"You must understand that your meeting with the crystal was not happenstance. It was the crystal's will. You have been chosen."—Elder Topapa

Ungaga made an awkward companion by himself, Osmond found. Osmond had grown so used to the noise and light of his labs in Yellow Drops that having such a stiff man travel for a friend turned out to be a lot more awkward than Osmond expected.

Thankfully, Ungaga and Osmond weren't the only two on the ship.

"Can you believe that evrae?" Ruby huffed, sauntering away from the edge of the boat. "Thing almost took a bite out of our ship! So rude!"

Waves moved in lethargic ripples across the ocean surface, spurred on by the boat's engine. The foamy edge of those waves lapped against their boat's edge, rocking it ever so gently across on its journey west.

They were on their way across the sea dividing Saronia from the other land on this side of the world. It was a pretty slow ride, having to ride a boat with the wimpiest engine Osmond had ever seen. He managed a glimpse of the technology they used in this place, and it was honestly pathetic. He may as well been riding a chocobo-drawn carriage across the ocean, given how primitive these people were.

"So," Osmond said, propping his arms up on the ledge of the ship and waving toward no one in particular. "How're things?"

Ruby shrugged and spared the ocean a scathing look.

"They are… fine," Ungaga said quietly.

"Hey," Ruby said, "I have a question: how did it take so long for you to get here, Osmond? You've had your ship all this time, why not come down right away?"

Osmond shrugged. "Didn't exactly have our friendly little neighborhood genie-killer to get the minotaur out of the way. I had to fight the beast myself and it was awful!"

Ruby quirked an eyebrow. "So you could have done it yourself the whole time?"

"How do you know where we should go?" Ungaga asked, changing the subject.

Osmond pulled out his nifty tracker. "This guy," he announced proudly. Any engineer worth his ears would recognize how hastily the thing was assembled from scraps, but to Ungaga's untrained eyes, it may as well be magic. Osmond didn't bother trying to explain the rest of the process as much as he loved watching Ungaga's eyes spin.

Ruby snagged the tracker from Osmond's hands, eyes narrowing. "What does it do?"

"Traces signals," Osmond said. "I had to modify pre-existing technology in order to make it recognize the Genie's trail."

Ungaga asked for no further explanation. He didn't care for Osmond's technology. Typical for many humans like him, disregarding what they couldn't understand. When would they learn to see the wonder in bafflement? The excitement that came from the discovery of something yet unseen in the world? Osmond shook his head. They missed out on so much. If they stopped to research these crystals, for example, they would find quite the-

"You two don't meddle," Ungaga said. "What brings you here, now?"

Osmond blinked, looking up. Ungaga kept his gaze fixed ahead, but Osmond saw worry in his eyes. Ruby paused in her fiddling with Osmond's tracker.

Osmond sighed. Maybe Ungaga didn't know? "The moon. You saw it, right? I want it back,"

Ungaga dipped his head and nodded toward the horizon. "We must see what lies in our path first."

Osmond grimaced and wished for a moment that he didn't already know the answer to that question. "Remember Flagg?" he asked.

Ruby cursed and shoved the tracker back in Osmond's hands. "I've seen him around," she said. "He's been causing a lot of trouble under the Genie's control. Almost took out a kid back in Queens."

"Kid?" Osmond asked. "Toan?"

Ruby shook her head. "It's a long story."

"Flagg never died in this timeline," Ungaga said. "But the Genie did, didn't he?"

"Sort of," Ruby said, holding up a finger. "We weakened him."

"I was wondering why he showed up again," Osmond said. "Was everything we did for nothing?"

"No," Ruby said, "not by a long shot. This is just his rebound. Odds are it'll be a couple more timelines before he comes back again in his full form."

"Great," Osmond said, scowling.

"Hey, look on the bright side," Ruby said, "At least we're not time-traveling for once."

Osmond scoffed. "For now, at least."

Saronia was a welcome sight on the horizon. It reminded Ingus of Sasune, with its proud flag flapping in the wind and shouting soldiers. A guard patrolled the dock, awaiting their ship's arrival. Ingus nodded to himself at the sight of all those armored generals and footmen.

Monica prowled restlessly about the deck of the ship and Arc wouldn't emerge from his cot in the hold, so Ingus was left alone at the head of the ship. The silence was appreciated—the Crystals knew they had little time to themselves during their travels, and it certainly wouldn't get any better once they stocked up on supplies and left again. Ingus took a moment to savor the quiet wind that swept across the deck and whipped out his cloak.

The ship rocked as it approached the dock and Monica finally stopped pacing. She came to Ingus' side, regarding Saronia with what looked like relief.

"Welcome to the west," Ingus said, "Home to the four Crystals of Light and Darkness."

Monica said, a hint of awe in her voice, "It doesn't look any different from the east. Or my time, even. Just mountains and… what's that to the south?"

"Our home." They looked at the Floating Continent, its jagged edges peeking out from behind some clouds passing over. Sasune must be experiencing a healthy rainfall. "The Floating Continent."

Monica looked amused. "It's bigger than the last one I've seen."

"From your time?"

"Someone under the influence of the Genie once teleported their castle from the ground in one time to the air in another."

"Ours was created by a god of sorts turned mortal… He also was possessed."

Monica hummed in thought. "That would make an interesting connection, if he did that in all of his incarnations."

Sailors shouted as they prepared to dock, and deckhands rushed about. Seagulls wheeled in the sky as if to greet them and crowds in the city paused at the view of the ship. Travel between the two lands was still so new that any arrival, even that of a common transport ship, must have been an exciting prospect.

Arc appeared Ingus' other side and rubbed at his eyes. They'd repaired his damaged coat with buckles and hardened leather and he walked with a slight limp, but aside from that he looked like himself again. "Already?" he asked

"Yes," Ingus said.

Arc received precious rest on the voyage, allowing for his body to recover from the majority of the illness caused by his wounds. He still tired easily, but the rest of the symptoms were gone. Ingus and Monica both finished healing some days ago, which lent Ingus some confidence. It would fare well for them now, as opposed to being half-dead as before.

"Perhaps," Monica said, "I should be the spokesman this time. It's obvious that we'll be speaking with some dignitaries, so it's only appropriate that I represent us."

"You mistake me, princess," Ingus said. "I'm a well-respected dignitary and messenager myself. The people know me."

Monica opened her mouth to respond, but the ship lurched to a stop inside Saronia's bay, and Ingus, Arc, and Monica were forced into the crowd of passengers ready to disembark.

"Sir Ingus," said one guard, "Our apologies. We weren't expecting you."

Their attire had changed, with Ingus having lost much of the plating on his arms and legs, but he still wore the seal of Sasune that Alus granted the four of them for free passage through the city. The guards stationed at the unloading ramp only glanced to the seals that Arc and Ingus brandished before saluting and parting.

"She's with us," Arc said when they tried to stop Monica. "It's fine."

"But sir!" one of them said as Monica scowled at him. "King Alus-"

"I doubt he should mind," Ingus cut in. "If he takes issue, refer him to me."

"Y-yes, sir!"

Monica frowned as they walked away. "They're quick to stop people here."

"As they should," Ingus said. "The king has had many notable attempts on his life, one of which almost got him and his kingdom killed."

"By itself," Arc added. "Civil war."

Monica breathed, "How did that happen?"

"Long story," Arc and Ingus said at the same time.

The kingdom was built on the edge of the island, which included a lot of hills and steep inclines that made the paths uneven and bared more than a little resemblance to a maze. They would get a fair workout just making their way to Alus' residence.

Alus. Ingus cringed at the thought of speaking with him now. The king in Sasune had some matters he was in the middle of figuring out in their relationship to this kingdom and Alus would certainly expect an update from Ingus despite his travels.

Never mind the fact that Ingus didn't keep in touch with the king in the midst of everything else.

He pretended not to notice Monica sliding in front of him,

"What?" Monica exclaimed. "Here?"

Arc gaped in disbelief. They just missed Luneth and the others by a day.

Alus nodded. "I'm afraid so. They came seeking only refreshment and supplies, and thus remained here for their friend to recuperate before they left again."

"We need to leave!" Monica said, making for the door.

"Wait," Alus said. "They have an airship. If you wish to have any hope of catching up with them, you'll take one of mine as well. We've gotten closer to replicating the Nautilus' speed, but I admit that it's still not all there. And now that the Nautilus has been destroyed-"

"Destroyed?" Arc repeated, blanching. "It's gone?"

Alus set his mouth into a hard line. "For a given definition. It was blown up during Luneth's journey here, hence the injuries that his friend sustained. But we still have most of the engine in our labs, so we should still finish our research before we ship it back to Sasune."

"We fly out immediately, then," Ingus said, "If Your Majesty would grant us your blessing."

Monica looked anxiously to Alus.

"Yes," Alus said. "As soon as I received word of your arrival, I arranged to have a ship prepared for this exact scenario. Come. I'll show you."

Alus left his throne, cape sweeping out behind him. He drifted to Arc's side as they all left the room. Ingus took lead, with Monica right behind him.

Arc couldn't help but notice with a jealous twinge that Alus had somehow gained at least three inches since he and Arc last met. At this rate, he was going to be taller than Arc by the time they stopped growing.

"I should have you know," the king said softly enough for only Arc to hear. The others fell into their own conversations, distracted. "Luneth wasn't well when we spoke."

"What do you mean?"

Alus shook his head. "It's hard to say. He had plenty of energy, but his face looked pale. He's not sick, I don't think, but there was something about the way he… I can't say. It was almost inhuman, some of his mannerisms. His eyes looked darker than before. Unnaturally dark."

Fae lineage. Arc bit back a shiver, "I knew something was wrong."

"He's not possessed," Alus said as they passed through a corridor drenched in sun beams from the open windows. "It wasn't like what they did to my father. There was merely something… odd about Luneth's mannerisms."

Alus would know, after the incident where his mind-controlled father tried to kill Alus. Arc remembered that night and the frantic motions in the then-king's eyes.

Monica picked up her pace just enough to get in front of Ingus and he strode faster to match her speed.

Arc asked of Alus, "Do you know someone in the kingdom or who may have passed through calling himself 'Gaspard?' We think he might-"

Monica cut him off. "What about Gaspard?"

"Do you know him?" Arc asked.

"What does he look like?"

Arc shook his head. "I only have the journal to go by, but it says that he has white hair and black markings-"

Monica swore. "Where did you hear about him? When did you see him?"

Everyone stared at him now, waiting. Arc grimaced at the attention. "Uh, we didn't meet, but my father wrote about an encounter that happened a while ago. He might be dead. But he also might know something about-"

"Oh, he's definitely dead," Monica said. "We killed him. In the future. I checked."

Bad memory. Good job, Arc, he told himself. Just upset everyone, why don't you?

"Who was Gaspard?" Alus asked patiently.

"A murderer," Monica bit out.

"Oh?" Alus looked intrigued.

Monica's eyes were hard. "He was also possessed by the Dark Genie."

Another one. Arc cast a look to Ingus, who looked thoughtful. "That is concerning," Ingus said, "as that was the man from whom Aga took us."

"And Aga was the one who gathered you all?" Monica asked.

"The Warriors of the Light," Alus whispered, "all taken by the Darkness itself. Why?"

"I presume," Ingus said, "that its intentions were to kill us before we could stop it in the future. It appears that this creature can see through time itself."

"But Aga found out," Arc said, realization dawning. "And he saved us at the cost of his own life."

Monica glanced between them, frowning. "Not just his life – the Genie took him. But we already knew this, didn't we? What's new?"

Arc racked his brain. "We were taken from our homes by the Darkness – I mean the Void. There was something we were supposed to do that it wanted to prevent. It couldn't kill us. So it simply moved us. I think the Crystals chose us as a consequence. We have the order all wrong. Ingus, what was it that Ruby said you used to be?"

"General," he said. "It's not any different from now."

"We're missing something," Arc said, "We need to find Ruby again."

Ingus shook his head. "Not until after we save the Crystals."

Warriors, the Crystals whispered forcefully. Listen.

Arc locked eyes with Ingus, who grabbed at his spear. How long had they tuned out? Yes?

Refia has returned, and she brings grave news...

It was a dream. Or rather, Simba made it feel a lot like one.

Luneth stood in a pool of light, one of two identical spots. Luneth looked groggily about, confused. Disorientated. Simba smiled to himself. He usually had that effect on people – only proper that even Luneth would be lost in such a strange setting. The ground he stood on was soft beneath his shoes, like the ground they traversed on their way to the Cave of Tides, but there was only grass visible in the two illuminated spots. The rest was a dark, opaque void.

As was the way Simba greeted all of his heroes.

It was funny. From what he heard of Monica, who now traveled with two of the other Crystal heroes, she would try this exact same thing on Simba himself when she would be about twelve years old and first discovering the powers available to her through the heritage of her genie grandmother. A bloodline that continued in Refia.

But Refia hadn't yet tapped into the reserves available to her. Simba made a mental note to visit her soon and let her know of what lay available at her fingertips. It was reasonable that she wouldn't know yet. She had no reason to. Unlike Luneth, her secondary power didn't clash with that of the Crystals. And unlike Monica, Refia didn't have a reason to suspect that the tricks she managed before meeting the rest of her fellow Warriors had nothing to do with her destiny as a hero of the Light.

Finally, Luneth stilled, realizing he was stuck. He made no effort to escape—he actually barely moved, as was natural for one finding themselves in this realm. Something in the body realized before the mind that there wasn't anything dangerous about this place. It simply was. What happened here was simply to be.

"Hello," Simba finally said, earning a startled look as Luneth whirled to face him.

"Okay. Um. Who are you?"

"Oh, dear," said Simba. "I don't think I'm supposed to answer that. Laws of time and all that. Suffice to say, I'm who they call the Fairy King. Or Simba, if you prefer. I just wanted to talk to you for a bit and see how you're doing, given your recently-developed powers that you don't entirely understand. I'm a, shall we say, 'guide' to all budding adventurers."

"Budding adventurer?" Luneth was insulted. "I guess you missed out on the whole 'us saving the world' thing. No 'budding' about it."

Simba hesitated. The kid had a point. "I didn't miss it, I was just a little… preoccupied. Being the king of fairies can get a little distracting, sometimes. Lots of matters to attend to."

Luneth sat down on the ground, earning an amused chuckle from Simba. It was rare that someone felt comfortable enough here to sit. "Not the best guide, then," Luneth muttered, "if you're letting things like that get in the way of your job."

"They're both my job. But back to my original point: you've discovered your new power, yes?"

"Sort of. It doesn't use mana, which is nice, but there's a lot of things I can't do with it."

"Did you understand the Crystals' magic when you first obtained it?"

Luneth shook his head again.

"It'll always a matter of practice," Simba said, shifting the grip on his staff as it resonated with Luneth, vibrating at the proximity to its potential master. "This power may be strange now, but if you give it time and patience, you'll discover things you never thought possible. Flying, for instance."

"But… back in Saronia, I couldn't even touch that knight. It sets up annoying barriers and gets in the way!"

"There are ways that you could help your friends if you embraced this. Ways that you cannot comprehend, not in the state you're in now. Try it and prove me wrong."

Luneth's frown tightened and his resolve wavered.

"Feel free to call me again," Simba said, "But for now, you should wake – I worry the others will wonder if you're dead."

Luneth scrambled back to his feet. "Wait! You haven't told me why I have this!"

Simba shook his head. "That's one question that I'm not sure I should answer. If I did, the course of time itself could be rent in twain." … Technically.

"Screw that!" Luneth said, hands curling into fists. "If you think I should be using it, then I think I have good reason to know why! What is it?"

There actually wasn't much of any threat to the timeline if Luneth knew. He'd learn eventually, whether or not Simba told him. Simba just didn't want to confront that reality just yet and he didn't think Luneth would believe him, anyway. It would be a waste of effort and more than likely distract Luneth from his goal.

Simba wasn't going to risk it. At this rate, they would restore the Crystals before the Cloud could get to them all and then they could set out to take down the Cloud himself.

"With time," Simba said, "you'll see. For now, all I can say is that it's a gift from the faeries of Blue Terra. They're with you, Luneth. When you see us, whether in your dreams or under your bed, or in your darkened closets, we mean to do more than speak flattering words."

"Like?"

Simba allowed a small smile. "We created a tool of sorts, using the combined knowledge and efforts of our greatest scientists and craft smiths. I don't understand it all myself, honestly, but they told me it can accomplish some magnificent things: time travel, recovering memories, quick death..."

Luneth huffed. "Doesn't sound that relevant right now."

"It will," Simba assured him. "Now sleep. Your friends are waking."

"Wait!"

At Simba's command, Luneth's eyes shut and the scape dispersed into nothingness.

Ungaga considered himself not much of a gawker. He liked to think himself poised, as was typical for a warrior of his status. He didn't deign to hang his jaw like children did upon being faced with treats.

But Osmond's machinery brought Ungaga and the other two to a strange sight indeed. One that Ungaga had never seen the likes of in all of his two decades alive on this planet and he could only stare dumbfounded for the longest moment.

A full moon hung in the sky, reflecting against a towering structure that looked to be entirely formed from glass or crystal. It glowed a soft blue in the moon's light and shattered the light that reflected against it.

Surrounding the tower was a squarish wall which looked to be twice as wide as Ungaga's village. The maze that Osmond mentioned, whose entrance to the wall was blocked by a small army of undead. Some dozens of soldier skeletons and zombies guarded the entrance, jagged swords tensed and ready.

A warm wind blew in and Ungaga savored its touch. This place certainly wasn't what many would call cold, but compared to the desert sands of home, it felt uncomfortably chill.

"What do you think?" Osmond asked from his position behind a large boulder. The three of them stopped behind what cover they could find. Ruby leaned against a tree, and Ungaga crouched behind a large bush. The shadow of the surrounding forest kept them from the army's eyes, fortunately, but should they move any further, they would certainly lose that advantage.

Ungaga narrowed his eyes, seeing the battle in his mind's eye. "It will be difficult."

"Maybe for you," Ruby said, absently twisting the band on her arm. "I don't expect any complications. Not from these weaklings, at least."

"Then I can jump over with my pack and rush in," Osmond said. "We might still beat him if he's already here. I guess there was a reason I brought you two after all."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "You? Brought me? I got to Ungaga first, after all."

"That's just because you cheated with your strange flying magic!"

"I told you, it's not magic!"

"Are you ready?" Ungaga asked, flexing his fingers over his Mirage. "Time is short and your voices grow louder by the moment."

Osmond sighed. "Yes. You'll have to go first, though, and get their attention-"

Ungaga moved.

Dozens of eyes snapped to his location as Ungaga stepped out of the brush, Mirage held loosely at his side. Ruby waited just behind.

Ungaga just breathed for a moment, sizing up his foe.

The small army charged as one. Lumbering bones and rotting flesh marched on him, their maws gaping for the taste of human flesh. Ungaga's mouth twitched and he breathed once more before snapping Mirage into motion, slamming the blade into the neck of one zombie. Its head popped off.

Osmond disappeared behind him, the sound of his flight machine dying down as Ruby leapt into the action. As long as nothing followed Osmond, he should at least get Flagg in a surprise attack.

Perhaps Flagg thought the numbers here distracted anyone daring to enter after him.

If so, he was wrong.

Osmond found it hot inside.

Bricks of stone formed wall and floor here – on top of poor insulation, the Ancients apparently had no sense of taste. There was a faint red tint to the air, an effect of the heat, but beyond that it was entirely monochrome. Just a red-tinted, brown series of corridors and hallways.

He didn't hear anything beyond the distant clash outside and he wondered if maybe they beat Flagg.

Osmond stopped inside one room where the walls disappeared, leaving only stone walkways set above-

Was that lava? How was he still alive?

Dust ground ahead of him—the sound of footsteps. Osmond fingered Starbreaker's trigger in anticipation. He was close.

The maze twisted on for a while, with Osmond coming steadily closer to Flagg's position. He paused every now and again to avoid catching up too closely, but eventually the sound of footsteps faded and a glowing red light came into view. Osmond slowed down. Better to be cautious then get killed before he could stop the guy.

As he approached, the light grew stronger until he turned one last corner and a huge, shining crystal came into view, its surface reflecting in the light like… well, crystal. Multi-faceted edges reflected a swirling orange light inside and cast tiny, golden lights across the cave's walls and ceiling. A single figure stood before it, one hand exposed, his silhouette illuminated by the fiery light.

General Flagg.

Osmond switched off his propellers and padded along the ground, stepping slowly and cautiously. He might yet get in a surprise hit.

The man didn't appear to notice, at first. His attention was fixed on the glimmering crystal, its orange light reflecting like so many tiny, LED lights. It was, admittedly, a little mesmerizing. One could get lost for hours in its shining depths.

That light then started to dim, which Osmond took as a cue to aim Starbreaker, leveling it to look directly at the back of the man's head.

"You're too late," Flagg said, starting to turn. "The Crystal is drained already and-"

The man silenced as a string of bullets nailed him in the face.

Flagg crumpled wordlessly to the ground.

Osmond watched him for a few moments, waiting for him to stand up again.

More footsteps sounded behind him, and Ungaga and Ruby appeared, both breathing heavily toting slightly-torn clothing.

"Is he dead?" Ruby asked, sounding disappointed.

Osmond walked over and nudged the body with his boot. Normally, he would say yes, but given their experience in the past with this guy, he didn't have a whole lot of confidence. Osmond leveled Starbreaker.

And emptied his cartridge into Flagg's body.

He sniffed, shot his last bullet, and let Starbreaker fall idle at his side. "Yup. He's dead."