck."

He nodded as she zipped back outside, closing his eyes and focusing. He raised his arms above his head, and an instant later, a Life Sword appeared in his left hand. His eyes opened again as he breathed slowly and evenly, keeping a careful eye on the battle; if things got out of control, he might be forced to intervene. Gathering his strength, he closed his eyes and continued on.


Outside, the Navi battle was as one-sided as it could be after only a couple of minutes. Even with all five Navis attacking Forte at once, he was barely showing signs of exhaustion, let alone damage. The others, however, were all looking the worse for wear, after numerous failed attempts to crack Forte's Dark Aura.

"Have to... keep fighting..." Glyde managed, preparing the last Mega Cannon from his preset folder. "Can't let him win…" He stood still and focused, charging up the attack as much as possible, needing to break through his foe's powerful protective barrier. Seconds before the attack was ready, a loud crack rang out through the air, and Glyde's eyes went wide as a purple beam pierced his chest. Yai's shrieks were drowned out by the ongoing sounds of battle, as her Navi dissolved and disappeared for the second time that day.

"Glyde!" Gutsman reflexively ran over to Glyde's frame, as if he could do something to stop the deletion process from happening. As he looked up at the digital particles that were once part of the Navi's body, Forte brought his own Life Sword down onto Gutsman's body, cleaving him in half from top to bottom. The two halves fell to the ground before dissolving into deletion, just as Glyde had.

"And then there were three…" Forte slowly turned around, the Life Sword vanishing from his hand, looking back at the other three Navis as they stared in horror. Behind them, the six humans were flattening themselves against the wall of the school, having no other recourse.

"So, which of you will volunteer themselves to be next?" His eyes darted from Roll, to Protoman, to Serenade, waiting for one of them to step forward and play the hero. After a moment of inaction from everyone, he snorted. "Well, then. All of you at once, together."

He rose up into the air, holding both arms above his head, and a purple energy ball formed and quickly began to grow, until it was larger than he was. The Navis below panicked and began shooting off whatever projectile attacks they could, but none of them were able to pierce the veil of dark energy around Forte's body.

"You all have certainly made things interesting," he offered, as some sort of weak consolation, an evil smirk crossing his lips. "Say hello to Lan and Megaman for me!"

As he started to fling the energy blast downward, his attention was drawn by a bright light from the building beside him. A wave of green energy, and one of red, flew toward him at a high speed, too fast to dodge. The combined attacks smashed through his Dark Aura, shattering it and knocking the Navi back. The energy ball he was forming fell from his grasp and landed on top of him, exploding and inflicting even more damage. He quickly regained his bearings and turned toward the source of the assault, eyes shooting open as wide as they could as he spotted a familiar blue Navi, wielding a Life Sword in his left hand, and a Life Sword 2 in his right.

"If you're got something to say to me… say it yourself!" Megaman taunted, catching his breath. His arm and his chest were screaming in pain as he kept a death grip on both blades, forcing more energy into both of them to keep them from disappearing.

"I don't believe this…!" Forte shouted, more enraged than anyone had ever seen. "My patience with you has reached its end! Always coming back to cause me trouble… I should have gone in to finish your operator when I had the chance!"

"Then... why don't you... do it now?" Megaman retorted, panting. "Go ahead... give it your best shot..." He was heavily struggling to keep his Cross Fusion in place and maintain the two Life Swords at the same time. The Dimensional Core had given him a source of reserve energy to tap into, but he didn't know how long it would last.

"You..." Forte's eyes flared with rage, before he extended his arms to his sides. "Fine, then! If that is what you want, then that's what you'll get!" He rose up higher into the air, holding his arms out in front of them, as they transformed into the giant head of the viral beast Gospel.

Megaman watched as his opponent charged up his attack, thankful for the few moments he had bought himself. He raised his own arms above his head once more, hoping against hope that his last-ditch effort would work. The Dimensional Core was giving him plenty of power, and it was impossible for Lan and Megaman to be more synchronized than they were now. If this attempt failed, it would be the end, for everyone. He watched, and focused, as an enormous ball of light and energy began to grow from Gospel's mouth, lighting up the immediate area in a bright white.

"This is it, Megaman! This time, there will be no coming back!" As Forte taunted his opponent, an enormous beam of energy erupted forth from the Gospel head, large enough to obliterate any Navi that stood before it. Megaman gritted his teeth as the beam approached, summoning all the strength he had, as the Life Sword 3 formed in his hand.

In an instant, the three different Life Swords flashed white and combined into one pure white blade, one that had bolts of blue, red and green energy crackling around it. He could feel the enormous energy flowing through him, almost as if he was carrying lightning in his hands, but had no time to appreciate it. He brought the blade down to his side, pushing his pain out of his mind, and swung with all his might.

"Haaahh!" The blade of light swung out in front of Megaman, and a blinding energy wave shot out from the sword, heading in Forte's direction. As the two energy blasts came in contact, the wave from the sword sucked in and absorbed the laser blast of the Gospel Cannon. Forte's eyes widened in surprise and terror as the sword blast got closer, but he didn't have any time to move before the sword cut him cleanly in half.

The cloaked Navi hung in the air for a moment, in pain and surprise, before the gap between his two halves began to glow and shine with light. He started to scream in pain, as the immense power of the sword blast ate away at his stolen energy from the inside out, expelling it into the air around him in powerful blasts of light. He found himself unable to heal his wound, unable to do anything but suspend himself in the air, as energy erupted from his body and dispersed around him.

"Gyaahh!" He cried out again as the body of Gospel began to emerge from his sword wound, causing everyone to gasp again. The viral beast roared in pain as it was forcibly decoupled from Forte's body, and it began to dissolve away almost as soon as it appeared, until the entire beast was gone. Without the viral creature inside him, Forte's frame had returned to its original colors, without the signs of corruption.

"Gah...! This... is not…!" The Navi struggled even to speak, as the blade finally began eating away at the energy of the Dimensional Core, and his entire body began to glow. With one final cry of anguish, Forte's body flashed bright white, then vanished into the night without a trace. Finally, the area of the school was silent, save for the sound of pouring rain. Everyone stared, open-mouthed, at the area where Forte's body was moments ago.

Haruka was the first to turn her attention back to Megaman, who stood unsteadily at the edge of the school floor. He was still holding the blade of light in his hands, breathing hard, his attention focused on the piece of sky where his foe had been moments before. She stared in astonishment at the sight, stunned by the strength and bravery he had shown, seeing a powerful warrior occupying the body of her young child. She clasped her hands over her heart, feeling as if she was truly seeing her sons for the first time.

"Hah... we... we..." Megaman managed to get out, before blacking out and pitching forward through the hole in the building's exterior. In a quick flash of light, the Cross Fusion came to an end, and it was Lan who ended up falling through the air toward the pavement below.

"Lan!" Several people gasped and ran toward him, though it was only Roll who had any chance of catching him. As she ran forward, her body began to dissolve away; with both Dimensional Cores gone, there was no longer anything anchoring the Navis in the real world, and she found her body slowly returning to the Cyberworld, along with Protoman and Serenade. Moving as fast as she could, only her head and arms remained by the time she reached Lan's falling body, managing to catch it and lower it safely to the ground before she vanished entirely. A second later, his PET landed on his stomach, and he grunted in pain.

Having forgotten Forte already, the six remaining people gathered fearfully around Lan's body. His mother and father kneeled down next to him, as Yuichiro cradled his son's limp body in his arms. Sensing Yuichiro's embrace, Lan's eyes open slightly, looking up toward his father.

"D... Dad... is he gone?" he spoke softly. Yuichiro nodded in reponse, and Lan's body visibly relaxed. "Good... sorry for... the trouble..." His eyes closed again, and he drifted off, breathing slowly and steadily, as his father scanned his face carefully.

"Lan…" Yuichiro clutched his son tightly to his chest, finally letting tears flow down his face. Haruka leaned against him, clutching her son's hand tightly as her tears flowed as well. The children around them watched on, ignoring the rain pouring down on them, a mixture of terrified, relieved and exhausted.


One hour later, all of the Hikaris were together in a small room at the Den City Hospital. An exhausted Lan was resting in bed, having spent far more energy than he had to spare, with proper casts on his broken appendages. Megaman was resting in his PET on Lan's bedside table, engaged in a desperately-needed recharge of his own. Beside the bed, their parents sat and watched Lan as they slept; both of them were exhausted in every sense of the word, but they refused to leave Lan's side.

"Yuichiro," Haruka began, reaching out and grasping her husband's hand. "I'm sorry about what I said before."

"Before?" Her husband looked over at her. "You mean… about coming home?" he ventured hopefully.

She nodded. "Yes. Please just forget I said anything."

He nodded, trying not to show his immeasurable relief too much. "Alright, but… how come?"

"You… Lan…" She tried her best to organize her thoughts. "Before, you kept trying to tell me that our children weren't normal, that they were fighters… and I just… didn't want to believe it. I didn't see them the way you did. I didn't want to." She held his hand more tightly. "But tonight, during that battle… I finally saw it. I saw them the way you always have."

He nodded, exhaling slowly, squeezing her hand back. "I know what you mean. I didn't want to believe it either, at first. I thought they were just getting themselves into trouble. But eventually, I couldn't ignore it any more. I knew they were the only ones who could save us from Forte… and they did."

Haruka nodded. "Yes, they did. You were right all along. They aren't ordinary children. They're… extraordinary children. They're warriors. This is who they are."

Yuichiro looked back toward Lan as he slept. He didn't look like a warrior right now; he looked small, weak, frail. "You were right all along, too. They may be extraordinary children, but they're still our children. We have a responsibility to them." He pulled his wife closer to him. "We have to protect them… so they can protect us."

Haruka leaned against her husband, resting her head on his shoulder, as they watched their son sleep, their minds wrestling with how incredible their family had become.


Story 3: The Dimensional Core

End