The clashing of swords echoed throughout a snowy battlefield. Zagato's forces were locked in a deadly conflict against the allies of the Magic Knights, over the fate of Cephiro. At the center of the battlefield, the leaders of the two factions were clashing in melee combat with their swords drawn out. Alcyone with her longsword and Hotaru with his giant blade. Both of them were wearing their finest suits of armor and using every move in their books.

Alcyone's attacks were swifter but getting around a sword with such long reach and wide girth proved difficult. It was like her opponent knew every move she was going to make before she made it and always knew her location. However, it wasn't like her opponent had any luck hitting her.

"You have always had a good defense, but like always you lack the means of following through!" Alcyone taunted her opponent before jumping back. "Chaos Hail!"

She fired several glowing chunks of ice at her opponent, who blocked them with his large sword.

"Does it matter if you can make no progress?" Hotaru taunted her. "Soon you will be all used up and left with nothing but a bitter soul. Call Lightning!"

A massive blue bolt of electricity struck down from the sky, which Alcyone barely managed to dodge. She charged right back in and swung her sword, locking blades with the bodyguard once again.

As the battle around them raged on the two of them gazed into each other's indigo eyes, neither side willing to back down. The snow around them was slowly getting dyed red.

"You could never understand all that I have sacrificed for this!" Alcyone yelled, pulling back and swinging her sword again. "All the blood shed! All the lives lost! All the defeats and punishments! All the hours of my life dedicated to Zagato's glory!"

As she ranted, she slammed her sword against her opponent's, pushing it back. Her opponent was hiding behind the sword, cowering behind it. But she did not let this stop her and she kept pushing, until finally, she managed to shatter the giant golden blade.

As the edge of the golden weapon was thrown aside, her eyes widened as she saw the face of her enemy. Long black hair, indigo eyes, tan skin, handsome facial features, and subtly cruel expression. Dressed in dark armor and black cloak, she could have recognized him anywhere.

"Oh, I know all about your sacrifices," Zagato smiled.

Alcyone snapped awake, returning from the turbulent battlefield into the dark solitary room with a pool of water instead of a floor. Within the four stone walls, the only source of light was the sphere of light she was trapped in. Her heart was still pounding and her mind screaming, yet she remained in a fetal position inside the sphere; due to lack of space.

Eventually she got up as much as she could, going through her daily routine. Despite being a prisoner, she refused to let herself go and made sure to keep as fit as she could. She stretched, combed her hair, did light isometric exercises, and used magic to take care of her hygiene.

Once she was done, she had gotten over the shock of her nightmare and was ready to dissect it. As she was trapped in solitary and with little space, thinking about her dreams had become her main source of entertainment. As of late they had been quite wild, but this latest one was in a class of its own.

Hotaru, you keep showing up in my dreams more and more. The very thought that you are out there while I am stuck in here… I just can't sit back and relax because of it! I want to fight, I want to act, I want to get something done!

Alcyone furrowed her brow, staring forward intently, "He keeps swapping places with Zagato. Is my heart starting to associate them both as one and the same?"

The more she thought about it the more the implications of this started weighing on Alcyone.

"Am I truly starting to despise Zagato for keeping me here? I should not be thinking this way," Alcyone muttered, leaning against her knees. "I am here due to my own foolishness. The reason I get them mixed up is because it has been so long since I last saw either of them."

Her heart skipped a beat as she spoke those words; she actually wanted to see them both. Just to see a glimpse of her dear Zagato or get to exchange some words with Hotaru. Anything would be better than this constant loneliness. Reaching into her cleavage, she pulled out a round, flat, purple gem and held it in her hand.

The gem held in it her most powerful weapon and armor, which she thought she had lost back at the Spring of Eterna. The bodyguard of the Magic Knights, Hotaru, had picked it up, and slipped it onto her person during their last encounter. Why had he done so? She could only speculate and wanted to know the answer. But would she truly want to risk escaping her prison, just for some answers and another shot at taking the Magic Knights down?

Before she could decide, she heard the heavy stone doors of her prison start opening up. She quickly hid the gem back underneath her skin-tight clothes, before calmly sitting down. The one to open the doors was Inouva, Zagato's second-hand man with white clothes, white hair, and pointy ears.

Though she recognized him as her superior, Alcyone did not care for Inouva. He was strict and looked down on everyone around him. But it wasn't like she had the luxury of being unhappy to see him, for he was the one carrying her breakfast.

"I see you have woken up on your own today," Inouva belittled her in a dry tone. "Another week and you have broken your record for being a model prisoner. Lord Zagato will be pleased."

Inouva waved his hand in the air a few times, causing an opening to appear in the sphere of light, one foot in diameter. After that he floated a silver tray through the hole, with a bowl, a spoon, a cup, and a teakettle on it. Alcyone grabbed the tray, after which the hole closed shut.

"Fish soup and lukewarm herbal tea. You truly spoil me," Alcyone snarked in an equally dry tone. "Some bread would've been appreciated."

"Keep up the good behavior and I might give you some sugar with your tea," Inouva said before turning around and walking away. "I will come and collect the dishes in half an hour."

As the stone doors closed, Alcyone started eating the soup in as dignified a manner as possible. Once she was done eating, she pulled out the purple gem again. She gazed at it for a moment, while remembering the motions of Inouva's hand. She had seen them many times now. With a bit of extra power, getting out of this bubble would be a cinch.

"Half an hour, huh?"


It was a sunny afternoon in the mountainous forest some miles away from the village of Prius. There was not a monster in sight and the birds were singing in the trees peacefully. All should've been peaceful, had it not been for two figures rushing through the woods.

One of them was a swarthy, athletic, and beautiful woman, wearing a black dancer's outfit and a red cape. She wore large red gems on her earrings, gloves, and shoes. Despite her extravagant apparel, she moved silently through the trees like a shadow. By hopping from one tree branch to another by kicking herself forward, she moved along the forest canopy with more grace than the birds. An unsuspecting onlooker would only see the blur of her pink hair when she passed them.

Behind her, a child standing atop a hovering rock was following her. His white robe, golden necklace and large hat, made him easy to spot despite all the green in his outfit. Despite being a powerful magic user using magic to fly through the canopy, he was lagging behind the woman.

"Wait!" Ascot yelled, not wanting to lose sight of Caldina.

Despite not paying attention to Ascot, Caldina came to a stop on a tree branch. She looked around the forest, scanning her surroundings for signs of her marks.

"Where the Hell did they go?" she muttered.

As Caldina was looking around, Ascot managed to catch up to her, "Caldina, are you really going to defeat them?"

She looked at her young friend confidently, "Of course. I'm gonna defeat the Magic Knights and let ya go back to the castle! It'll be alright so don't ya worry!"

Ascot was about to object, but couldn't say a word. Being allowed back into the castle would still be for the best for his friends, even though he didn't really want to go back. He needed to think about the wellbeing of his friends over his own.

After looking around a bit longer, Caldina spotted a small waterfall on the outskirts of the forest. It was surrounded by rocky ground that formed a natural basin, from which the river flowed forward. Next to it, she could spot her marks. Three young teenage girls wearing armor.

"There they are," Caldina smiled.

"But where is that Hotaru fellow?" Ascot asked.

Indeed, the young man was nowhere to be seen. Despite this, the three Magic Knights were taking their time washing their faces at the waterfall. While their guide Mokona was able to conjure many things, things beyond simple objects and food were limited to a set number of options. None of these options included a shower, a bath, or the sorts. As such they had to improvise in what came to cleansing themselves.

"This feels good!" Hikaru yelled joyfully, shaking her head to dry her face.

"This water really is clear," Umi admired while knelt over the river.

"I agree," Fuu nodded before standing up.

Once they were all done, Hikaru smiled energetically, "Umi-chan, Fuu-chan, let's take heart and go look for the second Mashin!"

Refreshed and rested, the three Magic Knights cheered together, "Yeah!"

"Oh? Where did Sir Mokona and Mr. Hotaru go?" Fuu looked around, noticing them missing.

"Hotaru said he needed a bathroom break!" Hikaru said bluntly, causing the other two to facepalm for her unladylike way of speaking.

"Well, where is Mokona then?" Umi wondered, looking around.

As they all tried to spot the little white bunny blob, Mokona came bouncing out from the bushes from behind a tree.

"Pupuu pup pup puu!" Mokona chirped happily, announcing its presence.

"My, speak of the devil… Sir Mokona!" Fuu greeted their guide.

Mokona waved towards the direction it had come from, "Pupupuu pupu puupuu!"

"Ms. Hikaru, something seems to be in that direction," Fuu pointed out, asking for the red-haired Magic Knight to translate.

"Probably the second Mashin," a male voice spoke out, surprising the girls.

The three of them watched as a six-foot-tall brunet young man wearing silver and gold armor stumbled out from the bushes. He was holding his hands in the air, not letting them touch the vegetation around them.

"Mr. Hotaru, did you relieve yourself in the river?" Fuu asked in a serious tone, fixing her glasses.

"No."

"Did you wash your hands in the river?" Umi interrogated him.

"Yes."

As the three girls nodded with their eyes closed in approval, Hotaru facepalmed from embarrassment, "You leave the toilet seat up one time…"

With all five of them together, they started following Mokona through the thick underbrush of the forest. Keeping track of a fast-moving white ball of jelly through dense bushes was about as hard as it sounded. Sometimes Mokona would use obstruction-free forest paths, but it was clear the little creature was going in a straight line.

"Mokona!" Hikaru yelled as she barreled through another bush. "Just how far do we need to go?"

Eventually Mokona stopped at a clearing and pointed to the sky, "Pupupuu, pu pu!"

As Hotaru and the Magic Knights caught their breath, they looked up. In front of them there was a tall and imposing mountain, and next to it, floating islands with large crystals on top of them. The largest one of them seemed to be hovering right next to the top of the mountain.

"That's the boulder from before!" Umi pointed out.

"When Zagato got in our way…" Hikaru reminisced.

"Sir Mokona, are you telling us to get there from here?"

"Puu, puu," Mokona nodded.

"Eeeeehhh!?" the Magic Knights shirked.

"How the Hell do you want us to get there?" Umi exclaimed in frustration.

"The flying ship has been broken too," Fuu sighed.

"I guess we are supposed to climb that mountain?" Hotaru suggested, pointing forwards.

The mountain was massive and seemed to consist of several tiers. There seemed to be a path spiraling most of the way up the mountain, but the top half was a very steep climb. Despite the long and arduous journey, it seemed like the top of the mountain was the closest possible piece of terrain next to the floating island.

"Wait a sec, Mokona!" Umi yelled and grabbed the smiling critter. "It can't be true, you want us to climb that cliff?"

"Pupuu pupuu!" Mokona chirped happily.

"Eh?" Umi's jaw dropped and the color drained from her face, before her legs gave out. "I'm gonna faint…"

"We were so happy to be able to wash our faces, but it seems we will be covered in dust again soon," Fuu lamented.

"Umi, Fuu!" Hikaru spoke out in an encouraging tone. "If we lounge around, one of Zagato's minions might catch up. Let's go, we're gonna revive the second Mashin!"

"…You need to work on your pep talks, Hikaru," Hotaru patted her on her pauldron.

"I guess there's no easy road in Cephiro," Umi sighed while holding Mokona, who chirped encouragingly.

As our heroes started walking up the slope of the mountain, Hotaru was looking around cautiously. Now that Caldina was after them, that meant they would soon be harassed by her illusions. He remembered this mountain from the Magic Knight Rayearth anime, and how the girls never reached the top. He did not remember the exact details, but it was due to Caldina's illusions.

As he looked down into the forest, he could spot a dot of red between the trees, approaching the mountain. Despite not having seen Caldina yet after coming to Cephiro himself, he recognized this as her cape.

So Caldina, let's see how you fare up against someone who already knows all your tricks. I know this might make you even more infatuated with me, but that is a risk I am willing to take to get to the Wind Shrine faster.


At the edge of the forest at the bottom of the mountain, Caldina and Ascot reached the top branch of the tallest tree around. From their vantage point, they watched as their four targets were now all together, climbing up the mountain.

"It seems like their goal is that boulder floatin' up in the sky. Hotaru seems more cautious than the rest," Caldina thought out loud, before smiling wickedly. "Ascot, I'll make sure I get their heads. Stay put and relax, alright?"

Immediately after saying this, Caldina jumped down from the tree, her red cape fluttering behind her.

"Caldina!" Ascot yelled after her.

With almost super naturally fast running speed, Caldina ran over to the mountain and then jumped directly up its rocky side. With precise leaps she scaled the rocky cliffs, making her way up faster than any non-flying monster could hope to.

Not wanting to disobey Caldina, Ascot watched from afar, letting her do her thing. However, he could not help but to worry for her safety. Ever since he and Alcyone told Caldina about Hotaru, she seemed to have become obsessed with him. Ascot knew how dangerous of an opponent he was, but the Magic Knights were also just as bad. Though she did not seem to pay attention to his warnings about them.

I know she sees me as just a little kid but I wish she wouldn't treat me so as well.


After walking up the mountain for half an hour, the path upwards came to a stop. In order to get up, our heroes had to start scaling up the cliffs and protrusions of the mountain. Fuu and Umi were pushing themselves to their limits to get up the rocky walls. In comparison, Hikaru was almost playing leapfrog with the different cliffs, pulling herself up them adeptly like a gymnast. Hotaru was waiting at the bottom of the cliffs, in case any of them were to fall. Mokona was hopping alongside Hikaru, bouncing up the cliffs with ease. Eventually they made it to the last platform before the mountain started getting steeper.

"And there," Hikaru gasped, resting a bit before turning around towards the others. "Umi! Fuu! Hurry! Hurry!"

"Pii poo puu!" Mokona chirped singsong.

"Why is Hikaru always so energetic?" Umi groaned tiredly.

"I wish I was born a fiery girl like her!" Fuu whimpered.

Seeing the two girls struggle, Hotaru shook his head and yelled, "Steel Strength!"

After activating his strength buffing magic, Hotaru jumped from one cliff to another with ease. On his way, he grabbed Umi mid jump and took her to the cliff Hikaru was on. After this he came back down and fetched Fuu as well, before returning to the top once more.

"Show off," Umi commented, while panting tiredly. "Thank you."

"It's gonna get a lot harder from here," Hotaru frowned, looking up at the 80-degree angle they would be climbing the rest of the way.

"Everyone, look! Come over here! Come over!" Hikaru beckoned them over like a kid at a fairground.

Everyone walked over to the edge of the cliff, at which point Umi asked, "What's wrong, Hikaru?"

"There! Look!" she pointed at the horizon.

"My!" Fuu gasped.

As they looked down from the mountain, only now could they realize how high they were. They could see for miles on end across the vast lands of Cephiro. Forests and grasslands painted the ground below them lush and green, with a few lakes adding a splash of blue and reflecting the rays of the sun. Hundreds of hills and dozens of tall mountains dotted the landscape, adding to the serene beauty of it all.

"I've seen this scenery before, but Cephiro really is a beautiful place," Umi admitted, feeling better for having climbed all this way.

"When I move in permanently, I need to get myself a house with a hill-top view," Hotaru nodded with his arms crossed.

"I am sure it will be even lovelier when Princess Emeraude is free," Fuu smiled, holding her hands against her chest.

"Remember, you are the only ones who can save Princess Emeraude and this world of Cephiro," Hotaru mimicked Clef.

"Puu puu!" Mokona nodded, while being carried by Hikaru.

Hikaru stared at the view with wide eyes, "I wonder what Cephiro was like in the past…"

As they admired the view, they didn't notice as pink mist rolled over the cliff. It was only when they smelled a gentle sweet aroma in the air that they were placed on guard.

"What's this scent?" Hikaru asked.

"It smells nice~!" Umi smiled and inhaled deep.

"I wonder if it is a flower…" Fuu suggested.

As Hotaru smelt it, he immediately remembered what was going on.

This has Caldina written all over it. This smell must be some kind of poison or a psychedelic drug.

Soon, they all felt a slight dizziness. They stroked their aching heads, wondering what was going on. Even Mokona seemed confused and flustered and was looking around with an odd expression. After about a minute had passed, the rocky cliff underneath them started feeling and looking like an ocean made of rubber.

"What is going on?" Fuu yelled as Umi and Hikaru started panicking. "The ground suddenly…"

She was interrupted by a loud sound of stone splitting above them. As they looked up, several massive boulders were falling on top of them from the top of the mountain. The Magic Knights started screaming loudly, but Hotaru remained calm.

"Tungsten Defense!"

After swapping to his defensive spell, he quickly pushed the Magic Knights against the mountain side. He then braced himself on top of them, creating a barrier between the girls at the boulders.

I REALLY hope those boulders are just illusions!

Hotaru closed his eyes and prepared for the impact, but nothing happened. As he opened them, he could see the three girls cowering beneath him, looking at him amazed.

"Are you okay?" Hotaru asked them.

"Yeah, what happened?" Hikaru asked, seeming out of it.

"The boulders just disappeared when they hit Hotaru," Fuu blinked, confused.

"And what was that what happened to the ground?" Umi wondered.

Hotaru got back up and sighed in relief, "I think we might've been hallucinating. Altitude sickness, probably."

"Or maybe one of Zagato's minions attacked us," Hikaru thought about it carefully.

"We should keep heading upwards, otherwise they might catch up to us," Umi suggested.

Hotaru nodded and activated Steel Strength once more. With his increased strength, he was able to scale the side of the steep cliff face relatively easily. Despite the struggle of getting both him and helping the Magic Knights up, he couldn't help but feel proud of himself.

Sorry Caldina, but today your illusions are no match for me. Technically I am cheating, but I doubt you of all people would call me out on it.

As they had reached the halfway point of the mountain, Hotaru looked behind him at the view of Cephiro. From all the way up here, he could see the ocean they had crossed atop Mokona's flying saucer. While in the show Cephiro had felt somewhat small compared to Earth, it was now that he had a good look at it that he realized its true vastness. Although, it was about to get a lot smaller.

"This is a really long journey," Fuu muttered, while climbing behind Hotaru.

"It is an even longer way down," Umi pointed out.

"Everyone, try to hold up!" Hikaru encouraged them.

As Hotaru and the Magic Knights kept climbing, Hotaru noticed something on top of the mountain. A dark figure that seemed to undulate in the wind like a shadow made of silk. He had to squint his eyes for a moment, quickly going wide-eyed as he realized what he was seeing.

"Icicle Onslaught!" a familiar voice shouted from the mountain top.

"Shit! Alcyone!" Hotaru swore, before bracing for impact. "Tungsten Defense!"

He closed his eyes and held onto the mountain side as hard as he could. While the icicles couldn't hurt him now, his grip on the mountain was compromised. While the added extra weight of Tungsten Defense did not bother him normally, that was when he was on solid ground. Now, he was supporting his increased weight mainly on his fingertips.

Concerned for those below him, Hotaru yelled, "Is everyone okay?"

"Umu!"

"Yes!"

"Keep going Hotaru!"

This was easier said than done. Holding onto the mountain with Tungsten Defense was already difficult, making scaling it impossible. However, Hotaru was already familiar with Alcyone's spells and knew that while her ice attacks lasted a long time, they couldn't go on forever. After a 30 second onslaught of sharp spears of ice, Hotaru knew he had to act quickly.

"Steel Strength!"

Throwing all caution into the wind, he began climbing like a maniac. Using his increased grip- and upper body strength, he essentially swam up the mountainside as he pulled himself upwards. Despite his efforts, he could see Alcyone firing down another barrage of icicles.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" he swore as he had no time to swap spells.

Instead, he flung his body sideways, completely letting go of the cliff. As he was about to enter free fall, he barely managed to grab a slightly larger outcropping on the side of the mountain. Having dodged the spears of ice, he pulled himself up with one arm against the outcropping. He pulled as hard as he could, launching himself up several meters. Hotaru then kicked the armored tip of his boot into the rockface, using it as a makeshift piton.

"I love how tenacious you are, but this is a dirty trick even for you!" Hotaru yelled at Alcyone.

"Weren't you the one to tell me to think my plans through?" Alcyone yelled from the top of the mountain. "Or are you regretting giving me my gem back?"

"You did WHAT, Hotaru?" Hikaru yelled from below him.

Before Hotaru could apologize and explain, he saw Alcyone prepare another rain of icicles. This time he was able to swap to Tungsten Defense early and hold his shield as protection. Dozens of icicles crashed against his shield, almost pushing him off the mountain. However, by using the V-shaped tip of his spear, he was able to hook its backwards facing spikes into the mountainside.

As he held onto his dear life, Hotaru could hear Fuu shouting at him, "Did you give Alcyone her staff back again? Hotaru, how could you!"

"It wasn't supposed to go this way!" Hotaru yelled back in desperation. "It was supposed to be a test of trust and a sign of… of… good faith!"

"How could you trust her or have any faith in her after everything she did!" Umi shouted at him. "We're going to die because of you!"

"No…" Hotaru gasped.

His mind quickly flashed through all the mistakes he had made. In his mission to try and protect Alcyone by the request of Princess Emeraude, he had compromised the safety of the Magic Knights. Without the Magic Knights, Zagato would win, and Cephiro would be doomed. And with Cephiro gone, so would Alcyone and his plans for…

"…NO!" he snapped and gritted his teeth, looking around for a path forward. "No one is going to die today!"

When the barrage of icicles came to a stop, Hotaru swapped spells and started climbing and jumping from side to side like a rabid monkey, relying both on instinct and forward thinking. To silence any feelings of doubt or fear of falling, he roared at the top of his lungs, all the way to the top.

"RAAAAAHHH!" Hotaru shouted, before launching himself atop the mountain top.

He landed in the center of the flat top, behind Alcyone who was standing at the edge. She was wearing the maroon magical suit of armor with wide pointy pauldrons, that she had worn on their first encounter. She also wore the fancier, more expensive looking multi-tiered white cape, and held her scepter-like staff. The gem on her forehead told him that she was back to her full power.

"Tungsten Defense!" Hotaru swapped spells again, before summoning his spear and shield.

"Still hiding behind that shield of yours?" Alcyone snarked with her hand on her hip and her staff pointed at Hotaru. "You think you can hide from your shame like that?"

"It's not hiding, it is called being merciful!" Hotaru shouted, staring down at the beautiful villainess. "Because unlike you, I can afford to show mercy."

"Are you sure about that?" Alcyone asked confidently. "Because sooner or later, you will have to pay for that mercy."

Before Hotaru could retort, he saw the Magic Knights climbing up to the top of the mountain as well. Seeing his allies were here, Hotaru was certain Alcyone would run away now that she was outnumbered. Once the girls were atop the mountain, they summoned their swords, and pointed them at him.

"Huh?" Hotaru took a step back.

"How dare you betray our trust, Hotaru!" Hikaru shouted, looking at him angrily.

"You put all our lives in danger because of your crush!?" Umi yelled, seething with anger.

"I-It's not because of that!" Hotaru yelled defensively, lowering his shield. "It's just that… look, it's complicated, I need to protect her!"

"Then were you working for the enemy this entire time?" Fuu asked accusingly, the glint of her glasses obscuring her eyes.

"No! I just…"

Hotaru was lost for words. He did not know how to defend himself without revealing about his past, and at this point would anyone even believe him? The Magic Knights were so angry at him that they didn't even pay heed to Alcyone. Of all the things he had planned out, of all the things he was prepared for, he never imagined a day like this would come.

What can I do to regain their trust? Should I just shove Alcyone down off the mountain? It's not like her survival is crucial to the future events. It's not like she needs to live, unlike the Magic Knights. I was just trying to protect her because I was asked to, and because I felt sorry for her…

"Flame Arrow!"

"Water Dragon!"

"Emerald Typhoon!"

"Ice Spear Attack!"

The sudden four-way salvo of elemental attacks crashed into Hotaru at full force. Had it not been for Tungsten Defense, he would have been shredded to pieces, incinerated, and blown off the mountaintop. Hiding behind his shield, Hotaru did his best to push against the attacks, while trying to find a solution. But as much as Hotaru tried to rationalize his actions and what was needed of him, he could not find the will.

Sorry everyone, but I can't just kill her. Even if it was to protect all of you, I can't do it. It would be easier for me to throw myself off the cliff. After all, she is my… my… Wait a second?

As the spells kept raining down on him, Hotaru pushed them away with a backhand motion of his shield. He looked at the three girls and Alcyone with a stern look in his eyes, his mood quickly souring. He stared at them all one at a time, going through their features. They all looked just like he remembered them, with not a single detail being off. But the way they behaved was all wrong.

There's no way Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu would attack me in such cold blood. As for Alcyone…

"Hay, Alcyone!" Hotaru yelled out.

"Hmmm? What is it Mr. Bodyguard?" She asked in a condescending tone.

"You once told me you came from a noble family. What was its name?" Hotaru asked, narrowing his eyes.

Alcyone did not answer, and instead stood before him silently, before firing off another Icicle Onslaught at him. The Magic Knights followed suit, casting Ruby Lightning, Sapphire Whirlpool, and Emerald Typhoon. As the attacks flew towards him, Hotaru calmly closed his eyes. The sound of the magical attacks disappeared, and even with his defensive magic on, he did not feel a thing.

God dammit Caldina, you managed to pull the wool over my eyes after all. But how did you know about the gem I gave back to Alcyone? Unless of course… her illusions can only work off of the information available to me. She controls the course of events and characters that appear, but the details and dialogue are based on the victim to reduce effort on her behalf.

As he opened his eyes again, Hotaru saw that the illusions were still there, as well as their spells. He felt the aftershock of Hikaru's Ruby Lightning coursing through his body, causing him to flinch. He quickly closed his eyes again, at which point the pain went away.

If I can't see it, it can't hurt me, but how do I break away from this illusion?!


After the rockslide, the Magic Knights had tumbled down the mountain, hitting every ledge on their way down. Eventually they had fallen off completely, but their fall had been cushioned (though not by lot) by tree branches and bushes. Although they were alive and hadn't broken anything, they had still taken damage from the fall, with Fuu slightly bleeding from her head. Only Hotaru seemed unharmed by the fall, which had annoyed Umi.

They hadn't had time to patch their wounds, before the ground beneath them had turned into a sea of rubber once more. It was at this point they realized that the ground and the boulders had been illusions, as none of the boulders from the rockslide were at the foot of the mountain. Even as a massive nearby tree had fallen on top of Hikaru, she had been unharmed by it.

To escape the wavy ground, the Magic Knights and Hotaru hurried into a nearby cave. As they stumbled in, they didn't notice their exotic pink-haired foe landing behind them. With her hand on her hip, Caldina chuckled at the silly movements of the three girls.

"They ran into the cave. Just what I wanted," Caldina smiled while waving her feathered fan. "My illusion incense sure works well!"

As she applied another dose of the incense, she laughed victoriously, before smirking, "Magic Knights, the true horror begins now. Let's see how you fare without your precious bodyguard."

Once the Magic Knights had gotten inside the cave, the feeling of the entire world undulating finally stopped. They kneeled on the cave floor, panting tiredly, their heads still spinning.

"I feel sick…" Fuu whined, before turning towards the others. "Walking on that spongy surface has made me feel like I am carsick."

"Someone is getting in our way, so that we won't reach the second Mashin!" Hikaru deduced angrily.

"Can it be one of Zagato's minions?" Umi asked, unnerved by the thought.

"Now what gave you that idea?" Hotaru asked sarcastically.

"We should not be caught off guard, even now," Fuu said determinedly.

As they finally got off the ground, they peered into the dark depths of the cave, which seemed to go on forever. As their enemy was unpredictable, they were prepared to face anything to come out of the ominous depths.

But as they waited with halted breaths, they heard a familiar voice, "Welcome, legendary Magic Knights!"

The girls gasped, unable to believe their ears.

"Can you hear me? It is me!"

"T-That voice!" Hikaru yelled

"Could it be?" Hotaru wondered.

A bright purple glow could be seen in the depths of the cave, which reminded Hikaru of an old friend. She didn't think twice before rushing towards it, with Hotaru following after her.

"Hotaru, Hikaru, wait!" Umi yelled, running after them with Fuu.

Though the voice had sounded near when they first started moving, the journey was much longer than expected. The purple light ahead of them did not seem to be getting any closer either. Eventually they stopped running and instead walked cautiously, their footsteps echoing from the walls of the cave. On a few occasions they stepped on puddles of water on the cave floor, creating audible splashes.

Eventually the purple light ahead started growing larger, as it lit up a cave entrance within the cave. Once close enough, a bright white light surprised them all, causing them to cover their eyes that had gotten used to the dark. Once the light faded, they found themselves standing inside an ancient looking room.

The room was entirely purple in color, its walls made out of cut stone blocks, and its floor one sheet of polished purple stone. The walls were decorated with intricately carved stone frames that were held up by carved pillars. Behind them stood a pair of purple stone doors with ornate carvings going around their edges.

As the Magic Knights looked around, they heard the friendly yet frustrated voice once more, "I have been waiting."

"You're…!"

"Master Mage Clef…"

"Mr. Clef…"

"Yo."

A robed figure looking like a young man stood before them. He had light purple hair, light blue eyes, and pale skin. His attire consisted of long, elaborate white robes, a diadem studded with aquamarine gems and a large blue horn at the center, and gold earrings. He carried a staff almost twice his height, the top of which was carved into a strange animal and embedded with two large gemstones. This was the familiar appearance of the great sage who had taught them all the basics of Magic.

"Why are you here?" Umi panted while rushing over to Clef with her friends. "I thought you were turned to stone by Zagato…"

Clef lowered his gaze a bit and smiled confidently, "I do not lose to the likes of Zagato. More importantly, Princess Emeraude wishes to see you all."

"What was that?" Umi gasped.

"Princess Emeraude?" Fuu raised an eyebrow skeptically.

The girls looked at each other, before Hikaru asked, "But Princess Emeraude was imprisoned by Zagato…"

"I have rescued her," Clef proudly declared.

"Mr. Clef did?"

"That certainly saves us the trouble," Hotaru nodded.

"I am not lying. As proof, Princess Emeraude wants to meet you and directly ask you to save Cephiro," Clef spoke softly before turning around and walking away from them.

Feeling a great weight being lifted off their shoulders, Hikaru and Umi gasped in delight.

"Thank goodness! Princess Emeraude is alright!" Umi smiled, to which Hikaru nodded happily.

However, something was weighing on the back of Fuu's mind, "This seems a little strange…"

"Strange?"

"It is too simple," Fuu pointed out.

"But that really was Clef," Hotaru said with a bright smile. "You saw him too, Fuu. There really is no mistaking him."

The conversation was interrupted as a bright light shone from Clef's staff's blue gem. It fired off a cone of light that lit up the entire purple room bright blue, almost blinding the girls once more. Once the light faded, it revealed a round coarse tunnel at the back of the room.

Clef turned around and stood at attention before them, "Princess Emeraude awaits within."

"Mr. Clef, may I ask you something?" Fuu asked.

"What is it that you wish to know?" the short mage asked, seeming a bit frustrated.

"You told us on our first day that only we could save Cephiro and Princess Emeraude. But now you succeeded in it on your own. Why is that?"

"Oh, come on Fuu, you don't need to haze him like that," Hotaru laughed it off. "We all make mistakes."

Fuu turned towards Hotaru, staring at him intently, "But you were the one who said it yourself."

Noticing that something was up, Umi thought for a moment before talking to Clef, "Oh by the way Clef, we managed to defeat that old hag that said she was your student."

"You mean Alcyone?" Clef asked, before smiling. "Yes, that is quite impressive of the four of you."

Despite Clef's compliments, all three Magic Knights were staring intently at Hotaru. The tall young man stared at them all with his lime-green eyes, unblinking, seeming slightly confused.

"…What?" the older teenager tilted his head.

"Mr. Hotaru, what was the name of the district the orphanage that you lived in was located at?" Fuu asked, holding her hands close together.

Instead of answering, Hotaru summoned his giant sword from his armor and swung it down on Fuu without warning. Fuu, who was already on guard, jumped further back and summoned her sword. Hikaru and Umi followed suit, however they were caught by surprise as Clef fired a beam of magical energy towards them. The explosion kicked up dust into the air, forcing them to cover their eyes.

"N-No way! Why are Clef and Hotaru attacking us?" Hikaru yelled, feeling betrayed.

"Ms. Umi, Ms. Hikaru, It was all a trap!" Fuu yelled, slashing her sword at Hotaru. "These aren't Mr. Hotaru and Mr. Clef; they are illusions just like everything else!"

Realizing that their enemy had played them for a fool using their friends, and that the real Hotaru was missing, Hikaru's anger flared.

"Damn it!" She swore and charged at the illusionary Hotaru, bringing her sword down.

But as she was about to slice her target down, they disappeared. The illusion then reappeared behind her, looking larger and more monstrous. It still resembled Hotaru, but had red glowing eyes, a bestial posture, and green reptilian skin. This time it was wielding a spear and a shield, and was about to skewer Hikaru.

"Look out, Hikaru!" Umi yelled, charging at the monster.

The monster disappeared at the last moment, causing Umi to almost skewer Hikaru with her rapier. The two of them were then blinded by a bright light, as a monstrous version of clef, looking like a fat hairy troll, fired a spell their way.

"Wind of Protection!" Fuu yelled, creating a force field between her friends and the blast of energy.

"Fuu, you were right!" Hikaru yelled, as she and Umi stood back-to-back.

Fuu had no time to celebrate being correct, as she was trying to cut down the versions of Hotaru and Clef. But each time her sword connected; the illusions just dissipated.

"Maybe we're just wasting our time? They probably can't hurt us either," Umi suggested, until she was tackled into a wall by Hotaru's shield.

This was followed by Clef firing another bolt of lightning at Fuu that sent the glasses wearing Magic Knight flying. Hikaru tried to help her, but was almost speared by Hotaru. Due to her quick reflexes, the tip of the spear only managed to cut her arm. Seeing this bastardization of Hotaru hurting her and her friends, as well as making her worry for the real Hotaru's safety, her temper flared.

"Ruby Lightning!" Hikaru yelled, gathering a ball of red electricity in her hands.

As she fired off the attack at the illusion, it flew right through it, and struck the ceiling some ways behind. Annoyed that even magic was ineffective against these monsters, she was about to suggest others to close their eyes. This had worked against the boulders and the tree earlier, but just as she was about to say it, she heard something.

"Wait… do you guys hear that?"

"It sounds like rushing water," Fuu said, getting up from the floor.

"Probably just another illu—SION!" Umi screamed before seeing a large wave of water.

A sudden deluge of water engulfed the girls and the illusions, causing the latter to dissipate. As for the former, the Magic Knights were swept up by the sudden current and pushed deeper into the cave.

"What is going on!" Umi yelled, trying to stay above the surface.

"I think Ms. Hikaru's attack," Fuu tried explaining, while coughing up water, "might have hit a pocket of water inside the mountain!"

"Sorry!"

Instead of flushing the Magic Knights back down to the cave entrance at the foot of the mountain, it instead shot them upwards. It didn't take long for them to see daylight at the end of the tunnel, before they were blasted out of the mouth of the cave. To their horror, their wild ride was not over, as the other end of the cave led to a free fall down the mountain.

"AAAAAAAH!" they screamed, bracing for a rough landing.


Back on top of the mountain, the real Hotaru was still getting pelted by magical attacks from the four illusionary females. Because of Tungsten Defense, he was not in immediate danger and by keeping his eyes closed, he was safe. But despite these facts, he was growing increasingly frustrated. He needed to get back to the Magic Knights in order to help them, but he could not do so while the illusions kept pestering him.

He had already tried every single obvious method for snapping out of the illusions. Slapping himself, using will power, inner peace, attacking directly, trying to picture the illusions as friendly or naked; nothing worked. Eventually however, he could feel his head getting lighter and clearer, as the effects of Caldina's incense waned. Soon after, the illusionary Magic Knights and Alcyone faded, finally letting him rest.

"Damn you Caldina…" he sighed, speaking in English. "Splitting us up like that was quite clever. Now where are you?"

As Hotaru looked around the mountain top, he could not spot the pink-haired illusionist anywhere. He had thought Caldina had separated him from the others so she could deal with him solo. However, it seemed she was focusing on the Magic Knights after all.

"Ugh, gonna be such a waste to go back down now that I am so close to…" Hotaru kvetched, until he turned in the direction of the floating island with crystals on top of it. "Huh?"

Despite the impressive view from up top that even let Hotaru see the curve of the planet, he was unable to enjoy it. The floating island they had tried to reach, looked just as small from the top as it looked from the bottom. It was so far away he could not even gauge the distance.

"Steel Strength…"

After swapping spells, Hotaru picked up a rock the size of his fist off the ground. He threw it as hard as he could towards the island, in an almost perfect 30-degree upwards angle. The stone soared through the sky for a good thirty seconds, before disappearing from Hotaru's sight.

This is nowhere near the Wind Shrine, Mokona! What the Hell were you thinking asking us to climb this… wait. Doesn't that thing usually lead us through roads and paths instead of bushes and trees? Could its navigational abilities still be in the fritz and it's trying to lead us in the straightest line possible? Zagato must be insanely powerful to be able to affect Mokona this badly.

"I guess the only option is to get back down," Hotaru sighed, before walking over to the ledge.

As he looked down the mountainside he had climbed up, he was overtaken by a sinking feeling, aside from the vertigo. Though he had managed to climb up without much of a problem, how was he going to get down?

I can't just climb backwards; I would not see where to place my hands and feet! I am on a tight schedule, but I don't feel like risking a terminal velocity freefall with Tungsten Defense. Caldina is probably already attacking the others and… oh, this was her plan all along…

A moment of silence passed through the mountainous regions. Not a single bird sang or flapped its wings, nor did wind howl or rustle the leaves. And yet, a single echo could be heard all the way back at the village of Prius.

"FFFFUUUCK YOU CALDINAAAAA!"


Back down at the foot of the mountain, the three Magic Knights were all lying unconscious on the ground. They had been knocked out by their fall and their swords had fallen onto the ground next to them. Their clothes were wet from the sudden self-caused flood, and the ground around them slightly muddy.

This sight offered little to no joy to Caldina, who was shivering atop a cliff overlooking the resting place of the Magic Knights. She had also been caught up in the sudden deluge caused by Hikaru, although way further back. Her cape and clothes were now completely soaked and her hair and makeup were a mess.

"I give ya girls top marks for effort, but my plan still worked!" Caldina yelled raggedly, before striking her sexiest pose, "Nobody targeted by this ultra-pretty, nice-bodied Caldina has ever survived!"

Down in the forest, Mokona, who had been thrown off in the initial fall, finally woke up. It rubbed its sore head, before seeing a pink-haired lady standing atop a cliff. Mokona then looked down in front of it, spotting the Magic Knights right underneath the cliff.

"Pu-PUUUU!" it yelled, realizing what was about to happen.

Not having noticed the little white blob, Caldina smiled vengefully, "And now the finishing touches. The next boulder will be real!"

Despite her uncomfortable state, Caldina managed to pull off a pair of perfect backflips, for picking up speed. She then bounced herself off the side of the mountain into a forward flip, before landing on the ledge on her tippy toes. This precise kick cut the stone cliff in half, causing the tip of the cliff to fall down.

As the large boulder fell and started tumbling down the side of the cliff, Mokona rushed over to the Magic Knights. It began to bounce on top of Umi while chirping loudly, hoping to wake her up. It did not take too long to wake up the group's lightest sleeper.

"Ow…" Umi rubbed her head while leaning against her right side. "What's wrong Mokona?"

"Pupu pu pupupuu!" Mokona chirped while bouncing and pointing forward.

As Umi looked up, she could see a massive boulder tumbling towards her and her friends. She quickly grabbed her escudo rapier off the ground, and charged towards it. With a powerful cry and a graceful leap, she stabbed her rapier into the boulder ten times her size at full power. The force of the blow broke the boulder into pieces, causing the pieces to get flung back upwards.

"Nani!?" Caldina gasped, her eyes widening.

The remains of the boulder were flying directly at her with high speed. She tried covering her face with her feathered fan, but one of the larger pieces struck her directly into her abdomen. Caldina let out a blood curdling scream, as she was knocked down off the mountain, into the trees below.

Ascot, who had followed the battle from afar for a while now, gasped in shock as he saw Caldina fall through the canopy.

"Caldina!" he yelled before flying over to where she laid on the ground, "Caldina, are you alright?"

To Ascot's relief, Caldina responded to his words, although it was clear she was hurt. She turned towards the little boy, her body still aching from having the wind knocked out of her.

"Get them…" she grunted.

"Eh?"

"Don't fret about me! Get the Magic Knights," she commanded.

"But…"

"You'll make it if you go now. Go finish them off!"

Seeing how serious Caldina was, Ascot was only able to nod, "Right."

Back on the other side of the mountain, Umi was doing her best tending to her friends.

"Hikaru, Fuu, get it together!" she yelled, trying to wake them up.

"Pupuu, puu!" Mokona cried out.

Before Umi could continue, she heard a whooshing sound behind her. As she turned around, she saw a short young boy standing atop a floating rock. Despite his amusing get up, his expression was very serious and angry.

"You…" Umi stood up, feeling like she recognized him.

As she stood defensively in front of her friends, the young boy roared at her, "How dare you hurt Caldina!"

The young summoner extended his arms forward, the green gems in his gloves glowing brightly. A large golden hexagram magic circle appeared before him which darkened its surroundings.

"Beast Summon!"

A long, blue, demonic eel looking monster sprouted out of the magic circle and slithered towards Umi at a fast pace. As it bared its fangs and claws at her, the blue Magic Knight did not falter and gathered water currents into her hands.

"Sapphire Whirlpool!"

The whirling vortex of water swallowed up the eel-like monster, crushing it and washing away its black blood.

Ascot gasped in horror, before shaking with fury, "My friend! Damn it! Beast Summon!"

Another magic circle appeared, this time spawning three monsters at once. One of them looked like a gray werewolf with rabbit-like ears, purple compound eyes, and a fanged mouth. The second one resembled a man wearing a full body suit made out of beetle chitin, with spiked elbows, antennae, and slanted green eyes. The third one looked like a bald eagle, but had a humanoid body and an extra pair of taloned limbs that it used as arms.

Not perturbed by this onslaught of monsters, Umi raised her arm up and summoned a large geyser of water behind her. The geyser's tip split open into a maw and two red eyes glowed atop it.

"Water Dragon!"

The water spell charged at the monsters, swallowing the rabbit-like monster up, destroying it instantly. However, the beetle- and eagle-like monsters managed to avoid the spell, and charged right towards her.

"Damn it! I couldn't finish them all off!"

The eagle monster reached her first and brought down its mighty fists. She managed to evade, but the monster was still able to punch a crater into the rocky ground. Umi jumped back in order to gain some distance and resummoned her sword, hoping to start a counterattack.

However, the team work of the two monsters was immaculate. Every time she managed to avoid one attack; the other one was ready to bring its fist down at her. The rocky landscape around them was getting reshaped one blow at a time. Realizing she could not take on two monsters at once, Umi tried waking up her friends once more.

"Hikaru! Fuu! Wake up!"

The girls didn't react. Before Umi had time to worry about their condition, she had to evade the giant fist of the bird monster once more.

Noticing the two other Magic Knights were out of the battle, Ascot commanded his beasts, "Grab those girls over there!"

The two monsters and Umi all heard this command, and before the blue-haired knight had time to react, her friends were already caught. The eagle monster was holding Hikaru in its talons and the beetle monster was grasping Fuu in its clawed fist.

"Hikaru! Fuu!" Umi screamed as she rushed towards them, until she was ordered to stop.

The young summoner stood before her with his arms crossed, smiling victoriously. Despite his young appearance and small size, his voice was surprisingly cruel.

"How dare you kill off my dear friends. To repay you, I'll have them play with your friends, too."

As the kid in white robes and black hat spoke, the monsters proceeded to grab hold of Fuu and Hikaru. The beetle monster looked like it was about to pull Fuu's arm off, while the eagle was planning on ripping Hikaru in half.

Unwilling to accept this senseless torture, Umi yelled out with all her heart, "STOP IT!"

Her voice echoed across the mountains, taking the monsters and Ascot by surprise. As they turned towards the blue-haired girl, they saw her standing before them unflinching and exuding authority.

"You," Umi spat out her words with vitriol. "You managed to really piss me off! To even think of hurting Hikaru and Fuu!"

"I-I'm not scared of you even if you're mad!" Ascot stuttered while being stared at by the girl's piercing blue eyes. "Do it!"

As soon as he gave the order to his monster, the blue Magic Knight charged right for him. Before Ascot could react, he found the blade of a rapier only inches away from his throat. Ascot gritted his teeth, his words getting stuck in his throat due to fear.

With an unwavering gaze, Umi stared her foe down, "My friends… Let go of Hikaru and Fuu! Now!"

Seeing that the girl was ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of her friends, Ascot couldn't win this stalemate. Without a word, he gave the monsters the order to do as she said, who placed the unconscious girls on the ground.

Umi rushed over to her friends, yelling out their names, "Hikaru! Fuu! Are you alright?"

The two girls finally seemed to stir from this, getting up and rubbing their heads. Before they could confirm they were alright, everyone present could feel the earth shake beneath them. Whether it was the Magic Knights, the monsters, or Ascot, they all turned towards the mountain. As they looked up, they saw a massive, flat, arrow shaped boulder sliding down the side of the mountain. On top of the boulder stood a figure wearing silver and gold armor, and was yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Get out of the way!" Hotaru yelled, seeing everyone where he was about to crash into.

The Magic Knights, Ascot and his monsters all screamed and rushed out of the way, as the boulder was causing more and more pieces to come off the mountain. Only moments after they had gotten out of the way, the boulder Hotaru was riding struck a ledge and was shattered to pieces. Hotaru was sent flying by the impact, at which point he curled into a ball.

"Yaaah-hoo-hoo-hoo-hooey!" he screamed as he soared through the air.

The others looked at his flight jaws agape, as the curled-up warrior hit the trunk of a massive tree, smashing right through it. They then saw how Hotaru fell down through the canopy of other trees, before crashing into a bush.

"Is that guy always that reckless?" Ascot asked, hiding behind the Magic Knights.

"It varies…" Umi said awkwardly.

"Mr. Hotaru! Are you okay?" Fuu yelled towards the direction he had fallen in.

At first, they heard some rustling from the bushes, before they heard a pained yell, "Medic!"


Even after deactivating Tungsten Defense, it took the Magic Knights a while to get Hotaru out of the bushes. While Hotaru wasn't in as bad of a condition as after fighting Capella, he had still managed to sprain an ankle and break a rib. It had taken Fuu five minutes of healing to fix him completely, during which Hotaru had told them what had happened.

Apparently once the illusions had worn off, Hotaru had used his giant sword to cut a slice out of the mountaintop. He had then ridden it down in hopes of reaching the others in time, but the battle was already over.

Once Hotaru had been healed up, it was Ascot's time to speak.

"So why did you attack us?" Umi asked the kid. "Are you one of Zagato's minions?"

"No!" the summoner said adamantly.

"Then why?"

"Because Zagato said that if I defeated the Magic Knights, I could stay in the castle with all of my friends," Ascot explained, his voice becoming more and more guilt-ridden as he spoke.

"Friends?" Umi asked, confused.

"I heard about this from him before," Hikaru thought back.

"He means the group of monsters over there," Fuu explained.

"That's right!" Ascot yelled, airing out his grievances that had built up for the past month and a half. "They're my dear friends! Those beasts from earlier, too! Yet you… How dare you!"

Hotaru closed his eyes, just before a loud smack echoed from the mountain side. Umi had slapped Ascot right across his cheek, causing the little summoner's head to turn. As he looked back at the blue haired girl, Ascot held his cheek and seemed slightly afraid. Hotaru felt bad for the kid, but he knew it was important for Ascot to know the true sting of battle.

"If they really are your dear friends, why did you have them attack us?" Umi questioned him angrily. "You don't care if they're killed?"

"O-Of course I care!" Ascot yelled back. "But I am a summoner, and this is how I fight! I fight alongside my monsters!"

Noticing his words had had some effect on the kid, Hotaru felt a bit proud.

"Then why are you helping Zagato!" Umi kept interrogating Ascot.

"Because everyone hates my friends! Everywhere I go, people treat us like a nuisance! If we could live in the castle…"

"Do your friends cause that much trouble to everyone?" Umi asked, sounding more understanding now.

"They don't!" Ascot defended his friends, shaking his head. "They won't wreak havoc unless I tell them to!"

Understanding the situation, Umi smiled warmly, "Then trust them."

"Trust?" Ascot looked at her confused.

"Your friends are all good at heart, though they look scary, right? If you make them do bad things as Zagato's minions, then they really do become bad beasts!" Umi explained, admiring the two beasts before looking back at Ascot. "You make them into bad beasts! Is that alright with you?"

"…No!" Ascot yelled, realizing what she meant.

"It hasn't been that long since we first met, but we're good friends," Umi smiled, looking back at her comrades. "We're friends that anybody can be proud of!"

Fuu smiled proudly hearing this, whereas Hikaru and Hotaru grinned goofily, with Mokona wiggling its feet and ears happily.

"When I'm with my friends, I can be stronger. I can give more effort," Umi explained before turning back to Ascot. "You have to also show more effort, so that people can see that they are good monsters. Stand up for them and look out for each other, and I am sure you will be able to find a place to call home anywhere."

Ascot looked towards his friends, who seemed to agree with Umi's words. Realizing how he had mistreated his friends and tried to help them in all the wrong ways, Ascot began to tear up.

"I'm sorry…" Ascot apologized, before crying into his sleeve.

The blue Magic Knight then knelt before him, smiling tenderly, "I am sorry for attacking your friends, too. Hey, what's your name?"

"A-Ascot," he introduced himself.

"Muscat? What a tasty sounding name," Umi smiled awkwardly.

"Ascot!"

That pun gets worse every time I hear it, Hotaru rolled his eyes.

"Ascot, do you want to be our friend?" Umi offered, sounding like a preschool teacher again.

Ascot was shocked by the offer, to which Umi smiled widely, "I think we can be good friends."

"W-Would you really want to be friends with someone like me?" Ascot asked sheepishly, feeling incredible guilt over the past month or so.

"Only if you are willing to be friends with people like us," Hotaru smiled, and walked forward.

As he walked forward, he noticed Ascot flinching slightly, at which point he offered his hand forward. With as bright and kind a smile as he could muster, Hotaru gestured to the fellow brunet to come closer. Eventually, Ascot walked over to him, shaking his hand firmly.

"I am sorry that we killed so many of your friends," Hotaru apologized, feeling as much guilt about it as Ascot did for attacking them. "Had things been different, I would have liked to hang out with them some more. They were some really cool monsters."

"Yeah… they were good guys," Ascot sniffed slightly. "I should never have tried to harm you guys. But Caldina said that it was what was best for someone like myself."

"Caldina, is she a friend of yours as well?" Fuu asked, remembering the name from the village they had been at.

Ascot nodded, "Yes, she and I are good friends. She takes care of me and defended me when I failed."

As Caldina was brought up, an idea popped into Hotaru's mind, "Caldina, huh… You mind taking us over to see her? I have some things I want to talk over with her."


On the other side of the mountain, Caldina was finally finding the strength to stand up again. Her ankle and knee had been hurt in her fall, but nothing major had broken. She had had to take some of her own toxins as painkillers, but it had been worth it. Her clothes had had time to dry off for the most part, but she was still chilly and her hair wet.

As she stood up, she saw Ascot flying towards her on his floating rock, "Ascot, what's up? Did you defeat the Magic Knights? …Huh?!"

Behind Ascot, she saw four figures following him; the Magic Knights and their bodyguard. She wasn't in fighting condition just yet, but she still pulled out her curved daggers from within her cape.

"You! Ascot, how could ya lead them here? What do y'all want from me?" Caldina asked, preparing for a fight.

"Wait a sec… Isn't that the Osaka dialect?" Umi asked, leaning over to Hikaru. "Does Cephiro's linguistic background contain this dialect? Or is there another Osaka here?"

"Questions for another time," Hotaru interrupted them. "Hello Ms. Caldina. I am happy we can finally meet face to face. On behalf of our new friend Ascot, I would like to—"

"Friend!?" Caldina's eyes widened, before she stared at the young summoner, "Ascot, what did you go and do? You were supposed to defeat them but you made friends with them!"

"I don't want to!" Ascot yelled out, which took Caldina by surprise. "I don't want to defeat the Magic Knights! They are good people!"

Caldina couldn't believe her ears. Granted, she had only wanted to defeat the Magic Knights for money, but also for Ascot to have a place to call home. But if he was willing to throw all that away, something must've happened.

"…How do I know y'all aren't just trickin' poor Ascot?" Caldina asked, still suspicious of the four armored foes.

"We have no such intentions," Fuu spoke out, holding her hand to her heart. "We heard from Ascot that you are a good person deep down. As such we do not want to keep fighting you, Ms. Caldina!"

"You could just be saying that since you don't think you can defeat me," the pink-haired illusionist smirked.

With the nerve on her temple throbbing, Umi turned to Ascot, "Am I allowed to prove her wrong?"

"Please don't!" Ascot begged.

Seeing the situation could escalate any minute, Hotaru dug up some negotiation skills from his previous life, "Look! You're a business woman, aren't you?"

Caldina was taken aback by this straightforwardness, but nodded, "Yes, that is correct."

"Then I have a proposition for you. Would you rather keep fighting for Zagato in the hopes of defeating us and gaining whatever reward he has in store for you. Or, would you rather earn a cut of my reward when we save Princess Emeraude?"

"Wait, what reward?" Hikaru asked. "We were never…"

"Think about it!" Hotaru interrupted Hikaru. "While you girls are sent back to Tokyo, I am planning on staying behind here in Cephiro. As the Pillar, Princess Emeraude has the power to create whatever she pleases on Cephiro. Ergo, the reward can be as big as I want."

Caldina went quiet, as what the armored warrior said was true. Her mind was calculating the possibilities of a reward from Princess Emeraude, which far eclipsed whatever amount of money Zagato could promise her. However, there was a slight problem.

"But what is there to guarantee that you will succeed in defeating Zagato?" she asked skeptically.

"Oh? Here I thought you were an avid gambler," Hotaru jabbed at her ego.

As Caldina reeled back from that verbal strike, she looked at the faces of the five people in front of her. They were all looking at her with bright, expectant eyes, none more so than Ascot. There really was nothing left that could motivate her to fight anymore.

"I suppose you have got me all figured out," she sighed, before relenting. "Alright, you've got yourself a deal. But I will be choosing what the reward will be!"

"I can agree to that," Hotaru smiled.

That is if we ever get the chance to ask for a reward…

Having stayed quiet this entire time, Hikaru walked ahead of the group, carrying Mokona in her arms. The others looked at her curiously, wondering what the short redheaded girl had in mind.

"My name is Hikaru Shidou, nice to meet you," she offered her hand. "Please, let us be good friends."

The dark-skinned dancer nodded, before shaking hands, "Uh… right, the name's Caldina."

Following their leaders' example, the others followed suit.

"Fuu Hououji, pleased to meet you," Fuu bowed her head politely.

"Umi Ryuuzaki, I hope we get along," Umi smiled energetically.

"Hotaru Hanma, nice to do business with you," Hotaru snickered, before getting jabbed in the side by Umi.

"I don't know if it is good for me to abandon my clients, but at least you made a better argument than Zagato did, "Caldina admitted, patting Ascot on the head. "Honestly I don't know what he is even after with all this commotion."

"You… don't know what Zagato is after?" Fuu raised an eyebrow. "Is it not the high priest's goal to control all of Cephiro?"

Caldina shook her head, "Princess Emeraude is now unable to use her powers of prayer. There's no point in controlling an unstable land full of monsters like this!"

The Magic Knights and Hotaru looked at Caldina intently, listening to her every word. For the knights, this was a massive revelation, for Hotaru, this information could be used for later.

"I asked him, too," Caldina continued. "Why not have Princess Emeraude keep prayin' but hand over all power to you, if it prevents this place from turning into ruins? But that guy just laughed and replied, 'I have something more valuable than Cephiro'."

"Something more valuable than Cephiro? What is that?" Fuu asked.

"He didn't give me any more answers after that. I'm sure he has some reason deep down in his heart."

Umi and Hikaru were also baffled by this, trying to imagine something greater than Cephiro.

"Hey. let's get goin' now," Caldina smiled at Ascot.

"A-Are we going back to the castle?" Ascot stuttered fearfully.

Caldina shook her head, "I don't want to go back to that place ever again!"

"Really? I'm so glad!" the little summoner smiled.

With that said, Caldina hopped on top of Ascot's floating rock, and leaned over the little summoner's hat. It was like she was using him as a passenger seat.

"We can't help y'all out, but do your best," Caldina winked at them, before her tone turned more serious. "Zagato is very powerful."

As the Magic Knights nodded, Hotaru spoke out, "Actually, there is something you could do to assist us a bit."

"What would that be?" Ascot asked, curious as to what he could do to repay them.

"We have a friend named Presea who is at the moment looking for the body of Master Mage Clef," Hotaru explained.

"The one that was turned to stone?" Caldina asked, remembering the stories she had heard in the cave earlier.

"The blacksmith?" Ascot inquired, thinking back to the battle at the Forest of Silence.

"That's right, she last headed south from the Forest of Silence to meet up with her sister. I would like it if you could try and support her in finding Master Mage Clef. Plus, it will be safer if you all stick together," Hotaru explained.

"That would give us a place to go and safety in numbers," Caldina stroked her chin, considering the offer. "…You really are an incredible man, Hotaru Hanma. I feel bad for wanting to torture you."

"Oh, it's nothing really and…" Hotaru blushed, until he went pale, "torture?"

Caldina stroked the back of her head and smiled awkwardly, "Yeah… Ya see, I was really angry at how ya made Ascot sad all the time. Ya killed like, what was it, half of his friends? Every night he was crying in his bed and muttering bad things about you…"

"That's enough!" Ascot interrupted Caldina, feeling both guilty and embarrassed.

"Oh, well… that's understandable. Once again, sorry about that," Hotaru apologized, but also sighing in relief.

So, she didn't have a crush on me. What a relief… Wait, why am I relieved? She has a great body and business sense, we could totally make it work! Then again, I didn't want to step on Lafarga's territory, and she will be so mad at me after Zagato is defeated… Should I try to gather up some money to make it up for her?

While Hotaru was in his own world, Caldina turned to Ascot, "So, let's get going, Ascot."

"S-Sure…"

"I won't say goodbye, Ascot," Umi smiled at him warmly.

"After all, we are friends," Fuu continued.

"Yeah! We'll meet again soon!" Hikaru promised.

"Yeah!" Ascot nodded. "I will tell Presea you said hi!"

With that said, Ascot's floating rock quickly ascended high into the air. It was so fast that Caldina had to wrap her arms around the little summoner. Once they were high enough to appear as nothing more than a little dot, they started quickly flying towards the south. Soon, the two of them disappeared in a streak of light, as Ascot's hovering stone took off.

"I can't see them anymore," Hikaru gasped.

"That thing is so fast," Umi admired Ascot's ride.

"Mr. Hotaru, are you ready to continue our journey?" Fuu asked.

Honestly, Caldina is a bit too loud and simple of a woman for my taste. I would much rather have someone like Alcyone who can hold a conversation…

"Hotaru!" Hikaru yelled into his ear.

"Ow!" he robbed his ear. "What?"

"We need to climb the mountain!" Hikaru insisted, pointing at it again.

While Fuu and Umi looked like they were about to faint, Hotaru shook his head before explaining what he had learnt at the top.


Back at the former royal castle that now acted as Zagato's crystal fortress, Alcyone was still sitting inside her prison. She had contemplated escaping once again, but had decided against it. After all, angering Lord Zagato any further would spell certain doom, whereas trying to defeat the Magic Knights and Hotaru was anything but certain.

Instead, she had come up with a compromise. By using her magical knowhow, she had managed to use the gem she had received back from Hotaru, as a miniature scrying implement. Similar to the Water Mirror, she was able to use it to spy on the Magic Knights, Caldina, and Hotaru. While she had not been able to see what had happened inside the cave, she had fully seen Hotaru's journey up the mountain.

She could only have guessed what sort of illusions Caldina had made the young man see, but they had made him look ridiculous. Although, watching him slice a piece off the mountain and surf it down had been quite impressive. What impressed her even more, and in a way also amused, was how he had managed to convince Ascot and Caldina to shake hands with them.

It may be that his words are even more dangerous than his stubbornness and physical might. Only my will has been strong enough to resist them… or foolish enough…

As she was starting to regret the choices she had made, the doors of her prison started opening up again. She hid the gem once more and did her best to act bored and melancholy.

Once again, the person to enter was Inouva. To Alcyone's surprise, he was not carrying her next meal and seemed to be walking at a brisker pace than usual. Before she had time to wonder it further, Inouva waved his hand, causing the sphere of light she was in to float towards Inouva. When Alcyone was no longer over the watery abyss that formed the floor of her prison, the sphere of light dissipated.

Despite this happening suddenly, Alcyone was able to land on the ground gracefully. She took this opportunity to fully stretch herself out, allowing her long arms and legs to taste freedom, before finally addressing Inouva.

"So, what has merited my early release?" Alcyone asked, feeling ready for whatever.

"We have received news that both Ascot and Caldina have deserted our ranks," Inouva reported to her.

"Goodness, both at once?" Alcyone acted surprised.

"That is right. Because of that, our forces have taken a heavy toll in their numbers," Inouva admitted regretfully, seemingly not happy about letting Alcyone out. "For that reason, Lord Zagato wants you to pull your weight as well."

Ah, I knew my loyalty would be rewarded! Lord Zagato finally welcomes me back into his ranks, just as I was about to lose hope in ever being of assistance to him again!

Alcyone smiled triumphantly, "What is it that Lord Zagato wants from me?"

Without hesitation, Inouva conjured her a set of items: a feather duster, a cleaning rag, and a bucket, before handing them over to her.

"Nani?!" Alcyone looked at the cleaning supplies in shock.

"Lord Zagato does not yet trust that you have fully served your sentence," Inouva spoke in a dry yet serious tone. "You will be performing the rest of your imprisonment as community service."

With this said, Inouva turned around and walked away, as he still had plenty of errands to run for the rest of the day.

Unwilling to accept this humiliation, Alcyone yelled at him, "But why must I do the work of a maid!? Isn't there anything else I could do, like cooking, or maintaining the magical protections of the fortress?"

"I have those deeds already taken care of," Inouva informed her. "Besides, the cleaning used to be done by Ascot's monsters. With them gone, Lord Zagato needs someone else to make sure the fortress doesn't gather dust or start growing mold."

As Inouva disappeared up the stairs, Alcyone was shaking with fury. For a moment, she was angry at the humiliation dished out by Zagato and Inouva, but then remembered the true culprit.

Hotaru… I will never forgive you for this! she squeezed the rag in her hand.


Author's Afterword: Hello, I hope you weren't scrolling past the speed limit. The title of this chapter has multiple meanings, but one of them is just how LONG this one is! But it is for a good reason. The extra scenes with Alcyone, the split adventures between Hotaru and the Magic Knights, as well as the conversation with Caldina at the end.

As some of you have noticed, I have opted to skip episode 13 altogether. Not that I dislike the episode, but it is very repetitive when compared to episode 12, and with Hotaru around, it wouldn't make sense for them to not just patch things up with Caldina right here and now. It pains me to leave out Caldina's mind control abilities and Fuu's Winds of Admonishment debut, but I feel like I would be spinning my wheels if I did go through with it.

Some other small things of note. I shortened the cave scene with the Magic Knights, since I feel they would have noticed something was off even before meeting the fake Emeraude. The idea for the pocket of water inside the mountain I got out of a scene with a random puddle inside the cave. I also needed a way to explain how Alcyone was just freely walking around Zagato's headquarters in episode 19. Her being set free to help with menial tasks seemed to fit the best.

Finally, I will also be skipping episode 14. While it has some cool fight scenes and we learn more about the backgrounds of the Magic Knights, it is in the end a clip show. Which means, next time we see our heroes, it will be time for the second Mashin, as well as the next villain.

As always, reviews are welcomed and appreciated. Thank you to merendinoemiliano for your review on the last chapter!