Chapter 7: Ferio in Desperation – A Romance in the Desert

What had started out as a short respite to regain their strength, had inadvertently turned into a full day of rest and relaxation for our heroes. After finally getting some sleep after 24 hours of travel and battle, our heroes woke up to find out that Presea was still unconscious. After the girls had done a few check ups on her, they found out that Presea had a fever, but was otherwise fine.

Fuu had done her best to heal Presea with Winds of Healing, which had at the very least seemed to have relaxed her. Hikaru and Hotaru had kept guard in shifts, while Umi and Fuu had tended to Presea. To their luck, no monsters had showed up, nor had there been another earthquake.

It wasn't until six o'clock in the evening, that Presea finally opened her eyes. She found herself laying in a luxurious, well lit-up round room, in a large bed with pink sheets. Her body ached and she had a wet cloth on her forehead. As she looked around, she could see Umi leaning against the bed, Hikaru sitting at a table, and Fuu cooking something at what looked like a small kitchen. All of them looked worried and tired.

"E-Everyone…" Presea stuttered, still groggy from her eighteen-hour slumber. "Where am I?"

The three girls turned towards her one at a time, their expressions quickly changing from worried to excited.

"Presea!" Hikaru yelled and rushed over to hug her.

Umi got up from the floor and climbed on the bed, "You're awake!"

"We're so glad you're alright!" Fuu said cheerfully, putting a knife down.

Presea smiled at their warm greetings, "I'm sorry, I'm still a bit drowsy. Can you tell me what happened after I fell unconscious?"

"Not much," Umi answered. "We got your stuff and left the Forest of Silence. Hotaru figured it would be best for us to keep a low profile while we let you rest."

"Yes, he figured that since we have never been attacked in our sleep, Sir Mokona's shelter is somehow protected from our enemies," Fuu explained.

"So, this is the shelter I heard from Clef…" Presea said, looking around the surprisingly cozy building. "But where is Captain Hotaru at the moment?"

"He is standing guard outside," Hikaru answered, before handing Presea a small bundle. "Here are your clothes."

"Thank you, Hikaru."

"You should still rest up Ms. Presea, your fever might get worse still."

Before Presea could respond to Fuu's advice, they heard a sudden shout from outside, "Lead Bullet!"

"Eh?" Presea looked confused.

"What was that?" Hikaru wondered.

"Iron Ball!" they heard again.

"It sounds like Hotaru, what is he doing?" Umi asked, before going to open the door.

Outside, they could see Hotaru in his newly evolved suit of gold and silver armor with lime green orbs. He was striking different kinds of poses and facing towards an empty meadow.

"Magnesium Flash! Golden Dawn! Platinum Stardust! Mercury Splash!" Hotaru yelled out random attack names and poses.

Behind him, the girls looked at him with different mixes of emotions. Umi was cringing slightly, seeing the four years older teenager acting out like boys at a playground. Hikaru was excited, waiting for one of the attacks to do something. Fuu was just smiling at the fact that Hotaru seemed to be having fun. Presea was purely confused, thinking if these were spells that he was practicing?

When nothing else seemed to work, Hotaru brought both of hands to his right side, "KA—ME...! HA—ME...!"

"Enough already!" Umi slapped him on the back of his head, unable to take the second-hand embarrassment anymore.

Hotaru jumped a little, realizing he had been spotted. He had figured the shelter was soundproof, since he could not hear the girls on the inside. Apparently, it only worked one way.

"Oh Presea, how are you?" he tried quickly changing the topic. "Feeling better?"

Presea, who was currently wrapped in the pink blanket, nodded, "Yes, thank you for helping me. What were you trying to do?"

Hotaru placed his hands in his pockets and sighed deep, looking up at the sky to hide his blushing, "Trying to find an offensive spell I can use now that I got no weapon. My element is metal so I figured I would start from there."

Presea thought for a moment, "I know very little about casting spells, but I know magic has to come from the heart. One can only learn new spells by adopting new traits to themselves or by growing."

Then how did Alcyone do it? I should've asked her last time.

"Well, if that is not an option, can you forge him a new weapon?" Hikaru requested. "The armor is cool but he can't fight barehanded."

"Says you!" Hotaru crossed his arms. "I'll have you know I have never needed a weapon before coming here. I just want a spell so that I can fight at range, since I can't exactly throw my fists."

"I'm afraid the monsters in Cephiro are too tough to be taken out barehanded," Presea warned him. "As far as I know, anyone caught fighting a monster without magic or weapons ended up badly injured at best."

"Oh yeah? Watch this," Hotaru said confidently, walking over to a nearby tree.

The tree was tall and wide, looking similar to an oak tree in shape. Even with woodcutting equipment, it would take several people hours to cut it down.

"Steel Strength!" Hotaru yelled and punched the tree.

The tree shook violently and some of the leaves fell. The ground underneath the tree tilted slightly, as it was pulled along with the roots. The part of the tree trunk struck directly was blown to smithereens, taking out about one third of the tree's entire width.

Hotaru turned around, spread his arms smugly, "That's gotta do at least some kind of damage, right?"

Truth be told, his fist was hurting quite badly after that. It was a shame he could not use both Steel Strength and Tungsten Defense at once. He reckoned he could have split the tree in half if that was the case. However, instead of his show of strength, the girls seemed more interested in something else.

"Mr. Hotaru!" Fuu drew his attention. "Your shoulder is glowing!"

Hotaru looked to his right and saw nothing, but then as he turned to his left, he realized what she meant. The large, lime-green orb on his left pauldron was glowing white, bright enough to make the setting sun look pale. As he reached out to touch it, he saw a white strand of energy protrude out of the orb. As he grabbed hold of the energy it formed into a large, thick, metal handle. As he pulled back, the energy strand extended and formed into a golden weapon. Eventually the weapon came out on its own, shocking everyone around.

The weapon was huge, almost two meters in length and close to a foot in width. Its sides were perfectly straight and its tip was a perfect isosceles triangle. It was too big to be called a sword. Massive, thick, heavy, and yet finely crafted. Indeed, it reminded Hotaru of something.

"Is that the Dragonslayer!?" Hikaru gawked at the weapon, remembering the weapon from one of her older brothers' mangas.

The sword was eerily similar to what Hikaru described, but different. The sword did not taper until the very end of it, and its edge was thicker. Its blade was mostly golden in color, not counting square indentations in the fuller, which showed that the core of the sword was titanium black. It also had a large gold and silver cross-guard, with a lime-green, plus-sign shaped gem in the middle. The sword's handle was silver in color and had a large golden pommel that looked like a square bee's nest.

Hotaru would have been ecstatic about his new weapon, if it weren't for one thing. It was heavy to a point where he had hard time lifting it with both hands, even with Steel Strength. The leverage of the weapon almost tipped him over.

Presea looked at the sword appalled, "I feel like I owe you an apology, Captain Hotaru…"

"Nonsense!" Hotaru said sarcastically, swinging the sword at the tree he had punched.

The blade struck the tree in a wide arch in the same spot as he had hit it. There was a loud crack as the thick piece of wood was split in half. Although whether this was due to cutting or blunt force, was anybody's guess. As the sword continued its merry way, Hotaru spun his body around and slammed the sword against the ground to stop it.

He panted heavily, his shoulders aching, "I just need to get used to it…"

Umi had pressed her hands against the sides of her head, her eyes wide, "That thing is everything that a sword should not be! It leaves you open when you attack! It tires you out! It pulls you along with it! And how are you supposed to use it in close quarters?"

"Again, fists," Hotaru answered smugly.

Fuu, who had been quiet this whole time, was looking at Hotaru with a speculative expression. The sword had come out of the lime-green orb on Hotaru's left shoulder. The orb on Hotaru's shoulder had only started glowing once he used Steel Strength. Meaning…

"Mr. Hotaru," Fuu spoke out. "Could you switch over to Tungsten Defense?"

"Oh… I see what you mean. Tungsten Defense!"

As Hotaru swapped spells, his giant sword disappeared in a flash. It was as if the sword had turned into particles of light and been drawn back into the orb on his left shoulder, in the blink of an eye. After getting over the surprise flashbang, Hotaru looked over to his right shoulder. The lime-green orb was not glowing.

"Your forearms!" Umi yelled out.

Looking at his bracers, he could see that the smaller orbs on them were now both glowing brightly. He crossed his arms and pulled back, taking out two weapons this time. Or more specifically, a spear and a shield.

The shield was round and wide and strapped to his left hand and forearm. It was golden in color, and decorated with a silver hexagon with lime-green gems at each of its corners. At the center of the hexagon, there was a large carving in the shape of an A.

The spear had a round silver shaft, a large, golden, V-shaped tip, and a golden counterweight at the back of it. The spear was about one and a half times longer than Hotaru was tall.

Holding the weapons in his hands, Hotaru found that they had a good heft and balance, "These, these I like."

The others also seemed to approve of these weapons more, with even Umi approving of them.

"Looks like apologies won't be needed," Presea chuckled smugly. "Still, I never thought I had it in me to make a weapon like that."

"Yeah, how come Hotaru got a new suit of armor and weapons?" Umi asked jealously, staring at Presea.

"Maybe it is a special prize for clearing out the Spring of Eterna first?" Fuu suggested.

Dropping the effects of Tungsten Defense, Hotaru's new weapons disappeared back into their orbs. While he was happy to have options for weapons, this armor made him feel a bit uneasy.

"I honestly have no idea either," Hotaru admitted, walking over to the girls. "So Presea, you want to name this masterpiece of yours? Feels silly to just call it armor."

Presea's eyes stared upwards as she started thinking about a name for the suit of armor. There truly was no piece of equipment like it in all of Cephiro.

"Hmmm… an evolving armor reinforced with the evolving ore Escudo, that produces weapons according to what spell the user is using…" she thought out loud. "I shall call it… Double Armor!"

The girls and Hotaru suddenly fell over upon hearing this. They had not expected the master blacksmith to have such a conventional naming sense, to say the least.

"Fine… I'll come up with a better name later," Hotaru muttered quietly before changing topics, "Anyway! I have something I need to talk to you about, Presea."

Our heroes gathered inside Mokona's shelter, where they sat around for dinner. Fuu had made various kinds of sushi, which she called her specialty. Presea was slightly hesitant to try out raw fish at first, but came to like it in the end. For others, the sushi was a bit bland until they managed to explain to Mokona what soy sauce was.

Despite the food being great, the mood was somber.

"I see… So Clef was turned into stone by Zagato," Presea sighed, having heard the news.

"Yes, and because of that I have a favor to ask of you," Hotaru spoke in a heavy tone. "I want you to go and look for Clef."

Presea gasped hearing this, "A-Are you sure?"

"I don't know where exactly Clef's stone body is, but it would be for the best if someone were to keep it safe," Hotaru said, acting concerned.

Hotaru already knew that Clef would be fine in whatever ditch he was laying in. He had come out unharmed in the show after all. However, he needed to find a way to get Presea out of the picture. The road ahead would be fraught with danger and he could not spare to protect her and the Magic Knights. Having Presea die now would just irk him to no end. In addition, while he himself was already changing the story with his actions, Presea being alive would change things even further.

Most importantly, Presea has feelings for Clef. If I have her discover the stoned mage, maybe I can push the two of them together. I feel a bit bad for her sister, but them's the breaks.

The next morning our heroes had said their farewells to Presea, as they had gone into separate directions. Presea had told them that before she would start her search for Clef, she would try and find her twin sister, Sierra. Apparently the two hadn't seen each other in years and she could be of help in finding Clef.

Presea had traveled southwards, towards more populated areas of Cephiro. Mokona on the other hand had directed the party to north of the Forest of Silence. Over the course of a couple of days, the party had traversed grasslands, valleys, and found themselves in a forest once more.

Unlike the Forest of Silence, this forest was bright and sunny, and full of giant trees, which they found the ideal place to rest up at. To experience more of Cephiro through something else than fighting random monsters and travel; our heroes had gotten the idea to request Mokona to conjure foods from Cephiro.

For today's picnic, Mokona had conjured: perfectly round fruits in gold and teal colors, lavender and blue grape-like fruits, pink eggs with spots, yellowish sausages, cylindrical fish cakes, a large yellow, oval fruit, and some form of spongy cheese.

For Hikaru, the grapes were the best. They were slightly crunchy like hard candy but had a smooth fruity aftertaste. Umi enjoyed the perfectly round fruits that had the texture of apples but flavor similar to tangerines. Fuu was especially fond of the cheese, which she described as stretchy and soft. Hotaru had a hard time picking between the eggs, fishcakes and the sausages. Mokona seemed to really be a fan of the big yellow fruit, which it liked to hold in its stubby hands.

As they were eating, Fuu pulled an egg-shaped trinket out of a pocket in her skirt. It was made of pink crystals, red ceramic, and gold. As she looked at it, she was reminded of a young man she had met near the start of their journey.

"Ferio…" she whispered longingly.

Seeing what she was holding, Umi remembered something, "Fuu, that's the gem Ferio said would make your wishes come true!"

"Yes," Fuu answered awkwardly.

"Well?" Umi leaned in closer. "Did you make a wish?"

"No not yet…"

"Quit teasing her Umi," Hotaru said, but was promptly ignored.

"Come on! You have to try stuff out as soon as you get it!" Umi insisted impatiently, flailing her arms.

Fuu was overwhelmed by Umi's assertiveness and had to crawl backwards as she rushed over to her.

"I'll test it out for you! Come on, can I? Can I? Can I? Can I?"

Impressed by Umi's persistence, Fuu handed the treasure over to Umi, who lifted it up like a great reward.

Umi cleared her throat before speaking to the trinket in a calm and clear voice, "I hope we can go back to Tokyo soon. I hope I win that fencing tournament!"

Having made her wish, Umi raised the trinket above her head, smiling happily. The other two Magic Knights looked at her curiously, waiting for something to happen.

"The fencing tournament can't be the one being held a week after the day we arrived at Cephiro, can it?" Fuu asked.

"Of course!"

Hikaru began to count with her fingers the weeks they had been in Cephiro, "Umi, it's been over a week since we came to Cephiro."

Unperturbed by this, Umi smiled widely, "What are you talking about? Cephiro is a land of the will. If I wish it, even time will pass slower!"

Fuu leaned over to Hikaru, "It feels like it really will happen when Ms. Umi says it."

"Y-Yeah."

"I really feel there is more to it than that…" Hotaru pointed out, still salty about being unable to learn new spells.

"Okay Hikaru, you make a wish too!" Umi said, offering the trinket to her.

"Okay," Hikaru said before grabbing it.

Hearing Hikaru inhale, Hotaru, who was still sitting near the picnic blanket, quickly covered his ears in advance.

"I WANT TO SEE HIKARI!" Hikaru yelled, loud enough to blow both Mokona and Fuu away.

Umi, who was the only one to tough it out, breathed heavily before scolding her friend, "I-I thought my ears would be blown right off my head!"

"S-Sorry," Hikaru apologized sheepishly.

Despite her uproar, Umi quickly gave off a suggestive look and leaned over, "But who's Hikari? Your brother, Hikaru?"

"Hikari is our dog!" Hikaru answered happily, causing Umi to fall over.

"W-What about you Hotaru?" Umi asked, trying to save face. "I'm sure you have a wish too."

Hotaru thought about it and leaned back against a tree, "I have a lot of wishes, but I doubt any of them can be granted by that small thing."

"…Oh, I get it, you want to see that sorceress lady again, don't you?" Umi said and leered at him teasingly.

Hotaru blushed slightly but collected himself, "Yes actually, I want her to tell me how she learnt a new spell so quickly."

Umi leaned over him, almost bent all the way forward, "Why not ask Clef then? Or you want to be privately tutored by a naughty onee-sama in a tight outfit?"

For the first time in who knows how long, Hotaru was caught without a comeback, "…I walked right into that one."

As Umi was grinning and Hikaru was handing the trinket back over to Fuu, a flock of birds was startled all of a sudden. This was followed by a powerful earthquake that lasted longer than normal. The food on the ground rolled off the picnic blanket and Mokona was being bounced around by the tremors.

"Well, the breaks over I guess," Hotaru stated and stood up.

"You mean to tell me Cephiro is crumbling again? This is so irritating! We're not even Magic Knights yet!" Umi complained.

"But before that we need to find the Mashin, and we have no idea where it is," Fuu pointed out.

Still standing on its head, Mokona chirped playfully and the gem on its forehead started glowing again. The glow formed into a projection that displayed the image of Master Mage Clef against a purple background.

"Mokona knows where the Mashin is," the projection told them. "Follow Mokona's directions."

"Clef! I have so much to ask you!" Hikaru yelled, knowing the conversation wouldn't last long. "About the Mashin too. But are you alright? You were turned to stone…"

"Don't worry about me. I am here talking straight to your hearts, aren't I?" Clef reassured them. "Instead of worrying about me, save Cephiro as soon as you can."

"Hey, Clef!" Hotaru yelled out. "What does it take for a magic user to develop new spells?"

"For one to develop new spells they must be one with their heart and will," Clef explained. "Only by truly understanding what you want and who you are, can your heart…"

Before Clef could finish, the projection from Mokona's gem cut off. Once it was over, Mokona hopped back onto its feet, chirping once again. As Hikaru rushed over to pick the little fay up, Hotaru was in deep thought.

'Only by truly understanding what you want and who you are'. Does that mean that Alcyone is already acting as her true self? Is it impossible to change her ways or fate…

While he was thinking, Mokona cleaned up their picnic spot and then proceeded to point the direction the party should head next.

"Let's hurry," Hikaru said decisively.

"Yeah," Hotaru and Umi nodded, following after her.

While the three of them headed forward, Fuu lifted the gift she had received from Ferio up to her lips. She whispered something to it, before following after the others.

Some miles away from our heroes' location, Ferio had been headed towards a nearby desert on his journey to take down Zagato. He had been facing plenty of monsters while even outside the Forest of Silence. During his latest fight, he had heard the treasure he had received from Princess Emeraude chiming. Once the fight was over, he had jumped into a tree to have a moment of respite.

As he took the magic item out, he pressed against the centermost, square gem on it.

"I hope we can go back to Tokyo soon. I hope I win that fencing tournament! I WANT TO SEE HIKARI!"

"What's this?" Ferio jeered, recognizing the voices. "Are these really novice Magic Knights?"

The treasure pinged again to his surprise.

"What now? I'll be pissed if it's something stupid again."

As he clicked the gem again, he heard Fuu's voice, "I hope Ferio… I hope Ferio is alright."

Seeing Fuu praying for his safety in his mind's eye, Ferio blushed deeply, "M-Man, that was stupid…"

Of course I will be alright. She should be more worried about herself—

Before Ferio could continue this trail of thought, he heard a bunch of birds getting disturbed by something. Since the ground wasn't shaking, it must have been something more nefarious.

With swift and deft movements, Ferio jumped from tree to tree until the forest started getting sparse. At that point he jumped down onto the ground, using branches and bushes to soften his landing. He sprinted towards the area where the forest was getting thinner, until he came to the desert.

From the edge of the desert, he could spot a peculiar sight. A young boy standing on a hovering rock, looking out towards the desert. The sand in front of him was billowing and then rose up all of a sudden as a massive sand pillar. Inside the pillar, there was a large red gem peeking out of it.

"Those Magic Knights are smiling," the boy muttered to himself. "And they killed cute, little Atalante."

"Magic Knights…" Ferio whispered.

"Pajero, you can defeat them easily. But how can we lure them out there?" the boy seemed to ask the sand pillar.

Pajero screeched and its gem glowed brightly, as it saw someone approaching Ascot from behind.

"That's one scary monster," Ferio said in a friendly tone, with his hands on his hips.

Seeing the boy give him an angry side-eye, he quickly raised his hands into the air, "Oh, I'm no one to worry about. I'm Ferio, a cheap, little bard."

Ascot glared at the green-haired young man sternly. Everything about this older boy was suspicious, but no one should know that he was here. Thus the chances that he stumbled upon him by accident, were pretty high.

"To be able to control such monsters, could you be a summoner under Lord Zagato?"

Instead of an answer, the boy pointed his finger towards Ferio and began to fire energy beams at him. He had to duck and weave between the shots as he ran to safety behind a tree.

"Please spare me!" Ferio acted weak. "I'm a boring little fellow who looks up to Lord Zagato!"

Yeah right… two thoughts echoed.

Ascot charged up the next beam, incinerating the tree the bard was hiding behind.

"Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot!" the green haired fool yelled before kneeling. "I'll lure the novice Magic Knights out here for you. So please spare my life."

"Don't lie. You can't do that," Ascot said sternly.

"Please let me see if I can. Assuming that I can't, it's still no loss to you."

"Well, if you put it that way," Ascot thought about the suggestion.

I wish Caldina was here. She is much better at weighing out deals and stuff.

"If I succeed, I'd like to meet Lord Zagato," the young man said with sparkling eyes.

"You think Zagato would see someone like you?" Ascot crossed his arms dismissively.

"Then allow me to be your apprentice."

Having his floating rock turn around, Ascot turned his back to the brownnoser, "I'll just spare your life."

"Thank you! To be able to become apprenticed to a summoner like you…"

"No!"

"I'll go start right now!" the man said and hurried off swiftly.

"Weird guy."

It could be fun to have him around the crystal fortress though. Zagato is no fun, Inouva always thinks himself so important, and Lafarga, might as well be talking to a stone statue. Alcyone is in jail and Caldina is either too busy or just doesn't like playing games that don't involve gambling. Would be nice to have a friend around.

About an hour after their picnic, the party arrived at a small village, surrounded by dense forest. Unlike the previous village they had been to, the area was bustling with activity, despite being about the same in size. They watched an ox driven cart carrying fruit enter the village through the main gate.

The gate was wooden and its sides walled off, and there was a strong-looking armored knight with a spear guarding the gate.

"I wonder if we need passports," Fuu pondered.

"You have everything, right Mokona?" Umi quipped.

"I doubt this world even has an identification system," Hotaru thought back.

Luckily for the group, the guard seemed to find them all trustworthy and let them in.

Once inside the village, they were greeted with the sound of children playing on the streets. The scent of freshly baked bread wafted in the air, and the forest around them gave off a peaceful ambiance. The houses were made out of clay and lumber, with curtains at entryways instead of doors.

"This village looks peaceful," Fuu smiled as the children played.

"The fact people don't think we're monsters is also a plus," Hotaru reminisced on the last time.

"Yo!" they heard a familiar voice. "We meet again."

"Ferio!" Hikaru called out.

"How ya doing boy," Hotaru greeted the green-haired man and offered him a fist bump.

"I'm doing fine," Ferio responded, returning the bump. "Nice suit of armor, how did you get it?"

"It's a very long and stupid story," Hotaru shrugged with a smile. "What you doing here?"

Let's see, second time meeting Ferio, which means two things. Sand, and…

"Just passing by. It's a weird stroke of luck meeting you guys here. I'll treat you to lunch. So, you wanna come?"

…a free meal!

"Sure! I'll go!" Hikaru said happily.

As Hikaru and Hotaru followed Ferio, Umi nudged Fuu with her elbow, "Hay, don't be so bashful."

Umi then proceeded to push Fuu towards Ferio, at which point the two of them greeted one another.

At the same time, a relatively large golden insect was flying over the village, following Ferio and the others. Through the eyes of the insect, Ascot was spying on the Magic Knights from afar. While he could not hear what they were talking about due to distance, it was clear the green-haired man was getting along with the Magic Knights.

He might actually be able to pull this off. So that's what the Magic Knights look like. The blue one is cute, I guess. The tall one is probably Hotaru, the one that Alcyone keeps talking about. Better keep an eye on him

Ferio led the Magic Knights into a nearby inn, where they had ordered the house specialty. A stocky older woman brought them a plate covered in pastries similar to Swiss rolls.

"Here you go. This is our famous pastry," the woman said proudly.

"We give thanks to all of the ingredients in this world. Itadakimasu," Hotaru quoted a great gourmand, before starting to stuff his face.

"You have a very interesting way of saying grace, Mr. Hotaru," Fuu smiled.

"Hold on, we just ate an hour ago. Why are you eating so quickly?" Umi asked, appalled by his table manners.

"It's tasty," Hotaru said with a mouth full of food.

Sorry, but I've always wanted to taste these pastries. You girls won't even know what you missed out on.

The pastries were tasty, but nothing too out of the ordinary. The dough was nice and fluffy and the filling was a hearty mixture of butter, sugar, egg, and plenty of cinnamon. But it was nice to finally get to experience the flavor of something he had seen on TV.

While Hotaru ate, Ferio turned to the innkeeper, "Hey, lady, tell them that story."

"Oh, that one? One day, a desert popped up on the other side of the forest. They say a hideous monster lives there, though no one has seen it."

"How do you know it's hideous if nobody has seen it?" Hikaru asked with wide eyes.

"Because nobody that ventured that way ever returned!" The innkeeper answered, patting her hips.

The Magic Knights were too nervous to eat upon hearing this, whereas Ferio just nodded along with the story. The idea that this monster had already killed that many people in such a small village, painted a grim picture in their minds.

"Ever since that desert sprouted, all communication to the town died and I don't get any merchandise anymore," the innkeeper complained. "Anyway, make yourselves at home, okay?"

As the innkeeper walked back into the kitchen, Ferio asked the four of them, "Are you going to ignore that story?"

Before even Hotaru could make a quick quip, Hikaru had already stood up, "Let's go, Umi, Fuu, Hotaru!"

"Were going?" Umi whined. "But we haven't even finished these pastries yet."

"We have to save people who need help," Hikaru spoke sternly, looking at her teammates adamantly.

Umi looked at the pastry in her hand and sigh, "I guess justice goes ahead of pastries."

"Hold on a moment," Hotaru interrupted them. "Hikaru, I understand you wish to help these people. But unless there are people entering the desert right this moment, it makes no sense to hurry."

"But…!" Hikaru tried to object, before she quickly lost momentum. "I guess you're right…"

"Besides, we are in a hurry to save Cephiro," Hotaru pointed out. "If our next destination lies beyond the desert, it would be inefficient to come back here to eat afterwards."

"The Boss does bring up an interesting point," Ferio chuckled.

"Pastries first!" Umi said happily, at which point they all started eating.

About twenty minutes later, Ascot was impatiently waiting on top of his floating rock. He was hovering over a hole that looked like a massive antlion trap. Eventually however, his green-haired minion started leading Magic Knights over to the desert. This time, Ascot had his insect follow them much closer, in order to listen in on their words.

"Here they come… Memorize their voices well, Pajero," Ascot chuckled.

Bloodthirsty screeches echoed from the pit, after which the red gem appeared once more to greet its master.

Eventually, Ferio and the others arrived at the edge of the desert, which dominated the landscape all the way to the horizon. It was hard for them to imagine its scale, or how long it would take to cross it. Not to mention that the monster they had been told, could be hiding who knows where amongst its dunes.

"This is where the monster lies," Ferio confirmed.

Hikaru nodded and looked at Mokona, "Mokona, you stay here."

Mokona, who was being carried by Hikaru, chirped happily and jumped off and into the woods,n "Puu! Pup pup puu!"

"Well, it is not a beach, but I guess these are appropriate here," Hotaru thought out loud and put his sunglasses on.

The girls giggled at the strange sight of Hotaru wearing both heavy armor and sunglasses. The clashing of modern and medieval eras really lowered the tension they were feeling.

"You look like you're from a music video," Umi snickered.

With a slightly more relaxed mood, the four of them slowly stepped onto the sands of the desert. Hotaru had volunteered to go first, as he had assigned himself as the party's tank. Hikaru followed after him and Umi and Fuu at the back. As nothing happened, they kept walking forward.

Although he acted nervous, Hotaru was feeling rather nostalgic. With Ferio having been his favorite character when he was young, he was quite familiar with this adventure. However, that didn't mean he wasn't confused by some things.

Let's see, Ferio is currently helping Ascot to get us here, but did he do it to help us kill the monster or was he actually betraying us? All I know is he is going to get captured by Ascot. I would love to stop it but this is an important event for Fuu and ruining it would spell doom in the future.

Behind them, a black round hat was peeking out from behind the dunes.

"He did it!" Ascot snickered, before being jumped.

Having snuck up on his ride to Zagato's palace, Ferio spoke humbly, "I am your apprentice so this is a piece of cake."

"You're a really weird guy."

"I'm honored by your praise."

"I'm Ascot. I'll think about your apprenticeship. You seem like a fun guy."

"Thank you so much," Ferio smiled, before turning towards the receding Magic Knights.

Looking at the four of them, he felt a twinge of guilt. He had been fond of their time together, however he had a mission.

Nothing personal, but I'll use you to my advantage. Don't worry. I'll save Princess Emeraude.

As Hotaru and the girls walked across the desert, they didn't notice a large sandpit quietly following them. Only when it was right next to them, could they feel the sand beneath them shaking. As they turned around, a massive screeching pillar of sand rose up ahead of them. It had a red eye in the middle, a large mouth with rows of sharp teeth, and two tusks.

As quickly as she could, Hikaru prepared to fire her spell, "Flame…"

But the monster was faster. It opened its massive mouth and let out a powerful gust of wind. The wind picked up tons of desert sand with it, creating an instant sandstorm that blew them away. Hotaru tried to activate Tungsten Defense to anchor himself to the ground, but all he got was a mouthful of sand.

Seeing the sandstorm blown across the desert, Ferio was taken aback by the display of force by Pajero. The Magic Knights and Hotaru had been wiped out in a single attack. He felt rotten for what he had done, but tried to stick to his plan.

"It doesn't concern me," Ferio muttered, trying to convince himself.

Once the sandstorm abated, Hikaru, Fuu, and Umi were scattered on the desert floor. It took them a moment to get back up, as they coughed up sand.

Seeing her friends were alright, Hikaru yelled out, "Fuu! Umi! …Wait, where's Hotaru?"

Hikaru and the others started looking around the desert worriedly, but to no avail. They could not spot a glimpse of his hair or even the glint of his armor. It was as if he had disappeared completely. But to their surprise, Hotaru was closer than they expected.

"Mmm? Where am I?" Hotaru wondered as he woke up.

It was dark, moist, and foul smelling. He could barely move his body and everything he touched felt slippery. In addition, he felt like he was moving. It didn't take him too long to put two and two together.

Oh crap I have been eaten… I hope this thing has a slow digestion. Wait, I am going to run out of air before that can happen! I need to get out of here!

Hotaru activated Tungsten Defense, hoping to give the monster some discomfort for having swallowed something heavier than an elephant. However, the giant monster didn't seem bothered by him. He activated Steel Strength next and summoned his giant sword, hoping it would cause some reaction if he poked the monster's stomach with it.

Still nothing and I can't even swing it around here! Umi was right about this thing being useless in close quarters…

At a distance, Ferio and Ascot were following the events.

"The sandstorm died down," Ferio said, acting impressed.

"That's how Pajero does his thing," Ascot smiled. "Well, I'm gonna go watch the end of the Magic Knights."

Ascot took off on his hovering rock, speeding across the desert dunes. To his surprise, he heard running steps behind him. His wannabe apprentice was giving him chase.

"Please wait, Sir Ascot! Take me with you please!"

The foolhardy young man then jumped and grabbed hold of Ascot's ankles, letting himself be dragged along the desert. This amused the little summoner greatly.

"I don't care if you fall," Ascot snickered before picking up speed.

As the hovering rock started moving at full speed, Ferio had to hold on for his dear life. The speed was so great his body was lifted by the drag and was fully horizontal as they flew.

"That's a great monster!" Ferio complimented his new master. "But even the strongest monsters have a weakness or two…"

"There aren't any!" Ascot said confidently.

"Eh? Really?" Ferio asked, almost afraid.

"…Well, more specifically, he can only move in the desert and he can only chase after targets using sound," Ascot mentioned, rarely having the chance to talk about his beasts. "Oh, there they are!"

As Ascot came to a sudden stop, Ferio continued flying forward. He was thrown several meters forward, until he crashed into and skipped across the sand. When he came to a stop, he was only a hundred meters away from the Magic Knights. He lifted his head up and spat out a mouthful of sand.

As he looked towards the Magic Knights, he could see three brown, spiky dorsal fins pop out of the sand, right in front of him. They swiftly moved through the desert sands towards the girls. Just as Ferio was about to warn them with his magic item, the monster came to a sudden stop.

The monster started wriggling in the sand and screeched loudly, at which point even the girls could spot the monster from afar. They stood up quickly and prepared their weapons, preparing for a fight. Even Ascot and Ferio were completely lost as to what was going on.

Eventually Pajero rose up out of the sand completely, making pained noises and grunts. It was a ginormous reddish brown manta ray with four blue eyes on the sides of its body and a red gem on its forehead. It had three dorsal fins and a wide mouth filled with razor sharp teeth and two tusks.

Like a cat trying to spit out a hairball, Pajero was convulsing and screeching, and coughing up blood. Eventually, they saw a black object getting spat out from inside the monster, after which it retreated quickly.

This object quickly stood up, gasped deeply and yelled, "I AM ALIVE!"

The girls were shocked as they recognized this as Hotaru, covered in black blood. In his hand, he held his giant sword, but something was different. The edge of the blade had split vertically and within it, small, quickly rotating blades had been revealed. The motion of the blades was silent but the comparison was painfully obvious.

"Is that a chainsaw!" Umi screamed in a state of shock.

"Did your sword evolve… Mr. Hotaru?" Fuu asked, her jaw agape.

"No! I just twisted the handle and this happened!" Hotaru yelled, taking off his blood-soaked sunglasses. "Almost cut my leg off!"

As Hotaru twisted the sword's handle again, the rotating blades withdrew and its edge closed up once more. Before he could be smug about 'finding a way to use the sword in close quarters', Hotaru heard the sound of shifting sand. As all of them looked behind him, they saw the monster approaching once more.

The girls were about to start running, until they heard a voice, "Don't move."

"Eh? Ferio?"

"That thing responds to sound. Stay still," Ferio told them, through his magic device.

He was still laying on the ground, a bit queasy from Hotaru's sudden entrance. He watched from afar as Pajero moved closer to the Magic Knights, before standing up. He lifted up his magic item, causing it to play back the messages he had heard earlier.

"I hope we can go back to Tokyo soon. I hope I win that fencing tournament! I WANT TO SEE HIKARI!"

As the monster heard this, it quickly made a U-turn, circling Hotaru and the Magic Knights. As their voices echoed throughout the desert, the monster started chasing after Ferio.

"Pajero! Not that way!" Ascot yelled, seeing his monster being fooled by his traitorous apprentice. "That guy…"

"I can't win on the sand!" Ferio cursed himself, struggling to stay ahead of the monster.

As a last-ditch effort, Ferio threw his talking magic item away and slid down a dune. As he slid down, Pajero launched out of the dune above him, charging after the magic item. It caught it mid-flight, swallowing it in its massive maw before diving back into the sand.

This maneuver threw a bunch of sand into the air and buried Ferio under it. As he managed to dig his head out, Ferio quickly saw his now very angry master hovering above him.

Thanks to Ferio's distraction, the Magic Knights and Hotaru had managed to make their way back into the forest. As they hid behind a tree, waiting to see the end result of the chase, Mokona hopped back over to them.

"That Ferio…" Umi uttered, still shaken.

"I'm sure he had a reason," Hikaru defended the young man. "Right Hotaru?"

Hotaru was currently occupied wiping the monster's black blood off of his face, hair, armor, and clothes, and answered frustratedly, "Honestly this time even I am not sure what he had in mind."

"Yeah, like why'd he run away?"

"Ferio fought out of the Forest of Silence with us. There's no way he'd trick us," Hikaru insisted. "You think so too, right, Fuu?"

Fuu was silent for a while, unable to look Hikaru in the eye. But as Hikaru's gaze did not relent, she was forced to be honest.

"Ferio's actions seemed a little too unnatural…"

Before the arguing could heat up, they heard an almost mechanical voice in the air, "I have Ferio. I have Ferio."

As they looked up, they saw a rat-sized flying, golden beetle-like insect. It had six legs, three red eyes, and hovered in the air while swaying from side to side. The voice coming from the bug sounded like it was being broadcast from somewhere else.

"If you want to save his life, come to the desert. If you don't come before tomorrow, I will kill Ferio," the bug finished its message, before flying away.

"Let's go save him!" Hikaru said without a delay.

"Quit kidding around! It may be another trap!"

"I don't care!" Hikaru yelled at Umi. "After all, Ferio's voice saved us a moment ago."

"If you put it that way…"

Having had time to think, Fuu gave her two cents calmly, "It may be as you say it is. But I am not sure we should go right away."

"Fuu…"

"Unless we find a way to defeat that monster, going to the desert is like going to die."

"But Ferio…"

"If we die, we cannot save Ferio or Cephiro," Fuu interrupted Hikaru again. "We still have time. Let us think things through."

Still unwilling to surrender so easily, Hikaru turned towards Hotaru and looked at him expectantly.

Hotaru didn't feel like surrendering either, but these were delicate moments. In the future, stuff like what their goals were would be clear and simple. However, until they reached the shrine of the Mashin, the progress made by the Magic Knights was heavily dependent on their personal efforts. He could not stand in the way of things.

"Look, Hikaru, that thing almost took ME down," Hotaru admitted defeat, although reluctantly. "In addition, I have been tarred and feathered in blood and sand. It is best we go at it with a plan tomorrow."

With that, the discussion was settled. Even Hikaru could not go against a group decision. They spent the rest of the day going through various plans and doing little tasks around Mokona's shelter. In Hotaru's case, polishing his armor and washing his clothes. Fortunately, he had some help from Umi, who used her spells to give his clothes a spin cycle and his armor a power wash.

Eventually the girls managed to convince Hikaru to go to sleep, after which the red-headed Magic Knight crashed on the spot. Umi had some things on her mind still, but eventually fell asleep, tired from helping Hotaru. Fuu on the other hand, had more than a fair share of trouble falling asleep.

Not only did she have a lot of things on her mind, her heart beat was keeping her awake. Thoughts of Ferio's actions and motives kept the scales in her head in constant motion as she weighed and judged their purpose. Her heart ached at the thought that Ferio had tricked them into following him into the desert. But at the same time, he had drawn the monster away from them, and allowed them to escape. And now, he had been captured. The possibility of whether this was a trap or if Ferio truly was in great danger, made her worry both for the lives of her friends and Ferio.

After hours of laying in the bed awake, Fuu made up her mind; she had to go rescue Ferio alone. If it was a trap, then only she would be caught and her friends would be able to save her. If it wasn't a trap, maybe she could be stealthy in saving Ferio.

She got out of the bed and dressed up in her school uniform and armor. As she was putting on her clothes, she noticed that Hotaru wasn't sleeping on the couch like usual. In fact, she could not see him anywhere. Her thoughts turned to the door opposite to the exit.

Perhaps he has fallen asleep on the toilet again? Better not disturb him.

As she exited Mokona's shelter, she could feel the cool night breeze. It wasn't too chilly, but she was still shivering slightly, nervous about her solo rescue attempt. As she was gathering up her nerves, she could hear someone approaching. As she stared into the dark forest nervously, she could see the shine of a familiar suit of armor and the gleam of lime-green orbs and eyes.

"Oh, it is you Mr. Hotaru," Fuu sighed in relief. "What are you doing out so late?"

"I could ask the same thing about you, young lady," Hotaru chuckled, seeming more serene than normal.

"I-I was just catching a breath of fresh air," Fuu lied, trying to hold eye contact. "What about you?"

The older teenager was quiet for a moment before answering, "I… I was bothered by something Umi said earlier today, and I had to take care of it."

It took Fuu a moment to realize what he was talking about, "Oh! Did she criticize your sword again? Were you doing some nighttime training?"

"…Yes, I was getting quite the workout done with my sword," Hotaru nodded along calmly. "I needed to go far enough that no one would hear me."

"You should ask Ms. Umi to help you out with your workout," Fuu suggested helpfully. "I know she can be a bit direct in her criticism towards your sword's size, but I am sure she can show you how to use it properly."

"Uhhh… no thanks, I'd rather not ask her or even Hikaru to help me out with this. It wouldn't feel right due to… the age gap."

"I see, I guess being taught by someone younger than you would be a tough pill to swallow," Fuu nodded understandingly. "Perhaps you should ask Ferio for…"

"Okay that's enough! I'm going to bed," Hotaru said and walked up to the door. "Oh and, Fuu."

"Yes, Mr. Hotaru?"

"While it can be hard to open your heart, we are at our best when we can act without hiding our feelings," the young man told her, before opening the door and walking inside.

Fuu stood outside the shelter for a moment, taken aback by those words. But eventually, she decided to head out to the desert, feeling a weight having been lifted off her shoulders.

It was an early dawn and the sun was just getting up. Ferio had been strung up into the air by Pajero's tail all night. He had been left out in the sun at day and out in the cold at night. His captor hadn't had the decency of giving him anything to drink.

"I didn't sleep a wink," Ferio groaned, looking at the sun's outline in the horizon.

"Hehee! Serves you right."

"Using me as bait for the Magic Knights is a bit much," Ferio grunted against his bindings, "I don't think they'll come."

"Oh please, I saw how well you got along with them in the village," Ascot chuckled.

Wait… Dammit! He probably saw me getting too familiar with Boss. …Well, that was my own mistake. I doubt they will come and save me after I tricked them.

His doubts were put on ice as Ascot yelled out, "Ferio, look! They're here!"

What!? There's no way.

"So, Pajero, take care of the rest!" the young summoner said before flying off on his floating rock.

As the beast screeched, Ferio did his best to try and break free, "Please wait!"

His struggles were in vain, as the giant desert monster had him bound up tight. As he turned to see the Magic Knights, his heart sank to the bottom of his chest, for only one of them had come.

"Man…" Ferio gasped. "Fuu, don't come here!"

Ferio continued telling her to run as the sand beneath him stirred, as the massive monster slowly rose up from the sand. However, Fuu did not pay heed to his warnings.

With a calm movement of her hands, Fuu cast her spell, "Emerald…!"

Which was interrupted as the giant manta ray opened its monstrous maw, and let out a blast of wind of epic proportions. Fuu braced herself and managed to prevent herself from being blown away by the sandstorm. However, when she tried to summon her Escudo sword, the wind blew away her glasses. With sand getting into her eyes, she lost her balance and was sent flying by the monster's exhale.

As Fuu was sent tumbling over the dunes, she dropped her sword, which was quickly buried into the sand. Fuu had no chance to see where her sword landed, as she was thrown onto her face into the sand.

"Fuu!" Ferio yelled, losing visual on the green Magic Knight.

As the wind died down, he could see Fuu lying motionlessly on the sand. Before he had time to call out for her again, Pajero shook Ferio loose from his tail, throwing him a good distance. Fortunately for Ferio, despite his rough landing onto the sand, he landed close to Fuu. Apparently, the monster wanted to eat both at once.

"Fuu! Fuu!" Ferio hurried over, almost crawling on his fours.

He turned her around and picked her up into his arms, calling for her name over and over again. He shook her gently, trying to wake her up. With each passing second, Ferio became more and more desperate to save her.

No! Not her! I will not allow my selfishness to end the life of someone this caring!

Knowing the monster might eat them at any moment, Ferio continued to try and wake her up. Eventually, Fuu slowly opened her eyes, looking at Ferio through her blurry vision and breathing in deeply.

"Why'd you come? I tricked you!" Ferio confessed, trying his best not to get swallowed by his emotions.

"I do not know myself…" Fuu spoke softly, smiling weakly. "I was very sad when I thought you had tricked me. I thought I could not forgive you. But I came here… I really wonder why."

"Man, you're such an idiot," Ferio said with a raspy voice, while helping Fuu up on her feet.

Fuu giggled, and for the first time all day, she looked Ferio directly in the eye, "This is the first time I have ever been called an idiot."

As they looked into each other's eyes, they could hear the screeching of Pajero. The monster was heading towards them at a brisk pace, showing more of its back than before.

"Shoot, it was just getting good…" Ferio clicked his tongue. "What a rude monster."

Knowing time was of the essence, Ferio turned to Fuu again, "Fuu, do you have the orb? The thing I gave you?"

Fuu looked at him stunned for a moment, before digging the gem crusted orb from her skirt pocket. As she offered it to Ferio, he pressed his hand against the orb, causing Umi's voice to be played from it.

"Ferio, this…"

Before she could continue, Ferio pressed his finger against Fuu's lips, and hushed her, "Don't speak. I'll distract that thing. While I do, run!"

Seeing how willing Ferio was to risk his life for her, Fuu realized she had been wrong about Ferio. He may have been a dishonest person, but he had genuinely risked his life to save them before and shown concern about her. And now, he was willing to face the monster alone for her safety.

"Ferio!" Fuu yelled, as the young man was heading towards the monster.

"Keep quiet!" he whispered angrily.

Fuu was taken back by this, and could only watch as Ferio activated the orb and walked towards the beast.

"I hope we can go back to Tokyo soon. I hope I win that fencing tournament! I WANT TO SEE HIKARI!"

Hearing the voices again, Fuu realized what the orb was, but that didn't matter at the moment. The man she had been wary of, despised of, been angry at, made her heart flutter, made her question herself, and now made her cry, was slowly walking into his doom. All for the sake of saving her life. Was it out of love? Repentance? For her to live to save Cephiro?

"I hope we can go back to Tokyo soon. I hope I win that fencing tournament! I WANT TO SEE HIKARI!" echoed again throughout the desert, as the monster made a U turn and chased after Ferio.

Memories of their time together flooded Fuu's mind, until she was brought back to reality by another voice, "I hope Ferio… I hope Ferio is alright."

Her reasoning, her survival, the fact that Ferio was about to be swallowed up by the monster, none of this mattered to Fuu anymore. Her heart just wanted one thing.

"FERIO!" Fuu yelled out loud enough to drown out the voice of the magic item.

As Pajero turned around and started charging towards Fuu at top speed, skipping along the dunes, the sand in front of her started glowing brightly. Fuu walked towards the glow, able to see it clearly even through her blurry vision. As she approached the glow and the monster approached her, her sword slowly rose up from the sand and into the air.

The shortsword was glowing brightly and as it came to a stop, it flashed, and became noticeably longer.

"The sword… The sword evolved?" Fuu gasped.

She extended her arms towards the Escudo sword, at which point it descended into her arms. Despite the change in size, the sword felt as light as always, but this was but a footnote. For as she held it, she could feel power, strength, and courage flow through her. She knew that this weapon could do it.

"I am over here!" Fuu yelled out, challenging the monster.

"Don't go! Over here!" Ferio tried to draw the monster's attention.

But the monster had grown wise of Ferio's tricks. It swam through the sand at top speed, knowing the purpose its master had given it. Pajero remembered its task of avenging its ally, Atalante, and as it dived through the dunes once more, it opened its maw. A powerful gust of wind magic spewed out of its depths like a storm, to soften up its foe.

Although the wind wanted to push Fuu back once more, she pushed back. With her sword by her side, she split the winds and held her ground. As the monster's maw was only meters away from her and the nearsighted girl stared at her own death, she rushed forth and swung.

Her sword cut through the roof of the monster's mouth and kept on cutting with the aid of the monster's momentum. For what felt like an eternity, Fuu's sword kept slicing up the monster, splitting it from face to tail. In the end, Fuu was standing, and the cut up monster was carried forth by its own speed.

As Pajero finally came to a stop, it let out one last screech before blowing apart into the desert winds which it commanded. Its black blood spilled far and wide, as the wind in its stomach was released like an explosion.

Fuu watched in awe at the cataclysmic event, which blew a ravine in the desert sands. She was overcome by the scale of it all, and knowing it was her who had taken the victory. On the sand, she spotted a red, familiar looking orb. She picked it up and noticed it was slightly sticky, having been inside the monster for almost a day.

"It was good that the weapon evolved," those words startled her from behind, "but something's wrong with you."

Seeing Ferio was alright, Fuu smiled and chuckled, "No, something is wrong with you. To trick us, then save us…"

"Fuu-chan!" she was interrupted.

"Fuu!"

Ferio and Fuu saw Hikaru and Umi running towards them, with Hotaru following behind sluggishly. Even from afar, they could see he had a sour expression on his face.

"The arrival of the teammates," Ferio chuckled, before offering the magic item back, "Here you go."

In return, Fuu handed Ferio the gem she had picked up from the remains of the monster.

As Fuu held onto hers, Ferio asked her, "You know what it is, right?"

"It is not a gem that grants my wishes, right?" Fuu asked jokingly.

Ferio smiled a bit, "It's a magic item, it sends words. If you ever need me, call me anytime."

Fuu blushed slightly, realizing she had basically gotten Ferio's phone number, "If I feel like it."

"Man, you're so dull," Ferio groaned and stroked the back of his head.

As her friends were approaching them, Ferio felt like this was a good time to take his leave.

"Hikaru I can handle, but I can't stand Umi. And the Boss looks like he is going to lecture me. See ya."

As Ferio took his leave, Fuu couldn't help but smile as she saw the silly bard running off into the sunset. Having already met him twice, she knew their paths would cross one more time.

"Fuu!" Hikaru yelled and hugged her tightly, panting heavily.

"Ms. Hikaru," she greeted her.

"Fuu, where is he?" Umi asked, sounding like a concerned mother.

"He left already."

"What! In any case, Fuu, it was reckless to come out here all by yourself!"

"A woman's gotta do what a woman's gotta do," Hotaru yawned deeply, apparently tired after his nightly training session.

"F-Fuu's sword…" Hikaru stuttered, looking at her weapon.

The others also noticed this, at which point Fuu lifted her weapon up, "It seems that it evolved."

"Why'd her weapon evolve after a reckless act?" Umi yelled out frustratedly. "I'm not satisfied with this! It's so unfair! If it grows due to recklessness, all the kamikaze car drivers out there would become Magic Knights! I can't believe this! Really, I can't take this anymore!"

Umi continued her rant for a while longer, impressing everyone how she could have so much energy so early in the morning. While she was busy ranting and raving, Mokona handed Fuu her glasses, which it had found in the sand. After Umi finally calmed down, the group continued their journey across the desert.

Ascot returned to the area about an hour later. Once more, his dear friend did not respond to his calls. It didn't take long, until he found two long black patterns in the sand, that he recognized as monster blood.

"Pajero…" he sobbed. "How dare they do such cruel things to my friends…"

His friend was gone, his traitorous apprentice was nowhere to be seen, and back at home, he would be scolded by Inouva and Zagato again.

"You'll pay for this, Magic Knights…" he gritted his teeth before screaming loud enough for his voice to echo thrice, "MAGIC KNIGHTS!"

Author's Afterword: For reasons that I do not know, this chapter was exhausting to write. Was it all the dialogue? Was it me struggling to find ways to add interesting additions to it? Was it the start which made this chapter 20 pages long instead the usual 15? Probably all of the above.

Hopefully the next chapter will have more of a flow to it. The episodes with the first weapon evolutions are hard to change, as just like Hotaru pointed out, they are tied to very specific sets of events.

As always, reviews are welcomed and appreciated. Thank you to merendinoemiliano for your continued reviews!