Paula dipped the dinner plate into the hot water as she scrubbed it with a sponge. She pulled it out and looked at it. The caked on food no longer deformed the shininess of the plate. Satisfied, Paula turned on the faucet and rinsed the plate until all the soap was washed away. She took a towel and dried the plate. She then handed the plate to Christian, who put it on the table with the other dishes.
Christian looked at the table full of clean plates, bowls, and utensils. He smiled as he looked at a spoon. He stared at it awhile, and slowly the spoon rose from the table. Christian couldn't hold back a slight giggle.
"Christian," Paula said sternly.
Christian looked quickly to his mother as the spoon fell to the table with a clinking sound.
Paula smiled a bit to herself as she continued washing the rest of the plates.
Christian was two years old when Paula and Ness first saw it. It was Christmastime, and they were handing a present to Christian when he said he wanted to see a bigger one that sat under the tree. As he spoke, the larger present rose and floated to him. Paula looked at Ness, thinking he had done it, but Ness' expression told Paula he was surprised as well.
So far Paula was unsure what specialties Christian would develop. Up until now, they have only seen some basic PSI powers. There was the time when Christian put the neighbor's cat to sleep for half a day. Another time Paula felt a tiny tingle throughout her body which she realized was PSI energy flowing out of her and towards Christian. Paula has since been able to explain to Christian why he can't use PSI Magnet whenever he wants to.
Paula slowly closed her eyes as she became lost in her memories as well as her continuing worry for Ness. If for no other reason, she wanted him better just for Christian's sake. She wanted Ness to be healthy when Christian learned more powers. Paula knew she was about Christian's age when she learned PSI Freeze, and Ness said he was only five when he discovered a certain affinity for electricity. More than anything, Ness needed to be better for Christian. That was more important than everything else.
A soft breeze blew through Paula's long hair and she snapped out of her daydream. Her mind could sense it. Some entity had just transported itself into their house, but in a way she could not recognize. She took off her dish gloves and hurried up the stairs towards Ness' room. She almost gasped when she entered.
Next to Ness' bed floated an old man. He wore a white robe and a white turban on his head. Paula recognized him from Ness' descriptions even though this was her first time seeing him.
"Paula," Ness said, "This is Talah Rama."
"Of course," Paula answered, "It is an honor to meet you."
"The honor is all mine," Talah Rama replied, "To behold the wisdom and the faith that you possess. A faith so strong that it united the Earth in defeating the evil Giygas."
"I am only glad that the others were so strong as to help us," Paula said, "We barely survived that ordeal."
"I can tell where you are going," Talah Rama interjected, "You fear the survival of the planet now that history is doomed to repeat itself."
Paula nodded in silence.
"I can't say that I don't share her worry," Ness said, "It sounds as though the forces of evil have everything going the way they want it."
"Yes, they appear to have won the opening rounds," Talah Rama admitted, "But as you have shown in the past, Ness, the only victory is the lasting one."
"It's far from over," Paula said, "Much can happen from now until the end."
"Ah, but is it even the end?" Talah Rama challenged, "Or merely another beginning?"
"We're hoping for a new beginning," Ness said.
"Hope delivers the courage that brings the solution," Talah Rama answered, "but you are losing the hope."
Ness lowered his head as he glanced at his wound.
"It's just hard knowing I can't do anything to help," Ness said, "but... you can help, can't you, Talah Rama?"
Talah Rama slowly cocked his head.
"Please say that you can," Ness said, "I can't just sit here all the time."
"And what is it you want to do?" Talah Rama asked.
"I want to help," Ness said, "We just sent Mako out there to do this all on his own. I know there are probably others to help him out, but I know that I am capable of helping if only I could."
Talah Rama slowly unfolded his legs and lowered himself to the ground. He walked over to Ness and looked at Ness' bandage.
With a wave of his hand, the bandage slowly lifted painlessly off of Ness, revealing the naked wound underneath.
"The natural healing has begun," Talah Rama said, "The deep cut that Supreme Starman touched you with has begun to repair itself."
"But it's too slow," Ness said.
"Yes, the natural world does appear slow at times," Talah Rama replied, "This touch of evil has blocked the swifter PSI methods from helping."
"Is there anything you can do?" Paula asked.
Talah Rama closed his eyes and held out his hand. A white glow emitted from him and encompassed Ness. Ness felt strangely calm as a cooling sensation passed through his body. Ness closed his eyes and could see the stars as though it were nighttime. Some lit up brightly, as though they were guiding him somewhere.
Ness moved forward and followed the path of the stars. They slowly came together as one, and shined brightly. All at once, the light faded and a figure appeared. Ness gasped and his eyes snapped open. The white glow faded from Talah Rama as he stepped away from Ness.
Ness realized he was panting and sweat was dripping down his forehead.
"What happened?" Paula asked.
"I saw..." Ness stuttered, "I saw... him."
"Who?" Paula asked.
"He who is here to do the greatest of harms," Talah Rama answered.
"It was... weird," Ness said, "I couldn't make out what it was really. I could see eyes. Orange eyes. And a blade I think. I couldn't tell if it was some sword or... something else."
Paula wondered to herself as well what it could mean since she was accustomed to cryptic visions.
Ness then looked down at his wound and gasped.
"It was as much as I could do," Talah Rama said, "Unfortunately, even I have limits against the power used to inflict that injury."
Ness' wound wasn't as scabby as before. It looked almost fully healed, but it was still slightly tender. You could see a scar forming underneath.
"I do feel much better," Ness said, "Before I felt almost drained. Like I had no energy at all."
"I'm sure the wound was designed to impugn against your PSI as well as your physical body." Talah Rama guessed.
"Thank you," Ness said, "Thank you for coming and helping. I'm sure I'll be ready to help out now in a couple days."
"Despite all other things," Talah Rama said, "Do not fret too much over those who wander. They are making better strides than you know."
"Mako?" Ness said, "Do you know something?"
"He is making progress," Talah Rama replied simply, "Now I must be leaving."
"Thank you, sir," Paula said, "I can't tell you how much this means to us."
"I have seen it," Talah Rama said with a smile, "And I may yet see it... again. Farewell and good fortune."
"And you as well," Ness said.
Talah Rama slowly rose into the air. He folded his legs and faded away.
Ness sat up and moved to the edge of his bed.
"Don't try to rush things," Paula said.
"Don't worry," Ness said, "I feel much better, but I won't overdo it. I just need to stretch now that I'm able."
Christian walked in the door.
"Daddy's better?" he asked.
"You bet, sport," Ness said, "Your dad can't be beaten that easily."
"Yeah!" Christian cheered.
Paula exhaled and smiled. Thank you for bringing Ness back to Christian, she thought silently.
She left the room and returned to the kitchen to finish washing the plates.
It was as if no time had passed. Mako was standing in the hospital room next to Trevor, and now he stood in an open field.
He wasn't sure where he was, but as he looked around he could tell there was a fight. He identified the remains of a creature as a Mook.
"What happened here?" Mako asked aloud.
He heard a faint whimper and looked up towards a tree. A boy was standing behind it looking at him.
"It's okay," Mako said, "I won't hurt you."
Mako walked over to the boy. "Who are you?"
"Heath," the boy answered meekly.
"Did you do this?" Mako asked, "Are you... are you the one I'm looking for?"
"It was... so bright," Heath said, "I thought he was dead, and then it was just... so bright."
"I don't understand," Mako said, "Are you talking about someone? Something?"
"The mooks," Heath said, "They were going to kill, but now they're just all... dead. All dead, and..."
"Go on," Mako urged.
"I was... afraid to touch him," Heath said, "I think he's dead too."
Heath's eyes suddenly darted across the meadow. Mako spun around to look. He could see another boy lying on the ground.
Mako ran over to him and knelt on the ground beside him.
Heath slowly walked over as well. "Is he then?" Heath asked, "Is he dead?"
Mako held out his hands over the boy and uttered, "PSI Lifeup Beta!"
The grass around the boy blew outwards a bit as the energy flowed into his body. Slowly, his arm moved.
Heath let out a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, the boy jerked himself up in a panic.
"Don't kill me!" he cried, "Please don't!"
"It's okay," Mako said.
"I don't want to die!" the boy yelled, "Please!"
"Hey!" Mako yelled and he grabbed the boy's shoulders.
The boy gasped and looked at Mako in terror.
"You aren't going to die," Mako assured him, "The mooks are gone."
"G-gone?" the boy said, "But how? Why would they leave?"
"They didn't leave," Mako said as he looked over his shoulder.
The boy followed his gaze and saw the remains of a mook.
"They're all dead," Mako said.
"You... came?" the boy asked, "You killed them?"
"I only just got here," Mako said, "They were already dead."
"Don't you remember, Brian?" Heath suddenly chimed in, "It was you. You killed them all yourself!"
"Brian?" Mako said, "That's your name?"
Brian slowly nodded as he stared ahead in confusion.
"How did I kill them?" he asked.
Mako looked at Heath.
"I told you," Heath said, "I could only see light. I don't know what happened."
"But..." Brian stuttered, "It couldn't have been me. I was... dead. Senior Mook had me and was going to kill me. I couldn't do anything to stop it."
"Well, it appears that you did," Mako said.
"No," Brian said, "Somebody else... somebody else must have come."
"No one came," Heath said, "Unless they did after you gave off the light."
"I gave off a light?" Brian asked.
"Yeah," Heath said, "Senior Mook was standing over you, and you just suddenly gave off this intense light."
For from out of the renewed darkness, a new light will emerge
Brian slowly stood up and looked at himself.
"I just... couldn't have," he muttered.
"Look, whatever did happen, we have to move forward," Mako said, "I'm here to help. My name is Mako."
He held out his hand and Brian slowly shook it.
"You're here to help me?" Brian asked.
"Yes," Mako said, "As I'm sure you already know, something is here on Earth. A force that wishes to destroy us all. I just came from seeing Trevor."
"Trevor!" Brian gasped, "Is he awake?"
"Sadly, no," Mako said, "But I know what it is he told you to do, and I'm here to help do the same thing."
"I don't even understand half of this," Brian said, "I... I just don't know what to do."
"Well, let me explain," Mako said, "Because I was brought here to you, so obviously you are part of all of this. I'll tell you what is going on, and then we both will work to stop it."
Brian looked away. The last thing he remembered was wanting to go home, and now here he was, standing with this other boy and all the mooks were dead. On top of that, Brian apparently was the one who killed them.
Brian's head told him to go home. It was yelling at him to go home actually, but what his mouth said was "Right. Tell me what's going on then."
Shendi traversed through the dark hallways until he came to a large doorway. He pressed his palm to a plate beside the door and it opened.
Shendi walked in to see Georg standing by Rygwar. "That is excellent, my lord," Georg said.
"Report to the designated location," Rygwar ordered, "And if you happen to encounter any... opposition, see to it that it's taken care of."
"Yes," Georg replied. He quickly turned around as his long cloak rippled in the air.
"The failed assasin returns," Georg replied.
"I hardly think you are in a sufficient position to so eagerly cast stones, Georg," Shendi answered.
"I'm at least able to maintain my composure when doing what is asked of me," Georg replied.
Shendi let out a low growl.
"That will be enough!" Rygwar snapped, "There are bigger things going on here and I lack the time to stand here watching you two ruffians trade insults!"
"My apologies, master," Georg said, "I will be on my way then."
Georg walked slowly out of the room, exchanging a cold glance with Shendi on the way.
"Come forward!" Rygwar yelled.
Shendi jerked out of his trance and walked up to Rygwar.
"I don't suppose you have a reasonable explanation for your current performance?" Rygwar asked.
Shendi glanced away.
"All I told you to do was to go and observe the activity concerning the girls and those cyborgs," Rygwar continued, "I merely wanted a report on what they were doing, but thanks to your daydreaming both the cyborg and the girls are somewhere out there and I lack any additional information."
"Begging your pardon, sir," Shendi said, "But it would appear to me that if I had not been hit when Elder Mook threw that cyborg, I would not have lost track..."
"Silence!" Rygwar boomed, "I did not ask for your personal opinion of the matter. You should not even have been that close to the girls in the first place. Even if the cyborg had not landed on you, those girls may have noticed you by some other means."
"I am capable of keeping my presence a secret," Shendi said confidently.
"You underestimate the true powers that can be posessed by the humans," Rygwar criticized, "Giygas did the same and now Giygas is dead. Do you wish to be dead, Shendi?"
"No, sir," Shendi answered.
"Then kindly obey my future orders and stop with these meaningless side quests that you get yourself distracted on," Rygwar said sternly.
"I will do my best, my lord," Shendi said, "If you wish, I could go and see what exactly happened to Senior Mook's army. I sensed the power that came from the fight."
"We aren't in a game where you can go investigate things that spark interest in you," Rygwar stated, "That situation is already being looked into. You are to go to the depths of Deep Darkness. The time has finally come for the next step."
"Yes," Shendi answered.
"Now go," Rygwar said, "And tread carefully. I will be keeping a close watch on you from now on."
Shendi nodded and walked out. He paused outside Rygwar's chamber and felt something. He thought it was some form of anger. He soon shook it off though and continued on his way.
Kayla held out her hands and yelled, "PSI Freeze Beta!"
A large mist of freezing air flew through the air towards Porkle.
As Porkle ran towards the mist, he held out his hand and a red glow radiated from his hand.
As the mist hit his hand, it turned to steam as it was heated by Porkle's heated hand.
Angela and Kayla gasped and quickly jumped out of the way as Porkle came charging past.
"You will soon see that I am much more capable than the clumsy cyborgs you have already faced," Porkle promised.
He turned around and snatched Angela's arm.
"Hey!" Angela gasped.
Porkle quickly swung her around and tossed her away. Angela landed with a thud on the ground.
"That was a mistake!" Kayla yelled, "PSI Tornadogenesis Beta!"
The air around Porkle quickly began to blow in a tight circle as the cyclone erupted upwards.
Porkle tried to move to get out of its path, but it was too late and he was lifted up into the air.
"Angela, now!" Kayla yelled.
Angela got to her feet and reared back her hands.
"PSI Wave Beta!" she yelled as the two balls of water formed and she threw them to the small tornado.
Porkle glanced down with anxious eyes as the water struck the tornado and quickly filled the cyclone with water.
"That'll show him!" Kayla said triumphantly.
The tornado slowly died down and the water fell out as a light drizzle.
"What!" Angela gasped.
As the girls looked up, they saw the figure of Porkle appear from the dissipating water.
"I'm sorry," Porkle said, "But were you under the assumption that your little trick had worked against me? How sad for you."
"Guess we'll have to find another way," Kayla mumbled.
She searched her mind but wasn't sure of anything else that would have much of an effect. Her freeze beta was the strongest attack she had. The tornadogenesis had its advantages, but it only helped alot when combined with Angela's water beta.
Kayla quickly flashed back to when they realized they could do that. Angela had had her water power for some time now when Kayla developed a specialty to controlling the wind. Angela had wondered if they could create a water spout and they tried it out. Unfortunately, they did get into trouble afterwards because they decided to try this while standing in Kayla's living room.
"I'm growing bored here," Porkle said, snapping Kayla out of her flashback, "I have better things to do, and I don't feel like wasting anymore time with you two little piggies."
"Any ideas, Kayla?" Angela asked.
But Kayla didn't answer. Another memory suddenly entered her head. She was a lot younger, and she was listening to her parents talking with her grandfather, Gelgerade Monotoli. They were talking about the time when Kayla's grandfather almost lost the company. Back when he fell under the influence of evil.
Porkle landed on the ground in front of Angela and Kayla.
"As interested as I am in continuing this fight, Miss Monotoli, I really don't feel like delaying my own agenda any longer. I must be visiting an old friend by now. You can wait until later."
"Why are you interested in me at all!" Kayla yelled, "I haven't done anything to you!"
"Guess I just... dislike your ugly name," Porkle replied.
Kayla's mind traveled to the past again. She remembered her Grandfather's words. His story of the tragedy. Of his encounter with members of the Chosen Four. Of a certain... employee he once had.
"Bye bye," Porkle said, "You stupid little pig's butts."
Kayla knew now. She was somewhat surprised, but as she stared closely at the human features, she could notice a faint resemblence.
"I know who you are," Kayla said.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Porkle said, "You already know I am Porkle."
"No," Kayla said, "That's not your real name."
"Very amusing, girl," Porkle said, "And I suppose you are going to tell me what my real name is?"
"Yes," Kayla said, "It's Pokey Minch."