Having learnt that he was too early to join the party destined for Cephiro, Hotaru found himself with a dilemma. He had no idea when the field trip that would lead Hikaru Shidou, Umi Ryuuzaki, and Fuu Hououji on their journey through Cephiro, would take place. While Hotaru knew the basic plot of Magic Knight Rayearth, it wasn't like he remembered the dates and times of the show. Nor could he look up the information. So, to maximize his chances of getting to Cephiro, he had to formulate a plan.

He knew he still had at least a few years until the girls would be old enough, so he wasn't in a hurry. He would need to place himself in a position; where he could easily find out when the three junior high schools would all have a field trip to the Tokyo Tower at the same time. He also needed some way to remain mobile, so he could get to the Tower when the need arrived.

In addition, there was still the underlying possibility that he would never make it to Cephiro. Either he would mess up the timing, he wouldn't be allowed in, or something he had not yet even thought of would happen. If this were to happen, he needed to be prepared to spend the rest of his life in Tokyo, with no relatives or connections.

Hence, he made up his mind to skip high school. Once Hotaru turned 15, he instead started working part-time jobs. While the caretakers of the orphanage told him to continue his studies, Hotaru knew this was a trap of sorts. Even if he finished high school, he would not be allowed to stay in the orphanage after he turned 18. Meaning that while he would have a high school diploma, he would have no home, no connections, no job experience, and no money.

By working part-time jobs, he would be able to save up enough money for a rental apartment and a few good investments, by the time he turned 18. Plus, this had an added benefit in regards to information gathering. For while he could not get information regarding the comings and goings of the different junior highs without rousing suspicion, finding out their locations was easy.

By working multiple jobs, he could travel around Tokyo without rousing suspicion. In the morning, he delivered newspapers and mail. At noon, he worked at construction sites as an extra hand. In the evening, he worked at a convenience store. During his commutes from work, to work, to work, to home, he traveled via routes that went through school areas, allowing him to listen in on the conversations of the students.

When he finally returned to the orphanage during the late hours of the evening, he occasionally took a detour to break into the school grounds. While this was illegal, he found the prospect of sneaking around schools quite thrilling. Over time, he would learn how to break into the school buildings themselves, and how to avoid the guards. However, the time of the fabled field trip did not seem to be approaching.

By the time his 18th birthday rolled around, it was the year 1994. At this point in time, Hotaru was living on borrowed time, and would soon be thrown out of the orphanage. While he was getting desperate, he also had saved up around 1 600 000 yen (about 16800 dollars at the time). This meant he could live another two years or so comfortably while paying rent.

One night, when he was biking back to the orphanage, he decided to pay a stop to Hikaru Shidou's school. It was the least impressive of the three, and hence had the worst security as well. Hotaru did his usual routine; leaving his bike next to a wall, climbing over the wall, digging through the trash for any discarded pamphlets, and finally, breaking in. Over the years, Hotaru had learnt that while the school locked all its doors and didn't keep a spare key around, the locks weren't the best.

With a bit of finagling with his lockpick and switchblade, getting the back door open wasn't difficult. He slowly opened the door and walked in like he owned the place, knowing that the school had no night guard or security cameras. Using a pocket flashlight, he scoured the dark halls of the school, until he made it to a familiar notice board.

"Hmmm… let's see," he thought out loud. "Club activity notices, cleaning duty listings, and…"

As he went through the different notices and pamphlets, he spotted one with a picture of the Tokyo Tower. As he read the words '8th grade field trip to the Tokyo Tower in April', Hotaru could not hold back his voice.

"BINGO!"

It was a beautiful May afternoon at the Tokyo Tower, though a surprisingly busy one. The usual crowd of families and tourists had been bolstered by a great number of 8th grade students from various junior high schools.

A group of girls in prim and proper green school uniforms were given a guided tour on the history and architecture of the Tokyo Tower. Another group of girls, these ones wearing elegant blue uniforms, were freely wandering around the building at leisure. In one corner, a small bunch of girls in untidy red school uniforms were complaining about being brought to the Tokyo tower.

Amongst these crowds of people, sitting on a public bench, was a handsome, young, foreign looking man, wearing sunglasses. He was leaning back and looking relaxed, greeting some of the passersby when spoken to. But beneath this calm exterior, the 18-year-old Hotaru was a bundle of nerves.

He was wearing one of the few casual sets of clothing that he owned. A black and beige overshirt with a grey t-shirt under it, a pair of jeans, and sneakers. His original idea had been to sneak in, pretending to be a student. However, because he was now 18 and stood around 6 feet tall, this was no longer a viable plan. Instead, he had donned his usual disguise of acting like a tourist. A perfect disguise, at least he thought so.

So why was he nervous? Because he could sense the zero-hour approaching. Looking around, it wasn't too hard to spot his targets. The red haired and somewhat short Hikaru Shidou was loudly admiring the view at one of the binoculars. The elegant and beautiful Umi Ryuuzaki was all but announcing her presence with her long blue hair and confident stride. While she did not seem to stand out much, Fuu Hououji could be seen in the crowd due to her taller than average height and blonde hair.

The adventure of these girls would kick off suddenly and without warning. If he wanted to join them on this journey, timing was everything.

"Wow! It's so high up! This is so cool!" Hikaru yelled out loud while looking at the view through paid binoculars. "I'm so happy they brought us to a place like this for our field trip! Right?"

"I can't believe she is enjoying this…" one of her classmates said frustratedly.

"WAAAAAH!"

"What's wrong, Hikaru!?"

"The binoculars ran out of time…" She said casually, causing the other girls to pratfall.

As Hikaru was looking for more money, a tall figure approached her, speaking with a gentle voice, "Please, use this."

Hikaru was awestruck as she saw a beautiful girl with emerald eyes, big round glasses, and blonde hair, handing her a handful of 100-yen coins. Her sudden generosity took Hikaru by surprise.

"I had pleasant time watching you enjoy your trip," Fuu said with a gentle voice, "Please, do not mind me."

As Fuu walked away, she could hear the girls behind her admiring her uniform and her affiliation with her school. She could not help but smile a little, thinking that she had helped younger students to enjoy their field trip a little bit more. Maybe this was how her older sister felt with her?

Fuu could barely hear one of the girls yell out to her, telling her to wait. These words were muffled by the passing of a group of girls with Umi Ryuuzaki at its lead. While Umi's senpai had told her to relax a bit during the field trip, her mind was still firmly focused on the up-and-coming fencing tournament.

She barely even noticed a shorter red-haired student quickly slowing down so as not to bump into them.

However, what caught the attention of all three of the girls, was a sudden ringing sound in their ears. They all took a few steps towards one of the windows of the observation deck, just before a bright yellow light flashed up in the sky. The light was intense and sudden enough to blind and surprise everyone in the Tokyo Tower, all but one.

The three girls were awestruck, seeing a beautiful young woman hovering in the center of the light. Her radiant blonde hair was three times longer than she was tall, and her voice was desperate.

"This world… Please save Cephiro! O legendary Magic Knights!" the woman pleaded with sad looking eyes.

The girls were all about to gasp in shock, until they felt something touching their waists. A pair of long arms wrapped around all three of them, as if pulling them into a group hug. This caused them to cry out in shock.

Hotaru had managed to make a mad dash at the girls when the light in the sky appeared. He had prepared to wrap his arms around them tightly, and while he had succeeded, he did not have time to celebrate. He was currently trying to process the words that he had just heard Princess Emeraude say to him.

Please, protect…

He did not have time to repeat the words further, until the floor beneath him and the three girls disappeared. They all screamed their lungs out as they started rapidly falling from a great height. Having forgotten about this part, Hotaru let go of the girls in shock of it all.

Had their eyes not been dried up by the free fall, they would have seen a beautiful landscape of forests, farmlands, mountains, lakes, rivers, beaches, and oceans. This would not have been that out of the ordinary for Japanese geography, had it not been for the floating islands, swarms of flying creatures, and monolithic crystals.

"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Hotaru yelled at the top of his lungs, not wanting to reincarnate again.

The girls all continued screaming, until they felt themselves hitting something soft and bouncy. They bounced a few times, until they came to a halt on top of something blue and scaly. Before any of them could ask what was going on, they heard Hotaru slam against the surface. He had landed with a belly flop, and did not bounce.

"Ow…" he grunted.

"W-What is this?" Umi asked nervously.

"It seems to be a giant flying fish." Fuu said analytically.

"What in the world is going on?" Hikaru asked nervously, looking down at the ground, before turning around. "And who are you!?"

Having un-faceplanted himself from the fish, Hotaru got up into a sitting position. His sunglasses had snapped in half at the bridge, which annoyed him slightly. After putting the two halves of the sunglasses into his pocket, he turned to face the girls.

"The name is Hotaru. And who are you girls? Do you know what is going on?" he answered, trying to act dumb.

"WE are the ones asking questions!" Umi yelled out. "You were the one to grab hold of us back at the tower! And now you are saying you don't even know us!"

"I was trying to protect you girls!" Hotaru yelled, acting offended. "You should be at least a little grateful."

"Protect us from what?" Fuu asked, confused.

"I thought that giant light in the sky was a nuclear explosion. I was planning on pulling you girls away from the window and covering you with my body, before the shockwave struck."

"…But why US?" Umi asked, still on guard.

"You were the closest at the time," he shrugged.

Seeing the expressions on the faces of the girls shift to less defensive ones, Hotaru felt a bit proud. The cover story he had come up with during the past four years, was a success. However, despite feeling like celebrating his successful arrival at Cephiro, there was still a nagging feeling at the back of his mind.

Please, protect ka… what was she saying?

Because Princess Emeraude spoke in Japanese, she had either said kare (him), kanojo (her), or kare-ra (them). Since Hotaru had been surprised to even be able to hear Emeraude's voice, he hadn't quite paid attention. The fact that her words had differed from what he remembered her saying to the Magic Knights, had messed with his comprehension even more.

Maybe she meant protecting them, as in the Magic Knights. Not that they needed my protection ever before.

"Anyway… Where in the world are we?!" Hikaru yelled, gazing at the fantastical yet alien world around them.

Unbeknownst to (most of) our heroes, a dark force was spying on them even at this very moment. At the dark depths of a crystal fortress, stood two figures in front of a green magic mirror. A tall man with long black hair, wearing a dark gray suit of armor with dark purple gems, and a black cloak. The other was an elf looking man, dressed in white robes and armor, with gold trims, and a purple gem on his forehead. The latter was kneeling respectfully behind the former one, waiting for their turn to speak.

"She used the last of her powers to summon the legendary Magic Knights from another world." the taller of the two said with a deep and imposing voice.

"I never thought that the legend would become reality."

"Why are you so worried?" the tall man smirked. "A legend is a legend. It isn't the truth. Those mere children cannot become the Magic Knights, let alone save Princess Emeraude."

"Yes, sir."

"Of course, it is foolish to laugh it all off as a legend. Hmmmm?"

"What is it, Lord Zagato?"

"The legend spoke of three Magic Knights, correct?"

"Yes, that is right."

"Then who is that fourth one?" Zagato pondered, feeling a slight bit of unease.

The man in white, Vice-Commander Inouva, looked at the mirror which had zoomed in on the fourth member of the group. It was true that the legend of the Magic Knights only spoke of three Knights, nor could there be more than that.

"I think the simplest explanation would be; that one of the four was dragged along by accident." Inouva suggested respectfully, "Only three of them are the true Magic Knights."

"Hmmm, most likely," Zagato agreed, but something about that young man bothered him.

After flying around on top of the flying fish for a good while, it headed towards one of the floating islands. Once close enough, the fish unceremoniously dropped them off mid flight, on the floating island's cliff.

This time it was Umi's turn to be faceplanted onto the ground, with Fuu tucking in her knees and rolling, and Hikaru doing a perfect three-point landing. Hotaru fell onto his hands and knees, and quickly got up standing.

"Ow…" Umi whimpered, as she got up. "What kind of place is this? What happened to us?"

"It is certain we are not in Tokyo," Fuu mentioned.

"You can tell that just by looking around!"

"Man, we're still this high up?" Hotaru said, looking over the edge of the cliff they had been dropped on.

"We're not in Tokyo anymore." Hikaru stated confidently. "When we were on that big flying fish, I saw a mountain floating in the sky. And a volcano in the distance."

"Yeah, I doubt that was Mt. Fuji…" Hotaru pointed out, since seeing a volcano in the distance was nothing out of the ordinary for them.

"I have an important fencing match in one week! What are we going to do about that?" Umi yelled, absolutely losing it at the realization of what was going on.

"I know! Let's introduce ourselves!" Hikaru said cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood.

"Introductions? Do you really think this is the right time for that?" Umi said angrily.

"Really? I feel it is a wonderful idea," Fuu said with a warm smile

"What part!?"

"It seems that only the four of us arrived here from Tokyo Tower. So what to do now? We should help each other to find our way in this land."

"That's why we need to start with introductions!" Hikaru added excitedly.

"Oh, all right…" Umi relented. "I'm Umi Ryuuzaki. I'm in eighth grade."

"I am Fuu Hououji. I am also in the eighth grade."

"Hikaru Shidou! Fourteen years old! Eighth grade!"

"EEEEEHHH!?" The other two girls screamed.

"You're the same age as me? I thought you were in grade school."

"I am sorry. I thought so too." Fuu admitted.

"You don't look a day older than eleven!" Umi said teasingly, finding Hikaru adorable.

"Oh come on, don't tease her like that," Hotaru spoke out, holding his arms behind his head. "To me you all look like sixth graders."

"And who exactly are you then, old man from out west?!" Umi said, popping a nerve on her forehead.

Despite her confident and bombastic start, Umi quickly went quiet, seeing the tall young man stare down at her. His piercing lime green eyes and silent expression, made her feel quite small and impudent. It was like she was getting lectured by one of her teachers.

"Like I said before, my name is Hotaru. I am eighteen years old. Currently employed." the man said nonchalantly.

"Hotaru… you look like a foreigner, but you have a Japanese name," Fuu said analytically, feeling slightly suspicious of the older teenager. "Also, is that a first name, or a last name?"

"First name, I have been an orphan my entire life, so I don't have a last name. I have lived in Japan since I was a baby." Hotaru explained, already used to giving such an introduction.

"Oh… that is so sad," Umi said sympathetically. "So, what do you do for living—AAAAHHH!"

Hearing Umi scream and seeing a large shadow behind him, Hotaru clenched his fist and prepared to deck whatever was behind him. As he turned around violently, he felt a pair of small hands wrap around his elbow.

"Wait! I think it's tame!" Hikaru yelled, trying to hold Hotaru back with her entire bodyweight.

"Oh… it's just the fish." Hotaru said, his heart still beating loudly.

"Hey you two! Run for cover already!" Umi commanded from behind a tree.

"I don't think that is necessary, I think this fish is more scared of Mr. Hotaru than we are of it." Fuu said calmly.

Indeed, the flying fish seemed nervous around Hotaru, but it seemed to calm down as Hikaru started hugging the big fish. Noticing that the fish was friendly, Umi ran over to the fish, planning to ask it if it could bring them back to Tokyo.

But before she could open her mouth, they heard a voice yell out, "Creature Recall!"

The large fish was stretched out into a longer and thinner form, before it flew over the quartet's heads. As they turned around, they saw the massive fish being sucked into a round gem of a large wooden staff. The staff itself was held by a figure, who at first glance looked like a ten-year-old boy.

Despite the young appearance, the boy's presence and appearance were unusual to say the least. He had light purple hair, light blue eyes, fair skin, and an aura of mystery and wonder. 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. The staff he carried was almost twice his height, the top of which was carved into a strange animal and embedded with two large gemstones, the top being blue and the bottom purple.

"There is no returning for you." the young man said sternly.

While the girls were apprehensive about the appearance of this mysterious midget, Hotaru could barely contain himself. He hadn't played video games in a very long time, but this reminded him of what it felt to press start on a new fantasy title.

"A-And you are…" Fuu asked carefully.

"I am Master Mage Clef. I am here to guide you. You cannot return to your world until you save this world, Cephiro."

Upon hearing this, Hikaru's eyes lit up like fireworks at the thought of it. Umi and Fuu looked at each other warily, not sure if Clef was being honest with them. Hotaru on the other hand, could no longer hold back his excitement and let a wide, battle hungry grin slip.

Time for the tutorial to begin!

Back at Zagato's crystal fortress, Zagato and Inouva stood on top of a stone circle, in the center of a dark, large and tall room, surrounded by a wide waterfall that almost entirely curved around it. There were pointed rocks jutting out of the waterfall that created little to no disturbance in the flow of water.

"The legendary Magic Knights have been summoned!" Inouva announced.

These words were followed by gasps and repeats of the words 'Magic Knights', as well as speculation about them, from behind the waterfall.

A cold and cruel female voice spoke out, "As expected of Princess Emeraude. To be able to use that much power even when imprisoned."

"Are there three of them like in the legends?" a more glamorous female voice asked.

"Will they revive the Mashin?" a young male voice asked.

"Silence," Inouva commanded. "Lord Zagato is about to speak."

"Those who were summoned from another world are still children. There is no chance the Mashin will be revived," Zagato spoke calmly. "But they are currently with Master Mage Clef."

"They're with that obnoxious guy."

"That's a tad problematic."

"Alcyone," Zagato spoke out.

"Yes!" the cold female voice spoke out, sounding more eager now.

The waterfall split open, revealing a tall woman with ivory skin, ankle length black hair, indigo eyes, dark red lips, and a beautiful face. She wore maroon pieces of armor decorated with purple orbs, over a matching set of: a revealing leotard, thigh high boots, and arm length gloves. In addition, she wore a full-length white cape and held a golden scepter with a round purple gem at its tip.

"It is best that weeds be pulled out quickly." Zagato hinted at her sternly.

"As you wish." Alcyone said with a smile.

Back with our heroes.

"This is Cephiro," Clef explained to the group. "You were summoned here to become Magic Knights and save Cephiro by Princess Emeraude."

Before anyone could say anything, Umi grabbed hold of Clef's robe from behind and lifted it up, "Who are you to talk to us like that! You're younger than us, right?"

"Let go! Don't mess with me!"

Without another warning, Clef bonked Umi on the head with his staff. Umi let go, holding her head in pain, while she could hear Hotaru chuckling a bit behind her back.

Really! What was Princess Emeraude thinking summoning children? Clef thought to himself, trying to calm himself down. As he opened his eyes and took another look, he noticed that something was off. Wait… there are four of them. Why does one of them look like an adult, while the other are children?

"Umi! Behind you!" Hikaru yelled out.

Umi, who was still rubbing her head, turned around and saw a massive spider-like monster emerging from the ground. It had sharp hook-like legs, three glowing red eyes, and a gaping mouth like that of a hippopotamus. She quickly got up and scurried off, trying to get as far away from it as possible. To her surprise, the short young man did not even budge.

"Lightning Call!" Clef yelled out.

A massive bolt of blue lightning fell down from the sky, striking the spider directly in the center of its mass. The monster was disintegrated in mere moments, letting out a rumbling groan as it disappeared.

"Amazing!" Hikaru yelled out excitedly.

"Cephiro wasn't like this when Princess Emeraude was around," Clef said wistfully. "Humans, spirits, and creatures all lived happily together. However, after High-Priest Zagato imprisoned Princess Emeraude, Cephiro turned for the worse."

Hikaru, Fuu, and Umi all listened intently. Clef's words were heavy and they could tell that there was great pain behind them. Hotaru on the other hand, was feeling quite nostalgic listening to Clef's speech.

"Cephiro has turned into a world full of war and confusion where monsters roam freely. And now, only the Magic Knights can save Cephiro… and you are those Magic Knights."

"Magic Knights…" Hikaru said, completely pumped up, but was interrupted

"If that story is really true, you have quite the problem," Umi spoke out, her arms crossed over her chest, "but it doesn't concern us. The problems of this land should be solved by the people of this land."

Hotaru rolled his eyes upon hearing this. While he knew that her point wasn't without merit, he already knew that this was not possible.

"The people of Cephiro cannot solve the problem!" the frustrated Clef grunted. "If we could, we would not need your help! Various magicians and swordsmen have fought Zagato to save the princess. But they could not win…"

"I'll do it! I'll do all I can to become a Magic Knight and save Cephiro!" Hikaru declared adamantly.

"That's the spirit!" Hotaru said and patted Hikaru on the head. "I'm in as well!"

"Hey hold on. How can you two make such an important decision so lightly?" Umi asked in a strict tone.

"I can't just ignore it when there are people in need of help!"

"And this sounds like it's going to be one Hell of an adventure!"

Being out voted two to one, Umi could not help but sigh and turned towards Fuu, "Come on, help me out here. Tell them not to do such stupid things!"

"Well…" Fuu started, before she was interrupted by Clef.

"There is no path for you to choose. Unless you become the Magic Knights and save Cephiro, you cannot return to your world."

"Quit joking around! I have an important fencing match in one week!"

Try not to strangle her, she doesn't know any better, echoed the thoughts of two people present who were much older than they looked.

"Princess Emeraude is the Pillar of this world. She supported law and order here in Cephiro with her prayers. In Cephiro, one's will rules over all." Clef explained, trying to remain calm. "The heart that believes becomes power in Cephiro."

"The heart that believes…" Hikaru repeated, trying to figure out what Clef meant.

"The princess's wish has brought you three here. Until her wish is fulfilled, you cannot return to your world. The princess's wish is for this world to be saved. You must first become Magic Knights and revive the Mashin to do so."

"Mashin?" Hikaru asked.

Hotaru could not help but quietly chuckle again, upon hearing the word Mashin. While he was used to the term Rune God, now that he knew Japanese, the double pun of Mashin amused him to no end.

"Can you use magic?" Clef asked the entire group.

Hikaru shook her head, while Umi yelled out, "If we could, we would be back to Tokyo by now!"

"I have magic hands~," Hotaru joked quietly, causing Fuu to start giggling into her hand while covering her blushing face.

Clef sighed deeply, "You can't even use magic? I should also do something about your equipment as well. Bestow Magic!"

A white lightning bolt struck Clef's staff out of the clear blue sky, forming into a massive ball of blue energy. The energy then swallowed up the four teenagers, causing the girls to flinch from surprise, while Hotaru embraced it directly.

As Clef watched from the side, he could see Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu get consumed by elemental power. Powerful raging flames surrounded Hikaru, refreshing and gentle waves of water wrapped Umi, and a strong yet calm breeze draped Fuu. Once the lights dissipated, they were covered in mostly identical sets of cream colored armor with gold trims. A small armored pauldron on their left shoulder, a breastplate going around their chest and waist, a single armored bracer on their right arm, and a glove on their left hand. Their legwear was of different length each. Hikaru's boots reached her knees, Umi's her thighs, and Fuu's her ankles. All of their armor pieces were decorated by corresponding gems of red, blue, and green.

As the three girls were all amazed by their new accessories, they noticed that Hotaru was still glowing. The light around him swapped colors between dark gray and silver, as if something was amiss. Instead of fire, water, wind, or even lightning, it looked as if Hotaru was surrounded by chains of mercury.

Even Clef was baffled by this and was about to call it off, until a bright lime green light exploded from Hotaru. When Clef finally recovered from the surprise flashbang, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Hotaru looked around himself, seeing that he was wearing armor similar to those of the girls. The only differences were that he had calf high boots, no armored bracer on either of his arms, and two pauldrons. The gems on his armor were yellowish green, matching his eyes.

"Okay… that was intense," Hotaru sighed.

For a minute there, Hotaru had been worried that he was incompatible with magic. After all, he wasn't meant to be here in the first place, so difficulties in gaining magical powers were to be expected.

"I tried to choose magic for you, but it seems the magic has chosen you," Clef said, before turning to Hotaru, "Though about you, I am not certain…"

Before Clef could finish, Hikaru rushed over, "Can we use magic?!"

Clef nodded, happy to know there was at least one eager student, "If you cast a spell. Do as I say."

As Master Mage Clef taught Hikaru how to use magic, Umi and Fuu joked about how this all seemed like a play. This earned Clef's ire once more, but he continued. In the meanwhile, Hotaru was paying full attention to Clef's words, feeling he needed a refresher after twenty plus years.

"Close your eyes. Do you feel it? The power that you have inside of you? A power you've never felt before."

"I feel it," Hikaru answered. "Something… burning deep inside my heart. A phrase comes to mind…"

"Yes, that is your magic."

At that moment, the sky grew dark as ominous clouds started gathering over them. A murder of crows flew out of the trees, fleeing in terror.

"What is going on?" Umi yelled out, scared.

Clef took a moment to study the situation, and then came to a dreadful conclusion, "One of Zagato's minions has arrived.

The girls were shocked by the news that one of the big bad's minions had already found them. Meanwhile, Hotaru was trying to listen to his heart, figuring out the magic words of his spell. He knew what was coming, and he wasn't feeling too worried.

A tear formed in the clouds, followed by several strikes of purple lightning. The wind picked up, signaling the oncoming storm. It drew all of their attention to it, as they waited for the enemy to show their face. As they waited, Hotaru was playing the memories of these events nostalgically, until he remembered something.

Wait… after the initial confrontation, didn't he show up as well? …We need to get out of here!

Back at the Crystal fortress, Zagato was once more spying on the teenagers and Clef through the water mirror. Master Mage had already blessed them with magic and taught them how to use it, which was faster progress than he had imagined. He had also witnessed Hotaru's unusual ritual and his different attire.

He sticks out like a sore thumb from the other three. While it is difficult to admit, those young girls might be the true Magic Knight candidates. Still, I cannot grasp what the level of his magical powers are. For Alcyone to take on Master Mage Clef and those three girls is a tall order, but this wild card as well? I require some form of insurance of the outcome.

With that, Zagato turned around and walked away from the mirror.

The wind and the lightning bolts kept getting more intense, as their enemy made a grand entrance. However, Clef was not planning on dragging things along.

"Creature Summon!"

With the spell cast, the blue orb on Clef's staff glowed and out came a gryphon. As it spread out its wings and roared, several geysers of light and energy erupted from the ground in the forest behind them.

"Get on quickly!" Clef ordered the four youngsters, point at the gryphon.

Without hesitation, Hotaru was the first to climb on board. He then helped Umi and Fuu to get on it too. Once Hikaru was also on the back of the giant gryphon, she turned towards Clef.

"What are you going to do?"

"Hold them off."

"You're kidding!"

"Enough! Go!"

With Clef's order, the gryphon started ascending, being mindful of the people riding on top of it. As it did, Hotaru noticed that Hikaru was about to jump off the gryphon. He, Umi and Fuu barely managed to grab hold of her.

"I'll fight with you!" Hikaru yelled out while struggling in the grip of her comrades.

"If you want to help me, become the Magic Knights right away and save Cephiro!"

"You better listen to him, Hikaru-kun!" Hotaru yelled while reeling her in.

"Clef!"

"Go west! Presea will be waiting for you in the forest of silence! Get weapons there! And Mokona!"

As Clef watched the Magic Knights fly away on his gryphon, he felt a sense of relief as he steeled his heart. Among the sounds of howling wind, he could hear galloping and then neighing of a horse behind him. As he turned around, he saw an ice white unicorn with a blue flaming mane. On its back rode his former student, Alcyone.

"It has been a while, Master Mage Clef." the dark haired beauty greeted him.

"Siding with Zagato… I am disappointed in my pupil, Alcyone."

"I am very grateful to you, Master Mage, because you have given me such wonderful magic," Alcyone paid her gratitude, with a devilish grin on her red lips. "Like this…"

The villainess lifted her staff and pointed it at Clef, upon which the purple orb at its tip glowed brightly.

"Icicle Onslaught," she uttered, summoning several ice crystals around her.

As Alcyone launched her attack, Clef pointed his staff forward, blocking with his spell, "Barrier Circle!"

Seeing her spell be completely parried, Alcyone smiled, "Nothing less from my master, Cephiro's highest-ranked magician."

"I taught you magic so that you could be at Princess Emeraude's side and protect her. Not so you could become a threat to Cephiro!"

Alcyone let out a little chuckle, before inhaling, "As strict as always. But I don't have time for idle chatter, Master Mage Clef. Creature Summon!"

With a single wave of her staff, Alcyone summoned a massive monster made out of bluish white flames, in the form of Cerberus. Its three heads howled in unison in an otherworldly wail.

"Fufufufu," she chuckled once more, "There's no way for me to win if I fight you myself. My mission is the eradication of those novice Magic Knights."

She struck the reigns of her flaming unicorn, at which point it started galloping through the air.

"Wait, Alcyone!" Clef yelled, but was distracted by the Cerberus. "Lightning Call!"

With one burst of lightning from the sky, the flaming three-headed beast was destroyed. However, by the time the smoke cleared, Alcyone was already far outside the reach of his spells.

If… they are to fall to Alcyone, it would be impossible to revive the Mashin and become Magic Knights. The true enemy of the Magic Knights makes Alcyone seem like nothing…

Before Clef could finish his thought, he felt a hostile presence behind him. As he turned around, he saw the silhouette of Zagato for a split second, before a sudden light blinded him. He tried to lift his staff to protect himself, but it was too late. Clef felt how his body rapidly turned to stone, followed by a powerful explosion.

Seeing the cliff underneath Clef grumble and his stone form fall down, Zagato smiled. He had defeated the strongest magician in all of Cephiro.

"To sense my presence… Impressive Master Mage," he congratulated his former teacher. "But it was too late. He cannot save Princess Emeraude as he is now."

With a short evil laugh, Zagato teleported back into his base.

As our heroes were flying on the back of the gryphon, the mood was somber. The feeling of uncertainty weighed heavily on the girls, and the feeling of guilt tucked at Hotaru's heartstrings.

"Clef…" Hikaru said, looking back at the direction they had come from.

"He will be all right. He is a very powerful person," Fuu reassured her friend. "Right, Mr. Hotaru?"

At least nothing can hurt him anymore… Hotaru thought to himself, before answering, "Probably."

"T-Then what's that!" Umi yelled.

As they turned around, they saw a white flaming unicorn chasing after them, with a dark haired rider on its back. The rider pointed their staff at them, and yelled out loud.

"Ice Spear Attack!"

Innumerous long and sharp icicles were fired upon their direction. Being the largest target after the gryphon, Hotaru had to duck the most. The girls screamed as the gryphon made evasive maneuvers, while the icicles whizzed past their heads.

"What was that about holding them off?" Umi complained, almost on the verge of tears. "He's all talk and no action!"

"Oh, stop whining! We also have magic now!" Hotaru said.

He took a deep breath and concentrated on his heart. He placed his left fist in front of his face and concentrated, at which point the gem in his glove glowed bright yellowish green. Hotaru felt power swell inside of him, after which two phrases came to his mind. He decided to go with the one he thought was more useful.

"Steel Strength!"

A flash of light enveloped his body for a moment, after which Hotaru could feel his body grow stronger. While his muscles didn't bulge out or anything, his body felt both lighter and more robust. This was it; this was actual magic that he could now use.

"Did, did that do anything?" Umi asked, looking at Hotaru desperately, waiting for him to do something.

"…You guys have anything to throw at them?"

The three girls almost fell over from the embarrassment, which almost caused Fuu and Hikaru to fall off the gryphon. Thankfully Hotaru's increased strength allowed him to easily catch them.

"Let's go back to where Clef is!" Hikaru demanded. "We still might be able to save him!"

"H-Hold on…" Umi resisted.

"I don't want to abandon him like this!"

Hikaru was desperate. From her few moments shared with Clef, she could tell that the short mage wasn't a bad person. It wasn't right for them to leave him behind like this.

"That really isn't such a good idea!" Hotaru yelled out, trying to keep Hikaru's head low so she wouldn't get hit.

"Hotaru is right! If you really want to help Mr. Clef, then you must not go back!" Fuu yelled out, garnering the attention of the rest of the group. "Do you remember what Mr. Clef told us? Did he not ask us to save Cephiro? And as soon as possible?"

"She's right. Also, he told us that people of Cephiro could not do this, that includes Clef as well," Hotaru pointed out. "If you get yourselves killed, then no one will be able to save Cephiro! Also— SECOND BARRAGE!"

With another swarm of icicles flying towards them, Hotaru did his best to push the girls down against the gryphon. Knowing things were dire, he cast his second spell.

"Tungsten Defense!"

As he cast his spell, he could feel his newfound strength disappear. In return, his body flashed and instantly hardened and toughened up, without any loss in his mobility. The icicles struck against his back, shattering upon impact. The girls hid behind him, taking cover from the hail of ice spears.

"Heh, finally something useful for the situation," Hotaru said victoriously, until he noticed something alarming.

The gryphon was quickly losing altitude and its wings beat much faster than they had before. From the haggard expression on its bird face, Hotaru realized that something was weighing the gryphon down.

"Wait, isn't tungsten super heavy?" Fuu pointed out, also noticing that the bird was struggling.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Hotaru swore and turned off his spell, "Why can't I fire off cool elemental spells like everyone else?"

As Tungsten Defense wore off, the gryphon regained its mobility. The quartet of heroes was forced to duck down once more, as the ice spears continued flying past them. The barrage of icicles lasted for what felt like an eternity, but the gryphon was able to evade the attacks and protect its passengers.

"The Master Mage's creatures are impressive, but this is the end." Alcyone declared, and fired her icicles up into the sky.

Soon after the icicles rained down in front of the gryphon as a thick wall, forcing it to halt its movements. Hotaru had to grab onto the gryphon's back with all his might, so as not to get sent flying by the momentum.

As the magical beast came to a halt, the pale rider caught up to them and rode in front of them. With graceful movements, Alcyone came to a stop, moving her hair away from her face.

"Pleased to meet you, eggs from another world that would've hatched into Magic Knights," Alcyone greeted condescendingly. "I know we just met, so I do apologize, but you must die!"

To Alcyone's glee, she could see the fear in the eyes of the three girls. However, now that she could see them all up close, there was a fourth one to her surprise. While the other three were just young girls, there was also a young man who she did not recognize. What's more, he wasn't afraid, there was something else in his eyes.

Please, protect her.

Those words echoed in Hotaru's head, as he looked at Alcyone. It had been decades since he had last seen as much as a picture of her. He had forgotten how much of a beauty Alcyone was and a number of memories of her flooded Hotaru's mind. Mainly of her deaths.

In the manga, Alcyone had been killed by Zagato after failing in her tasks one too many times. In the OVA, she had been killed by Princess Emeraude's brother for her failures. And in the anime, she had died right as she had decided to help out the good guys. Alcyone, the beautiful villainess destined to die, in every incarnation.

Please, protect her.

The words echoed again. Sure, Alcyone was pretty much exactly his type, but could Princess Emeraude really have asked him to do that? On one hand, she was an overly benevolent ruler, and if anyone was aware of Alcyone's feelings, it would be Emeraude. But then again, maybe he was misremembering, and he had been tasked with protecting the Magic Knights.

"You! Who are you?" Alcyone asked, demanding that the young man would speak.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Hotaru looked at the girls behind him and then back at Alcyone, "The name is Hotaru. And… I guess I am the bodyguard of these little eggs. Now, who do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

She let out a short chuckle, "The name is Alcyone, the former Royal Sorceress of Princess Emeraude. Now, farewell Mr. bodyguard!"

As Alcyone prepared to fire another spell, Hikaru quickly stood up. She placed her left fist in front of her face and concentrated, at which point the gem in her hand glowed bright red. Hikaru raised her fist, at which point swirling flames surrounded her.

"It seems like you know a little trick," Alcyone said. "So what?"

Hikaru gathered the flames into her right hand, and threw them like a softball, "Flame Arrow!"

"NANI!?" Alcyone yelled as she felt the heatwave coming off of the spell.

Before the spell had a chance to hit her directly, she jumped off her ride, her unicorn melting underneath her. As the fireball dissipated, Alcyone was nowhere to be seen.

Having used up all her energy in that attack, Hikaru felt lightheaded and she collapses on top of the gryphon.

"Are you alright?" Umi asked.

"I assume that was the magic Mr. Clef taught you?" Fuu added.

"Y-Yeah…" Hikaru said with a quivering voice,

While the others looked after Hikaru, Hotaru looked at the ground, seeing Alcyone fleeing the scene at a distance. He knew she would be back, but it felt relieving to know that she was alright.

Thinking about all the encounters the two of them would have in the future, Hotaru made up his mind.

Yeah, she is the one I was told to protect. Most of all from herself.

"Hey, why don't we ask this weird bird to take us back to Tokyo?" Umi asked.

As the gryphon shook his head, Hikaru voiced an objection, "We cannot!"

"I am against it as well," Fuu agreed.

"Same here, plus I doubt the bird could even take us there."

"Why are you guys against it? Do you really believe that irritating guy?"

"I do not trust everything I have heard. But the story about Magic Knights seems credible. Our pursuers confirmed the story," Fuu reasoned.

"You trust something that old hag said?"

"She wasn't that old," Hotaru blurted.

"Do you see anything wrong with complying with Mr. Clef one time? Haphazardly wandering around an unfamiliar world is dangerous."

"What happens if Clef was a big liar?"

"There's no way that he could be!" Hikaru insisted.

"Lies will eventually be revealed."

Hearing Fuu say this, Hotaru turned away from the girls, pretending to look into the horizon. The conversation was getting a bit too close to home for him right now, so he decided it best to hide face. After all, he and Clef both had their secrets to keep.

"Even if it is a lie, it is better to follow something." Fuu continued. "Or do you have a better idea, Ms. Umi?"

Umi thought about her words for a bit, "We don't know which way to go even if we wanted to follow his orders."

"He told us to go west towards the Forest of Silence," Hotaru reminded Umi. "I have a compass; how difficult can it be to find a forest?"

"I will follow Mr. Clef's orders as well. What will you do, Ms. Umi?"

"Are you going to go off somewhere by yourself, Umi?" Hikaru asked carefully, not wanting to lose a comrade.

Umi's expression grew awkward until she gave in, "I guess I have no choice. I'll go with you. I'm more worried about leaving you tw— three alone!"

Hearing this, Hikaru, Fuu, and Hotaru all laughed, with Hotaru laughing the loudest. Despite all that had happened, at least his interference with the story hadn't caused too big of a change to the story.

Already a good distance away from where she had fought the Magic Knights, Alcyone was running through the woods. She felt humiliated and furious at her defeat at the hands of the smallest of the Magic Knights. Both of her summoned creatures had been destroyed and she had been forced to retreat, as she could not catch up to Clef's gryphon on foot.

"Why those little…" she muttered to herself, desiring to rant and scream, but forced herself to stay calm.

It was my fault for underestimating them. I should have just gone all out from the get go and scattered their blood like red snow on the ground. Oh, how can I face Zagato after this? He is going to be so disappointed. All I can do is to try again and slaughter them the next time. I need to figure out a way to get through that bodyguard of theirs. Had he not protected them, I surely would have skewered them from the start. Curse him! And the way he looked at me, it's almost as if he knew me. Then again, he did remind me of someone…

Alcyone came to a stop, trying to recall where she had seen that young man before. But as hard as she tried and as sharp as her memory was, she could not recognize him.

"Maybe I am just imagining things," she sighed and continued her return trip.

Author's Afterword: I hope everyone reading this enjoyed this slightly extended first official chapter. I am dyslexic so I apologize for any typos I may have missed. Feel free to post your theories about where the story will head among your reviews.