Chapter 23: Thicker Than Blood, Darker Than Black

Porter had been up for three days straight, decoding and decrypting the information the Samihos brought after infiltrating the Black Mage's castle. There were zettabytes of information to sift through. With each page of algorithms he decoded, he found they were filled with calculations of mind-blowing proportions, giving him the energy to continue. His fingers flew over each key, going so fast that they seemed to blur. He stopped when he came to the information previously decrypted about the Oblivion Gauntlet. But as he reread it, something clicked in his mind.

"No, that can't be!" He said, scrolling back through the endless lines of text and finding a phrase he had seen many times before: Beyond the Clouds. Faster and faster, he searched, pulling up old programs and files within the Omega Sector mainframe, which further searched the text. What it revealed was something far more disturbing than words could describe. The Oblivion Gauntlet was the heart of an elaborate network of 150 machines that fired highly compressed streams of mana intertwined with the power of the Five Crystals at a single point.

"What in Minverva's name is all this?" Porter asked as he backed away from the screens while they continued to decrypt the text. He then ran through the darkened hallways with fervor.

"DOCTOR KIM! DOCTOR KIM!"


From his darkened prison cell, Shamos snickered: the work of those Guardians had been proving useful, and now that many of the lower-class rulers were gone, the restoration of his master's rule was assured. Robeira and the others had put him in this place long ago. But he couldn't get past her sharp senses even with his fooling other 'adventurers' to set him free.

"But, those Guardians are much stronger than any of those fools that have come before. If I can get at least a meeting with them, I should be able to convince them to set me free." He snickered, beginning to laugh as he formulated his plan of attack. Robeira jerked her head back when an awful feeling washed over her.

"So, Shamos is determined to free his master," Arec said.

"And he's planning to use the Guardians of Ossyria to do so." continued Tylus.

"If they free him, it will be very foolish," Rene surmised.

"But I have faith that even if they do break Shamos free and free his king…" Pedro said.

"…The Guardians of Ossyria will be able to overcome the Hoblin King and send him to his rightful place." Robeira finished as they returned to their meditations and training.


Matthew stepped to the right as Nathan's spear stabbed forward. He barely missed his side when the butt of Matthew's Omega Spear came swinging at Nathan's head. Nathan ducked down and jumped back as the heavy head of the spear thrust forward. Nathan fell on his back but threw his legs up and caught the spear between his knees, twisting the spear out of Matthew's hands and rolling back onto his feet. Nathan thrust his spear as a violet light propelled it, causing Matthew to pull his arms up as though flexing.

A large iron wall shot up from the ground, taking the shock of the stab, then melting away into a cloud of mana. Nathan held up his spear as Matthew's gauntlet flew in, sparking off the Reverse Alchupiz and knocking him back. Matthew dashed for his spear as Nathan struggled to his feet. The Guardian Warrior swung his Omega hard while Nathan stabbed his spear in the ground to block, bracing with his shoulder. The impact sent him sliding across the ground, his whole right side numb.

"That was good…" Matthew called, standing the spear up and putting a hand on his hip.

"However, you might want to avoid blocking a heavy attack like that next time. Until you are stronger, I suggest avoiding blocking an attack completely instead of deflecting, especially when your enemy has gathered momentum." Nathan rubbed his shoulder a bit where the shaft of his spear had slammed into his body.

"So what if I try and block it fully?" Nathan asked.

"If your enemy is stronger than you, a rigid defense could result in broken or shattered bones."

"Well, I blocked your attack, and I think the worst I'll get is a bruise or two." Nathan chuckled, cringing a bit in pain.

"At the last moment, I had to slow my swing. I'm more used to a sword, so using something light like a spear makes me forget how strong I am." Matthew said, looking up at the spear's 'u' shaped head.

"Why haven't I seen you use a mace before?" Nathan asked, stabbing his spear's head into the ground, releasing an armor strap to message his shoulder more directly.

"Maces are good for smashing your way through everything. The only problem is they require loads of momentum to be effective. They are nothing but dead weight attached to a stick. It can take a lot out of a person to swing something that heavy for a long time." Nathan nodded as Matthew patted him on the back until Kyrin and Mark approached them with a request to return to the village.


Auzzy sat and listened for anything that would give Olsen away. But the harder he listened, the more of a headache that he got. From behind him, he heard a high-pitched fluttering. Auzzy backflipped and clung to the tree trunk he'd been waiting on as the four Shuriken sank into the wood. Auzzy retaliated by hurling back his kunai, but only a tree. Taking a breath, he disappeared into the wind, his steps almost inaudible. Still, he had a feeling of dread he couldn't suppress.

Auzzy's old master was part of the elite trained by the High Elders in Leafre. But Olsen was on a different level. Everything Olsen did was magnitudes more powerful than his master, despite being the same techniques. Maybe the Crystal he had within him made him seem so powerful.

Whatever the case, Auzzy was constantly being challenged to the limit and beyond just to keep up with Olsen, let alone ahead of him. Auzzy was about to move to another location when the shine of bronze coins covered in blood dropped before him. He activated his haste and jumped away from the coins before they exploded. But the detonation forced him through the air into a tree, where more Shuriken dug into his clothes and pinned him down.

"Very good, Auzzy, but your reactions are a bit slow," Olsen said, appearing on the branch before him and prying the stars from the tree. When one hand was free, Auzzy reached out for Olsen's chest. A violet corkscrew of energy twisted around it as though it were going to drill into Olsen. But Olsen sidestepped his hand and pinned it again with a dagger through Auzzy's sleeve.

"Like I said, still a bit slow," Olsen instructed while pulling the dagger from the wood.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was trying to strategize before going in for the attack."

"That's always good, but you must try and do it on the move, leaving your attacker without enough time to dodge your attack, like when he's coming at you. Speaking of which, were you trying an Energy Drain just then?" Olsen asked as he pried the last Shuriken out of the tree.

"Yeah, I was," Auzzy replied with a bashful grin, rocking his head side to side and rubbing the back of his head where it hurt slightly after crashing into the tree.

"I see. I know I just taught you that, but try to avoid using that on me for your safety: you might get hit with the crystal's power, and who knows what it will do to you." Auzzy nodded and trotted off to find some water to drink when Olsen saw Helen reading over a massive spell book. As he watched, he saw tiny sparks flashing from her hand. Upon approaching her, he could hear her muttering the spell's complete form repeatedly, her eyes closed and hair shimmering in the tree's shade.

"Standing behind me like that is bound to make me nervous," Helen announced, twisting around and smiling at Olsen.

"I didn't mean to interrupt. I merely wondered what you were doing." Olsen replied, taking off his Claw and sitting next to Helen.

"I am learning spells that will give us all resistance to a given element. Before you came, I was learning the lightning resistance spell."

"There aren't many creatures that use lightning as an attack, so how would that help us?" Olsen inquired, rolling up his sleeves to help cool himself.

"Our enemy may not use lightning to attack us, but if we are engaged with an enemy and using a lightning spell would be the best course of action, I can at least know that my magics will not hurt my comrades." Olsen nodded in understanding, absently playing with a clasp of his claw, wondering where Jenny was.

Over the previous days, Olsen couldn't help but notice that Jenny would no longer watch or participate in training with him as she used to. It made Olsen wonder what had changed between them to make Jenny so distant. Before his thoughts could deepen, he saw Syl approach them with a note of summons to meet back in town.


Jenny watched as Jack and Aeris ran through the meadow where Jack had often chosen to train. Aeris still needed to be fully acquainted with her new clothes, The Blue Looke, and her new pistol, the Cold Colt that Jack passed to her. Jack jumped into the air and drew his powerful Infinity pistol, cracking off rounds that sounded like thunder. Each shot kicked up dirt beside or behind Aeris as she zigzagged across the ground for a better angle. Jack stopped when he landed, allowing Aeris to draw her colt while calling up the mana needed to make a grenade.

Jack fired the one round in his pistol, dispersing the mana in Aeris's hand. The empty chambers left him vulnerable as Aeris pulled up her gun and fired round after round. Jack flitted from place to place, trying to avoid the bullets until he jumped behind a tree. He quickly reloaded with a flick of his wrist, waiting for Aeris to run out of ammo. Her last shot was one she just learned, the powerful Unseen Bullet. It blasted a hole through the tree just above Jack's head.

"Gotta watch out for that." He thought as he swung around the tree and took aim, curls of wind whipping around his extended arm and the gun barrel. He had to dive as a grenade soared through the air and exploded, hurling him forward. He moved his legs as fast as he could in mid-air, carrying him farther until another grenade flew up. Jack aimed it and fired, the explosion throwing him to the ground in a cloud of dust and smoke. Aeris waited, anticipating something potent erupting from that cloud at any moment. She just had time to fall to the ground as a blast of hot flames shot over her.

Aeris was about to get up again when she heard the sharp clicking of a hammer. Turning her head to the side, she saw the end of the Infinity in her face with Jack standing over her, his finger poised and ready to pull the trigger. Aeris rolled aside and swept his gun away with her foot, taking aim and pulling the trigger as she got to her feet. Her shot was deflected into the air when Jack grabbed her hand. They tried to overpower each other, using their guns almost like swords. Deflected shots flew into the air as they spun, firing rounds until Jack grabbed Aeris's wrist. He knocked the pistol from her hand and then held his pistol straight out with the hammer cocked back.

"Be sure and keep your grip, otherwise…" Jack pulled the trigger as the hammer slammed down onto a spent shell with a sickening click.

"…that would have been the kill shot. Your aim is getting better, but you still need some work maintaining the shot booster. Your Grenades could use a little work, too: they felt a little half-baked. But other than that, I'd say today's lesson was good."

"I would expect nothing less from the Guardian Pirate of Ossyria." A pleasant voice said. Jack and Aeris looked up to see the Empress and Shinsoo walking up to them, motioning for Jenny to come over as well.

"Empress! To what honor do we owe this visit?" Aeirs asked as she holstered her colt and made a slight courtesy.

"There was a disturbing note from El Nath this morning requesting all of your help, including that of your students. I've come to take you back into town." Jack raised his eyebrow. Something felt off, especially if it was asking for everyone's help. Climbing onto Shinsoo's back, they soon arrived at their meeting circle, where Kyrin and Antonia awaited them.

"Good, you're all here. This letter came for you this morning, and from the looks of it, I'd say it's from the scoundrel Shamos."

"Shamos? Was he not locked away within the Advance Master's dungeon?" Asked Athena as she entered the circle, sitting down next to Antonia.

"Yeah, but the Advance Masters have given him a few privileges for good behavior over the years, including writing letters to outsiders." Replied Kyrin as she looked over the letter again and put a hand on her hip.

"It says here that Shamos has been having terrible nightmares and is worried that his old master, the Hoblin King, Rex, will break free of his seal and put him under his cursed control again. He is requesting that you get him out of the dungeon so that he can see that the seal will remain in place." Kryin summed up, looking over the letter and sighing as she smirked.

"Wait, wait, wait; isn't that what happens in the party quest in the game? If that's the case, then all Shamos wants to do is go and release his king. He isn't worried about whether or not the seal will remain. He wants to take it down." Matthew said as the rest of the guardians nodded, remembering the many times they had done the quest within the game. Kyrin nodded, setting the letter down and leaning over the table.

"That's true. But there are other reasons we're asking you to take this mission. Since you know that Shamos will undoubtedly set his master free, there is something that the Omega Sector, namely Dr. Kim, would like to have brought to him."

"And what would that be?" Helen asked.

"The main crystal used in sealing Rex is the only one of its kind: a Null Crystal, which will render any mana useless when used properly."

"And why are we retrieving this if it's so Nullifying?" Jenny asked.

"Omega Sector has been working on a device for you to take when you face the Black Mage, which will hopefully give you an edge."

"Why only hopefully?" Jack asked, crossing his arms after reloading his Infinity.

"Because this crystal is comprised of energy similar to black magic: Null energy. Since it is closely related, they aren't 100% sure it will work."

"Then why do it at all?" Jack scoffed.

"They won't be using the entire thing. They've also requested it to research using small shards to power the Visitor's weapons instead of a constant mana flow," Cygnus explained. Jack nodded until Nathan spoke up.

"What's the other reason, or reasons?" he asked. Kryin smiled as she looked over to Grendal, who nodded.

"Rex's staff is what gave him his power. Once you defeat him, that staff will be up for grabs. Grendal has asked that you bring it back here."

"Won't the one who grabs it turn bad?" Matthew asked. Grendal stepped forward.

"No. It requires a special ceremony before the staff will grant its power. I would ask you to destroy it, but doing so would release all its stored power at once, possibly causing major damage to El Nath." the old wizard said thoughtfully.

"Well, that's a good point. We'll leave as soon as the Tickets are ready." Matthew said as he stood and stretched a bit when Jack stood.

"I'll meet you guys at the dock in a bit; I need to pick up something before we go." Matthew nodded as Jack left while the others prepared for their journey by grabbing weapons, food, and med kits.


Eleanor's attitude had improved since going with Dragon to Victoria, and she finally found where her heart wanted to be. She happily strolled through the castle halls, going from one classroom to the other as a teacher to the disciples they had recently recruited. She still enjoyed watching the faces of the younger recruits turn beet red as she would use her feminine wiles, but she did it less often now.

On many evenings, she and Dragon would watch the sunset on the castle balcony or ask him to accompany her on outings while she gathered herbs for her potions. It was enjoyable, but Dragon didn't seem to get the point. Did he see her as an over-affectionate teacher rather than an equal? A woman? Maybe Dragon was dense and needed a little push in the right direction, or in this case, a shove.

She checked on her projects with Dragon as her escort around the castle. But even then, nothing she did seemed to get through to him.

"Dragon, would you accompany me to the dining hall this evening?" Dragon stopped mid-stride and looked back at her; those killer magenta eyes paired with his long onyx hair made Eleanor shiver. She looked closer at his eyes and saw something deep within them, but she couldn't tell what. At first, she thought it was some kind of emotional pain, but then it looked like worry or pity until he broke his gaze and bowed slightly.

"I would be honored, Ellee." He said with a calm tone. Eleanor's heart skipped a beat when she heard her old name come from his lips. It was spine-tingling and calming at the same time. When she looked into his eyes again, something was reassuring about them, comforting even. Every time The Mage caressed her in the past, it was enjoyable, but she feared him and kept her from trusting him completely the way she felt she could trust Dragon.

She returned to her room and schemed how to coax Dragon to admit his feelings or at least acknowledge hers. She searched through her closet, settling on an elegant cocktail dress shimmering in her favorite color, deep violet with hints of black depending on how the light hit it. She clasped on a pair of diamond chip earrings and donned a pair of black open-toe heels. She reapplied a coat of black fingernail polish and draped her hair over one shoulder as she had before. As she walked to Dragon's room, each man in the hall watched her as she went by.

Meanwhile, Dragon sat on his bed, trying to understand what Dia, his mother, had told him: he was half Seraphim. But that fact didn't explain why most of his memory was missing. Until three years ago, everything he'd known about his life was a complete blank. Closing his eyes, he thought back to the first day he could remember.

"Hey! Over here! Someone's buried over here!" a young woman's voice called. Moments later, the rubble cleared, revealing a girl with a mass of flowing red-orange hair desperately clearing away the rocks with large pistols strapped to her belt. Another man, dressed in a dark military suit, jogged over to them with light blond hair.

"Leave him; he'll be dead soon anyway." Said the man.

"Commander! He's still breathing! What's wrong with helping him?" the girl shot back, resting on her knees in shock.

"This is the price that one pays when they stop paying. He tried protecting his village, and look where it got him." The woman shook her head and continued to dig.

"That's ENOUGH!" the man shouted. The woman fought away from the man's grip and continued digging, her fingers becoming raw until the man sighed and began helping.

"You understand that you may be punished for this?" the man asked.

"I don't care; I won't let another person's village end up like mine! I don't care anymore if they don't pay; I want to protect them all, even if it means I have to go hungry." with a shake of his head and a hard breath, the man continued digging. Blood painted Dragon's skin and ran down his face, staining his clothes. The bones in his right arm were mostly shattered, but his body was in so much pain that he had gone numb. Slowly, the young woman tipped up her canteen and poured water into his mouth.

"Is this your village?" the man asked. Dragon opened his eyes slightly.

"Village? I don't know: I don't remember where I came from." Dragon said as the man and woman looked at each other.

"Hey, can you remember what your name is?"

"My Name? My name… my name is Y…" Dragon's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door. With a heavy sigh, he got up and walked to it, assuming that it was Eleanor with another mission for him to accompany her on some menial task. When he opened the door, he was surprised to see Eleanor dressed in a cocktail dress and standing with an alluring stance at his door.

"Mistress Eleanor. Have you something for me to do?" he asked after recovering from the shock.

"Have you forgotten already? You were going to accompany me to dinner tonight." Dragon nodded and was about to leave his room when Eleanor stopped him, seeming much less like herself. She was silent and preoccupied, almost nervous.

"Dragon, it's taken me some time to admit this despite living for so long. But I thought you should know," She nervously began, making Dragon stop and listen.

"When I was a young girl, the Master saved me from a terrible illness, and I have served him without question from then on. I believed I should offer him my talents, body, and soul to repay the debt I owed him. Yes, The Black Mage returned some of my affection, but there was always an element of fear with each touch or embrace offered to me. I have come to see that it is so much different with you. You give me a peace I couldn't find with the Black Mage." Looking up into Dragon's eyes, Eleanor stepped closer and put her arms around him.

"I know you may see me as your superior, but I don't want that to be the only way you see me. I ask you to guard my body and soul. I ask you, will you love me as an equal?" Dragon held his breath as the words hit him. Was the Black Witch asking him to be her lover? His mind warred until he remembered the song they had danced to in the Victoria club. Eleanor began to bow her head, feeling embarrassed and about to leave, when she heard Dragon pick his arms up. She watched as he slid off his gauntlet and cupped her chin in his hand while embracing her with his other around the small of her back.

"It would be my honor, Ellee," He said as she leaned down and kissed her, which Eleanor returned in earnest. Oberon stood down the hallway from where they stood and smiled. She thought of her relationship with Eldan Giant, then returned to her duties.


The Guardians and their apprentices slid down a rope into El Nath as the Ticket's ship hovered in the middle of town.

"Y'all be careful with this here Shamos! I hear he's a devil to reason with if he gets angry." Shouted Joel.

"Thanks. Where are you going, though?" asked Jenny above the roar of the retro-boosters.

"This here levistone cradle has so many dag nab glitches with it that I have to go to Magatia to get it realigned all the time. Give it time, though; they should have this fixed up by the time I come back for y'all." With a wave, the ship hovered up and into the east, disappearing over the horizon a few moments later.

"Well, let's get this over with," Nathan said, leading the group to the mansion of the Advance Masters. They soon found the cellar doors behind which Shamos no doubt sat waiting for them. Jack and Matthew hauled them open, shuffling everyone into the darkness below, fumbling around until Helen called up a fire spell, and Matthew lit up the darkness with flames wrapping around the Azure Banshee as a torch.

"I-i-is someone there?" called a dry voice. Helen turned and directed the light of the flame at an open door from which they could hear the clink of chains.

"Who are you?" called Jack, unbuckling the clasp on his pistol, readying for what may come.

"Are you the ones they call The Guardians?" the dry voice asked when Helen felt the air around them change.

"Who is asking?" Matthew demanded as the door opened further, revealing a short creature with olive-green skin, dressed in what appeared to be an animal's skin and leather hat, while shackles and chains hung from his wrists.

"My name is Shamos. And I'm going to kill you now!" he shouted, rushing at them with quite a bit of speed despite his body looking to be somewhat out of shape.

"This isn't at all like the game." Helen thought, calling a spell that summoned a dragon of purest white scales that nearly filled the cellar. The dragon swung its claws at Shamos, who jumped back to avoid them. Olsen and Jenny were the next to rush in while Auzzy and Antonia followed. Jenny and Antonia drove him back, and Olsen and Auzzy crossed shuriken paths. They nearly hit him but still missed as Shamos weaved in and out of the arrows and stars. Jack hurled his fists, jabbing and swinging as fast as he could with contrails hanging in the air but missing by a small margin. Aeris leapfrogged over Jack, pointing her pistol and pulling the trigger. But Shamos was quicker, ducking down to avoid the bullet and slamming Jack in the gut. The force slung him back and then kicked Aeris in the face, sending her reeling into Jack.

"Please tell me that's not all you're capable of. If that's the case, I can't see why The Black Mage brought here in the first place." Shamos taunted. Matthew gritted his teeth, pulling the Justice of Heaven mace from his belt with a satisfying ring while lightning struck at his feet.

"Then how do you LIKE THIS!"

"MATTHEW STOP!" Helen screamed, but it was too late. The head of the mace growled with an angry bluish-violet light as Matthew swung. A shockwave ripped through the ground toward Shamos. It collided with the wall behind him, blasting a hole big enough to walk through. After the dust settled, Shamos was nowhere to be seen.

"THAT IS WHY I TOLD YOU TO STOP!" Helen screamed. Matthew did his best to hold back from swinging his heavy mace at her.

"You don't have to rub it in, you know." Matthew retorted. They all stared at the gaping hole leading to the cold of El Nath. The Advance Masters opened the door from inside and descended the stairs, Tylus shaking his head with a disappointed smirk.

"I should have known it would be you. You always were the first to blow your cool, Matthew," he said. Matthew looked at Tylus and hung his head, as did the rest of the Guardians.

"Master Tyuls, we had-" Tylus held up his hand and stopped him.

"We know Matthew. Shamos chose this path, and it will ultimately lead him to destruction. This day would come even if you hadn't helped set him free. Here are new cloaks that Alcaster himself made and a map to guide you to the Ice Ravine. Make sure that Rex does not leave his cave by any means necessary; the citizens of El Nath do not have the constitution to meet Rex with the force needed to stop him." The Guardians took their cloaks and gathered outside, looking over the map before setting out over the endless snow drifts and trees. Their path took them past an old battleground where a snow-covered tombstone rested. Olsen walked over to it and brushed aside the snow, revealing "My Shadow, you will be remembered" etched into it.

"Who was this?" Auzzy asked as the rest came up and thought back to that battle that seemed so long ago.

"This is where the body of Elliza's shadow rests," Olsen answered as he stood while Alden walked up to it and dropped his eyes, almost as if paying his respects to the fallen beast.

"Do you mean the Guardian beast of Minerva? She's still alive?!" asked Nathan in surprise, while the other apprentice's eyes became so wide they looked as if they would fall out of their heads.

"Guardians, it's good to see you again." a female voice said, making them all turn to see Elliza padding up to the tombstone with Keil, Alden's mother, at her side. Alden looked up and bounded to the Celion, standing nearly as tall as Keil and rubbing his head on her shoulder as if hugging her. Keil returned the gesture and looked as though she were smiling slightly. Helen felt dizzy as the two cat-like creatures talked telepathically, blocking it out a short time later.

"The same to you," Matthew replied as Elliza bowed.

"It seems that you have been making progress. And I see that you even have apprentices with you now." Elliza noticed, walking up to Auzzy and sniffing at his hand.

"My name's Auzzy, a ninja under Olsen." Nathan, Antonia, and Aeris came forward and made a small bow to her, at which point Auzzy introduced them to her.

"It is an honor to meet you, Elliza," Auzzy finished.

"Have you no apprentice, Lady Helen?" Elliza asked. Helen shook her head, setting the end of her Kage Staff in the snow.

"I have been training some children in Herb Town while I train or meditate. As have all of us. But I have yet to find a personal apprentice." Helen replied. Elliza nodded as she turned back to Matthew.

"What has brought the lot of you into El Nath? It doesn't look like you've come for just a visit."

"Shamos sent us a letter, asking that we come to see him in the Advance Master's cellar. But when we went there, we accidentally set him free, and he has gone to free his old master, Rex." Matthew answered with an embarrassed light in his eyes. Elliza nodded and turned to the north, looking at a set of tracks leading toward a cold-looking ravine.

"I had come down to visit my former self, and I think I saw this Shamos you speak of. He passed by not too long ago, so you should be able to catch him if you hurry." Helen bowed her thanks as the group continued, pushing through the snow drifts and slowly descending the canyon wall into the Ice Ravine. Not even the cloaks seemed to hold back the sheer icy wind. Frost began to form on any metal surface of their weapons or armor. Jack reached into his nap sack and pulled the map to the cave where Rex was asleep under his seal.

"It should be in that d-d-d-d-direction." He stuttered, pointing his finger but having trouble lifting his arm. The cold made his Red Steel Knucklers heavy from the thick frost gathering on them.

"Then we must hurry. Helen, can you cast a strong fire spell to get us a little warm." Jenny shivered. Helen nodded, holding her staff at arm's length, holding her fingers up before her face. She whispered the spell as mana gathered around her staff and then shot down to the ground, exploding into a wall of flames spreading out from around her. Warmth spread through everyone as the frost and ice melted from their armor. Before things had a chance to get too cold again, the group trekked through the icy snow, walking in a line so that no one would sink into the endless drifts. Periodically, Helen would cast another fire spell or summon the powerful Flame Gears that Oz had taught her for warmth. It seemed like it took forever, but they stood just inside the cave mouth three hours later. They had to push through a strong wind that brought with it sharp shards of ice, stinging their faces and leaving their cheeks raw.

"That is the worst snowstorm I have ever been in." Aeris panted as she and Nathan clung to each other for warmth, wrapped in their cloaks. Jenny patted off her armor and clothes of snow.

"Well, the good news is we're out of the storm, so let's get to Rex before he gets to us," Jack said as he clacked his Red Steels together and broke them free of the ice. Matthew broke the ice holding his Justice to his belt and used it to break the ice holding his Azure Banshee in its sheath. He then pushed aside his mana and ignited the crystal power he forced through the mace while Jenny called up a fire arrow, and Helen used a fire spell, holding it ready.

"Let's move; I can hear Shamos trying to pick away at the seal," Matthew ordered. Carefully, the group walked further into the dark cavern where a breathy grunting could be heard, soon revealing Shamos trying to chip away at the ice holding his king Rex in place.

"Shamos! What on earth are you doing? I thought you said you wanted to see for yourself that the seal was holding, not take it apart!" Aeris shouted. Shamos looked back from pounding on the ice with a rock.

"I never wanted to make sure that my king stayed in stasis! I wanted to free him and make all of you humans pay for keeping me locked up as long as you had! And now YOU WILL PAY!" he shouted, picking up the rock again and slamming it down on the last little bit of ice that kept a giant lock closed, the great chains attached to it becoming slack. Nothing happened for a moment until the sound of cracking ice split the air. It splintered from under the lock, finally blown away as the shrapnel of the chain flew in all directions.

Jack drew his Infinity in a flash, making a roaring flame burst from the barrel and sublimate the ice hurling towards them. Shamos rocked himself into a sitting position as the steam and fog settled. Rex reached his hand out onto the ice, his crooked fingernails looking like claws. Shamos' king growled with satisfaction as he freed his other hand and staff.

"Master! I have finally come to set you free after so long!" Shamos said, bowing low to him.

"Shamos, you have done well. And who are these lowly humans?" Rex asked with a gravelly voice

"They are the ones who set me free to free you master!" Rex looked back at Shamos with anger in his glowing white eyes.

"You DARE come to me with the help of these humans! You are more worthless than you know!" Rex howled. With a wave of his staff, the ice around his trusted hyena mount broke free, shaking the last bits of ice from its fur. Rex mounted it and began to trot out when Matthew and Helen blocked the way to the cave.

"Stand aside, puny humans!" Rex demanded. But they didn't move, making Rex all the angrier, patting his pet on the side, which extended its claws and rushed forward. Matthew reached for his Justice and swung hard as flames encased the hammer's head as it made contact with the hyena's jaw, sending it flying back, crashing into the ice. Rex struggled up from under his pet, rubbing his head and trying to get the blurs out of his vision.

"I see. Well, in that case, I'll just have to kill you!" With another wave of his staff, Rex shot a beam of light at them, at which Helen's cloak became an energy whip, snapping it on the spell. Doing so caused the frigid spell to detonate sooner, chilling the air to arctic-like temperatures.

"That should do the trick." Rex chortled triumphantly, holding up his staff to catch the four shurikens Olsen had hurled at him. Rex was about to cast another spell when a splitting pain shot through his arm, seeing a kunai stuck into it.

"Where did that come from?!" he thought, seeing the culprit as Auzzy.

"So it was YOU!" he growled and charged until Jack appeared. The Pirate's fist glowed and sizzled as threads of electricity enveloped his fist. A clap of thunder tore through the cave as Jack made contact with Rex's hyena again, throwing him back into his ice prison.

Clanking gears rose above the noise as scorching flames obliterated the icy cloud around them. Lillianne jumped high, spinning in a tight ball before bringing the cutting edge of her halberd down hard. The ground shook as it hit, and spears of ice exploded in a trail aimed at Rex, freezing his legs in place. Jenny and Antonia both fired their Power Arrows, piercing through Rex's extremities and pinning him to the wall. Matthew drew his Azure Banshee and held it up to the ceiling as Nathan charged. With an invisible swing, a shockwave exploded, pushing Nathan faster.

Nathan shouted as pink light gathered at his hands and stabbed through Rex's chest, cracking and caving the wall of ice behind him. Rex coughed as a spray of blood flew from his lips, barely missing Nathan as he sidestepped the foul-smelling liquid.

"My my, I think I underestimated you. To deliver such a devastating blow to me so quickly, you must truly be the Guardians of Ossyria. But you see, you haven't won yet." Rex grunted as he pulled his arm free, pulled the spear from his chest, and threw it aside. He then pulled the arrows from his limbs as a bluish-white glow surrounded him, healing his wounds. Rex rushed Nathan, Matthew, and Lillianne in a blur, bringing them all to their knees.

In the next instant, he knocked Jenny and Antonia unconscious. Olsen and Auzzy did their best to keep up with him, but his blinding speed was far more than they could handle. Even when using the Pick Quartz power, Olsen couldn't stay ahead of him. Eventually, Auzzy was flung across the cave, as was Olsen, landing on the wall while wiping his mouth of a drop of blood. Aeris aimed and was about to use her newly learned Invisible Bullet, but Rex disappeared before she could.

"Jack, I have a special way for you to die," Rex said from somewhere in the cave as Aeris went flying.

"Try and keep your precious apprentice safe!" he said, appearing above where he had been imprisoned and holding his staff high, the green-eyed skull atop his staff glowing brightly. Aeris slowly picked herself up off the ground as she saw pillars of light surround her. From the light, Rex's trusted Hoblin soldiers stepped out armed with spiked maces and dull swords. She tried compressing her mana into a grenade, but Aeris hadn't perfected making one with a single hand. As she tried, her right arm hurt beyond standing as the mana she was compressing fell to the ground in a thick blue puddle. She tried reaching for her pistol, but it was kicked out of reach by one of the soldiers. Two more guards appeared around Jack, pointing their dull swords into his throat.

"Now, what will you do, Jack?" Rex asked with a gravely sneer. One of the Hoblin soldiers raised his mace above his head, ready to strike Aeris when Jack smirked and bowed his head. Rex became frantic, Ordering his soldiers to kill the apprentice.

Jack's eyes glowed bright red when he raised his head. Crossing his arms, he buried the shark-like fins of his knuckles into the guard's foreheads. After drawing his infinity pistol, a second slid out from his sleeve as he ran at the group surrounding Aeris. He backflipped off a chunk of ice, kicking a hoblin in the chin. The guns roared as a cloud of sub-zero air blasted the hoblins as he landed in the middle of the group. With a satisfying clang, the mace coming down on Aeris' head slammed into his Knuckler.

"Stay low." He whispered into her ear as he stood and pushed off the mace. In a blur of movement resembling a dance, Jack fired all his loaded shots into the heads of the surrounding Hoblins. After a few moments, they all collapsed to the ground, revealing the pirate Guardian standing with the hammers of the pistols, meeting one another, creating what appeared to be a cross. Rex grabbed his legs in agony, seeing the bullet holes in his thighs, making him collapse to the ground.

"What did you just do?!" Rex asked between his grunts of pain as the other Guardians woke back up.

"It's a new technique I've been learning from my aunt Shulynch. It took me a while to perfect it, but I'm the Pirate Guardian of Ossyria. I can learn anything." The ice around the two Jack had frozen started to break apart until Bomb Arrows obliterated them into tiny pieces. Jack uncovered his face and smiled as he saw Jenny and Antonia lowering their bows.

"This is far from OVER!" Rex shouted, raising his staff. With a satisfying ring of a blade, his hand flew away, making Rex howl in pain as the dagger Olsen had thrown stuck into the wall behind him with his clenched hand perfectly perched atop it. Rex was frozen in pain as he tried to comfort his pulsing arm while Olsen pried his detached hand from the staff.

"I say that it is, Rex," Olsen said confidently. Rex glared at Olsen with pure wrath in his eyes.

"You think that you've won? You've just slowed me down! One day, I shall rise again and take El Nath for myself!" he shouted as Shamos approached him and began using the second-rate healing techniques he had learned.

"Guys, wait outside. I'll be there in a minute." Matthew said. Lillianne kissed him on the cheek and left with the others. When he was sure they were out of earshot, Matthew's smoldering gaze turned to them.

"What is it that you were after!? Why do you want to take El Nath?" Matthew asked with a growl.

"Because I can! Those benevolent 'advance masters' couldn't, no, they wouldn't acknowledge the great warrior that I was when I was human!"

"You were human?" Matthew asked. Rex smiled.

"Yes, Indeed I was. But since they wouldn't teach me anything, I left them. They said I held no respect for using one's power. It's pure nonsense! Power is everything! Without it, you are a weakling struggling to make your puny existence worth something! That's when I heard of the Skull Staff: able to grant you power hundreds of times past what you thought possible! It was that staff that changed me into what I am now. When I returned from my journeys to find it, some tried to stand against me, but it was easy enough to wipe them from my sight. With that new power, I will overtake the Advance Masters and rule over El Nath!" Matthew lowered his eyes and gripped the handle of the Azure Banshee even harder, the leather wrap creaking.

"Innocent lives. So many innocents have died because of people like you searching for this overwhelming power that can destroy anything. Such a power doesn't exist!" Matthew growled, Ruby power beginning to seep from him like smoke. Rex smiled and pointed a bony finger at him.

"Isn't that what you are doing? Training and searching for a power to overcome anything? Namely the Black Mage?" Matthew looked back at Rex, stunned as well as surprised.

"Don't lump my reasons in with yours for my gaining power!" Matthew shouted.

"Oh? Then why are you seeking to become so powerful? You just want to ensure your beliefs and life aren't shredded!"

"I AM NOTHING LIKE YOU!" Matthew howled, a wave of Ruby power pulsing from him.

"Oh, but you are! As I said before, NOTHING BUT POWER IS WHAT MATTERS IN THIS WORLD!"

"SHUT UP!" Matthew yelled as he swung his Azure Banshee, making a shockwave rip through the cave and hurling Rex into the wall. Rex grunted as he pulled himself to his knees once again.

"You and me: we're the same! We are both warriors, seeking to be as powerful as possible!"

"I AM NOTHING LIKE YOU!" Growled Matthew as more power from the ruby crystal began to flow freely from his body, flinging his hair into the air and making his eyes glow with a strange brownish-red light. The Azure Banshee began howling as the blade vibrated. Matthew's steps sizzled from the hot power burning around him as he closed the distance between them.

"Look at yourself! Do you think that you just want to have power so that you can protect others?! That couldn't be further from the truth! YOU ALL WANT POWER SO THAT YOU WILL BE UNOPPOSED!" Matthew raised his sword above Rex's heart, Shamos throwing himself over Rex as a shield just as Matthew began driving the blade down with a shout.

"MATTHEW, NO!" Lillianne shouted, running in front of Matthew and holding back his immense arms.

"Lilli, what are you doing? Move!"

"NO! I can't let you do this!" She grunted, summoning all her strength just to hold him back.

"Not while you're like this! Yes, I know how badly you want to kill him, but if you kill him while you're like this, you won't be able to turn back! You said once that you wanted to protect me, and I took those words to heart! And the same goes for you! I want to protect you as well!" Lillianne's arms began to give under Matthew's ruby-powered strength, but it slowly faded as he dropped his arms. Once the glow stopped, he lost consciousness and fell into Lillianne's arms, dropping the Azure Banshee into the ground.

Lillianne eyed Rex and Shammos as they trembled, picking up Matthew and carrying him out of the cave while Jack and Helen carried out the large violet Null Crystal. Lillianne returned for Matthew's sword, calling for the Ticket's ship to meet them in town. Once aboard the ship, Joel handed them a message requesting their presence in the Omega Sector at the bottom of one of Ludibrium's towers.


Dragon stepped into the clearing where he had met Dia the day before. So many things had happened to him: first, he discovered he was half Seraphim, which allowed him to control the Dark Nalcana. He then found that Eleanor wanted to have a relationship with him. It was so much to take in all at once.

"Dragon! I'm so glad I can see you again, my son." Dia said as she descended and put her arms around him. Dragon remained still until Dia let him go and backed away, concerned that he hadn't returned her embrace.

"Mother, what happened to me? Why do I not remember anything?" Dragon asked, the images of that girl with the mass of hair and big guns rescuing him playing over in his head.

"Everything I remember is from three years ago. If our village had been attacked when I was ten, then what happened to me the other decades that I don't remember?"

"I don't know. I never was able to find you after the attack, nor did I hear anything about you before we were sent to that other world." Dia explained. Dragon nodded slowly.

"Then she must know what happened. When I next get the chance, I must speak with her." Dragon thought as Dia brushed his hair aside and put her fingertips under his chin, tilting his gaze back to hers.

"I'm surprised that you remember your real name or that I'm your mother but not your past or who you are."

"Yes, I know it's sad and strange, but it is what it is," Dragon replied. Dia smiled as she hugged him again and placed something in his hand.

"These were your father's. I'm sure that he would want you to have them." Dia said, kissing him on the forehead, then spreading her enormous wings, flying off into the sunset.

"My next move should be to find out where I came from and how I was found." Dragon thought, running off through the woods with even more questions, tucking his father's Black emerald earrings into his pocket.


Checky and Deren walked into the alley after hearing the informant's bell. Even though it was midday, there were still dark shadows all around that obscured their view of who this person was. After reciting the passcode, Checky relaxed and put a hand on his hip.

"Ah, good. So, what have you been able to find out?" Checky asked.

"Dragon has been slowly moving up the ranks within the Black Wings. He's being trusted more as Eleanor takes him everywhere she goes. I even think that Eleanor has taken a liking to him. Not to mention that she's been smiling a lot more than she used to."

"Dragon and Eleanor?!" Deren asked in surprise.

"I know it's strange. Many of the disciples are shocked by it as well. Also, I think Dragon recently discovered that he is Half Seraphim."

"That's enough about Dragon. What has the Black Mage been doing?" Checky demanded shortly.

"Well, the unfortunate news is that he has all five crystal husks now, the Antellion has been completed and tested, the Grace Gears are complete, and the other Mana drills are still pumping in Mana by the barrel." Checky put his chin between his forefinger and thumb, rubbing his elbow with the other.

"It still doesn't make sense: What would the Black Mage need so much power?" Deren asked.

"I'm sorry, but if I stay much longer, the Black Mage and others will begin to get suspicious."

"Very well, thank you for your intel," Checky said as the informant left.

"It's like the Mage has brought all his activities to a screeching halt. It's beginning to worry me." Deren said as they walked back to the garage.

"I doubt that he's through. It's just the calm before a much more powerful storm." Checky answered as he walked back into his office and opened the drawer, pulling out a picture of him and his younger sister Ellee before that terrible illness wiped out his family.


The creaking of timber and the sound of rushing wind slowly made Matthew open his eyes, seeing that he lay within the cargo hold of the Ticket's ship. As he sat up, his hand brushed against someone else's, turning to see Lillianne seated on the floor and leaning against his bead, fast asleep. With a gentle motion, he tucked a stray hair away, causing her to wake up.

"Oh, Matt, you're finally awake. I was worried about you," she said as she arched her back and pulled her shoulders behind her, popping her spine.

"What happened?" he asked, shutting his eyes when a dull ache rolled through his head and shoulders. Lillianne looked away as she recalled seeing him in that cavern, almost as if he were a monster.

"I think the Ruby Crystal went out of control. You weren't yourself. You almost killed Shamos and Rex."

"They why didn't you let me?" Matthew asked, throwing off the covers and setting his feet on the floor.

"Because if you had, you would have been permanently like that: a murderous tyrant with nothing to stop you." Matthew took a breath and nodded his head while Lillianne continued.

"I researched the Crystal's power before we left Ludibrium during the Storybook incident. The crystals, while a solid form of people's inner abilities, also respond to emotion. When an emotion becomes too strong while using its power, the power of the crystal will completely take over and suppress the mind of the one wielding it."

"So then, how was I able to regain control?"

"The only possibility is that somehow you overcame it. I can only assume it was because I was holding you back that disrupted the power, allowing you to regain control." She answered, sitting next to him and embracing him against her chest.

"Thank you, Lillianne," He muttered, putting his arms around her. He was about to pull back and reach up to kiss her when Olsen's voice called to them.

"Matthew! You're finally awake! Good thing, too. We're almost ready to land in the Omega Sector."

"What are we doing going there?" Matthew asked.

"Dr. Kim said he discovered something about the Oblivion Gauntlet the Black Mage has been making. And he has some new information about what he may be up to," he answered while descending the stairs. The ship shuddered and jolted for a moment as it came to rest on the ground, and Joel came into the hold a few moments later.

"There's a Dr. Porter here to see y'all. You better come up here 'for he decides to leave," Matthew steadied himself with Lillianne's help as he walked up the stairs, where the other Guardians had already gathered a card table in the center of the deck with what appeared to be a holographic projector on it. Porter readjusted his thick glasses as he looked back.

"Oh, good. I'll start over to make sure that you get everything. Dr. Kim and I have been working on decrypting the Black Mage's program retrieved from his castle, and what we found is that the Oblivion Gauntlet isn't our main concern." Porter typed a few keys in and changed the picture to an object resembling a vertical cannon.

"From what the code revealed, this is something called 'Beyond the Clouds.' There are 150 of these things spread throughout Ossyria, which will receive, mix, and compress Mana and the power from the crystals into a high-powered beam via a magic pipeline that will run from his castle to these machines. These machines are then connected and controlled by the Oblivion Gauntlet at its heart."

"So the Mage not only his power but also these machines against Ossyria?" Helen asked, crossing her arms and holding her chin.

"That is what I first thought. But then it occurred to me: Why do these machines use mana and crystal power if they are just going to destroy Ossyria? The Black Mage can do that alone, so why begin collecting so much power?" Everyone stayed silent as they thought through different options until Antonia raised her hand.

"What if the Black Mage isn't planning to destroy just the land and the people living on it? What if he wants to destroy the entirety of this dimension?"

"That would answer a lot, but according to the calculations I was able to decrypt, there are hundreds, maybe even thousands of times more power than is needed to do that. So, what is he after? What is it that he wants to destroy? It can't be Minerva because she's already dead."

"Then what if those cannons are a way to destroy his castle?" Jenny asked. "As if they were like a mortar so that in case we invade, he could get away safely while it crushed us?"

"That still wouldn't explain why he's making artificial mana, harvesting Mana from the ground, and has made the Oblivion Gauntlet, which uses the power of the Rubian and the Five Crystal Husks. If he only wanted to smash it all, why would he develop all of this?" It left everyone puzzled; even as they helped unload the large Null Crystal, they still couldn't figure out a way to understand what the Black Mage was after in creating something so devastating.

"Porter, can you find out where these 'Beyond the Clouds' things are in Ossyria? It'll be good training for our apprentices if they can eliminate them and decrease the chances of the Black Mage succeeding." Olsen asked. Porter nodded, saying that it would be at least a week before he could give positive locations of the cannons. The problem still plagued them as they journeyed back to Herb Town and gave a report to Aran and the other Masters. But when a mass of children came running toward them begging to play another game of 'defeat the mage,' they set aside their thoughts.

As they returned to their huts, Jenny felt tension coming from Olsen; now that he was such a skilled ninja, Olsen appeared to better hide and hold in his emotions, but Jenny could still see the changes in his body language. After changing her clothes, Jenny jogged to his hut, knocking on the door frame to catch his attention. But the voice that beckoned her in was icy and angry.

"Hey, I just wanted to see what was bothering you; your whole body is tense," Jenny asked as she pushed aside the curtain door. Olsen sighed, holding his claw for a while before dropping the heavy metal glove onto his cot.

"Tell me, have you had feelings for Jack long?" he asked, not facing her. Jenny jerked her head in surprise, thinking over the past few days. Sure, she'd thought about Jack more often than usual, but nothing serious.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't avoid my question, Jenny. I can see how you look at him and how often you stand by him."

"I don't have feelings for Jack. It's just a coincidence-"

"Don't lie to me either," Olsen growled, snapping his gaze to her with a lowered brow and pink haze lifting from his shoulders. For a long while, Jenny said nothing, locked in place while questioning everything she thought about Jack and Olsen.

"What gave you this idea?" She finally whispered, pulling her arms around herself.

"When Jack had finished off Rex's guards, and we waited for Matthew, I saw how you looked at him. It was the same way you used to look at me. You've also been training with him more often." Jenny sighed, looking away from him and leaning against the door frame.

"I could say the same for you. You've been meditating with Helen since we began our journey, but lately, it's been happening more and more." Olsen nodded, flexing his hands.

"Just tell me when your feelings began shifting," Olsen demanded, though his voice seemed more pained than angry. For a long while, Jenny thought, a sad smile spreading across her face.

"It started after Aufheben and Matthew kissed. I wondered what it was like to be held by Jack or Matthew and their brute strength. When we were going to Magatia, and Horn Tail flew past the Ticket's ship, Jack was the one to hold me in place while I redirected the winds. I think that was where I began to see him differently." Again Olsen nodded, sucking on his bottom lip and pulling on his tee-shirt.

"I Talked with Helen after she and Jack broke up. She said her reason for ending it was realizing she was only using Jack so she wouldn't be lonely in a strange world. After Time passed, though, she found her feelings waning, and rather than drag out the relationship until it became poisonous, she broke off their bond. Do you think we have been doing the same? Using one another for comfort and not because we mesh?"

"I don't know. But thinking about it, you and Helen would be a much better match." Jenny sighed, reaching for her clothes resting beside his cot and holding them to her chest as small tears began to sting her eyes. Olsen sighed, strapping on his claw and pushing past her before sprinting toward the shoreline. Jenny wanted to say goodbye to him but trudged back to her hut, where she found her mother.

"Jenny, the children are… What is wrong?" she asked as Jenny dropped her clothes and ran to her, holding her tightly and letting out a pained sob.


Shamos did the best he could to help his master recover from his wounds despite being surrounded by the bodies of his fellow hoblins. A heavy presence appeared behind him, hundreds of times more frightful than Rex. Shamos ran to a hiding spot while whispers hung around them.

"What would you know of my hard life? You being so powerful and all," Rex shot back as he tried to sit up, clutching his wounds. The Black Mage's eyes smiled as whispers filled the cave again, pointing to Rex ominously.

"That's hilarious, Mage, but you didn't come here to boast about my defeat. I will have my revenge!" The Mage's eyes became serious as he turned his palm to him. The clouds outside the cave parted, thunder clapped, and lightning struck a tree beside the cave entrance. The Mage lowered his hand and disappeared in a wisp of black smoke, while all that remained of Shamos and Rex was an enormous pool of blood, staining the snow and freezing on the ice surrounding it. When he returned to the castle, Eleanor was there to greet him.

"Master, there might be a problem." She said. As he casually sat in the chair next to his crystal ball, he looked at Eleanor and waited for her explanation.

"The Machinist was running a diagnostic on the computer controlling the Oblivion Gauntlet's higher functions and found that someone had copied the entire program. I suspect whoever made this copy took it to the Omega sector for decryption." The Black Mage narrowed his eyes in thought but shook his head as whispers filled the air around them.

"But why waste resources and time in creating something that you aren't even going to use?" Eleanor asked. The Mage turned his gaze to her as she handed him a glass of her mana potion while Dragon came in and knelt. The Black Mage held up his hand, making a cloud of dark aura build in his palm and then reveal a picture of Perion.

"Are you still suspect of Ergoth's actions?" Eleanor asked, walking to Dragon and placing a hand on his shoulder. Agitated hisses arose from The Black Mage as he clenched his fist, snuffing out the image he showed them.

"I'm sure you would enjoy sending him back to the grave should he fail," Dragon commented as they left the room. Dragon put his arm around Eleanor's waist as they walked down the hall, pulling her closer to him, enjoying the new relationship he was building with her.


Earlier in the evening, Mir and Evan had returned from scouting Victoria to see what other things were out in the world or as an air reconnaissance for the border guards of Herb Town. Usually, the two of them slept separately, but this night, it was cooler than most. Mir wasn't getting enough warmth from the fire in their small hut's fireplace, so she slept with Evan. Even though he was a human, Mir was comforted by the warmth of his body against her. But her sleep wasn't meant to last through the entire night, not this night. Mir opened her eyes as the symbol on her head glowed, and a powerfully painful pressure surged over her back, lighting the room in a dull gold glow.

Mir covered her forehead so as not to wake Evan, and gently crawled from under his arms into the bathroom. She looked into the mirror with terror as the gold glow continued on her back and forehead. With shaking hands, Mir slipped her dress from her shoulders and let it fall to the ground as the glow became brighter. Slowly, she turned and then gasped, covering her mouth and collapsing to the ground. Tears filled her eyes as she felt her heart begin to break while sitting against the wall.

"No! This can't be happening! It's too soon! Mother, help me. How can I stop this?"