Horseshoes and Hand-grenades
Intermission 3: 16-1-7-9-3/20-8-5/7-1-20-8-5-18-9-14-8
"Magic becomes art when it has nothing to hide."
-Ben Okri
Approaching the war zone that was Kyoto were two people on a silver motorcycle with its front resembling a red jewel. The one driving the motorcycle turned to his partner.
"How are you holding, Yayoi?" asked the motorcyclist. "Are you all right?"
Yayoi nodded her head, wrapping her arms around the motorcyclist's waist. She knew that there was stuff going down in Kyoto and that it had to be stopped before things got even worse. If what she discovered was correct, then everyone in the general area was in danger.
"Are you sure you're going to be able to handle this, Haruto?" Yayoi asked. "Gentaro's a Kamen Rider who has a multitude of weapons at his disposal, not to mention that Ophiuchus is channeling anger and hatred through him. Ophiuchus is still angry over what happened millennia ago and…"
"We'll save him in time," Haruto quickly answered. "We'll be the one who give him hope."
"You say that so easily, yet you don't even know what Gentaro is capable of…" Yayoi muttered.
Haruto's eyes widened as he saw a grey cloaked figure appearing right in front of them. He quickly placed the brakes on the Machine Winger as it slowly skidded to a stop. He then placed the kickstand down as he got off, approaching the stranger.
"Excuse me," he asked. "But, do you mind if you get out of the way? My friend and I need to get going."
"Where are you going and why?" asked the grey cloaked figure, pulling out a deck of cards from her sleeve. "Why are you in such a rush? Live for what you have. Carpe diem!"
"It's nice that someone knows a little bit of Latin, but we need to go," said Yayoi, hopping out of the motorcycle. "Kyoto is in grave danger and..."
"That's not the only thing in grave danger, is it?" The cloaked figure giggled and removed her hood, revealing a young girl with brown hair and gold eyes. The shadow beneath her feet transformed into a large grey serpent with golden eyes. At the same time, the world around them faded into hues of grey, masking the three from the outside world. "Who are you to interfere?"
"And who are you?" asked Haruto. "What do you want with us?"
"I am Mei Shirakawa, the Serpent-bearer to my mistress," The girl replied, tossing her deck of cards everywhere. "And my mistress bears the name of Divine Fortuneteller Renenutet. Isn't that correct?"
"Another serpent?" Yayoi gasped. "But how can that be? I thought Ophiuchus was the only..."
"He has business in Kyoto today," Renenutet explained, leaning close to Yayoi. "And he gave me an offering to ensure that no outside forces can interfere with his plans. As his older sister, I shall oblige to what he wants."
"Older sister? But...but..."
"You didn't really think that Ophiuchus was the only serpent here, right?" Renenutet let out a laugh that sounded joyous. "You are a naïve, little girl. What are you doing on a day like this?"
"We're here to stop this madness before it's too late!" said Yayoi. "So now..."
"Yayoi," said Haruto, bringing up an arm. "This isn't something you need to get involved in. I only brought you here to bring the information to your friend, not to fight." He stepped toward Mei, slipping a ring onto his right ring finger. "Shall we dance, dear lady?"
Mei laughed, placing a hand near her face. She sighed before raising a hand.. One of the cards wobbled before flying toward her hand.
"Very well," she said. "Here's a little game to play: Tarot pick-up. We each pick up one card and state what it is. The goal is to defeat your opponent with the right card combinations and to see whether or not fate is on your side. If you win, you two will gain access to Kyoto. If not..." Mei smirked. "That is for me to decide, is it not?"
Renenutet vanished as Mei let out another laugh. Haruto just narrowed his eyes.
"We shall see," He said, placing his right hand over the hand-shaped belt buckle on his waist.
Driver On, Please.
A silver belt appeared around Haruto's waist as he slipped a ring with a large ruby onto his left ring finger. He flipped the two tabs on the belt, changing the position of the hand to the left as a silver ring of light turned on.
"What the..." said Yayoi. "Haruto...what are you?"
Haruto smiled as he flipped the silver casing over the ruby ring. Mei tilted her head in curiosity.
"Henshin," he simply stated, placing his left hand over the large hand buckle.
Flame, Please! Hii! Hii! Hii-Hii-Hii!
A large red circle of runes encased Haruto, transforming his black jacket and red pants into a long black suit, pants and longcoat. Covering his face was a helm similar to a large ruby, and his chest had armor designed to look like similar red jewels.
"Call me Wizard," said Haruto, turning to Yayoi. He then turned back to Mei and said, "It's showtime."
"I guess it is," said Mei, revealing her card. "First card: III The Empress, Inverted!"
She tossed the card as a woman in a white robe materialized, wielding a powerful scepter and a heart-shaped shield. On top of her head was a crown made out of stars and she sat on a regal throne.
"Oh?" said Wizard. "That's interesting."
"The inverted Empress states that you're using your talents for the very wrong things," Mei explained, pointing a finger. "Isn't that right...Yayoi?"
Yayoi gasped as the Empress stood up and chanted a spell under her breath. The scepter in the Empress' hand began to glow, preparing to knock Yayoi off of her feet. Thinking quick, Wizard picked up a card and showed it to the Empress.
"VII The Lovers, Upright!" he announced. He paused before looking back at the card. "What will this do?"
"Very nice for an opening move," said Mei. "Love is the most powerful force in the universe and drawing this means you have someone to protect, Wizard. Not bad."
Wizard tossed the card in front of the Empress as a man and woman emerged, shielded by an angel with a flaming sword in hand. Wizard wrapped Yayoi in an embrace just as the Empress hurled an orb of energy toward the Lovers.
"It's going to be all right," Wizard whispered to Yayoi. "I won't let Mei harm you."
"...No," Yayoi pushed Wizard out of the way. She balled her hands into fists. "I'm joning this fight right now!"
As both Empress and Lovers vanished, Yayoi ran to a card to her left. She looked at it before revealing it to Mei.
"XI Justice, Inverted!" she announced. "What will Justice show you today?"
"Suffering of injustice?" Mei answered. "Don't need it." Another card came to her hand as she smiled. "VIII Strength, Upright!"
A set of scales and a sword appeared in Yayoi's hands, while Mei now had a garland of flowers around her head, and a white lion by her side. Mei rushed toward Yayoi while Wizard was face to face with the lion. The lion pounced onto Wizard, letting out a roar as it attempted to eat him alive.
"Not today, kitty cat," Wizard grunted, quickly replacing the ring on his right hand for another that had a dragon peeking out of a portal. He quickly flipped the tabs on the hand buckle on the WizarDriver and placed his right hand over it.
Connect, Please.
A red portal appeared near his right as he slipped his right hand in it. Then, he pulled it out, revealing a large silver gun with a large hand under the handle. Wizard then fired three shots at the lion, causing it to stumble back with an angry roar.
Yayoi was having trouble fighting Mei. VIII Strength, as the name implied, was giving Mei the strength of at least twenty men as she began to strangle all of the air in Yayoi's lungs. Yayoi, not wanting to give up so quickly, brought the scales toward Mei's head, knocking her head to the side. Seeing another card to her left, Yayoi stabbed it with the sword and showed it to Mei.
"XII The Hanged Man, Upright!" she exclaimed. "If I know my Tarot, this means that your inverted Empress is useless now. I'm using my talents of research to help the world from a terrible fate! This will end here!"
Mei gasped as a large vine wrapped around her ankle, pulling her off of Yayoi and kept her dangling over a large tree. Yayoi stood up, taking a deep breath of air before she rushed toward her adversary, sword in hand. Thinking quick, Mei levitated another card into her hand.
"XVI The Tower, Upright!" she announced. "Smite my enemy where they stand and make them realize that they're being nothing more than selfish, little pricks!"
There was the sound of thunder as a mass of storm clouds began to form over Yayoi's head. Knowing that she had no time to lose, she rolled toward the nearest card and held it.
"Four of Wands...Inverted?" she gasped, seeing the rejoicing carolers and canopy of flowers backward. "What does that mean?"
"Good attitudes bring good outcomes," Mei answered, seeing an assortment of four wands hovering over Yayoi's head. "Lucky you..."
The four wands began to glow, creating a barrier that deflected the lightning toward the lion that Wizard was fighting. The lion was reduced to ashes in less than a second.
"What the..." asked Wizard, turning to the fight. "Yayoi, what are you doing?"
"Trying to prove that she can actually do something," Mei replied, swinging back. With the momentum, she picked up another card and smiled. "But this is where she meets her end: Eight of Swords, Upright! Bind her with her fears and her anxieties! Kill her where she stands!"
Yayoi felt white strips of cloth wrap around her body and covering her eyes in darkness. She tried to struggle, but the cloth reacted by pulling her back to the ground. No matter what she did, she felt voices taunting her, telling her that she couldn't fight back. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the swords sticking out of her body when the blindfold would be pulled off of her eyes.
Defend, Please.
The blindfold was ripped off as Wizard stood in front of her, a wall of fire protecting her from eight pointy blades. The blades melted into globs of liquid metal around their feet.
"Don't worry," said Wizard, turning to Yayoi. "Your knight in shining armor has arrived."
"I...I don't want to rely on you all the time!" Yayoi replied, reaching out for another card. "Three of Swords, Inverted! Come forth, Lord of Sorrow!"
A large red heart with three swords skewering it materialized. The swords were drawn out before flying toward their target of Mei Shirakawa. Mei, having already drawn a card from the commotion, smiled.
"Come forth my Inverted King of Swords!" she cried. "Strike down the Gem Wizard and the evil he shall soon spread."
"Evil?" Yayoi silently mouthed as a man dressed in a white robe and red cape appeared, sword in hand. With some quick strokes, the three swords dropped to the ground before vanishing. The King of Swords smirked as he beckoned Wizard to fight him.
"Very well," said Wizard. "I'll fight fairly."
He pushed the handle upward, revealing a blade hidden inside the gun. He rushed toward the King of Swords as the two began to fight in a sword duel, their blades clashing with every strike. Yayoi was so distracted that she didn't notice Mei drawing another card before it was too late.
"Six of Wands, Upright!" Mei announced. "Victory is mine!"
Yayoi turned as six wands materialized, all of them preparing to fire a spell at the distracted girl. She went for the nearest card and held it in the air.
"I The Magician, Upright!" she exclaimed. "I decide my fate, Mei! I won't die today!"
Replacing the scales and sword in Yayoi's hand was a silver crystal radiating with power. Yayoi drew an infinity sign in front of her, creating a barrier that deflected the magic shofts back at Mei. Mei dodged the attacks before drawing another cards, snarling at how her target had evaded her move.
"Queen of Swords, Upright!" she screamed, pointing at Yayoi. "Bring her DOWN!"
A woman in a regal gown appeared, brandishing a sword. She charged toward Yayoi, just as Yayoi summoned a large golden pentacle to act as a shield. The Queen brought her sword down, but she was thrown back when the sword met the barrier. The Queen moaned before vanishing.
"Like I said," Yayoi replied, a smile on her face. "I won't go down so easily. You're going to have to try harder than that to defeat me."
"Yes, I shall," Mei replied, drawing a card. She smirked. "Do you know the significance of the number four?"
"Every kid knows what it means," said Yayoi, clasping onto the crystal in hand. "Why ask such an obvious question?"
She closed her eyes as she focused on what Mei told her. There were four cards in the Minor Arcana and both card IV and XIV in the Major Arcana. Making a mental note to herself, eight cards had been drawn out of a possible 78, meaning there were 70 cards left in the deck. There were six chances of a card with the number four, meaning that Mei had around a .09% to draw a card with that number. She opened her eyes and smiled—Mei was bluffing.
"Think I'm joking, aren't you?" asked Mei, seeing Yayoi gasp. She flipped the sword over, revealing a man on an altar resting in prayer, three swords hanging on the wall and one mounted to the side of the table.
"Four of Swords, Upright!" said Mei. "Let's end this!"
Four swords materialized and flew toward Yayoi's side. Yayoi concentrated as a chalice, wand and sword materialized from the ground. The wand fired a bolt of lightning that disintegrated one sword. Two swords clashed before the one Yayoi summoned became the victor. The chalice splashed water on the third sword before knocking it to the side. The fourth one...
Wait, where did the fourth one go?
Yayoi looked around, noticing the sword wasn't going for her. That was when realization struck—the last sword wasn't targeting her!
"Haruto!" Yayoi screamed, turning to see Wizard and the King of Swords fighting. "Look out!"
Wizard turned, but it was too late. The sword impaled him through the heart and Wizard fell to the ground. Mei smirked as she saw Yayoi race toward Wizard. The coat and gem-based armor faded away, revealing a bleeding Haruto Souma.
"No, this can't be happening!" Yayoi screamed, resting by Haruto's side. "Haruto, wake up! You have to!"
"Y-Yayoi," Haruto sputtered out, blood falling down his lips. "I'm sorry...I couldn't be your knight..."
"Stop babbling chivalry talk!" Yayoi exclaimed, seeing the grey world disappear. "You have to live! Isn't there a ring you have that can heal yourself? You have to bring hope! Please...don't leave me!"
"Yayoi..." Haruto turned to Yayoi, trying his best to smile. "I'm sorry..."
As his eyes closed for the last time, a white figure emerged by his side with a black fedora on his head. The figure's golden eyes shone with glee as he walked past a sobbing Yayoi. Mei raised a hand in the air as her Tarot cards leapt toward her and formed a complete deck once more.
The white figure approached Mei's side. Mei narrowed her eyes.
"Who are you supposed to be?" she asked calmly. "Are you another Serpent?"
"Your eyes don't deceive you, little lady," The figure replied. "I am the Voodoo King Damballa, and I assume that my niece rests inside your body."
"You are correct, uncle," a voice chuckled. The shadows around Mei's feet transformed into Renenutet who nodded her head. "How are you, uncle? When was the last time we saw each other?"
"Too long," Damballa cackled. He turned to Haruto and pointed a finger at him. "I have come for him—his services are needed by my Serpent-bearer. May I have him?"
"If you desire," Renenutet replied. "Do what you need to do, and tell your grandson I said, 'Hello.'"
"I will," Damballa replied, transforming into a white serpent. "I'll be right back."
Yayoi wiped the tears off of her face as she saw the King of Swords, kneel down Haruto's body, forcing his mouth to open. She wanted to ask why, but soon found her answer. A white snake slithered toward Haruto's body, crawling into his mouth and into his throat. Yayoi grabbed onto the serpent's tail in an effort to stop...whatever it was that was going to happen, but she had to pull her hand back. Touching the snake burned her hands, preventing her from getting a good grip on him.
"What are you doing?" asked Yayoi, turning to Mei. "What's going to happen to Haruto?!"
"...How am I supposed to know?" Mei answered, pulling her hood up. "It's up to him to decide in the end."
The King of Swords vanished as the last of the snake disappeared inside Haruto. Yayoi could do absolutely nothing but wait to see what would happen to her friend.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Haruto slowly began to wake up in an empty void. He sat up, trying to remember what happened. There was a sword fight, a scream, and a sword...that was all.
His head was so fuzzy...if only he could remember...
"Having some memory troubles?" Someone asked. "Oh dear...that's a shame."
Haruto turned around him, seeing a figure in white emerge from the wall (was it a wall? It was kind of hard to tell), a hand on the fedora on their head. They lifted their gaze, revealing black lines going down the corners of ther lips and golden eyes.
"Who are you?" asked Haruto, a bit dumbly. "What's going on?"
"I am Damballa, and your soul is in-between the land of the living and dead. You were killed when you exposed yourself to a very sharp blade." Damballa removed his hat and pulled out a snake with white scales and gold eyes. The tiny serpent slithered onto Haruto's arm, sticking its little forked tongue out. "That's not a good way to go, is it?"
"No, I guess not." Haruto stroked the serpent's head with a finger. The serpent soon crawled up Haruto's shoulder, still staring at him with golden eyes.
"However, I can bring you back to life. There are so many people who still need your services. Your parents, for example, are expecting you to spread your hope to those fallen into despair."
"My...parents..." Haruto murmured, staring into the serpent's golden eyes. "Hope..."
"Oh? You don't remember? Yes, I suppose it's good not to remember that they died, or the horrible ritual that you had to go through...you were one of the only survivors that day, weren't you? It was such a tragedy that you have to carry that weight until you die...which wasn't that long was it?"
Haruto didn't pay attention as he lifted his arm so that the snake was eye-to-eye to him. Staring into its golden eyes made him feel safe and secure...as if there was a blanket keeping him warm. He smiled as he found himself basking in a glow of an evil he was being drawn into, oblivious at what was to come.
"And I can tell that you're having so much trouble about what to do next. That's all right..." Damballa circled his prey, smiling as he continued to speak to his new puppet's mind. "If your parents say that you are their hope, then you must bring hope to a place that needs someone like you to make them smile. I know just the place...if you're willing..."
Haruto's eyes fluttered, trying their hardest to stare into the small serpent's gaze without succumbing to sleep. He felt like he could stare into those golden specks forever and ever, never feeling worry, pain or despair. It was a glorious feeling. He smiled.
Damballa knelt down and took the serpent into his hands. Dropping it back into his hat, he then placed his hands on Haruto's face, staring into those empty brown eyes with glee. Now that his mind was empty, it was time to begin the next process.
"There, that's a good boy." The Voodoo King hissed, placing a hand over Haruto's eyes. Haruto closed his eyes and his body slumped toward the side, but Damballa caught him before he fell. "I'm going to do a bit of magic on you—a magic that I know you'll enjoy from the bottom of your heart."
Haruto continued to smile even as Damballa's human transformation faded, and his serpentine form circled around his prey. Then, Damballa opened his mouth and swallowed his prey whole.
0-0-0-0-0-0-
Haruto slowly opened his eyes, feeling the sun shining down on him. Yayoi, still kneeling by his side, wrapped her arms around him. He could feel the tears splashing down on his face and Yayoi's shivering body against his own.
"What happened there?" Yayoi asked, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "Who was that person who entered through your mouth? What was he doing to you? Haruto, please say something..."
Haruto tilted his head and ran a mitten-shaped hand through her hair. Liking the touch, he continued to stroke and stroke and stroke, but it still didn't make Yayoi feel any better. If anything, Yayoi just continued to shiver in fear, as if she was being touched by an icy hand.
"I couldn't do anything to help you," Yayoi sobbed. "I just didn't know what to do. I'm so useless—I couldn't even save someone from death! What kind of person am I?"
"...Don't cry," said Haruto, wiping away Yayoi's tears with another mitten-shaped hand. "You just have to keep smiling! Father's made me feel much better all ready! See?"
He pulled Yayoi away from him, but Yayoi's face now showed an expression of disbelief. Haruto looked confused.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "Is there something wrong with my face?"
"H-Haruto..." Yayoi stammered. "You're...you're..."
"What? What is it?"
"You're a doll!" Yayoi pulled out a compact mirror and handed it toward Haruto. "Take a look! Don't you find it...abnormal?"
Haruto took the mirror into his hands and stared at his reflection. His face was white, looking similar to cotton, and his eyes were now gold ovals. His mouth was covered with stitches that went through his lips, and on his forehead was a peculiar symbol that looked similar to two flags intertwined with a large serpent.
"I don't see strange about it," Haruto replied, slowly standing up. He slightly wobbled a bit, trying to find his center of gravity. As he was about to fall, Yayoi helped him stand up by grabbing onto one of his arms...that detatched from its socket with the sound of cloth ripping. Sand started to fall from Haruto's arm.
"...Can I have my arm back?" said Haruto, noticing the stump on his right shoulder.
Yayoi was taking a deep breath as she tried to understand what happened. She looked to Mei, who was sitting on a bench and shuffling her deck, and then back at Haruto. She saw a white aura surrounding him before it separated, revealing a white figure with golden eyes.
"You," Yayoi gasped, pointing to the strange figure. "Who are you?"
"Me?" The figure chuckled. "I'm known as Damballa, the Voodoo King. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance."
"Father," said Haruto, turning to the white figure. "Can you sew my arm back? It fell off."
"Did it?" Damballa shook his head and smiled as he delicately pulled the arm from Yayoi's grasp. "Oh dear, what a shame. I guess the only thing to do is head back to Futo and get it fixed. You'll love it there, my sweet little boy. There will be others who would want you to bring them the hope they need. There should be no tears in Futo, and what better way to spread happiness than with a lovely doll as yourself? Don't you agree, my sweet little boy?"
"Yay!" Haruto giggled, his grin stretching from ear to ear. "That sounds like fun!"
"No..." said Yayoi, trying to find the right words to say. Her heart pounded against her chest as she said, "You can't take him! He doesn't belong to you!"
"Really now?" asked Damballa, placing a kiss on Haruto's ear. "Tell me, my sweet little boy. Who was the one who brought you back to life?"
"You did, Father," Haruto answered.
"Correct. Did the girl in front of you do any such thing?"
"No, Father."
"So whose word should you trust? Hers or mine?"
"Yours, Father."
"That's a good little boy," Damballa purred, running his hand through Haruto's hair. "Now, let's get going. The circus awaits."
"Yay!"
Yayoi reached her hand out and began to run toward Haruto. Unfortunately, she was too slow. Damballa summoned a portal beneath his and Haruto's feet, and the two vanished just as Yayoi's fingertips were centimeters away from Haruto's shoulder and Damballa placing another kiss on his new toy's ear. Yayoi fell onto her knees in despair, failing to do anything to prevent this tragedy from occuring.
"I can't do anything right, can I?" She said to herself, seeing her tears splash down. "I can't fight, I can't defend, I can't save anything...then what am I good for?"
"Are you seriously going to just give up?" said Mei, interrupting Yayoi's pity party. "You can do so much now, but you're wasting it on tears. Is this what you decided to do now?"
"What can I do?" asked Yayoi, wiping the tears away. "Damballa has him and I don't know how to get to Futo! I don't even know where Futo is."
"The first thing you do is get up, take some deep breaths and calm down. You're not going to do anything looking like that."
"Says the girl who drew the card that made Haruto die!"
"I drew the card, yes, but I wasn't the one who couldn't defend himself in time." Mei stopped shuffling her deck and held it out to Yayoi. "Draw."
"This is no time to be drawing cards!" Yayoi balled her hands into fists and grabbed onto Mei's shoulders. "The world is at stake and all you care about is fortune-telling? Why are you even a Serpent-bearer in the first place?"
Mei narrowed her eyes and pushed Yayoi off of her. She pulled out a Tarot Card from her deck, inspected it for a second or two, and then showed it to Yayoi: it was a young man wielding one staff doing his best to deflect six others.
"What's that supposed to do?" asked Yayoi.
"The Seven of Wands represents that you need to fight off the threats with your inner strength and courage," Mei answered. "Do you have that type of courage to continue?"
Yayoi stayed quiet as Mei returned to shuffling her deck. The past few days had been her going through boring college classes and researching Ophiuchus and the War of the Stars. Last night, when those men in white coats chased her, she only ran away instead of standing her ground and was only saved thanks to Haruto coming in at the nick of time. All she did was stand there helplessly as he did all the work for her. She was pathetic.
"I don't know," Yayoi answered. "I honestly can't say if I do."
"Do you know what courage means? Courage does not mean you lack fear. It means that you face your fears despite everything going to hell. Can you do such a thing? Look at what you did when it came to fighting me. You had the courage to fight against me even though I was contracted to Lady Renenutet—will you throw that away because you could not save someone close to your heart?"
"No...I can't. Haruto needs me more than ever. I need to be the one that gives him hope."
"Very good," Mei slowly clapped her hands. "Get going. Futo awaits."
"I better tell Koyomi and Wajima about this first. The question is, how do I get there?"
"I can provide service," Mei drew another card. This one depicted a man in some sort of dance, holding two golden orbs marked with stars that were wrapped in fabric. The fabric looped to make an infinity sign. "This card will create two portals for you: one for where this 'Koyomi' and 'Wajima' live, and the other to Damballa's lair. I wish you the best of luck now that you have decided your fate."
"Why are you being so nice all of a sudden? You didn't want Haruto and I to enter Kyoto, but at the same time you want me to go to Damballa. What are you planning?"
"I'm not planning anything—I just give out fortunes to those who decide their fate. Now get going," Mei slipped her deck into a sleeve of her robe. "You don't want to keep your boyfriend waiting, do you?"
Yayoi nodded her head as she placed the card near her heart. Then, a golden seal materialized underneath her feet and she sank into it. The only thought in her mind was that she would save Haruto from his grizzly fate.
I'm coming for you, Haruto Souma! Yayoi thought to herself. Wait for me until then!
Translation Notes:
Hii (pronounced 'He'): Japanese word for fire
Next time: Back in Kyoto, Void States fights off against Meteor Impact. The fight against Leo and Virgo Zodiarts reaches its conclusion and a cold, cruel fate is in store for Yuki Jojima. The fateful Saturday in Kyoto is almost done, but that doesn't mean that it won't go down with a bang.
To be continued in, XXII "Sea of Darkness"