It was early evening in the town of Renault. The sun was starting to set over its slate-roofed houses and people were heading either home or to taverns to spend the evening. The area around the town was arid and mountainous, but there was a river running through the town. The town was walled off from the grasslands surrounding it by a stone brick wall.

The day had been mostly peaceful with not a single monster attack, but an earthquake had collapsed a couple of houses. But the town wasn't famous for its master artisans and builders for nothing. With magic, muscle, and innovation, two of the buildings had already been repaired. Despite Zagato's rule and the threat of monsters, Renault was still in overall good shape and had maintained most of its population.

One of the local blacksmiths, a blonde young-looking woman, was closing up shop for the evening. Her smithy was one of the biggest in town, but she worked alone.

"See you tomorrow, Sierra!" a fellow artisan from another shop greeted her.

"You too!" Sierra replied, before locking up the door.

Although she lived in the upper floors of her smithy, she was planning on heading over to a tavern for a drink. After all, making weapons all day in a warm environment worked up quite the thirst. As she was heading out, she could see a shadow being cast from the western gate. As Sierra turned around, she squinted to see the figure in the light of the setting sun. They were alone and on foot, so they weren't a regular refugee.

As they came closer, Sierra for a moment thought it was a mirage, as she was staring at a mirror image of herself. But then it clicked for her and she quickly rushed over to the newcomer.

"Presea!" Sierra greeted her twin sister, hugging her tightly.

"It's been a while, Sierra," the master blacksmith hugged back.

Sierra pulled away for a bit, but didn't let go of her older twin, "Did Master Mage Clef finally let you out of the mansion? Did you manage to make the weapons for the Magic Knights?"

Presea scratched her cheek awkwardly, "Well, it wasn't exactly Master Mage Clef who let me out, but I did manage to make the weapons. It's a long story."

Sierra nodded, "I understand, let's go grab a drink and talk it over."

"Actually, do you mind if we talk at your place? For privacy."

In the end, the twin sisters came to a compromise. They paid for some of the local brew at the tavern and then took it with them to Sierra's home. Once there, Sierra poured her and Presea drinks and they sat around a sturdy wooden table. The stone building had a tall ceiling but no windows, only ventilation holes near the ceiling edge. As such, the two sisters enjoyed a candle lit drink as they exchanged pleasantries. Sierra had caught Presea up on the local changes, like the area around the town going from tropical to arid due to the calamities caused by Zagato's rule. However, what Presea had to tell was a far wilder tale.

"Seriously? The legendary Magic Knights were just kids?" Sierra gasped at Presea's tale.

Presea nodded, "It's true. Though I was surprised by how quickly they managed to grow and obtain Escudo. They even managed to turn the Forest of Silence into an ordinary forest."

"So, what are they like?" Sierra asked, curious about the heroes of legend.

Presea thought back on the Magic Knights, trying to give an unbiased opinion, "Well, Hikaru is extremely sweet and caring, yet is equal parts brave and naïve. The weapon I forged for her was a broadsword and her element is fire. Fuu is very smart and polite, but she can be very blunt at times and has a crooked sense of humor."

"So just like you, big sis," Sierra chuckled.

Presea chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her ponytail, "Anyway, I crafted her a shortsword and her element is wind. Umi is strong-willed and protective, but she can be short-tempered and arrogant at times. I made her a rapier and she uses water magic."

Sierra smiled as she imagined the three girls, "They sound like a lovely bunch. What about the one you called Captain Hotaru? I thought there were only three magic knights."

"He isn't one, actually," Presea corrected her sister. "But he is an odd ally to say the least. He is equal parts crafty, audacious and ill-tempered, but also hardworking, quick to think on his feet, and wise."

Sierra was taken aback by this description, "Sounds like you are describing two different people. What weapon did you craft him? Or did he not manage to obtain Escudo?"

"He did succeed in it; however, I didn't exactly end up making him a weapon…" Presea confessed.

It took Presea a while to explain what had happened with Hotaru's armor. How his evolving armor had been coated by the Escudo and how it was able to produce weapons based on what spell he was using. In the end, Presea couldn't tell her sister more than that, but she wasn't disappointed.

"Imagine that! My big sister created a modern-day legend, Double Armor!" Sierra smiled overjoyed, slightly tipsy at this point.

"I am quite great, aren't I?" Presea smiled, feeling smug of her accomplishment. "Still, there is something I would like to try and figure out about the armor. Do you still have the armor catalogue that our mentor left us?"

Sierra thought back for a bit before nodding, "Yes, though I doubt you will find any description matching the Double Armor."

"I know, but I want to know what armor he had before Escudo fused with it," Presea pointed out. "It was a suit of evolving armor like what the Magic Knights have, but it had a different design."

Realizing what her sister meant, Sierra stood up, "Hold on a minute."

As Sierra didn't own too many books, it didn't take long for her to find the catalogue or armor designs. It was a thick leather bound tome filled with illustrations of magical armors, robes, and outfits belonging to all occupations of Cephiro. The two sisters started skimming through the book one page at a time, trying to find something that would catch Presea's eye.

Two hours later, the sun had already set, and Presea slumped in her chair, "I give up! We have checked the book twice and there isn't a match."

"He truly is a man of mystery, I guess," Sierra sighed. "Hmmm?"

As she felt one of the pages, she noticed how it was ever so slightly thicker than the rest. She rubbed her fingers together and realized that two pages were stuck together. As she carefully separated the two, they revealed an armor design with two pauldrons, a chest plate, and no armguards.

Presea leaned over the book in a flash, staring at the pages, "That's the one! I'm sure of it!"

"Paladin," Sierra read the description on the page. "'Monster-slaying magic-using elite-warriors who work closely together with members of clergy, such as clerics, priests, and the high priest. Most often front-line fighters, who use the elements of light, lightning, or fire.' What element does Captain Hotaru use?"

"I think he said his element was metal."

Sierra looked at her sister confused, "I did not know metal could even be a magical element."

Presea leaned back in her chair, gazing up at the ceiling, as she thought about the information she had gained on her masterwork.

So, a paladin whose elemental affinity is metal, wearing an evolving armor, and has obtained Escudo ore from the Spring of Eterna. It's just a hypothesis, but if those are the factors required for Double Armor, then no wonder no one had made one yet.

"I think we would be better off asking about this from Master Mage Clef," Sierra suggested.

Presea snapped out of her thoughts, and her expression turned glum, "That's actually something I wanted to ask you about. You see…"

"I see… So Clef was turned into stone by Zagato."

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

"A-Are you sure?"

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

"Poof Clef…" Sierra said in a dismayed tone. "So, you want me to come and look for Clef as well?"

Presea nodded, "I would appreciate the help. For you see…"

Presea's cheeks were flushing red and she was looking at her drink with a thousand-yard stare. The memories of the short yet noble and worldly mage, both warmed and ached her heart.

"…I love Clef, and I want to save him."

Sierra was shocked by this revelation, but soon started giggling, "I never thought I would see you blushing like a maiden, sis."

"And what's so strange about that!" Presea inquired, placing her foot on the table, feeling slightly insulted.

"Y-You remember back in the day when o-one of the boys gave you a flower as a present?" Sierra continued laughing, now almost in tears. "You said, 'thanks, but I'd rather have a new hammer'!"

Presea grabbed her younger sister into a headlock and pulled on her ear, "It's not like you were any better!"

The twin sisters spent the rest of the evening laughing, drinking, and reconnecting.

It was a sunny late afternoon at the village of Prius. The village had used to be a town, but the recent years had been heavy on its populace. Only the luxurious and proud architecture of the remaining buildings served as proof of its past glory. People were still tending to their work so the village was almost void of any activities. Even the local tavern only had a single patron at the moment.

A green-haired young man wielding a large curved sword and carrying a large travel bag had just arrived. He had ordered a drink and was only intending to rest up a bit before continuing his journey. After finishing a few glasses of the local non-alcoholic specialty, the young man felt refreshed and rejuvenated.

"I wonder if it's far to the next town…" he pondered out loud, talking to the bartender. "Oh, yeah. The whole town seems to be feeling down. What's up with that?"

The bartender was an older man with a wrinkly forehead, brown hair, bushy eyebrows, and wore dark green work clothes and a bright green ascot. His eyes were sunken in and it was clear he had been through tough times as of late. However, he still had a caring and helpful air to him.

"Hmmm…" the bartender concentrated on the question. "Monsters attack almost every day. And…"

"And?"

"No, it's nothing," the bartender smiled dismissively.

Despite the man shrugging it off, Ferio, the wandering swordsman, could swear there was something that the bartender was hiding. However, as a man used to holding a few secrets himself, he knew better than to pry into it. He was on a mission to rescue the Pillar of Cephiro, Princess Emeraude, and he couldn't let every little troubled villager stop him.

By the time he finally set out on his journey again, it was already evening and the sky was dyed yellow from the setting sun. Hoping to find a suitable safe spot at a nearby forest to camp out at, before nightfall, Ferio was walking at a brisk pace. He had not made it half a mile further from the village, until he was assaulted by monsters.

A red cycloptic gargoyle-like monster attacked him first. Ferio had to throw away his travel bag in order to be fast enough to avoid its attack. The monster was slain in a single swing of his sharp sword, but the red monster had only been a distraction. As his back was turned, a flower monster with tendrils, a one-eyed blue bird monster, and a red mantis monster jumped him. But before his travel bag even had time to fall to the ground, Ferio had already dispatched the monsters.

Battles like this were nothing compared to his time in the Forest of Silence, but this was at the outskirts of a village.

"To have this many monsters coming out…" he sighed before throwing his bag over his shoulder, "it's getting pretty wild."

Just as he was about to continue onwards, it began to rain without a warning. As he had no gear suited for rainy weather, Ferio had to rush into the woods so as not to get his clothes and bag soaked. The rain intensified as he ran and by the time Ferio reached a tree he could stay under; it was pouring heavily. He took out a piece of cloth and started drying out his clothes, as there was no room to make a fire.

"It wasn't like this when Princess Emeraude was ruling the land," he sighed in frustration. "Even the weather's acting weird thanks to Zagato."

As he waited for the rain to stop, he pulled out a pink and red magic item out of his pocket. It was a two-way communicator that he had received from Princess Emeraude a long time ago. He had given its counterpart to a Magic Knight named Fuu, so that the two of them could keep in touch. However, she had not called him back yet. He was about to call her instead, when he heard the magic item ping.

"Ferio…" a gentle female voice spoke from it.

Ferio gasped, as the voice did not resemble that of Fuu.

"Ferio, I am Princess Emeraude. Ferio…"

Recognizing the voice now, Ferio was ecstatic to hear from the princess directly, "Princess Emeraude, I will come rescue you now! Where are you?"

As Emeraude replied, her voice was pained and strained, "At the lake on the outskirts of Prius village… Please save the Magic Knights! Please, save those girls from another world!"

Surprised by this request, Ferio listened more closely, but there were no further words.

"Princess Emeraude! Princess Emeraude!" he tried getting a response.

Ferio waited for a moment, but the magic item remained silent. He got up slowly, trying to remember the instructions Emeraude had given him.

"The lake on the outskirts of Prius Village…"

Not long after, the rain stopped, allowing him to travel through the woods without being soaked. Knowing the forest might have more monsters in it, he started looking around cautiously. By the time he found a small lake within the forest, the sun had already set. He had expected a battle to be taking place, but everything seemed peaceful.

"Here?" he wondered skeptically.

Just as he thought he might've been in the wrong place, a white dome of light appeared on the lake shore.

"What's this?"

As he got closer to it, the dome grew larger, and once next to it, its light faded, revealing five figures that he recognized. Magic Knights Umi and Fuu were laying on their stomachs on the ground, while Hikaru and Hotaru were laying on their backs. Hikaru was clutching in her arms a white creature Ferio remembered as Mokona, that had the power to conjure food and buildings. While the armors of the Magic Knights seemed to have evolved, it was clear that they were badly injured.

"Hey, Fuu!" he called out for the blonde Magic Knight.

There was no response from any of them. Ferio put down his sword and lifted Fuu into his arms, holding her body up.

"Fuu, get it together!" Ferio yelled, trying to wake her up.

The green Magic Knight slowly opened her emerald eyes, before blinking and wondering what was going on, "Ferio?"

Holding Fuu still in his arms, Ferio noticed how Hikaru and Umi started slowly waking up as well. With pained groans they got up off the ground, but seemed to be without any major injuries. Fuu smiled, seeing that her friends were alright, but quickly her gaze focused on the group's fourth member, who remained immobile.

"Hotaru!" Fuu yelled, before stumbling off the ground and hurrying over to him.

Noticing how worried Fuu was, Ferio asked, "Is something wrong with Boss? What happened?"

"He took a lightning bolt for us," Hikaru groaned, her head still aching. "Then we all got hit by another."

"Winds of Healing!" Fuu yelled, spreading her hands over Hotaru.

Emerald green wind and light immersed the young man's armored body. He had no external injuries so it was hard to tell if the magic was actually doing something. As time passed, Hotaru's peaceful expression did not change.

"Hotaru, please wake up!" Hikaru sniffed with tears in her eyes.

"You've helped us so many times already, but please don't leave us yet!" Fuu begged, keeping her spell active, even though it was draining.

As her friends were doing everything they could to wake the older teenager up, Umi was overwrought with guilt. She had tempted fate and taunted Zagato, and now Hotaru would pay the price. With nothing else she could do, Umi looked around until she spotted the lake. She scooped up some water into her hands, throwing it at Hotaru's face, and yelled at full volume.

"HOTARU! THE OLD HAG IS BACK TO TAKE HER REVENGE!"

"What do you think you are doing?" Ferio asked, completely appalled by Umi's bedside manners.

Despite Umi's crude methods, Hotaru seemed to react to it. His brow furrowed as he started coughing slightly, spitting the water out of his mouth and nose.

Eventually the brunette man opened his lime-green eyes and groaned, "She's not that old…"

He quickly stirred up as the Magic Knights hurriedly hugged him tightly from all sides. While this would have been heartwarming in most scenarios, everyone's armors got in the way and made the hug very awkward.

"Ow ow ow ow!" Hotaru yelped, feeling his fingers getting pinned between Fuu's and Hikaru's cuirasses.

"We're so glad you are okay!" Umi yelled.

"We thought we lost you," Hikaru teared up, leaning against Hotaru's chest like a kitten.

"Well, I am fine, you can let go now. Although I did see my life flash before my eyes…"

"What did you see?" Ferio asked.

Unwilling to reveal details of his past life, he just answered shortly, "Headlights…"

Back at the village of Prius, shops had already closed as the sun had completely set. One would have imagined the tired villagers to have headed home by now, but instead they had gathered at the town hall. While meetings at the town hall weren't uncommon at Prius, they had become a weekly event lately. Though whether or not they could be called meetings was an entirely different topic. A more fitting term would have been, inspections.

"Ya'll stockpiled this many weapons, and nobody wants to revolt against Lord Zagato?"

A beautiful, scantily clad woman was sitting atop the stairs leading to a stage. She had dark skin, aquamarine eyes, pink lips, and long, curly, pink hair that was pulled back into a high ponytail. She wore a black turtleneck that left her midriff exposed, with gold plating beneath. She also wore a red cape, red-jeweled earrings and gloves, and skin-tight see-through leggings.

In front of her stood a pile of hundreds of weapons, from daggers to swords and spears to axes. There truly seemed to be more weapons in the pile than there were people in the entire village.

Behind the pile, the entire male population of the village was kneeling before the woman. A man with brown hair and moustache, green eyes, and pink shirt lifted his gaze towards the woman. He was the mayor of Prius, and though everyone around him was scared, he had to look straight into the woman's eyes.

"It's true. These weapons are for dealing with monsters. We wouldn't revolt against Lord Zagato…"

The woman spread her legs slightly as she leaned forward, "Those kinda excuses won't work with me."

"But…" the mayor croaked.

"However, scratch my back and I'll scratch yours," the woman spoke suggestively, as she stood up.

"H-Huh?"

Seeing that the villagers didn't get what she was saying, she spoke more bluntly, "Money-money! If y'all pay up…"

Just as she was about to force the villagers to pay through the nose, something caught her eye. Through the open doors of the town hall, she could see five individuals. A boy wearing pieces of light armor, three girls with sets of matching armor, and a young man wearing heavy armor.

"Forget the money," her voice turned more serious. "If you kill them, I'll keep this from Lord Zagato."

"Them?" the mayor repeated, confused.

"Those three girls walkin' around back there," she said with a wicked smile. "I will deal with the man in armor myself."

The villagers turned around, looking at the village's central plaza. As they spotted the girls and what they assumed to be their bodyguards, their hearts sank.

The mayor gathered all his courage, before refusing, "I can't! Aren't they just children?"

"Are you goin' against me?" the woman asked with a stern voice.

"Even if it is to save our village, I can't kill people!"

The woman sighed and sat back down onto the stairs, "You're pissin' me off."

Realizing he may have overstepped; the mayor took a step back. He was prepared for the beautiful woman to pull a knife on him, but instead, she just chuckled. The pink-haired lady then lifted her right hand in front of her face, her palm facing him, before pulling it aside. As the mayor saw the woman's left aquamarine eye through her fingers, he felt a strange sensation taking him over.

The other villagers watched in confusion as the mayor stood up and reached for the pile of weapons. The mayor picked up a dagger with a green gem in its pommel and held it up, with his mouth hanging agape. In a trance-like state, the mayor stabbed the dagger into his right thigh, pushing it all the way in till the cross guard pressed against her leg.

The mayor yelled in pain as the other villagers gasped in horror, before the mayor fell onto his hands and knees. They looked from the side as a pool of blood started forming underneath the mayor.

"Mayor!" the tavern keeper yelled out.

With a cold and uncaring voice, the swarthy woman threatened, "If ya'll don't wanna end up like your mayor, kill them. Got it?"

As the mayor was bleeding dry, the other villagers nodded fearfully. While the villagers got to work, the woman turned her head away, so as not to show off her glee.

Am I a lucky girl or what? To have those Magic Knights who bullied Ascot walk right in front of me. I'll just watch how they fight these townspeople. Doubt they will win, but at least the Magic Knights will be tired out afterwards. Then I will have the famous bodyguard all to myself to toy with… I can't wait to see Alcyone's face!

Having returned to the village, Ferio had escorted our heroes to the tavern he had been at. The place was still void of other patrons, which annoyed Hotaru, since he had wanted to make a few arm-wrestling bets. But as there wasn't a line, he and Ferio were enjoying a few drinks at the counter.

"Come on Ferio, spare a few coins so that I can buy something stiff," Hotaru bumped elbows with the green haired man.

"Mr. Hotaru, I doubt you are old enough to drink yet," Umi scolded him.

"I've had a rough day, alright?" Hotaru reminded her. "Besides who knows what the legal drinking ages are in this world."

"Sorry to disappoint you but I don't got money to spare," Ferio refused. "Fruit juice is all we're getting tonight."

On cue, Hotaru's stomach grumbled loudly, reminding him they had not eaten since breakfast.

"I guess that also rules out food," he sighed before turning towards the girls. "How's our situation with home cooked meals looking?"

"Sir Mokona is not quite back to normal yet," Fuu reported. "I wonder if it is all right?"

"Yeah…" Hikaru sighed, holding Mokona in her arms.

Mokona had remained immobile ever since they woke up. Its eyes were a couple of swirls and its ears, hands, and feet were spread out. To quote Umi, Mokona looked like a star and was seeing stars.

After finishing another glass of juice, Ferio changed the topic, "But it's just like you guys to find a Mashin. So how many did you find?"

"So, there is more than one Mashin?" Hikaru asked.

"Called it," Hotaru quipped from behind his glass.

"Didn't Clef tell you?"

Hikaru shook her head sadly, "No, we didn't have time to talk when we first met."

Having been blessed with the opportunity to teach someone else something for a change, Ferio smiled, "When Cephiro faces crisis, Magic Knights will appear from another world. Wielding swords of Escudo, and reviving the three Mashin, they will become the Magic Knights."

As he talked, Ferio walked closer to the Magic Knights, making sure they would hear it. While the three girls were listening intently, Hotaru seemed to be nodding off.

"It's a legend in Cephiro from way, way back. So, there are three Mashin," he finished the explanation, before leaning on closer. "Even if you have only found one so far, I am sure you will find the others soon."

"So we do have to find two more!" Umi clutched her head despairingly. "Zagato will kill us before that!"

Ferio was confused by this outcry, "Whoa, that's not like you. You used to be so confident."

Umi stood up and leaned towards Ferio aggressively, "You wouldn't understand how fearful Zagato is!"

"I have to agree with Umi on that," Hotaru admitted. "He single-handedly would have killed us if not for Princess Emeraude."

"Boss…" Ferio stared stupefied, but quickly regained himself. "Only you guys can save Princess Emeraude!"

"It's alright," Hikaru said reassuringly. "We'll definitely—"

"We should not go against Zagato right now," Fuu interrupted.

Hikaru, Umi, and Ferio were all surprised by Fuu's words. They looked at her like she had just said something outlandish.

"We cannot defeat Zagato as we are now. Perhaps if our armor and weapons evolved…" Fuu speculated, trying to gauge the power difference.

"What are you going to do if they don't!" Ferio asked in a pressing tone.

Hotaru was about to answer, but Fuu talked over him, "All will be for nothing if we die!"

Noticing the two would-be lovebirds staring at each other intently, Hotaru decided to keep what he knew under wraps. Though he remembered the episodes of Magic Knight Rayearth with Ferio in them fondly, this one was a bit hazy. But even then, he could tell that this would be an important topic between Fuu and Ferio.

The staring contest came to an end as the bartender walked over to them. He was holding a tray with three glasses on it, which stood out as odd for Hotaru.

Shouldn't there be four of them in this scenario?

"I hear you three ladies are friends of Mr. Ferio here," the bartender smiled and laughed awkwardly.

As the bartender handed over the drinks, Ferio noticed how much his hand was shaking. He hadn't had this problem before when serving drinks for Hotaru and him, nor had they ordered any extras.

As he placed the glasses on the table, the bartender smiled, "These are on the house."

"This looks good!" Ferio leaned over the table. "Fuu, can you give me a sip?"

"Don't!" the bartender yelped.

Ferio smiled smugly, "Why can't I have any?"

"Because…"

"Because it's poisoned, right?"

Before anyone could react to Ferio's words, the front door of the tavern was kicked open. Behind it stood a mob of villagers wielding weapons with serious expressions. Ferio, Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu all gasped, seeing that the entire village was against them. The villagers charged at the girls with their weapons drawn, but were halted as an armored figure got in their way.

The first row of villagers was knocked back by a round golden shield and the second by the blunt end of a metallic spear. The villagers regrouped, as they prepared to face the tall armored opponent who stood between them and the girls. While they were expecting the friends of the girls to protect them, the expression upon the warrior's face was far from protective.

The brunet man looked at them with a wide grin, the corner of his left lime-green eye twitching. Though he wielded a spear and shield in front of a crowd of assailants, his pose and demeanor weren't in a defensive stand. Rather, he was beckoning for them to come closer.

"I, have had a really bad day," Hotaru talked through his teeth. "I've had my arm broken, I have been knocked around, and struck by lightning, twice. I am hungry, pissed off, and I only got three hours of sleep last night. Bring it!"

"Boss, stop!" Ferio begged. "These aren't Zagato's minions!"

"I am dangerously close to not giving a fuck!"

Both the villagers and the Magic Knights looked at Hotaru with fearful expressions. The question of whether or not he was bluffing was on everyone's mind, but none of them even dared suggesting it. Noticing that the situation could escalate at any minute, Ferio acted fast.

He rushed over to the bartender, pulled out a hidden dagger, pulled the tavern owner closer, and placed his knife on his throat.

"Listen up!" Ferio yelled at the crowd. "If you keep attacking, I'll kill him!"

"Ferio!" the three Magic Knights yelled.

"Why did you attack us?" Ferio interrogated the bartender.

"It's got nothing to do with you," the bartender gasped, feeling the knife against his throat. "We're going to be killed if we don't kill those girls over there!"

"You think you'll be safe if you do?" Hotaru asked, swapping his spells.

The villagers took a step back as the armored warrior pulled out a giant sword out of thin air. As its blade split vertically and revealed rotating blades, the villagers huddled closer together, using those in front as human shields.

"Calm down boss! Who in the world would do something like that?" Ferio asked the tavern keeper.

"One of Zagato's minions, Caldina!" the man revealed.

"Caldina?" Ferio repeated, before pulling away from the bartender. "All right. We'll take care of her."

"There's no way you can!"

Hearing the name Caldina, Hotaru let out a light chuckle. He remembered the pink-haired woman quite fondly, as well as her abilities.

If I remember correctly, she uses illusions and mind control. However, in terms of sheer power, she is far weaker than Ascot and Alcyone. In fact, she might be the weakest of Zagato's minions, now that I think about it… Oh well, her and Ascot we're still important allies in the series. They will make great neighbors!

As Hotaru was lost in his thoughts of nostalgia, Ferio was assuring the bartender, "Oh, it's alright. These four defeated Zagato's minions on their way here."

"It's all right for you because you can run if you fail!" the bartender snapped, before kneeling from desperation. "But we can't run away. After you run away, all of us will be killed…"

Seeing the grown man start tearing up, Hotaru put his weapon down, "He is right. Even if we manage to kill Caldina, these people will be punished as soon as we leave."

"Is there no way that you can let us go?" Fuu asked the villagers. "Not kill us and let us run away?"

"Same difference! If we fail, Caldina will kill us!"

"All right," Ferio took over the conversation. "We won't fight Caldina. We'll save you without fighting."

"That's absurd!"

"Just do what I tell you! We can choose to just leave you and run away!"

"Ferio!" Hikaru yelled, feeling offended he would suggest something like that.

Seeing that they were out of options, the villagers placed their weapons down and were willing to listen to the green haired boy.

Seeing he had everyone's attention, Ferio asked the crowd, "So what kind of person is this Caldina?"

"What kind of person?" the bartender thought out loud. "She was rather persistent about money… Also, she wanted to take care of him personally."

It took the sleep deprived Hotaru a moment to realize that the bartender was pointing at him, "Me? What does she want to do with me?"

The bartender shook his head, "I do not know."

"Money?" Ferio pondered for a while. "Alright."

It took some convincing of both the villagers and the Magic Knights, but eventually they all agreed on a plan. They did not have much time before Caldina would get suspicious, so they all had to act quickly. The villagers got into their positions, while Ferio and the four heroes stalked the town hall.

Seeing that the coast was clear, Ferio turned around, "When the front door closes, leave immediately through the back door."

"It's reckless to go by yourself!" Hikaru objected to the idea.

"Yeah!" Umi agreed.

"But if you go, it really will become a battle. And if by any chance Caldina gets away, the townsfolk would be in trouble!"

The three girls went quiet upon hearing this, while Hotaru just yawned, waiting for the others to get ready to leave. He already knew the outcome of the plan and had already asked Ferio to find out what Caldina wanted with him. Now all he needed to do was to get some rest and wait for the answer.

"It's better if you're not here," Ferio insisted. "Leave it to me!"

As Ferio was about to take his leave, Fuu stopped him one last time, "Why do you want to go this far just to save us?"

"Because Princess Emeraude asked me to," Ferio answered coldly.

Fuu sighed, realizing that Ferio was doing this for the sake of their common goal.

"But also…" Ferio turned his head, "…because I fell in love with you."

As Fuu gasped happily upon hearing this, a thought popped into Hotaru's mind.

Wait… could Caldina have fallen in love with me? She always had a thing for tall men in armor… Nah, she and I have never even met! Though she wants to deal with me personally… so she's probably heard of my exploits…

Caldina was waiting for the villagers to return with the news of the Magic Knights' demise, or the demise of the villagers. She had taken her time to light up some of the oil lamps at the townhall, since she was not a fan of the dark. It made it less likely she would be ambushed, plus it wasn't like she was the one paying for the oil.

As soon as the door to the entrance hall was opened, she turned around gracefully, to hear the news of the villager's success. But instead of a bunch of scared villagers, she was greeted by a green-haired young man.

"Pardon me," the man said politely.

"What are ya doin' here?" Caldina asked suspiciously, recognizing the boy as the one walking with the Magic Knights.

With a calm and courteous voice, the boy offered, "I'm here to keep you company while you wait."

What does he think he is? A gigolo? Not my type really…

"This entire mess started because I brought them here…" the man apologized and knelt before her.

"What nonsense are ya spoutin'?" Caldina asked with her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow.

"Please," the young man raised a bag he was carrying.

Caldina heard something that caught her attention and before she could ask, the young man dropped the bag in front of her. As it hit the ground, it opened up, revealing a large quantity of gold coins. She needed not hear more.

"Money~!" Caldina shouted joyously, jumping into the air. "Money, money, money!"

She was already thinking of the hundreds of ways she could use the gold, until realizing the position she was in. She quickly recovered her poker face and stared at the young man accusingly.

"Are you tryin' to bribe me? It ain't that easy."

"Bribe? Nothing of the sort! I was wondering if you wanted to gamble while you waited," Ferio suggested, pulling out a deck of cards.

Caldina kneeled down to eye level with Ferio, smiling competitively, "You're gonna regret it. I'm really good with bets that involve money."

"Sure," Ferio agreed, before bowing.

Before the game started, they closed the door of the town hall. With the sound of the heavy door being closed, our heroes knew that it was time to leave.

"That is the signal. Let us depart," Fuu took charge.

"Fuu, you're not worried about Ferio?" Hikaru asked, still not wanting to leave him behind.

"I am," Fuu admitted. "But we would be wasting what Ferio has done if we do not depart."

"Fuu…" Hikaru peeped, feeling guilty as she saw Fuu's sad expression.

With that said, Fuu started heading over to the tavern's back door, with the others following. As they were leaving, they could hear Hotaru dragging his metallic heels.

"Hotaru, hurry up already!" Umi urged him.

"Fine…" he muttered, hands in his pockets.

Back when Ferio had shared his plan with everyone, he had suggested trading places with Ferio in the card game. He was interested in finding out how he would fare in the card game, and perhaps win some of the gold the villagers had amassed. However, once Ferio had shown him the cards, he realized he was out of his league. Though the game itself probably wasn't too difficult, he could not tell the value of the cards.

What a convoluted game. Cards similar to poker, but about as many symbols as in mahjong, colors like Uno, and about as many dragons as in Duel Monsters!

At the townhall, Ferio and Caldina had sat on opposite ends of a large wooden table. In order to see the cards better, they had placed an oil lamp on the table. The 2000 gold coins had been split evenly between the two players. By his request, Ferio was shuffling the deck, after which he dealt the cards.

For his first game, Ferio swapped two cards, before showing his hand. Despite not having changed a single card, Caldina had won.

"This hand is mine," she said confidently.

Ferio pushed over a stack of 20 gold coins, as he planned to drag the game as long as he could.

"The game has only just begun," he smiled confidently.

Despite having said this, Ferio found himself on a losing streak. Just as Caldina had said, she was good at gambling. Round after round he kept losing, which Ferio found to be unreasonable, as he should have had the better hand at least a few times. He wondered if Caldina was cheating somehow, but this was impossible. He was the one to deal the cards each round and she had nowhere to hide cards in her skimpy outfit. Furthermore, her poker face was immaculate, barely changing throughout the game.

His pile of gold was getting smaller and smaller with each round, but he needed to buy more time. Eventually he remembered his promise to Hotaru, and decided that it would be a good idea to buy some time with a conversation.

"So, I noticed the villagers putting poison in the drinks of the Magic Knights," Ferio mentioned, while shuffling the deck. "But what about the big guy? I heard them talking something about a sleeping drug. Why not poison him as well?"

Caldina leaned against the table and placed her cheek against her hand, "It's not really your business now, is it? All ya need to know is that I got a personal investment in getting' my hands on him."

Unable to read her expressions, Ferio decided not to press the topic further. Worst case scenario she could be annoyed by his questioning and call the game off early. Eventually Ferio came down to his last stack of 20 coins, and he was really sweating buckets. The villagers had not yet arrived, meaning he could not play his part yet.

"Wouldn't it be better to call it quits now?" Caldina asked, sounding like a concerned older sister.

"If you want to call it quits, go ahead," Ferio taunted her, knowing he was already way over his head.

"I was just worried about ya…" Caldina pouted, before smiling. "All right, I'll take the challenge."

It was at that moment, that someone started pounding on the town hall's door. This took the pink-haired woman by surprise,

"What is it?" Caldina asked, standing up.

"No time for that," Ferio asked her to focus.

Caldina sat back down, and chucked smugly, "Alright, here ya go."

As they both threw their cards down, the winner was clear. Caldina had won every single round from start to finish.

"That's why I told ya to quiet," she chuckled, before hearing the door being broken down. "What?"

As she turned around, she could see all the villagers outside. They were unarmed and looked distraught.

"We have a problem!" the bartender announced. "Those girls ran away!"

"What did you say!?"

Caldina got up and walked outside. She quickly scoured the area and noticed that there was no sign of the girls or Hotaru. Smelling a rat, she walked back into the town hall, looking as furious as her pretty pink-haired self could.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" she spoke in a serious tone.

"We've been banging on the door to let you know all this time…"

Realizing her suspicions were correct, she turned towards the green-haired boy angrily, "You…"

Before she had time to pull out her daggers, the green clad bartender tackled the young boy to the ground. The sight of the boy getting knocked against the wall took her by surprise, but not as much as seeing the bartender pull out a knife.

"It's your fault! It's all because you brought those girls here!" the old man yelled.

"W-Wait! We can talk this out" Ferio stuttered as he got up onto his feet.

Instead of talking, the old man let out a cry of desperation and charged at Ferio, stabbing his dagger into his stomach. Caldina was in shock, seeing one of the villagers killing the boy in cold blood. Though the death was not instant, the boy fell to the ground in pain, before going completely limp. The old man then backed away before shivering and starting to scream in shock, apparently having never killed before.

With the situation getting out of hand, Caldina smiled awkwardly, "Well, I'll be goin' now!"

She was just about to leave, until she remembered her winnings. She returned to the table and gathered everything into the young man's bag.

"I'll just take the gold though," she smiled, trying to act casual.

"Um…"

"No, it's okay. I'll let you go this time!" Caldina assured the villagers. "Bye!"

Not good with situations like this, Caldina quickly took her leave, running out the door and slamming it behind her. Once she left, the villagers waited for a little while before letting out a sigh of relief.

"I told you it'd go well!" Ferio said happily before standing up.

He then pulled out a metal pan he had been keeping under his clothes, which had stopped the blade of the dagger. The villagers thanked him, before offering lodging for the night.

After leaving the village, Caldina had returned to her little hideout in the forest. It was a cozy abandoned stone house that she had taken over as her thief's den. She knew she should have chased after the Magic Knights, but finding them in the dark would be difficult. Plus, a gal like her needed her eight hours of sleep to stay pretty.

Before bedtime, she grabbed a bottle of wine and started counting her money on her table. With today's winnings added to her savings, she already had 10 000 gold coins, which formed a neat cube of gold.

Just as she was smiling at her hoard, she heard a young voice speak up, "Hey… Did something good happen?"

"Listen to me, Ascot," she smiled at the little summoner, "I'll get those girls and their bodyguard soon, so ya can go back to the castle with your head held high."

Ascot looked down at the ground, and said quietly, "I don't want too anymore…"

"No, no," Caldina scolded him. "A talented kid like you shouldn't waste your life like this."

Ascot remained quiet, for he knew that Caldina only wanted what was best for him. He just wasn't sure what it was that was best for him these days.

After leaving the village of Prius, our heroes had to camp out in the woods, as Mokona was still out of it. Once the sun came up, the little bunny-like creature was teetering from one side of the road to another. Still, it seemed to know the way even in this state.

Although they were all dirty from sleeping in the forest, everyone felt very refreshed, with Hotaru having finally slept peacefully in well over a week. Still, there was an air of uncertainty floating amongst the group.

"So, what should we do now?" Umi asked others.

"It seems that we only have one path to take," Fuu answered. "Zagato's minions will follow if we run. Thus, the only way is to go against them as we grow stronger."

Umi sighed deeply, "I wonder if we can grow stronger than this…"

"I kinda doubt that I can," Hotaru sighed, holding his hands in his pockets, "but I am sure you girls can. Maybe you will get another upgrade once we find another Mashin."

"And if not, I will make sure we will grow stronger than Zagato," Hikaru promised. "And then we will save Cephiro!"

"Hikaru Shidou-style bootcamp incoming," Hotaru chuckled, which made Umi kind of nervous.

With all that being said, the group continued on forward, except for Fuu. She still had not heard back from Ferio and was getting nervous. She pulled out her magical receiver and looked at it worriedly. At that very same moment, it pinged.

"It worked."

"Ferio!" Fuu yelled in delight at his voice. "You are all right!"

"Of course. You didn't think that I'd croak that easily, did you?" Ferio chuckled, looking at the group from the branch of a tree, some ways away. "Give me a heads-up now and then. If you call only when you need help, it's kinda sad."

Fuu gasped and blushed heavily upon hearing this and was smiling widely after the call ended.

"Fuu, your face is very red," Umi teased her.

"Hold on!" Hotaru interrupted the two love birds, grabbing the magical walkie-talkie. "What did you learn from Caldina?"

"Not much, she just said she wanted to get her hands on you. It's hard to get a read on that woman."

Hotaru returned the magic item to Fuu, and started thinking as he walked.

Yeah, she probably has the hots for me. I will have to figure out a way to turn her down without hurting her feelings. I want us to still be friends, but I don't want to steal her from her true knight in shining armor. They always made such a cute couple.

"Hay! No! No!" Hikaru interrupted him before pulling Hotaru by their hand. "This way! This way!"

"Oh right…" he chuckled, realizing he was walking in the wrong direction.

Author's Afterword: It feels good to have a chapter that flows well together after last time. Also it is nice for Ferio and Fuu to officially be a couple and for Caldina to have been introduced properly. I have a lot of ideas for the next chapter and need to decide which ones to go with.

I feel quite proud with some of the original scenes added in this chapter. We never got much of a backstory for Presea and Sierra in MKR, so I found myself with plenty of freedom. I think I captured the past life of the tomboyish twin blacksmiths quite well. As for the twins' discovery over Hotaru's armor, I felt that paladin was a fitting class for him, as I did not feel like going full magic swordsman with him.

I had planned on having Hotaru to play the game of cards against Caldina, but there really were way too many obstacles to make it work. Now it is never revealed in the series, but I feel like Caldina used her illusion magic to make the cards look like winning hands.

As always, reviews are welcomed and appreciated! I would also love to hear some of the theories you got about the future events of this series.