Clef stood around back in the room where he filled the girls in on the invasions of Cephiro. He stared out the window lamenting the bleak, barren skies and rocky deserts where there were once forests, lakes, and grasslands. No more Forest of Erel, no more towns and villages, no more Forest of Silence, no more shrines for the Mashin. Cephiro was now nothing more than a lifeless husk compared to before. But he also thought about what would happen if a new Pillar is born. How he or she would suffer the same burden as Princess Emeraude. How it would only be a matter of time before they slip up, and need to be killed by more Magic Knights, and Cephiro would be back in this situation all over again. But then. All of a sudden, he sensed that someone was at the door. He magically opened the door, and saw Umi standing by the other side, with a grim, solemn, and tragic look on her face. He asked her, "What's wrong, Umi? Are you having trouble sleeping?"

Umi looked Clef in the eyes after worriedly looking down at the floor. "Yes…" She became hesitant to walk into the room. "Can I accompany you for a bit?"

Clef nodded. "Yes, you may." He then raised his staff in the air, and a ray of light shot out of it, and generated a floating chair.

Umi walked into the room and then sat in the chair. "Thanks, Clef."

"How are Hikaru and Fuu?"

"I think they're doing okay."

Clef seemed concerned with Umi's well-being. "Umi… If you have insomnia, I can make a potion that can help you with that."

Umi pondered and thought for a moment. "Actually, Clef… I… um…" Clef was confused for a bit. But Umi gathered her courage and started to speak. "I've been meaning to apologize to you for such a long time, Clef."

Clef felt a bit astonished at what he just heard. "Apologize?"

Umi nodded. "When I first arrived in Cephiro, I never realized how precious this country was to you. I kept refusing to listen to your story. I was a petulant child." She tightened her fist.

"Umi…"

Umi was just about to break into tears. "I really wanted to apologize. I have ever since returned to Tokyo. You knew Princess Emeraude's intentions from the start and yet you helped us anyway. Back then, my own problems were all I thought about. I never realized…" Tears began to leak out of her eyes. "...how painful all of this was for you." They started to roll down her face.

Clef tried to console her. "I don't blame you for feeling the way you did back then."

"Huh?"

"It's only natural that you'd be upset that you'd be sent to another world without warning and forced to fight in a war that you would otherwise have no part in. There is no need for you to apologize."

"Clef…"

"In fact, I'm the one owing the apology. Not only did I keep lying by omission when I told you about your own legend, but I did nothing to aid you in your quest."

Umi squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "That's not true! Had you never taught us magic in the first place, that creepy old ice witch Alcyone would have ripped us to shreds in a matter of seconds!" She opened her eyes again. "Plus, you gave us Mokona, and he was a tremendous help!"

Clef held Umi's hand as if he were greeting a queen. "Young lady from another world… Legendary Magic Knight who saved Cephiro. I'm glad you are visiting us again. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to express my gratitude. But this time, you and the others need to think about your own protection first and foremost. The magic I gave you. The weapons Presea gave you. Please use them for your benefit." He let go of Umi's hand. "I think I'll start making you that potion. I hope it helps you."

Umi smiled, knowing she and Clef have forgiven each other. "Thank you, Clef. You're so kind.

Back at the Magic Knights' bedroom, Hikaru was still asleep with Mokona huddled beside her like a teddy bear. But Fuu wasn't sleeping beside them. She opened the bedroom door and walked out of it.

Fuu stared out the window, her heart aching that Cephiro was now in a deteriorated state, but also of the horrid sacrifices the Pillar would have to make in order to prevent it from crumbling and restore it to its former splendor.

She heard a voice behind her call her name. "Fuu?" She quickly turned around and spotted Ferio. "What's up? Is something wrong?" Fuu held her head down slightly and slowly shook her head. Ferio thought something was eating her. "Were you having a nightmare?"

Fuu looked back out the window. "No. I just couldn't sleep." A bolt of lightning flashed outside.

"Same here." Ferio looked out the window along with Fuu. "To be honest, I've been worried about you ever since you, Hikaru, and Umi returned home."

Fuu felt that she needed to get something off her chest. "Prince Ferio… I'm sorry for being so rude to you in the Forest of Silence."

Ferio Was confused at first, but then started putting on a smile that would obviously be meant to hide pain and worry. "Hah, you were just doing what you needed to survive. Don't think too much about it." But he let the mask slip back off, showing concern once again. "Are Hikaru and Umi doing okay?"

"They're still recovering from the heartache we felt when we battled Princess Emeraude."

There was a brief moment of silence. Then Ferio walked up to comfort Fuu for a bit. "You seem to have lost a bit of weight." Another brief moment of silence. "I suppose as the Magic Knights, you were hit the hardest by that legendary battle." A third brief moment of silence. "Also, when you and your friends returned, something… odd happened." He took off one of his earrings and held it before Fuu.

Fuu gasped. "That's…"

"It's the ring I gave you."

"I remember putting it in my pocket, but I couldn't find it anywhere when we got back to Tokyo. When I talked to Ms Hikaru about it, she said some of the things she obtained in Cephiro disappeared as well."

"You mean you actually looked for it?" Fuu blushed. "I'm not sure how it happened, but for some reason I ended up getting it back."

"I think that's because any gift we got in Cephiro returned to the people who gave them to us." Ferio put his earring back into Fuu's hand. Fuu suddenly felt a shock of guilt and regret, and a feeling that she didn't deserve what Ferio was giving her, but Ferio gave it to her anyway. "Ferio…"

"I want to give this back to you. My sister gave me these earrings."

Fuu somewhat cried out in protest. "But it's a memento from your sister! Why would I want to accept something so precious to you!?"

"It's all right. It would mean so much to me if you were to have it back. You see, when Emeraude gave these to me, she said, 'If you ever find a special person, give one of these rings to her.' My sister knew all along that she couldn't live a happy life with the man she loved due to her responsibilities as the Pillar of Cephiro. That's why she gave me these rings… in the hope that at least I could be in love. She would have wanted you to have it too." Fuu couldn't hold back her tears anymore. She started breaking down crying. Ferio held her in a light embrace in an attempt to console her. "Don't cry. I wasn't trying to make you sad."

Fuu couldn't stop her tears. "I know you weren't. But each time I think about it, I can't help but be sad. Your sister deserved a happy life with the people she loved! And she was cruelly denied it…"

"That's why she wanted them to have happy lives with or without her. I always wanted to see her smile, like she didn't have a care in the world. But although her smile was gentle and soft, her eyes always conveyed pain and loneliness. So… could you please smile for me?"

Fuu whipped away her tears. "I wish I could, but… our hearts have yet to be mended."

"I see. Well, I hope to see you smile then. Because when I remember you, I want it to be with a smile on your face."

"Prince Ferio…"

"Just call me Ferio."

"Ferio…" Fuu then cried as she and Ferio embraced each other.

Back at the bedroom, yet again, Hikaru kept sleeping, but… her dreaming wasn't so peaceful. At all.

She dreamt she was back in the cold empty void as before. She saw the silhouette of the same evil woman as before. The mystery woman laughed evilly once again. "Heheheheheheheheheh… A HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! Soon… Cephiro will be eradicated, now that it has lost its precious Pillar! I am myself, and yet I'm not. THE PEOPLE ARE WISHING FOR MY EXISTENCE WITHIN THEIR HEARTS! A HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" The smaller girl that Hikaru also saw from that previous dream stepped forward. Then there was a brief flash of lightning giving Hikaru a glimpse of the girl's face. The girl looked almost exactly like…

Hikaru sprang out of her sleep in shock and panic. Who was that evil woman gloating about the destruction of Cephiro? Who was that other girl who accompanied that evil woman and why did the girl look like… Hikaru herself? Hikaru kept breathing heavily. After a while, she stopped to catch her breath. As soon as she relaxed again, She took a deep breath and let it out. "That dream again… But… who were they?" She put her hand around her neck to check for a pulse. She kept thinking about the two mysterious characters in her dream… especially her look-alike. "What was it?" Flashes of lightning shimmered outside her window. She wiped away the sweat from her brow. Then she looked to her left and her right. "Umi? Fuu? Where did they go?" Mokona kept sleeping right next to her. Hikaru then climbed out of bed. As she walked to the door, Mokona immediately made a "PUUUUUU!" sound right behind her. Hikaru then jumped up in shock. Then she turned around and saw Mokona sleeping soundly again. "Jeepers, as if that dream didn't scare me enough. Is he talking in his sleep? Good night, Mokona. Sweet dreams." She changed back into her regular clothing and then walked out the door.

Hikaru walked through the castle corridors. She then started up to a window and started looking out of it. She saw the current state of Cephiro as a barren wasteland inches away from deterioration. She knew she had to fight to find the new PIllar so that Cephiro could be restored to its lush forests, plains, lakes, rivers, mountains and oceans. But she knew what it would mean for the new Pillar. Cephiro… she thought. A land supported by a Pillar. If a Pillar isn't found, Cephiro could be destroyed. But… if a new Pillar is born…

She then remembered Princess Emeraude's words to her and her friends when they fought her. "It's impossible for the Pillar to commit suicide. And no one in Cephiro is able to harm the Pillar either. The world would fall to ruin if something happened to the Pillar who supports Cephiro. That's why the Pillar alone has a special summoning power. A power to bring Knights from a world other than Cephiro… in order to eradicate oneself. That is why I brought you here, Magic Knights… Please! Kill me! And save Cephiro! Please!"

Wouldn't that tragic legend repeat itself? Hikaru clenched her fist as she pressed it against a nearby wall. Everything in Cephiro is ruled by the heart. Even this castle was built out of sheer determination. Clef said it was made from everyone's will combined. If that's true…

Hikaru stopped looking out the window and kept walking down the corridor. But then, she heard something. She heard the sound of a small child crying. The voice whimpered, "I… I had a really scary dream…"

"Who's that? She must've had a nightmare too."

Hikaru then instantly heard another voice from wherever the first one was at. This one sounded like the voice of an adult man, all calm and composed. "Who did you see in your dream?" Hikaru started to think that the second voice sounded familiar. It sounded like that of Lantis. But as far as Hikaru was concerned, there was only one way to verify that.

The first voice, the voice of the small child came back. "I don't… really… know…" Hikaru began to follow the sound of the voice as it continued, "but it was really scary… Something really came here and ate everybody up…"

Then there was the second voice. "It ate everybody?"

Hikaru thought pretty deeply about that voice. "I must've heard that voice before…"

The child's voice sounded significantly shakier, showing significant signs of trembling. "I don't know why… but I'm scared!"

Hikaru then looked into the room where the voices were coming from. She instantly recognized the grown man in the room. "This confirms it. Zagato's younger brother." She then saw that he was talking to a little girl. She also noticed that he wasn't wearing the large black armor with the white cape that he wore the last time they met, but rather a simple black shirt and black pants. The silver belt was still there, though. "But who is he with?"

The girl whimpered, "I don't wanna get eaten… I don't want any more nightmares about getting eaten!"

Lantis put his hand on the girl's shoulder. "Don't worry. Nothing's going to eat you."

"Are you sure?... Really?"

"Yes."

"Is that because we'll have a new Pillar that will protect us?"

"How come you're asking about the Pillar?"

"Because when I asked my mom about it, she said that Cephiro is like this because the former Pillar, Princess Emeraude, had to leave for some reason, so when Cephiro has a new Pillar, everything will be peaceful again, right?" The little girl whimpered a bit, but instantly concerned herself with Lantis as well. "Mister, what's wrong? Are you okay? Do you have a tummy ache? Do you not feel good?"

"No, I'm fine." Lantis then stood up straight. "Since you came all this way by yourself, would you be able to remember where your bedroom is?"

The little girl seemed to have cheered up a bit. "Sure!"

"Then I'll walk you back." Lantis picked up the little girl, ready to take her back to her room. "I promise, you won't have any more scary dreams tonight." He then proceeded to take her back to her room.

"Thank you."

As Lantis left the room, it didn't take long for him and the girl he carried to notice Hikaru. He briefly stopped just a few feet from the door. As soon as it was indicated to Hikaru that she was spotted, she felt a bit nervous. "G… good evening."

There was a nervous, awkward silence for a moment. Hikaru felt tense, not knowing what would happen if Lantis were to find out about what happened to Zagato. And how she led to his end.

But then the little girl broke that silence. She instantly spotted Hikaru. "Hey! I know you!"

"Huh?"

"It's me! Don't you remember that monster you saved me from?"

Hikaru then remembered that one time when despite being trapped in a net along with Umi and Fuu, she kicked away at a monster that was about to attack a small child. Then she remembered when the same girl gave her a flower. "I remember now! You gave me a flower!"

"Yeah! You remember!"

"Well, I'm happy to see that you're doing all right."

"Thanks. This nice young man helped us all out too. One day our house disappeared and we had no place to go, so he brought mommy and me here to live in the castle."

Hikaru let out a sigh of relief. She still felt a bit nervous about Lantis though.

The girl continued. "I'm really sorry. I didn't get to thank you for saving me and my mommy that time."

"Oh, that's okay. Giving me that flower seems like a gesture of gratitude to me." But then Lantis started to carry the little girl out of the room. Hikaru followed them, asking, "Where are you going?"

Lantis answered, "Residential quarters."

The girl added, "That's where everyone lives now, including me and mommy."

Hikaru: "Oh, I see. That must be where all the people of Cephiro are staying for now. So… would it… be okay if I came along with you?"

"Yeah, of course you can! You can sleep next to me!"

"Yeah, that would be really great, but I just thought I'd take a look at what the residential quarters were like now."

"I just thought that because you're so strong and everything, that maybe if I slept with you, I wouldn't have these scary dreams anymore."

But Hikaru remembered how she and her two teammates were treated at the girl's village. How many of the adults threatened them with weapons during the moment of their arrival after trapping them in their net, and how when the girl offered her a flower, her mother pulled her away. Not only that, Hikaru wasn't sure if she would be able to alleviate the girl from her nightmares due to having some nightmares of her own. So she was hesitant. But then she said, "Hey, I'll come and visit you sometime soon, right?"

"Really? Do you really promise?"

"Sure, I promise!"

"Goody!" The girl giggled.

The three of them arrived at a large, circular room with a fountain flowing in the center, a crystal with a sphere inside it, and lots of plants everywhere except for the pathways leading between the fountain and the four doorways at each side of the room. Towards the ceiling, there were decals resembling the sun.

The little girl told Lantis, "I'm okay now. I'm not scared. I can find my way back now on my own." Lantis put the girl gently on the ground. The girl thanked him. "Thank you very much, mister. Bye." She then turned to Hikaru. "By the way, what's your name?"

Hikaru replied, "I'm Hikaru Shidou. But my friends call me Hikaru."

"Can I call you that?"

"Sure. And your name?"

"I'm Mira." Mira then ran off to her room, but as she was about to exit the fountain room, turned back to Hikaru and Lantis and waved at them. "I'll see you later, Hikaru! And thanks again, mister!" She then continued running as Hikaru waved back to her.

As soon as Mira was out of sight, Hikaru turned to Lantis. She didn't know what to say to him. She felt nervous about it but felt like she had to own up to what happened to Zagato. "I.. um.. I…" She was still struggling to come up with something to say. "I'm sorry, but… I heard that you were the younger brother of High Priest Zagato."

Lantis replied, "Yes, I am."

"I… About Zagato… I'm taking responsibility for what happened to him! You can hit me for it if you want… even though that wouldn't be a sufficient punishment… just… just spare Umi and Fuu from your wrath! I know that it's a selfish request from me… but ever since we returned to Tokyo, Umi and Fuu weren't themselves. They tried their best to cheer me up and help me overcome my depression, but I'm sure they cried tremendously when they were alone. If you want to hit someone, let me be your punching bag!"

But Lantis calmly said back to Hikaru, "Why would I want to hit you?" Hikaru was confused for a moment, but Lantis cleared things up for her. "You're a Magic Knight, summoned from another world. I don't see why I should blame you."

"What makes you say that, Lantis?"

"You must have also cried when you were alone." There was a brief moment of silence. "I don't blame you and you shouldn't blame yourself. If anything I blame Cephiro's Pil…"

But then, all of a sudden, out of the blue, Primera flew up towards Hikaru shouting, "STOP RIGHT THERE!" As soon as she approached her, she snapped, "You trying to steal my man while I'm asleep!? Lantis is mine! When monsters attacked me in the Forest of Spirits, he came to my rescue! Then he saved me when Cephiro started to crumble!" Then she moved into a more lovey-dovey phase, saying, "And did I mention how handsome he is?" Then she sharply pointed at Hikaru, shouting, "So, back off! I won't be my usual laid-back self when dealing with a love rival!"

"...Love… rival…?"

But then she heard Clef's voice telepathically in her mind, calling her. "Hikaru! Look outside the window!"

Hikaru instantly looked out of a nearby window. She spotted yet another golden road hovering in the skies.

Inside the golden road that just formed in Cephiro's skies, a large ship resembling a Chinese dragon floated towards Cephihro. Inside the bridge of the ship, there was a small girl in an elaborate Chinese dress that was mostly white but with a large, violet form of fabric at the front with a yin-yang symbol on it, and the upper part of the robe was red with a gold lining around the collar and a violet lining at the sleeves. She had black hair in a niújiǎotóu double-bun style and cobalt blue eyes with small bits of red eye shadow in their upper corners on the outward sides of them near the edges of her face. She wore ruby red earrings and was holding a fan that resembled the spade symbol in a playing card deck. Standing at her right was a small boy with beady eyes and short black hair, who wore a simpler red robe with yellow linings and a small red and black striped cap and tassels on top. An old man in purple robes and a purple cap with a yin-yang symbol in the front, with a long white beard and long white eyebrows stood to her left.

The small girl let out a large, hearty laugh. "Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho! We'll be arriving in Cephiro in no time! And when we do, I'm gonna become Cephiro's new Pillar!"

As the dragon-like ship continued traveling through their road, the girl's laughter continued. At one point, it even got somewhat louder than before.

The old man advised the little girl, "Please, Lady Aska. If you keep laughing so much, you'll lose your concentration and the road will disappear.

Aska stopped laughing and recognized that she needed to put herself on a leash. "Oh. Right. I wouldn't want that to happen." She then called to the old man. "Chan Ang!"

"At your service!"

Aska then called to the boy. "San Yung!"

The boy replied, "Yes, milady!"

Aska then stated, "I think I ought to remind you, I am Crown Princess Aska of Fahren!" She pointed her fan at San Yung. "We are…"

San Yung finished her sentence, "Invincible?"

Aska relished in the flattery. "That's right! We are invincible! And I'm definitely, positively, definitely going to become Cephiro's new Pillar! And, once I become the Pillar, I'm gonna be Cephiro's new Princess! I heard that Cephiro's last princess was absolutely gorgeous! With her long golden hair and eyes like sapphires… More to the point, though, if I become Cephiro's new princess, I could do anything I want with Cephiro!" She giggled while San Yung looked at her, worried. But Aska didn't notice. She raised her fan in the air, shouting, "Therefore, I, Aska of Fahren, will become the new Pillar of Cephiro!"

Hikaru and Lantis arrived at the meeting room with Clef, Umi, Fuu, Presea, and Ferio.

Clef told Hikaru. "I think you're just in time, Hikaru. Another road has made its way to Cephiro."

Umi groaned. "We just dealt with one invasion and now we have to confront another?!"

Fuu sighed, "I'm afraid it can't be helped. Shall we get going, Ms. Hikaru?"

Hikaru knew what she had to do. "All right!" She, Umi, and Fuu started to run out the door.

Ferio called to them, "Where are you going?"

The girls stopped before they reached the door and briefly turned to the others. Fuu answered, "If another invader is coming, we would like to talk to them."

Clef felt baffled. "Talk to them?"

Hikaru replied, "To understand their motives! From now on, we want to know what our enemies want before we actually fight them." The girls then kept running out of the room.

Ferio and Presea felt a sense of dread but Clef felt more remorseful. "I'm sorry, Magic Knights. Your hearts were severely wounded… from your previous battle."

The jewels on each girl's armor glowed, and they transformed into their ultimate forms with the shoulder pads and the capes. Each heroine drew their swords and called the names of their respective Mashins. Each Mashin appeared outside the castle and transferred each Magic Knight into them. They approached the new road, ready to fight whomever may be traveling it.