It had been a few days since Alcyone's last battle against the Magic Knights. When she returned to Zagato's crystal fortress, she had been reprimanded verbally, but due to her condition, she was spared from physical punishment. Her injuries had been far more severe than during her first encounter with the enemy, but her knowledge in medicine had helped her recover quickly.

However, her recovery had not been pleasant. In addition to having to have a taste of her own medicine literally, she had been ridiculed by her 'allies'. Both Ascot and Caldina had taken their chances to give her a piece of the humble pie, in return for Alcyone always looking down on them. While she was the most adept magic user out of all of Zagato's underlings (aside from Inouva), her place in their society had been compromised.

All this and her growing hatred for the Magic Knights and their bodyguard Hotaru, blended together into a dark mix of emotions. As she recovered, Alcyone went through dozens of plans to take her revenge, but none of them could overcome the biggest obstacle. The difference in power. While on their own she could defeat any of them, all four of them were too much.

Every night she laid in bed, the words of the Magic Knight's bodyguard lingered on her mind. 'Make sure you have it all figured out, and that it is worth it'. Such arrogance, as if she didn't already know.

Once Alcyone had fully recovered, she attended one of the meetings of Zagato's inner circle in the waterfall room. The meeting consisted of the usual rigamarole of reports of different villages and uprisings being subdued. When it was over, Alcyone stayed behind and knelt before the man she had dedicated her heart to.

"Lord Zagato, please give me one more chance," Alcyone begged, holding her head low and speaking with a maiden-like voice. "This time, I will get the Magic Knights..."

"Alcyone, you have already betrayed my trust twice," Zagato reminded her with a stern voice. "Three times if we count disobeying my orders. I had half a mind of putting you out of your misery when you last dragged yourself back in."

Alcyone gasped, as a frog was caught in her throat, and her body trembled. The idea that she could have died at the hands of her beloved days ago, sent a shiver down her spine. However, it was that overbearing authority that she was so drawn to. Nevertheless, she did not dare to anger her lord any further.

"Lord Zagato," Inouva spoke up. "It seems that the Magic Knights are approaching the Spring of Eterna."

"So, they're after Escudo."

"Yes."

Hearing the Spring of Eterna mentioned, a moment of inspiration struck Alcyone. She was familiar with the spring and its surroundings from her lessons with Master Mage Clef.

Alcyone raised her head and spoke out with respect and confidence, "Lord Zagato, I have a plan. I'm sure I will defeat the Magic Knights this time."

"There are no falsehoods in your words?" Zagato asked skeptically.

Alcyone bowed her head once more, "I swear on my devotion to you, Lord Zagato."

Zagato grinned, "I will remember that."

With those words, Zagato turned around and left, with Inouva following behind. Once they left, Alcyone was left alone in the waterfall room, with only the rushing water keeping her company. She stood up slowly, preparing herself, making a mental checklist of everything she needed.

Once done, she trembled with anger once more, "Those brats… I will make sure you feel the pain that I feel now. And that fool Hotaru, once he lays broken on the ground, I will not return his mercy."


"Achoo!" Hotaru sneezed and rubbed his nose on his sleeve. "These spices are getting to me."

The young reincarnated man was standing in front of a hot stove, inside Mokona's egg-shaped shelter. It was getting late and Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu were outside, bathing at a nearby river. It had been almost a week since they last took a bath at Presea's mansion. So they all decided on washing at the river, despite the cold water. Hotaru had gone first, mainly to test if the waters were safe, after which the Magic Knights took their turn.

"I think that's enough black pepper, can you give me some thyme next?"

"Pupu-pupu!" Mokona nodded and materialized a small spice jar on the counter.

"Thank you," Hotaru smiled before shaking some into a wok.

As he did that, the door to the domicile was opened and the girls walked in.

"That smells good," Fuu complimented, smelling the scent from the door.

"What are you cooking?" Hikaru asked curiously.

"Better question would be, why are you cooking?" Umi tilted her head, confused.

Hotaru sighed as he did not want to come across like he wanted to be the regular chef, and stated dismissively, "While having Mokona conjure all sorts of foods for us is great and all, you notice how it never conjures up anything hot? I am just tired of cold meals of bread, fruits, vegetables, and cold meat. No offense."

"Pupupu!" Mokona crossed its stubby arms and turned around.

"That is true. We should take turns cooking a warm meal for ourselves at least once a day," Fuu suggested.

Hikaru picked up Mokona into her arms and tried to peek over Hotaru's shoulder. This was nearly impossible due to her short stature, with Hotaru being over a foot taller than her.

"What are you making?" she asked again, listening to the sizzling wok.

"Well, I was going to make shishkabobs but since Mokona was willing to help, I instead opted for stir fried vegetables and steak," Hotaru said, flipping his meat on the pan and moving the vegetables around.

"That sounds actually pretty nice," Umi admitted, her mouth watering slightly. "Where did you learn how to cook?"

Hotaru thought for a moment. In reality he had been a big fan of steaks back in his previous life, but had only eaten one during his years as an orphan. Though it is not like he hadn't done any cooking in this life.

"Children at the orphanage over the age of twelve were required to help the staff in cooking from time to time," Hotaru answered. "Gives life experience and cuts expenses on labor."

"They taught you how to cook steak?" Hikaru raised an eyebrow.

"You want some or you going to keep asking questions?" Hotaru asked, pointing a spatula at Hikaru. "I only made a steak for myself and I wish to keep it medium rare, so hurry up and tell me if you also want some."

His diversion of the topic seemed to have worked as Hikaru happily answered, "I'll have one medium, please!"

"Rare for me," Umi smiled, not wanting to turn down a hot meal.

"I'll have it Legendary," Fuu chuckled, fixing her glasses.

As Umi and Hikaru cringed and laughed at Fuu's joke, Hotaru yelled, "Coming right up! Mokona, conjure me two steaks and a container of bull-semen."

"Wait what? Hold on!"

"That is disgusting!"

"I was only kidding; I want it medium rare!"

After frying the steaks for Umi and Fuu, Hotaru sat down to eat his well-rested steak. Hikaru wanted to try cooking her own steak, but her steak ended up being what Fuu described as, 'congratulations'. The other two girls then helped Hikaru cook up a new one, at which point they all had a nice quiet meal.


The next day started out relatively peacefully. Instead of Mokona running off on its own, it stayed behind and let the party enjoy a simple breakfast of jam and toast. The jam in question had been made by Fuu out of strawberries and some sugar.

Once they set out on their journey once more, it didn't take long for them to reach a small, picturesque lake in the middle of a forest. The lake was surrounded by trees, bushes, and wild flowers. Rays of sun glistened through the tree tops and reflected off of the water like sparkling diamonds.

"Wow!" the girls admired the natural beauty.

"How pretty!" Umi yelled.

"It is like looking at a painting," Fuu admired the scenery.

"Maybe this is…" Hikaru gasped.

"This has to be the legendary Spring of Eterna!" Umi interrupted her.

The three girls took each other by the hands and danced victoriously, though Hotaru couldn't help but sigh. He knew that this lake wasn't the spring, nor would they be allowed to admire its beauty.

"Puu pupupu!" Mokona shook its head violently and chirped loudly.

"I think our guide is trying to tell us something," Hotaru pointed out.

"Such odd behavior. Perhaps this is not the legendary Spring of Eterna?"

Mokona nodded deeply, affirming Fuu's suspicions.

"That can't be! We've been traveling this way for a long time!" Umi argued, frustrated at their lack of progress.

"Maybe it's a little bit further ahead," Hotaru suggested. "Mokona has been oddly relaxed today."

"Oh, there is a boat over there," Fuu pointed out at the shore of the lake.

The boat was wooden with a golden trim around the edge of it, decorated with round purple gems. It seemed sturdy and had two oars hanging from the rowlocks.

Way to sign your own work, Hotaru sighed internally.

"Lucky!" Umi smiled with glee and hopped onto the boat. "We'll know for sure if we investigate! Come on, hurry!"

"I feel things are going too smoothly…" Fuu said suspiciously.

As Mokona was trying to stop them from getting on the boat, Hotaru picked Mokona up. "You girls go on ahead. I don't think that boat can support four."

Umi stared at Hotaru angrily, "You just don't want to row, despite having strength increase magic! Or what, are you afraid of water?"

Hotaru's grip around Mokona got stronger, but he managed to hide his irritation, "I'm just staying behind just in case. Boat sinking and all that. If you do find the spring I will catch up!"

Sorry about taking it easy, but after that last battle with Alcyone, I know I need to be more vigilant. There will be no room for mistakes if we all want to get through this alive.

The girls seemed a bit miffed but didn't feel like arguing with the group's eldest. The three of them got onto the boat, with Fuu sitting near the bow and Umi and Hikaru sitting at the center, taking the oars. It didn't take them long to row the boat to the center of the small lake.

"Stroke! Stroke! Stroke! Stroke! Stroke!" Umi and Hikaru kept up the pace.

Fuu looked around the lake intently, before coming to a conclusion, "There is nothing here."

"No way!" Umi whined.

"Maybe this isn't the legendary Spring of Eterna after all…"

"I can not believe Mr. Hotaru was right again… wait, what is that?" Fuu asked, spotting ripples in the water.

The ripples intensified until the water itself rose up quickly, causing a powerful wave that rolled over to them. The girls screamed as the boat was pushed back and then flipped up, causing them to all fly off the boat. Due to the momentum, the girls were thrown all the way back to the shore.

At the same time, a massive humanoid monster, made entirely out of water, stood up, its two red eyes gleaming through its body.

Hotaru let out a short sigh of relief, seeing that the girls were mostly unharmed. He knew the monster was in the lake and didn't want to risk changing the course of events. If he had been in the boat, the waves may not have been powerful enough to send them back to shore. If they had fallen into the water instead, things could have gotten a lot worse.

"Ow…" Hikaru whined, stroking her sore bottom, before noticing the monster herself.

The monster pulled back its watery fist and struck down at the Magic Knights. Despite the earlier shock, the girls managed to hurry out of the way before the impact. Instead of denting the ground, the creature's fist burst into a wave which pushed them further back.

Tired of being pushed around by a walking puddle, Hikaru summoned her broadsword out of the ornate gem in her glove. She jumped into the air and slashed down, cutting the monster in half with ease, but as she did, a massive amount of water burst out of it. The amount of water seemed to be greater than the monster itself.

"What is this thing!?" Fuu asked, unable to believe her eyes.

The water spread out far and wide over the Magic Knights, before crashing over them. As they were once again struck by a tidal wave, the entire forest flooded. Even Hotaru, who had stood further back, had to activate Tungsten Defense in order to not be washed away down a cliff.

Having survived the sudden deluge, Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu stood up, soaking wet. The water around them started receding and forming back into the humanoid water monster.

"That spring was Mr. Monster's trap after all," Fuu frowned, her clothes and hair dripping water.

"What a letdown! A spring shaped mimic should be against the rules!" Umi complained.

"You can't blame the trapper for falling for the trap," Hotaru pointed out while preparing his axe.

"I don't care! I hate cheaters like that!" Umi yelled angrily and raised her hand, "Water Dragon!"

"I'm not sure if water is such a good—!" Hotaru tried to stop her, but too late.

A massive geyser of water in the shape of a dragon sprouted out of Umi's hand and with a roar, impaled the liquid monster. Instead of causing an even greater flood, the monster was consumed by the magic and evaporated. As it did, remnants of the monster started raining down upon them, soaking them once more.

Right, that's how she defeated it last time as well. I should have remembered to bring an umbrella, Hotaru thought to himself, while using his axe's blade as a makeshift umbrella.

The blade didn't cover him much, but it did prevent the rain from touching his head.

"Umi, you did it!" Hikaru cheered happily.

Umi smiled smugly at her victory and turned to her friend, "Hikaru, you okay?"

"Yeah!"

"We got lakes, we got tidal waves, we got floods, and now rain, but no spring yet," Hotaru made a mentalist list, putting his axe away once the rain stopped.

"Anyway, I feel like we are all ghosts," Fuu pointed out, examining their bodies.

As Fuu said this, Umi and Hikaru noticed how all of their bodies were glowing purple. The light wasn't too bright but still noticeable, however they felt no adverse effect from it. The glow around Hotaru was slightly weaker, but still visible.

"I'm sure it will go away once we're dry," Umi figured, shrugging it off.

Before anyone could object, they heard Mokona chirping loudly. It then turned its head towards east and a pink beam of light shone from its forehead gem. Nothing happened beyond this, other than that the beam traveled a longer than normal distance.

"Mokona… Is the legendary Spring of Eterna over there?" Hikaru asked?

"Pupuu, pupuu!" Mokona nodded, and started hopping in the direction it had pointed in.

As our heroes followed the bouncing white blob, their persistent adversary spied on them from behind. Hiding among the tree branches, Alcyone smiled widely and smugly, the first step in her plan having succeeded perfectly.

Let that be a payback for getting me soaked last time. But soon, wet clothes will be the least of your worries. Shame the one called Hotaru didn't get into the boat as well.


After walking for about twenty minutes following Mokona, the party arrived at a mountainous area covered in grass. But instead of a spring, all they could see were jagged rocks sticking out of the ground, and a ring made out of cobblestone. But what was in the ring caught their attention.

Hearing Mokona chirping happily, Hikaru's eyes widened, "Here?"

"This is the legendary Spring of Eterna?" Fuu asked, baffled by the sight.

"You're kidding…"

It was an unusual stone pillar, or at least that was the first impression. It was much wider than it was tall, being about the size of a picnic table. Instead of being uniform in thickness, its top was thick and flat, and its bottom quickly tapered into a spiraling stalactite. The top was covered in lush grass and it was a miracle the whole thing could stand upright.

"Wait a minute! Where do you see a spring?" Umi asked angrily.

Fuu tilted her head, agreeing with Umi, "There's nothing here that resembles water."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Hotaru said, trying to hold back a chuckle.

"H-Hey over there…" Hikaru pointed above the stone table. "What is that line up there?"

"Line?" Fuu and Umi said at the same time.

Fuu walked in closer, seeing a blue shimmering line above the stone table. It was only as thick as a strand of hair and floated in the air. It didn't matter from what direction she looked at it, the line was just a line.

"It is a line," Fuu confirmed her findings.

"What does that mean?" Umi asked, confused.

"Let me show you," Hotaru chuckled and walked over to Hikaru.

"Huh?" Hikaru looked at Hotaru confused, before being picked up like a kitten by her armpits.

As the much taller teenager picked her up to his eye level, Hikaru could see something flashing above the line. Once she got used to the light, which turned out to be the sun's rays, she could see that the line had turned into an oval. The oval was undulating, as if waves on the surface of water.

Hikaru gasped upon seeing this, yelling, "Fuu! Umi! It's the spring!"

"What!"

"How is that possible?"

Hotaru gently put Hikaru back down on the ground, before turning towards the others, "It's a two-dimensional shape. It looks flat from the side but if you view it from high enough, you can see it has width and length."

"So, it's a flat spring," Fuu pondered.

"And? Where in this completely flat, weird Spring of Eterna do we find the legendary ore Escudo?"

Before Hotaru could make a suggestion, Mokona had already jumped down off of a nearby cliff. The bunny fay chirped happily as it did a cannonball into the spring, causing a small splash.

"Mokona!" Hikaru yelled, worried over the little creature.

"It seems that Escudo is inside this spring," Fuu figured out calmly.

"But we don't know how deep it is," Umi pointed out. "And how will we breathe underwater?"

"Who knows," Fuu pondered, before smiling at the others, "We will not know until we go in."

Umi sighed deep and let her head droop low, "This trip is just one disaster after another."

"Cannonball!" they heard a voice from above.

Before they could duck out of the way, the girls saw Hotaru jump down from the nearby cliff. The eighteen-year-old brunet man had tucked his arms and legs in, landing perfectly in the middle of the disc-like spring. There was a loud splash as the water jumped out of the spring, and the three Magic Knights tried to cover up.

To their surprise, the water did not splash outside the spring. It was as if there was an invisible wall preventing the spring from overflowing.

"Gee, one minute he is overly cautious, another he is far too reckless!" Umi complained with her hands on her hips.

"He does seem to trust Mokona a lot more than we do," Fuu acknowledged. "Then again, he seems to be a good judge of character."

"We better hurry after him!" Hikaru rushed the other two girls up the cliffside. "Presea warned us that the Spring of Eterna was dangerous!"

Hikaru was referring to a conversation they had had with Presea back at her mansion. According to her, only very few people had ever managed to retrieve Escudo from the Spring of Eterna. The rest had lost their lives.

Once they were on top of the cliff, they could see the spring clearly now. It was vast and perfectly round, with waves coming from the center of it. With sunlight reflected off of its waves and its deep waters, the legendary spring looked more like an abyss. Had any of them been here alone, none of them would have dared jump in. But with them all together, they felt surer of their chances.

"Ready, set… go!" the three girls counted, before jumping into the spring together.

With a large splash, Hikaru, Umi and Fuu descended into the depths of the Spring of Eterna. The water around them was deep and dark, and they could barely keep their eyes open due to the cold water.

Meanwhile, outside the spring, Alcyone descended on the cliff gently, standing over the spring. She smirked cruelly at the sight of the familiar spring.

Everything is as planned. Magic Knights, Hotaru, this will be your grave.

As the girls continued sinking deeper into the spring, they for a moment could see Hotaru below them. Soon however, he disappeared from their sight. At first, they thought that he had sunk to a point where it was too deep for light to pass through. But then, they noticed each other disappearing as well.

Fuu… Umi… Hikaru gasped, noticing she had been left all alone.

Hikaru continued sinking deeper and deeper, until she could no longer hold her breath. Her mind started to go hazy, before she passed out.


Sometime later, Hikaru woke up, finding herself in a dark space. She was alone, dizzy, but also dry. As she called for her friends, she could hear her voice echo throughout the area around her. As she looked around, all she could see was a dark red void with some swirling patterns on the walls. The space around her seemed to go on forever and everything above and below her was pitch black. Despite this, she could feel that she was on top of a solid surface.

As she stood up, she could sense something behind her. Letting out a slight gasp, she quickly prepared herself and summoned her broadsword. With her sword in hand, she prepared to face whatever was coming her way.

As she saw a pair of red eyes staring at her in the darkness, she gripped her sword tighter. Her grip loosened though, as she heard a familiar whimper.

"It can't be…"

As the figure came closer, she could see a large husky with brown and white fur. It didn't take long for Hikaru to recognize this dog and for her heart to feel both warmth and confusion.

"Hikari. Why are you here?"

Hikaru was overjoyed to see her loyal dog, who had been with her since it was a puppy. If she had known that she would be going on an adventure instead of a field trip a week ago, she would have taken Hikari with her.

At the same time, Umi found herself in a similar void, except hers was in the shades of blue. She walked around the place, yelling out for her friends, but only receiving the echo of her words.

"Hikaru! Fuu! Hotaru! Where are you?"

There was no answer, no one could hear her or responded to her.

"I guess we got separated…" she said, before the hairs on her neck stood up.

With a knee jerk reaction, Umi turned around and summoned her rapier, taking a defensive stance. In the dark void, she could see two figures standing next to each other. After a while, she could recognize these figures by the faint outlines of their bodies and the clothes they were wearing.

"Papa? Momma?" she whispered, unable to believe her eyes.

The sight of her parents filled her with both hope and dread. She knew her parents loved her greatly, but they could also be stern with her when she misbehaved. Judging by their expressions, she could not tell if they were angry or disappointed at her. However, considering she had been dragged into Cephiro without her telling them about it, she knew she had a lot to explain.

Meanwhile Fuu regained her consciousness in a green colored void. She took a moment to assess the situation, both to calm herself and to keep herself safe. She was alone, with no one to be seen and no familiar landmarks. Fuu wondered if she had drowned in the Spring of Eterna, but why would she still have all her clothes?

"I wonder if this is the inside of that spring," she speculated.

Sensing a presence behind her, she got up, turned around, summoned her weapons, and drew her bow back. A shadowy figure began to emerge in front of her, until it became clear who it was.

"Myself?" Fuu gasped in amazement.

Seeing her mirror duplicate, Fuu was caught completely unaware, her brain shorting out.

Around the same time, Hotaru was walking around a void of his own, this one colored silverish grey. Though this was more or less what he had expected, he could not help but notice how worried he was. He stroked his head and ruffled his hair, trying to get a grip on himself.

When he woke up in this void, he felt like everything was going as intended. However, an all-encompassing feeling of dread and worry had taken over him. His ears were ringing and he could not stop shaking. None of this made any sense to him, as he did not remember any of the girls reacting this way back in the anime.

"Is this what the Spring of Eterna feels to those who aren't Magic Knights?" he muttered to himself, trying to calm himself down.

As one last desperate attempt to calm himself, Hotaru bit his cheek. He let out a pained whimper, tasting a bit of blood in his mouth and immediately regretted his decision. However, it seemed to have worked. With his thoughts on the pain, the empty space around him felt less significant.

"Okay, come on, I know how to play this game," Hotaru muttered, looking around the grey-scale void.

As he was about to lose his nerve again, he sensed a hostile presence behind him. He summoned his executioner's axe and held it in both hands, before turning around.

Seeing the figure behind him, a tear rolled down Hotaru's cheek. A familiar feeling of nostalgia and warmth he had not felt in two decades, took over his body. Despite having reached legal adulthood in two life-times, he was reduced to a mere boy.

"Of course, what else would it have been," he said, with a trembling lip, his voice echoing through the void.

In front of him stood an elderly woman in her sixties, about a head shorter than himself. She had short blonde hair that was turning gray, visible wrinkles around her mouth and brow, and bluish gray eyes. She wore a casual set of black clothes and simple jewelry. The woman looked at him with a neutral expression, yet there was life in her eyes.

"You look just the way I remember you, mom…" Hotaru sniffed, wiping tears out of his eyes.

While Hotaru had had plenty of friends and relatives in his past life, his mother had been the dearest person to him. His father had died when his mother was still pregnant, leaving his mother to take care of him as a single parent. Despite this, she had been a loving and hard-working mother, who had always supported Hotaru and raised him well.

When Hotaru had reincarnated as a baby in Japan, he rarely if ever cried. But whenever he did, it was because he knew he would never see her again. He often wondered how his mother had reacted to the news of his death. Having her only child die before he could even get married or start a family, must have broken her heart.

A black orb appeared next to his mother, before a burst of darkness shot out from it at him. Instead of dodging or parrying it, Hotaru allowed it to hit his body. The attack felt real and the damage it dealt true as well, but he felt like he deserved this much. But only this much.

"Sorry mom, for leaving so suddenly," he apologized to the figure standing before him. "It was nice seeing you again, although, you're probably already dead…"

Hotaru raised his axe above his head, and yelled out, "Steel Strength!"

He charged at the image of his mother and swung his axe down at full force. The doppelganger was split in half in an instant, with a bright white light shining from within the cut. The light expanded and after it faded, the void around him was gone.

Instead, Hotaru stood inside a large dark cavern. The air was moist and he could hear water droplets dropping down from the ceiling. The cavern looked familiar to him, and he could not see any of the Magic Knights around yet, meaning their trials were still going on. Above him, in the air, floated a large, smoke quartz-looking crystal that gave off a magical aura.

"Heh… apparently I was worthy of Escudo after all," Hotaru chuckled dryly, knowing he had technically cheated.

"Yes, congratulations, not many are able to survive the trials of the Spring of Eterna," a charming female voice spoke behind him

As Hotaru turned around, he could see Alcyone levitating in the air above him. She was wearing her usual attire of dark maroon leotard, armor pieces decorated with round purple gems, and a white cape. The large purple gem on her forehead accentuated the features of her beautiful face.

She descended down a little, not quite touching the ground to show off her superiority. However, her expression slowly turned from smug to confused, as they stared into each other's eyes.

"So, you finally decided to come out of hiding?" Hotaru smiled, his arms in his pockets.

"Why are you not surprised to see me?" Alcyone asked, disappointed by his lack of reaction.

"I could tell you were around ever since I saw that boat you had left at the lake," Hotaru answered looking at the sorceress with a good-natured smile. "Even that eerie glow upon us after we killed that monster told me you were nearby. I guess I will be thinking of you for the rest of my life whenever I see purple."

With the wind taken out of her sails, Alcyone landed on the floor of the cavern. As they stood there face to face for the first time, they both realized that they were equal in height, not counting Alcyone's high heels. As she watched Hotaru smile, she was once again reminded of something, but couldn't quite place it. However, it was a different feeling than on previous occasions.

"Do you not see me as a threat?" Alcyone asked, almost insulted by Hotaru's lack of vigilance.

"It is not that I do not think that you are dangerous. I just figured we could take this moment to talk for a moment," Hotaru explained, pulling his hands from his pockets. "Of course, if you wish for us to fight when it is just the two of us, I am game."

Alcyone thought about the young bodyguard's offer, weighing her options. If she talked with him, he could be stalling for time for when the Magic Knights finished their Escudo trials. Then again, Alcyone herself was waiting for her slow acting poison to start working. On the other hand, if she were to fight him now, it would be one on one, with no help for him. However, she had never fought Hotaru in such close quarters, but had always had the advantage of fighting from afar. Now they were close enough for melee combat, and he didn't have to worry about the safety of his comrades.

My spells are almost useless against him anyway, might as well wait till the poison starts taking its effect.


"Hikari… It's you, right?" Hikaru's words echoed in the void.

She put down her weapon, to show that she meant no harm. Seeing her beloved pet now that she was all alone, gave her both a sense of ease and disturbance.

"Why are you here?" she asked worriedly.

With a growl, Hikari charged and jumped at Hikaru, biting her shoulder before quickly getting away.

Hikaru shrieked in pain before turning back towards her dog, "Hikari!"

Hikari just growled more, not even looking into her direction.

"What's wrong Hikari?"

A hateful aura flared around Hikari as it stared at her again menacingly, before jumping at her. With Hikari's lightning quick attack, all Hikaru could do was raise her right arm as her defense. She was pushed down on the ground, as Hikari flew past her.

When she got back up, Hikari's mouth was dripping with blood, and the armored bracer on her right arm had been bitten through. The angry look in Hikari's eyes both scared and baffled Hikaru, never had her dog acted like this.

"Hikari! It's me! It's Hikaru! Don't you hear me?" Hikaru yelled desperately, trying to make her dog remember her.

As Hikari stared at Hikaru once more, signaling its next attack, she was close to tears.

Back in the blue void, Umi was still trying to understand why her parents were here.

"Papa, momma, why? Why are you here? Or is this a dream?"

Instead of an answer, a ball of light appeared between her parents. This light shot out at her, causing her significant pain and pushing her back with an unrelenting force. Umi landed on her back, several meters away from her parents.

As Umi stood up, she was shivering in fear, "This pain… this isn't a dream."

In the green void, Fuu and her doppelganger were silently aiming their arrows at each other. If it weren't for the fact that they were both using their dominant arms, Fuu could have mistaken the person opposite of her to be a reflection.

This… is not a mirror. she mused calmly, closing her eyes for a moment.

But at soon as her double noticed a lapse in her judgement, they let loose the arrow.

As Fuu heard the twang of the bowstring, she instinctively ducked out of the way as fast as she could. However, the arrow still hit her arm, scraping past it, leaving a deep cut in her upper arm.

As she held her arm in pain, she looked back at the doppelganger, who still had her bow aimed at her.

Fuu smiled, trying to stay positive, "This is a series of disasters, just as Ms. Umi said."

As her twin started firing more arrows at her, Fuu jumped out of the way. She knocked back an arrow and aimed carefully, noticing that the other her did not move from where she was standing. She let loose an arrow, aiming for their shoulder, and scored a direct hit.

As her arrow pierced her enemy's pauldron, she felt a stinging pain in her shoulder. As she looked at her own pauldron, there was a hole in it.

"She was the one who was hit… Why?" she tried to understand the situation.

Another arrow was fired at her, this time scraping her cheek. As Fuu screamed in pain, she noticed a similar cut appearing on the cheek of her double. However, there was no scream of pain, or even a flinch from her.

If I get hurt, she also gets hurt. If she gets hurt, I also get hurt. That means…

"She is… me?" Fuu despaired, finally comprehending what was going on.


"Very well, what is it that you wish to talk about?" Alcyone asked Hotaru, keeping her guard up.

"Well for starters… actually, would you mind telling me how you aren't being tested by the Spring of Eterna?" Hotaru asked, as this fact had bothered him for great many years.

Alcyone smiled and chuckled lightly, "That is because I have already passed it."

She held out her scepter-like magic staff, which was all gold, aside from the large, round, purple gem at the top. The staff was simple, but it did have a certain elegance to it.

"This staff is made out of the Escudo that I earned by passing my test here a long time ago," Alcyone explained proudly, puffing out her chest. "The spring tried to make me fight against my beloved Zagato, but I knew he would never… hurt me. Unless I did something to deserve it."

It was almost painful to Hotaru how much Alcyone's expression changed during her moment of hesitation. He knew he could tell Alcyone everything that he knew about Zagato and his plans right here and now. How he was using her to further his own gains and letting Alcyone march into her doom by her own volition. But he also knew she would never believe him.

If I try to convince her of Zagato's true colors, she will most likely double down on defending him. The only way I can help Alcyone is to make her realize her misguided romance herself.

"I am impressed that you managed to get Escudo all by yourself," Hotaru said as genuinely as he could make his words sound. "I needed the help of three other people to get this far. But tell me, if you do manage to kill us all, what then?"

"Lord Zagato will reward me generously for removing the final threat to his plans," Alcyone explained, smiling widely at the thought of it. "Once you are all gone, Princess Emeraude's final wish will be denied. With her will broken and her hope extinguished, Zagato will be able to force her to pray on his behalf. And with him ruling Cephiro, I will be by his side as his queen!"

Alcyone laughed loudly, fully immersed in her daydream, her cheeks flushed and grinning widely.

So THAT'S what she thought was going on. Can't say I blame her for being megalomaniacal. To have the power to rule the world and the love of your life by your side. Were things different that could be a solid plan.

"Impressive, so has he promised to marry you if you defeat us?"

"He… Well…" Alcyone hesitated again. "It would only make sense! There is no one else around who would be as well suited to be his queen. Caldina is a money hungry bimbo and Presea is a goodie two shoes with a terrible taste in men."

"So... you have no actual guarantee of what your reward will be?" Hotaru pointed out. "For all you know he could just give you a chest full of gold coins and a thank you."

"O-Of course not!" Alcyone yelled out defensively. "Lord Zagato is perfectly aware of my feelings for him. He is a wise, smart, determined, resourceful, powerful, meticulous, and handsome man! His heart and will are only second to Princess Emeraude! If he acknowledges my worth as his partner, then surely he will make me his queen!"

"I can definitely understand what you see in him," Hotaru nodded, knowing agreeing with Alcyone's assessment would be easier than trying to deny it. "But do you really think that you can make him love you... by doing him favors?"

Alcyone was about to speak out, but she could not find the words. She wanted to challenge Hotaru's doubts, but was Zagato truly that easy? She felt like she would be betraying herself if she were to say that. Was she really just that desperate for Zagato's love?

"In my experience, if a person has no feelings towards you, then no amount of gifts, adoration, and deeds will change that," Hotaru shared of his past relationships. "You can't win somebody's affection, for love is not a competition or a game."

Alcyone clicked her tongue angrily and then looked at Hotaru furiously, "Enough about me, what about you? Why are you here, helping the Magic Knights? What reason do you have for fighting and opposing Lord Zagato's will? Don't you know not to get in the way of your betters!"

"You know, I often wonder that myself," Hotaru admitted truthfully. "I know that I don't have to help these girls. I could just go off on my own, find my own path in Cephiro, and enjoy the life I can have in this world."

"Then why continue fighting?" Alcyone repeated the question.

"I guess… I like fighting," Hotaru shrugged. "I've never needed a reason to fight, aside from something pissing me off. A wise man once told me that a man only needs three things to keep on fighting."

Hotaru was close to tearing up again, remembering the words he had heard from his late maternal grandfather.

"And those are?" Alcyone asked, feeling a hint of curiosity.

"A heart, a will, and a tomorrow," Hotaru answered, lifting a finger for each one. "As long as there is a tomorrow, I will continue fighting with all my heart and will. And frankly, I don't think even death can stop me at this point."

Alcyone stared at the young man perplexed. She couldn't tell if she was impressed or perturbed by his self-assuredness and stubbornness, or taken aback by his words and attitude. One thing was certain, however; she was talking to someone just as persistent as she was.

"Impressive, you really were able to say all that with a straight face," Alcyone chuckled, pointing her staff at Hotaru. "Let's see how you stand up to your words with all the poison running in your veins!"

Reminded about the poison, Hotaru was worried for a moment, but noticed he didn't really feel all that different. Maybe his makeshift umbrella axe had actually reduced the amount of the water monster's poison he had been exposed to, by a significant amount. Or, the more likely scenario...

"Well sorry to burst your bubble, but I am feeling fine," Hotaru admitted, smirking confidently. "Since I am significantly bigger than the girls, I think the dosage I got wasn't enough."

"You think I didn't account for that?" Alcyone chuckled. "I knew a man of your stature would require a larger quantity of poison, so I doubled the dosage."

"What—" Hotaru's eyes widened.

"The poison is just slow acting. I didn't want you failing your tasks of gathering Escudo before the effects kicked in. If killing you all won't win over Zagato's favor for me, then bringing in a large batch of Escudo will."

If she doubled the dosage because of me, then that would mean—

Before Hotaru could finish his thoughts, there was a blindingly bright white flash of energy behind him. As he got over the shock, he could see Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu behind him. Above them hovered three new large crystals that looked like a ruby, a sapphire, and an emerald.

While he was expecting to reunite with three victorious yet confused girls, the situation was much grimmer. The bruises and cuts to their bodies, as well as the holes in their clothes and armor, were gone, having been revealed to be nothing but illusions. However, the three girls were breathing heavily and weren't even able to stand up.

—the poison would affect them twice as badly!

"Hotaru… we did it," Hikaru panted, sweat dripping down her brow.

"I guess that rain wasn't…" Umi tried to speak, but started coughing hard, "as harmless… as I thought."

"Ah-hahhahhahhah!" Alcyone laughed at their pained expressions. "I am truly impressed! To pass the trial of Spring of Eterna in such a condition!"

"Princess Emeraude helped us," Fuu stared at her angrily, trying to draw back her bow, but she couldn't muster the strength.

Seeing Alcyone raising her staff and how dire the situation was getting; Hotaru's brain was going on overdrive.

Dammit! How did they deal with the poison in the show? Why is my brain failing me right at this moment?

"Ice Spear Attack!" Alcyone fired her spell.

"Tungsten Defense!" Hotaru jumped in front of her attack.

Dozens of sharp spears of ice shot out of the tip of Alcyone's staff and struck Hotaru's abdomen point blank. Despite the spears shattering against his body, their force was enough to push him backwards. As his incredibly dense body slid back against the floor of the cavern, it carved shallow tracks in the stone.

Dammit! I have no choice but to go all out on her!

Hotaru summoned his giant axe, ready to either disarm or knock Alcyone out, or worse. But before he could attack, his mind went blank for a moment, followed by a severe case of vertigo. Falling onto his knees and propping his upper body against his axe, Hotaru's vision grew blurry. Gritting his teeth, he stared at Alcyone who was laughing once more.

"I see the poison has finally taken effect over you as well!" Alcyone rejoiced before hovering off the ground once more. "Frozen Finale!"

Alcyone spread her arms wide and unfurled her cape, causing a freezing blizzard to erupt from her body. Ice cold wind and large clumps of snow blew across the cavern, causing everything around to start freezing. With the Magic Knights and their bodyguard already weak from poison, it didn't take long for their bodies to start dropping in temperature.

"So… cold…" Fuu shivered.

"Mom, dad, I'm sorry…" Umi whimpered.

"Fuu… Umi… don't give up," Hikaru pleaded.

"It's too late! I've already won!" Alcyone rejoiced, knowing it was only a matter of time until they were all ice sculptures. "Even your bodyguard's tough body cannot save him from… Huh?"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

All of them looked towards Hotaru who was laughing like a maniac and standing back up. All four of them knew that the young man was peculiar, but now it truly seemed like he had lost his mind.

"What, how are you still standing?" Alcyone asked, her magic not relenting on her enemies.

"I love a good winter," Hotaru spoke English in a state of delirium before getting serious. "I told you already. No matter how glum things are or how bad things look, I will keep fighting with all my heart and will, so that tomorrow is a better day!"

Hearing Hotaru's words, the girls could feel their will power returning, even at death's doors.

"I dream of a day that I can enjoy my stay in Cephiro to its fullest. But if this is how Cephiro will be under Zagato's rule, then that day will never come. So, I will continue fighting until my last breath to free this world!"

Although that last breath might be coming soon. But I won't give up! If I'm reborn again after this, I will come back for you, Alcyone!

"He is right," Fuu's voice sounded from behind Hotaru.

"This world needs us," Umi uttered, forcing herself to stand up.

"We'll never, ever, give up!" Hikaru grunted.

As the three girls stood alongside Hotaru, Alcyone almost felt moved by it all. But before she could comment on it, a bright white light blinded her.

The left-hand gloves of the four heroes started glowing brightly, as well as the four Escudo crystals still floating in the air.

"What!" Alcyone yelled in confusion.

The four Escudo crystals turned into streaks of light that darted at Hotaru and the Magic Knights.

"This is…"

"The Escudo…"

"…Is getting absorbed into the hand ornaments?"

Four pillars of light erupted from the ground, enveloping our heroes. Surrounded by the light, they could feel their strength returning and power flowing through them. Their armors began to glow and grow as a result, as it started covering more of their bodies.

Hikaru's, Umi's, and Fuu's cream colored chest plates started growing larger, covering more of their clavicle and abdomen. The fronts of the chest plates turned oval in shape and gained a golden pattern around the central gemstone. In addition, a second pauldron appeared on their right shoulder, after which both pauldrons grew slightly larger.

For Hotaru, his chest plate and pauldrons grew only slightly larger. However, an armored forearm bracer appeared on both of his arms, with round yellow-green gems on both of them.

"The armor Clef gave us changed!" Hikaru pointed out, amazed.

"It looks better than before!"

"This armor evolves too, I guess," Fuu smiled.

Hotaru stared at his hands amazed, his jaw agape, "I don't feel the effects of the poison anymore…"

Was THAT how they were healed? Since when did Escudo have healing properties! Both Alcyone and Hotaru thought at the same time.

Seeing that her plans had been foiled, Alcyone gripped her staff tightly, "You little… Icicle Onslaught!"

"Tungsten Defense!" Hotaru shouted, jumping in the way of the attack again.

Unlike before, Hotaru could barely even feel the impact of Alcyone's projectiles. It was as if someone was throwing glass bottles at a brick wall.

"Umi! Fuu!" Hikaru commanded.

"Right!" the girls yelled, before all of them casted spells that they had learned during their trials in the Spring of Eterna.

"Emerald Typhoon!"

First Fuu sent out two powerful gusts of wind that blew away Alcyone's continuing assault of ice spears.

"Saphire Whirlpool!"

Then Umi's spell trapped Alcyone in a massive vortex of swirling water, causing the sorceress to scream out.

"Ruby Lightning!"

Finally, Hikaru gathered a massive surge of crimson red lightning in her hands, and formed it into a ball. As she fired the ball of energy at Alcyone, Hotaru's eyes widened in horror.

"Wait, NO!" he yelled, but it was too late.

As the ball lightning struck the whirlpool, they could all hear a blood curdling scream from Alcyone that covered up Hotaru's objection. In a flash of red light, Alcyone's body disappeared, with only her purple forehead gem staying behind.

The gem fell to the ground, after which the three girls all took a sigh of relief, "We did it!"

Not long after, a golden pillar of light surrounded them, and took them back up to the surface. Once up, they could feel the rays of the sun warming them up, taking away the last chills remaining of Alcyone's spell. As their eyes got used to the bright light, they could see a familiar smiling face.

"Pupu!" Mokona jumped and danced in front of the Spring of Eterna.

"Mokona!" they all shouted.

Before any of them could ask how it had already gotten out of the spring, they noticed that they were still floating on top of the said spring. It took them a while to figure out how to get down from there. Once down, they all took a moment to take inventory of their current situation.

"We got the Escudo," Hikaru smiled at their success.

"Now we can make the weapons to become Magic Knights!" Umi cheered.

"We should hurry back. Ms. Presea is waiting for us in the Forest of Silence."

Right, that's going to happen soon…

Hotaru gave Mokona a side-eye, asking again, "You sure you got nothing to help us get around faster?"

"Pup-pup", Mokona shook its head.


Moments before being destroyed by the spell of the red Magic Knight, Alcyone had been teleported to safety. She was down on her hands and knees, it was dark, her entire body was bruised, and she felt scared. With the sound of rushing water all around her, Alcyone didn't have to look up from the black crystal floor to know where she was.

Despite her fear and injuries, she raised her head with great effort, "Lord Zagato…"

Without as much as a word, the man she admired most stood tall in front of her, with a dismissive look on his face. Despite her usually wearing revealing attire, Alcyone felt naked and vulnerable before him. Most of her armor was gone and she didn't have her weapon. She could feel a breeze against her forehead, telling that her main gem had been lost.

Much like the gems on the gloves of the Magic Knights, Alcyone's forehead gem had been her armor's epicenter. With it gone, her magical armor and Escudo scepter were lost to her.

"I beg your forgiveness!" Alcyone pleaded from her silent master. "I beg your forgiveness! To think that the Magic Knights were that resilient…"

There was no reaction from Zagato, he just continued watching past her, as if she didn't even exist.

Alcyone began to desperately crawl along the floor towards her beloved. She leaned up against him, supporting her injured body against his armored body.

"However, if I can be given one more chance…" Alcyone begged, desperate for a chance to make things right. "This time for sure, Lord Zagato!"

Having been completely ignored, Inouva gave an order, "Stand back, Alcyone."

"Pathetic," they heard the giggle of a child.

Ignoring the words of others, Alcyone looked into Zagato's eyes pleadingly, "Magic can't be used in the Forest of Silence. It's the same no matter who goes. So, allow me, the one who knows the most about the Magic Knights and their allies!"

"The Forest of Silence's seal has been broken," Inouva informed her belittlingly. "It is now like other forests where magic can be used."

"Then all the more reason to use me, a sorceress…" Alcyone pleaded.

Having gotten no reaction out of Zagato, she leaned her head against his chest. Maybe he was unwilling to risk her life anymore? Maybe this was his way of showing his affection to her?

Believing these delusions, she leaned her body closer, "Lord Zagato! My dear Lord Zagato!"

Zagato leaned his head next to her ear, and whispered a single word, "Begone."

Before she knew it, Alcyone could feel powerful currents of air around her arms, chest, waist, and thighs. These currents were pulling her back, away from Zagato, but she held on for dear life.

"NO!" Alcyone screamed, knowing what was to come next. "Save me, Lord Zagato! Save me!"

Eventually her grip gave up and she was pulled back with great force. She watched in horror as the man she loved was left behind.

"Lord Zagato!" she yelled one more time, before being dragged through the waterfalls.

With him now being able to hear himself think once more, Zagato muttered, "The Magic Knights… it seems we took them too lightly."

"So will the Magic Knights fight to save Cephiro like in the legends?" Inouva inquired.

"But still, she's pathetic," the child-like voice spoke out again. "To lose to kids like that."

One of the waterfalls opened up, revealing a young child with reddish brown hair that covered his eyes. He wore white robes with green cuffs, a large black hat, green pointy shoes, and a large golden necklace. All of these articles were decorated with several dark green gems. He was about three feet tall, and had a playful smile.

"Hey, Zagato, let me go. I wanna play with those girls," the boy asked.

Zagato smiled for the first time all day, "Very well, Ascot."

Ascot chuckled, "I'll be on my way."


After returning to the edge of the forest our heroes had been in the morning, it was already evening. As the sun was setting, they decided to stop for the night. Having tested the water for poison, they decided they could all take a bath at the nearby lake, now that the water monster had been dealt with.

As for whose turn it was to cook dinner, Umi had insisted on being the one. She had also insisted that the others would wait outside Mokona's shelter, as it would be a surprise.

As such, Hikaru, Fuu, and Hotaru sat outside around a picnic table in lawn chairs that had been conjured by Mokona. The little rabbit creature was inside at the moment, helping Umi with ingredients. The two girls also told Hotaru about how Princess Emeraude had shown up during their trials, and helped them pass them.

"With us having retrieved Escudo from the spring, you could say that our first quest is complete," Fuu smiled, sitting up straight in her chair.

"Yeah, but we still haven't gotten our weapons or awakened any Mashin," Hikaru pointed out, leaning against her elbows on the table.

"True, but even the mightiest adventure starts with the first quest," Fuu smiled. "Right Mr. Hotaru?"

Hotaru, who was currently leaning back in his chair with his feet on the table, didn't seem to respond. Instead, he was looking at something behind his legs. As Fuu looked over his legs, she could see him holding a round, flat, purple gem in his hands.

"Huh? Doesn't that belong to that middle-aged lady?" Fuu asked.

"She isn't that old, and her name is Alcyone," Hotaru said, sounding slightly annoyed. "And yeah, I picked it up back at the spring."

"Why did you do that?" Hikaru asked, tilting her head.

"Never heard of collecting trophies from your fallen enemies?" he responded, talking like a delinquent.

"My, I never took you for a loot hoarder, Mr. Hotaru," Fuu sighed, holding her cheek.

"Look who you talking to. If I wasn't already the tank of the party, I would probably be the thief with my hypothetical criminal record."

Fuu chuckled lightly, "I guess that makes me the white mage of the party."

"Then am I a red mage?" Hikaru asked, not familiar with video game terms.

"No, Umi is the red mage," Hotaru corrected her. "You're more like a berserker."

"What do you mean by that!" Hikaru asked confusedly.

As Fuu explained to Hikaru what a berserker is, Hotaru looked at the gem again, trying not to let his melancholic feelings show on his face. The gem was more of a memento than a trophy to him. It reminded him of his failure today. Despite having made good headway with reaching an understanding with Alcyone, he hadn't managed to save her.

I should have asked her to surrender before Hikaru nuked her. I know she survived it in the show, but so many things have already changed. Even if she survived there is no guarantee Zagato will spare her life. Since it will be a while until we will meet again, if we meet again, I will hold onto this so I won't forget about her again.

Hotaru snapped out of his thoughts as he heard the door of the shelter open up. With great difficulty, Umi was trying to get a catering trolley down the stairs in front of the door, which had probably been created by Mokona. She was wearing a blue bandana over her hair, a white apron, and was covered in white flour.

"Let me help with that!" Hikaru offered and went for Umi's aid.

"What in the world have you cooked?" Hotaru asked, seeing the amount of silver cloches on the trolley.

With the trolley down on the ground, Umi smiled and pushed it over, "My personal specialty! Ta-da!"

As she pulled away the cloches, she revealed to them four different kinds of pizzas and a cake. Hotaru almost fell back in his chair, somehow being both relieved and disappointed. Did such a mundane meal require such a grand presentation?

"Wow! These look good!" Hikaru admired Umi's handy work.

Umi smiled smugly with her hands on her hips, "I often cook these at home for my parents."

"Isn't this a bit too high in calories and low in nutrients?" Fuu asked, staring at the selection of junk food.

Umi pointed her finger at and pushed Fuu's nose back gently, "It is precisely because of an attitude like that why I wanted to be the one to cook! We just got Escudo! Let's celebrate!"

"Right!" Hikaru agreed.

"Is this meant to be pizza Margherita?" Hotaru asked, pointing at a pizza with tomato, basil, and cream cheese.

"You try explaining to Mokona what mozzarella is," Umi sighed, shaking her head. "I wanted to make spaghetti but Mokona doesn't know what pasta is either."

"Isn't pasta just wheat flour, water or egg?" Fuu asked.

"Now she tells me!"

After a hearty laugh, the four of them had a hearty meal to celebrate their first quest, and their return journey to the Forest of Silence.


Author's Afterword: Phew, first quarter of the first season finished. As the fans of the show can tell I took quite a bit of liberties with this chapter. Adding in some slice of life scenes between Hotaru and the Magic Knights, and ignoring the second half the trials from Magic Knight's point of view. But I think we all already know the twist and constantly switching scenes between the trials would have driven anyone reading this insane.

I also took the liberty of making Umi's second spell a bit more water based. Like all the spells it has had several translations, none of them literal since 青い 竜巻 stands for Blue Tornado and its too windy for Umi's water element. I guess they went with it since it uses the kanji for dragon, but I think whirlpool works better.

Like in the show, it will be a while until our heroes will see Alcyone again. But you know what they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. And hey, in the next chapter, we will finally find out what Hotaru's Escudo weapon will be!

As always, reviews are welcomed and appreciated. Thank you to merendinoemiliano for their review!