The dark landscapes surrounding Debonair's obsidian tower were eerily quiet. The constantly raging lightning storm had faded away, giving the unnatural and warped looking world a deceptively calm atmosphere. While things outside were peaceful, the situation inside was heating up by the minute. The master of this realm had just returned to her tower and was seething in anger.
Standing in the center of her tower's main room, Debonair's aura was flaring bright purple, as she clenched her fists as much as possible, without stabbing herself with her long nails. Though she stood still calmly and seemed unharmed, she was still feeling the sting of her defeat, all over her body. Though she had never seen the sun in her entire life, she was certain this was what people experienced during a sunburn.
"Days of planning and preparations, all gone to waste because of a single missed detail. Damn you, Princess Emeraude," she cursed in a subdued voice. "To protect Cephiro even after your death…"
Her eyes were still recovering from the blinding light that the Proof of the Pillar had emitted. It had scorched away her monsters and she felt it attacking her very essence, burning away at her body. All the while the visage of the previous Pillar of Cephiro was being burnt into her retinas. Her defeat had been painful, and her calling her children to retreat had been humiliating. They hadn't been affected the same way as her, for they weren't true monsters like she was.
"My powers have weakened thanks to that light. Even with all the intel provided by Romeo, I couldn't foresee a trap laid by a dead woman," Debonair brooded over her situation, coming to grips with her defeat, before smiling confidently. "But… that was the last of the power left in the crown."
Starting to see the silver lining in her situation, Debonair turned around and spread her arms joyously, "Terror will not disappear from people's hearts. Thanks to the monsters and my children who appeared inside the castle, the fear the people of Cephiro feel is now greater than ever before!"
Concentrating on the fear of Cephiro's citizens, Debonair could already feel her powers quickly returning to her. It wouldn't take long for her to be able to assault the Sanctuary again with even more powerful monsters. With her children by her side and the son of the Pillar out of commission, nothing would be able to stop her this time.
But there was one little detail that was raining on her parade, of which she was reminded as she heard the sound of familiar singing. As the song grew nearer, Debonair spotted Luna swimming into her lair via floating water currents. She was singing happily with her eyes closed, apparently not having a care in the world. Around her neck, Debonair saw a new addition to her collection, and a sizable one at that. This however didn't please her nearly enough.
"Luna," she addressed her daughter sternly, causing her daughter to pause, "why do you find it appropriate to sing so jovially?"
Reading the tense atmosphere in the room, Luna stood up straight politely, "I ummm… I found a new way to toy with little Umi, so I was just thinking of ways to exploit it… Mother."
Debonair's eyes narrowed into dots as she looked at her furiously, "And why didn't you just finish her off? You had the upper hand and every opportunity to put an end to the life of a Magic Knight!"
Sweating nervously, Luna gulped before lifting a finger, "But does it really matter that much if I just kill her later? I just want to savor it. If one of the Magic Knights survived, is it really such an issue?"
A nerve began to twitch on Debonair's temple, as she begrudgingly corrected her daughter, "It wasn't just one Magic Knight who survived…"
"Mother!" a younger voice yelled out. "Hikaru… Hikaru isn't playing fair!"
As if almost gliding in the air, Nova jumped over to her mother, before kneeling by her feet. She wrapped her arms around her ankles, while sniveling childishly.
"She just continues paying attention to her friends and pushes me out of her heart!" Nova whimpered. "She is no longer scared of me!"
Seeing Nova cowering at their mother's feet, Luna smiled awkwardly, seeing Debonair's expression grow ever stiffer.
"My lovely little daughter, Nova…" Debonair strained her voice, forcing herself to stay calm. "I will listen to your woes once everyone has returned."
"Ye-Yeah! We will be able all help you out when Terra, Stella, and Romeo arrive," Luna nodded quickly, trying to appease her mother.
However, despite being careful and not implying that Terra had been successful with her Magic Knight, Luna saw Debonair's aura flare out again. The temperature in the room dropped and one could hear lightning beginning to strike once more outside. Luna took some distance and Nova lowered herself, as their mother tensed her fingers threateningly.
"Terra will not be coming back…" Debonair admitted through gritted teeth. "She has… betrayed us. She changed sides and is now standing side by side with her Magic Knight."
Nova and Luna gasped in surprise, having never even imagined Terra of all of their siblings swapping sides. They had all seen Stella as the most-likely one to abandon their family, for she felt deep-seeded love for one of their enemies. Whereas Terra had openly hated Fuu and been the most passionate about slaying her.
Before they could ask for further questions from her, Debonair turned around quickly and violently, "And what do YOU FIND SO FUNNY!"
All but ignored up until now, a large, slightly transparent sphere of darkness stood in a corner next to a large purple hourglass. Through the sphere, the pale face and white cape of a lonesome huddled up figure could be seen. Though she hadn't said a word, Debonair could hear her thoughts mocking her, and saw how her prisoner's red lips curled up into a slight smile.
"Do I need to remind you of the position you are in?" Debonair asked angrily, as snake-like slit pupils appeared in the middle of her blue eyes.
"My apologies," Alcyone chuckled sarcastically, "but I cannot help but think how nostalgic this all is. I guess getting rid of those Magic Knights is difficult for everyone."
Peering into Alcyone's heart, Debonair stood up straight before speaking mockingly, "Do you really think that we would accept your help and experience in getting rid of them? You would run right back to your little Prince Charming if given the chance."
Realizing her thoughts had been read, Alcyone clicked her tongue and squeezed her upper arms tightly. She yearned to see Hotaru again and escape before it was too late, but she had already tried everything she could think of. The sphere prevented her from using magic, making it far more inhibiting than her old prison at Zagato's fortress. Her only option had been to use tricks and deception to get out, but if her captor could read her mind, Alcyone could only hope someone would come and save her.
Debonair chuckled cruelly, before making the sphere slightly more transparent, "Do not fool your rebellious little heart. Your little hero is in no condition to save you. But don't worry, you will soon be reunited with him once Romeo and Stella bring him in!"
Smiling murderously, Debonair almost pressed her large pale-blue face against the sphere, "And when he arrives, I will make sure you will die before his eyes, slowly and painfully~."
Knowing there was no point in begging, Alcyone could only grit her teeth and dig her nails into her arms to punish herself. It was all her fault that she and Hotaru were in this mess now and there was no way for her to make things right. If Hotaru truly had been captured, then all she could do is apologize to him, for what good that did.
Why am I stuck in a prison such as this again, only to await to see Hotaru? …Foolish question, I know why. All this repeated pain and humiliation and longing, a fitting punishment for a villainess such as myself. A villainess who ruined Cephiro and then ran away when given the chance to fix things up. I have no right to ask anything less than all this, but… please, Hotaru. While I want nothing more than to see you again, please do not come here! I may deserve this fate, but you do not!
Feeling the fear, suffering, despair, and sadness ooze out of Alcyone, Debonair inhaled her negative emotions like the scent of a fine wine. Although she preferred the fear of the masses, there was no denying that Alcyone's brand of sorrowfulness had its unique bouquet. But just as her mood was beginning to improve, she was interrupted by an intrusive question.
"Speaking of Romeo and Stella, where are they?" Luna pointed out, looking around their hideout. "Stella can teleport and Romeo is super-fast at flying, so shouldn't they have gotten here before we did?"
Debonair furrowed her brow angrily for being interrupted, before blinking in confusion, as she realized her daughter was right. Figuring out that Romeo might still be outside indulging in his vices, Debonair instead decided to check up on Stella. Her eldest daughter could very well be trying to stall bringing her the child of the Pillar, in order to protect him.
But as she peered throughout the world of Cephiro, she was surprised to find all three of the missing people in the same location. A location that made her skin crawl and her aura to flare up, as she became increasingly furious.
"What do they think they are doing!?"
"Lantis…!" Hikaru yelled, snapping awake from a long dream.
After the Sanctuary had started emitting light and Nova had made her exit, Hikaru had passed out in some part of the Sanctuary. At first, she thought it had been out of exhaustion, but now, she felt like there had been more to it. Instead of the hard, red, crystal floor, she found herself in a cozy and comfortable bed. Her eyes slowly got used to the bright light, at which point she saw familiar shapes of blue, gold, green, and white.
"Pu-puu! Pu-pu puu!" Mokona chirped at her happily, as others gasped in relief.
"Everyone…" Hikaru smiled happily.
Realizing she was surrounded by friends who she hadn't seen in what felt like forever, Hikaru slowly figured she was in their shared bedroom. A small octagonal room with gray walls, peach colored floor, and an emerald cut window. The room had three golden beds pushed together and a large vanity table, with a huge mirror, making it a bit cramped. There was so little room that her friends were kneeling on top of the beds next to Hikaru's, staring down at her with smiles.
"What's wrong?" Umi asked carefully. "Did you have a weird dream?"
"N-No…" Hikaru shook her head, while still under the blanket. "I think I had a dream about the past."
"The past?" Fuu asked.
"About Cephiro long, long time ago…" Hikaru explained, closing her eyes again.
Hikaru had dreamed of being in Cephiro's royal gardens in an age long ago, when Zagato and Lantis still served under Princess Emeraude. She had heard the two brothers discussing about their day to day lives as well as Cephiro's pillar system and its effects. She had heard Zagato's confession about loving Emeraude and knowing the full implications of it, as well as being unable to do anything about it. She had heard Lantis speak about flowers blooming without the pillar, something she had heard him say during their private conversations.
As the memories of her dream started getting hazy, Hikaru decided that she would be better off asking Lantis directly. As she opened her eyelids again, her eyes darted back and forth between the people around him. For in addition to Fuu Umi and Mokona, there was someone else looking over her; someone not human.
"AAAH!" Hikaru stood up in a flash, pulling the blanket up with her. "W-Who are you?"
A woman with tan skin, green eyes, mint green hair, and large colorful wings, wearing green silk robes, was kneeling on the bed next to her. As Hikaru had screamed, she had screamed back, but it quickly became clear they weren't being hostile. In fact, this woman seemed a bit timid, and despite her monstrous features such as taloned hands, she seemed a bit familiar.
"M-My name is Terra, pl-pleased to meet you," the peri bowed, shivering slightly with her feathers ruffled. "I am Fuu's shadow and sorry for having disturbed you…"
"I am Hikaru Shidou, nice to meet you too…" Hikaru introduced herself almost automatically, as her brain still processed the situation. "…Fuu! You managed to make friends with your shadow! Congratulations!"
Slightly taken aback by Hikaru's enthusiasm, Fuu smiled warmly, "Yes. I am happy that she came with us as well. People really seem to take liking to her."
"T-That is just because I can heal people like Ms. Fuu can," Terra blushed modestly, before slumping her shoulders. "They are still a bit… apprehensive about my appearance."
While Hikaru was happy for Fuu and Terra, she couldn't help but be even happier for another reason. If Fuu was able to connect with Terra, then maybe she still had the chance to get along with Nova. She knew Hotaru had told her this to be the case in the original timeline, but with Romeo's influence, she wasn't too certain. However, seeing the two ladies dressed in green smiling at each other, gave her hope.
Yet, it wasn't like everyone in the room was peachy. Despite smiling along with the others and trying to stay positive, Hikaru could tell that Umi wasn't her usual self. There was an air of uncertainty and worry about her, something Hikaru seldom sensed from the self-confident girl.
"Umi-chan," Hikaru said in an empathetic tone, "did something happen back at the Bravada?"
Hearing Hikaru's question, Umi snapped out of thought, before trying to give a smile, but ultimately being unable to look Hikaru in the eye. Memories of what had happened at Bravada still haunted her, despite her being able to return to the Sanctuary safely.
"…The truth is that—" Umi started, but was interrupted as the door opened.
With minimal fanfare, Caldina, Presea, and Sierra all walked into the room, all of them in good health and happy to see Hikaru.
"I see yer finally awake, Hikaru-chan," Caldina greeted in her usual bubbly manner. "Ya had us worried there for a sec."
"I heard what happened between you and Nova," Presea spoke in a serious tone, leaning over the bed. "Are you alright? Is your sword still okay?"
"Umu!" Hikaru nodded with a smile. "I am fine, and I was able to drive Nova back."
"We're glad to hear," Sierra sighed heavily. "Me and my sister were unable to help during the battle, so we were constantly worried for all of you."
"That's not the case," Hikaru shook her head. "Your weapons are what helped us drive back Debonair's forces. We all owe you more than enough."
Given the chance to speak, Terra turned towards Caldina and the twins, before bowing deeply, "I am terribly sorry for the actions of my siblings. We were all acting under the orders of our mot— Debonair, but I now see that we should not have followed her so blindly."
"That is fine, Terra," Sierra said with a smile, having already met with the peri earlier. "Remember you are not responsible for the actions of your siblings."
Presea nodded along with her sister's sentiment, before glaring her down, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Terra is a good girl, but honestly!" Caldina exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips. "That Romeo guy is such a nightmare! He spoke of defilin' me and eatin' Hikaru with a smile! I have met some real creeps in my line of work before but none have been so up front about it! I really can't believe someone like him came out of Hotaru's heart."
"Is this true?" Fuu asked Hikaru, who nodded carefully.
"H-He isn't all that bad!" Terra said defensively. "I remember when Romeo was still small and cute when we first met. He took care of us all until mother came along, and then supported us when…"
Everyone stared at Terra as she went silent, her green eyes widening into a thousand-yard stare. As Terra finally became able to move again, she covered her face with her taloned hands.
"He… convinced us to hurt you all, alongside Debonair," Terra admitted shamefully.
Realizing her shadow was struggling to come to terms with her new point of view, Fuu reached over and hugged Terra tightly. As Fuu comforted Terra, Umi was touched by the peri's honesty and turned over to Caldina.
"Caldina I…!" Umi started, before getting a frog stuck in her throat. "…I lost Ascot."
Seeing how much pain Umi was in, Caldina couldn't bring herself to raise her voice. As she saw the blue-haired Magic Knight start to tear up, she wrapped her arms around her neck and stroked her long hair.
"It was his decision," Caldina said understandingly, trying not to let her own pain show. "I tried warnin' him, but he was far too eager to come and save you."
"Was it… Was it because he loved me?" Umi asked, her tears dripping down Caldina's shoulder.
Surprised to hear this, Caldina hugged Umi more closely, "…Did he finally find the courage to confess?"
"No…" Umi answered while blushing. "Luna just… she showed me how much Ascot loved me, by the size of his pearl."
"…Hm? Nani?" Caldina blinked confused, pulling away from Umi. "Sorry, yer gonna have to run that one by me again. By the size of his what now?"
With Caldina blushing and smiling awkwardly, Umi tried to explain it, "Well, Luna first sang to Ascot, before kissing him… And then he turned into a big red pearl."
Caldina's confusion and fluster only got worse as she listened to Umi's explanation. But as she reached the end, her eyes widened and her heart almost sung from joy.
"Ya mean he was turned into a pearl?!" Caldina said in a loud voice, before sighing deeply in relief.
"Do… Do you know how to turn him back?" Umi asked, wondering if this was a Chizetan thing.
"No! But it's better than him bein' dead!" Caldina said in a much brighter mood. "I swear, the way his monsters miss him you'd think Ascot was lost forever!"
After the battle against Luna, Tatra and Tarta had said they needed to focus on repairing Bravada and tending the wounded. To get back to the Sanctuary along with the monsters, Umi had summoned Selece and had carried Ascot's beetle-man monster. Apparently Caldina had received first news of Ascot's disappearance from the monsters, which probably didn't translate well into Osaka dialect.
"Still, poor Ascot," Sierra said compassionately. "Terra, do you know about this?"
"Sister Luna told me she turns her admirers into pearls. She specifically targets people who are fond of Umi, if I remember correctly," Terra answered. "It is an ability she gained from mother, so I do not know how it exactly works."
"…Maybe Hotaru would know a cure," Hikaru thought out loud, before looking around. "Wait… where is Hotaru?"
"We… don't know, actually," Presea admitted, giving a worried expression. "I heard from Clef that he was being kept prisoner by Alcyone's shadow, Stella, and that he tried to save him. He was interrupted when Debonair entered the chamber where Princess Emeraude's tiara is kept. When he came back, they were both gone. He is currently searching for him."
Hearing her friend was missing, a cold chill ran down Hikaru's spine, as she had no idea Hotaru had been captured. The fact she didn't know where to look for him added to her sense of helplessness, but remembering Hotaru's words from yesterday, she knew she shouldn't let it get to her. Just as she was about to say how confident she was in Clef finding Hotaru, a voice spoke out.
(Hikaru! Lantis! Fuu! Umi! Do you hear me!)
"Clef?" Umi gasped, looking up at the ceiling.
"What is it?" Hikaru asked, hearing how alarmed the Master Mage was. "Did you find Hotaru?"
(I wish that were the case, but we have another problem at our hands. Autozam's ship is approaching!)
Approaching Cephiro's castle, the NSX was getting closer to its target than ever before, its engine's humming steadily. The sleek, futuristic ship with a green and silver paint job and yellow, armored circles was bustling with soldiers and mechanics. Its many decks, weapons platforms, and sides were ready to fire upon all enemies who came too close.
At the top of the control tower, in the main command center, stood a tall muscular man, staring at the main monitor that was projected on its dome-like ceiling. The monitor was projecting data being received from the Sanctuary, only some of which he fully understood, but was eager to study further. His attention was only drawn away from the monitor, when he heard the mechanical sliding doors behind him open up.
"Commander," Geo saluted Eagle. "I hope you are all set."
"Barely," Eagle yawned while rubbing his eyes, "you should have woken me up earlier. I only had time for one cup of mocha."
Getting in front of Geo on the bridge, Eagle couldn't help but notice how stiff his second-in-command was being. He couldn't blame him though, since they were about to launch an attack on what might've been the most powerful foes they had ever faced. This wasn't just about taking on one Magic Knight, as the numbers on the monitor showed they were all present. In addition, they would be facing Hotaru and Lantis, and who knew what other forces they would meet. Nevertheless, as the commander, he couldn't let his nervousness show or affect his people.
Turning around and standing on his tippy toes, Eagle smiled at Geo, "I'm all right. I had a long nap."
"I know," Geo answered back inflexibly. "I was watching the door to make sure you didn't leave the room."
Trying not to smile at his over protectiveness, Eagle turned around, gazing at Sanctuary's readings, "It was a nice bed to sleep on. Hmmm? That is odd…"
"What's wrong?" Geo twitched, hearing the seriousness in Eagle's voice.
"Our scanners are picking up the readings of the Magic Knights inside the castle, but there is no sign of Commander Hotaru," Eagle pointed out, swapping around different menus for data readings. "He has completely vanished…"
"So… that's good news, right?"
"Not necessarily. It could be he received an early warning of us approaching and is now hiding," Eagle pointed out, scanning different sections of Cephiro's remaining landscapes. "He might try to flank us with a force of his own after we have attacked."
"That's bad…" Geo recoiled, remembering what the enemy commander was capable of. "It would be a disaster if he got on board the NSX…"
"Exactly," Eagle nodded solemnly. "Which is why I want everyone on high alert once we have left the ship. No one is allowed to approach the NSX while we are away."
With the command forwarded, it didn't take too long for the actual Sanctuary to be within viewing distance from the command center. Even when surrounded by storm clouds and lightning, the large crystal castle looked like it was straight out of a fairytale. Though it seemed to bear some resemblance to the giant crystal spires of Autozam, their forces had no time to be getting nostalgic of home.
"Prepare to fire the Ragna Cannons!" Eagle gave the command, his voice echoing throughout the ship via the intercoms.
"Ragna Cannons ready!" the gunners reported back.
The pitch of the NSX's engines grew louder and higher, as they began to produce excess energy. Near the front of the ship, two round yellow covers were retracted from the tips of two turbine-looking pods. With the covers retracted, their true nature as massive, hundred-meter-wide cannons became evident.
"Are you going to shoot the castle?" Geo asked, feeling this might be an overkill.
"It's just a test," Eagle answered emotionlessly. "We should check to see how they fight back against an approach, instead of rushing in and getting a warm welcome."
Hearing the casualness of the way his commander spoke of using super weapons, Geo sighed, "I'm really glad I never had to fight you."
Staring back at the castle, Eagle could only do his best to not break character.
Hikaru, Lantis, Hotaru, I hope you will survive this…
As the Ragna Cannon finished warming up, the oscillations of the extended engine fuselage grew louder. The innumerous exposed cables between the engines and the main bulk of the ship began to spark with electricity. As mental energy was being fed into the magazine of the Ragna cannon, warning lights in the areas near the cannon began to flash.
Inside the Sanctuary, Master Mage Clef was hurrying back to the throne room, where he could cast the castle's barrier. He could sense the build-up of powerful energies coming from the NSX, and he needed to get Sanctuary's defenses up as soon as possible. But there was one problem; his battle against Stella had left him drained due to his physically young body. Normally he would just require a little bit of rest to recover, but he had spent the past hours trying to locate Hotaru. As such, he now didn't have the magic to spare to even teleport to the throne room, if he wanted to activate the barrier.
Unaware of the short mage's blight, Eagle calmly gave the order, "Fire."
Bright blue mental energy gathered around the inside edges of the turbine-like cannons, as the Ragna cannon charged up. As soon as the muzzles of the cannons glowed solid blue, the NSX fired.
Two massive beams, each one capable of destroying an entire mountain with just a glancing blow, blitzed towards the sanctuary. The bright blue sparking masses of energy caused nearby stroking bolts of lightning to look dim by comparison. The beams spun around one another, almost like dancing, before finally twisting together into a singular massive blast of energy.
Those still inside the castle looking outside, could see through the windows a beam of energy approaching them quickly. Even from far away it was possible to tell that it was even thicker than the Sanctuary's towers. Just as the people were starting to scream in terror, yellow circles rose up from the ground around the crystal base. Five circles of light hooped the sanctuary, before an egg-shaped barrier formed between them.
As the energy blast hit, there was a powerful and bright explosion that blew all the loose dust away from the sanctuary for miles on end. The people inside the sanctuary, from the humblest of citizens to the bravest of the Magic Knights, all screamed in terror as the Sanctuary shook. But as the light faded, the force field and the Sanctuary still stood unharmed, as a monument to Cephiro's tenacity.
Taking in readings of the Sanctuary, Geo asked, "A barrier?"
"No, I believe that is magic," Eagle pointed out insightfully.
"They can cover a castle that huge using mental energy?" Geo stared in awe.
Smiling at his friend's wonderment, Eagle looked down on the monitor in front of him, "Zazu."
The image on the monitor changed to a camera view of NSX's main mechanic, who stood next to the FTO, "Yeah?"
"Are the upgrades all set?"
Zazu crouched down closer to the camera, before giving thumbs up, "Everything has been tested and calibrated! My love for machines is burning red-hot as usual today!"
Giving a light chuckle at his young friend's enthusiasm, Eagle slowly stood up, "I'm going out."
Following behind him, Geo inquired, "How will you get past that barrier?"
Turning around, Eagle pulled out a hand-held computer which projected an image of the Sanctuary and the barrier in front of Geo. Looking down at the base of the Sanctuary, Geo could see a red marker blinking.
"I analyzed the barrier's mental energy," Eagle pointed out. "If I concentrate fire right here, I can break through."
"Right…" Geo sighed, before patting Eagle on the head. "I lose. I'll go with you, Commander."
While Autozam's top brass were heading to battle with a smile, the highest authority of Cephiro was in a state of chaos. Having made it to the throne room right before the Ragna Cannon hit the Sanctuary, Clef had only managed to see the bright light of the explosion from behind the doors. As he waved his staff to change the throne room's blue roof into a monitor, he could see the sanctuary being covered by the golden barrier.
"Who… who activated it?" Clef blinked in confusion, his jaw dropping in the fear of his ignorance.
"The tech boys have joined in sooner than I had hoped," Romeo said with annoyance, as the floor beneath him shook slightly.
"Should we be worried?" Stella asked, holding onto her scythe-like staff.
"No, not if we do this fast enough," the demon shook his head. "Do you remember what you must do?"
The vampire nodded slowly, before pointing her staff-tip at a small figure laying on the ground. Dispelling the black magical bindings around him, Stella then slowly undid her hypnosis on Hotaru. The recently de-aged paladin seemed to have had a pleasant dream, before slowly opening his lime-green eyes. Being forced awake in a strange location, Hotaru reluctantly started to remember what had happened before he fell asleep.
At first the idea that he would be in the clutches of Debonair sent a jolt through him, but then a wave of nihilism made him slump over. If Debonair had received the crown, it was all over. If not, that meant the others had managed to stop her without his help. What was the point of worrying if there was nothing he could do about it? If he died, his extended lease of life would have been fairly well spent at this point.
"So… what fresh Hell awaits me today?" Hotaru asked glumly while lying on the ground.
"The same that awaits us every day, Martin," Romeo spoke with a chuckle.
Looking up in the direction of the deep voice, Hotaru jumped up and hid behind Stella, as he saw his own shadow. Romeo was much taller than he had remembered, even when counting for his own shortening. His horns were longer and his eyes were now purple instead of lime, but those were just minor changes. His black clothes were a mess, burnt and torn in several places, and his chest was bare and scarred. As Hotaru saw his receded hairline and lack of eyebrows, he couldn't decide whether to laugh or tremble.
But despite the condition he was in, Romeo seemed to be in a good mood. Just as Hotaru was about to ask what he was smiling about, he noticed the room they were in, recognizing it. A long room with dark green walls and golden decorative linings and a smooth purple floor. There was no furniture, only a long red and gold carpet that led over to a familiar metal door.
This… This is the room where Emeraude's tiara is kept! Why are we here?
Looking down at the hiding Hotaru, Romeo placed his hands in the pockets of his leather trench coat, "You know, after my last metamorphosis, I expected it to be refreshing to finally get to look down on you. But I never expected this much of a difference."
"…I should've figured you would grow in power as my guilt flowed over," Hotaru gritted his teeth, realizing the cause behind his shadow's new form. "Let me guess, as you grow, I shrink down in size. You are here to make sure I wither to nonexistence while you reach your final form?"
"Hmhmhmhmhm," Romeo chuckled and smiled widely, before eventually sighing. "…You still think you got all the answers, don't you?"
Clenching his fists annoyedly at Romeo's comments, Hotaru looked up at Stella for assistance. The grey-skinned vampiric woman just turned away from his gaze, as if ignoring that he existed. Whether this was because she was ashamed of him or her betrayal of him, Hotaru realized he was all alone in his confrontation with Romeo.
Reluctantly looking Romeo in the eye, Hotaru asked, "What is it that you are planning, and why have you brought me here?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Romeo asked with a confident smile, before pointing behind him with his thumb. "I need you to open the door for us."
Turning towards the metal door, a sinking feeling took over Hotaru, but he refused to let it show.
I should have guessed it was something to that degree. But why do they need my help? Stella fought Clef and judging by his injuries, Romeo fought Lantis. Couldn't they have grabbed their magic sword and ring? Or… do they plan to use my armor to do the same? Nah, that wouldn't even work. And besides, why would Debonair even need me to… or wait, is this how they will get past the tiara's protections?
Realizing he knew dangerously little about what was going on, Hotaru crossed his arms, "Well tough luck, because I am not going to do it."
"I thought you might say that," Romeo sighed, before taking a few long steps towards his childish counterpart. "But really? Is this what's become of you, Martin? A scared little child who fakes defiance and just acts tough? I thought you were better than this."
"You can try to taunt and threaten me all you want, but it won't work, Alcyone is gone, she has betrayed me," Hotaru gestured toward Stella while speaking in a stern yet solemn tone, "…I got nothing worth living left to lose. And even if you try something here, even if you do open that door, everyone is going to sense your presence."
"Heh, not really," Romeo chuckled, before turning to Stella. "Your nanny here is quite good at hiding her and others' presences when she so chooses. And even if she wasn't, your friends are probably too busy paying attention to Autozam's invasion to notice us."
Hotaru's eyes slowly widened, "Wait… Autozam is attacking as well?!"
"That's right, and here you are, sniveling like a little baby, while your friends do all the fighting!" Romeo continued insulting him, leaning down to stare at him closely. "I heard you even forgot how to use magic! Is that what it is, Martin? You all of a sudden no longer can use magic and become completely dependent on others!?"
Listening to the voice of his shadow, Romeo's words stabbed right into Hotaru's consciousness. He tried to remain strong and stay defiant, but he couldn't deny that Romeo did have a point…
Calm down… He is trying to increase the amount of guilt you feel to make you disappear! You cannot let him win like this! I must find a way out of this and help the others! …But how can I help them if I have no magic? How did I even lose them… Romeo! He has eaten away at my heart so much I got no magic left. If I disappear completely, that means he will have completely absorbed Aston! Maybe that is how he can open the door? Well, he isn't going to get the rest of me! I just need to find a way to contact others…
As Hotaru tried to ignore Romeo's words and focus on his friends, he felt a sharp blow to his abdomen. The over two-meter-tall demon had kicked him in the stomach, with enough force to send him flying backwards. With the wind knocked out of him by the kick, he almost threw up as he hit the ground, only a few centimeters away from the wall.
"When did you start fooling yourself into thinking someone else will fight your battles?" Romeo asked, approaching Hotaru menacingly. "You're alone, Martin! Like you've always been! And you know what that means, don't you!?"
With Stella shivering to the side of him, Hotaru could only look up in desperation, as Romeo reached down and grabbed him. Holding him up by the crown of his head, the demon pressed him against the wall, while covering Hotaru's eyes with his palm. Hotaru kicked with his feet, trying to break free from his grip, but there was no way out for him in his condition.
"Since you obviously need a little reminder, let's take a little trip down memory lane," Romeo suggested with a harsh and cruel tone. "To that day…"
Before Hotaru fully understood what Romeo meant and despite having his eyes pressed shut, he saw a bright light flash before him. As his eyes got used to the light, he was no longer being held up in the Proof of the Pillar's antechamber, but standing on grass.
He was standing in the middle of a small yard in the light of the setting sun. He was surrounded by tall modern buildings, a fence, a few trees, and people. The buildings were commercial and school buildings, which he recognized as the elementary school he had attended when growing up in Japan. The fence was made out of steel and bordered off the school grounds from the rest of the district. It was the autumn of his second year in school and the trees nearby had lost their leaves, leaving them black and barren. The people surrounding him were in fact children, his classmates as well as upperclassmen, totaling around twenty or so.
Due to the late time of day, many would wonder why so many kids were at school at this hour? But Hotaru remembered this day well and knew the reason all these kids had gathered here. He had finally gotten the hang of written Japanese language, which had boosted his test scores beyond those of the average eight-year-old. The other students weren't exactly cheerful for him, and had sent him a note, telling him to show up after school.
"How does a slow kid like you in second grade have better grades than us?" a taller fifth grader asked.
"Yeah! You couldn't even spell your name last year, and now you are acing all the tests!" One of his classmates pointed out.
"You're just cheating to make the rest of us look bad!" a particularly large fourth grader pointed out.
Instead of humoring these accusations, Hotaru just stood still silently, letting kids be kids. After all, why should he prove them anything?
"You think you're so hot just 'cause you're a foreigner?" one of the few girls around asked. "Well you can just go back to America or wherever you came from!"
"He can't go back! I heard from teachers he doesn't know where he came from!" another student yelled out.
"He that dumb he doesn't know where he from? He really must have cheated then!" another student jeered, causing the others to laugh.
As they laughed, Hotaru's fists clenched, as he was reminded of the truth of his situation. Where had he come from? Why did he have to put up with a life like this?
"Oh, look at the little cheating retard!" one of the older kids pointed mockingly. "Are you going to cry?"
"Go cry to your momma! Oh, wait you can't since you got none!"
"And you don't have none since nobody wants you!"
"And we don't want you here either, freak!"
"Freak! Cheater! Idiot! Foreigner!" The kids mocked and chanted.
As the chants grew louder the children began to throw Hotaru with things they could get their hands on. Pebbles, erasers, trash, sticks, etc. While Hotaru knew he had to be an adult and that children could be cruel, over time, it began to get to him.
Back in the antechamber, Stella watched as Romeo kept Hotaru in place against the wall, her heart aching, as she saw tears begin to roll down Hotaru's cheeks.
After Autozam's initial attack, there wasn't a single person who doubted Hotaru's tale that Autozam was a threat. As Autozam had their O-series mechs and capable pilots, the number of people in the Sanctuary who could fight against them was limited. With Lantis still injured and Hotaru missing, Hikaru, Umi, Fuu, and Terra knew they were the only ones capable of fighting against them. Going as fast as they could, they rushed towards the large opening on the side of Sanctuary's central tower.
Once at the opening, the Magic Knights summoned their swords and raised them into the air, with their outfits changing into their fully evolved armors.
"Selece!" Umi yelled out, summoning his cobalt blue draconic Mashin.
"Windam!" Fuu called forth her emerald green, silver winged Mashin.
"Rayearth!" Hikaru roared out, summoning her crimson red, flaming Mashin.
With the legendary Mashins of Cephiro all standing in a row before the entrance, Terra yelled out, "Wingroad!"
With Terra calling out for her Mashin, the Magic Knights all felt a wave of excitement and relief wash over them. Though the evil Mashins had all been a nightmare to fight against, having one on their side sounded like a blessing. But as they all prepared for a massive black sphere to appear before them, all they received was silence.
"…Uuh, wasn't something supposed to happen?" Umi asked, staring at the other three.
"Is there a reason Wingroad is not responding to you?" Fuu asked Terra concernedly.
"It has never done this before…" Terra admitted in a worried tone, before lowering her taloned hands disappointedly. "Mother made Wingroad for me, so it makes sense she can also take it away. She must not like me using it to help you guys…"
"Oh no, that means we have no back up against that white mech," Umi grimaced, remembering the last time she faced it.
Despite having lost a powerful potential ally, Hikaru walked over to Terra before smiling up at the peri, "It will be fine. We promise we can win even if you only support us by believing in us."
Hearing the confident words of the shortest of her new friends, Terra smiled back before nodding, "Very well."
Without wasting more time, the Magic Knights entered their Mashins' control spheres before taking off. By the time they exited the barrier surrounding the Sanctuary, they could already see the NSX in the distance. But more alarmingly, they could see two bright dots of light approaching them, one white, the other green.
The first light they recognized as Eagle's FTO, a white and green mech with far more mechanical design than the Mashins. Though the hypersonic robot looked very similar to how it did when the Magic Knights first faced it, Hikaru could tell there were some changes to its design.
Behind the FTO, flew another, less flashy robot. It was similar in design but somewhat bulkier, and carried a large silver weapon of some sort. The parts that were white on FTO were green and the green parts black. The biggest design difference between the robots were in their heads. They both had purple vizors with yellow glowing eyes behind them, except the green one's visor was more angular. In addition, while the FTO had two white, square horns on the sides of its head, the green mech only had a black V shaped crest on its forehead.
As the two mechs approached, their pilots observed the trio of foes they would be facing. Though the readings matched the data they had recorded before, this didn't unwind NSX's second in command.
"They're even bigger when they're right in front of you," Geo pointed out.
"Worried to face someone your own size?" Eagle chuckled, before getting serious. "There is still no sign of Commander Hotaru. Let's go."
The two upgraded war machines accelerated in an instant to top speed, closing the distance. Few humans could have reacted to this, but their opponents weren't just humans.
"Hikaru!" Rayearth warned its pilot ahead of time.
"Eagle!" Hikaru yelled, placing her shield in front of her.
Only moments after, a hail of blue glowing bullets peppered Rayearth. Hikaru recognized these as the electrified bullets from their previous battles, but now, their sparks were much larger. Had they struck her directly, she would have been paralyzed on the spot. But instead of her actual shield, the bullets bounced off of the magical barrier he had developed in her fight against Nova.
However, Hikaru already knew this was just a distraction. With the FTO coming in hot, Hikaru swung her sword forward, blocking the white mech's plasma wrist sword. The barriers of the two mechs clashed with one another, repelling them away from each other. With a window of opportunity, Hikaru unsummoned her sword and casted a spell.
"Flame Arrow!" she threw her hand forward.
Seeing a massive pillar of fire coming his way, Eagle quickly brought his plasma sword down on the fire, dispersing it. As the flames were being blocked by his Auto Shield, Eagle spotted a massive energy reading, right before Hikaru brought her sword down. The red Magic Knight sent forth a flaming wind cutter, fanning the flames of her earlier spell. As the flames began to glow as blue as his sword, Eagle quickly flew out of the inferno.
But his foes were waiting for him, "Water Dragon!"
Seeing the dragon made out of water coming in fast, Eagle quickly sliced it apart with his sword. In the meanwhile, Geo flew up and over his commander in his GTO, before taking aim with his rocket launcher. Squeezing the trigger twice, he shot two gigantic, bright orange energy projectiles at the red and blue Mashins.
Seeing her friends being targeted, Fuu sent forth her barrier, "Winds of Protection!"
The barrier spread in front of Hikaru and Umi, blocking the projectiles that exploded in large and loud explosions. Despite having been upgraded to put a dent into Cephiro's indestructible commander, Fuu's barrier held out firmly. But in order to not give her foes a breather, Fuu took cover behind the barrier, before bringing her hands together.
"Emerald Cyclone!"
Eagle and Geo were taken by surprise, as a powerful series of green gusts and sickles of wind burst forth through the barrier. The rapid fire, wide scale spell struck them both, but their combined Auto Shields managed to compensate for the series of hits. Despite the rain of unexpected attacks, Eagle remained calm and read through the data gathered during their exchange.
"Magic using water. Emphasized speed over defense," Eagle spoke out loud, letting Geo hear his train of thought. "Magic using wind. Emphasizes defense and rapid strikes over offense. Magic using fire. Emphasized offense. It has the most power of the three machines."
With a plan in mind, Eagle informed Geo, "We'll lower their defense first."
"Okay!"
Using FTO's updated acceleration enhancer, Eagle charted a path around the emerald barrier and behind the green Mashin. In an instant, the FTO moved behind Fuu with quick and angular movements that were all over in a blink of an eye. With no hesitation, Eagle brought his plasma sword down onto Windam's back. Cut by the sudden attack, Fuu yelled out as a paralyzing pain ran through her back, causing Fuu to plummet.
"Fuu-chan!" Hikaru yelled.
"Next, the legs," Eagle stated, before flying straight up.
Seeing her foe try to run away, Umi flew after the FTO, barely able to keep up with its speed. Knowing getting too close was foolish, she instead decided to cast a spell, charging it up for an extra-long time.
"Sapphire Whirlpool!"
A massive vortex of water climbed high up into the air, surrounding the FTO. Despite the powerful and crushing currents, the FTO's defenses managed to hold up. By putting its engines on full throttle, Eagle managed to break out of the whirlpool, before charging straight towards Umi.
Seeing her foe approach with his glowing sword, Umi blocked Eagle's wrist blade with her rapier, repelling it back. As the FTO seemed to go in for another swing, Umi prepared to block it again, before her foe turned off their sword. Moving its right arm past Umi's sword, Eagle pointed FTO's Vulcan directly towards Selece's abdomen.
Umi only had time to gasp in horror, before Eagle unloaded a barrage of electrically charged bullets into her abdomen. Being punched in the gut and shocked several times per second, Umi screamed in pain, but refused to back down.
I can't… lose like this! I must be stronger… to save Ascot! To bring him back… to his family!
Having already tasted defeat earlier today, Umi thrust forth her rapier, stabbing it into FTO's shoulder.
"Nani!?" Eagle gasped, noticing a gap in his defenses.
The Auto Shield doesn't activate when I myself am firing! …I should have seen that coming.
Taking a quick step back, Eagle pointed his arm forward before activating FTO's magnetic field. A perfectly round green barrier of energy appeared around Selece, restraining her in place while shocking her further. Added to the pain of her earlier injuries, Umi quickly lost consciousness.
"Umi-chan!" Hikaru yelled, seeing Selece fall limp. "Flame—!"
Hikaru was about to fire at full force, when she saw FTO lift Selece in front of it as a human shield. Realizing she couldn't hit Eagle without scorching Umi as well, Hikaru was forced to back down.
At the antechamber, the trio of people new to this story continued standing in silence. The only sound that broke it up was a snivel coming from Hotaru, who was still pressed against the wall. Unable to stomach watching Hotaru continue crying, Stella stepped closer to Romeo and looked him in the eye defiantly.
"What are you showing him?" Stella asked with repressed anger in her voice.
"The worst memory of either of his lives," Romeo answered unflinchingly, before adjusting his shoulder. "If this doesn't get to him, nothing will."
There was a moment of perfect silence, as Hotaru's quiet sobbing finally ended. Stella's heart grew cold and a lump rose into her throat, as she worried Hotaru had completely broken. But her worry was soon replaced with dread and her grey skin received goose bumps, as Hotaru began to laugh. It was a subtle laughter, but it kept getting louder and more menacing, the kind of laughter one wouldn't expect from a child.
"Hm-hm! Hm-hm-hm! Hm-hmhmhmhm-hahahahahaa!" Hotaru smiled, before grabbing hold of Romeo's arm. "You say this is my worst memory? You may be right… but it is followed by my best!"
The scene on the school yard changed before Hotaru's eyes, to a later one. The setting sun had gone down, with only street lamps lightning up the area anymore, and the temperature had gone down. He was battered, he was bruised, and sitting on the stairs in front of the school's front door, crying. And yet, there was not a single person around who stood taller than he did.
Of his twenty or so assailants, sixteen laid unconscious on the ground. The rest had run away, either scared or injured, while the rest Hotaru had managed to keep from running. His fists ached and bled, but while looking at his handiwork through his tears, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"Hey, Hotaru, it's me, Martin…" He spoke to himself in English, while holding back the tears. "We really made a mess this time around, right?"
A moment of silence passed, as Hotaru smiled at himself bittersweetly. He knew he would be in so much trouble tomorrow when all the kids would tell on him to the teachers. Hopefully he would be able to articulate his case well enough to not be outright expelled.
"…Listen, just because nobody wants you or is here to help you, you still got me," Martin said to his younger self. "Maybe someone will adopt us, maybe not, but we will always have each other."
Alone in the cold and the dark, it became harder and harder not to cry, but Hotaru still managed to swallow his tears and grit his teeth. Standing up on the stairs, he started walking forward as he headed back to the orphanage. He didn't look behind him, or even below him to see if he stepped on the other students.
"I know life looks bleak and miserable right now, but you need to keep fighting," he continued his monologue as he forced himself to go on. "Like grandpa always said, you only need a heart, a will, and a tomorrow to keep fighting. And sometimes, even going forward, can feel like a fight…"
Making it to the front gate of the elementary school, Hotaru looked around, at the dark, seldomly lit up streets. Streets he only barely knew, in a world where he was by all means alone. A world, where he had no one else to fall back on, except for himself.
Wiping away his tears in his sleeve, Hotaru started heading home, "…We will continue to fight, with all our heart, and we keep going forward, with all our will! Until some day, tomorrow will get better. Until life gets better!"
Holding onto Romeo's wrist harder and harder, Hotaru's fingers slowly wrapped around it fully. He could feel his armored boots touch the ground, and the strength in his body return to him. Without uttering a single word, Hotaru could feel Steel Strength activating, and hear Romeo yell out in pain as he squeezed.
Activating tungsten defense to prevent his wrist from being crushed, Romeo watched in astoundment as Hotaru pulled his arm away from his face. There was no fear or sadness behind his creator's lime-green eyes, only keen willpower and an unsettling ambition. The helpless child was gone and, in his place, stood a young man of eighteen years of age, with a life-time's worth of experiences.
Hotaru's pupils narrowed into dots, as she stared at his shadow angrily, "And I will not let anything stand in the way of my future!"
With the embers of his heart relit, Hotaru didn't even flinch as his Double Armor began to glow brightly. Unlike previously, instead of glowing bright silver when evolving, his armor glowed an iridescent lime-green. As it transformed, instead of simply covering up more of his body, the armor design itself changed. The already existing silver armor pieces grew larger and thicker, with extra layers of armor and bulkier details. As for new armor pieces, his elbows gained golden cowters and round rondels covered his armpits from the front. In addition to armor pieces, an ornate golden belt wrapped around his waist. From the belt grew down a dark gray scapular with a golden trim that reached his knees. The cowters and the belt buckle were decorated with lime-green orbs, increasing the total number of his armor's orbs to fourteen.
As Hotaru's armor evolved, Romeo could feel the grip on his wrist grow ever stronger, signaling the increase in his magical powers. As he activated Steel Strength himself, he was unable to pull away from Hotaru's grip, nor able to lift him. Before he could react, Hotaru flung Romeo against the opposite wall with unprecedented speed and force.
As the hundreds of tons weighing demon struck the wall, it left behind a large crack upon impact, before slumping to the ground. As Hotaru walked towards his shadow, even Stella had to step back in fear, as his lime-green aura lit up the dark antechamber. Looking down upon Romeo, who was sitting on the ground, Hotaru clenched his fist, as his heart began to fill him with new power. Normally he would be delighted by the fact he was able to use three of his spells at once without uttering a single word. But now, he was far more interested in returning favor to those who had tried to harm him when powerless.
"Using my most painful memories to try and crush my spirits. I would expect nothing less from my shadow," Hotaru spoke in an almost proud tone. "But you underestimated just how much loneliness I have put up with throughout my life. Your plan, failed."
Having been looking at Hotaru with almost full-blown awe, Romeo's expression all of a sudden turned relaxed and smug. Getting up slowly and casually, he looked down at Hotaru, with a brotherly smile, while towering over him.
"Failed? Au contraire, mon frère," Romeo spoke in broken French. "Everything went just as I had planned. You see, that wasn't just your happiest memory."
Hotaru raised an eyebrow, looking into the demon's purple eyes without flinching.
Leaning closer to Hotaru, Romeo smiled widely and spoke in a deep and poignant tone, "For that was the day that I was born."
Not breaking the stare between them, Hotaru was silent for a moment, before his eyes widened, "BwahaHAHAHAHAHA!"
"YOU'RE LAUGHING AT ME AGAIN!?" Romeo exploded, his face flushing deep red. "I swear, I am speaking the truth, you hear me! Just like when I told you about you being Aston!"
Trying to hold back his laughter, Hotaru covered his mouth, before shaking his head, "No, no, no, not that. I do believe you… I-I-I-I-I-It's just that… I just figured out something that has been bothering me ever since I came to Cephiro."
Slowly calming down as Hotaru took some distance from him, Romeo sighed deeply while composing himself, "Well, what is it?"
Turning back around, Hotaru smiled brightly, "Well you see; if my element is metal, why is my color lime-green?"
Raising a burnt off eyebrow, Romeo pondered the question himself. Before he had time to present a guess, Hotaru pointed the palm of his right hand towards him.
Looking at the palm, Romeo's eyes widened, "Wait, we don't got any pew-pews—"
"Uranium Cannon!" Hotaru yelled with a gruff and angry voice.
In but an instant, a bright light flashed in Hotaru's open palm, before a loud and powerful blast erupted from his hand. The blast formed a radiant lime-green cone that blew a hole right through the dark-green wall of the antechamber. The entire antechamber was lit up and shook up by the light and the explosion. As the light faded, Hotaru could see all the way outside, into the dark world that surrounded the Sanctuary. All that remained of the several layers of crystal walls between him and the outside world, were glowing hot and half molten edges.
Romeo, who had activated Silver Speed at the very last moment, was hugging the dark green wall some five meters away from Hotaru. He was panting heavily, seeing the aftermath of the spell he had no recollection of. While he was pale from horror, it also excited him to no end, but the fear slowly overcame him, as Hotaru walked towards him once more.
"I don't care when you were born," Hotaru grunted angrily, gathering energy for another blast. "As long as you work with Debonair, I will kill you regardless."
"Please, calm down Hotaru!" Stella pleaded. "You got it all wrong!"
Glaring at Stella angrily, Hotaru yelled suddenly, "WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN WRONG!?"
"Everything," Romeo stated with stone-cold seriousness.
Author's Afterword: Been a while since I have been able to write a chapter this quickly. What? It didn't seem that fast? That's because this was only the first of the two chapters I had initially planned to combine together. I already have the second finished, just waiting for a proof read, but it should be up in two days.
In this chapter, everyone is still recovering from the events of Coronation Day. Technically it is still the same day, so everyone is making the most of the last remaining days of Cephiro. This includes our boys from Autozam, who are desperate to try and get what they need, as they are behind schedule.
But there is no rest for the wicked as Hotaru's adversities have finally resulted in some good for him. However, as alluded to in this chapter, things are never as they appear on the first glance. Hotaru's metallic arsenal including radioactive actinide elements is but a small taste of things and twists to come. Seriously though, I feel more metal-elemented characters should have access to nuclear options.
As always, reviews and speculations are welcomed and appreciated. I am glad that after the last chapter to have plenty of new reviews this time ^^ My thanks go to our recurring anonymous Guest, merendinoemiliano and James Birdsong for your reviews on the last chapter!
