It was the dead of night, the sky was pitch-black, and the surrounding forest was dead silent. Only the sinister red glow of a bygone twilight could be seen in the horizon over the trees. No sane person on Cephiro would be found wandering in the wilderness at this hour, ever since High Priest Zagato took over. The world was plunged into an era of monsters, natural disasters, and open hostilities.
Yet despite all this, a young boy was out in the forest all by himself. While he was alone, he was not afraid; on the contrary, he was fuming with rage. Despite his unassuming white robes, funny black hat, and green pointy shoes, he was the most dangerous creature in the forest. But he was about to change that.
The pitch-black darkness was lit up by two balls of golden light in his hands, which he clapped together and then allowed to fly off. These orbs of light skimmed across the grassy land below them, drawing a huge magic circle on the ground. A golden hexagram surrounded by two circles.
Floating on his hovering rock, Ascot looked down upon the magic circle, realizing he was about to unleash what was perhaps one of his most dangerous allies. Not just for his enemies, but for everyone around them as well. On the bright side, this friend of his was also highly intelligent. It knew when and where to strike.
Once prepared, he spread his arms and yelled, "Beast Summon!"
A few embers erupted from the middle of the circle, followed by an expanding tornado of flames. The pillar of flames, light, and heat seemed to reach all the way to the heavens, until it finally exploded. From a cloud of ash and sooth, the ferocious silhouette of a beast could be seen, surrounded by high temperature yellow flames. It let out an ungodly howl that was like a mix of restless souls and a pack of wolves on fire.
Undisturbed by this Ascot kept his arms spread out and went straight to the point, "Both Atalante and Pajero were defeated by Magic Knights!"
The beast seemed to calm down and focus upon hearing about the deaths of its friends. It stared at the little boy with its three glowing red eyes, waiting for its orders.
"I swore I'd avenge their deaths," Ascot yelled out bitterly before pointing in the direction their enemies were. "Go, Vigor!"
With a roar of confirmation, the ginormous flaming beast turned into but a single twinkling ember, before soaring into the horizon. Ascot followed its movements as it flew over a lake in zigzagging motions.
Seeing it flying off, Ascot could only imagine the chaos and destruction Vigor would unleash upon his enemies. He was rather fond of the powerful creature, but he knew he could no longer hold back on the Magic Knights. Hence, he would take the risk.
"Just watch, Magic Knights. This time I will…" Ascot started, but couldn't help but to giggle ominously.
Having made it out of the desert, our heroes had reached another forest. After spending days walking in direct sunlight without a single bit of natural shade, they welcomed the change in scenery with open arms. However, despite having survived the Forest of Silence at its worst, this new forest made them uneasy.
All the trees around were dark in color, with dark brown trunks and dark green leaves. The canopy was impenetrable by light and the undergrowth was dense. While they could not see any animals, they could hear the sound of corvids.
As the Magic Knights walked down a dirt path across the forest, following the rabbit fay Mokona, they felt like they were being watched.
"T-This forest gives me the creeps," Umi whispered,
"I agree," Fuu said while fixing her glasses. "It seems like a ghost will appear any moment."
Umi felt a chill run down her spine. She did not believe in ghosts, but this was a fantasy-like world with monsters and magic. Who said there could not be ghosts as well? Before she could calm down, she heard a sudden shriek and a large shadow passed over them.
While it was just an unusually large bird, Umi had already wrapped her arms around Fuu and was screaming in terror. She shivered and whined before calming down, tears streaming down her cheeks. She was not good with horror, and she was not afraid to admit that.
"Hikaru, aren't you scared at all?" Umi asked the red-haired Magic Knight walking in front of the group.
"Nope," she said, turning around as she felt doubtful stares and shook her head. "Not, at, all!"
Before Fuu and Umi could sigh at their unwarranted worry, a large figure appeared behind Hikaru all of a sudden
"GAAAAAWWWH!" the creature howled.
"AAAAH!" the girls yelled, huddling together.
"…Now I myself am not easily scared but I am notoriously good at sneaking up on people," the fourth member of the group chuckled.
"Ho-ta-ru!" Umi spelled out his name angrily, tears in her eyes. "How dare you scare us like that!"
"I agree, that was very rude of you," Fuu scolded him, ashamed by his behavior.
"Even my brothers don't scare me like that…" Hikaru sniffed, looking smaller than usual.
Hotaru felt slightly bad for scaring the girls, but he could not stop smirking, "Sorry, the opportunity for it was just too good to pass up. Just be glad I only do this sparingly."
Before the girls could scold him again, the ground beneath them shook violently. The tremor seemed to last for longer than before, with Fuu timing it to around twenty seconds. The other group members looked at Mokona, judging the severity of the earthquake by how much its body jiggled.
"It seems that Cephiro is continuing to crumble," Fuu said worriedly.
"At least the wildlife seems to be getting used to it," Hotaru pointed out, referring to how peaceful it was.
"We have to revive the Mashin quickly."
"Let's hurry! Mokona!" Hikaru yelled, commanding the bouncy guide.
"Pupupuuu!" Mokona chirped, before hopping around.
As Mokona was about to start heading forward again, it quickly came to a stop, letting out a surprised 'pu'.
The others looked at it confused, with Umi asking, "What's wrong?"
As they looked up the road, they could see the bushes at the end of it rustling. They prepared for a monster attack, but instead were met by a stampede of strange looking small animals. While these were the natural animals of Cephiro and not the monsters they usually fought, they were still enough to overrun Mokona.
"PUPUUU!" Mokona yelled, being trampled by knee high creatures.
"Nani?" Umi yelled, seeing the little critters scurrying past their legs.
As the critters had disappeared back into the woods, Hikaru asked, "What was that?"
"I may have spoken too soon…" Hotaru admitted.
As they turned around to follow their guide once more, they were surprised to see the state of their mascot. Mokona was laying on the ground flat as a pancake, with its mouth drooping and its eyes spinning. Its body was covered in muddy foot, hove, and pawprints, and it let out pitiful groans.
They all gathered around Mokona, kneeling down to inspect its condition.
As the group medic, Fuu looked at the rabbit fay intensely and said in a serious tone, "It seems that…"
"Yeah?" Hikaru asked.
"…he's gotten dizzy," Fuu answered, fixing her glasses.
"You can tell that just by looking!" Umi straight at her face.
As Fuu giggled impishly, Hotaru poked at Mokona, trying to get a reaction out of it. They were interrupted, as they heard groaning from behind the bushes that the animals had come out of.
Knowing something was still nearby, Hikaru got up, "Let's go!"
The four of them rushed through the bushes, coming across a grassy forest clearing, covered in large stones. What would otherwise have been an ideal place to rest up for a moment, was a stage for a gruesome scene.
The girls gasped in horror, with Hikaru trembling, "T-This can't be…"
The field was riddled with the bodies of small animals and magical creatures. The bodies had not been eaten, they just simply laid dead on the ground. Whatever had done this, had done it to defenseless and harmless creatures in cold blood.
"S-So cruel…" Umi stuttered, overcome by shock.
"This is too much…" Fuu blurted, holding her hand in front of her mouth.
Before Hotaru had time to mention that not a single drop of blood had been spilled, Hikaru was already charging forward at something.
"Hikaru!" Umi yelled to stop her, but too late.
Hikaru had already summoned her Escudo sword and with a determined battle cry, she struck the blade into a rock. At first, they wondered if she had lost her mind, but then the rock started moving. The boulder rose up out of the ground and quickly towered over the Magic Knight, revealing it to be a monster.
The monster was humanoid in shape, but its entire body was made out of grayish brown stone. Its body was almost as wide and bulky as it was tall, and the boulders that made up its body resembled the muscles of a bodybuilder. Its head was small and had no other features than a single red eye. The monster let out the groan they had heard earlier and looked at Hikaru, who had chipped its shoulder.
As her friends were trying to get her to retreat, they heard another voice. A weak yet desperate whimper coming near the foot of the monster. A tiny orange and white creature resembling a cat had its paw stuck in the roots of a tree. It had dark green eyes, long fluffy ears, and a long tail.
"I think Ms. Hikaru is trying to save that little creature."
Unfazed by Hikaru's attack, the stone giant swung its fist down, creating a crater on the ground. Hikaru managed to dodge the giant fist, and dived in to try and help the creature. The little critter desperately called for Hikaru, asking for help with its whimpers.
"How terrible…" Hikaru gasped, kneeling before the creature. "Hold on, I'll save you."
As Hikaru was trying to free the creature, the stone giant turned towards her. It was just about to slam its fist down, until it struck something equally as hard.
"Oi, you ain't getting anywhere with weak punches like that," Hotaru smirked, having blocked the fist with his shield.
Hotaru had activated Tungsten Defense earlier and summoned his spear and shield as soon as the pile of rocks had started moving. This was a prime opportunity for him to test his new defensive capabilities, against a slow, hard-hitting monster.
The monster continued hammering its fists against his shield, while he occasionally took jabs at it with his spear. While the spear strikes connected well, they were unable to pierce the giant's rock-hard body. He did not really mind this, since he was using his defensive set up, which was holding out great. If not for the fact his feet were getting hammered into the ground.
While he was keeping the monster busy, Umi attacked it from behind. She struck her rapier against the monster's back, but the reverb caused her hand to hurt. Despite minimal damage, the monster chose Umi as its next target, probably since it wouldn't get anywhere with Hotaru.
Although the monster's movements were slow, it had a long stride and was able to keep up with Umi running at full speed. Umi screamed bloody murder, not wanting to get squashed, while Hotaru tried to catch up to the monster. As this was going on, Fuu summoned her evolved Escudo sword.
With a single graceful leap and swing, Fuu was able to cut the chase short, as well as the monster. The solid-stone giant was cut apart from shoulder to flank, before it collapsed into a pile of rubble. Bits and pieces of stone scattered all around, some hitting Fuu's and Hotaru's armor.
"Ms. Umi, are you hurt?" Fuu asked, rushing over to the blue Magic Knight.
Despite rubbing her backside that had gotten hit by one of the loose rocks, Umi smiled, "I'm alright. But you're amazing, Fuu. The sword is so much stronger after evolving!"
"I wish I had gotten the chance to try my sword against that monster," Hotaru lamented. "Though it probably wouldn't have worked any better than Umi's."
Their victory celebration was cut short, as they heard the familiar sad whimpers. As they looked towards Hikaru, they saw her holding the small creature she had saved. The two of them were looking over the clearing full of dead bodies, with Hikaru on the verge of tears. Without a word, they walked over to the team leader, ready to comfort her.
"They were all… by that monster…" Hikaru sniffed.
"Hyu-uy!" the small creature squeaked.
"This world has turned into one where monsters roam everywhere we go," Fuu gave a solemn reminder.
"This little guy's mom and siblings were all…" Umi uttered, realizing the full extent of it all.
"It's all Zagato's fault! It's because he kidnapped Princess Emeraude!" Hikaru cursed, clenching herself angrily.
Hearing the little runt start whimpering harder, Hotaru spoke out, "Try to hold them a bit more gently."
"Oh… Sorry," Hikaru said before relenting.
As she held up the creature, she noticed that the leg that had been stuck between tree roots was bleeding. The skin and fur around its ankle was torn up and scraped.
"You're badly injured too…"
"Wyyyy!"
"Poor thing…"
"I feel as though we must do something."
"Can't you use healing magic?" Hotaru blurted, glancing at Fuu.
"Oh! You're right."
"Geez Fuu, I can't believe you forgot about that…" Umi sighed.
Wait… hold on, Hotaru thought to himself. Wouldn't doing it like this completely derail the…
"Winds of Healing!" Fuu shouted, stretching her arms at the little creature.
Green light and wind spread out from her splayed out hands, covering the little creature. Hotaru was about to knock Fuu over on "accident", but he was soon interrupted.
"Kyuuuhhh!" the little creature screamed in pain.
"What's wrong?" Hikaru asked, pulling the small cat-like beast away from Fuu.
"I-I'm so sorry…" Fuu stuttered remorsefully, "I don't know what happened…"
Everyone was in shock. Somehow, Fuu's healing spell had hurt the small animal instead of healing it. Its small cat-like body was shivering in pain and it was letting out pitiful sounds.
This thing was more monstrous than I thought it was…
Letting out a silent sigh of relief, Hotaru quickly suggested, "It may be that your spell only works on humans, Fuu. Like, something that is medicine to humans can be deadly to some animals."
"That must be it! Don't worry Fuu, you didn't do it on purpose," Umi comforted her friend.
Before anyone had time to wonder how they would help the little creature, Mokona came bouncing towards them. The smiling egg-shaped rabbit's forehead gem glowed bright pink, before conjuring a small, ornate chest. Its lid opened on its own, revealing a selection of small boxes, bottles, bandages, and pills.
"Oh! Medicine! And bandages!" Fuu smiled.
"You really do carry everything," Umi praised Mokona.
It took the group a while to bandage up the little critter. The wound had to be cleaned and then disinfected. Finally, they managed to put on the bandage, but getting it to be tight but not too tight gave them issues. By the time the party managed to bandage up the little creature and make it out of the forest, the sun was already setting.
Despite its limp, the small animal followed them all the way to the edge of the forest. It seemed most interested in staying near Hikaru, following the red Magic Knight like a cute little shadow. Eventually, she knew she had to put a stop to it.
Hikaru kneeled in front of the baby animal, and told it, "You can't follow us."
It just mewled and looked at her with its big green eyes.
"You have to go home now…" Hikaru said, trying to stay stern despite tears in her eyes. "They're all…"
Remembering what they had seen earlier, Hikaru realized this wasn't possible halfway through her speech. This was the last straw that opened the floodgates.
"Even if you go, that monster killed your family so you're all alone!" she bawled loudly.
The others looked awkwardly from the side. Despite Hikaru being so confident, passionate, and brave most of the time, she still had the appearance that could be mistaken for an elementary school student. Seeing the group leader cry like this, the visual similarities were even stronger.
"Ms. Hikaru…"
"We have to get going."
"You can't take it… hang on…" Hotaru thought about it.
"I'm taking him with me!" Hikaru stated, picking the creature up.
Just as Umi was about to scold Hikaru for picking up strange creatures, Hotaru interrupted her.
"You know what, let's take it with us."
"Huh?" Everyone looked at him strangely.
"Look, I know we are on a dangerous mission, but the entire world is dangerous," Hotaru pointed out. "It is not like we are short on food, or can't take care of it."
"But what if it gets hurt during our fights?" Umi pointed out, worried for its safety.
"It just has to stay behind like Mokona does. I doubt it will charge head first into a fight. It has no family, no home, and seems tame enough. There is no major downside to taking it with us."
Umi sighed and face palmed, "All my life I have been told not to bring injured animals home… This goes against every fiber in my body. Not like I have anything against the little critter."
"What if it was just tonight?" Hikaru asked. "We will see in the morning if we want to keep it or let it stay behind."
"Well, the sun's about to set…"
"I believe we can wait till then," Fuu approved.
"Thanks, Umi, Fuu, Hotaru!" Hikaru smiled before hugging the little creature. "Thank goodness Hikari…"
"She named it Hikari, huh?"
"That was the name of Ms. Hikaru's dog, wasn't it?" Fuu giggled.
Well Hikaru, I saved you from heartbreak with Presea already. I hope you are ready to pay the price. I'm sorry about this, but there are bigger fish to fry.
The sky was dark, cloudy, and a storm was brewing outside. A great cataclysmic battle had just shaken the very world to its core and robbed it of all its light. No royalty, nobility, servants or even peasants were around, the world had just gone dark and all the major players were lost. And yet, one was still around.
A woman in her prime was trembling and crying within the depths of a crystal fortress. She was huddled on the floor in the midst of rubble and broken crystal shards, with the world around her breaking apart. All she cared about was gone, everything she had fought for had been for naught.
"Lord Zagato…" she cried into her knees, "how could you have forsaken me like that…"
I tried to warn you, Alcyone…
Another section of the fortress collapsed, revealing only another layer of the crystal tomb. Despite this, the woman did not even react to it happening.
"If you were going to lie to me, then why not just let me live with the lie or die in ignorance…" she sobbed, her red lips trembling.
He never cared about your feelings…
"How could you just die and leave me… leave me with all these holes in my soul…"
The fortress continued collapsing, soon the final impact would come, and it would all be over.
"…and wishing for death."
You can't just stay here, move!
Alcyone slowly stood up, her clothes a far cry from her former glory. She trembled yet gritted her teeth, her eyes cloudy yet full of rage.
"And yet… I cannot die… not with all this hatred, not without getting my revenge…" she seethed with anger, slowly stumbling forward.
It's over! You can't take revenge on the dead!
Suddenly, Alcyone came to a stop. Her expression was that of wonder and confusion. At the end of her path, stood a tall, dark, ethereal figure, whose presence was domineering and twisted.
No, not you…
"Your hatred amuses me, little one," a malevolent feminine voice echoed throughout the halls of the fortress.
"Wh-Who are you?" Alcyone stuttered, unable to move under the figure's gaze.
Get away from her, Alcyone!
"I, am the answer to your prayers, Alcyone," the figure answered. "Yours and all the people of Cephiro. Join me, and I will put your scorned heart to good use."
The dark figure pressed its pale hand and long nails against Alcyone's cheek, leaning close to her face. Her presence was dark, malicious, oppressive, yet it had a motherly and regal aura to it.
"I will make you an instrument of my power, and you shall have your revenge on all who wronged you."
Leave her alone…!
"DEBONAIR!"
There was no answer, only silence. His hand was extended forward and grasping at nothing. As Hotaru looked around, it took a moment for his eyes to get used to the dark. He was sitting upright on the couch in Mokona's shelter, on which he usually slept every night.
Hotaru was covered in cold sweat, his mind still racing with rage and despair. A rush of thoughts filled his mind and he quickly looked around him. The three Magic Knights were still asleep, and had not been woken up by his outcry.
"Okay good, that one would've been difficult to explain," he whispered under his breath.
As he looked closely, he could spot two red glowing eyes peering over Hikaru. It was the group's new "pet", Hikari, who was staring at him, until the red glow disappeared. The little critter looked at him innocently, tilting its head slightly.
Hotaru looked at the fellow imposter, and eventually spoke in an empathetic voice, "…Let's agree you didn't see anything, and I didn't see anything,"
"Mew."
With that settled, Hotaru laid his head back against his pillow and pulled his blanket back up. Despite him trying to relax in order to not rouse suspicion, his mind was still screaming millions of things. He reached for his pocket and pulled out a purple, round, flat gem, and stared at it in the dark.
I cannot let that happen. I absolutely cannot let it get that far. If I let that monster get its hands on Alcyone, it will be all over. My mission will have failed and me coming to this world will have been all for nothing. Well… I mean… I didn't come here for her, right? It's just Princess Emeraude who wants me to protect Alcyone. But if not for that mission, I could not have come here.
Hotaru sighed, he was clearly still half asleep and delirious. As he tried to fall asleep again, he looked back on his memories about Magic Knight Rayearth, trying to remember future events.
If I'm not mistaken, next time I see Alcyone, it will be the last. She won't be allowed out of Zagato's fortress after that. If I want to save her, it will be my last chance…
The next morning started out peacefully. The sky was clear and sunny, free of any monsters, and filled with the singing of small flying animals. There were no earthquakes or any other dangers present. It was the perfect day to enjoy a slow start with breakfast and friends, and yet Umi was already in full speed.
"Hikaru! Come on, Hikaru! Where are you!"
Hotaru and Fuu stirred in their sleep before sitting up. Fuu rubbed her tired eyes and Hotaru cracked his neck after a restless night on the couch.
"What's going on so early in the morning?" Fuu groaned, having been in deep sleep.
"Morning has broken and so has Umi's mind~," Hotaru sang.
"That's not funny! I cannot find Hikaru and Hikari!" Umi yelled, frantically searching all over the shelter. "Where could they have gone!"
"I am sure they just went for a morning walk," Fuu said groggily before laying under covers once more.
Despite this, Umi couldn't help but worry, "Hikari had such a serious wound too…"
"Who knows how fast the animals of Cephiro heal from injuries," Hotaru yawned, turning around on the couch. "If you and Hikaru are already up, you mind if I take your spot on the bed?"
"I don't mind, but I think Ferio might get jealous," Umi shrugged teasingly.
The bed shook a bit as Fuu jerked underneath the covers. The girl however was too bashful to reply to this.
At the same time, at a nearby grassland, joy and laughter were in the air. Hikaru and Hikari were running across the grassy field, enjoying the temperate weather and the sunny morning. Hikari's leg had mostly healed already and the little creature was running around joyously. The ground and the air were moist with morning dew which invigorated the two balls of energy.
"I'm so glad your wound's healed, Hikari!" Hikaru smiled while running.
"Weee, weee, weee, weee!"
After running around for almost half an hour, Hikaru laid down on the grass to rest. She stretched her arms above her head and her legs in the opposite direction, before flopping down with a wide smile. She opened her eyes and stared at the bright blue sky, which was dotted with small fluffy clouds.
"The sky's so beautiful…" she sighed, laying with her arms and legs spread. "It's such a peaceful world… No wonder Hotaru feels like staying here. But why is Zagato trying to ruin it?"
Despite the innumerous battles and dangers they had faced, Hikaru could still see the beauty and harmony of Cephiro. The idea that things at some point had been even more idyllic, made her yearn for days passed she had never known. She tried to think of a reason why anyone would want to bring an end to such an ideal world.
"Zagato must be a real jerk, right Hikari?" Hikaru asked her pet, but there was no answer. "Hikari?"
She sat up and looked around, but could not see Hikari anywhere, nor anybody else.
"Hey, where'd you go?"
Her attention was drawn to a bunch of nearby bushes that were shaking. Reminded of yesterday, she prepared for another stampede of critters and an inevitable battle. Just as she was hoping Hikari was okay, the little orange critter poked its head out from the bush.
"Neee!" Hikari greeted her, before crawling out of the bush.
"Oh, Hikari!" she gasped in relief. "You shouldn't wander off on your own like that."
As she walked towards Hikari, she warned him of the danger of monsters attacking. However, she could not stay mad as she noticed what Hikari was carrying. In its mouth, it held a small white flower that resembled a clover.
"A flower? Thank you, Hikari," she smiled.
As she admired the flower, Hikari was leaning and squeaking towards the direction of the bushes.
"There are lots more over there?"
Hikari squeaked more, before running off deeper into the woods.
"Oh! Hikari, wait!" Hikaru requested, running after it. "I said wait!"
About half an hour after being woken up by Umi, Fuu and Hotaru had managed to get their morning necessities done. The two of them had made breakfast for the group, which included a variety of fruits, toast, warm milk, eggs, bacon, and whatever else was left over from their previous meal. With both Umi and Hotaru already hungry, they had decided to start out without Hikaru.
By the time they had all finished eating, Fuu was fed up with waiting.
"Something is wrong, Ms. Umi, Mr. Hotaru!"
"What's wrong?" Umi asked, sipping her milk.
"Ms. Hikaru did not return before breakfast. I am sure something happened to her!"
"She does have the tendency to be hungry as a wolf in the morning," Hotaru admitted, having that much in common with the little leader.
"Perhaps… a monster?" Fuu spoke out ominously.
Hotaru finished his milk before leaning back in his chair, sighing that the time had finally come.
Meanwhile, Hikaru and Hikari had arrived at a secluded forest meadow. The meadow was covered in so many flowers that it looked like early spring with piles of half-melted snow.
"Wow!" Hikaru gasped at the sight of it. "This is beautiful. The flowers are like a carpet, it's amazing!"
The sight of all the flowers reminded Hikaru of a family outing she had had with her family a long time ago. Her mother had shown her and her older brothers how to make flower necklaces and crowns. Her two youngest brothers didn't have much skill in making them, but Hikaru and her eldest brother had been quite good at it. The two of them had made them all beautiful flower crowns, which they had worn for the rest of the day.
Inspired by those memories, Hikaru decided, "Alright, I'll make necklaces with these flowers for Umi and Fuu. Maybe Hotaru will wear a crown if I ask nicely? I'll make one for you too, Hikari."
As Hikaru knelt down on the ground to work, she could feel Hikari staring at her behind her. But what she didn't notice was the slow transformation taking place behind her. Cheerfully, Hikaru started wrapping and tying flower stems together, humming a happy tune. Her stomach rumbled lightly due to missing out on breakfast, but it could not be helped.
"There, I finished one," Hikaru said proudly. "I'll give you the first one…"
As she turned around towards Hikari, it didn't take long for her to realize something was off. Hikari's body was shaking violently, like his fur was made out of flames, and his eyes were glowing red.
"Hikari…" she spoke carefully.
As if someone had twisted the keys on an ignition, Hikari's head tilted ninety degrees, before all Hell broke loose. The small creature's torso blew out like a balloon made out of fur and flesh, before the swelling spread to its fore- and hindlegs. Next its paws and claws grew larger, growing to about the size of Hikaru's entire body.
Hikari's neck swelled and stretched out as a cylindrical shape protruded from it, making the critter's tiny head look like a mole on its neck. Finally, the shape burst through the layer of skin and fur, revealing the canine head of a giant wolf-like monster. The monster let out a roar that would have sent all the ones they had met previously running.
As the monster loomed over Hikaru, she whispered under her breath, "Hikari…"
The monster towered over her, the large claws of its three toed paws digging into the ground. Its teeth were all like sharp, curved needles, with the exception of extra long canines resembling those of a saber-toothed tiger. It had grey fur around its face and body, brown fur for its mane, and three red gleaming eyes. It had a long curving tail and three sets of sharp ribs protruding from its sides.
As Hikaru and Hikari stared each other down, she could hear the voices of her friends calling for her in the distance.
"Hikaru!"
"Ms. Hikaru!"
"Hikaru-chan!"
Realizing the reaction the others would have, Hikaru quickly got up, "Umi… Fuu… Hotaru, don't… Don't come over here!"
But it was too late. The others had already come out from behind a large bush.
"Why not Ms. Hikaru?"
"Hikaru!"
"Behind you a monster!"
Congratulations, your Hikari evolved into a Hellhound! Hotaru tried to suppress a joke.
Fuu and Umi summoned their swords and charged in at the giant wolf-like monster. Hotaru did the same, activating Tungsten Defense and running ahead with his spear and shield. But before they could make it to a striking distance, Hikaru got in their way with her arms spread out.
"D-Don't!"
Umi and Fuu stopped, gasping in surprise at Hikaru's actions.
"Hikari… Don't kill Hikari!" Hikaru pleaded desperately.
"Hikaru, what are you saying?"
"Where do you see Hikari in that monster?"
"It's Hikari! Hikari just got bigger!" Hikaru insisted, trying to protect her pet.
In the air, seeing all this going down, Ascot was snickering atop his hovering rock. The summoner had followed the events for over a day now, seeing the girls take in Vigor in its disguised form.
"She still doesn't get it. What a stupid girl," Ascot smiled and snapped his fingers. "Vigor, eat them all alive!"
Having received its command, Vigor roared loudly and attacked without hesitation.
"Hikaru!"
"Look out!"
Hikaru turned around but before she could react further, Vigor's three sharp claws struck her back. Her armor absorbed most of the blow, but she was sent flying for a good five seconds. By the time she fell, she slammed face first into a field of flowers, getting knocked unconscious.
As they saw this, Umi brandished her weapon and Fuu rushed over to help Hikaru.
"How dare you trick us! You're going to pay!" Umi yelled angrily before charging at the beast.
"Ms. Hikaru!" Fuu called for her friend, before putting down her weapon and kneeling next to her. "Are you alright?"
"Fuu…" Hikaru spoke weakly. "Please… don't kill Hikari."
"But that is…"
"It's Hikari. I'm sure Hikari just got sick or something. Even if he turned into a monster, Hikari is Hikari."
As Hikaru was defending her dear pet with tears in her eyes, Umi and Hotaru were fighting against the beast. Due to his prior knowledge, Hotaru was holding back from hurting the monster, and focused mainly on defense. The beast's paw swipes were powerful enough to push him back, but his shield held out respectably.
However, claws weren't Vigor's only weapon. By extending out its tail, it managed to snare Umi from a distance and then raised her up in the air. Umi screamed in pain as the powerful tail squeezed her like a constrictor snake. Hotaru tried to get Umi down by using his spear, but the monster started using Umi as a human shield.
"Ms. Umi!" Fuu gasped before grabbing her sword.
"Wait, Fuu!" Hikaru yelled, seeing the blonde Magic Knight rush in.
"How dare you trick us?" Umi yelled, trying to break free. "Let me go, you!"
Tired of the girl's yelling, Vigor opened its large maw wide, intending to eat the blue Magic Knight. As its attention was focused on Umi's screaming, Vigor did not notice Fuu charging at it, until it felt a painful cut against its ankle. Fuu had managed to cut at the monster's left leg, the one that had been injured just a day ago.
Hearing the beast roar in pain and letting out a horrifying wail, Fuu turned around, expecting to have incapacitated the monster. Instead, she was met by the monster's paw. Just as the claws were about to strike her, Hotaru managed to get in the way, blocking the attack. His feet scraped against the flowery meadow, leaving behind two trails, as the blow pushed him back.
"Sorry but you aren't getting any of these girls today," Hotaru grinned, feeling he was finally contributing to a fight properly.
"Don't think I have forgotten about you, Hotaru," Ascot snickered atop his flying rock. "Beast Summon!"
Just as Hotaru was about to block another strike, a massive shadow cast upon him. As he turned around, he only managed to barely dodge a massive talon coming his way. This however left him open to Vigor's attack, which knocked him back several meters.
As he laid on the ground, he saw a massive bird-like monster circling in the air. It had four bluish grey wings, a falcon-like body, two pink and yellow vulture-like heads, and unnaturally long, brass colored, skinny legs. Its feet looked like scaly human hands, with yard-long black talons. Its two heads let out an echoing scream that sounded like a mixture between an eagle and a siren.
"The fuck is this thing!" Hotaru swore, having never seen a monster like this before.
Ascot laughed at Hotaru's reaction from afar, "Do you like it Mr. Bodyguard? I found it just yesterday circling the area. While Stratos keeps you busy, Vigor will finish off those cursed Magic Knights!"
The bird dived down at Hotaru once more, this time striking with its beaks. Hotaru quickly scurried out of the way, evading its two sharp beaks that tried to grab hold of him. Having gotten some distance, he threw his spear at the giant birds, but missed as it flew between their heads.
"Oh, come on…" he moaned before raising his shield up.
His round shield was barely able to keep Stratos's talons away from his face, as it slammed its foot down against him. Despite the save, holding back the bird's strong leg was difficult, as it was pressing against him at full force. In addition, Hotaru was panicking in front of an unforeseen event.
Dammit, Ascot! I thought you would not sacrifice more of your friends than necessary for my sake! Just be a good boy and accept defeat! How am I supposed to break away from this thing!
"Emerald Typhoon!"
Before Hotaru knew it, the giant bird was pushed back by strong gusts of wind. The bird flew away, high into the sky in order to prepare for another attack. In the meanwhile, Hotaru calmed himself, and focused on the situation.
"Hikaru! Focus on saving Umi! Fuu and I will take care of this bird!"
"Alright!" Hikaru yelled, before hurrying over to Hikari.
Hotaru turned around towards the green Magic Knight and asked, "Fuu, you got any ideas?"
"Eh?" Fuu looked at him, shocked that Hotaru was asking her for advice. "Well ummm, let's see…"
As the wolf-like beast was about to eat Umi once more, Hikaru yelled out, "Stop it, Hikari!"
Vigor's jaw stopped for a moment, hearing the girl screaming at him. Despite everything going on, this girl still thought of him as her friend? The hellish beast was taken aback by this, having only faced such a situation once before.
"Hikari, calm down and listen to me," Hikaru pleaded, pulling out a bandage roll. "I'll fix you up right now."
As Hikaru approached Vigor's leg slowly, the beast growled at her, telling her to stay away. But the fourteen-year-old girl did not mind the hostility of the creature.
"Hikaru, don't you get it? This isn't Hikari! It's a monster!" Umi yelled, trying to get her to back off.
Despite all the warnings, Hikaru knelt next to Vigor's leg and started wrapping the bandage around the wound. The monster couldn't wrap its head around this, and was confused as to what to do.
"Vigor…" Ascot whispered frustratedly, drawing its attention. "Why are you hesitating? Don't listen to them… Remember… Remember that they killed our friends!"
Unable to hold back his anger, Ascot's voice echoed throughout the meadow. Umi and Hikaru were surprised by this, making them wonder who had spoken. Vigor on the other hand, knew what it had to do.
"Hikari?" Hikaru gasped, watching the beast circle around her. "Hikari what's wrong with you?"
Vigor opened its massive maw and spewed out a pillar of intense flames. The flames almost struck Hikaru directly, but still hit the meadow and the forest behind her. The fire spread quickly as Vigor breathed out a ring of fire around him and his prey.
"Hikari, stop! Please!" Hikaru begged before having to duck from underneath the fire. "This can't be…"
Moments ago, as Fuu was thinking of a plan, Stratos had soared so high into the sky that it could barely be seen from the ground. But Stratos could see all the little worms scurrying about on the ground. Spotting its shiny target, it corrected its course and flapped back its wings with great force. Swooping down like a giant peregrine falcon, Stratos extended its talons and beaks forward like a dozen swords. Approaching its target at the speed of a bullet train, the monster prepared to skewer its opponent.
Meanwhile Fuu and Hotaru were preparing their plan.
"Steel Strength!" Hotaru yelled, before summoning his giant sword.
He held his sword back over his head like a javelin, leaning back as much as possible. Instead of having his hand wrapped around its handle, Hotaru held the sword by its hilt.
"Are you sure about this? I was never too good at javelin throwing or shotput…" Hotaru said nervously, remembering his past life.
"The heart that believes becomes power in Cephiro," Fuu reminded him. "Besides, you have got me to help you, Mr. Hotaru."
Seeing the giant bird coming in hot, Hotaru imagined himself throwing his sword right through the monster's chest. Despite his heart and will not having achieved the desired results in Cephiro yet, he had full confidence in Fuu's plan.
As he could see the bird's shadow over the trees, Hotaru thrusted his hand forward at full strength. He catapulted his sword into the air, almost dislocating his shoulder from the force of it. The giant sword flew forward at great force and started tumbling in the air sideways. Seeing this, Stratos barely even thought of the wide sword as an obstacle.
"Emerald Typhoon!" Fuu cast her spell again.
The winds of Fuu's spell wrapped around Hotaru's sword, blowing across it from behind, increasing its speed, and stabilizing it. As the giant blade was now heading straight towards it, Stratos hesitated for a moment, trying to slow itself down, but too late. The sword and the bird impacted one another, with the tip of the blade crushing its way through the bird's sternum and then spine. Having been impaled, Stratos let out two more screams before its body turned floppy.
"Tungsten Defense!" Hotaru yelled, as the bird was still coming right at him.
As it hit Hotaru and the earth, the bird exploded in a cloud of feathers and dark blood. Hotaru was knocked into the ground, but the slowed down bird managed to only knock the wind out of him. As he stood up from the monster's remnants, he had no time to celebrate.
Umi and Hikaru were now surrounded by flames, with Vigor looking down at them furiously.
"We have to go help them Mr. Hotaru!"
"Right!"
Him and Fuu both rushed towards the ring of fire. The fire was spreading quickly to the nearby trees and they could hear the sound of baby birds and other animals yelling for help in the forest. As Hikaru saw this, she was overcome by the horror of it all.
Still struggling against Vigor's tail, Umi yelled, "Hikaru, at this rate all the creatures in the forest will end up alone like Hikari!"
Despite her friend's words, Hikaru was torn with the idea of having to sacrifice Hikari.
"And at this rate, we aren't gonna…" Umi stuttered, knowing that the end could be near. "Fight! You must fight the monster!"
"Good! Good, Vigor!" Ascot cheered. "Stratos may have died, but you are so close! Finish them off!"
Vigor drew its breath before spewing its flames once more, this time directly at Hikaru, who had been paralyzed by her hesitation.
"Hikaru!" Hotaru yelled, running through the flames.
Hikaru saw the taller teenager coming in hot, using his shield to block the flames of the ring of fire. Fuu came after him, using her wind to push the flames aside, even though they only fed the fire in the long run. Knowing his shield was not enough, Hotaru blocked Vigor's flames with his body, ready to feel the heat.
"Hotaru!" Hikaru yelled, seeing him getting engulfed in flames.
The flames were so intense that for a moment, Hikaru completely lost sight of Hotaru. It was as if the raging inferno had completely swallowed the young man. But as the fire slowly died down, she could see the familiar figure standing in the flames, unharmed.
This was something Hotaru had tested before at Mokona's shelter. Just as Tungsten Defense increased his weight due to tungsten's high density, he had also been curious about tungsten's other property, its insane melting point. By holding his hand on a hot stove, he had come to the conclusion that Tungsten Defense also protected him from burns, though he still felt the heat.
"This isn't the time to be hesitating!" Hotaru yelled, looking down at her. "Your friend is in danger and about to get eaten!"
"Y-You're right," Hikaru stuttered, but not out of fear or uncertainty.
She stood up and summoned her escudo sword out of her glove.
"Umi…" she spoke, almost choking on her anger, "I cannot let Umi die!"
As she charged at Vigor, her sword's round, flower bud-like cross guard glowed red hot.
Hikaru jumped into the air and swung her sword back, yelling, "Let go of her!"
Almost at Vigor's mouth, Umi gasped in amazement as she saw the red light, "Hikaru!"
As she brought down the sword, the hilt of Hikaru's sword caught fire. As the flames burnt out, they revealed that the folds of the cross guard had opened up, and six curved guards had spread out of it.
"The sword is… evolving!" Umi gasped from the heat.
The blade of the evolved sword struck Vigor square in the back of its neck, at which point Hikaru shed one last tear for her pet.
"Hikari…"
The damage from the cut against Vigor's neck spread throughout the insides of its body. Soon its body comprised of fire started becoming unstable, until it eventually turned into individual particles of light. This all happened too fast for Vigor to even feel pain.
Seeing one of his most loyal friends being turned to nothingness, Ascot fell down onto his knees. His tears were heavy and he could not believe the pain in his heart. Four, he had lost four friends over the course of two weeks. He would have wanted to take revenge, but now, he could not stand a chance against the Magic Knights on his own.
"Vigor… Stratos… You were my friends… You were my dear friends…" he cried; his location kept secret by the smoke of the flames.
Finally freed from the monster's grasp, Umi raised her hand into the air. She cast her Water Dragon spell straight into the air, summoning the dragon shaped geyser that flew to the heavens. The water then came down as rain, slowly putting out the forest and grass fires, as well as cooling down Hotaru.
Fuu watched from the side as steam rose from Hotaru's body and armor that had been heated up by the fire. However, this amusing scene did little to the heaviness of the moment.
"Someone… One of Zagato's minions was controlling Hikari," Umi said, sharing the information she had gathered throughout the fight.
As a single burnt up strand of bandage fell to the ground, Hikaru knelt before it and picked it up.
Holding the last memento of her friend, she sobbed "So… So horrible."
Hotaru listened to the two of them talking from the side with Fuu. While Fuu was feeling sympathy towards Hikaru, Hotaru was holding back the urge to correct them.
If only it were that black and white…
Once the rain finally stopped, Hikaru, Umi, Fuu, and Hotaru all worked together to create a small grave for Hikari. Hotaru gathered up a small mound of dirt to work as the grave site, while Fuu and Umi tied up a wooden cross. Once the cross was planted, Hikaru placed a flower wreath over it, made of the remaining flowers of the meadow. They held a moment of silence, letting everyone process the events of the day.
"Goodbye, Hikari," Hikaru said farewell to her friend's memory.
Soon after, the ground underneath them started shaking violently yet again. Instead of just a simple tremor, this time the earthquake was much more severe. They could hear trees nearby falling over and the ground shifting as parts of it sank and rose up.
"Cephiro is still crumbling," Umi blurted.
"It's all Zagato's fault," Fuu reminded them all.
"Right…" Hotaru sighed. "Let's get going."
With Hikaru at the lead, the four of them (plus Mokona) continued on their way towards the shrine of the Mashin.
Author's Afterword: I am happy to say that this chapter flowed a lot better than the previous. The 8th episode has always been a dark and emotional one and a fan favorite.
The additional scenes with the dream and Stratos were fun to write. I tried to imagine the first meeting between Alcyone and Debonair as accurate to the lore as possible. As for Stratos, I felt that a bird monster would fit the bill due to the scare at the start of the episode with the shadow.
Next chapter, we will finally have the long awaited reunion.
As always, reviews are welcomed and appreciated. Thank you to merendinoemiliano and James Birdsong for your reviews!