Lyrical Nanoha: Time Destruction

by HimeChaos

A new evil and a new enemy confronts Nanoha and her friends when Scaglietti is found dead in his cell. Elements of time-travel and an addition to the StrikerS timeline for everyone. Action-heavy plus NanoFate, with a wide range of characters to progress the story.

49. Hybrid

Hayate, Exoria and the Legion made rapid progress through Uminari City as the three of them moved closer and closer to where they estimated Grylmark's hospital facility to be located. The House of Yagami was far behind them now and there was no sign of pursuit on their tail, allowing Exoria to relax on that note; her brief of glimpse of Kagura during their escape must have been nothing short of a coincidence. Her hunch from before must have been correct: apparently, Yagami didn't deem any of them important enough to want to bother chasing them down. For the present, they were all in the clear.

Unfortunately, the Time Mage felt that since then their group had gone out of the frying pan only to be headed straight into the fire. She had reluctantly agreed to follow Hayate's plan mainly because of the Legion's support – the cyborg was really supposed to be following her orders, not siding with the Bureau mage whenever it felt like it – but that didn't mean she was happy about it. Exoria knew she would have never considered walking into the jaws of death like this...

More to her annoyance, she had ended up carrying Hayate again to save time. The short-haired mage was still without the use of her sight, though she was obviously more accustomed to the experience by now, but even the Legion didn't know if she would ever be able to regain her vision. It was a scary prospect, but Hayate didn't seem to let it bother her and remained purely optimistic in nature as the three of them moved across the war-ravaged city.

Exoria found herself envying such a carefree attitude; if it had been her, blinded and unable to interact with most of the world around her, the Time Mage knew for sure that she would have literally broken down on the spot. If the idea of being blind forever caused her any great fear, then the Bureau mage kept it very well hidden indeed. Perhaps Hayate's trust in her own friends was really so high that it could vanquish any such negativity...

We're getting nearer to the front lines of the rebellion, Exoria thought darkly. The gunfire and explosions are getting louder and louder, and there's a larger military presence in this part of Uminari City. Even if we do find Grylmark, the executors could make things difficult for us to make any further progress.

As they pressed further into the northern district, she saw that bedraggled groups of people were clustering the roads at frequent intervals. Some of them were executors and rebels themselves, rogues and deserters who had detached themselves from the brunt of the fighting and were now roaming the city freely; others were stray individuals made homeless by the war, desperately scrounging around for food, supplies and temporary shelter. It was an uncomfortable picture painted by the consequences of anarchy created by the fall of the Program, and the Time Mage averted her eyes from it as best as she could.

A small gang of drunken thugs lumbered towards Exoria and Hayate, looking to cause trouble and deprive them of their belongings, but the Legion saw them off with a few well-placed blows. Secure in the knowledge that their backs were defended, the three of them continued onwards for several more minutes until they passed by the side-streets further north. Soon the numbers of muggers and scoundrels began to drop, to be replaced by a higher executor presence. The rebellion wasn't far away from here at all.

"Hayate?" the dark-haired girl hissed, thankful at least that the Bureau mage was light enough for her to carry all this way. "I'm really worried about what we're doing, because your wonderful plan is leading us right towards the front lines. Are you sure you can't find the rest of the Bureau from here?"

The commander of Rio Force 6 shook her head and laid one hand on the girl's arm reassuringly. "Don't worry, Exoria. We're not too far off now. I've been sensing a very large amount of energy spread out across this area for some time, and..." She pulled herself up in Exoria's arms, opening her sightless eyes up to the smoke-ridden sky, and breathed in deeply with a smile. "I think it's Nanoha. There's no other explanation. If Nanoha's here, then it's likely that the rest of the TSAB is very close by as well. I can't pinpoint an exact location, however, not with all this interference down on the ground – I'm going to need a lot more altitude for that."

"Hayate, that's not going to happen," the Time Mage said, annoyed at where all this was leading them. "The only way that you're going to get any altitude is if I suddenly learn professional levitation magic on the spot and fly you myself! This city will burn to the ground before then!"

"Then we'll just have to keep going," the Bureau mage replied calmly. "As long as we keep our sense of direction, we'll be fine."

Exoria had a good mind to stop walking completely. If not for the Legion, she might have refused to go any further. "Sense of direction?" she demanded. "We're right at the edge of the rebellion! If we continue like this, the three of us could be neck-deep in executors within minutes!" Legion, will you talk some sense into her?"

"Lady Exoria," the cyborg answered, not bothering to slow down its own pace nor turn around towards her. "I doubt that Hayate is suggesting that we walk blindly into the heart of the war, if you will pardon the expression. That would not be logically sound. If you are worried about us being seen by any executors, then I can deal with them for you."

"There are a lot more of them than there were before, Legion!" the dark-haired girl said hotly. "You can't possibly take them all on!"

Hayate sighed. "Exoria, please. Don't worry about the executors. I'll guide you with my magic so that we skirt the boundary of the rebellion. Just trust me – you'll see."

So this is what it's come to, the Time Mage thought, frustrated at her own indecisiveness. Put my trust in a blind girl who saved me. Follow a mage who possesses an incredible amount of power at their fingertips, a woman capable of decimating the continent, yet unable to see where they're going. Forget about the blind leading the blind: this is literally the blind leading the sighted.

If I abandoned her now and ordered the Legion not to help her, Hayate wouldn't be able to do a thing. That's what the old me would have done, the past me which worshipped Yagami and cared about nothing else no matter how much I suffered inside. But...the way I am now, I couldn't possibly do such a thing. Hayate gave me the hope I needed, and the opportunity to made a dash for freedom...She gave me the chance to turn my life around, where others would have cast me out into isolation and darkness.

Trust me, Hayate had said to her. Maybe the mage hadn't realised the significance of her words, the powerful effect that they had had on Exoria emotionally. After what she had endured up to now, discovering that almost everyone in the Family of Yagami had been against her, the Time Mage had had extreme difficulty trusting anyone at all. Even with the Legion, she still retained her doubts, despite the cyborg's new self-programming to serve her and her alone.

Somehow, Exoria felt that she owed something to Hayate, something that she might not be able to pay back physically. It was a strange feeling for her, and not one that she had experienced very often before...but she felt that Hayate was the only one she could really trust. The girl who was supposed to be the target of her assassination, an assassination that had been doomed to fail from the very beginning.

All right, Hayate, she thought with a heavy heart. With the exception of Yagami, she had never put her life in the hands of another human being before. I'll trust you. But only you, and no one else. I don't want this to cost me.

Without another word to anyone, Exoria kept up her pace with the Bureau mage held securely in her arms, continuing to follow the path onwards towards the presence of overwhelming danger. The three of them were now so close to the sounds of war and bloodshed that she could literally smell the death in the air. If they weren't careful, the countless ranks of executors out there would detect their presence and seek to eradicate their group with little mercy -

"Stop," Hayate said suddenly, reacting to the prickling sensation that passed across the nape of her neck. A change was taking place beyond the closest ranks of the rebellion, indicating that the defining magic of the executors was beginning to gather together as one. "Stop right here. We should be close enough now."

The Legion turned to look at her strangely, perhaps wondering how the mage was able to guide them so confidently despite being unable to see at all, but nevertheless did as she said. Exoria didn't need to be told twice, her eyes fixed on the fresh smoke barely a hundred yards ahead of them. The three of them waited with baited breath for what seemed like forever, and then...they felt it. The main army of the war effort was slowly beginning to move away from their position. Multiple waves of executors were spreading out in alternate directions to regroup at different locations within Uminari City, the bulk of their forces gathering up in separate, smaller squadrons. It was possible that the rebels had finally been driven back, demoralised by the huge numbers of their opponents and the desperate pointlessness of their struggle; it was difficult to tell outside of the battlefield.

The marching started, then, a deafening sound in their ears as thousands of soldiers set out across the city, drumming out a repetitive series of hammer-like thumps which could be heard across the whole of the surrounding landscape. At such close proximity to the executors' ranks, Exoria found it almost too much to bear, but forced herself to put up with. As the minutes passed by, the excruciating noise soon began to fade away, carrying the violence of the rebellion away with it. It wasn't too long before the marching had deteriorated into simple background noise, drifting into a circle of harsh thuds which echoed back and forth across the perimeter of the city.

With a sigh of relief, Exoria dropped to the ground, glad that they were no longer in such peril. The rebellion was now many miles away from their location; it appeared that though they had ventured dangerously close to the edge of the war, their group had managed to remain undetected after all. If either of them had decided to go on much further, even by just a few more streets, the three of them would certainly have been caught up in a brutal savagery of endless fighting with enemies at all sides. Even with their magic and abilities combined, survival would have been quite impossible. No one could last very long by themselves at the front lines of such a inhospitable warzone.

"Look," the Legion said, pointing upwards with one metal hand.

In the distance, a great curved complex could be seen looming high above the surrounding houses, mysteriously undamaged by the civil war. The building covered a vast expansion of land, extending out over several streets and taking up a sizeable fraction of the northernmost district. Exoria couldn't see the whole place from this distance – the facility was too big to see in its entirety, unless you viewed it from the air at a very great height. Around the building, a near-transparent barrier of energy flickered ominously to block entry from the outside at every discernible angle.

What could be the purpose of such a facility? The Time Mage didn't recall ever seeing such a notable landmark in Uminari City before, and yet she had lived here her entire life. Was that a force field surrounding it on all sides? The building looked to be some kind of giant technical storage facility, perhaps for research or health uses...yes, it could be a warehouse or a hospital of some kind...

Hospital, the Time Mage thought, catching her breath sharply. She realised now what she was seeing. This...this must be the hospital that Hayate was talking about earlier. The hospital where she and Vita were held by Grylmark. We've finally made it!

"It seems that we have reached our destination," the combat cyborg observed, a note of impressed approval in its voice. "Hayate, I am curious as to how you managed to bring us here so quickly."

The commander of Riot Force 6 gave a half-smile in response. "I knew that we were heading in roughly the right direction. As long as we covered enough ground and didn't clash with the rebellion, the hospital was big enough for us to see it from some distance away." She recalled her escape from the facility with Vita, remembering just how long it had taken for the two of them to find the exit. The size of the hospital had been a defining factor in finding it again. "As for the rebellion itself...every executor gives out a small aura of magic, despite not being mages themselves. It's something I discovered from the first time I came into contact with an executor. When I sensed a change in the magical energies of the executors, I realised that the main army would shortly be moving out in a different direction than we were taking. All we had to do was be patient and wait for them to leave."

"I think you lost me there," Exoria muttered. It sounded a bit too technical for her to understand, and it wasn't too important now, anyway. "At least we're safe now - "

There was a loud click from in front of her, and an entire rank of executors stepped out of the shadows with their guns aimed right at the Time Mage. She froze to the spot for a second, wondering when she was ever going to get a break from this.

Great. Spoke too soon.

Immediately, the dark-haired girl flung herself to the ground as the executors opened fire and bullets whizzed over her head; her arms were still wrapped protectively around Hayate as she attempted to make herself as small a target as possible. The Legion was already springing into action, shielding the two mages with its body whilst it analyzed the situation. The swathe of bullets barely made any mark on the cyborg's tough exterior, and Exoria pulled her dagger free in preparation for when the firing stopped.

"Hayate," the Time Mage hissed in annoyance, wincing as another round of shots forced her harder into the ground, "why didn't you tell us that there were still some executors left behind from the main army? They were waiting for us!"

"I can't do everything for you," the Bureau mage replied a little sheepishly. "It's difficult to pinpoint - "

"I don't care about your pinpointing! You can sense the movements of a massive army, but you can't tell if there's an enemy a few feet in front of us?"

There was barely any protection from the constant gunfire, and no way of reaching what small cover on the far sides of the street. The Legion could probably have eliminated all of the executors by themselves, but without the use of any magic they would have to resort to close combat, which would mean leaving Exoria temporarily open to attack. As a result, the cyborg was refusing to move forward at all. The Legion had stated before, quite emphatically, that it had taken Exoria as its new superior, and that therefore her protection was to be valued above all else.

"Do you want me to get rid of them for you?" Hayate asked, bringing the staff of Reinforce up in her hands. "You'll have to tell your cyborg friend to move out of the way first, though, or he'll be caught up in the blast."

"I cannot do such a thing," the Legion replied. "If I move from my current position, Lady Exoria will be in danger. The Mistress of Red Scorpion must be protected."

Hayate sighed. "She'll be protected. I'm here, remember?"

"As formidable as your skills may be, Hayate," the cyborg said obstinately, "my programming is quite clear. Any action of mine which could cause Lady Exoria to be involved in danger is not an action I will take."

"Oh, for goodness' sake..."

With a trace of a prayer clinging to her heart, the Bureau mage rose up above the ground with staff in hand, revealing herself openly and presenting an easy target for their opponents. Cries of surprise and alarm sounded from the hostile executors, and the storm of bullets was re-directed towards her almost immediately. Hayate knew her Barrier Jacket would protect her from any real harm, but she decided not to take any chances on that and solidified some of her magic into a minor shield, just in case.

The Legion didn't waste this valuable opportunity that Hayate had given them. For just a few seconds, the tide of gunfire had been drawn away from her other companions, giving the cyborg the window they needed to launch themselves into action. Putting on a burst of speed, the Legion raced forward and charged right into the enemy's ranks, striking out with arms of steel to take down the executors as quickly as possible. Soldiers were felled left and right in the wake of its attack, their weapons broken and battered before they could bring them close enough to fire.

Exoria ran to assist the cyborg, whirling her dagger around in a series of fluid motions to dispatch the executors at close-range. She fought breathlessly with bruises and cuts from near-misses, her chest aching from having to run harder than her body was used to. There weren't many left to fight, but the guards that remained were beginning to overwhelm her...

"Hayate!" she cried out, not knowing if she could keep this up for much longer. "I need - "

Suddenly, a green reptilian figure lunged out from the shadows, driving back three more executors which had had her cornered. Claws and talons slashed forward in a blur of colour and the last of the soldiers on Exoria's side was knocked to the ground, reeling. From the other side of the road, a familiar one-armed alien was gripping a guard by the throat, with magic charging up the length of its only functioning arm...

Srethis? The Time Mage's mind was spinning from what she'd just seen, eyes wide with amazement. There was no mistake about it. Srethis and Ungore? Here? But...but how...?

"Hellish Ice Needles!"

The last of the guards was impaled on a series of frozen spikes which exploded out at them from both sides, and was subsequently thrown backwards into the side-alley from where they had emerged. After that, the sound of combat came to an end as silence and peace fell upon the streets once more.

Hayate had been in the act of preparing a powerful spell of her own, but it appeared now that she was no longer needed. Slowly, she lowered herself down to the ground again; levitating whilst blind was a very dangerous thing to do in any scenario.

"This is quite a surprise," Ungore said, stepping over the body of the last executor. Its eyes narrowed as it gazed towards Hayate and her companions. "I didn't think there was anything out there which surprised me anymore."

Exoria picked herself up off the ground with an effort, feeling some of her strength returned to her body. If she hadn't witnessed it with her own eyes, she would never have believed it. The ones who had jumped at the last minute to assist her and the Legion against the executors were none other than...her two previous comrades from Red Scorpion? Srethis and Ungore, for whom she'd barely held a trace of respect or acknowledgement throughout the whole time that they'd known each other? How could this be possible?

"Grylmark did not tell uss about thisss," Srethis ventured in a low hiss, its reptilian head bowed slightly. "He gave uss no word to expect other magess here. Issn't that right, Ungore?"

What are these two even doing here? Exoria thought, her thoughts buzzing with a million questions. Srethis and Ungore – I thought they were both dead! Why did they help us out against the executors? If it had been a few more minutes, I would have been in real trouble. I can't imagine Ungore ever lifting a finger to help me, of all people...

Even in the past, when she had been working together with the duo as members of Red Scorpion, Srethis and Ungore had constantly gotten on her nerves. The Time Mage had never liked either of them to begin with, but...

"Who would have thought it?" Ungore chuckled darkly. A sly smile appeared behind their scarf, but for all appearances it was not a friendly one. "Exoria joining forces with the Legion...and you, Hayate?" A mixture of dismay and disappointment flashed across the creature's features. "Just what is wrong with you humans? You know she hates your guts, both of you! Is she so desperate that she'll ally with anybody nowadays?"

"We did not expect to sssee any of you again," Srethis said quietly in its reserved manner. "Truly we did not. Grylmark gave uss hiss assurancess that you had all departed from the world of the living long ago."

Despite herself, Exoria found that she was virtually seething with anger. No matter what happened between them, she was never in a good mood around either of these two creatures; it was as if their mere presence could drive her up the wall with annoyance. Yes, it was true that they had just saved her life, but they might as well not have.

"Will someone just tell me what's going on here?" she demanded. "What are you two doing here?"

"Likewise!" Ungore exclaimed, clasping their dead arm close to their body as they bent forward crookedly. The alien's features seemed a little different from the last time they'd set eyes on each other; a mess of scars were barely concealed beneath the colourful garments which dotted the creature's body. The subtleties were generally quite minor, however. "Legion!" the alien howled, whirling around towards the cyborg. "What is the meaning of this? I thought you were going back to Yagami to be dismantled! That's what was meant to happen! You too, Exoria!"

"What do you mean?" the combat cyborg said slowly. "My decision to return to Yagami at the time was influenced only by the lack of a living superior program. There is no reason why you would have any knowledge of - "

"Exactly!" the one-armed creature said triumphantly, turning around on the heel of one foot. "Grylmark thought that something like that would happen. It would get you and Exoria out of the way, you see, without having to go to all the trouble of killing you. Really, none of us could be bothered with the likes of you! As long as you were all trapped under Yagami's roof, neither of you would be hindering Grylmark's plans anymore. But now...here you are again, determined to stick your noses in where they don't belong – you've even decided to drag along a Bureau mage with you! I don't know why you brought her, to be honest!" Ungore leaned in towards them, dropping its voice down to a conspiratorial whisper. "You do know she's permanently blind, don't you?"

Srethis and Ungore, Hayate thought silently from the back of their group. So that's who these two were. She still couldn't see anything apart from Exoria – why just Exoria? If the reason was because of Oguba's magic, then surely Ungore should be visible to her as well. It was still a bit of a mystery to her.

Srethis, the creature who developed the ability to take on my likeness and who contributed greatly to the first attack on the TSAB. Ungore, the strange alien who was partly responsible for Vita's first capture by Red Scorpion. Though I have never set eyes on either of these two individuals before, there is a greater connection between us all than can be seen...

The Bureau mage could sense a strange magic circulating around the two creatures, even if she couldn't see them. It didn't feel like anything she'd ever felt whilst interacting with Exoria, so it was a safe guess that it wasn't to do with Oguba. No, it had to be something else of an entirely different nature. In fact...Hayate realised suddenly that she recognised that new breed of magic, just from the back of her mind. She could be mistaken, but it felt like exactly the same magic that had pierced her mind upon first awakening in this world, blinded in Grylmark's hospital...

Could it be the same magic? Is it possible that Grylmark did something to Srethis and Ungore? That magic doesn't belong to them...

"Your former "plans" are of no importance to us," the Legion was saying, unabashed. "The present is what matters. Srethis, Ungore...considering that the two of you lent us your aid in fighting against the executors, perhaps it is possible that you will allow us to - "

The one-armed alien almost doubled up in silent laughter at that, and had to turn away from the three of them as it gasped for breath. Patiently, Srethis hastened to explain with a more controlled temperament than their partner.

"Legion, you are gravely misstaken," the lizard said. "Ssrethiss and Ungore fought with you in order to remove the executor threat within thiss area, thuss allowing Grylmark to continue hiss operationss without interruption. Srethis is afraid to say that we...were in no way lending you help. It wass convenient enough that you dealt with mosst of the small fry."

Ungore took in another harsh breath, laughing out loud again once more before they got themselves under control. "That's so funny," the alien croaked, gesturing towards them with all three fingers of its single arm. "Siding...with you, Legion. Why would we want you with us?" Their eyes gleamed with excitement. "Remember when you used to be the most powerful member of Red Scorpion? That's all in the past, Legion! Srethis and I have become stronger than you could ever hope to be!"

"I really doubt that," Exoria said flatly. "You two can barely handle a squadron of executors by yourself."

"Do you want me to prove it to you?" Triple threads of magic ran across the length of Ungore's arm as the creature stared at her. "We'll prove it to you, Srethis and I. The look on your faces will be priceless! You'll have no choice but to accept the new way of things – weak humans erased from the surface of their home world! "

"Wait!" Hayate shouted, ramming the staff of Reinforce down on the ground.

A bolt of white magic extended from her device and permeated through the area, passing through the group harmlessly but effectively gathering everybody's attention at once. In an instant, everyone's eyes were upon her. The Bureau mage hesitated, knowing that she had the power to stop any further violence from happening, yet unsure if she was able to use it in the correct way. Despite their behaviour, she didn't feel that Srethis and Ungore were necessarily evil people. Tensions were high between both parties, and she just had to break the ice a little.

Hayate remembered how she had managed to talk Arisa out of fighting them by keeping a rational attitude and by use of way Ungore acted indicated that perhaps the alien wasn't going to back down, but maybe she could do something similar with Srethis? It could save them all a lot of trouble. She needed to get her sight back and find Nanoha, not engage in unnecessary fights which might leave her even more crippled...

"Let's just calm down for just a moment," she said gently. "I want to speak to you, Srethis. I've heard a few things about you."

"Ha!" Ungore scoffed, turning its face away from Hayate contemptuously. "Talking won't solve anything, Bureau mage – not a single thing! Oh, I know about you. I know about Nanoha "befriending" virtually every opponent she meets. You think you can do the same to us? Wake up to the real world, Hayate! The real world will rip your friends away and leave you alone for eternity!"

Srethis wasn't listening to the alien, however. The lizard's swamp-green eyes were fixated upon Hayate, all of the previous aggression gone from its body; somehow, she had made some headway with the creature. For a few moments, Srethis seemed to have lost its tongue, but then spoke out in a hoarse whisper.

"You've heard thingss about Srethis?" the lizard asked quaveringly. "That iss a sstrange coincidence. You ssee, Srethis hass also heard thingss about you, Hayate. Srethiss hass heard about you...from Vita-chan."

Vita?

"You know about Vita?" Hayate felt her pulse race just at the mention of the Guardian Knight's name. So all is not lost. Srethis knows where Vita is? If not for this chance encounter, I would have never known..."Srethis, if you know anything about Vita, any information at all - I have to know." The mage hesitated for a moment, wondering if maybe she was pushing the lizard too far, but she couldn't back out now. "We shouldn't be fighting. Don't you understand? If we work together, we can both get Vita back. I can tell that you're worried about her as well, Srethis. Please, tell me – where is she? Does Grylmark have her?"

Abruptly, Ungore shot forward with a snarl to stand in-between the doubtful lizard and the Bureau mage.

"Morons!" the alien snarled. "Srethis, don't forget where you stand! The Bureau is no friend to you. Do you not remember how they imprisoned you and failed to give you your medicine when you dearly needed it? You almost died, Srethis!"

"That wasn't our intention!" Hayate cried out in alarm, starting to rush forward, but Exoria quickly stepped in front to keep her out of harm's way. "We never wanted any harm to befall you, Srethis! We always try to solve problems without bloodshed - "

But it was too late: Ungore's outburst had incited a deeper, darker change within the lizard's mind, causing it to gradually revert back to its former self. A cold and calculated look formed in Srethis' eyes as the creature flexed its claws in preparation; Hayate's heartful plea to them had been cancelled out so easily by a few carefully-chosen words.

"Hayate, you make ssome...interessting arguments," the lizard hissed, the previous vulnerability in its features all but vanished. "But you are ssadly deluded in what you ssay. Telling you information about Vita's situation will not help you, Hayate. You are blinded, and supported only by weaker alliess. If anyone will come to Vita's, it will not be you. Srethis iss sorry, Hayate...but Srethiss cannot help you." The creature sighed, a flicker of hesitation passing across its face. "If it iss any conssolation, however, Srethis will make up for it by refraining from bringing any harm to you. It iss all Srethiss can do."

Ungore smiled triumphantly for an instant, and then stared at Srethis in great surprise, not expecting the last part. "I'm sorry - what did you just say?"

"Srethis will bring no harm to Hayate," the lizard repeated, standing its ground. "Vita-chan sshowed great friendsship towards Srethiss, and Srethis will not harm any friend of Vita-chan ass long as it iss still able. That would not be a good thing to do. Thus...Srethis refusses to harm a ssingle hair on Hayate's head."

"Are you serious?" Ungore swore. "You're going to leave Hayate unharmed just because she's Vita's friend? Do you know how many people that applies to?" The alien marched forward determinedly, preparing itself to fight. "We can't just let them go, Srethis, not any of them! Grylmark told us this already. Exoria and the Legion are supposed to be out of the way in the House of Yagami, and Hayate's supposed to be helpless in the middle of nowhere, away from anywhere that she can have any real impact! If Grylmark sees any of these three alive again, he won't be happy with us at all!"

The creature pointed its three fingers at their whole group in an imperious gesture. "We need to get rid of all of them before they reach the facility and the real trouble starts. Hayate's one of the most powerful mages of the TSAB, but right now she's blind and vulnerable! Don't waste this chance, Srethis! Remember what Grylmark promised us!"

I can't persuade Srethis, Hayate thought glumly. Not whilst Ungore is here stirring things up. The situation's different than with Arisa, because she wanted to let us leave and there was no one else around to change her mind for her. I don't want to admit it, but it looks like there isn't any other way out of this one...

"Look," Exoria said, cutting in across the two of them unexpectedly. She looked quite bored by the entire exchange and had been pacing up and down restlessly for some time. "This is taking too long. I'm not going to mince words here, but...Srethis, Ungore, I can't take any of you seriously."

The alien turned towards to her sharply in surprise. "I'm sorry?"

"I mean it!" The Time Mage glared at both of them irately. "You talk about fighting us when you're virtually the two weakest members of Red Scorpion! Just forget it. This is a complete waste of time." Exoria lowered her dagger, just wanting to get these two creatures as far away from her as possible."Do us a favour and just get out of our way so we can go our separate ways. Forget about Grylmark and his stupid scheming. Forget about all of this. Maybe I can try and forget what blundering idiots you two are."

"Lady Exoria," the Legion said a little testily. "Srethis and Ungore have made it clear that they are not prepared to let us through peacefully. You cannot just refuse to fight them because their presence offends you - "

"Why not? Why the hell not? I can't be bothered with these guys!" Exoria stamped her foot. "They've always driven me up the wall, all the time, and they're still doing it! They're just not worth the effort!"

"Worth?" Ungore repeated. "What do we care what our "worth" is to you, Exoria? Life is a constant enough struggle without having to put up with imbeciles such as yourself. Enough of this worthless talk!" The alien gestured towards its reptilian partner, the muscles along its arm tensing in readiness. "Srethis! Put aside your doubts about Hayate and fight with me against these pests."

The lizard still seemed a little unsure. "Srethis will not harm Hayate," it muttered. "Hayate iss a friend of Vita..."

Ungore gave up. "Fine! Don't attack her! It's not as if she'll able to do anything worthwhile anyway. Just concentrate on the cyborg and the angsty Time Mage over there who keeps yelling at us." The creature whirled around towards Exoria and the Legion, no longer including Hayate in the equation. "You two! You've pushed us far enough. We'll defeat you with the power that Grylmark gave us so graciously! You won't get in the way of his plans!"

"I don't care about his plans!" Exoria exploded. "He can keep them!" She clenched the hilt of her dagger tightly. "Come at us with everything you've got! Just get this over with!"

Reluctantly, Hayate stepped away from the scene with a heavy feeling in her heat. There really was no escaping it after all. Srethis knew what had happened to Vita, and probably the location of the Guardian Knight as well...but the lizard wasn't going to tell her anything the way things were now. It made Hayate wonder if this was what Nanoha often resorting to...befriending your enemies after you'd pummelled them into the ground. It was probably a lot easier. She made a mental note to ask the Ace of Aces about such subjects when they finally found each other again.

"Be careful," she murmured to Exoria. The dark-haired girl was standing with her feet firmly planted in the ground next to the Legion, both individuals steeling themselves for combat. None of them knew what Srethis and Ungore could possibly have up their sleeve which made the two creatures so confident of victory, but it would be best to be prepared for anything.

What on earth are they doing?

The lizard and the alien had walked over to the far corners of the street, facing each other with their bodies coiled up like tight springs. They were both in a slumped-down position, arms swinging backward and forth like pendulums as they took in deep breaths from the air around them. As Exoria and the Legion watched, they saw with a start that a mass of dark shadows were gradually seeping out of Srethis' and Ungore's bodies; shadows which curling around them like a toxic living gas which melted away into the ground like hot liquid...

At the rear of her group, Hayate recognised the feel of the same darkness from before. It was the same magic that had been coursing through the creatures' veins only recently, the magic that had been solely responsible for driving her blind...

The process was speeding up now. Grylmark's magic was circulating around the two creatures in a rapid whirl of energy that spiralled across the tips of their claws and fingers, carving deep indents into the ground as if inflicting a wound upon the surface of the earth itself. The creatures' skin became muddy and inky, characteristic of a plague rushing through their bodies and consuming them from within. Slowly, Srethis and Ungore inched forward by a half-step, power merging within their arms and legs...

"Ready for this, Srethis?" the alien urged, crouching down on one knee. "We'll do it just like we did last time..."

"Srethis is ready," the lizard replied.

Without another word, Ungore and Srethis propelled themselves forward at full speed – not at Exoria or the Legion, or even Hayate – but at each other.

The shroud of Grylmark's magic rose forth and solidified around the two creatures from every angle, engulfing them whole as they met in the middle. In that single instant, the fast-moving forms of Srethis and Ungore clashed and coalesced with each other in a blur of black and white, merging and oozing together like jelly as they began to mould into one unique being. New cells began to mutate and multiply at an astonishing speed; trunk-like limbs grew outwards from the central point of the main torso with blood-red veins surging down towards the earth; bulging muscles expanded across the length of a newly-formed body which was no longer recognisable. With every new rotation of magic, the rate of growth accelerated further with chaotic consequences. Grylmark's power continued to whirl around Srethis' and Ungore's united form in a rush of thick syrupy energy, adding strength and scale to the great hybrid that arose from their dual technique...

"COMBINED FORM!"

A colossal rippling torso rose forth, far surpassing the previous limits of both creatures, and two heavy, muscular fully-formed legs slammed down onto the earth to split the road apart with a might of gargantuan proportions. The skin of the hybrid turned a vicious purple-black and a long, deadly spiked tail formed outwards from the rear, sweeping around to smash through the ruins of an abandoned house at the head of the street. Combined with Srethis' reptilian consistency and Ungore's main lack of upper body limbs at all, a pair of huge rock-like fists entwined in tendrils of purple energy cracked together at the ends of the monster's muscular arms, raised towards the smoke-covered sky in triumph.

Even then the hybrid continued to grow in size, building layer upon layer of muscle and bone upon its massive body until it stood higher than any house on the street; down below, Exoria and the Legion barely reached up to its knee. The last of Grylmark's dark energy twisted around the behemoth's neck, splitting the tissue down the middle to reform into two fearsome heads which rose forth at its apex.

The first head was dark green in colour with dozens of scales covering its surface; two deadly horns extended from the top of its skull, undoubtedly formed from Srethis' part of the combination. The second head was hairless and grey, but covered with an abundance of twisted metallic spines; a single orange eye opened up in the centre of its forehead, filled with the rage and fighting spirit that possessed the one-armed alien. The transformation was complete.

Then the voices of Srethis and Ungore cried forth from each head as they sought to control the creation that they had unleashed upon Uminari City.

"Behold," the two heads snarled in unison, a blend of the lizard and alien's voices as one, "the power of our races combined! Exoria, Legion...you've made a fatal mistake in underestimating us. Now taste the dust as your worlds are torn asunder!"

Exoria looked up at the giant monstrosity standing before her, and gulped. She was suddenly very aware that her only weapon was a dagger made of ordinary metal, and that her only useful spell would not be much use against a beast of such size.

Maybe I shouldn't have insulted them earlier, she thought in a near-panic. Who...who would have known that Grylmark's magic made them capable of something like this...?

"I...I don't want to be a downer or anything," she said, sweating and playing for time. "But you just turned into a two-headed deformed purple dinosaur."

The two heads swung around towards her, and the fierce orange eye formed by Ungore's part of the hybrid fixed upon the Time Mage with a terrifying lack of mercy. Quickly, Exoria reassured herself that Hayate was just behind her and possessed an arsenal of super-powerful spells of her own. A second later, the dark-haired girl also remembered that Hayate was blind and wasn't going to be able to fire any of those spells in a tearing hurry.

"Is this a good time to acknowledge your supreme power and run away?" she babbled, quickly backing away behind the Legion. "You know, it's – it's fine. We don't have to go this way anyway. We'll just go back and find another way round. Around you. That's, that's fine, right?"

The orange eye blinked and she caught a rare glimpse of two mouths filled with gnashing metal teeth. At this distance, the dark-haired girl could also see that the horns on Srethis' head were cruelly barbed to cause additional damage. It was not a pleasant image.

"Die," the hybrid uttered, and smashed one rocky fist down towards her.

The Time Mage threw herself backwards as far as she could, almost colliding with Hayate as the Legion lunged forth to defend her. A fist of granite as large as her entire body slammed into the ground where she had been standing a split second ago, striking with a thunderous impact which caught against the cyborg in a glancing blow. The force of the attack was still enough to send the Legion crashing into the nearest row of houses and out the other side, breaking through bricks and plaster in its wake.

Another fist crashed through the roof of a three-storey building adjacent to Exoria's position, sending a storm of rock and shattered concrete showering down upon herself and Hayate. The Bureau mage probably still didn't know what was happening, blind as she was, but had the good sense to keep herself close to the Time Mage where possible. The Srethis-Ungore hybrid reared up suddenly and stomped down with one of its monstrous feet, trying to crush them underfoot, and the entire area was immediately turned into an earthquake zone.

I can barely stay on my own feet for five seconds, let alone try to run away! They're not going to let us escape!

"Hayate," the dark-haired girl gasped, struggling to keep herself upright as the quakes began to subside. "I – I need you to - "

The hybrid suddenly changed tactics and whirled around to lash out with its powerful thorny tail, smashing through the ground floor of another residence and sending a few abandoned cars flying up into the air. The second head smiled savagely and punched the airborne cars into the ground where Exoria and Hayate were struggling to find cover, the sheer power of their attack rupturing the vehicles in mid-air.

Her lungs screaming for oxygen, the Time Mage pulled Hayate over into an alleyway at the far left side of the street, seeking cover behind the corner of the sturdy building. She gasped for breath from running back and forth, watching as the Legion rose to its feet from where it had fallen. The cyborg seemed to be very capable of enduring such attacks, so long as it didn't take a direct hit. With single-minded determination, the Legion charged at the two-headed monster in a near suicidal rush, pounding its metal fists against their massive enemy with all the strength it could muster. It was useless: the Legion's physical attacks were like insect bites to the beast, making virtually no effect at all.

"How's this for "worth", Exoria?" Ungore and Srethis cried through the two heads in a taunt against her. Almost casually, the hybrid kicked the Legion down the entire length of the street with little effort. "How does it feel, now that you are the one struggling to survive?"

The monster's muscled claws reached down towards the ground and clamped onto the remains of two mechanised tanks that lay abandoned from the rebellion's earlier passing. Slowly, the hybrid wrenched the tanks upwards in its hands, holding them in the sky directly above the two mages, and began to pound the vehicles into one another repetitively. Countless shards of metal gears, wheels and broken cannon parts rained down onto the Time Mage's place of cover, followed by the remains of both tanks as the hybrid hurled the great vehicles directly at Exoria. With a desperate cry, the dark-haired girl pulled Hayate underneath the temporary shelter of a parked truck. There was no real shelter anywhere here...the whole place was a death trap...

What do I do? I'm going to end up dying in agony like this! Somebody help me!

"Exoria," Hayate said, nestled with her under the side of the truck. "I can't see a thing, but it sounds like you're in trouble. Do you need me to lend a hand?"

The Time Mage whirled around to look at her in speechless astonishment. Another tank flew over their head and crashed through the upper floor of another building, sending a shower of broken glass raining down on them. The armoured vehicle sailed through the other wall, spinning as it did so, and crashed down onto another overturned tank on the ground to explode in a savage ball of fire. Quickly, Exoria hunched deeper into the shelter of their dubious cover, which was already beginning to fall apart.

"You can't, Hayate," she whispered. "You can't see what's going on out there. You'll die." Showing much more bravery than she felt inside, Exoria shakily forced herself to her feet. "I - I can deal with this on my own. I'll show you just how much I can - "

The truck they were hiding next to suddenly creaked and shuddered as a giant claw took hold of it from above. With a groan, the vehicle was lifted up into the air by the hybrid, with Ungore's single eye blazing down on them triumphantly at close range.

Shit.

"Hayate," the Time Mage said, praying very slightly as the monster raised the truck high above its head with the promise of death shining across both faces. "If there's anything you can do, anything at all, then now's the time..." Her back was to the wall, unable to retreat any further as the hybrid advanced on both mages. "Please..."

At the same time, however, Exoria realised that not even Hayate had the power to save them now. The Bureau mage needed extra time to charge up any of her powerful attack spells - time that was no longer available to either of them. If only I'd thought of that earlier, the dark-haired girl said to herself in despair. I could have bought Hayate that time instead of running around the place uselessly like a headless chicken. Now it's too late. No one's going to save us now...

Unable to run anymore, she watched the dark whirling shape of the truck as it sailed through the air, watching in deadened fear as the Ungore-Srethis hybrid threw the vehicle down towards herself and Hayate. At this range, they were a very easy target. The beast had raised another foot to stomp them into the earth in the rare case that they both survived.

Hayate. I dragged you into this without realising what I was doing. You didn't have to save me. I...I just...

The truck smashed into the ground, the impact tearing it into three or four massive pieces of twisted metal, and exploded viciously to transform the surrounding area into a raging inferno...but Hayate was already moving on her own. The Bureau mage shot off the ground as the circle of fire flared up around her and ignited the blast, flying up into the air at high speed with her arms tightly around Exoria. Her instincts kicked in and she soared higher and higher into the sky until she was far above the monster, not trusting herself to go in any other direction whilst blind. Down on the ground, the hybrid was stomping into the ground in a rage, a little confused at what had just happened.

Hayate?

"Exoria?" the Bureau mage said gently, coming to a stop about a hundred metres off the ground. Below them, the Ungore-Srethis beast was attacking the site of the explosion with everything it had, trying to eradicate all trace of their presence. "Are you okay? The way you were acting, I knew I didn't have time to cast any proper spells. I had to take a chance instead."

"Hayate," the dark-haired girl breathed, looking up at her as if witnessing a miracle. In a way, that was exactly what had just happened. Up to now, she had been the one carrying Hayate in her arms almost at every turn, and now their roles had been reversed. "I...I really thought I was going to die," she said hoarsely. "Hayate...you saved me...again. You..." Exoria's gaze suddenly drifted down to below her, and she saw just how high up they were. "Hayate! You shouldn't be flying blind! It's dangerous!"

"I know," the short-haired mage replied guiltily. "That's why I said I took a chance on you. As long I didn't go in any direction except directly, and as long as I went fast enough to dispel any attacks or magic against me, I could eventually reach a safe enough height. At this altitude, we won't encounter any enemies." There was a troubled look in her eyes nonetheless, betraying her unease at using levitation magic whilst blind. "Exoria...I'm sorry, but I have to take you down again. I don't know if it's to do with my blindness, but my magic feels...unstable at this height. I can't take any more chances."

The Time Mage shivered as she felt herself begin to descend. Their close shave had given them only a small amount of time to think about what to do next. Exoria wasn't very good at thinking strategically, but they had to have some kind of a plan for beating Ungore and Srethis. Think! Hayate probably had the firepower to take on the hybrid, but the Bureau mage would need a certain amount of time to release a decent spell. Flying up at this height could give her the time that she needed, but if her magic was really unstable at this altitude...

"Hayate!"

The Ungore-head twisted around from just below them, snarling as the rest of its body pawed the ground in cold fury. It would be only a matter of time before the two mages were back within range of the creature. The scaly head hissed reactively, but said nothing.

"Hayate!" the one-eyed head howled again. "It was you, wasn't it? Wasn't it?"

Caught by surprise, the Bureau mage ceased her descent. For her, the whole world was still in absolute darkness, with the sole exception of the dark-haired girl held in her arms. She couldn't see what had happened to Srethis and Ungore, but knew enough to be able to tell that the situation had become dire...

"You're supposed to be blind!" The Ungore-head whirled around, with the central eye blinking madly to try and establish her exact location. "What do you think you're doing, Hayate, pulling stunts like that? I told Srethis that I'd leave you alone, but not if you're going to start saving people and being such a nuisance!" An angry growl rose up from deep within the creature's throat. "Forget what I promised! We'll wipe you all out!"

Exoria turned her head and her eyes went wide: the hybrid had drawn back its huge rocky fist and plunged it straight towards Hayate with a death-cry. She clutched at the other girl in fright, yelling for her to move down to the ground as quickly as possible, but there wasn't any time to dodge an attack from such a short distance...it was too great an area to cover and they didn't have enough acceleration...

Hayate! No!

The Bureau mage had already decreased her speed out of cautiousness, unaware that her life was in extreme danger. She wasn't going to be able to dodge...no, she wouldn't even be able to see it coming...

"Hayate!" Exoria cried out in warning.

The fist raced towards the Bureau mage, reaching as far as just a few metres from her face, and then the whole world went wild. There was an almighty crash upon the northern district of Uminari City, far bigger than any of the quakes created by the beast's previous attacks, taking everybody by surprise. An unknown obstructing force had wrenched backwards in the opposite direction, leaving Hayate unharmed, with the aftershocks from the ensuing impact causing a great mass of the surrounding land to collapse inwards upon itself. For all of the power and strength concentrated in that attack, the mighty fist never reached its target. The Bureau mage was probably unaware of how close it had really been for her.

For several seconds, Exoria had no idea what had just happened...but then she saw dust and smoke rising off the ground in massive waves, rows of houses transformed to rubble, and a ruptured crack in the earth which ran round in a giant jagged line. To her astonishment, she saw that the hybrid was spread-out full length across the streets of the district, looking just as stunned as she was.

What the...? What just happened?

The beast seemed to have fallen flat on its back in mid-attack, creating a large radius of devastation simply by being brought down to earth so hard. There was no reason why that should have happened...nobody had attacked the hybrid, or used any dangerous spells against it. There were no other mages in the area and the rebellion was too far away to have any influence on the situation here...

Slowly, the hybrid began to rise to its feet again, confused at having been laid out so suddenly. Or at least, it tried to get up. Something else was preventing it from doing so.

"What is this?" the Ungore-head demanded angrily. "What is – how - "

And then understanding dawned in that single orange eye, and rage contorted across its features. The hybrid struggled to move, discovering that some of its body was not responding exactly as it wanted it to...

"Srethis will not allow you to do thiss," the first, scaly head hissed. "We agreed, Ungore. We agreed that Hayate would not be harmed. Srethis will not allow you to continue if thiss iss what you proposse."

I don't believe this, Exoria thought. Srethis is rebelling against Ungore's wishes...in the same body? They're preventing Ungore from controlling their part of the hybrid?

The hybrid roared in frustration and lurched forward, but with extreme difficulty. One side of its body appeared to be going in reverse, and the left arm was lashing out at the right. A great conflict was going inside of the combined body as the two occupants fought to regain control. Something else, however, was also gaining a control of its own...the dark shadows which made up Grylmark's magic were beginning to seep out of the beast, little by little...

"Don't be a fool, Srethis!" the Ungore-head yelled. The creature stumbled down to one knee and clutched at its skull with the right arm, twitching spasmodically. "Don't fight me like this! You...don't know...what you're doing..."

Grylmark's magic was beginning to escape from the hybrid in larger amounts, becoming great billows of energy which trailed off into the sky to become part of the smoke covering the rest of Uminari City. It had become quite visible to everyone by now. Srethis and Ungore must have noticed it too, because their combined form was making a renewed struggle to reclaim the lost energy, wrenching their arms and body upwards as their efforts threatened to rip the entire hybrid apart. Despite their best attempts, however, nothing was working; the shadows continued to rapidly depart from the hybrid's body, some seeping into the ground like blood. Not only that, but the extreme mutations from before were undergoing a change of their own, too...

"Hayate," Exoria whispered urgently. "Take me down to the ground, now. I don't like this..."

Srethis and Ungore's cries were becoming rather desperate now, having lost control of Grylmark's powers completely. Rather than their body reverting to normal, however, the hybrid was mutating all over to adapt to the amount of limited energy that remained. Magic ringed the monster on all sides, propelling it into the air against its occupants' wishes, and white lines of fire streaked down from its wrists. Gone were the muscular arms and legs and the rocky fists from before: the whole thing was turning into something much more fluid and incorporeal. A second later, the entire body had changed again, twisting around and contorting through countless insane combinations...

"Now you've done it, Srethis!" the alien screamed from inside the monster. "We can't control this thing if we're divided! Just do as I say and it should go back to normal!"

"No!" the lizard yelled back. "Thiss iss the lasst time Srethiss will follow your orderss, Ungore! No more!"

Exoria reached the ground relatively unscathed and rushed up to see what was happening. The Legion had emerged with relatively minor bruises from the battering it had taken in the fight, and they both watched from a distance with mixed feelings of fear and curiosity. Neither of them knew quite what was taking in place in front of them...

The hybrid was suddenly slammed down into the ground by the storm of raging forces surging around inside it. Its body started growing and expanding in one second, and then began shrinking in the next; the changes had become completely unpredictable. Multiple magical energies conjured around its two heads as the beast stumbled forward, no longer able to control its basic motor functions anymore. The creature roared in pain, crashing through into the next street and then the next as wings and fangs sprouted, hissing and spitting uncontrollably...

With its screams still echoing into the distance, the horrific mutation threw itself out into the faraway districts of Uminari City, wrecking streets and residences wherever it went. Magic flickered around its body on and off as it flew up into the air, and the beast which had once been Srethis and Ungore disappeared out into the blanketing smoke of the rebellion, completely out of control...

---

The time portal glowed in a shimmering aura of blue light hundreds of feet above the smoke-covered city, keeping a fixed point relative to the rest of the world around it. It defied every concept of a dimensional gateway that Nanoha had ever come across, within the small amount of time she'd had to understand time magic. For one thing, the portal was completely devoid of Oguba's energies, meaning that it was practically impossible for the gateway to function properly; there was no way of travelling through time if you were cut off from the controlling powers of the Lost Logia.

Secondly, as she'd already noticed, there wasn't a single opening to be seen anywhere upon the surface of the portal, not even the slightest gap. You couldn't very well call it a gateway if there was no way to pass through...well, unless it was a sealedgateway of some sort? But for all appearances, this portal didn't seem to have another side. Instead, Yuuno's face had been projected from within like some kind of magic mirror, and he was somehow communicating with them over a vast distance of space and time...

If this is really Yuuno – the Yuuno I know from our universe – then there has to be an opening in the portal somewhere. Some kind of connection back home. He wouldn't be able to contact us otherwise...

Her heart thumped at the thought that this could be the key for their passage back home. Yes, home: the Mid-childa they knew and loved, a universe where the rest of her life was waiting for her. Vivio, her family, a Chrono that still lived, all the people that she'd grown up with over the years and formed such close and memorable bonds with, and all the members of the Bureau who hadn't been sucked in through the wormhole...

At the same time, however, Nanoha felt that she didn't hold out much hope for that. If they could really use this portal to go back to their own world and their own time, then why was it that only Yuuno's face had appeared there as a holographic image? The researcher had mentioned that he hadn't actually physically left their originally universe. Was it just images that could pass through, or was it something different?

"Nanoha!"

The Ace of Aces looked up in surprise, hearing the approaching voice call her from the right. The familiar white-haired form of Zafira appeared a short distance away, with Erio carried on his shoulders. Nanoha's breath caught in her throat, thinking that the Wolkenritter had returned from their search for Fate at last. Had they succeeded in bringing her back? Was it good news...?

However, when she flew up keenly to meet with the two mages, she saw that it was only Zafira and Erio. There was no one else. Nanoha felt the excitement fall away from her, to be replaced by a thin layer of worry. Maybe it wasn't the good news that she had been waiting for after all. She felt Shamal rise up alongside her, just as anxious to learn about where the rest of the Wolkenritter were.

"Zafira, what happened?" the combat mage said concernedly, her attention tepmorarily drawn away from Yuuno's time portal. "Did you find any trace of Fate? What happened to Signum and the others?"

The Guardian Beast's face was calm and still. "They're all fine," he said gruffly. "Nobody's in trouble or anything like that. Whilst we were looking for Fate, Signum and I discovered Vita's location, and so the rest of us decided to split up collectively as a result. Signum wanted to stay behind to keep an eye on things – you know how strongly she feels about getting Vita back. The two of us came back to let you know what's going on, Nanoha."

"Rein and Agito are still continuing the search for Fate," Erio said helpfully. "As soon as anyone receives any news, they'll probably come back here to let you know. Don't worry about us, Nanoha. We're all coping well so far."

The Ace of Aces hesitated, trying to gather her thoughts. She wasn't sure whether she really approved of the Wolkenritter's decision to split up like this. On one hand, Nanoha was keen for everyone to stay together as much as possible, considering that it had taken a while for all of them to find each other again after their initial separation. But if the Wolkenritter had really succeeded in finding out where Vita was, then there could be advantages in dividing their group. That way, they might be able to get Vita and Fate back in one go, rather than concentrating on one person at a time. Every second counted.

"Zafira, did you say you found Vita?" Shamal said, her eyes bright and lined with urgency. She pressed forward, anxious to know more. "Where is she? Do you know if she's all right?"

"She's not in a place that's easy to get to," the Guardian Beast replied. "Vita is inside a hospital facility which covers the grounds north of here. The building is protected from the outside by a large force field, but that's not really a problem for us; the bigger problem is not knowing what lies inside those walls." Zafira's eyes darkened somewhat at having to hold back from rescuing Vita then and there; they were all close companions, and Vita's fate affected every one of them. "From the nature of the illusion magic, Signum and I suspected that Grylmark is involved with this. Vita is probably being held against her will."

Nanoha glanced at him sharply upon hearing this, a small flicker of alarm passing across her face. "Signum's watching the hospital by herself?"

"Yes. She thought it was important that - "

The Ace of Aces whirled around towards the blonde medical mage next to her. "Shamal," she said. "I need you to find Signum and give her your support. She may be a very capable fighter by herself, but I'm not letting anyone here be alone, no matter how strong they are. Without Shari or our communicators, we don't have any effective way of getting word to one another. It's important that each of us has at least one more person to back us up if something goes wrong."

"Signum thought you'd say something like that," Zafira commented ruefully. "What about the situation with Fate? Rein and Agito are on her trail."

"Let them be. I think we can trust them to find her," Nanoha answered. It hurt to have to continuously wait for any news about Fate, but she didn't see what else they could do. "They're following their own route now, and that's probably what's best right now. If all of us start looking for Fate at the same time, we're only going to get in each other's way."

First Fate, and now Vita, the combat mage thought, trying to get everything into perspective. There were so many things to keep track of. We're making such huge progress now, taking such great steps that it's unbelievable. At this rate, we'll get everybody back in no time! Who else is left? Subaru and...Tiana...

She froze in sudden panic, remembering now that she had left Tiana on a high roof of the city quite some time ago. In all the chaos and excitement of being united with Signum and the others, finding Fate before shortly losing her again, being blasted down into the ground by a powerful enemy, ending up with her Barrier Jacket virtually stripped off her back...a lot had happened, and the sharpshooter had escaped Nanoha's mind at the least favourable of times. She knew she hadn't forgotten completely about Tiana, but something always came up at the last second to distract her...

When she thought about it more seriously, however, it wasn't something to worry about too much. The place where she'd dropped Tiana off wasn't too far away from here; as long as the orange-haired forward remained within that region, she would be quite safe from harm. The rebellion had already moved in a different direction altogether, and Tiana wouldn't be involved in any of the more brutal fights.

I'll have to go over there and bring her back by myself, then, Nanoha thought. But...no. I can't even do that, at least not quite yet. Yuuno took a lot of trouble to come here, and he said he can only stay here a limited amount of time. I don't know the finer details, but if I leave here now, he might not be around anymore when I get back!

She didn't like it, but it looked like she was just going to have to trust Tiana to keep herself out of harm's way in the meantime. If they had more people and more mages to spare, Nanoha could have sent out Zafira and Erio to find the sharpshooter...but that could just create more problems, as well as leaving some members of their group by themselves and without backup. There wasn't a lot the combat mage could do about that. Yuuno's unexpected arrival had changed things.

I'm sorry, Tiana, Nanoha thought rather regretfully, but I'm going to need you to hold on a little longer. It shouldn't be too long, and I know you're a strong, reliable girl.

"All right," she said, speaking to everyone around her as a whole. This would have to be settled quickly, since Yuuno wasn't going to be sticking around forever. "Does everyone know what they're doing? Shamal, I'm sending you off to support Signum. She's north of here at the hospital facility that Zafira described. Rein and Agito are still looking for Fate, which means that the rest of us have to keep our position here for when they return. Zafira and Erio, you'll be staying here with me whilst Yuuno explains some things to us."

"Yuuno?" Erio repeated in confusion. "Why would Yuuno be - "

His eyes went to the face of the researcher in the time portal behind Nanoha; a portal in the sky which didn't lead anywhere, yet was currently the closest link back to their own universe. Yuuno had waited patiently for Nanoha to wrap everything up with the other members of the Wolkenritter, but the urgency in his face was quite refined.

"It looks like I will have to hear about the more technical details later, then," Shamal said with a smile. "Nanoha, if Signum and I are able to make contact with Rein or Agito out there, we'll send them directly back to you. The rest of you take care, now."

With that, the medical mage flew off into the distance to meet up with the pink-haired swordswoman, looking out for any sign of the hospital facility in which Vita was confined. With her departure, the remaining three mages turned towards the strange portal in the sky to listen to Yuuno.

"All right, Yuuno," the Ace of Aces said, now that she had dealt with all of the present events as best as she could. "We've got some time to spare now. I hope you've got some good explanations for what's going on here."

"That's why I'm here, Nanoha," Yuuno replied good-naturedly. The portal around him hadn't moved at all since arriving at their position; its behaviour was in direct contradiction to the magic of other time portals, which curled and stretched out in response to Oguba's energies. "But the truth is, really, that you don't have any time to spare. I'll get to that a bit later, however."

"What is this?" Zafira said suspiciously, looking over at the sides of the strange gateway. "Yuuno, how did you get inside one of...these things? How are you able to talk to us like this? I don't like it."

"Let me explain," the researcher said with intellectual enthusiasm. "I'll start by getting a few things clear with the current situation. Nanoha, how long has it been since you went through the portal to confront Red Scorpion? The portal which led to the land of limbo?"

The combat mage blinked in surprise. "How - how do you know about the land of limbo? You've never even - "

"Because everything's already happened! But I'll explain that properly in a moment. Nanoha. How long has it been, really?"

She took her mind back to the events of the past few days. For all her longing to have Fate by her side again, it hadn't been more than a day or so, realistically. The time spent within this alternate universe had averaged out to about twenty four hours, and yet it had seemed so much longer. What about the amount of time that had passed in the land of limbo itself, however? Discovering Red Scorpion's tower, battling her way to the top, discovering Takamachi's true identity and engaging Oguba's medium in combat with Fate...

"Two days," Nanoha said eventually, fairly sure of the amount. "I don't know how much time passed inside the land of limbo, but that's what it feels like."

"Oh." Yuuno's face fell, his expression changing to one of great distress. "Nanoha...it hasn't been two days. It's been more than that back in our world."

"Well, all right." Maybe she had really lost track of time in there, but if time flowed differently between each world then maybe it could have extended out to a week. "How long have we really been gone?"

"Five years," the researcher replied with a sharp intake of breath.

The colour drained from her face. No. That couldn't be right. She must have heard him wrong.

"Wh-what?" Nanoha stammered. "Say that again. I think I misheard you - "

"I'll say it again, then. It's been five whole years since you and all of Riot Force 6 disappeared from the Bureau. Five years, Nanoha." Yuuno's voice was carefully controlled, but still shook with the impact of what he was saying. "I'm sorry to have to tell you it like this. I knew time flowed differently where you were, but I didn't imagine that it was quite to this extent...Nanoha, you disappeared through the portal without a trace – you and almost every member of Riot Force 6. Many members of the superior ranks and subdivisions of the Bureau attempted to find you, or make contact with anyone who went through the gateway with you, including Chrono and your families. We thought you were going to be coming back soon after you vanished...but you didn't. We all waited for days, but then the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months...and none of you ever returned..."

She stood back from the time portal, reeling in shock from what Yuuno was saying to her, aghast by the storm of thoughts which were flowing through her head. This couldn't be true, not a word of it. Five entire years gone in a couple of days, just like that? Five years of moments spent together, relationships forged and strengthened upon, five years of life spent watching Vivio grow up which had been taken away...

Vivio, Nanoha thought, the tears coming to her eyes. The last thing I saw before I went through the portal...was Vivio's face. She...No! This is too much. I won't believe it!

But then she saw the look on Yuuno's face, and realised that he was being absolutely serious. That was the clincher for her, then and there: she had known him since childhood, ever since saving him as a small ferret, and knew almost instinctively that this wasn't something that he or anyone else could make up. Five years...really had passed. Five years of the Bureau without her, or Fate, or the Wolkenritter, or any of those who had come with her through the time portal.

The combat mage felt her hands shake as a wave of panic ran through her. Everyone who had passed through the portal with her to the land of limbo...each and every one of them had been doomed from the start. Was it her fault? Even if they'd wanted to come with her to save Vita, to stand with her and fight to support her...was it still her fault?

And Vivio. What...what's happened to her now that all this time has passed? The daughter I love so much could be...gone. All this time I thought we were just trying to get back to our own world again. I didn't think everything had changed so much already! If I was able to go back now, if I had the rest of my friends back together with me and we were able to go back right this instant – we'd arrive back in our own universe, only to find that Mid-childa had already moved on without us! It wouldn't be the same at all!

As she agonised over such thoughts, Zafira and Erio pushed forward angrily towards the face of the hologram in the stationary portal. The Guardian Beast's face was set in anger, the muscles of his jaws tightening as he looked the researcher hard in the eye.

"Yuuno," Zafira said in a low growl. "You don't know what you're saying. Don't say these things when none of them can possibly be true! How can we know for sure that so much time really has passed back in our world? I won't accept it!"

"It is very hard for me to tell you any of this," the researcher said quietly. "But not as hard as it is for you to hear it. This is the truth, Zafira. I don't fabricate the facts and figures laid out before me."

"It didn't happen, Yuuno!" the Guardian Beast said adamantly. "We – we were all there. Shamal, Rein, Agito and myself – none of us left by our own will. None of us went through Nanoha's portal at all! And yet we still arrived within this alternate universe, nearly a month before Signum or Nanoha or anyone else came here! Not everybody went through the portal!"

"You're right about that," the sandy-haired researcher acknowledged with a slight nod of his head. "But when Nanoha and her small group passed through the portal into the land of limbo...you still disappeared along with everybody else. Only Shari,Mariel and I were unaffected. We were inside the interior divisions of the TSAB, so maybe that had something to do with it, but I doubt that somehow. All of you were taken away through the portal, Zafira, regardless of you entering or not. You, Shamal, Rein and Agito too."

"What about Hayate?"

"Yes, Hayate as well. Oguba's magic snatched all of you away as soon as Nanoha left your dimension. It's not something that any one of us could have predicted."

"If Hayate's been taken into this world as well, then why haven't we seen her yet?" the Guardian Beast demanded. "We survived for so long by ourselves, Yuuno. Don't tell us that we've tried so hard to get back home, only to find that our world has forgotten us!"

"Zafira," Erio said unexpectedly, the boy's voice gentle. "It's okay. It doesn't matter now. Like Yuuno said, everything's already happened, right? Everyone that's close to us is already within reach - "

The Guardian Beast turned on him, seething. "How does it not matter anymore, Erio? I've lived for centuries as a Guardian Beast in my service as a member of the Wolkenritter. Five years would usually be nothing to me before we met Hayate. It isn't the length of time you spend with them, it's what you do that counts!"

It was a little unnerving to see Zafira lose his cool like that. The white-haired Guardian Beast was usually calm and reserved at all times, always in control of his feelings. However, the thought of having even a few of years deducted from his life seemed to have ignited a great bitterness inside him. If the other knights of the Wolkenritter were to hear what Yuuno had said, would they all react in the same way?

"Yuuno," Nanoha said, in a tone which silenced the other two mages. She came forward, hovering on the tip of the air, and swallowed hard. "Yuuno...tell me what happened. What happened to...the Bureau? Everyone that remained – what happened after we all disappeared and nobody was able to find us again?"

Yuuno averted his gaze from her momentarily before answering. "The TSAB diminished in presence on Mid-childa," he said grimly. "I'm afraid to say that the Capital Defense Corps started making changes of their own in regards to the Bureau's activities, especially at Long Arch. With the loss of so many high-profile mages like yourself, Nanoha, the influence of the Bureau became greatly limited. Many subdivisions of the TSAB were forced to be disbanded and replaced by smaller, less important branches of the Bureau. Without Hayate, we lost our links to many vital contacts working with other struggling divisions. A large amount of the funding for the Infinity Library was also withdrawn. Everything's been breaking down since then, Nanoha."

She was silent then, the hard anguish of despair stealing through her heart, feeling as if everything she had worked for had been for nothing. Up to now, her main goals had been to unite herself with Fate and everyone else who had been dragged into this universe, and find a way back home as quickly as possible. But now...it was like there wasn't even a home left for them anymore. Maybe they could have made it work regardless – people could go into a coma for five years and then re-emerge, able to get on with their lives – but not now that she had heard what had happened to the Bureau. Everything had gone wrong in both worlds...

"Nanoha, this isn't what I came here to tell you," Yuuno said. "Listen to me. The world you are trying to reach...is not the one that I'm from."

The Ace of Aces glanced up at him, not understanding.

"But you're from our world," Erio pointed out, confused. "You're the same Yuuno we know."

"Yes, but that's not what I mean. I told you what happened to the Mid-childa you left behind in order to warn you. This isn't the world that you want to go back, not in any universe. Instead, you want to go back to the same Mid-childa before all this happened." The researcher looked across at them painfully, seeing only befuddled faces. "Do you understand?"

"What are you talking about?" Zafira said in a low voice.

Yuuno sighed. "What I'm trying to say is this. Nanoha might know this yet, but she's the only one who can get everyone home. If she does it in the right way, then you won't have to go back to a world which has forgotten you for five years. Instead, you'll be able to return to Mid-childa not long after you left." He smiled, seeing their eyes begin to light up. "You see? The five years won't have passed. You won't have disappeared for very long at all. Also, the Yuuno you'll meet there won't technically be me, either, because I'm part of another future that you may never see."

"Say again?" Erio asked.

"No, I get it," Nanoha said. She blinked the tears away as a faint glimmer of hope melted through the despair which had threatened to consume her. It doesn't have to be this way. We don't have to lose everything that we've tried so hard to achieve, and it doesn't have to be for nothing after all... "Right now, in our world back home...five years have already passed. If we go back now without using any kind of time travel, we'll be back in our own universe – but the Bureau will have changed like Yuuno said. We could continue with our lives, but it wouldn't be what we wanted." She took a deep breath, Vivio's face central in her mind. "Nobody wants five years of their life wasted like that. Instead, we need to find a way to travel back in time to the moment when we first left. We would be travelling through time and space, which is the same way that we got here."

But we can't go back using exactly the same method, she thought. The land of limbo is destroyed now, and every portal in time utilised that dead planet as a means for Oguba's magic. That means time travel is now impossible. How are we supposed to go back at all, then?

"That's right," the researcher answered. "Five years ago, almost all of Riot Force 6 disappeared in the blink of an eye. The years went by and everyone had given up hope, thinking that it was a lost cause and that they could do nothing but honour the memory of those who had vanished. Even I had given up as well, Nanoha. I admit that. However, when I returned to the scene many months later, I discovered that there were a few magical traces left by the portal that Nanoha had created – barely detectable, but I chose to analyze them. Traces, in fact, that were actually part of Oguba's magical residue. I thought...what if there was still a chance? I knew I didn't have all of Oguba, so I couldn't possibly travel in time.

"It was a huge project for me to undertake, and the Bureau was severely depleted of funding after the catastrophe of losing so many elite mages. I enlisted Mariel's help, knowing that she had personally held Oguba's physical form in her hands and would have the right kind of experience. Remember when you first held Oguba in your hands, Nanoha? Remember when you gained the power of time magic within Raging Heart? Mariel remembered it too, and she was keen to try out the experiment with me."

She did remember, now that she cast her mind back to the dreamlike state she had experienced whilst being possessed by the Lost Logia. For a short amount of time, Oguba had existed in their world as a physical form, to be implemented into Raging Heart's system. It was the reason why Nanoha had been able to open up the portal in the first place...but none of that mattered anymore, not now that she knew retrospectively about Oguba's true motives towards her.

"We didn't know what would happen," Yuuno continued. "It took over a year for Mariel and I to get a fully detailed analysis of Oguba's magical residue, and even then there were gaps in our knowledge. However, in the end we were able to fashion a method of connecting through to the other side of your portal, Nanoha, just a fragile connection which didn't last very long. Unfortunately, I discovered that even that small link had already vanished. The land of limbo, as you call it, was no more – it had either already disappeared or had been destroyed."

"Destroyed," Nanoha replied. "Grylmark destroyed it with Oguba's power."

"Yes, I thought it would be something like that." Yuuno paused to take a breath. "As I was saying, the other side of your portal seemed to have become no more...but curiously enough, I found that the link had continued through into another world completely. That's the world you're in right now, Nanoha. Using the weak connection that Mariel and I had established, we were able to gather bits and pieces of information from the other end of the link. A lot of the data came in the form of sound and visual images, much like the hologram I'm projecting towards you from my end of the line.

"Over time, I gradually built up a picture of what was going on in the world you're in, Nanoha. I worked out enough to know that it was an alternate version of the Mid-childa we know. Certain names that came through gave a stronger reading on our side, indicating that they were heavily involved within the time-space continuum. Oguba. Vivio Harlaown. The Program. Grylmark. When I searched deeper into the source of these readings, I discovered some interesting observations of my own, and knew that I had to get word to you if it was at all possible."

The hologram of Yuuno began to flicker dangerously all of a sudden, and the three Bureau mages inched forward tentatively, thinking that the connection had been lost after all. Seconds later, however, the image had returned to the surface of the portal once more.

"I couldn't enter the link in person, of course," the researcher said, rubbing his eyes tiredly for a moment. "The "portal" that Mariel and I created – can you call it that? - was barely able to last more than a few minutes at first. It took many months of careful preparation and synchronisation with the rest of Oguba's energies, along with a bit of guesswork to fill in the gaps, before the makeshift gateway was durable enough for our needs. Even now, Nanoha...I can't continue the link for much longer.

"Since I had been able to receive data and information about the alternate Mid-childa from your side of the connection, it was only logical that it should work the other way round. And that's what I did, Nanoha. I fed in a large stream of data pertaining to myself, and outputted it as a holographic image which would be able to communicate with you." Yuuno sighed, putting on a relieved smile for her despite himself. "It wasn't easy finding you, however. I only had a limited amount of time to achieve all of this."

Nanoha listened to him in silence, feeling all the pieces fit into place. So that was why this portal didn't feel like the real thing after all – it was an artificial gateway of sorts, constructed by Yuuno and Mariel to send through just enough information to make contact with her in a computerised fashion.

"That's incredible," she said in an awed voice, feeling quite proud that her childhood friend had succeeded in doing so much despite having such limited resources at his disposal. "Yuuno, if the Bureau wasn't on such a downward slope back in our world, they would hail you as a genius for managing all of this. You've done an amazing job."

"Let's not waste time on congratulations," Yuuno replied modestly. "The reason I went to such great lengths to contact you is because I had something vitally important to tell you." He took a deep breath, looking her in the eyes from another time and universe completely. "Nanoha, I know how you can get back to your own world – you and the other members of the Bureau who are stuck there with you. But there's only one way to do it, and it's not going to be easy."

"I expected that," Nanoha said heavily, feeling a shade of unease about her. The way things were already, she already had so much on her hands to deal with. Was there going to be much more of this? Was she going to be completely overwhelmed? "Yuuno, before you tell me anything, do you know everything about the situation on our side? You said you only gathered bits and pieces of data, but I don't know if you've got the full article. There's a civil war going on, leaving thousands of people dead. Uminari City is going to burn to the ground before long. I've found most of the TSAB members in this world, but Fate and Vita are still missing and I've been forced to split up some of our group to continue searching for them. We've made some powerful enemies of our own, and they could attack us at any time." Her gaze was downcast, tired from the weight of having to bear such a burden. "I have to sort all of this out, Yuuno. I have to get home."

"I know, Nanoha," the researcher replied as reassuringly as he could. "Don't worry. It's going to be tough, really tough, but you'll pull through. I've always had the utmost faith in you. We all have."

Hearing that from Yuuno didn't really make her feel any better inside. If anything, it put added pressure on Nanoha's shoulders. She knew already how much everyone trusted her with their lives and how much confidence they had in her, but what was going to happen when she couldn't live up to such high standards anymore? What if the time finally came, and she crumbled and fell, and the rest of the Bureau collapsed along with her like a great tower of fragile bricks? Nanoha didn't know if she could do this...she needed Fate with her to ease the burden of command. Fate was her rock, her support...if Hayate was here, she would understand...

"I know how you can achieve it," Yuuno said excitedly, drawing her attention back again. "I've amassed enough information to work out how you can get back to your own universe, Nanoha – not the five-years-ahead Mid-childa that you need to avoid, but the home that you left only a few days ago. If you are able to achieve that...then the Mid-childa I'm in will cease to exist completely. I'll go back to the normal Yuuno back in the original timeline. In other words, I won't remember anything of what's happening now or even this conversation, because it won't have happened yet. But that's only if you can make it work, Nanoha. We need you."

"You're going to stop existing?" the Ace of Aces said with great concern. "Wait a second. Do you mean - "

The researched laughed lightly. "No, nothing like that. I will have never existed at all, because the five years won't have happened. That's what we're aiming for."

"All right. I understand." She folded her arms, her pulse racing fast at the thought that she was finally going to find out the answer to the burning question on her lips. Ever since they had first arrived in this world, Nanoha had been wracking her brain about how they were going to find a way back home, and had come up with only the vaguest of possibilities. With Yuuno's help, however, she might have a good idea of how they were going to do it, some kind of real direction...

"Tell me," the combat mage said keenly. "How am I going to pull this off?"

"In a way, you already know," Yuuno said, drawing himself up. "Oguba is at the heart of this entire mess that you're in. Defeating Oguba once and for all should reverse all of the events that have transpired so far – well, not all events, technically, but the magic contained within the previous portals will induce a backward flow in the space-time continuum. You should be able to return to your own universe that way.

"You see, Nanoha...as you said before, the land of limbo is destroyed, meaning that time travel is theoretically impossible from here on out. But just because travelling through time is now impossible doesn't mean you can't still reverse the whole process. The flow of time still exists. You'll need to make sure that you don't end up in the five-years-later period of time, and for that you'll have to master time magic in your own way. I can't teach you that, Nanoha – I'm not the one who held Oguba in their own hands. In a way, you know more about time travel than me.

"Of course, you can't really destroy Oguba, just like nobody can destroy time itself. To be honest, Nanoha, I'm not so sure about that part. I know it's to do with your contract with Oguba, even if it's a contract that's no longer in existence...You'll have to find a way around that yourself. I know you can do it."

It was a lot to take in all at once. All right, so she had to defeat Oguba, even though she couldn't really destroy him...and also had to master time magic to make sure she didn't overshoot the time period that they were all trying to return to. Was it possible? Nanoha was the only one in the Bureau who had had a contract with Oguba, so it could only be her...

"All right," she said slowly. "In that case - "

"Secondly," Yuuno continued, not finished yet, "the issue of Grylmark. As we all know, Grylmark has been an active enemy of the Bureau for some time now. The main reason why he continues to go undefeated is because so little is known about him. However, my readings tell me that Grylmark is inextricably linked to the crisis that you're in, Nanoha. I'm not sure if you're completely aware of this, but Grylmark's contract with Oguba is unfairly biased in favour of himself. In other words, he's in excess of a lot more time magic than anyone else – far more than Exoria or Ungore, for example. You'll need to defeat him along with Oguba, Nanoha. In fact, I would say that it's absolutely crucial. As long as he remains, you aren't going to be getting home at all."

"Wait just a second here," the Ace of Aces said, holding up a hand. "I have to defeat Grylmark as well? Let me just think about this - "

"Thirdly," the researcher interrupted, not giving her a chance to stop him, "you'll have to find a way to bring everyone back home – every single person who's with you. The way Oguba's magic works is that it really only affects one person, that person being the contractor. Although you were able to transport multiple people through the first portal you made, Nanoha, that turned out to be an extremely unstable gateway with a high level of danger. We shouldn't risk something like that happening again. When you make your decision at the very end, you'll need a foolproof way of taking all of the Bureau back to the right universe, at the right time. That's all you have to do, Nanoha."

Nanoha looked at him for long moments, waiting patiently for anything else Yuuno had to say. What was going to come next? Save all of Uminari City and stop the rebellion as well, perhaps? Were there any more impossible tasks that anyone wanted her to do whilst she was still here?

Slowly, the combat mage unfolded her arms, mulling it all over with more than a small amount of annoyance. Defeat Oguba. Defeat Grylmark. Don't overshoot the time period when you reverse the process of time magic or you'll be in really big trouble. Also, find a way for the procedure to affect everybody who's with you, which could be extremely dangerous. Yuuno, why did you have to put all this on my shoulders? I already have so many things to keep track of!

That does it. I need Fate back with me, right now. I can't possibly do all of this by myself. At least Zafira and Erio are here to listen to all this, so they could get word to the others.

"So is that all of it?" Nanoha said lightly. "That's all I have to do in order for everyone to get home in one piece?"

"I'm afraid so, Nanoha. All the points I've made are equally important."

"I'm surprised you didn't say "no pressure"," she muttered, quite irritated with him. "And now you're going to tell me how I'm supposed to do all that?"

The hologram of Yuuno looked at her and cleared his throat. For the first time, he looked rather awkward.

"Well," he said with a little cough. "Actually, now that you mention it...the process of carrying out such actions within the space of time allocated would conflict with my analysing of the situation that I have taken upon at hand, and technically speaking – I say again, technically speaking, my knowledge of the main crisis would be best left to - "

"You don't know," the Ace of Aces said woodenly.

"Did I say that?" Yuuno said, his eyes wide and innocent. "I didn't say that. In fact, I've given you as much information as will be able to help you in the best possible ways, and in the circumstances..."

His voice trailed off, and he carefully avoided Nanoha's glare towards him. With an effort, the researcher drew himself up sheepishly.

"All right," Yuuno admitted. "It might be possible that, just maybe, I don't know and don't have the faintest idea - "

"I don't believe this," the combat mage said in dismay. "I do not believe this."

"But my information tells me that it is possible! There is one precise way to do it, and you just have to take that path. Only you, Nanoha. I don't know why it's only you, but I think that should become clear later - "

"You don't know," the Ace of Aces said again. In the past five minutes, Yuuno's arrival had succeeded in raising her spirits and then sending them crashing down again. She was more annoyed at him than anything else, even though it wasn't really his fault. "Yuuno, you came here to me from five years ahead in my future to tell me that I have to accomplish all of these impossible tasks as well...and you don't know how I'm supposed to achieve any of it?"

"It's the only way for you to get back home, Nanoha," the researcher said, flushing with embarrassment. "I'm really sorry. I just thought it was important for you to know -"

"Oh, it's definitely very important, Yuuno. I think you just came at a really bad time." She sighed and held her head in her hands, overloaded by having so much on her mind at once. "Maybe I would have appreciated it if you'd brought along some kind of guidebook."

Fate. Vita. Avoiding the conflict of the rebellion and the executors. Keeping an eye out for the veiled woman who defeated her, whilst knowing that she can't afford to take another hit on my Barrier Jacket. Finding the other members of the Bureau. Remembering to collect Tiana. And now...Grylmark, Oguba, mastering time magic and overcoming who knows what kind of opponents might be coming against them...

It was too much to think about simultaneously. Silently, Nanoha turned away from the portal; looking at it anymore just made her head hurt. Only one thought ran through her head again and again: How am I supposed to do all of this? Even with all of my friends supporting me, is all of this really possible? Yuuno believes so, but...I don't know. We'll just going to have to see for ourselves...

A/N: I might have put too much in this chapter all at once, but it was going to be even longer initially. Eek, writing just gets longer, and I had to do a few re-writes of Hayate's bit before I was happy for it.

Fate and Signum's parts next chapter.