Magic Knight Rayearth: Saving the Villainess

by HORRIOR

After meeting his end in an accident, Hotaru ends up reincarnated in Tokyo Japan, only to find out this world may not be as mundane as he first thought it to be. After stowing away in on someone else's adventure, he finds out that maybe he wasn't as uninvited as he thought. The usual retelling of MKR anime with a fourth character, done in the honor of 30th anniversary.

52. The Marching Pestilence!

It had been two weeks since Magic Knights returned to Cephiro for their summer vacation, and so far, they hadn't had much time to vacation. Having thought to relax and travel after Alcyone's and Hotaru's wedding, the trio had been made aware of the Prophecy of the Broken Pillar. After several days of stressing over the prophecy, the trip to the beach had been a nice distraction, but had then confirmed the validity of the prophecy.

Now, things had once again settled into an uneasy calm for the Martin Manor's residents, as they had no idea when the next disaster would be. At first they thought one would happen on the thirteenth day of Night Moon, as the previous had been on the tenth, and they had heard of the prophecy on the seventh. But despite Hotaru teleporting around Cephiro impatiently all day, it became clear it was too early to say there was a pattern to the prophecy.

To spend time, Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu would do anything and everything they could come up with at the manor. They would gather flowers from the many gardens and make flower arrangements with them, as well as other decorations. Sometimes they would play video games on Hotaru's Autozamian game console, with Fuu and Umi teaching Hikaru. When it got dark, they would read the books Fuu had brought with her in their bedrooms, rotating around to see who got to read what and when. They would also pay visits to the hot spring up the mountain, and have long soaks in the water.

While they had been invited over, the three of them could tell their extended stay was starting to show its effects. While Hotaru and the maids didn't seem to mind, they could spot Alcyone glaring at them from time to time, whenever they sat around the same table to eat. So as not to overwork the maids or overstay their welcome, the girls did offer to take care of some cleaning and cooking duties. However, since Earth based ingredients and cuisine were a luxury even at the manor, most foods were Cephiroan dishes. Leaving the girls with very little experience in preparing them. After two botched up meals, Alcyone had assigned them on laundry duty, which had essentially doubled since their arrival.

After four days had passed from the beach visit, Alcyone approached Hikaru when she was coming out of the scullery, carrying a basket of dry laundry.

"Ah, Hikaru, could I have a moment of your time?" Alcyone asked politely, yet it was clear she wasn't making a request.

The short girl peeked from behind the basket and asked, "What is it, Alcyone-san?"

With an air of grace and poise, Alcyone explained, "I was just at my alchemy lab and noticed that I have run out of sugar for making sweets. I know I have closed shop for my honeymoon, but it would be good to stock up beforehand. Could you be a dear and go pick some up from one of my usual suppliers?"

"Uh… sure!" Hikaru nodded, putting down the laundry basket. "I can go get it. Which building is it?"

"Hmmm?" Alcyone blinked confused, before correcting her. "Oh, it is not here in Martin, my dear. It is in the town of Benz. Not too far from here, only about two hundred kilometers."

"But…! How am I supposed to get there?" Hikaru asked worriedly.

"Isn't it obvious? You can use your Mashin to get there quickly," Alcyone instructed.

"…Alright then," Hikaru smiled and nodded awkwardly.

Although Hikaru knew Alcyone was able to teleport and take care of this task instantly, she couldn't find it in her to argue back. She and her friends were guests in Alcyone's house and by the looks of it, would continue to be for a very long time. As such, if Alcyone asked her to take care of a chore and she could, she would do it. After receiving directions from the sorceress, a bag of one thousand gold coins, and a paper with all the details, Hikaru took off in Rayearth towards the town of Benz.

With the red giant mech flying at the speed of sound with its flaming boosters, it only took around twenty minutes for Hikaru to reach the town. Recognizing it for its large, white, egg-shaped town hall, Hikaru landed next to the largest warehouse in the town. While the citizens of Benz were shocked to see Rayearth, the suppliers acted as if this was business as usual, until it came to the order. Apparently, they were out of sugar at the moment, and instructed Hikaru to try another supplier.

She made her way to another town even further away, this one having a giant, flowering tree with vines in the middle of it. Unfortunately, the supplier had already sold all the sugar she had; instructing Hikaru to go to another town further south. This pattern repeated numerous times, until Hikaru had flown all the way to a coastal town on the eastern side of the continent. There, a couple of merchants said they still had plenty of sugar, causing Hikaru to almost faint from joy, until she saw the amount. In exchange for one thousand gold coins, she was given four sacks of sugar, each one larger than she was. At first, she thought she would have to carry them in Rayearth's hands, but she was then instructed to use the gem on her left-hand glove.

By the time Hikaru returned from doing her chores and found her way home, it was already late at night. Storing the sugar in the mansion's storehouse, she tiredly made her way to the guest house, barely having the energy to change into her pajamas. Collapsing on her frilly pink bed, she fell fast asleep, taking solace in being able to see more of Cephiro today, if nothing else.

When she finally woke up the next day, she felt well rested but sweaty, having not had time to bathe yesterday. Looking out the window, she could see the sun already high in the sky and hear no bird song, making her get out of bed in a hurry. Not only had she missed supper, but now breakfast too; leaving the red-haired Magic Knight's stomach growling like an angry cat.

Changing her clothes and stumbling down the stairs, Hikaru almost jumped as she reached the bottom floor of the two-story hallway.

"SURPRISE!" Everyone yelled, coming in through the many different doors of the guest house.

"E-Everyone!?" Hikaru stuttered in shock, her eyes widening.

"Happy sixteenth birthday, Hikaru!" Umi and Fuu cheered.

In addition to the mansion's usual residents, Ascot, Ferio, Mokona, Clef, and Presea were also present. From the upper floor, the maids pulled out large party poppers, before pulling on the strings at the back of them. There were three loud bangs before large amounts of confetti and ribbons rained down. As everyone started applauding to her, Hikaru laughed happily and rushed to hug her friends, quickly being swarmed from all sides.

"Congratulations!" Presea cheered, pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you, Presea!"

"Pupuu!" Mokona jumped onto Hikaru's back.

"And Mokona!"

Hugging the little red head closer, Hotaru smiled teasingly, "Happy sixteenth birthday, 'lil sis'."

"Thank you!" Hikaru smiled cheerfully, before feeling a pat on her head.

Staring down at her, Alcyone was smiling sweetly, "Sorry for sending you on a wild goose chase like that yesterday. We needed you out of the house and to sleep in to prepare your party."

Remembering yesterday, Hikaru's jaw hit the floor before she hugged her tightly, "Thank you, Alcyone! Thank you everyone! …Where are Caldina and Lafarga?"

"They couldn't make it," Clef admitted awkwardly. "They have taken a lot of days off lately, so Caldina has a lot of catching up to do at her school."

"I see…" Hikaru nodded, slightly perturbed. "And Lantis?"

"He is just fashionably late as always," Ferio pointed out. "He lives so far east that he hasn't even woken up. …Actually, I guess it would be easier to say he lives to the west of here."

With Integra collecting the confetti and ribbons, Envix asked, "Can we go and get some cake already?"

Making their way to the main building's first floor, Hikaru was surprised by the amount of effort everyone had put into the party. Not only was there food and presents, but also balloons, streamers, lanterns, and a big birthday banner written in Japanese. With Hikaru being hungry, everyone was happy to start with the birthday cake and snacks, made by the courtesy of Umi and the maids. Starting with the snacks, everyone enjoyed a wide variety of salty and sweet baked goods, as well as homemade candies and potato chips. Seeing Hikaru scarf down it all at a quick speed, Alcyone reminded her to brush her teeth since she hadn't done so in the morning.

With the snacks eaten, it was time for the cake and blowing out the candles. The cake was rather large, had two stories with many layers, pink frosting, white whip cream, ganache and fruit decorations, and red jam letters on the side. The top of the cake had sixteen small silver candles, which Hikaru blew out in one go.

"What did you wish for?" Liviana asked curiously.

"You can't reveal that," Hotaru corrected the maid, "otherwise the wish won't…"

"I want to go see Caldina and Lafarga, and visit their school!" Hikaru said cheerfully.

"…Okay maybe that one can come true," Hotaru shrugged.

As the cake was being shared, there was a gentle knock on the wood and crystal double doors, before it was opened. Coming in, they could spot Lantis carrying a small gift box in his hand, as he wiped his feet on the carpet. The magic swordsman wasn't wearing his usual armor today, having instead gone for a navy blue, semi-formal, Cephiroan suit with white trims. Placing the gift down next to the others, Lantis joined the others around the party table.

"Apologies for being late," he spoke in a subdued but formal voice.

"No worries, at least you are here now," Hikaru smiled, trying to appear calm. "It's good to see you…"

My wish came true after all!

As Lantis took himself a plate, Presea looked around the room, "Where is Primera? Did you leave her home again?"

"She didn't feel like coming over," Lantis said matter-of-factly. "She said she had other business to take care of. Fairy business, as she put it."

Turning to Alcyone and seeing his wife shrug at what this could possibly be, Hotaru scoffed back before taking a bite of his cake slice.

With everyone having had their fill, it came time for Hikaru to open her presents. She was given two handmade stuffed animals from Fuu and Umi and a new set of Cephiroan clothes from the maids. Ferio gave Hikaru a bouquet of self-grown flowers and Ascot a deck of cards. Having had some help from Mokona in getting gifts from Earth, Clef and Presea gifted Hikaru (and the rest of the Magic Knights) some new books. Alcyone gifted Hikaru a batch of new, crunchy, salty and sweet, mint-flavored candies, which she wanted tested out.

Once it became time to open Lantis's small gift box, Hikaru had butterflies in her stomach. Removing the paper, she became even more flushed, as it was revealed to be a jewelry box. As she opened the box, Hikaru turned almost as red as her hair, as a large, golf ball-sized pink pearl was revealed. Lifting it out of the box, Hikaru nearly fainted as it became clear the pearl was attached to a golden band, as all the other party guests stood up.

"Is that an engagement ring!?" Umi yelled out what Hikaru was too stunned to say.

With the eyes of all the party guests wide from amazement, Lantis said stoically, "It is a hair ornament, for her ponytail."

With everyone else pratfalling on the floor, Hikaru felt her spirit leaving her body from relief as she slumped down on the chair. While she hoped to one day receive a ring from Lantis, she felt relieved to only have received a hair-ornament for now. Wasting no time, Hikaru placed the hair ornament right on top of the bowtie she wore at the tip of her ponytail, thinking that it looked cute.

"How much did that pearl cost?" Alcyone asked curiously.

"Nothing," Lantis said calmly. "I found it while diving with Hikaru a few days ago. I hope she will remember the fun we had with it."

"Never took ya for the romantic type," Hotaru said quietly, before looking at a large grandfather clock. "…If you want to go and visit Caldina's school, Hikaru, now would be a good time for it."

"But Hotaru, what about your present?" Presea pointed out with her hands on her hips. "Don't tell me you forgot?"

With everyone looking at him expectantly, Hotaru stared back at them with a stern frown, "I spent five hundred gold coins per dress for their ballgowns. That's their birthday and Yule presents for all three of them!"

Leaning towards Envix, Umi asked discreetly, "Is that a lot?"

"it's double my monthly salary…" Envix admitted begrudgingly, causing Umi to let out a high-pitched gasp.

Seeing the two girls whispering, Hotaru threw his head back sternly, "The point is, I am not made of money."

"You sure about that?" Presea asked skeptically. "Zazu tells me you are now one of the top ten richest people on Autozam, and the opals you found…"

"SILENCE!"

---

With the birthday party coming to an end, it came time for Hikaru's supposed wish to go and visit Caldina's school. It was agreed the maids were left to take care of the house and clean up, as they would need an early start on it. In exchange, Hotaru gave them the rest of the day off from chores and permission to use the hot springs.

As Alcyone prepared to teleport them to another continent, Ascot's and Ferio's wrist computers started beeping. Apparently, monster attacks were taking place in two of the villages they oversaw at the same time, which took precedence over their visit. With Clef saying he would take them there first, the group split into two, with the knights, Lantis, and Hotaru going with Alcyone.

Teleporting them next to a small coniferous forest on a low hill, the group started walking up the path through the woods. It was mid-morning and the sun was rising high into the sky when they made it out of the woods, which revealed two buildings. One of the buildings was Chizetan in style and built out of sandstone, while the other was much larger and made out of wood and stone. What had once been a wide, single story, wooden house with a belfry, had now grown into a large school.

The building was two stories tall, rectangular, and divided into eight large rooms, with an entrance hall going through it in the middle. It had a tall, curved roof with multiple dormer windows, as well as north and south facing end windows. Its slate roof was painted pink and its stone and wood walls were covered in pictures of flowers and animals, drawn by the students.

As it was recess time, the many students of the school were playing outside, along with a handful of adults. The school yard had a sizable merry-go-round, a tall and wide slide, an intricate jungle gym, a heavy-set wooden seesaw, and a triple swing set. Seeing the colorful playground, Hikaru was close to running off to play, before remembering Lantis was with them.

Seeing the group approach, the kids and teachers paused their games, before the kids cheered, "HOTARU! ALCYONE!"

As Hotaru waved at the children who waved back like he was their biggest idol, the Magic Knights looked at him in shock.

"I see you two are quite popular with the kids, Mr. Hotaru," Fuu stated in shock.

"And what are we? Chopped liver?" Umi tilted her head disappointedly.

"What? Everyone knows us by first glance," Hotaru said nonchalantly. "Also, I am the one who paid for the playground equipment and Alcyone brings them candy on the last day of every month."

As the group got closer, a bunch of the older students rushed over, surrounding Hotaru. The tallest of the kids, a boy with a cyan tunic and brown hair, who Hotaru remembered as Quint, walked right up to him.

"This is madness!" Quint yelled at him in English.

"Madness?" Hotaru replied in an over-the-top manner. "This! Is! SPARTA!"

With the children laughing at Hotaru's antics, the others looked at him with increased confusion, causing him to clear his throat. As the kids started repeating Hotaru's line and a few others over and over again, he couldn't help but turn red with shame.

"So, I may have taught them a few things…" Hotaru admitted. "At least they're no longer styling their hair."

"Konnichiwa everyone!" Hikaru greeted the kids. "Nice to meet you all, my name is Hikaru!"

As Hikaru greeted them, some of the boys blushed, while one of the girls asked, "Hello, are you new students?"

No but I wonder if I should enroll them here… Give them a taste of what I went through.

Seeing Hotaru plotting something nefarious, Umi quickly clarified, "We are not! We're just here to visit and see how you children are doing."

"…Woooaaah!" One of the girls, Breeze, yelled out, recognizing their guests. "It's the Magic Knights!"

"EH!?" the other children yelled.

Hearing the commotion, Caldina speed walked out of her school, before spotting the others surrounded by the kids. Seeing her friends were here, Caldina took a few running steps before swinging herself around the swing set to pick up speed. Like a gymnast, she made several flips in the air and jumped atop the jungle gym, before hopping over to where the others were. Sticking the landing, both the kids, teachers, and the guests were amazed, as she gave a small bow.

"I didn't expect to see ya'll here," Caldina smiled widely, before looking at Hikaru. "Happy birthday Hikaru-tan! What brings ya over?"

"I wanted to see how you teach the kids!" Hikaru cheered happily. "What lesson are you teaching next?"

Before Caldina could answer, there was a flash of light, as Clef and Presea teleported over. Although the two of them had been to the school before, the kids had a far less energetic reaction to seeing them again. Despite this, Clef was happy and proud to see Caldina's school doing so well.

"Master Mage Clef," Caldina greeted the lilac-haired mage respectfully, "you came to visit us too?"

"We were actually part of Hikaru's group," Presea pointed out, trying to act casual. "We just needed to take a little detour."

Leaning towards Clef, Umi asked, "Where are Ascot and Ferio? Did you forget to bring them?"

"They decided to go home early," Clef whispered back. "Caldina is always asking Ferio to join her grownup classes, and Ascot said Caldina treats him like a kid when other children are around."

Overhearing the conversation, Fuu asked, "Grown up classes?"

"They're our new program," Caldina said proudly. "Many immigrants are movin' to Cephiro and want to learn the local writin' system, history, and so on, so we do evenin' classes. Of course, with the prophecy bein' spread around, less people are attendin' and more are plannin' on movin' out…"

With Caldina mentioning the prophecy, the atmosphere cooled down significantly. The kids behind her grew quiet and their faces filled up with confusion and uncertainty, rending at the hearts of the Magic Knights. While they had worried about Cephiro being in danger, they hadn't fully grasped how things seemed for the average people or the children. While Cephiro was like a second home to them, it wasn't like their entire lives were centered around it. With things getting glum again, Hotaru figured some good news was required.

"Well, those plans will be left as plans," Hotaru declared confidently. "After all, we have already prevented the first part of the prophecy from becoming reality."

"Really?!" One of the children yelled out in surprise.

"That's right," Caldina nodded to further cheer the children. "Prophecy or not, Cephiro's best and strongest are still protecting this world. Things may get scary at first, but we will be okay in the end."

"…Do you promise that?" Breeze asked the visitors.

Smiling as confidently and wide as she could, Hikaru nodded, "We promise!"

With the recess coming to an end, the group followed Caldina and the teachers into the school. By the staff's request, Hotaru, Alcyone, Lantis, Clef, and Presea all agreed to act as substitute teachers for a lesson or two in different classes. Hikaru, Fuu, and Umi joined the students of the eldest grade on their lessons, which were being overseen by Caldina.

For the first lesson they got to see Caldina's teaching methods firsthand and were surprised by her fun and quick way of teaching economics. Though the former dancer's gambling and money making nature did seep through at times, the girls couldn't help but be immersed in her lesson. The next lesson was physics with Hotaru, who used his spells to demonstrate the fundamental laws of physics. While he had his facts straight, the knights could tell he was just enjoying being able to show off his powers to young kids. The third lesson was with Clef who taught the children about Cephiroan literature and history. While the girls would have wanted to hear about the Magic Knights of the past, they knew learning about past Cephiroans was important for the kids. After the lunch hour, it was Alcyone's turn to teach during a biology class, during which they first went outside to gather plants and flowers. Alcyone would then teach about different parts of the plants, while requesting each student to find these specific parts on what they had gathered. The last two subjects were geography and physical education, which were taken care of by Presea and Lantis respectively.

By the time the school bell rang, the Magic Knights couldn't believe how much they had enjoyed the school day, despite being on summer vacation. While many of the kids waited for their parents to come pick them up at the school yard, Caldina walked over to the group of today's substitute teachers.

"Thank ya for all the help. The teachers here are always busy, so it was a great relief to have you over for a day," Caldina admitted awkwardly.

Knowing they had come because of her, Hikaru thanked her back, "Thank you for having us over."

Smiling happily, Caldina turned over to Clef, "Master Mage Clef, I know you've been busy with the kids all day, but could ya do me a small favor? Could ya contact Lafarga and ask him how much longer he will be out on his rounds? He should've been back by now, and I want to know if I need to start on dinner."

Smiling gently at the simple request, Clef nodded, "Leave it to me."

Placing his hand on his forehead, Clef seemed to concentrate on searching for Lafarga. The master mage's expression changed a few times, from neutral, to smile, to surprise, and to concern. Eventually the Master Mage nodded, before looking at the others with a semiserious expression.

"Lafarga said he has already returned, but there is a large number of Gallant Order members in the town. He is currently there to keep an eye on the situation."

"Why would the order be here?" Umi asked worriedly. "Has something happened?"

Thinking about the appearance of the order, Lantis speculated, "They're either here to help the populace prepare, or they might know something we don't."

"Best we go check it out," Hotaru said, already walking off in the direction of the town. "No reason to play the guessing game when the answers are within arm's reach."

Following Hotaru, the group of visitors quickly made their way down the gravel road to the Town of Honda. The small village of log cabins had turned into a decently sized town with cozy and warm looking stone brick houses with tiled roofs, as well as board and clay warehouses. The roads and paths were paved with smooth stone slabs, allowing horse-drawn carriages to travel down them easily. While usually quaint and cozy, the setting sun and heavy silence gave Honda an oppressive atmosphere. Currently, dozens of townsfolk were present at the town square, which wasn't that unusual, but this time around, it wasn't for the sake of commerce.

"…Rest assured people! The Gallant Order is here to make sure you are protected from any disasters and up to date on the latest developments!"

A group of around hundred people dressed in white hooded robes and rudimentary armor had gathered in the town square. The hems of their pristine outfits were covered in small stains and their boots were covered in dirt. On their backs they wore sizable backpacks and some of them were riding horses. At the front of the crowd, upon a dark-brown stallion, sat Captain Darracq, wearing his silver and white armor with golden captain insignias on his pauldrons. Keeping his expression heroic and optimistic, he tried his best to make his audience heed hiswords.

"The plagues kept at bay by Cephiro's Pillars will soon roam the earth! As such we want you to keep track of your health and those around you!" Darracq instructed the villagers. "If you exhibit any symptoms of a disease or feel unwell, make sure to isolate yourself from the others! Healers and family members should take all possible precautions to prevent contagion!"

Standing amongst the crowd of townsfolk, Darracq could spot his former superior, with an over-sized, white tiger standing next to him. Lafarga was keeping a close eye on the Gallant Order, feeling suspicious about their appearance here in the town. So far, the group had only shouted their usual lines about the prophecy and spread news, while offering help to anyone potentially sickly or wounded. They had given the same pieces of advice to the people over and over again, making sure everyone heard them. Not knowing much about medicine or health care, he couldn't comment on what Darracq was spouting.

"Remember! The Gallant Order is always here to help and inform, and looking for new volunteers for our cause!" Darracq declared proudly.

"Remember!" A mocking nasally voice shouted out of the crowd. "Punishable by a fine means legal for a price! And a prophecy is a warning and not a promise!"

Turning to the direction of the voice, the townsfolk and the order members could see a small group of Cephiro's most famous people walking past the crowd. The tallest of the group walked in front of it, with a confident smirk on his face as he stared at the horseback captain.

"I see you have started informing people outside of social events," Hotaru said sarcastically. "Progress. Are you guys going out camping?"

"He-…Lord Hotaru," Darracq said, his tone laced with irritation, as he tried to calm himself, "…and Lady Alcyone, Master Mage Clef, what brings you to this town?"

"The Magic Knights wanted to visit the local school and say hi to its darling children," Alcyone answered with a dignified voice. "We have been helping the teachers in educating the little tykes. What brings you loudmouths here?"

As Captain Darracq tried to stay calm, one of the order members yelled, "We're on a pilgrimage to spread Prophet Sybil's word of the Prophecy of the Broken Pillar and help those in need!"

Clearing his voice to keep his entourage silent, Captain Darracq spoke valiantly, "More specifically; we are here to spread a word of warning on the approaching diseases that will soon roam Cephiro. We have already visited many other villages on our journey to the west and given out advice on how to reduce risks of infection."

"Do you know what sort of plague it will be?" Alcyone asked skeptically. "Because if you do not, you might be giving the people the wrong information! You'd be doing more good if you actually stayed in the villages, instead of roaming the countryside."

"Alas, we are aware," Darracq nodded crestfallenly, "but we do not have the numbers for that. Hence why we are trying to recruit more people, and trying to give the best advice we can to prevent the plagues."

As the Magic Knights followed the conversation between the two parties, they couldn't help but feel like outsiders on the matter. While they didn't have any grievances with the Gallant Order, it also didn't feel right to defend them from Alcyone's and Hotaru's strict criticisms. As they looked at the townsfolk, it seemed like they were siding more with Hotaru and Alcyone on the matter, and were frustrated with the Gallant Order. As Hikaru was trying to think of a solution for both parties, Lantis walked forth with a confident stride.

"How come you are spreading word about the diseases?" Lantis pointed out. "Shouldn't you be spreading word on the flood instead?"

"…That is a good point," Clef admitted, stroking his chin curiously.

Realizing what Lantis and Clef meant, the rest of the group started to also catch up quickly. While they had taken care of the mysterious entity in the Water Shrine, they hadn't exactly told anyone about it. They had decided to keep it under wraps for a number of different reasons. The Magic Knights didn't want to tell the people they had prevented the floods, before they were absolutely certain of this. Alcyone had wanted to see how things would develop if the information wasn't made public yet, if someone else were to notice it. And Hotaru didn't want to waste the efforts of everyone building larger ships to escape the flood, as they would be good for commerce later on.

Looking a bit pale, Darracq inhaled deeply as his followers looked at him, before speaking with a straight posture, "…Prophet Sybil has her own means of monitoring the approach of the disasters. As of right now, the plagues are the next disaster, and they will be here soon."

"What would these means be?" Clef asked without raising his voice. "I would be most interested in discussing with Sybil of a way to predict when the next cataclysm approaches. Do you mind delivering that message to her for me?"

"No need for that," a clear voice spoke out from the crowd of order members.

The Magic Knights gasped in surprise as Gallant Order members stepped aside, unveiling a mysterious figure cloaked in a black hooded robe. A woman fully covered by her black garment walked in front of her travel party, taking the townsfolk off guard by her appearance. Instead of riding on a horse, she was walking on foot, with the dirty hem of her black robe speaking volumes of the journey she had walked.

Placing her hands together, Prophet Sybil bowed respectfully, "Greetings Master Mage, it seems our paths have crossed again. I am glad to see Cephiro's defenders are doing well as well."

"Prophet Sybil, why are you here?" Presea asked suspiciously. "Should you not be keeping an eye on the approaching disasters? No matter how you do that."

"I understand your concern, but as an Oracle, I must go where my guardians are," Sybil answered respectfully. "As such, I will go where my followers go."

"Guardians?" Umi tilted her head.

"Why do you need so many guardians, Miss Sybil?" Hikaru asked innocently, raising a curious eyebrow.

"And how come the rest of us never heard of you or any other Oracles before?" Hotaru asked, crossing his arms while keeping an eye on Sybil. "I have done a lot of reading in the last year, and never have I heard the term oracle before."

With a slight amused smile on her lips, Sybil gestured towards Clef, "Why don't you ask the esteemed Master Mage?"

With everyone but Hotaru's eyes turning towards Clef, the Master Mage sighed deeply. Clenching his staff, Clef swallowed nervously, preparing himself to break oaths he had long since promised to protect.

"The oracles are people born with the ability to see the future. A rare gift among Cephiroans even during best of times. The reason they aren't talked about or why no records exist of them, is because even on Cephiro, that gift could turn into curse," Clef explained with heavy laden words. "The Order of Oracles were the unseen Eyes of the Pillar in order to protect them from those who would abuse that power."

"The Master Mage speaks the truth," Sybil affirmed, speaking loud and clear from the heart. "The ability to see the future is a great temptation for those who wish to abuse it! It takes a great deal of power for an oracle to see into the future and overusing our gift can be fatal. Thus, the Order of Oracles was established to protect us and that the burden of foretelling the future to the Pillar wouldn't fall to a single person. Even in this day and age, I am forced to rely on the Gallant Order for my protection!"

Turning towards her followers and spreading her arms wide dramatically, Sybil announced, "Which is why these people are my heroes!"

Being spoken highly of by the head of their organization, the members of the order smiled and stood proudly. Even the townsfolk now saw the admittedly overbearing order in a new light. And yet, there were still those who were unhappy with the explanations given.

"You still haven't told us how you can tell which disaster of the Prophecy is approaching," Hotaru asked, having not looked away from the prophet. "If seeing into the future is such a burden, how are you keeping track of the disasters alone?"

Placing her arms down, Sybil turned back towards Hotaru, "It does take a great toll on me, but I have tools left behind by my order, called Prophet eggs. These eggs allow me to split my attention between the many approaching disasters of the Prophecy of the Broken Pillar. They let me know when one is about to happen, and when one has passed."

Smiling confidently, Hotaru quipped, "In that case, I take it that the first calamity has already passed?"

"…That is correct," Sybil admitted with a nod, "and I predict that you had something to do with it?"

"Your future sight is as accurate as always," Hotaru said, before rising up into the air with Aluminum Flight and spreading his arms. "Citizens of Cephiro! Let it be known that your favorite group of heroes has managed to overcome the tears that would have flooded the lands! Whatever teething issues this new Cephiro has, we are certain to weather any storm that comes our way!"

As soon as Hotaru's words sunk into them, the people of Honda erupted in great cheers! Though Hotaru's showmanship left Hikaru and the others cringing from awkwardness, they couldn't deny it was a nice change of pace to hear the people so happy. While the news brought a glimmer of hope, only a select few of the shocked Gallant Order members showed any excitement. Their captain's clenched teeth revealed his displeasure.

"He is out staging us again…" Darracq grumbled under his breath.

"Pride comes before the fall, my dear captain," Sybil said with a gentle voice. "Our mission is to prevent the eradication of the people of Cephiro, and they are only helping us."

With the Gallant Order taking their leave to move onto the next town, Lafarga and the others returned to Caldina's school. While the school principal and even the kids were happy to see Lafarga was okay, the news their visitors returned with weren't really uplifting.

"You're saying the next disaster will happen soon?" Caldina asked in an alarmed voice.

With the remaining kids seeming nervous, Hotaru admitted reluctantly, "By the sounds of it, though the Gyaru Order still doesn't seem to know where it will happen."

"The best we can do is to keep watch over as many locations on Cephiro as possible," Clef pointed out, thinking about the situation logically. "When the plagues start, it would be for the best for us to know as soon as possible."

"I guess it would be best if we headed home then," Presea gave a resigned sigh, before turning to Caldina. "Take care of yourselves, alright?"

As Caldina nodded, one of the younger children asked Hikaru, "Will you protect us?"

Wanting to tell the young blonde girl that she would, Hikaru's mouth was left hanging open before she could talk. While she could fight monsters, elementals, or enemies threatening Cephiro, she didn't know if she could fight a plague. Someone with medicinal knowledge, like Alcyone, would be better suited for taking care of an epidemic. At best she could help with tending to patients, provided she herself didn't get sick. However, maybe she would be able to give the children a sense of ease.

Turning to Hotaru and Alcyone, Hikaru asked firmly, "Can I make one more request for my birthday?"

"What is it?" Hotaru asked, with Alcyone seeming slightly irritated.

"Could we stay here for the night?" Hikaru asked, earning surprised looks from everyone. "N-Not all of us! If just me, Fuu, and Umi stayed here. That way we could make the kids feel safer."

"Really?!" Breeze and other children asked excitedly.

Seeing how excited the kids were, Umi smiled clumsily, "I guess we could stay here?"

Thinking about the idea, Hotaru furrowed his brow while looking around, "I don't know about that… What do you think, Caldina?"

"I-I am honored! But I don't know if we've any place for ya'll to stay?" Caldina rambled. "Our house is too small for three guests, there are no inns in the town, and school has no places to sleep…"

Waving her hands quickly, Hikaru halted her, "We can stay in Mokona's shelter! We've done it before. It will be like going out camping!"

"It does sound like a fun way to spend an evening," Fuu nodded happily.

"You can come pick us up at any time if something happens!" Umi smiled confidently.

While Hotaru was putting on his most serious dad face, Alcyone leaned in to murmur into his ear, "That means we could have the kids out of the house for a day…"

The paladin's demeanor shifted dramatically in an instant, as his stern expression changed to a wide grin, "Alright, we will come and pick you up tomorrow! Clef, is it fine for Mokona to stay the night with the girls?"

"That is fine by me," Clef smiled warmly, before looking around. "…Where is Mokona?"

Hearing the question, everyone else looked around, trying to spot the little rabbit fay. But as they continued looking, they started to realize they hadn't seen Mokona around for a while. Unbeknownst to them, the white, egg-shaped sacred beast was nestled right in the center of a hollowed-out birthday cake. Attempting to stroke its aching, bulging belly, Mokona found its little hands unable to reach.

"Puuu-uuuh…" Mokona whimpered, gasping with its stomach full,

"Did you leave Mokona at your manor?" Clef asked Alcyone and Hotaru.

"We thought Sir Mokona was with you, Mr. Clef," Fuu pointed out.

"Does that mean you can't stay?" the blonde girl asked sadly, tugging at Hikaru's sleeve.

Before Hikaru could suggest fetching Mokona, Lantis stepped forth, "They can stay with me."

Lantis had kept to himself for most of the day, so his sudden voice was a jolt to everyone present. The magic swordsman's unexpected offer left those who were familiar with him momentarily speechless, their minds struggling to process his words. Sensing their bewilderment, Lantis took a moment to clarify his surprising proposal.

"My house is similar to Mokona's hut, and more spacious," He reminded those in the know. "I can bring it here and the girls can sleep in the guest room."

Although Hikaru was happy to find a solution to her problem, she couldn't help but blush at the suggestion. The idea of being invited to see what Lantis's house and room looked like, felt like a big step forward for the young girl. Expecting to hear objections from Hotaru or Alcyone, Hikaru was surprised to see them give each other confirming nods.

"Alright, you girls have fun and behave yourselves," Hotaru said, picking Alcyone into a princess carry. "Do not complain about the food, keep your belly buttons covered when sleeping, and don't use up all of Lantis's hot water."

"Wait, are you just going to leave us here!?" Umi asked in shock, seeing how quickly Hotaru was moving on.

Looking at the girls smugly, Alcyone sneered, "Relax, this just will let you experience what life on Cephiro is like outside our home."

"Just make sure to dodge the frying pan and you'll be fine," Hotaru warned them, before being teleported away by Alcyone.

With Umi and Hikaru staring at the spot their hosts had been at, Fuu bowed respectfully to Lantis, "We will be under your care. Please take care of us."

"Y-Yes…" Lantis nodded, also perturbed by his nephew's actions.

With Presea and Clef also taking their leave, Lantis teleported away to fetch his house. Meanwhile, Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu wished a good evening to all the kids one byone, as their parents came to get them. They were surprised by how long it took for some of the parents to arrive, as it was almost dark by the time the last children were getting picked up.

By then, Lantis and Primera had already returned and erected the mobile house. Unlike Mokona who summoned its shelter from the gem on its forehead, Lantis had brought a black suitcase with a rounded top. Opening the suitcase, there was a bright blue flash, before a black, horse-shoe shaped building with silver trims appeared. Many times, wider than Mokona's shelter and standing on dozens of small arched struts, the mobile home was the size of a large apartment.

The house was single-story and had three entrances with small staircases in front of them. One at each tip, and one in the middle of the inner curve of the horse shoe. There were small, round and triangular windows high off the ground, to allow for a view but also privacy.

Having pitched a tent near the school grounds, Lantis summoned his horse, letting it graze on the grass that grew in the vicinity. With all set, Lantis invited the girls into his home.

Stepping into a spacious and delicately decorated living room, the girls were shocked by the sheer amount of rubicund. There were wide angled couches lining up the walls with pink, lace trimmed pillows. A wide coffee table in the middle of the room had a basket of fruit and a colorful flower pattern vase on it, with many wild flowers in it. Two doors led to the left and right side of the horseshoe, with a fold-out bar decorating the back wall. Above the bar, was a futuristic looking metal box with many domed lightbulbs. Having seen one back at the mansion, they recognized it as the main control panel of an alarm system. Before they could look around more closely, Primera flew in front of them.

"So, you've finally decided to visit us, hmm?" Primera asked with her arms crossed. "When Lantis said he was going to attend your birthday party, I didn't expect him to bring you home."

"Go away you gnat!" Umi said defensively, keeping Hikaru behind her. "I know we're guests in your house but we won't let you bully Hikaru!"

Looking down at the fellow blue-hair, Primera placed her hands on her hips, "I have no such intentions. You are guests in our home and I welcome you. Let me show you around."

Following the little fairy, the girls were familiarized with the layout of the house. In the left arm of the horseshoe there was a reading room with a reclining arm chair and a dining room with a sizable folding table. Like the living room, the dining room had been decorated by Primera, with pink frilly curtains and colorful windowsill planter boxes. In the left tip of the horseshoe was the kitchen, which while a bit cramped, was fully stocked and state of the art. In addition to a sink, stove, oven, cabinets and drawers, there was a microwave oven, a fridge and freezer, and several appliances.

"H-How does a fantasy world like Cephiro have all this stuff?" Umi stuttered, inspecting a blender.

"They are things Lantis brought from Autozam," Primera explained. "I don't know how to use all of them, but some are convenient."

Moving onto the right arm of the horseshoe, there was an economy size bathroom/laundry room combo, with a single person bathtub and a washing machine. The tub and sink were both pastel pink and the bathroom mat had a red and green rose pattern. Further along were two bedrooms with a walk-in closet between them, both decorated to match the pink bedsheets on the large beds.

"There is a lot more pink than one would assume from the outside view," Fuu mused, trying not to insult their host.

"It took me a while to decorate this place to my liking, but I think I succeeded in it!" Primera said proudly. "Lantis has such a simplistic taste in décor, it didn't feel at all homely in here."

With Lantis standing behind them, Hikaru asked carefully, "Do you like décor like this?"

"It doesn't hurt anyone," Lantis said impassively. "You girls able to share a bed? I can sleep on the couch so you can have the bedrooms. If not, I can sleep on the recliner inthe study."

"Ah! No need for that," Hikaru corrected him in a hurry. "We are all used to sleeping on the same bed, so you can keep your room…"

Seeing Hikaru's insistence, Lantis couldn't find it in him to oppose, "Well… alright then."

Although the girls had looked forward to camping outside, staying at Lantis's house was more awkward than any of them anticipated. They didn't have any of their books or games with them and with Lantis around, they couldn't talk or gossip as freely. As they sat silently in the living room, Fuu decided to try and satiate her curiosity about Cephiro, and turned to Primera.

"If you do not mind me asking, Ms. Primera, could you tell me more about the fairies of Cephiro? We do not have fairies or other intelligent beings other than humans on Earth."

"Oh? You wish to know about fairies?" Primera asked smugly, before turning her small legs towards Fuu while sitting on the couch. "Very well! Fairies and other spirits like mermaids, elementals, satyrs, lamias, and harpies etc. are born from Cephiro itself, through a variety of different means. Unlike humans we do not have set lifespans but we don't endure starvation quite as well in return. We fairies are born when flowery plants bloom for the first time during Fay Moon, with different plants birthing different kinds of fairies! I am an orchid fairy but there are also tree fairies, shrub fairies, grass fairies, moss fairies, field fairies, grain fairies, lake fairies, river fairies, vine fairies…"

Leaning towards Lantis, Umi whispered, "Does she ever shut up on this topic?"

"Not before she gets hungry…"

Just as Lantis said, Primera continued talking until her stomach started grumbling two hours later. After promising to cook dinner, Primera immediately hurried off into the kitchen. While Primera was a decent cook, she was also a prideful one and didn't want guests cooking in her kitchen. This proved problematic when the little fairy had to cook for four full-sized people instead of just one. Eventually Lantis had to offer a hand, at which point the fairy couldn't refuse the help.

Finishing setting up the table with him, Primera proudly presented, "Today's meal consists of baked mushrooms stuffed with nuts and berries, with fruity and crunchy salads on the side!"

"This looks great!" Hikaru said, looking at the food. "How is it so sparkly?"

"It's thanks to a special fairy seasoning called distila that I added just for you!" Primera said smugly. "It not only gives it a sparkling appearance, but adds a nice sweet and savory taste!"

"Everything tastes like candy," Umi gritted her teeth with her mouth full of salad, trying her best not to complain about the food.

"Have some coffee with it," Lantis offered, sympathizing with Umi's lack of sweet tooth.

Next bit of awkwardness came when everyone had to wait for their chance to use the bathroom. While lining up for the tub was no issue, it wasn't like the group had come prepared with extra towels, bathrobes, changes of clothing, or pajamas.

"Thank you for letting us borrow your clothing, Mr. Lantis…" Fuu thanked the swordsman awkwardly, while wearing his spare black turtleneck jumper. "Apologies for the inconvenience."

"It's fine," Lantis said, wearing his usual evening clothes. "It was my fault for not having the foresight for this."

"Not sure why you couldn't just teleport over to the mansion to pick up some of our stuff," Umi said, wearing an Autozamian t-shirt.

"I tried, but it seems Alcyone has put up a barrier preventing teleporting or telepathy," Lantis sighed, rubbing the side of his head.

"Does she do that often?" Fuu tilted her head.

"Only when she absolutely doesn't want anyone disturbing her or Hotaru."

As the other two Magic Knights smiled awkwardly, Hikaru was blushing deep red, as she focused on the shirt she was wearing. It was a white, high collar shirt with buttons and long sleeves, and so big on her that it reached her knees. It was exciting to get to wear her boyfriend's shirt, something her classmates had talked about in whispers. But with her friends also wearing Lantis's clothes, she felt silly for thinking of this as something romantic.

As it came time for them to go to sleep, the Magic Knights huddled together under the covers of the guest room bed. The room wasn't too big, so the double bed was positioned in the corner. While the three of them were used to sleeping together in the same bed, they had overestimated their berth, finding it lacking room.

"This bed is not as big as we thought it was…" Umi said, spooning over Fuu.

"Or maybe we have grown bigger," Fuu reminded her, while spooning over Hikaru.

Staring at the wall and feeling she was taking up space, Hikaru asked, "…Should I ask if Lantis will let me sleep next to him?"

"How bold of you, Ms. Hikaru," Fuu chuckled, holding her tighter.

"Maybe that would be too forward?" Umi pointed out uneasily. "Besides, we don't want Primera starting a fight at this hour…"

"I am not so sure, she has been quite a bit nicer today than normal," Fuu pointed out.

"That's just because we're guests," Umi pointed out. "Or what do you think, Hikaru?"

Instead of an answer, they could hear silent breathing and sniffling, signaling that their red-head leader had already fallen asleep. Not wanting to bother her, Fuu and Umi also closed their eyes, tired from the unusually long day.

---

After a mostly peaceful night huddled up together under a blanket, the Magic Knights were rudely woken up by an alarm. Hearing the mechanical sound of beeping, Umi reached out trying to find her alarm clock, before falling over the edge of the bed. Opening her eyes, she found herself on the floor of the guest room, finally remembering they weren't at the guest house. Before she could get up, Hikaru crawled over Fuu and off the bed, rushing in the direction of the beeping.

Opening the guest room door, Hikaru saw Lantis putting on his armor, "It's the mobile computer, isn't it?"

"Yes, sorry if it woke you girls up," Lantis apologized, turning off the alarm.

"We'll come with you!" Hikaru stated firmly.

Smiling at her offer, Lantis turned her down gently, "Calm down. It is only a green alarm. That means people have spotted a monster, not that one is attacking. I will just teleport there, look for the monster, and deal with it if it is a threat."

As it would take time to wait for her to dress up, Hikaru asked, "…When will you be back?"

"If I am not back in thirty minutes, wait longer," Lantis said with a smirk, before grabbing his magic sword. "It can take a while if it is a magical beast in need of a home."

With Hikaru giving an understanding nod, Lantis teleported away on the spot. As the tension came undone, Hikaru yawned deeply as a wave of lethargy took over her. Rubbing her eyes, she looked out the window of Lantis's bedroom, seeing the sun coming up from behind a nearby hill. In the light of the rising sun, she could spot small figures moving in a straight line in the dusk, as the children were coming to school.

With Primera still being tired from cooking breakfast yesterday, she allowed Umi and Fuu whip up a quick breakfast, provided it had no meat or fish. After eating and washing dishes, the girls bid her a good day before rushing out to the school. They were given a quick talking to by one of the teachers for showing up tardy, but this was to set an example to the kids.

Instead of spending the entire day at the school again, the Magic Knights decided to spend the day in the town. Having been paid a hefty allowance of fifty gold coins per week by Hotaru, the girls had some money to spend after two weeks. At first, they went to look for a place to hang out and try out the local specialties, which they soon discovered to be ale, bread, and wool. Not old enough to drink or hungry enough to eat, they instead browsed clothes shops, buying six cute scarves for themselves and their hosts.

To repay Lantis his kindness for taking them in and to lessen their chores, the Magic Knights decided to buy groceries from the local markets. Not entirely sure what to buy, the girls only bought things they had seen in Lantis's kitchen, as well as some basic necessities. Visiting the general goods store, Hikaru was excited to see some of Alcyone's candies on sale.

Making their way back with their shopping, the girls were in good spirits, as soon it would be post-lunch recess at school. As soon as they put away what they had brought, they would get to play with the kids until afternoon. But before they could reach the horseshoe-shaped abode, there was a flash of light near the playground. Recognizing the light, the girls were happy to see their usual legal guardians again, even though they looked more tired than usual.

"Lady Alcyone, Lord Hotaru, so nice to see you again," Fuu greeted them with a smile.

"Glad to see you girls are so cheerful as well," Hotaru yawned deeply.

Seeing Alcyone also rubbing her eyes, Umi asked teasingly, "Did you not get much sleep?"

"Oh, we slept like babies," Alcyone said, adjusting to her extremely long hair. "It's just that we only woke up thirty minutes ago."

"Ufufu, you shouldn't be sleeping till noon," Umi chuckled teasingly, before realizing something. "Wait… Isn't it almost night back at the mansion?"

"Time lost all meaning yesterday," Hotaru grinned.

"You're not taking us back already, are you?" Hikaru asked, worried they would miss recess.

"I suppose we can wait an hour or so, but then we should head back home," Alcyone said strictly. "Have there been any signs of the plagues?"

Before any of the girls could answer, they heard beeping from inside Lantis's home. At first the girls thought that Primera had been using the microwave, but soon the blue-haired fairy flew out of the house.

"Has anyone seen Lantis!?" Primera asked alarmedly. "He hasn't come back yet and the alarm is flashing red!"

Hearing this, Hotaru quickly ran past Primera into the horseshoe, through the middle door. It didn't take long for him to spot the beeping control panel of Lantis's alarm system on the living room wall. Thanks to Hotaru having learnt Cephiroan and Lantis having labeled each of the lights, he could tell which village was under attack.

Rushing back out, Hotaru asked Alcyone, "Honey do you know where Gorham is?"

With Alcyone giving a confirming nod, the Magic Knights summoned their new suits of armor, as Hotaru expanded his Double Armor's gauntlets. Summoning and raising her staff, Alcyone wrapped everyone in a dome of light.

"Mass Teleport!"

As the light faded, the scenery around them had changed drastically and horrifically. Around them were half destroyed wooden houses full of holes, some of which had collapsed. While the village was quite small, all of its people were running around and screaming, or laying on the ground. While all of them had expected the scene of a monster attack, they hadn't expected there to be so many.

All around Gorham there were dozens of moss green, multi-limbed creatures, about the height of a house each. The creature's central bodies looked like flat green pods with giant vertical eyes in their fronts, with small red irises. From their backs and sides extended out dozens of green tentacles like eyelashes, with a singular black claw at the tip of reach. Using several of these tentacles to move around, their movements were unpredictable and unnerving.

But the most horrifying thing that they saw was behind the eyes. Peeking out from the pods, were screaming and panicking Cephiroans, one behind each eye. The Cephiroans were struggling to get out of the pods and begging for help, but despite the best efforts of the guards and villagers, the monsters were too nimble.

"Wha-What is going on?" Umi asked, paralyzed by the terror around her.

"I don't know… I've never seen monsters take people as hostages before!" Alcyone trembled.

"What do we do?" Fuu asked from the only two people weren't trembling.

Gripping her sword and gritting her teeth, Hikaru conceded reluctantly, "We can't attack them if they have people inside of them!"

"Then let's at least get the remaining people to safety!" Hotaru said firmly, looking each of them in the eye. "Hikaru, Umi, Fuu, lead the people who can still walk out of the town! Alcyone, try to see if there are any survivors among the ones on the ground! I will take care of the calamari…"

Rushing forth, Hotaru activated Titanium Power, growing to a size that eclipsed most of the village. Seeing him grow gigantic, the wandering eyes started targeting him instead of the villagers. Those closest to him tried to jab him with their tentacles, but their spikes couldn't do a thing. Realizing he needed to get these monsters away from the villagers without damaging the people inside, Hotaru did it the only way he knew how.

Inhaling deep, Hotaru bent over the swarm of monsters before letting out the most terrifying roar he could. With his voice being amplified to kaiju-like levels, his roar carried far from the village, causing the monsters to freak out. Being successfully frightened, the monsters started running away from Hotaru, who walked after them, staying just behind the retreating swarm.

At the same time, the Magic Knights started running around the village, telling people to escape in the opposite direction. Recognizing the girls as the Magic Knights and seeing Hotaru tower over them, the citizens felt a spark of hope as the monsters began to retreat. In the meanwhile, the guards started picking up the wounded off the ground, with Alcyone using her levitation magic to carry dozens of people at once.

As the situation seemed to be getting under control, Hotaru grabbed one of the retreating monsters. Its many tentacles tried stabbing at his giant armored hand as he lifted it up, but there was no escaping the titan. Seeing Hotaru up close, the person within the monster, an older man with white hair, looked relieved and stopped screaming.

"Please, Hero Hotaru! Get this monster out of me!"

"I'll try my best," Hotaru nodded, shrinking down in size.

Once small enough, Hotaru held onto the monster, using Tungsten Defense and Steel Strength to keep it still. Grabbing the sides of its body and one of the tentacles, he pulled as hard as he could. But as he did, the old man inside the pod-like body screamed in pain, as if Hotaru had just dislocated his spine. Hotaru had no time to apologize, as the old man passed out soon after. As he tried to think of a new plan, the monster struck him from a blind ankle, poking him in the eye through the gaps in his helmet.

"Son of a—!" Hotaru flinched, rubbing his eye.

Before he could counter, the tentacle monster ran off, using its tentacles to leap and swing over the buildings. While Hotaru would've wanted to run after them, he realized he had no idea how to actually help the old man.

"This might be worse than we thought…" Hotaru gritted his teeth.

Returning over to the others, Hotaru found Fuu healing the wounded people with her magic. Many people had been stabbed and their clothes had blood on them, but Fuu's healing magic patched their wounds and even clothes. As more and more people were being gathered over, it didn't seem like anyone had been outright killed.

Looking around the scared villagers, Hikaru asked, "Is everyone alright and accounted for?"

"We think so…" Umi said, finally having time to calm down. "No one has been reported missing."

Hearing everyone was alive, Alcyone sighed in relief, "Thank goodness…"

"Lady Alcyone!" Fuu yelled out. "This man isn't waking up!"

Walking next to Fuu, Alcyone, Hotaru, Hikaru, and Umi all took a look at the person laying on the ground. He was a man of around the same age as Hotaru and height as Alcyone, with short dark purple hair. His skin was rough and light, but pale and taut around his face. He wore a black worker's tunic with brown trousers and leather loafers. While he seemed to be unharmed thanks to Fuu's magic, he was sweating and shivering while unconscious. Placing her hand on his forehead, Alcyone clicked her tongue.

"He has a high fever. Very high," Alcyone diagnosed, before standing up. "Does anyone know this man? Was he like this before the attack?"

The other villagers came over and took a closer look, before one of the guards spoke out, "We've never seen him. I don't think he is from around this place."

"I saw him!" A younger woman shouted out. "He came in running and screaming into the village, and then the monsters barged out of the woods in droves!"

"I say throw him back in the woods!" One of the village elders yelled. "If he is sick, it might be the plague the Gallant Order warned us about!"

"Yeah! Get him out of here!"

"We don't need diseases and monsters here!"

"STOP IT!" Hikaru yelled.

While typically sweet and composed, Hikaru's demeanor had shifted dramatically, her face turning as crimson as her hair in a fit of anger. Seeing the red-headed girl seething with anger, the crowd went silent, as even her friends were slightly taken aback.

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO HEARTLESS!? This man cannot even speak and you kick him while he is down!" Hikaru lectured the villagers. "Sick or not, we will not throw him away when he needs help!"

The little knight's words resonated with the people of Gorham, filling them with remorse for their earlier comments. As Hikaru was about to continue lecturing them, Hotaru gently placed his hand onto her shoulder, and offered a proud smile.

"These people have just lost most of their homes. Let's cut them some slack," Hotaru said softly, before turning towards the villagers. "We will take this man with us! If he does have the plague, then rest assured he will be looked after by Cephiro's greatest medical expert!"

Knowing he was talking about her, Alcyone smiled happily, which turned into slight blush as the villagers also realized who Hotaru meant. Without objections, the villagers nodded, before thanking them for saving their village.

---

Not wanting to risk spreading plague all over their manor, Hotaru and Alcyone had teleported back to Lantis's mobile house. To make sure kids wouldn't get too close to him, they brought the sickly man inside and placed him on a couch. Primera wasn't too happy about her home being potentially contaminated, but her worries were focused on other things at the moment.

"Why are you bringing another stranger into our house despite Lantis still not being back?!" Primera asked, hovering over the others.

"We didn't find him," Hotaru said bluntly, not even facing the fairy, "but I have a suspicion this man might know where Lantis is."

"You really think so?" Hikaru asked hopefully.

"What makes you think thar?" Umi asked.

Holding his chin, Hotaru thought out loud, "If this guy came running while being chased by the monsters, there is the chance these things are more widespread than we thought. Lantis may have come across the same monsters, so there is a chance he is trying to find a way to free the people. Not exactly an easy task."

"So, this man may have seen Lantis then?" Primera asked, hovering a bit closer to him.

"Or he might be able to point us in the right direction," Fuu pointed out.

Seeing Alcyone place a cold compress on the feverish man's forehead, Hikaru asked, "Do you think you can cure him?"

Taking out a selection of pills from her forehead gem and inspecting them, Alcyone answered, "I make no guarantees, but I'm sure we will get answers out of him with the correct treatment."

Using a combination of spells and medical knowledge, Alcyone proceeded to quickly examine the man. With a delicate touch, she registered an increasedheart rate and pulse in rest, high temperature, large angry red welts across the skin, and muscle spasms. Using spells like Reveal Person, Alcyone tried to find the underlying cause behind the man's symptoms. After several attempts, she could discern conditions like feverish, bleeding, burnt, and poisoned. Though these conditions together matched no disease she knew of, she was able to deduce the right medication for the immediate symptoms.

First order of business was to lower his temperature and give him a painkiller. Warming up a small bowl of water and diluting herbal medicine in it, Alcyone then placed a white pill into the man's mouth. Pouring the herbal medicine down his throat gently and using telekinesis, she helped the man swallow it all. After that, he requested Fuu to heal the man, in case he had any internal bleeding. Next, she took out an antidote pill, placing the purple capsule between his teeth and helping him crush it, before washing it down with water.

To Alcyone's and everyone else's surprise, the man drank the water on his own, before gasping for air afterwards. Opening his green eyes, the man looked tired and confused, as he stared at the thousand yards ahead of him. As his memories slowly returned to him, the man stroked his head before trying to get up.

"Where am I? Who are you people?" The man asked groggily.

Seeing him talking, Hikaru smiled warmly, "Just take it easy, you are safe from monsters."

"Though we too would appreciate some information," Hotaru said with his arms crossed. "Starting with who are you?"

"Ho-Hotaru the Hero?" the man blinked, recognizing the tall brunet. "My name is Corvan… What is it you wish to… AH!"

Getting up into a sitting position, the Corvan startled the Magic Knights, as his expression turned from tired to frightened in an instant. While feeling dizzy from the sudden movement, the man didn't let this perturb him.

"Please, Hero! You must save us!" Corvan said with sweat dripping down his forehead. "You must save my family, and the people of my town! Cephiro is in great danger!"

"Don't worry," Hotaru said calmly, placing his hand on his shoulder. "We will do all we can to save them from those monsters. Do you know how the people ended up inside of them?"

"I… I don't know. They charged into our town and started attacking us without warning, carrying people inside of them," Corvan explained, his head spinning. "I ran for my life and by the time I reached Gorham, I passed out on the ground… But that's not the true threat!"

"True threat?" Alcyone blinked confused.

Pulling his hands away from his face, the pale man looked at them in sheer horror, "Before those things attacked, we saw this absolutely humongous monster tower over the forest! We could feel its footsteps before we saw it! It must have been even larger than you, Hero!"

"…With or without my Mashin?" Hotaru asked worriedly.

Thinking back, Corvan eventually answered, "Without… probably… It was smaller than a mountain, at least."

As the Magic Knights sighed in relief, Alcyone asked, "What village are you from? We need to know before we…"

Before Alcyone could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by a familiar beeping sound. Turning towards the back wall, they saw another red light having lit up on the control panel, signifying another ongoing attack. Just as Alcyone was about to say they now knew where the monsters were, the beeping suddenly grew louder. One after another, the lights on the panel started flashing red, the beeping growing louder and faster. As the beeping continued, her patient started yelling out in pain and holding his head. Before she could suggest the fever and loud noises were giving him a headache, Corvan's clothes started tearing.

One by one, dozens of green tentacles started sprouting from the purple-haired man's body. First from Corvan's back, then his sides, and then his arms, prompting the others to back away quickly. Soon after his leather loafers burst open as a green cocoon spread out from his feet and around his torso, encasing him up to his neck. A huge, vertical eye opened on the front of the cocoon, its small red iris staring at the horrified onlookers.

Before the true horror of what they had just witnessed could settle in, the monster launched out its tentacles towards Alcyone. Before she could use her Barrier Circle to defend herself, Hotaru rushed in front of her with his Silver Speed, pushing her back. Having acted without thinking, Hotaru had no time to activate Tungsten Defense, allowing the tentacle spikes to stab into him. As the Magic Knights gasped in horror, Hotaru gritted his teeth and activated his defensive spell, as the others drew their swords.

As Corvan looked at them all in abject horror, Hotaru apologized, "Sorry, friend, but this is going to hurt like hell."

Reaching behind him quickly, Hotaru grabbed Alcyone's Olympia opal encrusted longsword. With a few super sonic slashes, the paladin quickly cut off the monster's tentacles, causing the man trapped inside to scream bloody murder. By the time Hotaru finished, Corvan had passed out, and the monster was trying to scream while having no mouth.

While Hotaru was pulling the spiked tentacles off of him, Fuu yelled, "Hotaru! That man he—"

"I know!" Hotaru roared, still bleeding in various places. "I've seen enough Zombie movies… just heal already!"

"W-Winds of Healing!"

With Fuu focusing on healing Hotaru, the others stared at the still beeping command panel. As more lights continued lighting up, pieces started clicking into place as to what was going on. Images of endless amounts of these eye-like monsters spreading throughout the eastern half of the continent, infecting more and more people, flashed before them.

"'The long-silent plagues will stir from their slumber, roaming free'…" Alcyone quoted the prophet, shivering in fright.

"What are we supposed to do!?" Umi asked desperately. "These monsters are spreading faster than any disease or zombie virus I have heard of!"

"And if we try to fight them, we will end up hurting the people infected by them…" Hikaru added, her eyes trembling with worry.

"Hotaru… Are you okay?" Alcyone asked with a quivering voice, looking at her husband's back as he was healed.

"…Yeah," Hotaru said, trying to stay brave, before confessing, "…for at least the next hour or so that it takes for this thing to fully infect me. After that…"

With her legs growing weak, Alcyone fell down onto her knees, trying to wrap her head around all the motions stirring within her. Though the others seemed calm, Alcyone had never before even imagined anything like this. A disease that would turn those infected into monsters, that would infect others. Furthermore, she had no idea how long the infected could suffer their condition, before either succumbing to the disease, or being fully taken over by it. Though Hotaru had trusted her to be Cephiro's greatest medical expert, she had no idea where to even begin to develop a cure.

"This is where it ends… isn't it?" Alcyone asked, tears sliding down her cheek. "There is nothing we can do… This entire continent will be overrun before next week, and who knows when the next disaster will strike! Even if we did find a cure, it wouldn't be in time to save you…"

Squeezing his fist tightly, Hotaru tried to look her wife in the face and say it was okay, but it felt like his feet were planted to the floor. He had underestimated the calamities prophesied by Sybil after one lucky victory, thinking they could stop them early on. He would've wanted to sit down to think of a plan, to truly try and outsmart his foe. But now that time and options were quickly running out, Hotaru figured that a shot in the dark would be better than to never pull the trigger.

"…There is one thing we can try…" Hotaru said, gritting his teeth.

"What is it?" Hikaru asked worriedly.

Turning towards the others, the already paler looking Hotaru asked, "Remember that giant monster Corvan mentioned? If we assume that that monster is in any way related to all this, it might be like that creature we fought in the Water Shrine."

"So… it could be the source of all these disease spreaders?" Umi suggested.

"Yeah… patient zero and all that," Hotaru said, wiping sweat off his brow. "If we find it and kill it, we might be able to snuff the disease at its source."

"Like a head vampire?" Fuu pointed out.

"This is a zombie movie!" Umi insisted.

"WHATEVER THIS IS! It is the only plan I got at the moment," Hotaru said, feeling more tired by the minute. "Alcyone…"

"Yes?" she asked, standing back up.

"In case this doesn't work, please use Corvan to try and find a cure…" Hotaru panted before hugging his wife tightly. "Call Clef, Ascot, and everyone else over. If we fail, it is up to you to keep the disease from spreading, or at least keep the people away from the monsters."

"…But where are you even going to go to look for the monster?" Alcyone asked, her eyes growing misty. "Corvan never told you where he was from."

"That is easy to fix," Primera said, hovering over the knocked-out man.

"Primera! If you heal him, you might heal the—!" Fuu yelled, but too late.

"Futura!" The fairy yelled, spinning above the man's face.

As the others prepared for the monster to regain its limbs, they were shocked to see Primera's fairy dust only land on the visible human part. While Primera's Futura wasn't as powerful or fast acting as Winds of Healing, it seemed far more accurate. Little by little, Corvan opened his green eyes, regaining consciousness, again.

"Ni… Nissan…"

---

Having gotten their location, Hotaru and the Magic Knights took off quickly, with the girls summoning their Mashins. With Hotaru in the lead using Titanium Power, they scoured the lands below them, trying to spot the giant monster Corven had mentioned. Although they knew where the titan had been last spotted, the chances of them still being there were slim. However, if the monster truly was larger than Hotaru, following its path shouldn't be difficult.

"Any signs of foot prints yet?" Fuu asked, looking around the ground below.

"No, but those jellyfish are everywhere!" Umi griped, staring at the ground.

Every time the quartet flew over a village, it was either abandoned or run over by the green tentacle monsters. Seeing the people getting chased and run down by the monsters and ignoring it, went against everything the Magic Knights stood for. But as they still had no way of freeing or curing the people, their only chance of saving them was to find the source of the disease as quickly as possible.

"Have you ever seen a plague like this, Rayearth?" Hikaru asked her Mashin.

"Diseases art a matter we Mashins rarely hast to trouble ourselves with," Rayearth answered honestly.

"Regardless, we hast never heard of a disease nor monster that spreads like this," Windam added.

As they continued flying, Hikaru's thoughts kept returning to this morning, "I hope Lantis is alright…"

"Look on the bright side," Hotaru said, trying to stay conscious while flying. "He is bound to be better off than the villagers…"

"How are you holding out, Mr. Hotaru?"

"I should have asked Alcyone for painkillers…"

With the time limit of Hotaru being taken over by the disease pressing on all of them, the atmosphere started getting tenser and glummer. Just as she was about to scream from frustration, Umi almost missed movement in the corner of her eye. Behind a mountain range, melding in with the forests below, moved a large lime-green and gray figure.

"STOP!" Umi yelled to others, halting her flight. "Over there!"

Stopping on the dime, Fuu, Hikaru and Hotaru all stared into the distance at the figure while briskly hovering towards it. The figure had six large and thick gray limbs, with extremities that looked like a combination of hooves and tree roots. Several huge lime-green warts covered its back and sides, with one of the growths covering up its elongated head and face. A relatively short tail dragged along behind it, and its maw was all a singular round jaw with jutting teeth, that dripped green slime. As Corvan had said, the monster was even larger than Hotaru, maybe twice as tall and much longer from head to tail.

"It is humongous…" Fuu gasped.

The monster seemed to be paying no heed to them, as it single-mindedly continued on its path. As it walked, boulders and trees were crushed under its weight, reduced to splinters and gravel, as it headed towards the setting sun. Realizing it was headed in the direction of Honda, Hikaru's expression turned serious as she focused on their enemy.

"Let's hit it with everything we've got!" Hikaru declared, before boosting towards the monster.

Following their leader's Mashin's trail of flames, the quartet soon reached the monster. Despite having no eyes, the giant spotted their approach, turning its turret-like head towards them. Its boil-like cheeks bloated up, before spitting out a spray of thick lime-green ooze from its mouth, trying to hit the flying foes. Though the attack was easy enough to dodge for them, it didn't make it any less demoralizing.

"EWWW! That's just gross!" Umi shivered, as a massive stream of mucus flew past her.

Seeing the snot splash against a mountain side, Hotaru gagged, "Ten thousand yen says that we now know what the source of the disease is!"

Getting close enough to the monster, Hikaru extended her arms out, "Ruby Lightning!"

"Emerald Cyclone!" Fuu yelled, performing similar movements.

"Ice Blade!" Umi threw her left hand forward with all her might.

Firing off their most powerful spells, the hexapedal monster was peppered by razor sharp blades of wind, ice, and beams of water, piercing its body with ease. As the giant ball of red lightning struck it, a massive explosion rocked its rotten body. But despite puncturing many of its boils, slicing off chunks of flesh, and blowing off a large part of its back, the monster kept walking forward. As the smoke from Hikaru's attack faded away, they could see that parts of its body were healing and closing over.

"Oh, come on! Something this big should not be able to regenerate!" Umi complained about the lack of balance.

"Aim for the legs!" Hotaru yelled out, extending out his arm. "Uranium Cannon!"

Placing the Mashins next to each other, the Magic Knights fired colored energy beams from their chests, "Spiral Light!"

A lime-green cone of energy exploded from Hotaru's hand, taking out two of the monster's legs in one fell swoop and a large chunk of the land below. Soon after the energy beams of Mashins twisted together, forming a large white sphere or energy that shot out at the titanic monster. The ball of energy ripped its way through the first left limb, before exploding and taking out the second one. With the monster crippled, it fell face first against the ground, though its blown off limbs continue regenerating slowly.

Before they could launch another set of attacks, a loud scream echoed from the monster. "AAAAAAAHH!"

"That voice…" a cold shiver ran up Hikaru's spine. "…LANTIS!"

Among what remained of the battered monster, Hikaru could spot a darkly dressed man half buried in one of the blown open pustules on its back. Flying closer, she could see Lantis splayed on his back, his armor in rough shape, with his arms and legs tightly sealed inside the monster.

"Lantis! Are you okay?!" Hikaru asked worriedly, seeing his pained expression.

"Hikaru… you finally came," Lantis said painfully, as the monster around him continued closing up.

Knowing his voice was too weak for Hikaru to hear him, Lantis spoke to her telepathically, (Listen Hikaru, I am fine but I don't know how long I can hold it. You four must kill this monster! Many others have already been digested by it and soon more will be brought in!)

"What did you say!?" Hikaru gasped, turning around.

Looking down at the ground, Hikaru could see dozens of eye monsters some ways away, approaching the giant monster. Inside them, they were carrying people who all seemed pale and, given the fact they weren't screaming, unconscious. As the true horror of the situation paralyzed her, she was snapped out of it as she heard a deafening scream of pain.

"AAAAAAAARRGH!" Hotaru roared in pain, his armored body shaking.

"HOTARU!" The Magic Knights yelled.

Feeling like he was about to explode, the paladin yelled in anguish, "Its inside my armor!"

"Has it already been an hour!?" Umi gasped in horror.

As pain wracked his body, Hotaru flashed back to when he had been poked in the eye by one of the monsters. He hadn't thought much of it at the time because of Tungsten Defense, but now regretted ignoring it. In too much pain to explain it, Hotaru withdrew his Double Armor so as not to be crushed by the parasitic monster.

With the Escudo armor withdrawn, the monster was able to spread out its tentacles, which quickly exploded out; taking out nearby trees and even a mountain top. The Magic Knights were barely able to avoid tentacles the size and length of highways. While the pressure had somewhat subsided, Hotaru could feel his feet still killing him as the monster tried to spread its cocoon through his boots.

"How is it so big!?" Umi yelled out.

"It must be buffed by Mr. Hotaru's spells!" Fuu exclaimed.

"This god damn thing…" Hotaru swore in pain.

As the monster was still waving its tentacles around, Hotaru resigned himself into deactivating Titanium power, so as not to harm the Mashins. Shrinking down and with his clothes no longer being reinforced by his spell, the monstrous cocoon soon ruptured his boots and wrapped around him. As the white eye opened up on his chest, the Magic Knights knew their tank was out of the picture.

"HOTARU!" Hikaru yelled again. "W-We must help him!"

"But how?!" Umi asked, before seeing the giant monster start slowly moving again.

"There is no way of freeing Mr. Hotaru from that monster without harming him!" Fuu reminded their leader.

"Yes, but what are we supposed to—!"

(Hikaru…)

Hearing Lantis call for her gain, Hikaru turned towards the now almost once again enveloped Lantis, with only his face left visible.

(Hikaru, you must kill this monster! It shares a connection with the others… you must destroy it before it is too late!)

"But I can't Lantis!" Hikaru protested, tears running down her cheeks. "If we destroy it, we might kill you in the process!"

(…My life is not worthy of Cephiro's destruction. If you don't do this, thousands will continue to be fed to this monster. Please, I beg of you, rid Cephiro of this scourge!)

"I CANNOT!" Hikaru yelled, her voice breaking. "I ALREADY KILLED YOUR BROTHER AND EMERAUDE! I don't want to kill you too! I don't want to lose people who I love!"

While Hikaru's words caused Lantis's heart to skip a beat, Hotaru was listening to the little Magic Knight scream from below. Seeing his parasite walking him towards the mouth of the regenerating titan, two trails of thought ran through Hotaru's mind.

God dammit, Hikaru, this is no time to be thinking about what you want and focusing on the greater good! Cephiro cannot survive losing large chunks of its population anymore! If you don't finish it before I am eaten, Alcyone will finish you off! Though… it's not like I would be able to sacrifice Alcyone either. Not after we just… Got married!

Though the pain caused by the parasite was paralyzing, the idea of never getting to see Alcyone again hurt even more. Though he couldn't activate his buffing spells without powering the parasite as well, there must have been a way for him to use his other spells. While he was weak, he should be able to blow the monster away with his Uranium Cannon or Neptunium Barrage. Though at this range, he would be blowing himself away as well.

"You bastard…" Hotaru gritted his teeth, gathering his magical powers. "You think you can just drag the Hero of Cephiro around like this? I will take you with me if I have to!"

Gathering his magical powers, Hotaru's lime-green aura started flaring up, as he prepared to fire upon the monster. But as his aura glowed around him brightly, Hotaru could hear a shrill whimpering sound emanating from the monster carrying him. Seeing its tentacles flailing wildly and its balance becoming unstable, a moment of clarity struck him.

"Of course… it's a disease!" Hotaru yelled, before focusing on his heart.

Drawing out more and more of his magical power, Hotaru intensified the brightness and heat of his nuclear aura. Focusing all his power into heating himself up to sauna level temperatures, the monster screamed in pain, before its body started shriveling up. Once the monster's body was closer to a shade of brown than green and stopped moving, Hotaru activated Steel Strength, tearing himself free.

Feeling like he was about to collapse, Hotaru redeployed his double armor, as the titan had regained most of its lost limbs. To prevent the giant from moving or attacking him, he started firing Neptunium Barrage from the gems of his armor. Hitting its limbs and face repeatedly, he was able to keep it at bay and draw its attention to him.

"Hotaru!?" Umi gasped in amazement.

"How did you get free?" Fuu asked urgently.

"LISTEN! These things are like bacteria and viruses, infecting us like cells! They are weak to high temperatures!" Hotaru yelled at the top of his tired lungs, while also trying to keep the smaller monsters away. "You need toburn it!Kill it with fire!"

(You heard him,) Lantis told Hikaru, struggling to stay conscious. (Please, finish it off, Hikaru. You are the only one who can stop this madness!)

With tears falling down her cheeks and Umi and Fuu watching her, Hikaru could feel her hands shaking. She had come to Cephiro to meet all her friends again, to see Cephiro, and to spend time with Lantis. But now, she had to watch her friends struggle, save Cephiro, and destroy Lantis by her own hands.

Why… Why after all this time, after all the battles, and all the pain, must it be like this? What is the point of being a Magic Knight, to have all this power, if I cannot even protect the one I love...?

(Hikaru…) Lantis's voice echoed weakly. (Did you read the description... on the hair ornament... I gave you…?)

Hearing Lantis's voice grow weak and cut off mid-sentence, a sinking feeling took over Hikaru's mind, as something snapped. The flames on the back of Rayearth grew larger and hotter, as Hikaru aura flared out deep crimson. Before she could scream out in anger and grief, words echoed from the depths of her heart.

"RED FLAME DANCE!" Hikaru screamed, spreading her arms.

Rising from the ground, a vast, crimson red circle of fire quickly surrounded the titanic disease spreader, before rising up into a massive tornado of fire. The fire storm ascended over the nearby mountains in mere moments, the spinning motion feeding air to the flames, causing it to burn hotter and hotter. The plague titan roared in pain as its body was slowly burned to cinders from all directions, as the spinning walls of fire closed in on it. As the firestorm ate away at their progenitor, the eye monsters held back by Hotaru started slowing down and coming to a halt. Watching the giant pillar of raging fire from a mortal's viewpoint, Hotaru was struck by unadulterated awe, along with Fuu and Umi.

Watching the firestorm she had created, Hikaru felt a great burning in her heart, as the pain of loss was overwhelming.

"Lantis…" Hikaru gritted her teeth, closing her eyes.

As the plague spreaders started dying out and the people of Cephiro were freed, Hotaru could feel his strength and good health return. As the firestorm kept tightening into a smaller and smaller area, he knew he had no time to waste. Activating Titanium Power, Hotaru flew into the fires while his body was still growing.

"LOOK!" Umi yelled at Hikaru.

Watching something burst out of the firestorm, the Magic Knights were surprised to see Hotaru emerge from the flames. His gold trimmed, charcoal black cape was burning, but he was more focused on what he had pulled out of the inferno.

---

Inside the Gallant Order's sacrarium, Prophet Sybil was looking at the five remaining prophet eggs, with her hands hovering over one of them. The green egg had been glowing brightly all day, with Darracq and Titan having been sent to help the people out in the morning. As she focused on the egg, she could hear and sense the fear and terror of the people plagued by the current disaster.

But before she could hear reports from her bodyguards from the field, the egg quickly started turning gray. Feeling great heat through the egg, Sybil pulled her hands away from it so they wouldn't burn. Soon the active egg started evaporating as smoke and sooth, rising into the air in a dark plume.

"Another one down…" She sighed with her shoulders slumping. "This time the disaster had time to strike, but they still dealt with it quickly. I doubt the Gallant Order even had time to reach the area…"

Looking at the remaining eggs, Sybil's mouth frowned slightly, "The next one will be a while away, but I doubt the Magic Knights can deal with this one as easily."

---

With Fuu having ministered her touch of first aid onto the burn victims, Hotaru had flown back to Caldina's school as quickly as possible. Though he had managed to save Lantis, the magic swordsman's burns were severe, and who knew what being in the plague titan for several hours had done to the man. Due to having to tend to the people carried over by the monsters, it took the Magic Knights a while before they couldfly back. By the time they got back to Caldina's school nearHonda, the sun was setting on the western half of the continent.

The townsfolk had retreated near the school and the guards had erected barriers around the area, with Lafarga guiding the preparations. Many of the village's men had been armed with farm tools and wooden stakes, to act as a backup militia. Clef, Ascot, and Ferio had all been in charge of supporting the guards in case the enemy would show up, with their spells and summons. Alcyone and Caldina were in charge of supplies and first aid, along with the healers of the village and the recruited women. The townsfolk seemed happy and grateful for having been protected during the crisis.

As the people spotted the Magic Knights returning, the children and Cephiro's strongest rushed over to greet them. The kids were in awe at the sight of the giant robots, but still happy to see the Magic Knights when they faded away. All the kids presented them with a delugeof questions, while many of them reached out to hug them.

"Are the monsters dead? Is it over? Were any of you hurt? Is everyone free? Can we go home now? Can we see the giant robots again?"

Realizing the kids were overwhelming the girls, Caldina and the teachers guided them back to their parents, "Alright everyone, let's give the Magic Knights time to rest up after their big day~."

With the kids getting out of the way, Ascot, Clef, and Ferio walked over to the girls, with Ferio quickly grabbing Fuu into a hug. The green-clad Magic Knight blushed red, but soon hugged him back. Seeing this, Umi and Ascot slowly embraced one another, with Umi burying her face against the much taller boy's chest.

With understandably no one to hug her, Hikaru asked Clef, "Are you all okay? Did the monsters attack you?"

"Fortunately, the monsters never got this far, thanks to your quick actions," Clef congratulated the trio. "Are you all okay? Hotaru told us it was a gruesome sight…"

"We… We couldn't save everyone," Hikaru said with a hoarse voice. "Lantis told us that some of the people had… already been eaten."

Sensing the anguish in Hikaru's heart, Clef gave an understanding nod, "So I heard... Nevertheless, more people would have perished without you."

"…How many?" Hikaru asked, debating if she herself wanted to know. "How many died?"

Gripping his wooden staff tightly, Clef lowered his head, "I cannot tell for sure, but… for what I have tried sensing, I think at least three hundred people have perished."

Hearing the potential death toll, Hikaru's eyes narrowed and her body felt cold and cramped. They had acted as quickly as they could and allowed no new lives to be devoured once they found the titan. But despite giving her best effort, she couldn't help but blame herself for the deaths of today. Not only had she broken the Pillar system, but if there had been others still alive inside the titan, they had perished by her hand.

"…Where is Lantis?" Hikaru asked with her hands trembling, trying to stay strong.

Pointed by Clef to Lantis's mobile home that had been turned into a sickbay, the Magic Knights found it thankfully mostly empty. There were only three patients: Hotaru, Corvan, and Lantis, the first two of whom were awake and in seemingly good condition. The magic swordsman however, was lying unconscious in his bed that had been moved into the living room. His tattered clothes and armor had been removed, and he was laying unmoving beneath covers, breathing slowly. Though Lantis's face was no longer covered in burn scars like when Hotaru had pulled him out of the fire, it hadn't fully recovered.

Alcyone and Primera were looking after Lantis, while Hotaru and Corvan chatted, exchanging information on what had happened. Having lost his shoes, Hotaru was now wearing a pair of pink slippers, provided by Primera. Spotting the Magic Knights, the fairy only gave them a sullen look, before focusing back on Lantis. Noticing that the girls were back, Alcyone stood up, and walked over to them.

"…How is he doing?" Hikaru asked, looking up into Alcyone's indigo eyes pleadingly.

"This is… not going to be easy to tell," Alcyone addressed the Magic Knights. "Lantis has lost a great deal of blood, as well as magic from being inside that monster for so long. I wouldn't call his state critical, but I also cannot guarantee he will make it…"

"Don't say that!" a high-pitched squeak echoed.

Covering her tearful face, Primera flew past Alcyone and the Magic Knights, and out the door. As the little fairy flew by, they could hear her crying her eyes out as she landed on the roof of the mobile house. Seeing Primera's reaction, Hikaru's red misty eyes darted at Alcyone with a determined fire burning in them.

"Is there anything that I can do?!" Hikaru asked, grasping the pendant within her shirt with both hands. "Anything at all to help him heal!?"

"Only to let him rest," Alcyone shook her head. "We can give him medicine to help him stay stable and water and food to give him energy. But whether or not Lantis will pull through, is more up to him than it is to the rest of us."

Slow and reluctantly, Hikaru calmed herself down. She knew Lantis had a strong heart and will like her own, so the chances of him recovering weren't small. Yet many parts of her were wrought by uncertainty, as she couldn't bear to imagine Lantis perishing because of her. Looking at the unconscious man, Hikaru couldn't help but beat herself over the fact that her hesitation may have cost him his life. As she played over her argument with Lantis, she was reminded of what he last said to her.

Did you read the description on the hair ornament I gave you?

Reaching for her braided ponytail, Hikaru removed the gold banded hair ornament with a pink pearl. Looking around it, she soon found engraved Cephiroan letters on the inside of the band. Unable to read it, she showed it to Alcyone.

"What does this say?" Hikaru asked in a low voice, not wanting to alarm the people around.

Reading the description, Alcyone smiled slightly, "'I will always love you.'"

Hearing this, Hikaru's heart was close to bursting from the emotional deluge. As her friends gasped, they were forced to grab hold of Hikaru, as she fell backwards when her feet gave in. While overwhelmed, Hikaru couldn't refrain from laughing quietly, from both relief, grief, and amore.

Seeing Hikaru's and others' reactions, Hotaru knew this was the time to let the girls be on their own. Standing up and grabbing Corvan by his shoulder, they walked out of the sickbay, getting some fresh air despite the lack of footwear. Walking over to Clef and his apprentices, Hotaru asked bluntly about something that had been bothering for a while now.

"Any signs of the Gallant Order?" Hotaru asked.

As Ferio and Ascot shook their heads, Clef answered, "Not here, but I heard the order members at other settlements did their best protecting the people."

"Yeah, but what about Captain Darracq's group?" Corven asked. "They passed by our town a few days ago and said they would protect us."

"They traveled in the completely wrong direction to come to your aide," Hotaru noted, looking around. "…It's as if the plague monsters were following in their footsteps…"

"Once again they are causing more trouble than they are worth," Ferio said annoyedly. "Though I am sure they will be happy to help fix your town and the others. We'll make sure of it."

"Maybe, but we shouldn't antagonize them," Clef pointed out. "If their Prophet really can predict the future locations of these disasters, we will need their help. Who knows what or where the next disaster will be."

With an air of uncertainty hanging over them all, they knew they had to be prepared for anything.

---

Author's Afterword: Another chapter nearing 30 pages, and a darker one at that. It felt a bit silly to start this chapter with Hikaru's birthday since we just had a beach episode. But I figured it would work since this was a chapter mostly focused on her. As for other notes, I was happy to not have to focus too much on character designs and clothes this time around, and could do a proper fighting scene after a long time.

This time around, our heroes had to deal with a plague of cataclysmic proportions. Since MKR has always had very unique monsters, I knew that something basic like a zombie virus would not be enough. Even though it is pretty obvious no one in Cephiro would have seen anything like it. So instead, I figured to go with something more sci-fi in feel. Now I could have gone with a regular plague and turned this into a medical drama episode, but I have a few reasons against this.

The number one reason being this was the first Hikaru focused episode of the season. We started with Hikaru's birthday, delved more into her relationship with Lantis, and she even gained a new spell. Now Red Flame Dance is not an original of mine, and is instead from the Sega Saturn game. But it also worked extremely well for what I needed it for, which was to burn away the outer shell of the plague titan.

Next time around, our heroes won't need an alarm system to know something is wrong.

As always, reviews, questions, and critiques are welcome! Let me know what you thought of the chapter! I would like to thank Cartoonguy 133 and merendinoemiliano for their reviews on the last chapter!

Remember, even if you leave a review on an older chapter, I will always be grateful and make sure to mention you in the next chapter!

The link to my Deviantart page with images on the OCs is available in my profile bio.