How would you describe Riviera's graphics? I'd say they kinda remind me of the graphics of Breath of Fire, in which the battles never have any actual visual contact; the sprite swings a sword, and the enemy gets hit, even if he's 10 sword lengths away. But then, there are those CG cutscenes which make Riviera different from Breath of Fire. I think the sprite graphics are pretty boring, but the CG shots are especially good…

Now, here is chapter 10 of The White Wings, where many questions will be answered, including the identity of Ein's new enemy, and the identity of the mysterious voice in his head that was introduced in chapter 7.

See chapter 1 for the disclaimer, and enjoy!

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"No! LEDAH!"

"Ein, you must survive… I'm just happy to be able to see you again… Please, don't worry about me… Take care of… her… for me…"

"Ah, Ledah! Don't die! You can't die on me again! I won't lose you a second time!"

"It's too late for me, Ein… farewell… guardian of Riviera."

Ledah turned to dust in his arms and blew away. Ein, on his knees, was crying, and the tears blew along with the dust.

"Ledah… why? Again?" He grabbed at the dust that was continually blowing away. "You left me… again!"

Take care of her for me…

"Take care of who? You left me completely in the dark!" Ein screamed towards the pitch-black sky. "How can I be a guardian? I need your help!"

"Ein, what's wrong?"

Ein turned to see Fia making her way towards him. "Fia? What…?"

"I heard you scream and came over," Fia explained. "What's wrong?"

"Uh, Fia?" Ein looked more closely. Fia's image was slightly distorted. "Fia, what's going on?"

"Nothing's wrong, Ein," she replied, while her face twisted. "You must be hallucinating."

Suddenly, Fia's face transformed into a wolf's, and out of her body grew dark fur. "Nothing's wrong…"

"Ah! What's going on!" Ein yelled. "You… who are you!"

"You don't recognize me?" the wolf asked. "Well, of course not, because you've killed so many of us in the past." The wolf spat. "I'm here for revenge, kid. That red guy's gone, and so is this worthless girl with green hair, and guess who's next?"

"Argh!"

Ein jolted awake in a light blue room that had lines glowing a soft white light.

"A… a nightmare?" Ein looked around at his surroundings. The floor didn't seem to be there, but he was being held up by something. The blue swirled under him, mixing with many shades and tints of blue and small blotches of white. "Where am I?" He was completely surrounded by the blue color. Every way he looked, it was just blue.

A light appeared out of nowhere, taking the shape of a fairy. The fairy materialized, and came to dance around him, wearing absolutely nothing.

"Huh? A fairy?"

"Yup," the fairy replied. "And you're Ein, right?"

"Huh? How do you know?"

"Because you're here. Only the guardian is allowed in this sacred place."

"Um, you're a guardian?"

The fairy gulped. "Um, no..." She looked away and quickly changed the subject. "So anyway, there's a message for you."

"Message?" He found it easy to not stare at the naked fairy, but looked at her curiously. "What kind of message?"

"Just a second. I need to report." The fairy disappeared with a flash of light, leaving Ein alone in the strange room again.

While waiting, Ein decided to look around. He poked the wall, and it felt solid, but yet there was nothing there. He couldn't feel the swirling blue material behind. It looked simply like energy. He set his hand on the floor, but got the same effect.

"I can't tell where this room ends by just looking at it…" Ein thought aloud. "What's it made of? How do you get out?"

Suddenly, another blinding flash of light appeared and materialized into a woman. Her long blue hair twirled around her, and a light blue pattern covered parts of her body. She was wrapped in long white ribbons.

"Ursula?" Ein asked curiously. "But, how?"

"I can speak to the guardian of Riviera from the afterlife via telepathy, but only through this room, which is within an alternate dimension," Ursula explained. "As you can see, my powers have greatly weakened ever since leaving Riviera."

"Wow," Ein said. "I get it, but why do you need to talk to me?"

"Ein, you have been performing your duties as guardian of Riviera well," Ursula continued. "I see you have also received wings from a Magus. However, Riviera is once again threatened by Asgard."

"What?"

"Another Magus by the name of Orion has taken control of the Grim Angels. He is another selfish Magus, like Hector, but he is much more powerful. His aim is still unknown, but he seems to want to destroy Riviera as Hector did."

"Orion? I'm not sure how he looks like," Ein said. "Does he look like Hector?"

"Somewhat. He is a much more dangerous character than Hector, because of his power and his abilities."

"Abilities?"

"He has the power to create huge beings to attack you. That beast you fought was one of these beings. Fortunately, he can only make one at a time, and it takes him time to recharge after making one, but what's more important is he can transform into any being whose image he has in his memory. That means, if he sees you, he can instantly change into your form," Ursula explained. Ein gasped. "It should not pose a problem right away," she continued, "but I want you to be aware of it when the time comes."

"B-but… how can I tell?" Ein stuttered. "That's such a dangerous enemy, if he can do that."

"It's up to you," Ursula told him. "And in addition, his power is at least tenfold of Hector's, and his magic power is unbelievable."

"Such a powerful enemy? How is that possible?"

"It does not matter, Ein," Ursula reminded him. "Such a being with intent to destroy Riviera cannot be ignored."

"Yeah, you're right," Ein agreed. "But how can I defeat him? My power isn't enough to rival his."

"Ein, you'll understand when you realize your friends are all willing to help you."

"So I have to ask for their help again?"

"The one to decide that is you," Ursula told him. "Follow your heart's judgment, as it will lead you in the right direction."

"Hm, I hope so," Ein mumbled.

"There is one more thing I must tell you. The voice in your head that I'm sure you've heard many times belongs to her."

Another blinding light materialized into yet another form. This one had short blond hair and dressed in a blue Grim Angel's attire.

"Malice!"

"Yeah, that's right," Malice replied. "You might not believe it, but it was me that whole time."

"How does that work?" Ein exclaimed. "You're not the kind to give me that sort of advice!"

"Ein, people change, especially after events like that," Malice reminded him. "Something like that happened… I'd have to really be heartless if I stayed evil. Heck, that sounded pathetic…"

"I suppose so…" Ein remembered what Hector had yelled right after killing Malice along with Fia. She wasn't a true Grim Angel. He felt sorry that he couldn't save her.

"Hold you head higher, kid," Malice commanded, pushing his chin up with her hand. "You're the new guardian. If you can't even hold your head up, you're not worthy of the responsibility and the power."

"Y-yeah, I understand," Ein stammered. He raised his head up and looked her in the face. "I'm not afraid."

Malice recognized determination in his face, and didn't see even a trace of fear. "That's right, Ein, that's how you should look." She flicked her hair back and looked at him again. "Ein, Ursula is giving me some of her power in order to communicate with you. You do need guidance at times, but sometimes you might find yourself cut off from that guidance."

"Um, right?"

"I'll help you however I can from the afterlife, but you are the one who needs to solve your own problems," Malice lectured. "Never run away from your problems. Face them and hack your way through. Leaving them alone won't solve a thing."

Ein listened intently as Malice continued. This really doesn't sound like the old Malice, he thought. She's changed a lot, or maybe she used to be like this?

"You have to protect Riviera again, but this time it's not against Hector and me. You have a fiercer enemy, but you've showed me your power when you work with your friends." She crossed her arms. "You defeated me and you defeated Hector. By working together with friends, you become much stronger. Don't ever forget that."

"I understand," Ein replied. "I shall save Riviera again."

"Of course you will," Malice said, doing her best not to sound sarcastic. "You're unstoppable, but not just because you're a Light Angel. You're much stronger with friends by your side, and now you have Ledah with you too. If you fail, you're getting a serious whipping from me."

"Um, yeah," Ein said. He noticed that she didn't have Skadi, and remembered that she'd lost it when she died.

"Well, it's about time," Ursula interrupted. "You should be returning soon, and we should be too."

"Well, Ein, looks like my time here is up. I'll do my best to help you, and I will probably see you again soon, but for now, work on defending Riviera."

"I will," Ein reassured her. "You can count on me. I won't let Riviera fall into flames." He looked into her face. "Thanks, Malice, for everything you've done to help me."

"Uh, don't worry about it," Malice stuttered. "We're leaving."

"Lie down and close your eyes, and after a while, you'll return to Riviera," Ursula instructed as she disappeared along with Malice in a flash of light.

"Lie down and close my eyes?" Ein did as she'd instructed. After a couple minutes, he opened them again, and looked up from his position at Fia, who was leaning over him.

"How was your dream?" Fia teased as she poured him some tea. "You were out for quite some time."

He sat up. "What happened?"

"Oh, apparently, you went out cold after defeating the beast," Fia explained. "And now, here you are. Everyone's out for a walk. They left a few minutes ago."

"Oh, I see," Ein said, accepting the cup of tea. "What a beast that was…"

"I heard all about it," Fia told him. "Now, you wanna tell me the story about your wings and your diviner?" She sat down beside him, setting her tea down, and started to massage his shoulders again.

"Ah… thanks, Fia. Well…" Ein explained the whole ordeal with Andreia and how he received his wings and Angel Blade.

"Wow, Ein…" Fia sighed as she continued the massage. "You've been through a lot, haven't you?"

"I suppose I have," Ein agreed, "but everyone's with me, so I'm fine."

"That's good." Her heart beat a little faster for no good reason.

"You know? In my dream, I saw Ursula and Malice," Ein continued. "Ursula told me of a great enemy who's trying to destroy Riviera, and I need to defend Riviera against him. Malice… well she's changed a lot. She gave me advice for being a guardian."

"Ursula and Malice? Another enemy?"

"Yeah." Ein took another sip. "Supposedly, his name is Orion. Looks like we need to prepare to fight again."

"I guess so…" Fia paused the massage. "It would be nice to just live here in peace."

"Yeah, it would." Ein looked out the window. The sun was beginning its descent into the mountains, and the sky was colored a vivid orange in a large radius around the sun.

"The sun's setting," Ein stated.

Fia looked outside. "Want to watch the sunset together?" she asked, turning to him. He nodded.

Sheathing Oracion on his back and setting his tea down, Ein followed Fia outside into the late afternoon. We shouldn't be attacked for a while, he thought. Ursula said it takes time for Orion to recharge…

"Ah, it's hard to see from here," Fia complained, breaking his reverie.

"Okay, how about this?" Ein picked up Fia in his arms and carried her upwards. Fia's heart skipped a beat, not expecting the sudden movement, but relaxed after a moment. Ein set her down on a branch above their home and sat down beside her.

"Perfect," Fia exclaimed, smiling. "It's so beautiful…"

"Yeah."

After a few minutes, Fia leaned towards Ein and put her head on his shoulder. After a sideways glance, Ein put an arm around her, and resumed looking at the sky. The sun was red at that moment, burning up the sky in a bright red-orange. The sky overhead became yellow-orange as the sun continued to descend. The sky was mostly clear, and the few clouds were scattered, yellow-orange like the sky.

"I haven't watched a sunset for a while now," Fia said aloud, cuddling into Ein's embrace. "I haven't forgotten how beautiful it is, though."

"Same with me."

"Say, Ein, I've been wanting to tell you for a while now, but I haven't… found a good chance." Fia's face turned pink, and then red. "I, uh…" Ah, how do I say this…?

"Yes, Fia?" Ein looked at her curiously, totally oblivious. "Don't worry, you have plenty of time."

"No! I want to do this now! I… I lo-"

"Hey, Ein! Fia!"

Serene's voice drifted from below. Ein looked down to see Serene waving up at them. He waved back. "We're just watching the sunset up here!" he called. "We'll be in later!"

"Okay!" she yelled back. "See you later!" She walked into the house, followed by Rose and Ledah.

"So, uh, Fia? You were saying?"

"Um, I was saying… I-"

"Hey Ein!"

Ein looked down to see Lina waving up at them.

"Hi Lina! The others just went inside!" Ein called down. "We'll be inside soon!"

"Okay!" With that, she went into the house too.

"Ah, sorry, Fia," Ein apologized. "I keep interrupting you."

"No, it's okay…" Fia looked away. "Maybe I can tell you later…"

"Huh? Well, if you say so," Ein said, still totally oblivious. The sun was now a red semicircle on the horizon. The sky glowed a bright red around the sun, and the red faded to pink away from the sun.

Fia looked up at the sky. "It's so nice."

Ein gave her another sideways glance. "Yup."

Fia snuggled in. "Don't leave me, Ein," she whispered. "Stay with me, you have to promise."

"Huh? Um, of course, I promise," Ein stuttered. "Why are you bringing that up again?"

"Just making sure…" Fia's voice trailed off. Ein looked down to see that she'd fallen asleep again.

"Of course I'll never leave you…" he repeated, this time more quietly. "You're more important to me than anything else on Riviera…"

After the sun completely set, Ein slowly slid his arms under her and glided back down, carrying her into the house and back to the bed. After tucking her in, he went back downstairs to join the others.

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A/N: Poor Fia! Stuck with the most innocent guy ever... He's totally oblivious to everything, eh… Will she ever be able to confess her feelings? That's for me to know and for you to find out! XD

Hope I didn't scare anyone too much with the opening XD. It's always nice to start off with tension; it makes it more interesting. And to be honest, using the dream method of getting out of that kinda situation is a bit cliché, but whatever XD

On the next chapter of The White Wings…

Chapter 11: Confessions (Release on August 13, 2006)

Rose reveals to Serene and Lina that she knows what's going on between the two! As the conversation gets more involved, Rose ends up slipping out about Ledah. And what's this? Ein and Ledah can cook! And Cierra ends up coming to help them out too! Extra-long cooking and chatter chapter!