(Before Issue 2)

"Eric, Come! it is my time!"

"Hey Eric, what's up?" Rodford de Romano, a blond spiky hair with his iconic down vest on from the inspired famous sci-fi time travel flick, asks as he sits beside Eric during lunch time in the cafeteria. "You've been staring down at that table for a while. What's up?"

"Oh it's nothing actually, Rod" Eric replies as wakes up from his daydream.

A few days later after the school gym incident, Ray and Nigel reported to Eric about it. The day after, Eric, though not fully healed from the wounds, still returns back to the Heatherfield every night. They continue to patrol the portals vigorously as they find clues on the whereabouts of Elyon and her parents.

"I bet his troubled with the bandages around him." Skitzo "Mosquito" Meigen, a school friend of his with the hippie outfit and the orange afro-hairstyle, who is also with Rod, sits across them and teases.

"Say where did you get all that wounds and bruises again? Sorry I have a hard time remembering things." Rod asks.

"Umm…I was saving a kitten to get down a tree but I fell." Eric lies to them. "With the tough branches that caught me, I landed with bruises and those that caught with the pointy ends are the scars."

"Well does your kindness pay you well?" Mosquito asks. "You better heal yourself right away! Girls can't drool over you if your good looks are concealed!"

"Hahaha…very funny, Squito." Eric sarcastically laughs.

"Oh but it's true!" Mosquito points out. "Rumors say there are around at least two more from our class who had a crush on you!"

"I envy you Eric." Rod says. "You have a lot of choices to pick from as the dance is approaching soon!" he jerks his shoulder to Eric's arm.

"Choices huh…" Eric says as he rests his head on his hand and taps the side of his face.

"Wait! You're going to choose a girl to date?! Who?!" Mosquito exclaims as he and Rod move closer to Eric.

Eric then pulls out two small bottles of acrylic paints before them. "I couldn't decide what shade of gray I should use for my T-745 Asterisk-Wing Fighter miniature model." he sighs.

Rod and Mosquito with annoyance written on their flat faces, takes the bottles and notices them. "Eric, these are both gray…" Mosquito says.

"I know." Eric says. "But the other is a bit darker." He says as he takes the bottles and takes them to the light.

"Oh you are right!" Rod exclaims as he examines the bottled vials.

"No! Don't encourage him!" Mosquito hesitates. "Oh wait! Let me guess, you too are an expert to the shades of gray because you used it for your DeLorean time machine miniature."

"That's why I got the jacket on." Rod boasts on his signature jacket that once played in his favorite time travelling movie.

"The point is, does it bother if the gray you used is too darker or too brighter?" Mosquito argues. "Because what I think to choose the right colors is fitted for anime figurines instead"

"And that's why you never found a girl you like." Rod points out. "Because your heart sinks for a collection of small anime models." he teases.

"Talking about waifus, because I'm all up for that!" says a familiar voice as he comes to the table.

"Hey Ray!" Rod greets as he bumps his fist to him and the rest of the group. "Where've you been?"

"In the library as I secretly watched the latest and final episode of 'Fullmeta Wizard!' And it was awesome!" Ray excitingly exclaims. "The animation and the music, so darn good to perfection for such a masterpiece!"

"Really?" Mosquito asks excitingly. "Can't wait to watch how the battle between Ed Enrico versus Father would turn out to be!"

"But I still prefer the anime classic 'Legends of the Galaxy Heroes'" Rod says "It actually has a compelling story than Fullmeta."

"Same hear!" Eric butts in.

"No wonder Eric." Ray says. "You do love space warfare after all! From 'Star Warfare' to 'Battlestar Trek' I bet you love mecha anime too."

"By the way, you have all the episodes of Battlestar right, Eric?" Rod asks. "I've got a TV and a DVD player, so why don't we hang out in my place later!"

"Yeah!" Mosquito cheers. "I'll go order pizza tonight-!"

"Oh sorry guys," Eric rubs his napes as he apologizes with guilt. "But I need to go somewhere tonight, but we could do this on the weekend!" he explains politely.

Though Eric's nightshift wouldn't cost too much of his time to watch with his friends, it was because he had a vision in his daydream earlier. It wasn't just any ordinary thought of choosing the shades of gray for his space ship model, but it was an important message from his dear friend.

'It was a calling from Master Lin!' Eric reminds to himself.


(During Issue 2: Before Yan Lin's death)

"Master Lin? Master Lin?"

Eric worriedly taps and moves Yan Lin's shoulder in her room, rapidly yet lightly. She does not respond to him as her eyes closed and a grin on her face, lies happily on her bed.

Yan Lin called for him later that day because her time has come and a ceremony of honor must be placed upon her before she dies in order for her soul to become immortal and to become one with Kandrakar. If it is not performed before death, the soul may rest to another dimension; a dimension where the most of the souls of the dead go after they die.

"Master Lin, you said I'd be here before eleven-thirty tonight!" He whispers in panic as he kneels to her next to her bed. "Though I'm here for only like a minute or so, you couldn't just die like this! This is all my fault! I'm sorry Yan Lin!" He takes her hand and crunches it in regret.

"You don't have to grip my hand like that when I die." A familiar voice replies, Eric then looks at her master's face and she's still alive! "I actually wanted to play another prank on you before I die." She grins with a tease.

"Master Lin…" Eric says with a heavy breathing and sits to the floor hastily yet quietly. "Master, don't you ever do that again." He says seriously.

"As you make fun of me throughout these years?" Yan Lin replies. "I say you got that taste of your own medicine for that!" she grins.

"But this one's different." Eric explains as he stands up. "Though I maybe unworthy to perform it, you do know what happens if I don't perform the ceremony on you on time, right?"

Yan Lin nods, smiles and understands his concern for her. "I know you well Young Lyndon, I made you come here as early as possible. My actual time of death will be of this midnight." She replies. "I've notice the bandages and bruises on your hands and face, so what have you and your team done this past few days?"

"So you reserve the last thirty minutes of just talking to me?" Eric chuckles. "We're not to a great start, I guess. In summary, I encountered Phobos' men during Halloween, one of them was Sir Vathek who betrayed his legion and an Escanor on whom I fought hardly and in the end, I was badly injured from the fight. The other day, from Ray, Nigel and he fought them again, and witnessed Elyon chose his brother Phobos as they fought near one of the closed portals."

Yan Lin grins. "Is that by the school's gym?"

"How did you read the map?" Eric asks. "The only ones who could actually see every portal present are the legionates."

"It wasn't me; it was the Guardians who can activate the map." She replies. "I gave the map to Hay Lin; it's now her and her four friends' responsibility to close the remaining eleven portals.

"Gave the map to your granddaughter? She's one of the Guardians?"

"The Guardian of Air" Yan Lin chuckles proudly.

"Well that makes sense." Eric says. "Like grandmother, like granddaughter. I guess the Guardian of Air blood runs in your family I see. I hope she's not an airhead just as you are master!" he teases.

"I never thought that I brought up a child such as you." She annoyingly replies.

"Yet, I didn't expect for the Guardians to open such a magical map." Eric scratches his hair in an anxious gesture. "If the Guardians are now 'capable', then this means the legions throughout the universe are now decommissioned to service?"

"No, I don't think so." Yan Lin shakes her head slightly in disagreement "Oracle has declared that the legions throughout the universe will only defend their homeland planet and the minor conflicts from evil as they act in secrecy, hidden and unrecognized, or as I would like to call an 'undercovered police'. The Guardians on the other hand, will deal with the worlds from the veil and the main and difficult conflicts."

"Then about the school gym incident?" he asks.

"Three of the guardians fought Phobos' men in the school gym and one of them was my brave Hay Lin." She proudly exclaims. "And they successfully closed the portal.

"Closing the portals? And I thought they just have to guard it just as we did?"

"The order was sent from Kandrakar to now close the portals." Yan Lin explains. "The portals present in Heatherfield were used by the Meridianites and an opening hole to the veil. The fate of the portals lies on their hands now."

"Yet Nigel says that they're not ready." Eric replies worriedly. "And I think so too. I don't mean to judge, but for them to take such an unprepared task, is too risky."

"That is why you're here." Yan replies. "Hay Lin, Will, Irma, Taranee and Cornelia are the young and the untrained Guardians. Your legion's mission now is to support and help them in secrecy. Keep an eye on them yet do not intervene their decisions."

Yan Lin slightly holds on Eric's arm. "And on my behalf, when I get to Kandrakar, I might not be able to watch over my sweet Hay Lin just as I did here on Earth. Please, I want you to watch over her."

"Even though I never get the chance to see her nor meet her," Eric says and he slightly grips on to Yan Lin's holding hand. "I promise, not only to her but as to the Guardians as well.

Yan Lin after hearing his assuring words gets teary-eyed from his promise then looks to the heavens beside the window. "It is time now Eric, you may proceed."

"Yes, Master Lin." He reciprocates with a smile. He takes out an old and leathered hardbound book. He flips across the pages and opens it to the right page. He takes out his right hand above Yan Lin's lying body as he reads the chanting ceremony spell.

"Yan Lin,
As you ascend your soul beyond
Your spirit be the enlightened bond."

An aura of gleaming light grows out from the book and a series of ancient enchanting mandala circle enlightens and appears on his hand as it rotates clockwise.

"The body of infinity
State and form of divinity
May enlightened goodness will reign
From the evil you abstain
May your heart and mind be ever
In Kandrakar's light forever!
Long live and be immortal Yan Lin!"

His hand releases the mandala circle from his hand and continues to rotate in a screw-like pattern and finally rests on Yan Lin's body and soul. Her body then shines to a bright of clear light and slowly dies to darkness.

Eric then holds Yan Lin's lifeless shoulder. "See you in Kandrakar, dear friend."

"Hey Grandma?" says a young girl voice suddenly, as he turns around to notice light coming out from the small opening edges of the door and the creaking of wood as the steps grow louder. "What's that light out of your room?" she says as she opens the door to Yan Lin's room but founds nothing peculiar, just her grandmother as she lies down on her bed peacefully. "Guess it's my imagination." She wonders.

'That must be your favorite granddaughter sweet Hay Lin, Master Lin! Didn't you teach her to sleep early in bed?" He says as he luckily escaped yet painly bends and adjusts his body under the outside window of Yan Lin's room. He then leaps from the wall to the ground safely and rides his way back to Open Hills.