"LUNA!" Kurumu cried out as the group stared at the green eyed chronofly with shock. In an instant Kurumu, Mizore, Ruby, and Yukari quickly rushed over and hugged Luna who looked around at them with an amused smile.
"You're ok! You're ok!" Yukari cheered out with tears of joy.
"Oh my god, are you alright? Where did you come from, how did you even get here?" Ruby asked shaking her head with an amazed smile.
"We've been worried sick about you, what happened to you?" Mizore asked looking at the chronofly with relief. Luna laughed a bit as the girls backed up slightly, then looked to see Rason smiling at her.
"Luna, oh thank god you're alright," he said with relief as he ran over and hugged her. Luna showed a gentle smile as she held him as well.
"I'm fine Rason, really," Luna said assuredly. Rason stepped back and looked at her with wonder.
"How did you… but we thought… where did…" he said shaking his head with a curious smile. Gabriel stared at the chronofly with wonder and relief, seeing her standing there while seeming to be perfectly ok.
'Luna... it's a miracle, you're back.'
Apoch and Astreal smiled with relief at seeing the return of their friend while Render and Leon looked at the chronofly with curious smiles, both glad that she was ok but puzzled as to how she just returned like that. Ceal looked at the new chronofly with a curious eye, also questioning the girl's sudden safe return. And Complica was crying tears of joy as she saw her sister standing before her.
"Sister!" she cried out as she ran though the group and hugged Luna, with the elder chronofly staring at her with surprise.
"Complica? Wha… what are you doing here? Oh my word, is that really you?" she said looking at her deceased sister with disbelief. Complica looked up to her with watery eyes while holding onto her sister tightly.
"I was so scared what happened to you where did you go we thought you were trapped in that dark world with all those scary monsters and you couldn't get out and I was so worried I thought I'd never see you again I'm so glad you're ok I missed you so much please don't ever leave me again never never never never never!" she cried out as she held her sister, burying her face into Luna's chest and sobbing out of relief. Luna stared at her with a stunned expression then slowly held the young girl.
"Yeah, you're my sister alright, but… what are you doing here?" she asked shaking her head.
"What is she doing here? What are you doing here? Where have you been?" Felucia cried out. Luna looked to her then her jaw dropped.
"Felucia? You're here too? But… how? I thought you were dead! You're both dead, how can you be here like this?" she said with disbelief.
"You're dead? You… you're a disembodied soul too?" Fang Fang said looking to Felucia with wide eyes. The doll demon glanced to him and nodded.
"Boo," she said simply. Fang Fang stared at her with surprise then looked back to Luna with a troubled expression. Luna looked between Felucia and Complica with a stunned expression then over to Mizore before she noticed Arial, the chronofly then showing a nervous expression.
"A-Arial… she's here too? And… oh dear… and she's standing next to Dark and Mizore. That's nice… she's standing right there… near Mizore. That's… great. Yes, um, Mizore? Run for your life!" she screamed as she looked to the snow maiden with fright. Everybody looked at Mizore as she merely shook her head.
"I could have used that good advice yesterday, a bit late now," she said flatly.
"Well… we did try to warn you," Apoch mentioned with a weak smile.
"Yeah, we've kind of got that little issue taken care of… sort of. Arial and Mizore… came to an agreement… I think," Kurumu said rubbing the back of her head with a weak smile. Arial glanced to Mizore with narrowed eyes as the snow maiden looked to her with a forced innocent smile while holding onto Dark's arm. Luna glanced between the two snow girls carefully then around at everybody with bewilderment before looking at her little sister.
"How are all of you here, and why are you here?" she asked.
"Luna, who is that?" Razico asked pointing to Hex. Everybody looked to Hex as the boy was watching them with an amused smile.
"Why is it things are never dull around you people, and trouble always follows in your wake?" he asked with a smirk. He stood up then glanced around to a few of the group members.
"Let's see here, Yukari, Mizore, Kurumu, and there's Kokoa, and Ruby too. And if memory serves the Moka from this reality is currently with the humans talking about peace and such, you girls never do lead boring lives in any world do you?" he mused playfully. The group just stared at him in silence for a moment while Luna looked from him back to her friends curiously.
"How does he know us?" Kokoa asked carefully.
"And what the hell is he talking about?" Kurumu asked shaking her head.
"From this reality?" Yukari asked with confusion.
"Luna, who is that?" Rason asked carefully. Luna looked back to Hex with a smile while Complica peeked at the new boy while still holding onto her sister closely.
"His name is Hex, he's the one who rescued me from that dark world," she said gratefully.
"What? He saved you?" Ahakon said pointing to the new boy with surprise.
"Who is this guy anyway?" Kokoa asked shaking her head.
"What the hell, that was you who saved her? But I was supposed to save her! For god's sake I risked my soul's existence sneaking into that damned place to free her!" Felucia yelled out with annoyance. The group looked to her as the doll demon marched up towards Hex with a scowl.
"Do you have any idea what I went through to save her, or what I had to do in order to even get to her? Do you?" she yelled out. Hex merely raised an eyebrow.
"I'm terribly sorry; would you rather have had me leave her in that cell with her rather forceful companions in that world? I wasn't aware you had any intention on saving her from the nightmare she was enduring, nor do I believe she would have lasted much longer in waiting for such a rescue," he quipped simply. The group stared at him with a surprise then looked to Luna while Complica shook her head with a whimper.
"What's he talking about, what happened to you sister?" she asked.
"Oh god…" Kurumu said holding a hand over her mouth.
"Luna…" Ruby said shaking her head slowly.
"Did… they…" Yukari asked worriedly. Arial showed a worried expression and shook her head.
"You were just alone in the dark in that place, weren't you?" she asked. She looked to Dark and Mizore, both of them showing concern while Luna held Complica close, the young chronofly burying her face into her sister's chest.
"Did they hurt you sister?" Complica whimpered while looking back up to her sister. Luna slowly knelt down to face her sister and wiped a tear from the young girl's eye.
"I'm alright now Complica, really. What happened in that world is nothing but a memory now, don't trouble yourself over it," she said before hugging her sister. She looked around at the others as they watched her with worried expressions.
"You weren't alone, were you?" Arial asked softly.
"No, but I'm alright Arial, I promise," Luna said looking to her. She looked to her sister as the young girl whimpered while watching her with watery eyes.
"It's ok, please don't cry Complica. Hex got me out of that place… before anything worse would have happened. He saved my life and… helped me recover from the ordeal. The important thing right now is that I'm back and I'm perfectly fine," she assured gently. Complica nodded then looked to Hex.
"Thank you for saving my sister, thank you so much," she said softly. Hex smiled a little then shrugged modestly.
"Well, she does seem happier out here than she was in there," he mused. Luna nodded then looked around at everybody.
"I'm fine now, really," she said assuredly. The group slowly nodded as Luna turned to her sister with a gentle smile.
"But as for you Complica, what are you doing here? And how did you even get here?" she asked with wonder. Complica whimpered and shook her head.
"I'm sorry I tried to go after you to find you and bring you back I went through that scary rift in heaven and wound up in some dark world where there were monsters and lightning and scary dark clouds so I ran away because I was scared and when I left the clouds I was here and I couldn't find my way back to heaven so I-" she said before Luna rested her fingers on the girl's mouth, with Complica watching her with worried eyes while Luna smiled slightly at her.
"Complica, do you remember what happened the last time you tried to tell a big story all in one go?" she asked gently. Complica nodded then looked down.
"I passed out," she said softly. The group glanced to her with raised eyebrows at that remark.
"I was wondering if that ever happened to her," Gin commented while scratching his head. Luna nodded then looked to Rason.
"What is she doing here? Or Arial and Felucia for that matter?" she asked.
"Felucia I'm not so sure on, these two however went into the rift that's in heaven and wound up down here. Complica came looking for you while Arial was trying to find Dark again," Rason explained. He showed a worried expression then looked up.
"But… we've got a problem Luna. They can't go back to heaven," he said regrettably. Luna looked at him with a jump while Felucia watched the angel carefully.
"What? What do you mean they can't go back? Are you saying they're not allowed back in anymore because they left?" Luna asked worriedly. Rason shook his head and looked at her with remorse.
"The heavenly barrier, it won't allow a soul to pass through from either side. Souls aren't meant to leave heaven; it's not supposed to be possible. We tried to fly them back up, but they can't go through the barrier, they're trapped down here," he explained.
"What?" Luna and Felucia cried out. The group looked to Felucia as she started breathing heavily and shaking her head.
"Wait, you mean… I can't go to heaven? I can't go through that barrier thing either?" she said nervously.
"Well, no. But I thought you would be going back to hell when this was over," Rason said shaking his head. Felucia whimpered and looked up while her hands fidgeted together in front of her.
"Felucia? What's wrong?" Ruby asked.
"No… no no no no, you have to get me up there! I can't stay here; I can't stay here like this!" Felucia shouted out looking back to Rason.
"We'll figure something out Felucia, just calm down," Rason said gently while holding his hands up defensively.
"You want to go to heaven now? I thought you wanted to stay down in hell and torture evil souls," Yukari asked puzzled. Felucia cried out and dropped to her knees while looking at her glowing bracelet.
"I have to get up there; I have to get into the heavenly realm now! I don't have much more time!" she pleaded looking to Rason.
"What are you talking about? Time? Time for what?" Kurumu asked.
"What's that bracelet thing on your wrist?" Complica asked pointing to the glowing band.
"It's my temporary soul band, it's what's tethering my soul to the mortal world," Felucia said looking at the band with nervous eyes. Complica looked at the band curiously then to her own wrist.
"How come we didn't get wristbands when we came back?" she asked. Arial looked at her wrists curiously then to Felucia with puzzlement. Felucia shook her head and looked to Rason with frightened eyes.
"Please, you have to get me into heaven right now; I was counting on you taking me up there after I got Luna to you guys. You have to get me up there, I'm not kidding around here!" she pleaded.
"Felucia, what's wrong?" Mizore asked worriedly.
"This soul band is the only thing that's keeping my spirit stable in this world, just like how my spirit artifact worked," Felucia said looking to her. Mizore glanced to the band then to Felucia with even more concern as the doll demon stumbled back to her feet and ran towards Rason while holding the band out to be seen.
"Once it runs out of energy I need to be in the heavenly realm for my soul to survive, or else… or else…" she said before looking to the band with fright. The group looked at the band then jumped at the realization.
"Oh you've got to be shitting me," Kurumu said shaking her head.
"Oh god," Yukari said holding a hand over her mouth.
"I'm still not following here, what's going to happen if her wristband gives out?" Render asked glancing around at everybody worriedly, being the only one that didn't make the connection.
"My soul will die! I'll be wiped from existence!" Felucia cried out.
"What? But… can't we just send you back to hell then? Won't that work?" Ahakon reasoned franticly.
"I can't go back you idiot! I made a deal with Lord of Hell, he would transport my soul into the dark world for me to save Luna, and in return my soul would be released from hell and allowed to go to heaven! I'm not a demon from hell anymore, I can't go back!" Felucia yelled out desperately.
"Oh no, how much time do you have left?" Gin asked looking to the band.
"I have no idea; I was only planning on being in this world for a single day, not being trapped here for an extended visit! It could give out at any time!" Felucia cried out while looking to her band with fright. The band started to crackle with the green and blue colors flickering and shifting around, the group looking to it with a jump as Felucia stared at it with a pale expression.
"Or… it could go out… right now!" she shrieked as the band started to flicker. She trembled and dropped to her knees as she started breathing heavily, the group watching as her body was shaking and flickering green.
"Felucia!" Mizore cried out.
"No… no! Dammit, I'm a good soul; it wasn't supposed to end this way!" Felucia cried out as she shook about while holding her arm as the band sparked and flickered.
"Somebody do something!" Kurumu cried out.
"Get her to heaven now!" Razico yelled out looking to Rason and Gabriel.
"We can't fly her up to heaven in time, and even if we could we can't get her to pass through the barrier!" Rason said shaking his head.
"We have to do something; she's going to fade away forever!" Yukari cried out.
"I can't breathe… I can't breathe…" Felucia said before she dropped onto her side.
"Felucia! No!" Mizore cried out as she and Dark rushed over and knelt down beside the doll demon.
"Felucia!" Dark shouted out while holding the girl up in his arms. She shakily looked to him as her eyes struggled to focus.
"Dark…" she whimpered as she started to cry.
Luna looked at her with fearful eyes then to Hex.
"Give me your dice, hurry!" she pleaded. The group looked to her with confusion as Hex smiled amusedly at the girl.
"Oh? You're going to press your luck even further today are you?" he asked playfully.
"Please, I have to save my friend, I'm begging you Hex, let me play your game again!" Luna pleaded with urgency.
"What? Play a game, now? Are you serious?" Kokoa shouted out at her. Hex chuckled then brought out his dice, with Luna quickly grabbing them and kneeling down on the floor.
"And what is it you're playing for this time Luna?" Hex asked as he knelt down as well.
"What are you doing? Felucia's dying over here!" Yukari yelled out as the group watched Felucia's band crackle and start to fade, the demon trembling while breathing sharply.
"I want Felucia, Arial, and Complica to be taken to heaven right now! I bet that will happen!" Luna cried out.
"What on earth are you talking about?" Fang Fang asked with bewilderment. Hex shook his head with a smirk.
"I can't do that Luna, I don't have that kind of power," he simply said.
"What? What do you mean you don't have that kind of power? You made Astreal kill that giant demon earlier with your reality bending magic, why can't you do this?" Luna asked franticly.
"What? He did what with what kind of magic?" Ruby exclaimed as the group looked to Hex with surprise. Luna looked to Felucia then to Hex with pleading eyes as the boy calmly shook his head.
"I cannot transfer your deceased friends into your heavenly realm; my power is limited in that regard. I cannot change reality when it involves crossing into the domain of another grand deity, your Almighty's control over the heaven above will not allow my magic to change it," Hex explained.
"What? But… you can't?" Luna cried out desperately.
"I'm sorry Luna, but even I have my limits. My magic is not all-powerful, even I have rules that cannot be broken," Hex said shaking his head.
"What the hell are you two talking about?" Gin shouted out shaking his head.
"Your friend is dying over here, why are you two playing a game of dice at a time like this?" Render yelled out while waving to Felucia. Luna looked at the doll demon as the girl trembled weakly while her band flickered and began to die out.
"Felucia!" Dark yelled out.
"No, no! You can't die on us again! Dammit, you can't die again!" Mizore cried out with tears forming. Luna shook her head then looked to Hex.
"Then can you make it so her soul band doesn't lose its energy down here? Please!" she begged desperately. The group looked to them again with confusion and disbelief while Hex nodded.
"That can be done, yes. Is that your wish?" he asked.
"Yes!" Luna cried out. Hex nodded then smiled coolly at her.
"Well, you know my wager Luna, I ask of the same thing I did before," he reasoned.
"I accept!" Luna cried out as she quickly rolled the dice. It rolled a four and five, with Hex then picking the dice up as the group stared at them with stunned expressions.
"How can you two play a game of dice right now? What is wrong with you?" Leon said shaking his head.
"Your friend is about to cease to exist, why are you playing with dice?" Ran asked with disbelief.
"I'm trying to save her!" Luna reasoned as Hex rolled the dice, coming up with two fours. He smirked and took the dice again while Luna looked to Felucia with desperation.
"Just hold on Felucia, just hold on!" she cried out before watching Hex roll the dice again, getting a five and one. Luna snatched them up as the group watched them with bewilderment.
"What are you talking about, how is this saving her?" Ruby said waving to the dice.
"C'mon! C'mon!" Luna cried out as she rolled the dice, getting two twos. She screamed and picked them up again, rattling them around in her hand furiously with frustration.
"Please, please let this work!" she shouted as she rolled again. The dice rolled a four and six, with Hex then picking them up.
"Felucia!" Mizore cried out as the doll demon's hand dropped down onto the floor, the girl's eyes slowly closing as she breathed out one last time. The band on her wrist flickered then slowly faded in color as the girl's head rocked to the side in Dark's arms.
"No! Don't die again, please!" Mizore begged as she grabbed Felucia's hand. Hex rolled the dice on the floor, getting a one and three. Luna quickly swiped them up again and looked to Felucia with fright.
"Felucia," she said under a whisper. She shook her head then rolled the dice again with a yell, the cubes rolling onto the floor as Dark trembled while holding the doll demon in his arms.
"No… Felucia… Felucia!" he shouted out in agony.
The cubes rolled to a stop, coming up with two sixes.
"Felucia!" Yukari cried out.
The band flashed a bright blue and green light, the group looking at it with surprise as a swirl of light flared around Felucia's body. The band let off a soft greenish blue glow that enveloped the doll demon briefly before flashing away, with the band now glowing softly once again.
"What… the?" Rason said quietly.
Felucia's eyes slowly opened, the girl blinking a few times before looking to seeing Dark holding her in his arms. The group stared at her with surprise as she gazed into Dark's eyes.
"Oh my god, I… I…" she said quietly.
"Felucia?" he asked gently. She blinked then smiled lovingly.
"I finally got into heaven, it's a miracle," she said before leaning up and kissing Dark, the boy watching her with a blank expression as the group stared at the girl with stunned expressions. Mizore's eyebrow twitched just like Arial's did as they saw Felucia wrapping her arms around Dark while the shadow demon watched her with puzzlement. Mizore then tapped Felucia's shoulder, the doll demon blinking then looking to her quickly as the snow maiden slowly shook her head.
"You're still here Felucia, you're not in heaven," she said softly. Felucia paused then looked to Dark as the boy was just staring at her.
"Oh…" she said softly. After a moment she smiled nervously.
"Um, I still fully support you and Mizore, and wish you both nothing but eternal happiness. Hee hee?" she said shakily. Dark blinked then looked to Luna as the chronofly was smiling with relief at Felucia.
"Did… you do that?" he asked unsurely.
"It worked, that was too close," Luna said while shaking her head. The group looked to her with wonder then to Felucia as the doll demon was staring at her bracelet which was now glowing steadily again.
"It's… still here. I'm still here. How?" she said before looking to Luna with bewilderment.
"Luna, what did you two just do?" Rason asked looking between the chronofly and Hex.
"Did you just save her by playing a game of dice?" Ran asked with disbelief. Sun merely looked at the dice on the floor then to Hex with a raised eyebrow and a confused expression. Dark helped Felucia stand again while everybody watched Luna, the chronofly looking to the dice while breathing out in relief. Hex smirked and picked them up.
"Seems luck is still with you Luna, how fortunate," he mused as he stood up and pocketed his dice. She smiled softly and nodded then stood up as everybody was looking between her and Hex.
"Ok, what is going on here? How did you save Felucia by playing with dice, and just who is this guy anyway?" Kurumu asked pointing to Hex. Luna looked to Hex then smiled at the group.
"Well, his name is Hex, he's a reality bender. He can change reality with his magic," she explained.
"Change… reality?" Yukari asked with a puzzled expression.
"That just raises more questions, a lot more," Leon commented. Luna giggled then looked to Astreal.
"Do you remember shooting down that giant demon earlier?" she asked. Astreal nodded slowly with a perplexed expression. Luna smiled and waved to Hex.
"Well, that was because of his magic. I saw all of you on the news, and how you were about to be executed by the humans. So I made a bet with Hex that you would all be ok," she explained.
"What? You made a bet?" Astreal asked shaking her head with confusion. Luna giggled and nodded.
"Hex bases all his magic and power on luck, he… likes to gamble. I wanted to help you all when you were in trouble, so I played his game with dice, that's how he decides what his magic will do," she said with a small shrug.
"Luck? He uses 'luck' to control his magic?" Yukari asked with a bewildered expression.
"Well, yes," Luna reasoned with a weak smile.
"You let mere chance guide your power?" Ceal asked flatly. Hex nodded to that.
"You let mere chance guide your power which has the potential to change reality as we know it?" Leon asked with a raised eyebrow. Again Hex nodded.
"Isn't that… you know, ludicrously dangerous?" Render asked with disbelief.
"Of course, but that's what makes it fun," Hex said with a smirk. The group just looked at him with confused expressions. Luna glanced to him then looked back to Astreal.
"I agree that is very dangerous, but it worked out in our favor. Reality changed to make sure you would all survive and that the flying demon would be destroyed safely," she explained. Astreal stared at her with wide eyes then looked to Hex, the boy looking at her with a curious smile.
"It's true; because she won the roll I changed reality to accommodate her wish. I didn't personally choose you to be the savior, since Luna didn't specify how you would all be saved, however because she won the game reality picked you to make her wish come true," he reasoned. Astreal just stared at him with disbelief as Felucia looked to her glowing band.
"And… my soul band…" she said looking back to him. Hex nodded and glanced to the glowing band.
"She won the game just now, and her wish was granted. As long as you are here in the mortal realm your soul band will never lose its charge," he explained. Felucia stared at him with wonder as Luna smiled at her.
"You… you have the power to change reality? Where did you come from?" Apoch asked shaking her head.
"Everywhere and nowhere," he answered.
"That doesn't make any sense, and how do you know our names? We've never met before," Yukari said shaking her head.
"I've met you before Yukari, just not the Yukari that you are here," Hex reasoned while glancing to her with a smirk.
"What the hell is he talking about, just what is he anyway?" Kokoa said shaking her head. Luna smiled weakly at that and glanced to Hex.
"Well, I'm not too sure what exactly he is, or how he met you before, but I do know that… he's the son of... that dark king in the other world," she said carefully. The group jumped then stared at Hex with surprise as the boy just showed a casual smile still.
"What?" Rason shouted out.
"He's that monster's son?" Ruby said with narrowed eyes at the new boy.
"Your father is the one that's planning on invading this world?" Gabriel accused sharply. Hex glanced to him and nodded.
"It's a little passion of his, finding new worlds and razing them to the ground," he reasoned casually.
"Your father is the cause of all of this chaos that we've been going through? What the hell are you doing here then, and why did you help Luna?" Razico demanded. Hex chuckled and looked around at the group as they were all glaring at him.
"What are those looks for? I thought you would have appreciated me freeing her from my father's palace, not to mention helping you with a few other problems you all have been facing today," he mused casually.
"Why did you free her from that place, aren't you concerned about what your father will say on the matter?" Ceal asked carefully. Hex laughed and shook his head as Luna smirked to that comment.
"I don't care in the slightest if my father is upset about losing Luna, that man is only my father by being the one that gave me life, he is nothing more to me than a shadow of which he resides in," Hex reasoned.
"Hex isn't on his father's side at all, he has no interest or part in what's been happening," Luna explained. The group looked at Hex carefully as Luna turned to him with a caring smile.
"He's nothing like his father at all. He rescued me from the darkness, he hid me in the human world and provided me such luxurious accommodations and meals, he even got me this pretty dress," she said before looking down to her outfit.
"I think it suits you well Luna, very enchanting," Hex commented with a glance to her. She blushed and smiled at him as the group watched the new boy curiously.
"I don't get it, why are you helping us?" Yukari asked. Hex laughed and shook his head.
"I'm not helping you Yukari, it's just that Luna is helping me with something very important and our paths have once again crossed," he said calmly.
"What? What are you helping him with?" Gin asked.
"His sister is trapped here, imprisoned by their father because she too refused to help him with his wars. Hex is trying to free her, and he needs my help to break her out of her confinement. He's trying to save her before her father invades this world," Luna explained. The group looked at Hex with wonder as he nodded in agreement.
"Yes, and speaking of which, Luna? We have business to take care of, remember?" Hex pointed out expectantly while glancing to Luna. She nodded then looked around at everybody.
"Listen, I'll explain everything later when we have more time, I know you all have many questions but right now I need to see Falla, it's very urgent," she said looking around for her other sister.
"Falla? She's not here, she's at Yokai Academy," Kokoa said shaking her head. Luna looked to her with surprise.
"What? What is she doing there, didn't she come to the human world with Apoch and Astreal?" she asked looking to the witch sisters.
"Yes, however we had to return her to the monster world for her own protection, that monster in the darkness came looking for her as well," Apoch and Astreal said together.
"Oh my god, how did you two say that together like that?" Render asked with wonder.
"That's unreal," Leon said with awe. Rason stared at the two boys with disbelief, opened his mouth to speak, paused, then shook his head and looked back to Luna.
"Hex's father came after her too Luna, for the same reason he kidnapped you," he said cautiously with a knowing tone. Luna stared at him with surprise then glanced around at everybody with concern, realizing now that they all knew what happened to her in the dark world.
"For the same reason as me?" she said softly looking to Kurumu. The succubus showed a worried expression and nodded slowly.
"For the exact same reason Luna," she said carefully.
"In fact it was that fight over Falla that sparked the humans declaring war against us, the humans have blamed all monsters for the attack and the idea of peace between our worlds is hanging by a thread now," Ruby informed with remorse.
"Why is this monster trying to take my sisters away? What does he want with them?" Complica asked worriedly. Hex glanced to her then looked to Luna.
"My father wishes to add their power to his armies little one, with or without their consent," he explained. Complica looked to him nervously as the boy shook his head.
"Let's just say my father is willing to go extreme lengths to harness their unique magic, and that it would be best if your sisters remain out of his reach and sight," he added. Complica nodded worriedly then held onto her sister again.
"She's in the monster world? But…" Luna said before looking down. She shook her head then looked back to the others.
"Is she ok though, what happened to her?" she asked urgently.
"She's better than ok, Ceal healed her body and mind, she's as good as new now," Kokoa said with a smile.
"What? Ceal?" Luna asked looking around puzzled. The group looked to Ceal as the mage merely raised an eyebrow at Luna. Ruby nodded then looked back to Luna.
"He's Falla's new boyfriend Luna, a catalyst mage who can mend and heal any injury with his magic. You're never going to believe this until you see it, but your sister is whole again. Ceal not only cured her chrono dementia but also restored her missing eye, she's doing better than when she left Yokai Academy in the first place," she explained.
"What?" Luna said with disbelief while looking at Ceal.
"It's true, your sister is better than ever after having met him," Ahakon added.
"She is? She has her mind and eye back?" Luna asked with a stunned expression. Ceal nodded while Complica smiled at him with a caring smile. Luna tilted her head slowly while staring at the mage with wonder.
"You… you really cured her dementia? And gave her back her eye? Is that true?" she asked.
"Yes, your sister is perfectly fine, I assure you," he said simply. Luna stared at him for a moment then jumped and looked back to Hex as the boy raised an eyebrow at her.
"But then... that means," she said softly.
"She is the one who has my sister's keys after all," he concluded.
"Keys? What keys?" Felucia asked puzzled.
"I don't believe this, how did she get Pandora's keys as well?" Luna asked shaking her head.
"Pandora?" the group asked with surprise. Luna looked to them and nodded slowly.
"Yes, Hex's sister, do you know her?" she asked.
"Hex's sister is Pandora? The same Pandora from Pandora's Box?" Mizore asked carefully.
"Yes, how do you all know about her and her box?" Luna asked. Leon and Render stepped forward with Luna looking to them curiously.
"Because we gave Falla the keys before coming out here to help your friends, we were the ones that found the keys in the first place. We know all about Pandora's Box and how it has the power to grant… wishes," Leon said before looking to Hex with a realization.
"Wishes, just like Hex does with his dice," Kurumu said with wonder.
"You're just like her; you can grant any desire with your dice, can't you?" Render asked with a curious expression. Hex nodded and glanced to him.
"I could, depending on if you win my game. Pandora uses anarchy and bloodshed to determine if a wish is granted, I use the concept of luck with mine," he said casually. He then glanced to Ceal with a smirk.
"So then, you're Falla's boyfriend. Pandora spoke about you, she seems to know you very well, although she didn't seem to take your name in the friendliest of tones," he said casually.
"We've met before," Ceal said while watching Hex carefully.
"Hold up, so Pandora is a real person, not just the name of the box?" Render asked looking to Ceal. The catalyst mage nodded as Hex chuckled amusedly.
"Who do you think grants the wish for the hunters? The box?" Ceal replied flatly with a glance at Render. Leon looked to Ceal with a curious eye then back at Hex with caution.
"And you're planning on freeing her from that box?" he asked.
"Of course, my little sister does hate being trapped inside that chest after all," Hex reasoned with a shrug.
"And that would mean freeing her monsters too, the same ones the Almighty sealed away inside of that tomb," Gabriel said narrowing his eyes at Hex. Hex nodded and looked to him with a calm smile.
"My sister's pets go where she does, I wouldn't dream of separating her from the ones she loves," he said simply.
"Your sister will never go free, her monsters will never walk the earth again," Ceal said coldly while shaking his head slowly. Hex laughed a bit and tilted his head slightly.
"So, you two really don't like each other do you?" he asked simply.
"Your sister's a bitch," Ceal said coldly.
"Ok, what are you guys talking about, who is this Pandora and what's the deal with her box?" Felucia asked. Leon glanced to her then looked to Hex again.
"Pandora's Box is a relic in the monster world, whoever opens it can be granted one wish. However to open it four keys must be turned at the same time, and then the treasure hunters must kill all the monsters which come forth from the tomb. Those who open the box must push back the horrors within in order to claim their wish," he explained.
"And… if they can't kill what comes out?" Felucia asked carefully.
"Then my sister and her pets will be free from their imprisonment forever," Hex said calmly.
"And that's bad, right?" Felucia asked.
"The Almighty sealed away those monsters and Pandora for a reason, they're nothing but nightmares, far more so than anything else in the monster world. They're unstoppable and uncontrollable," Gabriel cautioned. Felucia nodded then looked to Hex again.
"Ok, that sounds bad," she said while watching the new boy carefully.
"And you're going to help him free her?" Complica asked looking to her sister with disbelief. Luna nodded while looking to her with a worried smile.
"I owe him for everything he's done for me Complica, for all of us," she reasoned gently.
"Luna, that's crazy, his sister is a real monster, why on earth would you agree to help him free her?" Ruby asked with disbelief.
"Because Hex is going to take her away from this world," Luna said looking to her with concern. Everybody watched her curiously as she showed a worried expression.
"The truth is Hex doesn't believe that we have a chance in stopping his father, that this world is going to be destroyed. If his father takes over then everybody will die, and that means that nobody will be able to collect the keys and free Pandora from her box. He wants to take her and all her monsters out of this world before that happens, he's trying to save his sister from their father," she explained. She looked to Complica as the young chronofly was watching her with worry.
"He's trying to save his sister, he loves her. She may be a monster but she's still somebody who Hex cares about deeply, just as I care about you and Falla," she said softly. The group looked to Hex as he showed a solemn expression.
"Luna has insisted that all of you can fight and win this war. As much as I love to gamble on big chances I wouldn't bet on it myself. Still, she's agreed to help with freeing my sister, and in return I've agreed to keep an eye on her now that my father will be looking for her again. After all somebody took the doll I left in her place," he said glancing to Felucia. She stuttered something then shook her head as the group looked to her.
"What? But… I didn't know that wasn't the real Luna! Besides, I was trying to save her!" she cried out.
"Well, seeing as how my father now knows she's no longer in his custody and will be looking for her again, I'd say you did the opposite of what you intended," Hex reasoned with a raised eyebrow. Felucia looked back and forth between him and Luna while stammering something nervously.
"You were the one that made that doll of Luna?" Mizore asked looking to Hex. He nodded and looked to Luna with a smirk.
"I'd say it was a pretty good likeness of her, I think I really captured her charm from head to toe," he mused. Luna blushed and looked away timidly.
"Hex, please, you're being too nice to me again," she said while glancing back to him. Gabriel looked between the two with a careful eye while Hex turned back to the group.
"At any rate, I need to keep her safe and hidden from my father. That doll would have kept him fooled for a while longer, however now I'll have to be quick with my plans. I cannot free my sister alone from her prison, and even with Luna's chrono magic aiding me we still can't free her. However, perhaps with her sister Falla assisting us we can release Pandora from that box of hers," he continued.
"And once you release her, you're going to take her and all her monsters away from this world?" Gabriel asked carefully.
"Of course, Pandora won't leave any behind, she loves them so much after all," Hex answered with a shrug.
"Boy does she," Luna said quietly, looking away with a disturbed expression.
"How do we know we can trust that you'll take her away? If her monsters get loose they'll go on a rampage," Ruby asked cautiously. Hex smirked at her and shook his head.
"Don't worry, I'll be taking my sister far away from here, someplace where she'll be safe from the crushing march of our father's army," he assured with a calm smile.
"I say let him take her away," Dark commented. The group looked to him as he watched Hex carefully.
"His sister could be just as problematic and destructive as their father, at least with her gone that's one less problem we need to deal with. If the Almighty saw reason to seal her away along with her monsters, the world would be better off to just be rid of her altogether," he reasoned.
"I'd have to agree, from what you've all said about this box it would be best for it to be removed from our world, for all of our safety," Fang Fang said in agreement.
"I've never wanted the thing to be opened in the first place; if you can get rid of it for all of us you'd actually be doing us a favor. The sooner you get your sister and her monsters out of our world the better," Razico agreed with.
"Um, just for the record here, we still wanted to open it. You know, treasure, epic battles, completing heartfelt promises to fallen loved ones, that sort of thing. It's kind of a big deal to us," Render said raising his hand. Leon nodded as the group looked to them.
"I'm with him. As dangerous as it is, we've gone through a lot and lost too much hunting down those keys. The wish may not be important to us, but opening the box and finishing what we started is," he said. Apoch and Astreal looked to each other then stepped forward.
"We agree, opening that box is what treasure hunters like them do, and they've gone through hell for the chance to claim it," Astreal said with a nod.
"Pandora may be evil and her monsters may be dangerous, but I have faith that they can be stopped, and that our boyfriends will complete their legacy," Apoch concluded with confidence.
"Boyfriends?" Luna said looking at Render and Leon with surprise.
"Again, many things happened Luna; let's just keep moving on right now shall we?" Ruby said simply. Ceal growled quietly and nodded.
"As much as I'd want Pandora to be gone forever, I still need that chest to make my wish, until then she stays right here in this world," he said coldly. Hex nodded slowly as he glanced around at the hunters.
"So, you're the ones that gathered the keys to open my sister's box. I see, well then, this works out actually," he said with a smile.
"How does this work out for any of us?" Rason asked shaking his head. Hex smiled coolly and gestured around at the hunters.
"Simple, they wish to open the box, and I wish for my sister to be free. This works out so well for me. Should they fail my sister will be released from her prison after their blood stains the ground under her monsters' feet, and should they succeed they can have whatever insignificant wish it is they desire while Luna and Falla assist me with freeing Pandora with their magic. I'll have two chances of freeing my sister this way, I love doubling the odds in my favor," he explained with a smirk. Luna looked down in thought while everybody glanced to each other.
"But Falla is part of our group, she was going to be our fourth with opening the box," Leon pointed out.
"No no, that will not do, I cannot risk her dying to Pandora's monsters. Besides, you can surely find another amongst this group you have here, that shouldn't be a problem," Hex said casually. He chuckled then looked to Ceal with a challenging smile.
"You don't need your girlfriend to win this fight after all, right?" he mused. Ceal held in his growl as he shook his head.
"Not at all, she can remain on the sidelines and out of harm's way with her sisters; I have no problem with that at all. I'm prepared to face Pandora's monsters all on my own if it comes down to it," he declared firmly.
"Hold on, I thought we all agreed that opening this thing wasn't worth it anymore. I mean we got your friend back, we don't need to be doing this," Ran said shaking her head. Sun quickly nodded in agreement with her.
"We don't need the wish to go after Luna, but it's more than just the wish that's driving us, it's the principle of the matter," Leon said looking to her.
"It's for the epic fights and glorious treasure to be won," Render boasted.
"The wish is needed for something of true value to me siren, I will not let this pass me by when it may be my only chance of completing my family's legacy," Ceal said firmly.
"But think about what you're doing, you're going to be going against Pandora's monsters that could kill you where you stand. You don't have to fight them, Hex is going to take them all away forever," Ruby reasoned.
"She's right, no more Pandora's Box means no more risking the world being overrun with horrible monsters, let him take his sister away and be done with it," Razico added.
"Dark's right, opening that thing isn't worth it," Arial said shaking her head.
"You're brave for wanting to face them still, however it's an unnecessary risk," Mizore said softly.
"I don't care!" Render shouted out. The group looked to him as he clenched his fists and glanced around at everybody.
"Just because you're scared of some monsters in a box doesn't mean we are. Ceal wants to open that thing to finish what his family started, Leon wants to open that thing to honor his fallen love, and I want to open that thing because I damn well can!" he declared. He then pointed to Razico with a bold expression.
"Listen up old buddy, you said it yourself that you're a treasure hunter didn't you? Well that means being brave to actually hunt down treasure in this world, casting away all fears in the pursuit of obtaining what was considered unobtainable, what's rare and precious in the world, and what gives you bragging rights over all other hunters because you found it and you claimed it when nobody else could! Well guess what, I'm a treasure hunter, and I'll be damned if anything stops me from chasing after my dreams!" he said with energy. Apoch watched him with adoring eyes and a loving smile while Leon and Ceal merely glanced to each other. Razico stared at Render with disbelief then looked around at the others who were now watching him.
"Wait, why am I being singled out in his speech here?" he asked.
"Because you agreed to be our fourth before we found Falla, claiming yourself to be a respectable treasure hunter. Are you saying you're backing out now?" Render accused.
"Are you kidding me? I'm not opening that thing anymore. Luna is safe and sound, there's no just reason for me going near that box," Razico argued shaking his head.
"Honor," Ceal stated.
"Courage," Render declared.
"Respect," Leon said confidently.
"Suicide," Razico argued. Render shook his head then looked around away from the group.
"Fine, chicken out if you want, but we're doing this. If we win, we get our wishes granted. If we lose, then we die with honor and there's no worry about Pandora's monsters going on a rampage since Hex will take them away," he reasoned.
"Chicken out? Have you forgotten that we have more pressing matters to deal with? Hex's father is preparing to launch a war at us, the humans are contemplating doing the very same right now, we have more important things to be dealing with than going after Pandora's Box," Razico said with frustration.
"Pandora's Box is just my warm-up buddy; I'm always ready for a fight. Don't worry, I'm going to help in this war, that bastard up there isn't going to get away with putting all of us through the crap that he has, but this is something that I've gotta do. Both for myself and to make sure my good buddy Leon here doesn't die horribly," Render declared proudly. Apoch blushed brightly as she watched her boyfriend stand there proudly, feeling her heart beating faster for him.
"I vaguely recall having to save your ass from multiple traps during our hunts in the past," Leon said flatly, with Apoch twitching to that while Astreal glanced to her with a slight smirk.
"I certainly recall having to save that idiot from a witch's attack yesterday as well," Ceal commented with a raised eyebrow, with Apoch twitching again to that before looking at the mage with a dull glare. Render kept his proud stance while looking off into the distance.
"Be that as it may or not, I'm not letting Pandora's Box slip away after working so hard to find it. If this is going to be the last time her box is opened then I'm damn well going to be the last hunter to claim it," he boldly declared.
"Take me now," Apoch said softly with admiration for him. Everybody looked to her as she jumped with a stunned expression before she quickly smiled nervously and rubbed the back of her head.
"I mean… take me with you to Pandora's Box, I'll gladly fight by your side to help you claim your treasure," she said eagerly with a few nods. Render looked at her for a moment then smiled confidently.
"Sure thing babe, it would be an honor to fight alongside you in battle," he said coolly. Apoch blushed and smiled brightly at him while Astreal glanced to her worriedly. She then stepped forward and shook her head.
"No, I'll fight alongside Leon, he can use my magic as he needs to and I'll help open the box in the memory of his fallen love," she declared. Apoch twitched then looked to her with annoyance.
"You can't do that, I'm going to be their fourth, I'm more battle-ready than you are by far," she barked out. Astreal glared at her with a growl as the group watched them curiously.
"I am Leon's sword, where he goes into battle so do I. And I'm not afraid to fight alongside him against Pandora's monsters, I'm going to be their fourth and that's final," she argued.
"No, I'm going to be their fourth; Render and I alone could handle those monsters all by ourselves!" Apoch shouted out.
"I'm going to be their fourth; you'll be too distracted by your boyfriend to think clearly!" Astreal yelled back. The two sisters locked into a struggle and dropped to the floor, rolling around yelling at each other while everybody just watched them.
"They're really arguing about this?" Ran asked shaking her head.
"You know, I don't remember them ever fighting so much, if at all, before they got their own boyfriends," Mizore commented.
"Is it just me, or are they even shouting at each other in unison?" Rason asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Were they saying Render and Leon's names correctly just now? Or was I hearing things?" Luna asked curiously. Render and Leon just watched Apoch and Astreal roll around on the ground in their struggle with curious expressions while Ceal watched with a dull stare. After a moment the catalyst mage looked to Hex and shook his head.
"We'll sort out who the fourth member will be for the fight, but we will take on your sister for the wish regardless. Should we fail then you can take your sister away from this world to wherever you want, otherwise it's up to Falla if she would be willing to assist you with her magic after your sister is sealed once again," he reasoned.
"That sounds fair to me," Hex said with a cool smile at the mage. Luna nodded slowly then looked to the three other hunters with concern.
"Well, if that's what they want to do, then so be it. If you're all sure you want to risk your lives like this, I suppose all I can do is wish you luck," she said softly. Render and Leon nodded as they watched their fighting girlfriends while Ceal looked down to his reptilian hand with a blank expression. The other group members looked to each other with wonder.
"Shouldn't we stop them? This could be their suicide in the making," Ruby asked worriedly.
"I don't think we can, you heard how they feel on the matter. This may be their last chance to open the chest, and none of them are going to let that slip by for one reason or another," Rason reasoned while shaking his head.
"I guess if that's what they want to do, we should just let them," Kurumu said unsurely.
"But what if they die opening that thing, Pandora's monsters might tear them limb from limb, they'll be killed for nothing," Yukari said worriedly.
"It's not for nothing; they're all doing this for their own reasons. Pandora will be removed from our world or sealed again after this is over, she won't be causing any chaos in our world either way. If this is what they wish to do then we have no right to tell them they can't," Ahakon reasoned.
"Ceal can handle it, he's done it before and he can do it again," Complica said assuredly as she smiled at Ceal, the mage glancing to her briefly then looking back to his reptilian hand while remaining silent. Fang Fang and Gabriel glanced to each other while Sun and Ran looked to each other, all of them showing concern for the treasure hunters that wished to open the mystical box for the last time.
"Um, guys? We still have a problem with this in case you've forgotten," Gin called out expectantly. Everybody stopped, including the witch sisters, and looked to him as he shook his head.
"Even if you wanted to go after Pandora's Box we're still trapped here in the human world, remember? The gateways are closed, we can't return to the monster world even if we wanted to. That means we can't get to Falla and we can't get to the box, they're both out of our reach," he pointed out.
"Don't worry about that," Hex said, with the group looking back to him. Luna smiled confidently at the reality bender as he smirked at Gin.
"They may be out of your reach, but not mine."
Falla was walking down the hallways of Yokai Academy, her footsteps softly echoing throughout the empty corridors. She looked around carefully as everything had darkened inside the building with only a few lights still on in the halls. A cold chill ran down her spine as she stopped and looked behind her, only seeing shadows along the walls and further away.
"What is this, how did I get here?" she asked, puzzled how she didn't remember ever starting to walk down a hall inside the school. The building rumbled slightly as a faint echo sounded off further away, with Falla looking around worriedly.
"Hey, Kyouko? Rin? Where you are, what's going on?" she called out. She blinked then looked behind, seeing a younger version of herself facing away from her. The young chronofly had her wings extended out behind her and was wearing her old white dress with black trimmings on it, the girl giggling coldly as she faced away from her surprised self.
"What the…" Falla breathed out as she turned to face the younger girl.
"None shall know of us, or our power," the younger girl said quietly. Falla glanced around carefully then looked back to the young girl.
'Is that… me?'
The building then rumbled violently, with Falla looking around quickly to seeing lights flickering while a loud explosion echoed out inside the academy. Looking back she saw her younger self having vanished, then turning around she saw a torrent of flame blasting through the hallway towards her, a piercing scream of a girl sounding off before Falla screamed in terror as the entire academy around her seemed to erupt with a powerful bang.
"AHH!" Falla screamed as she jumped up from her dream, still sitting in a chair inside the infirmary. Kyouko jumped up and looked to her quickly while she was sitting on the bedside next to Talon who appeared to be sleeping, the human girl still dressed in her nurse's apparel.
"Falla? What's wrong?" Kyouko asked quickly. Falla steadied her breathing then looked down while holding a hand to her head. She took another breath then shook her head.
"Bad dream, just a bad dream," she said softly. After a moment she looked to Kyouko who was watching her curiously.
"Are you ok?" Kyouko asked. Falla nodded then leaned back in her chair while breathing out slowly.
"Yeah, I think I need to take a vacation with Ceal after all this," she said with a slight laugh. Kyouko smiled softly at her then looked to Talon, watching him with gentle eyes as the hybrid remained still and quiet. Falla looked to her then glanced to Talon with a dull expression.
"I can't believe I'm letting you nurse this guy back to health," she muttered.
"He's not bad Falla, he's just angry about what happened to him. He's lost so much, you can't blame him," Kyouko reasoned gently. Falla looked at her with a dull glance then around, seeing nobody in the room with them.
"Where's Rin?" she asked.
"I'm not sure, she got bored sitting here after you fell asleep and went out for a walk somewhere," Kyouko said with a shrug. Falla looked to the door then down with concern.
'I'm getting a really bad feeling about that girl, if only I could remember where I've seen her before.'
Walking down the halls of the school Rin was looking around with a curious eye while her headphones played a gentle tune for her. She bobbed her head a bit to the music then stopped and tapped the device with a puzzled expression.
"Not again," she muttered as she hit the device with her palm. After a few blinks she looked down with a sigh.
"These dumb things are just getting worse," she pouted before walking again down the hall. Passing by a room she stopped and looked to it curiously, seeing musical instruments and desks inside. The siren then ventured in and looked around, seeing nobody there while there were no windows as the room was near the center of the academy. Rin walked over to a table near the wall and saw some sheet music spread about along with a stereo system and speakers set up. She looked at the music sheets curiously then saw a stack of CDs next to the sound system, her eyes brightening as she grabbed a chair and sat down at the table.
"Nothing makes this girl happier than having new music to listen to," she said eagerly as she pulled out the stack of CD cases. She set her music player down on the table and then started looking through the choices she had.
"Not like I have anything better to be doing right now anyway, I'll just relax here while Falla and Kyouko watch over that Fairy Tale killer guy," she said with a shrug. Taking a disc out she put it in her player and started the music up, enjoying the classical symphony sounds from the human world. She closed her eyes and gently rocked her head side to side while she listened to the music, her hands gently setting the other CD cases down. While she enjoyed the melodies she glanced to the next disc on the stack, the girl showing a curious smile at it as it looked familiar.
"Hm, I think I've listened to this before, somewhere," she said as she examined the cover, which had some tough looking male singers with the words written in red and black letters.