Tale of Grace

Tale of Grace

As sung by Tolane: Marc and Sara’s son:

Grace,
this is your tale,
your fate unravels,
like strings on a ball of yarn,

These strings are your future,
silver, magic, powerful,
things you possess,
strengths,

With your beauty,
your power,
you will save us all,
take us to a new world,

This is your tale,
the tale of Grace.

Tale of Grace: Chapter 1

~Grace~

 

Wings. Every dragon has them. They need them in order to fly. To fly with power and even with grace. There are lands far away that are filled with this power. Sometimes this power becomes corrupt, like the power that destroyed Grace’s love, Sorek, and destroyed her life as well.
Grace lived on a planet called Myriak, and was a rich, flourishing planet. It had every kind of tree imaginable, and mountains in almost every area. Dragons loved caves, which is where they lived most of the time, when they were not flying. They had to keep flying for nearly half a day, otherwise their wings would lose balance and power. Grace was one of the youngest dragons on that planet, only 150 years old. Dragons can live up to 1,500 years if they are healthy enough.

Dragons can also transform into human form, when they are not flying. Grace is in the form of a 20 year old female with long, straight red hair. It is always tied back into a ponytail and she has deep red eyes as well. She believes that it is the color of love, not hate. At least that is what she used to believe before the death of her love. It was a long time ago…

 

“Sorek! Sorek! You can’t do this!” Grace cried out. She was only 100 years old. Sorek was 110. He was not that strong, but the army of Trishil decided to take him anyways. His strength was his knowledge, and that is what they recruited him for. He knew lands better than anyone, but fighting would not suit him. He wanted to stay in the small group of caves that he and Grace lived in. Grace was yelling at the soldiers that were dragging him away. He punched one of them to get loose so he could at least say goodbye to Grace.
“Grace… I’m sorry. I will be back, I promise. I love you,” he said. Grace now had tears running down her face, even though she tried to hold them in. He smiled and kissed her, but then was dragged off again. Grace reached out a hand.
Several days later, Grace decided to search for Sorek. She loved him too much to be apart, but females could not join the army. She believed she was strong enough, she could even handle weapons, but because of who she was, she was unable. It made her furious. She wanted to be with Sorek. She did not know how she would even get to him, since they always set up camps. The camps were heavily guarded. She searched for a day, with no luck.

Grace finally decided to count on her friend, Marialla, who she had known since she was small. Marialla lived in a cave only a few miles away, so they were able to fly together quite often. Marialla sensed that something was wrong, the moment Grace flew to her cave.

“Grace! What is it, dear?” She asked her friend, who had turned into human form. Marialla also did. Tears instantly streamed down Grace’s face.

“It’s Sorek… they took him, the army. They did not even give him a choice. He… he is gone, Mar,” Grace said, in between sobs. Mar wrapped her arms around her friend’s shoulders and patted her on the back.

“I’m sure he will be all right, you know he can handle himself. But I wonder why they took him so suddenly without contacting you first.”

“I know… something isn’t right about this. That’s why I’ve decided to try and look for him. But I could not get any leads in a day, so I came to you.”

“I’m glad you did, hon. Why don’t we contact Damien and Toya?” Mar asked, smiling. Grace backed up and wiped away her tears.

“I am not sure, Damien is busy with his training. I haven’t heard from Toya in awhile. Last I heard he was in the Forest of Faeries.”

“Well then, we’re just going to have to go find him then. I think it will be better with more of us. And what if we run into any Broken Angels? At least we will have three of us.” Grace nodded to this. They decided to wait until morning, since it was getting dark. Grace and Mar gathered some food for the journey. Dragons only ate raw meat, which there was plenty of around where Mar lived. She lived in a region called Mystic Path, Grace was at the end of this Path. It was mainly mountains and valleys, with some green life, but very beautiful and serene.

The next morning, Grace awoke with tears in her eyes. She blinked them away, she must have been dreaming about Sorek, but she did not remember the dream.
Mar was already up and gathering the things for the journey. She smiled at her friend, and Grace smiled slightly. She knew it would not be easy, but she had to do this, even if Sorek had changed. She wanted to see him again, and in her heart she knew that he wanted to see her as well.

“Well, shall we eat and then get going? We should go to the Forest of Faeries during the day, I have heard stories about going there at night,” Mar said, shivering a bit. Grace nodded.

They ate quickly and transformed into their dragon form. While in dragon form, they were able to communicate through their minds, so they did not need to speak.

“Toya was said to have hidden himself, so it may not be easy to track him,” Grace said. Mar just kept flying, she had a plan. Dragons had a very good sense of smell, if another dragon was close by, they could sense one another. Luckily, this plan was working. She could sense another dragon close by, it had to be Toya. Not many dragons were brave enough to enter the Forest of Faeries. When Mar got close, she signaled Grace to slow down. They landed in a clearing that formed a circle.
The two transformed back into human form.
“Toya? Toya, it’s me, Grace. I seek your help, Sorek… Sorek has been taken from me,” she said, tears forming in her eyes. Mar put a hand on Grace’s shoulder. There was no answer at first, and then a deep voice said,
“Grace? I have not heard from you in years!” A man came out of the trees. He was tall, had a medium build, very muscular. He was handsome, had short, blonde hair. His eyes were blue, and he had a slender face as well, but a good jaw line. He smiled as he came up to Grace and hugged her. He was not a very shy dragon, and liked girls. He also had a crush on Grace back when they were still training, but Sorek caught her eye first. “You said Sorek was taken?” Grace nodded.
“He… he was taken by the army. Trishil wanted him for their conquest. He is not the fighting type, you know him! He’s going to be killed out there!” Grace said, tears falling finally. Toya patted his friend’s back, Mar glared at him, but he did not care.
“I will help you find him. We better get going, it will be night in a few hours. You do not want to be here then.”
“How did you survive being here all these years?” Mar asked him. Toya smiled.
“I have a… way of talking to the faeries. They are not all nasty creatures. There are some you do not want to mess with though, like Sherisk. I’ve had a run in with her before, it is not pretty,” he replied, shaking his head. Grace blushed a little, since he reminded her of Sorek, but only because of the way he talked. She remembered how they would fight each other for her attention, but really they were best friends. Mar smiled, seeing her friend. She did not know Toya very well, she only met him a couple of times when they all met up for flights.
“Well I want to hear all about what you’ve been doing here, since it has been so long. I will fill you in on our journey as well,” Grace stated. Suddenly, the trees started to shake, the wind grew stronger. Toya knew this feeling very well. He stood in front of Grace and Mar. A very tall, beautiful woman came out of the trees. She had clear, striking wings that flapped very strongly. She had light green, shoulder length hair and green eyes. She wore a stunning green dress that seemed to glow. Her aura also seemed to glow green.
“I see you’ve attracted some friends, Toya,” she said, using her mind, in a very haunting yet beautiful voice that neither of Grace nor Mar have heard before. Toya smiled, but it was a nervous smile this time.
“Tresma, it is nice to see you again. These are my friends, Grace and Marialla. They have come seeking help. Grace’s partner has gone missing, I am going to leave this place to help them,” he said. Grace could tell this was another powerful being, if she had Toya nervous.
“Are you sure? Have you learned enough from us?” She asked, almost sad. Toya paused before he answered.
“Sorek is my best friend, I would do anything to help him, you know how that is, don’t you?” He asked. Tresma closed her eyes, as if remembering. She smiled. She then floated up to Grace.
“You poor child. You will soon be faced with danger, but do not be swayed. If you truly love this Sorek, you will triumph,” she said, placing a hand gently on Grace’s cheek. She smiled.
“Thank you. Thank you as well for allowing Toya to leave,” Grace stated.
“He was always free to leave, as long as Sherisk did not mind, which she is tending to her wounds now, so we don’t have to worry. Go now, and may your journey be safe,” Tresma said, floating back. She then slowly faded away, spreading her arms. Grace and Mar smiled.
“She seems wonderful,” Mar said. Toya smiled again, this time not so nervous.
“Yes, when she is in a good mood. Well, shall we get going? I know a place where we can rest for the night that not far from the forest.” The two nodded and they took off.

After flying for a bit more further from home, they reached a cave. It was quite large, much larger than Grace’s home. It was abandoned. The three caught up. Mostly, it was Toya doing the talking, since Grace and Mar were so curious about the Forest of Faeries. He basically explained he went there to learn about them, since he was fascinated. He had always heard of this forest, but never went near it because of the stories. He quickly learned how to cope with the faeries and learn their ways, even though he was much more powerful than them. Yes, there were some that were even more powerful, but they were few. He enjoyed talking with a few of them, and of course that was only at night.
In the morning, Grace woke up first. She yawned, and instantly thought of Sorek, of course. Tears reached her eyes, but she did not let them fall. Mar woke up after, and Toya last, which they gave him grief about. He just laughed and said he had not slept a proper night in awhile.
“I am not sure how we should go about looking for Sorek, since the army has troupes set up all over. We could pretend to be one of theirs and ask for information,” Toya suggested.
“That’s a great idea! I like your thinking,” Mar said. Grace smiled, slightly. Mar could tell she was hurting, so did Toya. Toya put a hand on her shoulder gently, she blushed. She knew how he had felt about her. He saw her blushing and took her hand away and blushed a bit himself. He still had feelings about her, but knew Sorek would never let him have her. He wondered how long he would be able to travel with her.
“We will find him, I promise, Grace,” he said. Grace smiled. He had forgotten how beautiful her smile was, and about his feelings, until now. He was a little saddened that he could not have a chance to be with her. He wanted to help his friend, though.
“Why don’t we eat and then get going?” Mar asked. The two nodded. Grace realized she was actually hungry. (Dragons had a much larger appetite than humans, of course.) They ate and then started flying again.
After about an hour, they came to a side of the mountain that was covered in grass. It was a vast area, and there was a camp set up. Grace had high hopes, maybe someone there has heard where Sorek had gone.
“Why don’t we pay them a little visit?” Toya asked. The three landed a few meters before the camp, so that they could prepare to speak to someone. They could not see Sorek anywhere, but that did not mean he was not nearby. One of the soldiers came out of a tent. He was large, and had a scar over his left eye. They could tell he was well skilled in archery, since he clutched his bow with care. He was looking around, to make sure everything was in order. Toya marched right up to him. Mar stared at Grace and then back at Toya.
“Excuse me, I am from a camp not far from here. I am looking for a comrade, his name is Sorek. Have you heard of him?” Toya asked. The man glanced over Toya, and Toya was easily intimidated. He gulped. The man flipped his bow over his shoulder.
“Sorek, you say?” He asked. He had a very deep voice, it chilled Toya to his spine. He nodded. “I seem to recall someone of that name in a camp a few meters to the North. A few soldiers recruited him and brainwashed him,” the man replied. Toya smiled.
“What is the camp’s name, if I may ask?”
“It’s Trel Starey. They are highly known for their swordsmanship, so I would be careful if I were you.”
“Thank you very much… uh…”
“I am Van Trois. Master of archery in this camp, the Blue Tri.”
“I am Toya Sem. Nice to meet you and thank you for the information. I must be getting back to my friends now,” Toya said. Van nodded. Toya went back to Mar and Grace. He smiled, but it was a sad smile.
“Well, the good news is that Sorek is not far from here,” Grace smiled at this and so did Mar, “but the bad news is that he has been brainwashed, so he may not remember anyone. I hear the army’s power to brainwash is brutal,” Toya said. Grace gasped.
“That can’t be, Sorek would never succumb to brainwashing. He may be weak, but his mind is powerful,” Grace said. Toya put a hand on her shoulder.
“Well, we’ll just have to check it out for ourselves. Van, the Master of Archery, said he was in the camp of Trel Starey, just North of here.”
“This is great news, Grace! We can find him! Now we just have to figure out how to get him back,” Mar said.
“Right, and that’s what I am afraid of. What if he doesn’t want to come back? I mean, he is brainwashed, right?” Grace asked, almost tearing up. Toya smiled, making the tears go away.
“Come on, I am sure I can get through to him with a few punches. I mean, if you don’t mind that is.” Grace actually laughed at this, which made Mar happy.
“Well, hopefully it won’t come to that. Let’s get going,” she said, a little more optimistic now then when they left.

Synopsis:

This is a bunch of stories wrapped into one big one. This will include Wolf Clan and Masquerade, two stories that I have been working on. Masquerade longer than Wolf Clan, which I was actually going to have made into a book, but decided to put it in this group of stories, since it wouldn’t be long enough probably. The stories themselves are about people or creatures with amazing abilities. There is a girl with ghost powers, who is technically dead, but some of her friends can see her. Another is a woman who can control time, and another with flower abilities. Wolf Clan is about pretty much what the title says, but Tiey is a wolf with hightened senses, even more so than a normal wolf. Masquerade you can read the synopsis of on the Masquerade page.

I hope to keep up with the deadline, but I apologize if I do not, as I may have a job soon. This is all I’m willing to divuldge right now, so look forward to July! 🙂

Hollowed Memories

We all have hollowed memories,
they are shells of the memories,
we keep locked up inside,
that are waiting to be released,
these shells break under pressure,
and give way to powerful abilities,
powers unlike any other,
these powers we should not have,
The hollowed memories come and go,
they can be happy, sad,
fearful, spiteful,
even evil and destructive,
every day we encounter them,
these hollowed memories.

Coming soon! Ghost Arc: 7/23/10.

Written by,
Liana Ilia

This story has been delayed until I can write on it, sorry. I just don’t have many ideas for it right now. Even though I am working on Masquerade a bit here and there. 🙂

Miashta Star

In the night I am calling,
for someone to save me,
for someone to come,
please come save me,

There is a star,
that’s glimmering in the night sky,
I know what it is,
it is the savior of us all,

Chorus:
Miashta Star,
where are you now?
will you come,
at a moment’s notice?

You fight for peace,
you also try to save everyone,
you are a warrior of great strength,
and you are always there,
Miashta Star

Chorus x2.

Episode 1: Prologue

            “Miashta, wake up Miashta, we have to go,” Alya, now 100 years old, said to her daughter. Miashta was curled up under her covers in the mansion. Asteroids were falling outside, crashing into the planet, which was known as Telmin. Jo was waiting for them in the door way. He was now 96, but in Elfin years, not human. Miashta yawned and stretched, her long pink hair clinging to the covers as she slowly sat up, blinking.

            “What’s going on?” Asked the fifteen year old Elfin. Her blue eyes wavered with tiredness. It was only three in the morning. Miashta looked out the window to her left, and saw the asteroids. She gasped.

            “We have to leave here for a short amount of time, just until we clear all the asteroids,” Alya explained. She gathered a few of Miashta’s personal items and clothes, and then put them into a case. Miashta touched the communicator device on her wrist and there was a flash of light. A body suit slid over her. She then followed her mother and father to the basement where Alya’s ship, John, was stationed. Alya entered a password into the keypad which was attached beside the entrance. Stairs folded down and they quickly moved aboard. John instantly switched on, the panels and computer were still the same as when Alya used to travel in it. She and Jo sat up front, and Miashta sat in the chair behind them.

            “Hello, Alya, Jo. How have you been?” John asked.

            “This is no time for talking! We have to get out of here now,” Alya replied. John did not say anything else. He programmed the ship for takeoff. As the ship started the engines, Miashta looked around. It looked like the ship hadn’t been used in years. There was dust everywhere, not just dust bunnies, but rabbits. Some debris was hitting the planet, so the ground shook. A hatch opened in front of them, Alya and Jo were both pressing buttons. The ship started to move, then it flew out the hatch and into the air. Alya had to steer the ship to avoid the asteroids, and Miashta held onto her chair. The ship went further up, until it reached space, and Miashta could see the planet below, being pounded by asteroids and debris. Everything she had ever known, her life, it was gone. Asteroids were still coming in through the atmosphere, so it was hard for Alya to maneuver. One large one hit John, causing the front window to crack. “Damn it! We have to make it away from here!” Alya cried.

            “It will be all right, get Miashta to an escape pod, we’ll follow,” Jo stated. Alya nodded, and then took Miashta’s arm gently and pulled her up. They went down a floor to where the pods were held. Alya opened the hatch to one of them. It was pretty spacious inside, with a tracking system so that it would automatically go to the next planet with a habitable atmosphere. Alya then turned it on, and turned to Miashta.

            “We will be shortly behind you, don’t worry. John is pretty strong, there’s no way he would be destroyed,” she stated. Miashta almost started to cry, but held back.

            “Be careful! Both of you, I want to see you again.” Alya hugged Miashta.

            “I love you.”

            “I love you too, mother.” Alya left the pod and the hatch closed. Miashta waved as it was jettisoned into space. Then, suddenly, an asteroid hit the escape pod, causing Miashta to fall forward and hit her head against the control panel. She heard other explosions behind her, and then blacked out.

            “Hello, can you hear me?” A voice called. Miashta opened her eyes slowly, not recognizing the voice.

            “Where… am I?” She asked, throat sore.

            “You are in the medical facility aboard the Silverwing. Do you remember who you are?” The voice was a kind, male voice. Miashta struggled to sit up, but then fell back again to the soft pillow that she had been resting against.

            “I am… Miashta Star. Mother! Father! What happened to them?” She cried. Tears instantly filled the brims of her eyelids.

            “We did not find any other escape pods besides yours. It’s best to rest for now, you took a pretty hard blow to the head,” the voice said. Miashta turned to see a man dressed in a white coat; his hair covered his eyes, so she could not get a good look at his face. She passed out again.

Episode 2: The Awakening

            Miashta awoke a few days later, realized she was not in her room in her home, and looked around her. A man came through the door that slid open to one side automatically. He had short black hair that was a little spiky. His eyes were brown, with a hint of green. He was tall, about five feet nine inches, and looked about thirty years old. He also seemed human as well.

            “Good, you are awake then. How are you feeling?” He asked in that same kind voice she had heard a few days back.

            “I… I’m confused. How was I brought here?” Miashta asked. The man felt her forehead to make sure she was not running a fever, which instantly made her blush.

            “We were on our way to Tralles when we heard the call of your escape pod. It must be programmed to automatically transmit a help signal. Our captain decided to stop for you, even though we’re on assignment. Oh, I’m Daniel, the doctor, pleasure to meet you,” Daniel said, holding out his hand. Miashta took it and shook.

            “I’m Miashta Star. You said you had found no other escape pods, but how can that be?”

            “We scanned the entire region but found no trace of any ship, or even shards from an explosion. I’m so-” Daniel started but the door slid open, and another tall man came through. He wore a rounded hat that had two stars on either side and what looked like a military uniform. He also carried a laser pistol on a belt.

            “Hello, I am this ship’s captain, Travis Mial. Nice to meet you, are you feeling better?” Travis asked, also holding out his hand. Miashta took it and shook and smiled.

            “Yes, thank you. I am Miashta Star. What’s the name of this ship?” She asked, wondering why there were humans aboard such advance technology. 

            “We found this ship on Earth awhile back, an archeology team discovered it. When it had become operational, I was appointed captain and it was named Silverwing. Were you with anyone at the time that your ship disappeared?” Travis asked.

            “I’m not sure what happened to it, but I was with my mother and father. They said… they would be right behind me,” Miashta said, tears starting in her eyes again. Daniel put a hand on her shoulder.

            “Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll turn up sooner or later, in the mean time why don’t you stay here for awhile?” He asked. The Captain nodded, and Miashta smiled at Daniel and Travis.

            “Thank you, I think I will at least until I can find my own ship to go look for them,” she said.

            For the next day Miashta rested, under Daniel’s orders, and then she was shown to one of the quarters. It was pretty spacious, with a separate room with a bed, two tables, a television, and a small kitchen. Miashta remembered Alya talking about cooking for Jo, and Jo had even brought a television to their castle since Jo liked it so much. Miashta liked science fiction/fantasy and mystery shows. Miashta met all the crew, who were mostly men, there were a couple of girls, who she became friends with quickly. The men liked her too, of course. She was shown how to pilot a ship, by the two pilots, David and Crystine. The ship was so large, it took multiple panels to operate manually. There was a large computer screen that acted as a window. It senses when there is danger, or when it is near a planet. There is also a translator that automatically changes to a visitor’s language. Miashta thought it was much like John, since she had heard great things from her mother.

            One night while Miashta was lying awake in bed, there was a glimmer off the ceiling. She sat up, to get a closer look, but did not see anything. She rubbed her eyes, thinking she must be tired. When she closed her eyes though, there was the glimmer again.

            “Miashta, Miashta Star,” a voice called. It was a warm, kind voice, and seemed familiar. Miashta opened her eyes slowly, and found herself floating in a white space, she had bright white feather wings.

            “Who are you?” She asked, her own voice echoed. The white seemed to go on forever.

            “I am Celest, Alya Star’s mother. I can’t show myself to you just yet, but I will give you power. This power is unlike anything you have ever seen. With it you will be able to stop Solia, the evil empress. We need your strength,” the voice said.

            “Wait, will I be able to find my mother and father then? Why have you chosen me? I know my mother was powerful, but I don’t think I would be the right person for this,” Miashta explained.

            “No, you have to be the one. Now accept this power!” The voice faded and a ray of light shot down and surrounded Miashta. She spun around, her nightgown flew off, and a new dress appeared over her. A cape rested gently on her shoulders and her hair braided itself into pigtails. A star appeared in her hair and around her wrist. When Miashta opened her eyes, she was back in her room.

            “What just…” She started, and then looked at herself. The dress and cape were still there. “I am… stronger.” Miashta clenched a fist, and smiled. This was going to be the start of her own story.

Chapter 3: Discovery

           Miashta awoke the next morning, feeling a little groggy. She held her forehead it and felt a little warm. The door buzzed and Miashta looked at the clock. It read 8:30 a.m.

            “Who is it?” She called, getting out of bed slowly, still holding her forehead.

            “It’s Daniel. How are you feeling today?” Daniel asked. Miashta instantly blushed, and quickly ran her fingers through her hair and tied it back into her usual pig tails. She opened the door.

            “Good morning, Daniel,” Miashta said, “I am feeling good today, probably the best I’ve felt in a long time.”

            “That’s good. The Captain would like to show you something… it’s… about your ship, or possibly your ship.” Daniel looked at the floor as he said this. Miashta’s eyes widened.

            “I’ll be right there!” She exclaimed. Daniel nodded and left her to change.

            Miashta arrived on the bridge not five minutes later, and saw the Captain sitting in his chair. The bridge was laid out in this way: there were two panels with buttons and levers on either sides of the door, a railing dividing the second floor from the first, two ramps on either side leading down to the first floor, two panels in the front of the ship, with screens attached to the tops of them. There were chairs lining the front and the back of the first floor. The Captain’s chair was in the middle. There was also glass with star charts in between the floors as well. It was a pretty large room, and was in the front of the ship, of course. Miashta walked down to where the Captain was, and he turned to her and stood up.

            “Miashta, so good of you to join us. I have some… news about your ship, or what could be your ship,” Travis said, smiling sadly. Miashta looked worried, but then looked at the large screen once the Captain nodded to the Lieutenant. A picture of space appeared on the screen, but there was something else besides stars. It was a swirling circle, with a blue color to it, and it seemed ominous to Miashta.

            “What is this?” She asked. Travis looked at her, surprised. He wondered why an alien like herself would not know what a wormhole was, but he sighed.

            “It’s a wormhole. It sucks in anyone who goes near it, and you don’t know where you will end up if you’re pulled in. We detected a reading of a ship in this area just minutes before your escape pod was found, while we were scanning the area,” he explained.

            “Could it be my parents’ ship?” Miashta asked.

            “I’m not sure, but if we travel through the wormhole, like I said, we won’t know where we are,” Travis replied. There was silence for a minute or two.

            “I can take a small ship, you don’t have to come along,” Miashta said. The Captain looked worriedly at her, then she smiled. “Don’t worry, I can take care of myself, my mother trained me well.”

            “At least take Daniel with you, I think he’s spent the most time with you, plus you’ll need a medical officer,” Travis said. Daniel blushed.

            “Captain!” He huffed. Travis smirked. Miashta blushed as well.

            “All right, if you wouldn’t mind, Daniel,” she said. Daniel just nodded and put the tips of his fingers in his left hand together and to his forehead towards the Captain. Then he left to get some things ready. Miashta did as well after thanking Travis.

            In the hanger of the Silverwing, Miashta and Daniel stood outside of a shuttle, that was actually quite large. It had wings, and was gray for the most part except for a red stripe that ran down the front of it. Travis was standing there as well, saluting them.

            “I wish you well, Daniel. And of course you, Miashta, I hope you find your parents,” Travis said. Miashta smiled and held out her hand, he took it and shook.

            “Thank you very much for allowing me to stay here and to use one of your shuttles. I promise to return it someday,” she said.

            “You don’t have to worry, as you can see we have plenty of shuttles,” the Captain said, and then he went up to Daniel and whispered, “take good care of her.” Daniel blushed and took the bags and went inside. Miashta blinked, but then went inside as well. Travis stood back as the hanger doors opened into space. The shuttle started to hum, and then the engines started. Miashta and Daniel waved through the front window. Travis waved back.

            “Are you ready, Miashta?” Daniel asked. She nodded.

            “As ready as I’ll ever be,” she said, as the shuttle took off towards the wormhole.

Episode 4: Medieval Times

            “Miashta, Miashta wake up,” Miashta heard Daniel’s voice calling to her. She jerked awake, still sitting in the chair of the shuttle.

            “Where are we?” She asked, rubbing her eyes. She then looked at the screen and it showed a solar system, it looked much like the Milky Way, the one Alya used to tell her about.

            “We’re some 25,000 light years away from where The Silverwing is, and I think there is a habitable planet in this system. It’s showing intelligent life,” Daniel replied. Miashta blinked when the image came on screen of a green and blue planet.

            “That’s it! This is Earth, the planet my mother always spoke about. I’ve seen pictures of it,” Miashta said, excitedly. She had always wanted to go to Earth, but the chance never came up.

            “The question is what time period is this? I’ve heard wormholes have the ability to send you back or forward in time, or they will take you to universes that are like your own, but have major differences,” Daniel explained. Miashta just nodded as they were landing the ship. It was the middle of a field, wheat, Miashta had guessed. The sounds of a horse came whipping by them as soon as they exited the ship and it had been cloaked. Miashta had never seen a horse before, but had heard of them from Jo. There was a man on the horse and he turned around to see the two standing in the middle of the field.

            “You there, what are you doing?” He asked. Luckily Miashta knew enough English that she could understand him.

            “We are travelers. Sir, are you perhaps a soldier?” She asked, smiling. The man took out his long sword and slashed it to her neck, carefully bringing the horse around as well.

            “I do not believe you, you must be spies. I will take you to the King, whom I serve,” the man, whose dark eyes glared from behind the helmet. He wore a full set of armor; chain mail and silver and blue armor over his chest and back, and tights and steel boots covered his legs. His helmet was also made of steel. He carried two daggers on his back in a cross pattern and a long sword on his belt and a shining sword on his saddle. The horse was all black and covered with a silver and blue checkered sheet.

            “We are not spies. We just arrived here… someone dropped us off using a carriage. I’m Daniel, and this is Miashta,” Daniel explained, carefully choosing how to describe their arrival. The knight did not say anything else.

            “Let’s just go with him, we can explain it to the King,” Miashta whispered, putting a hand on Daniel’s arm. She then blushed and looked away quickly.

            They followed the knight back to a village, which was run down and barely had any people living in it. It made Miashta sad to think of how life was here, with barely any food or water to survive. The one dirt road that they walked on led up to a castle, surrounded by a moat. The bridge went down as soon as the two soldiers overlooking the front wall saw the knight. On the inside of the castle, there were long candle holders making a path on either side of them, stuck in the dirt floor. There were banners of blue and silver on each of the pillars, of which there were six, three on either side. Large windows covered the second story. It looked like a church, until they reached the throne. The large chair was stone, and had gothic style carvings in the side and back of it. There were two smaller chairs on either side of it.

            “Sir King, I have brought with me spies from another land,” the knight said, bowing on top of his horse. Miashta and Daniel both went on their knees. The King was a tall man, looked about in his forties. He was very muscular, and wore damask, blue robes that went down to his ankles. A red cape also hung over his shoulders and a crown made of silver set on his short, black hair. He also had dark eyes, but they looked much kinder than the knight’s. He stood up, and walked up to Miashta and then around her. She kept looking at him as he did so. He then started laughing, which was a surprise even to the knight.

            “Oh, Kendrick, what were you thinking? This is our Princess, Princess Miashta,” the King said, in his deep voice. Kendrick, Miashta, and Daniel blinked.

            “P-princess, sir?” Kendrick asked. The King laughed again, Kendrick looked at him like the King had been smoking something, which could not be far from the truth.

            “This is our Princess Catalina come back to us, can’t you see? Look a little closer and you will witness what I have, my daughter; Catalina, is in this girl; Miashta,” the King said. Kendrick dismounted and stared at Miashta, making her blush a little. Then the knight gasped and quickly knelt down on one knee, placing his hand on his chest and bowing.

            “Princess, I am sorry to think that you and your friend had been a spy. Please, you must punish me for my mistreatment,” Kendrick said. Miashta was still confused, but smiled.

            “I… I do not wish for you to be punished. I don’t understand why you are even calling me this Princess Catalina,” Miashta explained.

            “You are the spitting image of the late Princess Catalina. Take a look for yourself,” the King said, pointing his arm in the direction of a huge painting, that hung to the right of the throne. They all turned, and saw a girl about Miashta’s age, with almost the same hair.

            “Wow…” Was all Miashta could say.

Episode 5: Sir Kendrick’s Past

            After all the confusion and commotion over Miashta, she finally got to rest in a room in the castle. It was small, but cozy, with a bed and a night stand. There were also two windows, one on the back wall and one on the left side wall. There was a knock at the door, Miashta answered. Standing outside was Sir Kendrick.

            “My Lady, can I get you anything else before you rest?” He asked, now with his helmet off. She could see that he had a handsome face, and kind eyes. Short brown hair hung over his neck slightly. He was now wearing robes as well, they were blue and silver and looked like the pajamas that Jo used to wear. Miashta blushed.

            “No, I’m fine, thank you. You should rest yourself, you look tired,” she said. Kendrick bowed and quickly left. Miashta went back into her room.

            Kendrick went back to his room, which was basically the same as Miashta’s, and went over to the small desk that was in the corner. He sat down in the chair and sighed, thinking about his wife.

            “Kendrick! Kendrick, where are you?” A woman called out. She was about thirty or so, had blonde hair that was pulled into a ponytail, and blue eyes. She was also wearing gray clothes. The small house that she was in was burning, and the rest of the village was as well. Kendrick was outside trying to help the other villagers escape, he was not a knight now, but a blacksmith. “Kendrick!” The woman called out again. She was in the doorway of the house as a piece of timber fell on her. Kendrick heard this and went to her, but it was too late. The piece had caught fire and had engulfed her as well.

            “No! Mila! Why hadn’t you escaped?” He asked out loud, falling on his knees before her. The flames grew higher, so he forced himself to get up and run to where the other villagers were standing, watching their burning village. It was winter, so the flames were even worse, and there was no means to put the fire out. Tears fell down Kendrick’s face as he looked in the direction of his house one more time. A villager put a hand on Kendrick’s shoulder.

            Kendrick winced as tears unexpectedly fell down his face. He wiped them with the sleeve of his robe. He was now 35, that was 5 years ago. Kendrick decided to try and sleep, even though he knew that it would be hard. He still blamed himself for what happened, and would never forgive himself.

            The next morning, there was another knock at Miashta’s door. Miashta opened her eyes slowly as the knocking continued. She pulled herself out of bed, and stumbled to the door, rubbing her eyes. This time when she opened the door, Daniel was standing there, in the same type of robes that Kendrick had been wearing.

            “So, Princess, are you ready to get going? We can look for your mother and father in this village, if you want to stay here,” Daniel suggested. Miashta nodded.

            “Just let me get changed,” she replied, making Daniel blush as he looked at her in her nightgown. He then quickly left, making Miashta laugh a little. She went into the dresser after closing the door and found a plain, white dress that had stitches running down the middle forming a Y pattern at the neck. She put her hair back into pigtails and then left as well.

            In the middle of the village, there was a small well, it looked a bit rusted, but water still came out. Daniel used the ladle and brought up some water for Miashta. She thanked him and took a sip of the cool water. People were looking at her as they passed, and whispered about the Princess.

            “How am I going to start searching for my mother and father? I don’t know if they’re even in this town, let alone on this planet,” she said. Then someone started came out with papers, and people started gathering around them. It was a boy about fifteen, holding a bag and a bunch of flyers.

            “Come and see! The tournaments will start soon! You all know the rules, here is the list of weapons and rules if you forgot! Sign up starts today!” He called out, he had a pretty loud voice, surprisingly. Miashta looked at Daniel and smiled.

            “That might be a good idea. My mother and father could enter the tournament, looking for me,” she said, walking over to the crowd. She pushed her way through to the boy. “Excuse me, can I get a flyer?” She asked. The boy nodded and handed her one. The rules were as follow:

1. Bring your own weapons
2. Weapons must be either a sword or crossbow
3. If the person dies, the killer is disqualified
4. The first person to fall is the loser
5. Only one person can sign up at a time, no group sign-ups

        “Are you sure you want to do this, Miashta?” Daniel asked. She turned to him.

         “Of course! I have been trained by my mother and father, I know a lot techniques that no one here will know, I will win no matter what!” She said, a little too happily. Daniel just shrugged. “Come on! Let’s go sign up!”

         “Let’s? As in us?”

          “Yes! Of course, we want to increase our chances of finding my parents. So if both of us are in it, we’ll both have chances of winning.”

           They went to the place of the sign ups, which was in an arena towards the edge of the village. Miashta and Daniel were standing in line when they heard a familiar voice. They turned around to see a knight.

           “Sir Kendrick?” Miashta asked.

Episode 6: The Tournaments Begin!

            “What are you doing here?” Miashta asked. Kendrick looked at her and Daniel and blinked.

            “That should be my question. Are you entering the tournaments?” He asked. Miashta nodded.

            “I’m… looking for my parents. I’m hoping they will also find the tournaments, if they are in this village. Are you here because of the prize?” She replied. Sir Kendrick shook his head.

            “No, I just want to perfect my skills and make sure others know of my strength. Most people in this village do already, but it’s good practice as well,” Kendrick explained. Miashta and Daniel looked at each other.

            “I guess this will increase our chances of running into my parents, even if they don’t enter maybe they will be cheering for him,” Miashta whispered. Daniel just nodded. Miashta was blushing as she looked at Sir Kendrick, dressed in his full armor again, helmet off this time, underneath his arm. Daniel noticed, but then turned away. He knew he was jealous, but he did not want to be. He did not even know Miashta that well, and she was only fifteen, and even a different race than he, but somehow that did not matter.

            After the sign up, the three decided to have lunch at a little shop not far from the arena. Kendrick was quiet for the first half until he said,

            “You know, we might have to face each other.” Miashta looked up from her plate of mutton, which was much different than what she was used to, and glared at him.

            “I know, I wish we could fight as a team, but the rules state that only one person can sign up at a time. Don’t worry, I’ll try to go easy on both of you,” she replied, smirking. Daniel playfully hit her against the arm a bit.

            “Do you know how to use a sword? If you want, I can teach you. The tournament does not start until three days from now,” Kendrick suggested. Daniel got a little upset with this, but tried not to show it. Miashta shook her head.

            “It’s all right. My mother taught me a lot before I was even six years old, so I know some techniques. Thank you, though,” she said. Daniel did not say anything.

            The next few days were spent training. The castle had a nice open area for this purpose. It looked a little like the inside of a kendo dojo, only without the wooden floors. The grass was cut neatly so it was short and easy to move around on. There were often ten or even twenty people in the training area at a time, since the tournament was so near. It seemed like those three days went by quickly, too.

            The day of the tournament came, and everyone in the castle woke up extremely early in order to prepare breakfast and get in a little more training. Miashta, Daniel, and Sir Kendrick did the same.

          After a meal of mostly eggs, the three went to the arena. There was a large wooden board that stood in the front entrance, covering about half of it, but the entrance was quite large. The board listed the contestants, of which there were about one hundred, and the names were arranged in pairs. Miashta was one of the first people to fight.

          “Are you ready?” Daniel asked, clutching his sword a bit. He had chosen a long sword, where as Miashta chose a short. Sir Kendrick had his usual shining. Miashta nodded eagerly. Then the three went into the stands and sat next to a few people. An announcer came out into the middle of the arena.

         “Hello, welcome to the twentieth annual tournament! You all know the rules, now fight well! First up, Albrict and Harold!” He called, his voice echoed so that every person could hear him. The two men came out from either side of arena, the crowd cheered. Miashta was feeling a little anxious and nervous at the same time.

Episode 7: Miashta VS Hanako

            The announcer came out into the middle of the arena after a match was over. The two soldiers walked away exhausted, but the one on the right looked happy. Miashta was getting nervous, her match was next, she was standing in the hall below the stands, waiting for her name to be called. Finally, she heard the announcer.

            “Now we have a newcomer to the tournaments. She is a traveler and is young, but she is also very strong. Please welcome Miashta Star!” He cried. The crowd cheered, Daniel and Sir Kendrick also clapped. Miashta blushed as she came out into the open. The king was sitting in a section that was cut off from the rest of the crowd, towards the back of the arena. He was clapping and smiling as well. “And we all know her as the Fierce Wind! Here is Hanako Stael!” The crowd cheered even louder after the announcer said this name. From the opposite side a woman of about twenty-four walked out. She had shoulder length blonde hair, and dark green eyes. She waved to the crowd but then came to the middle and glared at Miashta. Miashta could tell that Hanako was taking this seriously, and so was she. “Let the match begin!” The announcer called, and then went to the side.

         Hanako and Miashta both drew their swords. Hanako had a long sword, the hilt was made of silver and the handle was twisted. She ran forward and slashed at Miashta, who held up her own sword. They clashed, echoing throughout the arena. Miashta drove her feet back, making Hanako slide a bit. Hanako slashed at Miashta again, this time aiming higher, so that the sword almost touched her shoulder. Miashta jumped back, startled a bit. She then drew her sword back so that it was out behind her to her left, and ran forward, yelling. She swiped her sword horizontally at Hanako, and cut the fabric of the plain shirt the woman was wearing. Miashta was breathing heavily at this point, and so was Hanako, but she smiled.

“You will never be able to defeat me, newcomer. I have been entering these tournaments for five years now, and have received third place every time. Even though you resemble the late Princess, you are too young to beat me!” Hanako said, her voice was high pitched, but scratchy. Miashta smirked, then closed her eyes. Power seemed to pulse through her sword, then it vibrated through her whole body. “What’s going on?” Hanako asked. Miashta opened her eyes quickly and smiled. She then ran forward at lightning speed, almost leaping. She then slashed at Hanako, who luckily dodged the attack but fell backwards. Miashta then made a downward strike that cut Hanako’s shoulder. She cried out.

            Hanako clutched her shoulder instantly, blood trickled down her arm. She knelt down on one knee and dropped her sword.

            “Do you give up?” Miashta asked, back in the stance she used to deliver the first blow. Hanako was breathing heavily and slowly nodded. Her head lowered as the announcer came up to the two when Miashta nodded towards him. He saw the defeated Hanako, and was surprised. The whole crowd was surprised as well.

            “The winner, newcomer Miashta Star!” He cried. The crowd cheered, and Miashta powered down. She sheathed her sword and bowed. She then turned to Hanako and held out her hand.

            “Good match,” Miashta said, smiling. Hanako smiled and took her hand, Miashta helped her stand, and then they shook.

            Meanwhile, there was a ship in orbit around Saturn, it was a little smaller than Silverwing, but looked sinister. It had spikes jutting out from the hull on either side, and only one window in the front. There was a woman standing there, looking out the window. She had long, purple hair that branched off into many sections. Her eyes were black. She was wearing a gray body suit. A woman with a computer tablet came up to her.

            “Mistress Solia, do you have any orders for us?” She asked. The woman, or Solia, turned towards her.

            “Just stand by for now, Tamal. Soon we will find that girl, the girl known as Miashta Star; Alya Star’s wretched daughter, and we will kill her!” Solia said, laughing.

Episode 8: The Tournaments Continue

            Miashta was waiting for her next match in the area that was designed for this purpose. It was a large room with multiple chairs and tables. She decided to take a break from watching, since she knew the competitors names that were in the current matches. There were a couple of names that were either left blank, or had names of animals or spirits. She thought maybe any of those could be her parents. Miashta sighed. Daniel came up to her.

            “Are you all right?” He asked. Miashta turned around, almost spilling her drink.

            “I… I just don’t know if I’m doing the right thing. I mean, I know it’s hard to look for anyone when they could be anywhere. I really miss them,” she replied. Tears formed in her eyes as she set down the mug. Daniel went closer and took her in his arms. Her eyes widened but then closed, letting the tears fall. Daniel put a hand on her head and gently squeezed her tighter.

            “Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll find them. I… I will protect you as well.” Miashta smiled at this and blushed a little.

            “Thank you, Daniel.” Then Kendrick came in the room and coughed. Miashta wiped away the tears quickly and backed away from Daniel, who turned around and was blushing.

            “Are you two ready for the next matches? The next opponents have the highest ranking in all the land, and not that I’m willing to admit it, but they’re even better than I,” he said. Miashta smiled at Daniel.

            “Well, then I’m glad I’m prepared. I know you’re reputation, so it’s going to be hard fighting these guys,” she said, almost laughingly. Kendrick glared at her.

            “I’m not joking, they are good. I wouldn’t let my guard down,” Kendrick stated.

            “All right. Daniel, you’re up next right? Who are you fighting?” Miashta asked. Daniel put a finger to his chin for a second.

            “I think his name is Sam Ratel,” Daniel replied.

            “Have you also had training in sword fighting, or are you just a medic?” Kendrick asked.

            “I have had some training in fighting skills, but not sword. Don’t worry though, I should be all right,” Daniel said, smiling. Kendrick walked off after this, and Miashta and Daniel went to the sidelines of the arena. The match that had been going on just finished.

            “Good luck!” Miashta said, smiling. Daniel blushed a little, and then looked forward. The announcer came out in the middle again.

            “This is a first in the tournament’s history ladies and gentlemen. We have a doctor as a fighter. His name is Dr. Daniel! Please welcome him,” the announcer called. The crowd cheered as Daniel went out, clutching the handle of his short sword. He was extremely nervous all of a sudden. “On this side we have one of the most well known knights in all the land. Here is Sam Ratel!” The crowd cheered even more for Sam, who came from the other direction. His hair was deep black, and cut short. His eyes were a piercing yellow, and seemed to glow in the sunlight. The announcer raised his hand. “Let the match begin!” He called and then dropped his arm and ran to the side.

            Sam charged at Daniel, who unsheathed his sword, shakily. He managed to somehow dodge Sam’s attack, but the power of the slice cut through Daniel’s shirt and caused his arm to bleed slightly. Sam turned around, held his sword to the side, and ran at Daniel again.

            “Daniel! Fight!” Miashta called. Daniel caught her out of the corner of his eye, and then dug his left foot into the ground behind him, and held his sword out in front of him as Sam charged. He then swung as hard as he could, he could hear a clang, probably the sound of his sword against Sam’s armor. Sam wore a metal plate over his chest and back, but his sides were open. Sam and Daniel stood with their backs facing each other for a minute, and then Sam fell forward, sword dropping next to him. Blood spilled from his right side. The crowd went silent. Then Miashta started clapping, and everyone else joined in. Daniel rubbed the back of his head, blushing. He then went over to Sam.

            “Do you need any help? I am a doctor,” he asked, holding out his hand. Sam looked up at him, but without saying anything, stood on his own. He almost fell over, but held his side and steadied himself.

            “I don’t need any help from you. It was a good match though,” Sam said, holding out his other hand. Daniel took it and shook.

            There were forty matches after this, before Miashta had to face the other strongest soldier. Sir Kendrick had won all of his ten matches. Miashta still did not know if her parents were in this tournament, so she had to keep going.

 Episode 9: The Final Matches (Part 1)

            There were only a few matches left. Miashta, Daniel, and Sir Kendrick were among the finalists. There were also three others. Two had the names of animals: Hawk and Lion. Miashta thought that Alya could be Hawk and Jo could be Lion, but since she did not meet the two before hand, she could not tell. The other one was Raya Sille.

            Miashta was waiting for her next match when Kendrick came out again.

            “Are you nervous? The next one that you’re up against is Raya, she’s the other strongest soldier I mentioned,” he said. Miashta blinked, not knowing what to say, but then she smiled.

            “Don’t worry, I have a feeling it’s going to work out. I’m not really in this tournament to win, I just want to find my parents,” Miashta replied. Then everyone except Miashta went to their seats. The announcer came out into the middle again.

            “To my left we have a returning tournament challenger, Raya Sille! And to my right is the aspiring new comer; Miashta Star!” The crowd cheered as he said each name. Miashta blushed. She was liking the attention. She then looked ahead, at her opponent. The woman was about forty, she had short brown hair. Her green eyes sparkled in the sun that glinted off her sword hilt. “Let the match begin!” The announcer said and then backed up. Raya drew her sword and Miashta did the same. They ran at each other, swinging their swords forward and they clashed. The sound echoed through the arena, and the crowd cheered. They struck their swords against each other’s again, Miashta had to dig her heels into the ground in order to steady herself. Then Raya ducked and brought her sword around and swiped it against Miashta’s side. It caused blood to spill out, she instantly grabbed the wound and dropped to one knee.

            “Are you done already? That was nothing,” Raya said. Her voice was surprisingly deep. Miashta’s eyes were covered in shadows as she started to mumble something. “What was that?” Raya asked. Daniel and Kendrick were looking worried. Then Miashta smiled. She gripped her sword hilt tighter.

            “Fuchsia Attack, times 10!” She cried. Raya was surprised, but stayed in her stance. Purple energy flowed through Miashta’s sword, which made it pulse. She then swung her sword as hard as she could at Raya, who tried to dodge it, but was not able to get away fast enough. Miashta sliced Raya’s right arm, the blood glowed purple for a bit, and then ran down the arm red. Raya smiled.

            “You’re a lot better than I suspected. I have a few tricks up my sleeve too,” she said. Miashta’s sword was still glowing, but it was draining Miashta’s energy. She had only been able to pull off Fuchsia Attack up to times eight before this point. Raya suddenly disappeared. Miashta blinked, not knowing what to do. Raya then appeared behind her, and slashed, cutting slightly through Miashta’s dress. She fell forward a bit but turned around quickly. “Did that surprise you?” Raya asked.

            “Yes. You’re pretty fast… but not fast enough!” Miashta said. She then brought her sword around and sliced right into Raya’s side. She cried out and then fell to the ground, grasping her side. Miashta started healing her own side. (She had learned the healing technique from her mother when she was young.) “Are you finished?” She asked. Raya looked up at her and smiled slightly, in pain of course.

            “I’m afraid so. Good fight,” Raya said. She then passed out. Miashta started to heal Raya’s wounds as well. The crowd cheered and Daniel starred in awe at Miashta’s power. The announcer came to Miashta’s side.

            “The winner of this match is Miashta Star! Next we have Lion verses Hawk,” he said. After Raya and Miashta’s wounds were healed, they both went back to their seats.

            Lion won the next match. He used a Long Bow. He was able to pierce Hawk’s shoulder enough to rend her unable to wield her sword. The next fight was Kendrick verses Daniel. They stood in the middle of the arena, a few feet away from each other, and both of their eyes glared.

            “I have nothing against you, but I have to win!” Kendrick said. Daniel smiled, put his hand on the hilt of his sword, and waited for the announcer to call out to begin.

            “Let’s go!” Daniel said.

Episode 10: The Final Matches (Part 2)

            Daniel and Kendrick walked slowly to the side so that they formed a circle when they walked, all the while glaring at each other. Then Daniel ran forward, bringing his sword down to his left side, he then swung it at Kendrick, who dodged at the last second, and ran behind Daniel. He then slashed at Daniel’s back, but he dodged it as well. Kendrick was surprised at his speed, for a doctor. He then used the hilt of the sword to smack Daniel’s side, which caused him to gasp and bend down on one knee for a second. The crowd gasped as well, they were enjoying the fight so far.

            “You know I have to win, right? I’m sorry, it’s nothing against you, but I have to show everyone my strength!” Kendrick said, slashing his sword forward, but Daniel dodged it by rolling. He then sort of jumped to the side as he got up, and thrust his sword forward, hitting Kendrick’s armor on his arm. Then they clashed swords for a couple of minutes, then Kendrick smiled. He ran around to Daniel’s back and then slashed, this time, Daniel did not dodge. The wind was knocked out of him as he fell to the ground. His sword went flying.

            “Good… one,” Daniel gasped, hardly able to talk.

            “Do you give up then?” Kendrick asked. Daniel just nodded and then passed out. Miashta rushed from the stands to the side, she waited for Daniel to be brought back on a stretcher. Kendrick came back as well. Miashta looked worriedly at him, and then again at Daniel, who had been set down on a table. She went up to him and started healing his side. He slowly opened his eyes.

            “Miashta?” He asked. She sighed.

            “You make me worry, you know that?” She asked. Daniel blushed a little as he slowly got up. Kendrick went up to him and held out a hand.

            “Good match,” he said. Daniel smiled, took his hand and shook.

            The next match was Miashta against Lion. He had worn a mask during his match with Hawk, so she could not tell if it was Jo or not. She had seen Hawk’s face when the match was over, since Hawk took off her mask. She was not Alya. Miashta still thought Jo could have been separated from Alya when they went through the wormhole. Lion wore the full suit of armor, which also meant that his face was covered.

            The announcer came out into the arena again, and called for Miashta and Lion. Lion walked out from the left side of the arena, carrying his longbow. Miashta was a little nervous, but she was anxious as well. When the announcer said to begin, Lion raised his bow and fired an arrow, it flew with lightning speed towards Miashta, but she raised her sword in front of her face and blocked the arrow right before it hit her. He then ran to the right and kept firing as he went, but Miashta kept dodging or blocking the attacks. Miashta then noticed that his bow was made of metal. The arrows were made of wood, but had a sharp silver tip. Miashta tried to look into his eyes through the narrow crack in his helmet, but couldn’t quite make them out.

            “What is your real name?” She asked. Lion did not say anything, he just kept firing. Miashta then ran up to him and slashed downward, but he blocked with his bow. They pushed against each other’s force, but Lion’s grip was loosening, and Miashta was able to push back his bow and strike his helmet. It cracked in two under the pressure of the sword. Lion’s eyes were wide. It was not Jo, this man had a scar over his left eye, which was closed. He also had short black hair and his one good eye was blue. He stumbled back a bit as Miashta jumped back. The crowd was silent for a minute but then cheered. Lion then smiled, as his bow also cracked in two.

            “You have me. My real name is Aldin Taeis. You have defeated me, good match,” he said, holding out his hand. Miashta was surprised at the sudden ending and that he was not Jo, but she took his hand and shook. She knew it was a long shot that her parents would be here, in the same town that she was in, but she had to at least try.

            “Good match,” she said and then walked off after the announcer said she was the winner.

            The next and final match was Miashta and Kendrick. Miashta knew this was going to be a long match, but she was not all that nervous anymore.

Episode 11: Miashta Star versus Sir Kendrick

            “This has been an interesting tournament, ladies and gentlemen. With newcomers who have shown us not to take them lightly, and well-known warriors who have shown us their strength. Now, this is the final match, between Miashta Star, and Sir Kendrick!” The announcer called, the crowd cheered as the two came out into the middle of the arena. The King was even cheering, louder than he had been before. “Let the match begin!” The announcer said and then left the two.

            “I’m kind of sorry we have to fight each other, but I do want to test your skills,” Sir Kendrick said. Miashta smiled, walking around him, he was also walking the other way, forming a circle with her. She held onto her sword tightly, and then ran at Kendrick, who was ready for any attack. Miashta swung her sword to the right at Kendrick’s side, but he quickly dodged it, brought his sword above his head and sliced down. Miashta barely got away in time, and slammed into the ground, scraping her left elbow. She pushed herself up with her right arm and thrust her sword forward, just missing Kendrick’s side. He laughed a bit and then stabbed, just grazing her left leg. She then swirled around, breathing heavily.

            “I’m sorry, but it looks like I’m going to have to use this on you,” Miashta said. She smiled slightly and then said a few words in Asiania, then raised her sword up to her nose, and cried, “Fuchsia Attack, times ten!” Sir Kendrick smiled as the sword glowed purple, and pulsated. Miashta seemed to disappear, making Kendrick blink. She then appeared behind him, and slashed out. Purple energy sliced through the air and cut through Kendrick’s arm, but did not cut it off. He grasped it right away, still holding on to his sword, but barely. Miashta swung again, but this time he ducked, he then brought his sword around and slashed her side. The energy around the sword wore off, and stopped pulsating. Miashta fell to one knee, breathing heavily. Daniel, worried, moved from his seat to the sidelines.

            “Do you give up? It looks like you’ve used too much of your power, or whatever it is,” Kendrick said. Miashta panted, and as she fell slowly to the ground, she nodded. Even though she did not want to be defeated, she could feel her entire body reject the power. A stretcher came for Miashta, as Sir Kendrick was declared the winner of the tournament.

            Miashta slowly opened her eyes to see Daniel standing over her this time.

            “Now I get to say it, you make me worry, you know?” He asked, smiling. Miashta blushed and felt tears fill her eyes, but she did not let them fall. She just stared at the table and healed her side. Kendrick came up to her after all the congratulations.

            “You did well, I’m glad I had the pleasure of meeting you, your highness,” he said, genuflecting. Miashta sat up, wiped away the tears that were about to fall, and took his hand. He kissed the top of hers, which made Daniel a bit angry.

            “Thank you. Even though I did not find my parents, I had a great experience. I met many people, and learned my limits as well,” she said, smiling.

            “I wish you luck in your quest, if I can be of service to you, please send for me,” Kendrick stated, standing. Miashta nodded, and after Kendrick left, said,

            “I don’t think they are on this planet, if they were, they would have come for the tournament. It is the only one, since there are so few countries, they would have come looking for me here.” Daniel nodded, slowly.

            “Do you want to leave right away then?” He asked.

            “That would probably be best. We should thank the King though,” she replied. Just as she was saying this, the King came up to them, escorted by two knights. He also took Miashta’s hand and bowed his head.

            “You did well, to face such tough opponents even though you are so young. And you did well also, sir,” he said, then turning to Daniel. They both smiled, bowed, and said their thanks.

            The two headed back to the ship, which was still cloaked in the field. Miashta took out a small tablet from her bag; which she received from the King as a gift, and made the ship visible. The stairs opened up and folded down as she got closer, and the two boarded. Miashta entered in a few coordinates and the ship began autopilot mode. It took off, cloaked again, and headed towards a wormhole that just appeared.

Episode 12: Solia Appears

            The shuttle came out of the wormhole at lightning speed, but then slowed to a hover. Daniel swiveled in his chair to face Miashta.

            “Are we near any planets?” He asked. Miashta punched some buttons and a map of the star system appeared on the screen in front of her. She shook her head.

            “No, but there is a rather large ship up ahead. Should we try and contact them?”

            “Sure, they might know of a solar system or a planet nearby.” Miashta nodded as she pushed a few buttons. As they grew closer to the ship, Miashta could see it more clearly. It was large, almost twice the size of the shuttle, but shorter than John. Miashta was worried but then the panel started flashing, indicating they were signaling back. She pushed a button and brought up an image of a woman on the screen. She had purple stringy hair, purple eyes and was wearing a gray body suit. She looked about 40 in human years, but had pointed ears.

            “Hello, I am Solia, Captain of the Midnight Flower. Nice to meet you,” she said, smiling. For some reason, Miashta did not trust this woman, but she smiled and said,

            “Nice to meet you, I am Miashta Star, this is Daniel. We are travelers, looking for two people who separated from us. Would you happen to know of an inhabitable planet nearby?” Solia nodded.

            “There is one planet not far from here, but it’s a little tricky to get to. I can guide you if you would like,” she replied. Miashta turned to Daniel, who nodded. He was also concerned that this person might be lying, but wanted to continue the search.

            “Okay, that would be great, thank you,” Miashta said. Solia nodded. They stopped communicating as Solia turned her ship around slowly. Miashta took control of the shuttle and followed her. Daniel watched the panel in front of him. They seemed to be heading towards a planet. After awhile the planet finally became visible through the window. It was a fairly large planet, smaller than Earth, though.

            Once they got into orbit of the planet, Solia transmitted the coordinates of where they were going to land to Miashta. She entered them into the ship and began decent behind Solia’s ship. They safely landed on solid ground, Miashta scanned the planet to see if it supported any kind of life.

            “Anything?” Daniel asked. Miashta nodded.

            “There is a small cluster of life a few hundred yards from here. The air is oxygen, so it’s breathable. We should thank Solia,” she replied. Daniel just nodded as they stood up. Miashta cloaked the ship and let the stairs down. Solia did the same and they all got out. Suddenly, storm clouds of black and purple filled the sky. There were two suns, one was lower and one was higher, but they were both blotted out by the clouds. Lightning of blinding force struck, almost too close for comfort. Then it started to pour. Miashta put the palms of her hands together and closed her eyes. An aura appeared around her and Daniel, so that they would not get wet. Daniel was a bit surprised at first, but then turned back to Solia, who was coming towards them.

            “Miashta Star, your life ends here!” She said, having to raise her voice above the rain. She also had a barrier around her. Miashta drew her sword, which the king had given her as a parting gift, and took a fighting stance. Daniel did as well. Solia laughed. “You really think you can stand up to me now, the way you are? And your friend here doesn’t even stand a chance. Just because you were far in the tournaments doesn’t mean you can defeat me!” She cried. She clasped her hands together and a sword appeared. It was black with a deep purple hilt. Blue lightning sparked around the blade. Miashta held out a hand behind her, signaling Daniel to back away, he did so willingly.

            “Why do you want to kill me?” Miashta asked.

            “Because you are a nuisance!” Solia replied, closing her eyes. She started to chant something that Miashta could not make out. Then, Daniel realizing what she was doing, shoved Miashta out of the way just in time for lightning to strike. It hit Daniel’s leg, and made a downward movement to the ground, blood sprayed from the wound as he screamed.

            “Daniel! Are you… all right?” Miashta asked, getting up slowly. Daniel was unconscious. “Damn you!” Miashta cried. She stood up completely and ran towards Solia.  

Episode 13: Daniel’s Confession, Masquerade’s Appearance

            Miashta slashed angrily at Solia, who dodged the attack flawlessly. She then swung her own sword at Miashta, who did not dodge so easily. Pain hit her right arm as she fell to the ground. Solia laughed, and walked towards Miashta. Miashta panted, but held up her sword and winced. She waited a couple seconds, but nothing was happening. She opened her eyes slowly to see Solia standing there, almost paralyzed. The rest of the area was gray, the rain had also stopped, time was frozen.

            “What’s going on?” Miashta thought. Then she heard a familiar voice. It was the same one that had awakened her.

            “Miastha Star, you are now a true warrior. You have fought many battles, and have won a considerable amount of them. You must not perish here,” the voice said, it echoed through the air.

            “Grandmother, what did you mean when I couldn’t find my parents? They can’t be… d—” tears started to form in her eyes as Miashta was saying this, but Celest continued,

            “You are the chosen. You must fulfill your own path.” Then everything went back to normal. Miashta was able to role to the side quickly and stand up. She chanted the Fuchsia Attack spell and then cried,

            “Fuchsia Attack Times Ten!” and stabbed Solia in the shoulder. Solia gasped, and fell back, but was still on her feet.

            “Curse… you,” she said, but then disappeared. Miashta blinked, but then looked towards Solia’s ship, which was taking off. “I will come back for you!” Solia’s voice echoed. Miashta did not care about her own wound, since the rain was helping with the pain, she stumbled to Daniel. The rain had also helped with his wound, but he was still unconscious. Miashta started the healing spell on his leg, as tears fell down her face. She was soaking wet and so was he. Slowly, he opened his eyes. She thought that the next words he spoke might have been because of the pain, but she still loved hearing them.

            “Miashta… I love you, you know that?” He asked, barely able to talk. He smiled slightly, but then winced. The deep cut where the lightning had struck began to disappear. He was now able to sit up, and the rain slowed to a sprinkle. Miashta was speechless at first, but after healing her arm after Daniel’s wound was completely gone, she asked,

            “What?” Daniel moved forward, almost on all fours. Miashta backed up for a second, but then closed her eyes. She then felt soft moisture on her lips, then Daniel’s fingers in her hair on the back of her neck. They were both blushing as they stayed like that for about two minutes. Then Miashta backed away slowly, but their foreheads still touched.          

            “I said that I love you,” Daniel replied, smiling. He wiped away the remaining tears that were in her eyes.

            “I… I love you too,” she said, still a little breathless.

            “Do you want to scan the planet for any life?”

            “Yes. Even though it was a trap by Solia, we have to look everywhere.” They both stood up as the rain completely stopped. Sun broke through the clouds, creating a rainbow in the East. They went in the ship again and started to scan the planet. There seemed to be no signs of life, until something flashed on the screen. It was a man, or at least Miashta thought it was a man. He had a hood and a mask covering most of his face.

            “Greetings, I am known as Masquerade. You will be a part of my little game,” he said, now she was able to tell he was a he.

            “What… what do you mean, your game?” Miashta asked, glancing at Daniel and then back at the screen. Then all they could hear was laughter as a flash of light blinded both of them.

            Miashta opened her eyes to find herself in a ballroom. She was in a frilly, pink dress that went down to her ankles and had a hoop inside it. It also crisscrossed in the back and had no sleeves, but had a V collar in the front. Her hair was pulled into a large bun on top of her head and she wore long, gold earrings. Daniel was standing next to her wearing a black tux. He also wore a mask that was white and a black top hat.

            “Where are we? And why are we dressed like this?” He asked. Miashta shrugged, as the people around them continued to dance.

Episode 14: Masquerade’s Charades

            Miashta and Daniel ducked out from the crowd of dancers and were soon outside the plaza. It was enormous, with a gothic structure and light fixtures all around the sides of the building. A single moon was high in the sky, and nearly full. It shown on the body of water that was a few feet away.

            “Again, where are we?” Daniel asked, looking at Miashta and blushing. She also blushed.

            “It looks like Earth, from long ago. I saw pictures that my mother showed me using John’s computer. John is her and Jo’s ship, back home. Although now I don’t know… what happened to it,” she replied. Daniel put an arm around her shoulders and she pressed her face against his chest. “Maybe they were taken here as well, by this Masquerade person.”

            “Well, there’s only one way to find out. Let’s ask around.” Daniel smiled as he backed up and took a look around. There were a few people outside, so they decided to start with them.

            After all of the dancers were questioned, Masquerade came from the shadows in the left hand side of the plaza. He was wearing a black cloak with a hood that was pulled over his face, but a mask could be seen. It was a black mask with white edges. He came up to Miashta and Daniel, who were sitting on a bench.

            “What are you doing? I did not give you permission to speak to anyone in this ballroom. You must obey me, if you want to make it out alive,” he said, in a deep voice. Miashta looked up at him, tiredly.

            “You did not specify this, I am trying to find my parents. Who are you to order us around anyways?” She asked. Masquerade was shocked at first, but then smirked.

            “You do not know who you’re dealing with here. You will have time to look for your parents if you play my game,” he replied. Miashta and Daniel stood up.

            “Fine. Tell us what it is then,” she said. Masquerade came closer to them and in a soft voice, said,

            “You will be stealing a gem for me. It is not just any gem, it is the Shimmering Sapphire, the only one of its kind. Luckily, it found its way to this city, Paris. The only issue is getting it, it’s in a heavily guarded area. You may have to kill someone in order to get to it.” Miashta blinked.

            “There is no way I am killing someone!” She whispered loudly. Daniel also protested.

            “If you want to keep looking for your parents, I suggest you follow my instructions. Here is the location,” Masquerade said, handing Daniel a slip of paper. He then left quickly. Miashta pounded a fist into the other palm of her hand.

            “When I see that guy again, he’s going to get a severe beating,” she said. Daniel laughed a bit, but then looked at the location and showed it to Miashta.

            The two decided to get going right away, in order to sneak in during the night; it would give them more cover. The place they were trying to infiltrate was known as Opéra Garnier. It was a large building with seven floors. The façade was granite and used the masonry system. There were guards everywhere, around the entrances and exits, on each of the buildings surrounding it, and even on the roof. Miashta and Daniel were hiding behind a sign located about fifty feet away.

            “Well, one thing’s for sure, I can’t go fighting guards with this thing on,” Miashta said. She then tore off a large piece from the bottom of the dress. Daniel smirked as he looked at her now showing legs. His nose almost started to bleed. Miashta saw him glaring at her and smacked him on the head.

            “We should get some weapons too, there’s a shop right over there,” he said, rubbing where she had hit him. Miashta sighed, and got up.

            “All right, but I’m still against killing someone. Even though I would really like to kill Solia right now, my mother taught me that killing is wrong. She… she only did it once to save her sisters. That was in the name of justice though!” Miashta stated. Daniel just nodded as they headed towards the shop.

            The owner was advertising that he had the lowest prices and best quality around. The shop was small, but had a variety of weapons. Miashta was looking for a small sword while Daniel was looking at the crossbows. After fighting in the tournament, he realized that swords weren’t really his type of weapon.

            “Sir, how much for this bow?” He asked, picking up a large crossbow. It had a silver string and arrows.

            “The bow is twenty five Francs. The arrows and holster are ten,” the clerk said, smiling. Miashta then realized that they did not have this currency, and pulled Daniel aside.

            “Daniel, we need money. I think that thing called Franc or whatever is the currency here. We will have to get a job,” she whispered.

            “I am a doctor, so I can see if this town’s hospital needs any help,” Daniel whispered back. Then Miashta noticed a sign on the counter in the front of the store. It said: Help Wanted. She smiled.

Episode 15: Infiltration

            Miashta stood at the front desk of the weapons shop. She helped customers find what weapon they were looking for, with the manager standing behind her. He seemed very pleased with her work. Miashta enjoyed helping people, she never had to work a day in her life, since her parents gave her everything. This was enjoyable, though. When the customers gave her money in exchange for their item, she felt a sense of satisfaction. The manager praised her, which made her even more confident.

            After the day came to a close, Miashta counted the money in the drawer. She had learned the currency from the manager, and their system of counting down. Miashta was then given a brown envelope. She looked inside and there were large bills inside.

            “This is your pay for today, good work!” The manager said. Miashta smiled.

            “Can I buy something with this then? I uh… have a use for it tonight,” she said. The manager nodded. She picked out a short sword, it had a silver hilt. There were small flecks of blue in the silver. The tag on the handle said 500. She had a total of 1,000 Francs. She gave the money to the manager and took off the tag.

            Daniel met her outside the shop.

            “I see you were able to get a sword. I earned a little money as well, working at the hospital,” he said, smiling. He held out his brown envelope. Miashta asked the manager if Daniel could come in and buy the bow and arrows he had wanted. The manager allowed it.

            After getting something to eat at a nearby café, Miashta and Daniel plotted their route inside. They figured there would be no way in except for the roof. It was the only way without being spotted easily. They would still have to pull off a few tricks as well.

            Miashta looked around the area once they reached the Opéra Garnier. She saw a total of ten guards on the roofs of buildings surrounding it, and about twenty on the main roof.

            “They wouldn’t die from falling from the other buildings, but falling from the Opéra Garnier’s roof itself would kill them. So we have to figure out a way to get past those specific guards,” Miashta explained. Daniel nodded and then whispered something in her ear. She smiled. She took the rope out from the bag she was carrying and attached a grappler hook. Daniel then took it and swung the hook upwards so that it latched onto the edge of a roof. Luckily no one was watching them. Daniel went up first and then he helped Miashta.

            The two snuck behind the first guard, using the chimneys as advantages for hiding, and Miashta took her sword still in its scabbard and wacked the guard over the head with it. The guard almost called out but then fell. Daniel dragged him behind a chimney and propped him up, so the others could not see him.

They did this for the next five guards, and then crouched on a roof near the main building.

“We’re going to need the rope again,” Miashta whispered. Even though the roof was not that far from where they were, they did not want to risk falling. Plus it was a couple of floors up from their roof. Daniel once again through the rope so that the hook latched on the side, luckily none of the guards on the roof took notice. Daniel held on to the rope while Miashta wrapped her arms around his waist. She blushed a little. They gently pushed from the house they were standing on to the ledge jutting out from the Opéra. Then they climbed up slowly, using the darkness as an advantage this time, they snuck behind a guard and knocked him out. Then using some rope, Miashta tied the guard’s hands together and swung him over the side. She then tied the other end to a light that was next to a window. The other guards were luckily facing the other way, so Daniel and Miashta could easily get inside.

Daniel caught Miashta as she jumped down from the rope. They were on the 7^th floor, and had to quickly move in order not to be caught. The place was well lit, and had security cameras everywhere. Miashta had heard about these from her mother while she was on Earth. Daniel waited until the cameras were turned away and then motioned for Miashta to run.

The painting they were after was on the second floor, in a glass case. Luckily Daniel had brought some of his supplies from when he served as a doctor on the Silverwing. So Miashta thought that getting the painting would be easy, but they never expected what was going to come next.

Episode 16: The First Appearance of Dark Miashta

            Miashta and Daniel snuck through the building with ease, until they reached the second floor. There were guards posted at every entrance, and all around the Shimmering Sapphire. The floor also had many rooms, but most of them looked like no one used them, or at least there were no guards outside them. The two stayed in the hallway for a bit, waiting for the guards to turn their backs.

            “There isn’t going to be any easy way of doing this, unless you have some spell that creates a kind of smoke bomb effect?” Daniel whispered. Miashta smiled, thinking of one particular spell that her mother had taught her. She went right up to the doorway and turned her back against the wall, Daniel did the same but on the other side. She then clasped her hands together and began chanting something Daniel did not understand. There was a sudden flash in the room with the sapphire, and then smoke rose from the ground. The guards coughed and closed their eyes and Miashta nodded to Daniel.

            They rushed in and grabbed the sapphire, which was luckily not tied to any alarms. They ran out and were able to go back the same way they came in. Miashta had to create smoke one more time before they reached safety. She then suddenly fell to her knees, gasping.

            “Miashta! We can’t stop now, we have to get this back to Masquerade,” Daniel stated. Miashta nodded slowly, and stood up, but fell forward. Luckily Daniel caught her before she hit the ground. He sighed and dropped the bag for a second to put her on his back. He then picked up the bag and ran.

            Miashta slowly opened her eyes, but she could not tell where she was. It seemed dark, a little too dark.

            “Daniel?” She managed to ask, her voice sounded raspy, like she had been hit on the head. Then a voice rang out in the darkness.

            “Miashta, Miashta Star. Come to me, let yourself fall away,” it called. It was dark and ominous, but somehow familiar. Miashta held her head, and then suddenly jerked back, and then realized Daniel was next to her. She was lying in a bed, sweating. Daniel was holding her hand gently.

            “Dan… iel?” She asked. She looked at the hand that he was holding. A dark mist started to fill it, and spread through her skin. Daniel stood and backed up.

            “Miashta? What’s wrong, what’s happening to you?”

            “I… I don’t… aaaargh!” Miashta cried. The dark mist spread throughout her entire body, until she was completely black. Her eyes were shut tight but they flung open, bright red.

            “I am Dark Miashta Star, you will do my bidding,” she said. Daniel blinked, not knowing what to make of that statement. He backed away, as she stood up from the bed. “Who might you be?” She asked.

            “Miashta, it’s me, Daniel. Can’t you hear me?” He asked, cautiously. Dark Miashta looked at him up and down, and smiled.

            “I guess you will have to do for my minion.”

            “I will not be your minion! I am your friend, I… I love you, remember?”

            “Love? What is this word? And friend… I… ugh…” she started, but then grasped the sides of her head.

            “Fight it, Miashta! You are not evil, you are trying to find your parents, remember?” Miashta screamed as the dark mist left her body, coming out through her mouth. The red matter swirled in her eyes until it dissipated completely. She started to fall over but Daniel caught her. “Are you… okay?” He asked. Miashta winced but nodded slowly. She could not open her eyes at the moment because of the blinding pain that was pounding inside her head.

            “Are we… away from the guards?” Daniel nodded.

            “We’re at an inn. I made sure the painting was well hidden. Somehow we have to find this Masquerade person and give it him,” he replied. Miashta nodded again and Daniel helped her back into bed. “What happened?”

            “I’m… not sure. It felt like my head was going to split open, and then all I could see and feel was darkness. I’m sorry if I said anything or did anything to hurt you.”

            “Oh, no. I knew it wasn’t you. It was just a little strange, since I have never seen that side of you.”

            “I never had that happen to me before. My mother and sisters went through something similar, but I didn’t think it would happen to me. Please… if it happens again I want you to… get as far away from me as you can.”

            “What? No, I would never leave your side! I told you before that I love you.”

            “Daniel! Promise me. I don’t want to hurt you.”

            “All right… I will,” Daniel said, looking at the floor. There was silence for awhile, until Miashta finally broke it.

            “I’m sorry, I love you.” Daniel took her hand in his as she looked at him. They both smiled, blushing. They then talked about what to do next.

Episode 17: Escape from Masquerade, Giant Robots?

            “How are we going to get out of here once give him the Sapphire?” Miashta asked, now sitting up. It was the next day, and the two were eating breakfast. Daniel looked at her strangely.

            “Didn’t he say that if we wanted to continue searching all we had to do was bring him the gem? I don’t trust him completely, but I think he’ll let us go,” Daniel replied.

            “Well, I don’t trust him at all. I don’t think he’ll let us go just like that. We’ll have to think of a plan.” As Miashta was saying this, there was a knock on the door. Daniel looked at her, she nodded, he then went and opened it slowly. It was Masquerade, he had the same grin on his face that he did from when they first met him. Miashta stood up slowly, still feeling the effects from almost turning evil the night before.

            “Have you come to collect?” Miashta asked. Masquerade seemed to grin even more, if that was even possible. He then came a bit closer.

            “Yes, my dear. You do have the gem, correct?” He asked. Miashta nodded to Daniel who then took it from the bag very gently. Masquerade took it and slipped it into a pocket of his cloak. “You did well. I will let you get back to searching for your parents.”

            “So, that’s it then?” Daniel asked. Masquerade looked at him, puzzled.

            “But of course, you have fulfilled my test. I never mentioned anything more,” he replied, then left after a farewell.

            “That was way too easy. I have a feeling he’ll be back for us someday,” Miashta said. Daniel nodded. Then there was a bright flash of light, and the two were back on the ship.

            Daniel and Miashta blinked, but then scanned the area for more planets. Just then, another wormhole appeared. The ship was pulled into it before Miashta could tell it to do otherwise.

            Once they reached the other side, Miashta’s hair was sticking straight up in some places. Daniel’s was a little frizzy. They looked at each other and laughed. Miashta looked at the control panel screen and scanned for planets. There were a few that had inhabitants. Suddenly something flew past them at high speed.

            “What was that?” She asked. Daniel shrugged and looked out the window. There was nothing visible at first, but as they grew closer, an image appeared. It looked like a ship at first, but it also looked human. “It’s… a robot?” Daniel looked at Miashta, confused.

            “How do you know about robots, since you from such a far away world?”

            “My mother talked about them from a television show, it was called Japanese Animation. They have mechas and fight each other in the show, it sounded pretty gruesome to me,” Miashta replied, blinking. A button on the panel was blinking, Miashta pushed it and a young man appeared on the screen. She blushed a little, since he thought he was handsome, but then shook her head quickly so that Daniel would not notice.

            “Hello. Are you from this region?” The man asked. He had spiky brown hair that was tied into a ponytail in the back. His eyes were green and it looked like he was wearing some kind of body suit. There were many levers and buttons all around him, there were even some on the seat.

            “I am Miashta Star and this is Daniel. I come from another part of the universe, while Daniel is a little closer to here, or so we think,” Miashta replied. The man blinked.

            “Another part of the universe? That’s a new one, well, I guess I can’t be too surprised. I am Mal Triade. Nice to meet you,” Mal said.

            “We came through a wormhole. I am looking for my parents, who were separated from me. I met up with Daniel and we set out to look for them. Have you seen any ships that you have not recognized as one of your own?” Miashta asked. Daniel could see that she was still very anxious to see her parents, and took her hand.

            “Hrm… I haven’t seen any, but I can take you back to the colony and you can ask Maryas, who is our ruler. He might be able to tell you more,” Mal stated. Miashta was grateful and asked to lead the way.

            Mal led them to a huge structure, that was floating in space. Part of it was spinning, and it was composed of black steel and glass mainly. There were three parts to the structure, and all three were held together by large wires that ran through the inside. Once Mal received confirmation to proceed, two beams of light came from a hatch and matched up with the two ships. It seemed to pull them in.

            “This is amazing technology, even we don’t have control beams like this on the Silverwing,” Daniel said. Miashta nodded. Once they were inside, Miashta landed the ship next to Mal’s machine. Daniel lowered the stairs and they walked out, meeting Mal at the bottom.

            “I will take you to Marya’s hall. Just to warn you, he can be a little intimidating at first, but once you get to know him he’s really a great leader,” he said. Miashta and Daniel followed Mal through moving walkways and stairs.

            Finally, they reached a room with giant doors. Two guards were standing on either sides of them. Mal whispered in one of the guards’ ears, and they both pushed the doors open. There was a long pathway laid out with a purple carpet. It reminded Miashta of the castle. At the end was a thrown, with quite a large man sitting on it.

            “Hello, you must be Miashta Star and Daniel. Welcome,” the man’s voice echoes through the chamber.

Episode 18: Suit up for Battle

            Mal went down the long pathway and knelt before Marya. Miashta smiled a bit as the two followed. She thought of Medieval Times and the King. Marya was quite a large man, with a red cape that covered his body and went to the floor. Shoulder blades held the cape in place. He had green eyes that had a few wrinkles underneath, and spiky, short brown hair. There was a small scar over his right eye that went through his eyebrow.

            “One of my servants saw you with Mal. Welcome to the Star Colony. I want to ask a request of you,” Marya said. Miashta nodded.

            “Go ahead,” she said.

            “Currently we are fighting the Shio Colony, which is located about twenty light years from here. We need help, and we saw that you have a ship. Will you be willing to fight with us using our technology?” Marya asked.

            “Why are you fighting the Shio Colony?” Daniel asked.

            “There has been a significant drop in our resources lately; and we noticed that Shio was gathering food and water, even weapons. We grew suspicious, and went over to investigate, with friendly intentions at first. Worse came to worse, though, and one of the soldiers on their side started firing and killed an officer. Treaties were out of the question at that point,” Marya explained, “will you help us?”

            Daniel looked at Miashta, Miashta back at him. Miashta leaned forward to whisper,

            “I don’t want to kill anyone, but it seems that Marya isn’t lying. What do you think we should do?”

            “I think we should help them, if there is a way to just disable their mechs,” Daniel whispered back. Mal looked up at them from where he was kneeling next to Marya, but then looked back down. Miashta stood up straight again.

            “Okay, as long as there’s a way to just disable them without killing them,” she said. Marya looked at Mal and then back at Miashta and laughed.

            “I don’t know if that’s possible, but we can show you our suits and weak points, and maybe you can get an idea from them,” Marya replied, smiling.

            “Mal was right, he is intimidating,” Miashta thought. She then smiled and bowed, Daniel did the same.

            “Mal, take them to Hanger 1,” Marya stated. Mal stood up and bowed, then walked down the aisle, gesturing for Miashta and Daniel to follow. They did so.

            After using the moving platforms and going through long tubes, they were able to reach the hanger. Mal had to use a pass-code in order to open the door, which was quite large. The door slid open and made a loud booming sound when it closed behind them. Miashta and Daniel stared in awe at the giant mechs that were standing and kneeling in the hanger bay. Miashta did not notice before on Mal’s suit, but there was a crest with a star and a silver shield behind it placed on the right shoulder blade.

            “Now, there are special suits that we have to wear inside the armor, or as we call them, Clusteria Armor. The suits are made of a special element known as Sare, which keeps us from getting overheated in the armor. Here they are,” Mal walked over to a locker area and opened one of the lockers. A blue suit was hanging on a hook, along with a clear visor. It was a female suit. Mal opened another locker and a male suit was inside. “There are changing rooms over here,” Mal said, gesturing towards the rooms. Daniel and Miashta took the suits and went to change.

            A few minutes later, Miashta came out first. The suit was tight, but it was easy to move around in, and the boots were nice. The visor somehow stayed on her head, even though it did not have any ear clips. Daniel came out shortly after. His was a bit different, with a shirt and pants, and there were black strips going down the sides. His visor was the same, and it adjusted for his seeing ability, so he did not have to wear glasses. The two looked at each other and blushed. Mal smiled at Miashta, who smiled back. Daniel whispered,

            “You look amazing,” into Miashta’s ear. She blushed even more.

            Suddenly, a laser shot at the shield of the colony, causing the whole place to shake. Miashta grabbed Daniel’s arm while he held onto a beam that went up to the ceiling.

            “Damn it, they’re attacking already. We don’t have time for a tutorial, just move your arms and legs the way you normally do once you get into the armor,” Mal said, running to his own machine. Miashta looked at Daniel, who shrugged. He picked a mech that was blue and white. Miashta looked around quickly and found a dark purple colored armor. There was a switch on the side of each of them to bring down a ladder that led up to the cockpit.

            Once inside, the armor immediately turned on. There were buttons everywhere, and a couple of levers and a screen in front of them. Miashta and Daniel were both standing upright, and once the clamps on either side of the armor were removed, they were able to take a step forward. It was just like walking normally. Images appeared on the screen of the area around them.

            “The green dots are your allies, the red ones are the enemy. In order to fly you need to bend your knees and then pull the lever on your left in order to start the booster pack. Then to control which direction you fly you just lean. You will get used to it once you’re in space,” Mal explained. Daniel and Miashta could both hear him, they were both in awe of the technology. The glass panels on the ceiling slid open, and Mal’s armor lept through the opening. Daniel and Miashta did the same, although they swerved a bit.

            The three went into a battle that they will soon never forget.

Episode 19: Battle for Peace Begin

            Miashta turned towards where the red dots appeared on her screen, so did Daniel and Mal. The Clusteria Armor mechs from the Shio Colony were a bit bigger, and had two missile launchers on each shoulder blade. They came flying at Miashta and the others.

            “We are going to use the Petal Formation, Miashta and Daniel, just follow me and form a triangle,” Mal said over the intercom. They did so and they and the rest of the mechs flew to the other sides of the enemy’s fleet, until it looked like a flower from above. The enemy tried to escape by trying to fly up and over, but Mal ordered everyone to follow their movements. Mal pointed his gun at the enemy mechs, Miashta and Daniel did so as well. “Fire!” Mal commanded.

            All of the friendly mechs fired on the Shio Colony’s armor, and they fired back, but they were seriously outnumbered. When there were only two remaining, they retreated. Mal and the others cheered.

They were just about to head back when a giant ship appeared on their screens.

“It’s their flag ship, the Metlias!” Mal exclaimed. The two mechs that had retreated flew into the Metlias.

“Can’t we call for backup?” Daniel asked.

“Damn it, we’re going to have to… wait, they’re hailing us,” Mal said. He then pushed the intercom button so that everyone could hear, even Marya who was still inside the colony.

“This is Commander Solia of the Shio Colony Fleet. I encourage you to surrender, or we will invade your colony and leave no survivors,” a woman’s voice came over the speakers.

            “Their Commander is a woman?” One of the others asked, not realizing she could still hear them.

            “It would be in your best interest not to underestimate me, I am indeed incredibly powerful. You do not want to face me,” Solia replied. There was silence for a second or two, and the Marya spoke,

            “We are never going to surrender, no matter how much you retaliate. You’re the ones who brought this upon us, you should be the ones to surrender.”

            Then an evil laughter came from Miashta’s mech. Daniel was surprised, so was Mal and the others.

            “You expect us to surrender? We will never to the likes of you!” Miashta cried, her voice was deeper and raspier, much like the time she started to go dark.

            “You are still Miashta, aren’t you?” Daniel asked, worriedly. Miashta laughed again.

            “Sorry, you are speaking with Dark Miashta Star. I am going to end this now!” Dark Miashta cried and then flew towards the Metlias.

            “No! Miashta, come back!” Mal ordered. Screaming could be heard from Dark Miashta’s mech, which frightened Daniel, he could not move. “Something tells me that you two are close, you have to talk to her and try and get her to come back!” Mal ordered him. Daniel’s eyes were wide and his hand was shaking.

            “I… I can’t talk to her when she’s like this,” he shakily replied.

            “Damn it, you’re going to have to!” Mal barked. Daniel cleared his throat and then flew his machine towards the flag ship.

            “Miashta! If you’re in there, please come back to us!” Daniel cried. Dark Miashta’s mech stopped suddenly, and shook a bit, because Miashta was shaking.

            “I will… never… return your Miashta… to you. She is mine!” Dark Miashta cried, but then her skin started to turn the normal color again, and her eyes and hair were returning as well.

            “It’s me Daniel. Please remember, I… love you,” Daniel stated, a little embarrassed since everyone could hear him. Miashta completely turned back to normal, but just in time for a giant energy beam to be firing at her, she did not have time to escape.

Episode 20: The Reunion..?

            Another beam came around and hit the blast coming towards Miashta. The blast dissipated and so did the new one. Miashta opened her eyes and released her hands from the tight grip around the arms of the chair.

            “Miashta? Are you all right?” Daniel asked, still blushing a little. Miashta blinked, realizing she was still alive.

            “Uh… yes. And, I’m sorry, for whatever I said when I went dark,” Miashta said, looking down. Just then a ship appeared in the distance. Miashta did not recognize it at first since it was so far away, but then an image came up on the screen of her mech. It was John, Alya’s ship. “Mother!” Miashta exclaimed.

            “What? Are you sure?” Daniel asked. Miashta’s eyes started to tear up and she flew towards the ship.   

            “Yes, it’s definitely John, I’d know that ship anywhere,” Miahsta replied. She flew into the bottom hanger and when the mech clamped onto into the loading dock, she opened the main hatch and jumped down. (The mech had been kneeling so she was able to do so, although it was still quite high.)

            She ran through the halls and to the bridge, where Alya and Jo were most likely waiting. Miashta slid her hand over the panel next to the door to open it. She stepped inside slowly, the two chairs spun around.

            “Mom… Dad?” Miashta asked. It was indeed Alya and Jo, but they both looked at each other and blinked.

            “Who are you?” Alya asked. There was a long moment of silence. Tears swelled up in Miashta’s eyes but she shook her head.

            “You are Alya Star and Jo are you not?” Miashta asked.

            “Yes, that’s who we are, but we’ve never seen you before. Are you from some kind of alternate world?” Jo asked. Miashta’s eyes widened. Just when she thought she finally found her parents, everything was crushed around her.

            “An alternate world? Yes, that might explain why you don’t know me. I am your daughter in this reality. You… you went through a wormhole and I have been looking for you since then,” Miashta explained.

            “I’m sorry we’re not the parents you know, but maybe we can help look for them,” Alya suggested. Jo nodded.

            “We’ll do anything we can,” he said. Just then Daniel came aboard.

            “Is everything all right?” Daniel asked, coming on to the bridge. He saw Miashta’s teared up face and was worried.

            “Don’t worry. These are my parents, sort of, they’re from another reality. It’s all right though, they’re going to help us find the Alya and Jo from this reality,” Miashta explained, wiping away her tears.

            “Did you forget that I was here?” Solia asked, growing impatient. Alya quickly opened a channel to speak.

            “You should not pursue us, believe me. John is equipped with a beam weapon using my fusion power. If you knew Zellial, you know that it’s lethal,” Alya said. Miashta had to smile at this, noticing a little of her mother in this Alya as well.

            “Damn… I will pull back for now, but next time I will be sure to kill Miashta Star!” Solia cried, and her ship went teleported away.

            “Do you know who that is?” Alya asked, turning to Miashta.

            “She appeared to us once before, and we fought. I still don’t understand why she wants to kill me. I don’t know how she knows me,” Miashta explained.

            “Well, why don’t we get started on looking for your parents and worry about her later?” Jo asked. Miashta nodded and smiled.

            “Thank you for doing this,” Miashta replied.

            “I am Daniel, by the way. I met Miashta when she came through that wormhole,” Daniel said, reaching out his left hand. Alya and Jo both shook it in turn.

            “Nice to meet you. The other reality version of me, does she fly the same ship?” Alya asked. Miashta nodded. “If we just match the frequency of this ship, it should detect the other John, in theory,” Alya suggested.

            “Anything that could help would be great,” Miashta said.

            “John, match the frequency to see if there are any ships like you in this reality,” Alya said. There were some bleeping noises, and then John spoke,

            “There is a ship like me, but it is quite far,” he said.

            “How far?” Miashta asked, her eyes lit up. Daniel was worried she was getting her hopes up too high.

            “We’ll have to go through a couple of wormholes in order to reach the ship, and I can’t even tell if there are life signs aboard.”

            “I don’t care, can we please try at least?” Miashta asked, impatiently.

            “Sure, I don’t mind. Do you have a ship?” Alya asked.

            “Yes, it’s down in the colony. I’ll have to tell Mal and the king that we’ll be leaving,” Miashta replied.

            After Miashta and Daniel left John, they flew back to the colony.

Episode 21: Long Journey Ahead

            Miashta and Daniel explained to Mal and the King why they had to leave, and the King was resilient at first, but he sighed.

            “I am sorry to hear that you have to go, but also glad that you may be reunited with you parents. I wish you a safe journey,” he said. Miashta bowed and thanked him. “I want you to take one of our mechs with you, who knows it may come in handy in fighting that Solia person.”

            “Are you serious?” Miashta asked. The King nodded. “Thank you so much! I don’t know what to say.”

            “This is the least we can do for helping us, right Mal?” The King asked.

            “Yes, your majesty. I wish you well on your journey,” Mal replied, he bowed as well as Miashta and Daniel.

            They left after receiving a package of food and water for the trip, and loading the mech into Alya’s ship, since the shuttle would not hold it.

            “John, begin the match frequency sequence,” Alya stated. There were a few beeping noises and then John said,

            “Match Frequency Sequence initiated.”

            “Why don’t we go check on our “daughter,” Jo said, using the quote gesture on daughter.

            “Hey, that’s rude. She is technically our daughter. I don’t think someone would lie about something like that. Let’s be nice now.” Alya and Jo got up and walked to the hanger, where Miashta and Daniel were waiting in their shuttle.

            “Miashta? It’s Alya, are you able to talk?” Alya asked, pushing the button on the outside of the shuttle door. The door slowly slid open and Miashta came over the intercom,

            “Come in, we’re in the control room in the front of the shuttle.”

            Once they were all together, Alya started,

            “I don’t… want to get your hopes up. This match frequency sequence is only to match similar ships to John, there may be others like this ship in the universe, besides your parents’.”

            “I know… but I have to believe that I will find them soon. Thank you again for helping us, I know it may seem a little strange that suddenly you have a daughter from another universe,” Miashta said, seeming a little down. Alya glared at Jo for a second, who turned away, then she smiled.

            “It’s okay, we’re trying to get back to our own universe as well, so we understand,” Alya stated. This made Miashta smile.

            “What I want to know is why that Solia wants to kill Miashta. All Solia said was that Miashta was a nuisance. That doesn’t make any sense,” Daniel said. There was silence for a minute.

            “We have encountered this Solia before. She had said something about searching for someone, but she left shortly after through a wormhole,” Jo pointed out. There was silence again.

            “It looks like we have a long journey ahead of us. Why don’t we all get some rest?” Alya suggested. Miashta yawned, suddenly realizing her tiredness from the previous battle.

            “That sounds like a good idea. I think I will rest a bit,” she replied.

*                                                                        *                                                                      *

            “Miashta Star… Miashta,” a voice came to her in a dream, this time, it was not Celest.

            “Who… who is it?” Miashta asked. She was floating in a dark space. Suddenly, Dark Miashta appeared in front of her.

            “You know me very well. I am the other half of your heart, your soul. I want to be able to cover you completely, to take over.”

            “No! I won’t allow it!” Dark Miashta put a hand on Miashta’s cheek.

            “You will give in to me!”

Miashta jerked awake, sweating and breathing heavily. She was in one of the quarters of the shuttle. Tears ran down her face, eyes still wide. She bent over and held her forehead.

“Why is this happening to me?” 

Episode 21: Long Journey Ahead

            Miashta and Daniel explained to Mal and the King why they had to leave, and the King was resilient at first, but he sighed.

            “I am sorry to hear that you have to go, but also glad that you may be reunited with you parents. I wish you a safe journey,” he said. Miashta bowed and thanked him. “I want you to take one of our mechs with you, who knows it may come in handy in fighting that Solia person.”

            “Are you serious?” Miashta asked. The King nodded. “Thank you so much! I don’t know what to say.”

            “This is the least we can do for helping us, right Mal?” The King asked.

            “Yes, your majesty. I wish you well on your journey,” Mal replied, he bowed as well as Miashta and Daniel.

            They left after receiving a package of food and water for the trip, and loading the mech into Alya’s ship, since the shuttle would not hold it.

            “John, begin the match frequency sequence,” Alya stated. There were a few beeping noises and then John said,

            “Match Frequency Sequence initiated.”

            “Why don’t we go check on our “daughter,” Jo said, using the quote gesture on daughter.

            “Hey, that’s rude. She is technically our daughter. I don’t think someone would lie about something like that. Let’s be nice now.” Alya and Jo got up and walked to the hanger, where Miashta and Daniel were waiting in their shuttle.

            “Miashta? It’s Alya, are you able to talk?” Alya asked, pushing the button on the outside of the shuttle door. The door slowly slid open and Miashta came over the intercom,

            “Come in, we’re in the control room in the front of the shuttle.”

            Once they were all together, Alya started,

            “I don’t… want to get your hopes up. This match frequency sequence is only to match similar ships to John, there may be others like this ship in the universe, besides your parents’.”

            “I know… but I have to believe that I will find them soon. Thank you again for helping us, I know it may seem a little strange that suddenly you have a daughter from another universe,” Miashta said, seeming a little down. Alya glared at Jo for a second, who turned away, then she smiled.

            “It’s okay, we’re trying to get back to our own universe as well, so we understand,” Alya stated. This made Miashta smile.

            “What I want to know is why that Solia wants to kill Miashta. All Solia said was that Miashta was a nuisance. That doesn’t make any sense,” Daniel said. There was silence for a minute.

            “We have encountered this Solia before. She had said something about searching for someone, but she left shortly after through a wormhole,” Jo pointed out. There was silence again.

            “It looks like we have a long journey ahead of us. Why don’t we all get some rest?” Alya suggested. Miashta yawned, suddenly realizing her tiredness from the previous battle.

            “That sounds like a good idea. I think I will rest a bit,” she replied.

 

*                                                                        *                                                                      *

 

            “Miashta Star… Miashta,” a voice came to her in a dream, this time, it was not Celest.

            “Who… who is it?” Miashta asked. She was floating in a dark space. Suddenly, Dark Miashta appeared in front of her.

            “You know me very well. I am the other half of your heart, your soul. I want to be able to cover you completely, to take over.”

            “No! I won’t allow it!” Dark Miashta put a hand on Miashta’s cheek.

            “You will give in to me!”

 

Miashta jerked awake, sweating and breathing heavily. She was in one of the quarters of the shuttle. Tears ran down her face, eyes still wide. She bent over and held her forehead.

                “Why is this happening to me?”

“Fuscia…” Aiya and Amile were in Alya’s gym. Since Alya was gone, they had to take care of the ship.

            “Fuscia…” Amile cried. They were trying the Fuscia Attack on each other. At the same time, ghostly figures of wings appeared on their backs.

            “Attack!” They cried. A huge cloud of purple filled the room. Energy absorbed into their fists. A beam of purple light shot out of their palms. The two beams hit each other. Amile’s beam proved to be stronger than Aiya’s. At least until…

            “Fuscia… Attack!” Aiya cried. Her beam of light grew brighter and more powerful. It blasted through Amile’s beam. Amile quickly dodged it. It flew around the room. Aiya quickly turned around and put her arms up. The smoke cleared and there was Aiya with her arms crossed.

            “Good work, Amile, you have to make your beam stronger by saying the attack again. But you didn’t know I would do that. Good dodge though,” Aiya said.

            “You could have gotten hurt,” Amile said.

            “Yes, I could have. But I used a special block to block the big spells,” Aiya explained, “when you use a cannon beam or Fuscia Attack, put your arms up to your face and form a cross. Regular attacks you just put your arms up. It’s good to be strong in order to do this. Otherwise, you could get badly injured.” Amile nodded.

            “But how do you know all this stuff, sis?” Amile asked.

            “I’ve been training. And John taught me most of the attacks,” Aiya replied.

            “What do you mean, ‘most of the attacks?’”

            “I just happened to learn some of the attacks myself. Like the Fuscia Attack. Even though I saw Alya use it, I still did the attack myself.”

            “Now I understand.” Amile nodded.

            Back at the control room…

            “Super Elfin Aiya. There is something I want to show you. See that door to the left?” John asked.

            “Yes,” Aiya said.

            “Open that door. I’ll shut down all the security. Then open the next door.”

            Aiya did as she was told. Behind the second door was a lab. It had everything. Computers, chemical tubes, formulas for everything, capsule vehicles. On the table was a small, pocket sized computer. It was very much like John.

            “Push the green button on that computer.” Aiya pushed it. The screen blinked all different colors.

            “Type in the name Alya,” John said. She did. It showed a picture of a young elfin girl. She had small elfin wings like Aiya and Amile had.

            “That’s Alya. She’s coming to the ship in sixty minutes. I know what you’re thinking. Jazel killed her. You’re wrong. I saw her coming. Even when I’m turned off I can detect things.”

            “ Amile! Amile! Where are you?” Aiya cried. She was running all over the ship trying to find Amile.

            “I’m in our bedroom!” Amile called. She had just put away her diary when Aiya barged in. She was breathing hard.

            “What’s wrong?!” Amile asked.

            “It’s Alya. She’s going to be here in a few minutes. John told me she was coming. He said she’s still alive. She’ll probably come in the control room so let’s go!” Aiya was talking very fast but Amile understood.

            They arrived just in time to see Alya come down from the ceiling in the control room like a ghost. A small black crystal was floating above her hands. She gently landed in front of John.

            “Alya. We’ve been expecting you,” John said.

            “How’s my old John?” Alya had a different voice too.

            “Alya?” Aiya asked. They looked at each other for a minute.

            “You’re stronger, Super Elfin Aiya,” Alya finally said.

            “Alya!” Aiya ran up to her and hugged her. “But you’re different.”

            “When Jazel fought me, part of my body flew out of me. It disappeared with Jazel.”

            “Jazel’s still alive? How could she be?” Aiya asked.

            “When Jazelle faded away, she was destroyed, but a little part of her flew into Jazel. So did a part of me. So she was stronger and could take her revenge. But since I was stronger also, I could keep my body and my powers so I could fight Zoras and Jazel.”

            Back in Aiya and Amile’s room:

            “Well. Aiya, you did well learning all of those attacks. It took me a few hundred days to learn all that I know. Probably because I’m not as strong as you. I remember when you used the Fuscia Attack on Jazel.”

            “But that was only because I was mad. I wanted her to pay for what she did,” Aiya pointed out.

            “Yes, but you mastered the technique as you were training. Plus you learned how to use the cannon beam and the Fuscia Attack. You said you didn’t know you could use two powers at once, but once you found out, you did well.”

            “Yeah, I guess so. But I’m still not all that strong. My first powers were only light and gravity. I wasn’t all that special until you showed up. When you disappeared, John told me how to use most of the attacks.”

            Poor Amile had the dizzies. She could only make out a few words.

            “But wouldn’t Aiya’s body get hurt if she used too much power?” Amile butted in. She hated just to listen.

            “If she’s strong she won’t get hurt. And that is exactly what she is. She is a Super Elf. An elf who is a hero or heroine to all people in your community and the world. Or, should I say the universe? The future depends on Super Elves who fight for love and justice. People of every race and every planet rely on us.”

            “You have definitely changed Alya,” Amile complimented. They all started laughing.

                                                            *          *          *

            “Zoras! Help me!” Someone called.

            “What was that?!” Zoras jerked up from his bed in Jazel’s ship. “I thought I just saw Jazel.” He got up and went into Jazel’s gym.

            “Zoras! Help me!”

            “Where are you?! I know you’re here Jazel. Why are you calling me?”

            “I need your help, Zoras. Push the button on the left wall.” He pushed it but wasn’t sure why he did it. Now he doubted that it was the right thing to do.

            “Somehow, we have to find where Jazel is at the moment. If we can’t find out where, we’ll just have to look,” Alya said. She gulped down the last swallow of Elfin tea and wiped her mouth with a napkin that hung from her pocket on the side of the turquoise dress. Suddenly, there was a loud crash outside. The ship started to shake.

            “Ah! Something’s going on outside!” Amile cried.

            “Oh no! It’s Jazel! “Alya cried. They ran to the control room. A big flash of light flew past the big window. It was Jazel. The light hit Zoras and destroyed him.

            “Noooooo! Jazel!” He cried. He vanished into thin air.

            “Come on! We have to go before she discovers us. Hyper drive!” Alya pushed a few buttons and pulled down five levers. They flew forward at lightning speed.
            “Hold on!” Alya cried, “we’re not out of this yet!”

            “Whoa! She’s coming towards up at incredible speed!” Aiya cried. A blast of light blinked in the distance. A million fire streaks shot towards them. Alya and the others dodged frantically. Aiya got hit in the leg. She screamed and fell on the floor.

            “Aiya!” Alya cried and went back to her. Aiya clutched her leg and winced.

            “I’m okay. Go without me,” she said. Alya shook her head.

            “No! I’m not leaving you! Amile, help me get Aiya on my back!” Alya cried. Energy beams shot past them through the ship. Amile got Aiya onto Alya’s back. Alya stood up. She started to fly but a blast came at them. It hit Aiya.

            “Alya!” She cried and fell off her back. Alya quickly turned around and caught her sister.

            “Aiya, no,” Alya said. Aiya smiled and then winced. Her head fell. Alya started crying and slowly turned around. She started to laugh evilly. Jazel looked surprised.

            “You’re going to pay for what you just did. I’m going to destroy your body and soul!” Alya cried.

            “You can’t defeat me. Just for thinking you can, I will kill you,” Jazel said. She fired a bolt out at Alya as she was coming towards Jazel. Amile jumped in front of Alya though. The shot hit her and she fell to the ground, her arms spread out and her eyes clear.

            “Am…ile,” Alya said. Her eyes were now like fire. Alya charged forward, the tears falling behind her.

            “Fire scourge!” Alya cried. Someone came down from the ceiling. She had long pink hair and a beautiful blue dress on. Alya threw her attack at Jazel. It destroyed her. Her scream faded away. Alya fell on her knees and wept. The woman came over to her and put her hand on Alya’s shoulder. (Have this song be playing in the background of this part.)

            Dying

My tears fade away,

You look the other way,

Tell me why

Why do I cry?

My thoughts wonder off,

I gave it some thought,

I know the feeling,

Is this the real thing?

My tears fade away,

I turn the other way,

You tell me why,

But I cannot deny…

I am dying, I am crying (repeat and fade)

            “Who are you?” Alya asked, through sobs. The woman knelt down.

            “My name is Alial, I am your sister,” Alial said. She was about the same age as Alya. She looked a little older though and was pretty tall. Her hair went all the way down to her knees.

            “I didn’t know I had another sister,” Alya said, wiping her eyes. Alial wiped hers too, because she had been crying.

            “I am. We’ll make a good team,” Alial said, smiling. Alya tried to smile. She started crying again and Alial hugged her. Amile and Aiya were now gone. Only a little blood was left on the floor. Alya cried away the night, and couldn’t fall asleep for a few days after. Alial helped her though, and they became good friends quickly. Alya finally had some good in her life.

            The End

Episode 51: Synicoth’s First Defeat

          “Well, here we are. Nexus. It’s inhabited with people like ourselves, only there are different kinds. Sort of like humans,” Alya said, typing on the keypad on John. “John, landing mode. Land us near Synicoth but far enough away so that she doesn’t detect us. Also so there’s not any people near by,” Alya said, looking at the screen.

          “Okay,” John replied. Pillars came out of the bottom of the ship. It flew over for awhile, but then it landed in a dry spot on the surface. It was desert like, but had grass growing in some spots and trees. But there was no oxygen. So Alya, Alial, and Geo all started glowing. It was only the outline of their bodies though.

          They flew out. (Alial was holding on to Geo.)

          “Synicoth should be a few minutes ahead,” Alya told Alial. Her hair was blowing back and was wavy.

          Synicoth was waiting up ahead. Alya and Alial both stopped at the same time.

          “Synicoth. Why did you turn against us?” Alya asked, tightly closing her eyes.      “You are the only ones left that stand between me and the universe’s destruction. I will destroy you,” Synicoth said evilly. Her eyes started glowing bright red.

          “Alial, stay here! Take this and you and Geo go find that piece for my computer! Go! Don’t worry about me!” Alya said. She tossed them the small computer that she used to find Zellial.

          “Okay,” Alial said, catching the computer. They flew off. Synicoth started to scream. Large pieces of the ground flew up and were broken into smaller pieces. <p>

          “Oh no! Wing… Fuscia…” Alya started to say her attack. Her wings grew really long and beautiful.

          “What the…?” Synicoth asked but rocks still flew up and crumbled.

          “Flash… Attack!” Alya cried. A purple and white flash came out of her hands. It hit the force field around Synicoth. At first it didn’t do damage.

                   Then the blast became bigger. The shield broke and the beam hit Synicoth.

          “No! I’ll get you in the next battle, Alya!” She disappeared after that.

          “Two more major battles before we can finally live in peace,” Alya said.

Episode 52: A Lot of Planning

          Alya, Alial, and Geo were all in the planning room again. Geo had never seen this room before, so of course he was looking around.

          “Now, she obviously has some machine that she uses in order to power up, otherwise, she can’t get strong enough between now and our next fight. Unless she’s a Super Asiania, just like we and our sisters are. Anyways, we have to become invisible and go into her ship and destroy that machine. The only problem is, we have to find it in time. She’s so powerful that she can detect us even if we are unseen. Geo, can you stay and pilot the ship, or you can put it on self pilot,” Alya asked him.

          “Sure, but what if Synicoth detects me instead of you?” Geo asked.

          “Oh, don’t worry. John will fly out of danger. You just have to tell him which way to turn,” Alya said, smiling, “let’s get a good meal and a good night’s rest so that we can do a lot of searching tomorrow. I have an outline of every Asiania ship there ever was created. That’s why I have a lot of computers around!” Alya winked.

          “Okay, I’ll go to my room now,” Geo said.

          “I’ll bring you some food,” Alial said, turning to him.

          “That’s kind of you, thanks,” he said and walked into the hallway. He then turned to the left and went into the bedroom.

Episode 53: Alial’s Discovery Part 1

          Alya was cooking a pot full of vegetables. She then chopped up some chicken and put it in the vegetables and sauce.

          “Smells good. What is it called?” Alial asked, walking into the little kitchen.

          “Humans call it chicken stew. Whatever that means. I’ve tried it at Jo’s place and it tasted pretty good to me,” Alya said, stirring the big pot of vegetables and chicken.

          In a few minutes the meal was done. Alial took some in a bowl to Geo. He was just sitting on his bed, thinking.

          “So, have you and Iana gone through any tough battles? You don’t have to answer if it’s too painful to talk about them. I’ll just…” Alial started.

          “No, that’s okay. I can tell you. One of my many memories was a fight between a monster, who tried to force us and our friends against each other. Iana fought with Amil. But I was fighting off demons who tried to take my sword. It took forever to fight them off. Amil finally decided to fight with Iana against a wolf demon who was also tricking us. It gets pretty complicated after that, so I’ll stop there,” Geo said, looking down and smiling sadly.

          “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked! I’ll leave,” Alial said, getting up.

          “No, I could use some company,” he said. Alial blushed.

          “It must have been awful,” she said, almost crying.

          “Not really. We should get back to work,” he replied.

          “Right…” Alial said. There was an awkward silence as Alial read some pages on a computer.

 

Episode 54: Alial’s Discovery Part 2

          Alial was working on John while Alya was in her lab trying out some files in her new computer. But nothing came up.

          “Damn it. Why won’t it work unless I have these specific pieces?” Alya thought.

          “John, locate piece 0082 in quadrant 4082. It has to be there. I’ve looked everywhere else I could think of,” Alial said. A picture of a greenish blue planet appeared. Above it said “Eien” in gold letters. “It can’t be! Eien!” Alial said. Then it showed clips of the buildings, flowers, and so on. “It is definitely Eien. But I thought it was destroyed!” Alial said.

          “No, look at the other side of it as it turns,” John said. A large opening was in the side of the planet. And it was slowly regenerating. The question was unanswered. All she knew was that it was Eien. She then started crying. Alial ran into Alya’s room.

          “Alya! It’s Eien! The next piece is on Eien, our home planet! It wasn’t completely destroyed!” Alial cried.

          “What?! I’ll have to see this,” Alya said. The picture of the half of Eien was still on the screen. “It is Eien, our home. But, all the elves were destroyed by the Asiania’s. I’ll just have to destroy them all for what they did!” Alya cried. Tears fell down her face as she looked at the picture. She remembered playing when she was little. She would lay in the flowers and smell their sweet sent until it was night. She even sneaked out to look at the three moons that were rising.

          “We have to defeat Synicoth, some way,” she said, wiping her tears.

Episode 55: Alya’s Other Sister

          The truth was that the other side was being created by a girl. She was an Asiania too. You see, she was Alya’s sister, Ciel. She has four sisters. She was never mentioned though. Ciel is good at this time. She used energy from her fist to create Eien, or recreate, to look like it did many, many years ago, when Alya was small.

          “Alya, there is one life form on this planet, and it’s recreating the half of Eien. How would it be recreated on it’s own if there wasn’t?” Alial asked. Geo was now in front of the screen.

          “Why worry about that? Obviously whoever or whatever is regenerating it wants it to live on, or for us to live. If they just want to destroy it, what’s the point of remaking it? As long as it’s put to good use. This is our home. But, we’ve always lived with elves. Or, were the people really Asiania’s, I wonder?” Alya asked.

          “Could we maybe go explore? When I was with Iana, we explored many different parts of our world. But I never really explored any other worlds until Iana…until she disappeared. Maybe we could find some surviving inhabitants from the explosion,” Geo explained.

          “Sure. I have to find the next piece for my computer anyways. And, I could use my magic, and Alial could help me, to make the planet be more like it used to be,” Alya said, starting to cry and then wiping the tears away.

          “Plus, we don’t know if that Eien is even real. That person or thing could have created it all on it’s own. I just have a weird feeling,” Alial said.

          “No, this is Eien, you said it yourself. You were crying because of it. I was also. This is the real, true Eien,” Alya said.

          “Yes, Alya, come to me and see your beautiful planet. It is real, but I’m the one who created it! Come, meet your sister, Ciel. I love everything you hate. I will kill you Alya Star!” The figure sitting on a broken off lamp post said. Her face was dark and her eyes glowed red.

Episode 56: Arrival on Eien

          Alya couldn’t get to sleep that night. She kept thinking about Eien and what Alial said. She just couldn’t get over how she thought Eien was destroyed. She was in the battle ship when it happened. The planet just suddenly exploded. She was only a little girl and wasn’t Alya Shadow yet.

          She then started crying. Not because she found Eien, her home, but because she was actually an Asiania.

          “I have to think about the future, and not the past. But it’s just so horrible… that… I blank out every time I think about it. This has to be a bad dream, just all a dream!” Alya thought, lying in bed, crying.

          “But it’s not all a dream, Alya Star. Or should I say, Alya Shadow?” Someone called out with an evil voice.

          “Who are you?” Alya asked.

          “I am your sister, Ciel. You are going to see me after you battle Synicoth, and after you face your next two enemies. I will be waiting, Alya Shadow!” The voice broke out into an evil, low pitched laugh.

          “Alya, we’re almost to Eien. I can see it shining in the distance,” Alial said in the doorway.

          “Okay, I’ll be there in a little bit,” Alya said, looking down. A tear fell and shined on her star locket. She grasped it. It suddenly opened. A jewel was inside of it. It was also shaped like one of the flowers that grew only on Eien. The tear drop rose. Alya had seen roses on Earth and thought they were the most beautiful things in the universe. Then she realized, that these tear drop roses were more beautiful. <p>

          “Alial, are we in range to go down?” Alya asked, coming in the control room.

          “Yes, we are in orbit now. Can’t you see it?” Alial asked.

          “Yes. Geo, take hold of Alial’s hand. We’re going to teleport to the planet,” Alya said. She closed her eyes. Her hair started to float. A star appeared on her forehead. It shone brightly. They suddenly disappeared.

Episode 57: Nothing Remains

          A soon as they landed on the cold planet, Alya opened her eyes. It seemed like there was nothing there. But when Alya drew her sword, light flashed all around it. There were skeletons all around them. Millions of them. All of the elves had died from the blast that destroyed half of Eien. Tears fell down both Alya and Alial’s faces.

          “No, this can’t be real. There has to be someone alive. Alial, can you get a reading on the planet?” Alya asked. Her hand was shaking.

          “Yes. There is only one remaining living person here. It says her name is Ciel,” Alial said.

          “Ciel? Alial, I had a vision of her last night. She said she was our sister. And there was something else too. Let’s try to find her, since she seems to be doing well. Let’s also look for the piece for my computer,” Alya said, looking ahead of her.

          “Alya, there’s another piece somewhere also. Both of the pieces are here on Eien,” Alial said. She gave the small computer to Alya. It showed the two coordinates where the pieces were.

          “So, we won’t have to do anymore searching after this. How about we go back to Earth for a little while? We still have time, and I’m missing Jo. Geo, how about it?” Alya asked.

          “Sure, but what about your computer?” He asked.

          “Oh, I’ll fix it after we go to Earth. We don’t have to stay there a whole week. Just enough time to visit Jo. And Yamadi of course,” Alya said. Alial blushed, just thinking of him.

          Alya flew forward and so did Alial and Geo. The first piece was 150 miles ahead. They still had to fight Synicoth one more time before the final battle. Alya knew that she’d be waiting for them outside of Eien. Somewhere on their way to Earth.

          Even the beautiful flowers and trees of Eien were brown, the color of death. Alya started crying again. Tears fell back and disappeared behind her.

          “No, nooo!” Alya cried and flew faster as she saw all of the dead skeletons lying on the ground against the tall, round buildings.

Episode 58: Teardrop Roses

          Alya suddenly stopped. Ciel, it was her sister. A ghostly figure of her stood in the shadows. It then disappeared.

          “What’s wrong Alya? Are you all right?” Alial asked. She and Geo stopped. <p>

          “Nothing. I just thought I saw someone. I’m okay. Wait! Look over there!” Alya pointed to the spot where the figure of Ciel was. On the ground was a teardrop rose. It was glowing too. Light shown down on it.

          “Maybe…” Alya started to say. She flew over towards it.

          The star locket on her colar opened.

          “I knew it, my locket is the key to this planet’s existence,” Alya thought. She stopped flying right before the beautiful flower. The crystal on her locket shone white like it did before. The flower in front of her started floating. She then too, started to lift up off the ground. The star on her cheek started sparkling.

          “Oh, Alya,” Alial gasped. Geo had no clue what was going on. But he didn’t ask anything. The planet just suddenly turned back to normal. Even all the people were alive again. Alya fell over. “Alya!” Alial cried and caught her. “Alya! Alya! Wake up!” She said. Slowly, Alya opened her eyes. She then smiled weakly.

          “Eien. Our home, I was the key to make this planet whole again. It was my locket that did it,” Alya said, breathing hard.

          All of the people, elves, went back to their homes.

          “Wow, it’s so beautiful here. I wonder if we’re close to the first piece,” Geo said. He looked around.

          “Alial, how far are we from it?” Alya said, sitting up.

          “Well, we’ve gone fifty miles already, so 100 left to go. We have to turn a few times after fifty miles though,” Alial replied, looking at the computer.

          “Okay. Let’s keep going,” Alya said, standing.

Episode 59: Another Vision

          Alya, Alial and Geo flew forward. Alya suddenly received a series of images. All about her father. They were all good images.

          “Alya,” he said in one.

          “Father?” The little Alya called out. She ran to him, but he disappeared. “Father! Where are you? I’m scared,” Alya started crying. Her father suddenly appeared again.

          “Alya, I have to say goodbye. Your mother will take good care of you,” he said. He phased out.

          “No! Father!” The small Alya cried.

          Alya turned the corner with Alial and Geo.

          “Alya, it should be just ahead. In the supply base. There are at least ten of them on Eien. The other piece is in one of those,” Alial said.

          “Okay,” Alya said. Her face was pale, but she kept going. They reached the supply base. Alya and the two stopped and landed. They looked at each table, but couldn’t find it.

          “Alya, can I help you?” A man asked.

          “Iseli! I haven’t seen you since I was a little girl! How are you?” Alya asked.

          “I’m doing well. Who is this young man, Alial?” Iseli asked, looking at Geo.

          “He’s Geo Gaske. He’s on a search to find Iana Ilia, his wife, and he has the legendary light sword,” Alial explained.

          “Oh, do you need any help finding anything, Alya?” Iseli asked.

          “Yes, actually I was looking for piece 0082,” Alya said.

          “Yes, here it is. You can have it for free since I know you,” Iseli said, handing them a computer chip.

          “Thank you very much. We have to find the next one,” Alya said. She took the piece from Iseli.

          “Okay. Will I see you later?” He asked.

          “Yes, it’s a promise,” Alya said.

          As Alya and the others were flying back, Alya received another vision of Ciel. Only this time, she didn’t say anything. She was killing Alial with her sword. Blood was everywhere. Alya stopped when this happened.

          “Alya? Is something wrong? This happened twice now,” Alial said.

          “It’s Ciel. She’s even more evil than Synicoth I fear,” Alya replied.

Episode 60: Alya’s Eien Mother

          “I also just remembered. My mother who was taking care of me on Eien wasn’t Synicoth. She was a much younger woman. I think she was married to our father,” Alya said.

          “I thought Synicoth was,” Alial said, her eyes widened.

          “Yes, but I think because she was so selfish and had an evil heart, he married an elf. That’s a probably why I thought I was an elf, and not Alya Shadow, the Asiania,” Alya explained.

          “Oh, so is your mother still alive, or did she die before the explosion?” Alial asked.

          “Well, I don’t really remember too much about her,” Alya said.

          “Oh, let’s try and find her next. Do you remember where your house is?” Alial asked.

          “Yeah, I think so, it was in quadrant 040 and was in the fifth row,” Alya said.

          They flew back towards Alya’s old house at incredible speed.

          “I wasn’t really living here at all. It always was a home for me. The flowers and trees seem so familiar. I love it here and wish we didn’t have to fight anymore,” Alial thought, and kept flying.

          They came towards the house, a tall, round building with multiple windows. They landed before it. Alya walked up to the door and slowly turned the knob. The strange door magically opened.

          “Mother?” Alya asked.

          “Be right there,” someone said in the next room. Alya’s eyes widened. A tall woman came out of the room. She had lavender hair and red eyes. “Hello, Alya,” she said, smiling.

          “Mother! You’re still alive!” Alya said. Her mother walked up to Alya and put a hand on her shoulder.

          “Of course I am, you gave me life,” she said. Alya started crying. “Who are your friends, Alial?” The woman asked.

          “This is Geo Gaske and he’s looking for his wife and is helping us in our battles. I guess I’m your daughter too, huh?” Alial asked.

          “Yes, you, Alya, Aiya, and Amile all are my daughters,” Alya’s mother said. Her name was Aliya, which is where “Alya” came from.

          Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared behind them.

          “Alya,” it seemed to say. It then lunged forward. Everything froze. It slammed it’s arm right through Alya’s chest.

          “A… ly…a!” She cried. She turned gray and fell into Alya’s lap. There was a silence for a minute. The shadow disappeared and started laughing evilly.

          “Noooooo!” Alya cried. She held her lifeless mother tightly. Alial started to cry as soon Geo closed his eyes tightly. “No, mother… I know it had to be Ciel. Synicoth isn’t that powerful,” Alya said, getting up from the floor. She still had tears in her eyes, but her face was angry.

Episode 61: Happy and Sad Memories

          “Alya, the next piece is only a few miles from here. We could get there in a day if we go now,” Alial said, looking at the small computer.

          “Okay, let’s get going. Geo, coming with us?” Alya asked, solemnly.

          “Yes. I still have to find Ilia. Even if it kills me, I’ll find her,” Geo said.

          Alya, Alial, and Geo flew out of the house. Alya’s mother’s eyes were open, but were blank.

          “Alya,” she seemed to say, even though she was already dead. The three kept flying at an alarming speed. Alya kept thinking about that same scene over and over in her head. She did not cry though. Neither did Alial. But Alya did catch a glimpse of what Ciel looked like. She was even more evil than Alya imagined.

          “First my mother is Synicoth, than I have a sister who wants to kill us, what next?” Alya thought. But her thoughts did not keep her from reaching the last piece. Then she’ll have to fight Synicoth again. And then she would be able to see Jo again.

          Alya remembered the times she had with Jo; the movie, teaching her how to sing, cooking, and many other things. Tears then fell down her face. They kept flying in between all of the strange buildings. An elf stopped to watch them every once and awhile.

          “Alya, I’m here, Alya,” a deep voice called to her.

          “Father?” Alya asked. She stopped suddenly.

          “Alya?” Alial asked.

          “I just thought I heard father! He’s here! I can feel it!” Alya cried.

          “Alya wait! It’s a…” Geo tried to warn her, but she flew around a corner.

          Her father was standing in front of her.

          “It’s not possible, you’re dead. How can you be standing there in front of me?” Alya asked.

          “Because, I am really Ciel!” “He” said and flew forward and grabbed her by the neck. He, or rather she, chocked Alya until Alial came around the corner. The Ciel dropped Alya and disappeared.

          “Alya, are you okay?” Alial asked. She and Geo ran up to her. Alya coughed a few times.

          “I’m fine. How could I be so blind? Damn it!” Alya cried.

Episode 62: Visit from the Past

          “Let’s keep moving. I want to find that next piece right away so that we can go to Earth. I miss Jo,” Alya said.

          “Yeah, I miss Yamadi too,” Alial said.

          They kept flying forward. Alya’s thoughts fixed on her father and Ciel. Of course she was thinking about how she was going to defeat Synicoth. But she knew that eventually she will have to face Ciel. How did she know what Alya’s father looked like, even if Ciel was her sister?

          “I thought Aiya, Amile, and Alial were my only sisters. That’s strange. Maybe she’s not really my sister,” Alya thought.

          Suddenly a light flashed in front of them. There was a pond also directly in front of them in the ground. And a ghost appeared of a young Alya, floating above the water.

          “Alya, what’s going on? Who’s that?” Alial asked. Geo wondered the same thing, but kept quiet.

          “That is me, when I was a child,” Alya said. Her eyes widened as soon as she saw the small Alya.

          “No, I am not you. You have become different. You have forgotten me, who you are,” little Alya said.

          “No! I haven’t forgotten who I am! I am an elf! I belong here, with my family!” Alya cried, tears ran down her face.

          “No, you have forgotten. You are an Asiania. And you know that. You’re just afraid, afraid of the truth. Goodbye, Alya Star. Or should I say, me?” The small Alya floated backwards and disappeared.

          “No!! I won’t believe it! I am an elf! I am!” Alya cried.

          “Alya, what is this place?” Alial asked, looking around.

          “It’sa place that I used to play in when I was a girl. That’s probably why that image came to me,” Alya explained.

          “Oh, I see. It’s kind of like a visit from the past, only it was you who gave you the message,” Geo said.

          “Yes. I have to fight Synicoth two more times! I will not lose either! Alial, you must stay our of these battles, okay?” Alya asked. Alial’s eyes widened.

Episode 63: Alya’s Teardrop

          “My heart’s pounding like it’s on fire,” Alya said. They started flying forward again.

          “Because you are…” someone started to say. But it was gone. Alya knew it was her sister, Ciel. She had another vision of her saying that, but then it disappeared. Alya realized she was standing still not and started to fly again.

          “I’m worried about Alya. She seems like she’s off in another world. But she doesn’t want to tell me what’s going on. And why did she say to stay out of the battles? It’s not like I can be killed easily. She’s too worried about me,” Alial thought. Geo smiled at Alial and she smiled back.

          “Alya, you’re Asiania. Didn’t you know that?” Someone called out to her. It was the same voice as before. Alya was frozen. Alial stopped too.

          “Alya?” She asked.

          “Don’t call me that. I’m Alya Shadow, the Asiania!” Alya turned around and her eyes glowed red. She turned into Alya Shadow.

          “Light beam!” Geo cried and pulled out the light sword.

          “I have an idea Geo! Can I use the sword?” Alial asked.

          “What are you planning to do with it?” He asked, handing it to her.

          “I’m going to try a healing spell that worked last time on her, but I’m going to use the sword to amplify the spell,” Alial said. Alya Shadow completely turned black. “Super… Love…” As Alial said this the sword started glowing red instead of blue. “Attack! Turn my sister back to…” Before Alial could finish, Alya drew the black power sword and flew at Alial. The swords clashed. Alial dug her feet into the ground.

          “Normal!” Alial cried. She slashed the sword away and a streak of light went into Alya’s chest. Her entire body started to glow. Her locket suddenly opened and the teardrop crystal shone.

Episode 64: The True Alya Star

          The locket shot out rays of light and seemed to light up the whole planet. Eien’s two moons were rising and a ray of light shot out between the two moons. Then Alya opened her eyes and her dress appeared again.

          “Alya, are you Alya now?” Alial asked.

          “Of course I am. I am the true Alya Star now. I can’t turn back into Alya Shadow anymore. Thank you Alial, and Geo,” Alya said.

          “Let’s get going. The next supply base should be past a few more turns. It will take us awhile if you’re not telling me something,” Alial said.

          “Why would I not be telling you something, my sister? I’m fine, don’t worry. It’s just that I miss father and mother. My Eien mother that is. Let’s get going okay?” Alya asked.

          “All right,” Alial and Geo said. They flew forward.

          Meanwhile, Synicoth was sitting in her chair again, only this time, she wasn’t attached to anything.

          “Computer, go towards the planet Earth, but wait in the crystal formations. Wait for my command to fly out,” Synicoth said. The ship made a little bleeping noise and started to turn a little. “Alya, Alial, Amile, Aiya. Why did I even create you? Why? You’re the one’s who put me through this. I was torn apart by the elves. Ana, my heart was broken, or turned to stone by my own husband. All because of you, Alya. You don’t know what you’re up against,” Synicoth said. Her eyes glowed red as a shadow covered her.

Episode 65: Eien’s Past

          “Hey, Alya. Do you want to know what happened in the war between the elfins and Asiania’s? Father told me everything before he died and didn’t have enough time to tell you,” Alial said.

          “No, I know it already. My Eien mother explained it to me even before it happened. She had the ability to tell the future. I think I have some of that ability too.” Alya had a tear in her eye as she said this.

          “Oh, then you know how it was on Eien when the war was going on. All the lives that were lost, and the death of our father. I still remember exactly what happened to him. I… couldn’t do anything. I was right in front of him but I was so small and not strong enough. He had to separate us so that I could train. You were still small also.” Alial kept flying forward.

          “Weren’t we like this thought? I thought we were this old to begin with. I don’t remember much about my childhood. Even though I remember my Eien mother taking care of me,” Alya said.

          “No. We were small because I remember standing in front of our father. I don’t remember much either except that and the start of the war against the elfins,” Alial said.

          “Okay. How far are we from the supply base?” Alya asked.

          “Well, we only have a few turns to go around, but they’re miles away. At this speed we will reach it in exactly three hours.”

          “Okay. Geo, are you okay back there?” Alya asked.

          “Yes. I’m a little weak from not eating in awhile, but I can keep going,” Geo said, smiling.

Episode 66: Synicoth’s Destroying Dream

          “Alya, wake up Alya. Your sister is here,” someone called out to her. She was lying on a cold floor of rock and mist was covering it. Blackness was all around her. Alya opened one eye and then both eyes were open slowly. “Good, you’re awake. I’m Ciel, your sister. Why can’t you not love our other sisters? I hate all three of them. But, I do love you,” Ciel said.

          “What… what are you saying? If you truly love me, than you should love my sisters also,” Alya said, weakly, getting up.

          “Oh, I am your sister, and I truly do love you. I’ll show you,” Ciel said. She floated gracefully to Alya. Then Ciel put her arms around Alya and kissed her gently on the cheek. Alya’s eyes widened and she froze. “You see, I wasn’t lying. I do love you, Alya. You’re the only person I love and Eien is the only planet that I love. Please don’t think I’m evil just because I don’t love our sisters. Please, Alya, after we’re done battling Synicoth, come to Eien again…” Ciel said, smiling. Suddenly, Synicoth appeared and sliced her sword right through Ciel. “Alya!” Ciel screamed and she disappeared.

          “No! Damn you, Synicoth!” Alya cried. A sphere of light formed in her hands. A ray of gold light shot out at Synicoth.

          “That won’t work!” Synicoth said and slashed it away with her sword. The light went back at Alya and struck her. Blood came out of her mouth. Alya’s eyes grew blank and she fell when the light disappeared. An evil laughed filled the whole planet.

          Alya jerked up in bed.

          “No!” She gasped. Sweat ran down her face. She remembered the dream again for a second. Ciel getting killed, and then herself being shot by Synicoth’s beam. Then she saw an image of Jo on Earth. “Jo… it was a dream. I’m still alive. And I have to kill Synicoth so I can go back to Earth,” Alya thought.

Episode 67: Fate Lies Ahead

          “Alya, are you all right? You look like you haven’t gotten much sleep lately,” Alial said. They were in one of Eien’s “hotels.”

          “Well, if you want to know the truth, I’ve just been thinking about my past. I just had a dream that Synicoth… killed me. I don’t really know what fate lies ahead of me, but somehow… I don’t like this feeling. What if my dream will come true?” Alya asked.

          “Don’t think that. It probably was just because you were thinking too much. Please cheer up and get some rest. I’ll make Geo a meal so that you won’t have to,” Alial said.

          “Okay. Be on a lookout though. Someone could come after us while we’re here,” Alya said, walking off.

          As soon as Geo and Alial were alone, Alial blushed. She knew that Iana was already married to him, and she also liked Yamadi, but she couldn’t help it, he was just too handsome.

          In about an hour or so, Alya woke up with sweat running down her face.

          “No, not again, that same dream. Why is this happening? Why am I the only one to have these dreams?” Alya thought. She went into the room where Alial and Geo were talking. Alial laughed and so did Geo. Alya smiled.

          “Alya, you’re awake. We were just talking about Geo’s past.”

          “Oh? Is that all  you were talking about?” Alya asked.

          “Yes, what else would we talk about?” Alial replied, blushing and waving her hands back and forth.

          “Oh, well, we’ll have to talk about what’s up ahead. We have to sooner or later,” Alya said.

          “Okay. Why hasn’t Synicoth attacked us yet?” Alial asked.

          “I was thinking that as well,” Alya said, putting her hand up to her chin.

          “She could be planning things out. Like, for instance, preparing for battle,” Geo said.

          “Yeah, maybe. But she usually has everything planned out already. I don’t understand,” Alya said.

          “That’s a first,” Alial said. They all laughed.

Episode 68: The Second Supply Base

          “Alial, get me the precise readings on that next supply base,” Alya said.

          “All right…” Alial quickly typed on the computer. They were outside of the “hotel.” “Okay, I have them. It is just five miles ahead. We have to go straight for three and then turn to the right. We should see it up ahead,” Alial said.

          “Okay. Geo, look out for any kind of enemies that Synicoth might try to pin against us. I’ll be on the lookout for Ciel. And, Alial you will tell us when to turn. We can’t miss the base,” Alya said.

          The flew through the Asiania’s. They all seemed frozen, like they were created or something. It all seemed too easy to find Eien again. Alya just didn’t understand. Ciel could have just created the whole planet and she just threw off Alya’s readings.

          The supply base was just around the corner as Alial said it was.

          “Alya! There it is! Do you see it?” Alial asked.

          “No, not really… where is it?” Alya asked. There was nothing there except a pool of water with a statue in front of it.

          “Oh, it’s here. I know this place. Follow me over to the pool,” Alial said. She smiled at the memory of her playing there when she was a little girl. Alya had a look on her face like Alial was crazy.

          “But, Alya, there’s nothing here,” Geo whispered. They now floated over the pool.

          “Alya, open your locket. Then dangle it over the middle,” Alial said.

          “All right,” Alya said, opening the locket. The jewel started to glow. The water rippled and then it seemed like the whole place had turned into water. “What’s happening?” Alya asked. Suddenly a supply base appeared. Even people were walking around in it.

          “Excuse me, can I help you?” A woman asked. It wasn’t Synicoth, Alya knew that just by looking at her. She was tall and slender with black hair.

          “Yes, we were looking for piece 1808, if you have it,” Alya asked, smiling.

          “Yes, we do, right this way young ladies and gentleman. By the way, are you from Eien? I don’t think I ever saw you before,” the woman who looked like she was about thirty, asked.

          “You could say that, I’m Alya and this is Alial,” Alya said. Geo introduced himself.

          “I am Geo Sana. I’m from Earth, a planet far from here,” Geo smiled.

          “I’ve heard of Earth. They have good people there,” the woman said, smiling. Geo smiled again.

Episode 69: The Last Piece

          “Here it is, piece 1808. I’ll except fifteen silver pieces from you, since you’re so kind. We don’t get many nice bargainers here, since it’s a hidden place. See, look over there,” the woman said. There were two people pushing and punching each other.

          “Hey! You two, stop this! There’s no reason to fight each other!” Alya cried. She flew in between the man and woman.

          “Damn you! You don’t deserve to live, woman!” The man yelled past Alya. She was beginning to regret coming between them. The woman charged at the man with a fist. Alya jumped in front of the man. The woman punched Alya in the face before she could put up a force field. It hit her hard and she moved back. Blood dripped down her chin. She wiped it off.

          “All right, you looking for a fight? Here’s one right here!” She said and raised her hand and opened it. A small lightning bolt hit the woman’s leg. “You want one too? Unless you solve whatever  problem you were “discussing,” you will get it! And, anyone else in this base!” Alya cried. Everyone stopped fighting.

          “Alya, are you all right?” Alial asked.

          “Yeah, she was pretty strong. And stupid, I might add,” Alya said, more quietly.

          “Forget the silver pieces, you can have it for free. You really changed our base,” the woman who gave Alya the piece, said.

          “Oh, thank you! And no need to thank me, you were right about the hard bargainers. They don’t seem to know the word compromise,” Alya said.

          The three flew off. The woman waved. They got back to the small circle and the monument. Alya opened her locket. The place wavered and it was back to a pool of water.

Episode 70: Back to Space

          “Come on, let’s head back to the ship to make some plans. Let’s go!” Alya said.

          “Okay, where did you leave it?” Alial asked.

          “Oh, the landing dock, don’t you remember?”

          “Oh yeah…” Alial smiled.

          The three flew back to the ship and it took them about an hour. Geo was quiet the whole time until they got back there.

          “Hey, Alya, you should try to locate Iana. I’m sure she’ll be great help to you, from my experience. Plus, I don’t know how to find her,” he said.

          “Well, I’d like to make plans first and finish the second to last battle with Synicoth. I’m sorry, but I don’t know where to begin looking. I don’t really know if my computer is capable of finding people who are traveling through space. I’ll tell you if I find anything,” Alya said.

          “Alya! Look at this! The photo of Ciel isn’t there. It’s there, but then let me go to full scan,” Alial said. Alial typed on the pad of the computer. It came up with the outline of Ciel. “She’s almost like a holographic image. Which means, either the real Ciel died in the war or she is somewhere else waiting for us to come to her,” Alial said. They walked into the ship.

          “But, she told me that she was on Eien or was going to be. Yeah, so she would be somewhere else in the universe. Good work, Alial,” Alya said. Alial smiled but then turned to a control panel by a small screen on the panel.

          “Should we speed up the engines?” Alial asked.

          “No, we’re just going to orbit Eien for now. We’ll leave tomorrow. We are going back towards Earth. She said she’d be around there somewhere,” Alya said.

          “Okay. Pulling up the stairs, starting engine… power is full, lift off!” Alial said, pushing a red button on the panel. She could have just told John, but he was taking sort of a “vacation” as far as computers go.

          “All right. Once we’re out of the atmosphere, point the ship towards Earth, and orbit Eien slowly,” Alya said. Geo just listened and watched out the window. He didn’t know anything about ships.

Episode 71: Plans and Synicoth

          “Alya, how are we going to battle Synicoth this time? Last time I remember it was a sword fight,” Alial said.

          “Yeah, probably just magic. I mean, what else would we use?” Alya asked.

          “I don’t know, but maybe she will send out one of her minions or something. If she has minions,” Alial said, putting a finger on her cheek.

          “Yeah, maybe. But Synicoth’s sisters were killed. And I think that’s all she had. Unless Ciel comes after us, or at least the hologram of her anyways,” Alya said.

          “Oh, I heard of a technique used by elfins long ago that they still use today. It’s called ‘Mind Combat.’ You sit in a certain position, and battle each other in your mind. I wonder if she’ll use that,” Alial suggested.

          “Maybe, but I don’t think she’ll go very far without actually trying to kill me. She’s revengeful and that wouldn’t last too long, but good idea. It’s a new technique that I’ve never heard of,” Alya said. She got up and started walking. Well, her feet were just above the ground and her wings were spread out.

          “Where are you going, Alya?” Alial asked.

          “Oh, just to the control room, and to check on Geo. He’s been so sad without Iana around,” Alya said, turning her head around. Alya floated out the door.

          Geo was in his room, of course thinking about Iana. He looked like he was about to cry, or had been crying. He rubbed his eyes gently when he heard Alya knock on the door.      

          “Come in,” he said. Alya opened the door.

          “I hope I’m not interrupting you,” Alya said.

          “No, I was just thinking. What did you need from me?” Geo asked.

          “Oh, nothing really, just to know how you are doing,” Alya said.

          “I’m a little sad, but fine. If you need me, just knock,” Geo said, smiling.

          “Okay,” Alya smiled and floated out.

Episode 72: Synicoth vs. Alya/3^rd Battle

          “Alial, is there any sign of Synicoth yet?” Alya asked. They now were far away from Eien and heading towards Earth.

          “No. There is a life sign approximately twenty miles from here, and it’s almost directly on Earth. It’s just two miles away from it. We don’t want to be too close to Earth otherwise, we might endanger Jo, Yamadi, and all of its people,” Alial said, looking at the screen on the control panel.

          “All right. Take us there, Alial,” Alya said, “Geo, can you come with me to the gym? Alial, keep on the look out and keep going towards Earth.” Geo followed Alya into the gym.

          “Geo, can you draw the light sword?” Alya asked. They were standing in the middle of the gym.

          “Sure. Light sword!” Geo cried. He pulled out his light sword.

          Okay, be careful because I’m going to try the Sword of Fuscia Darkness attack on it,” Alya said.

          “Well, why don’t you hold the sword then? It will probably work a lot better if you did it,” he said, giving her the glowing sword.

          “All right. Stand back. Fuscia attack times 1,000!” Alya cried. A huge cloud of purple filled the top of the room. Geo backed up. Purple swirls came down around the sword and turned it purple and black. “Sword of darkness! Except me and obey my command! Light sword, except this other sword, and except me!” Alya cried. The sword got about five feet tall and sharp. A sphere was floating around the room. Alya breathed in heavily as she tightly gripped the sword. When the sphere floated by her she floated up towards it at incredible speed. She swung the sword at it and it clashed with the sphere. Alya screamed and moved forward and sliced the sword down and through the sphere.

          “Alya! Synicoth is here! She came after us!” Alial cried. She came running in to the gym.

          “What? I’ll be right there,” Alya said. The sword turned just purple and then back to normal. “Here Geo, but can I use it if I have to?” Alya asked.

          “Yes, that was great! Almost like the Tomorrow’s Legacy,” Geo said.

          “Yeah, it takes a lot of energy too. Let’s go,” Alya said.

Episode 73: Synicoth vs. Alya Third Battle Part 2

          “Alya, come to my ship. We will battle there, and come alone,” Synicoth said. She was on the screen of John. He had decided to turn back on to help. Synicoth was sitting in the same chair, but without the cords attached to her. Alya just nodded. Geo handed her the light sword and his belt.

          “Thank you. See you in a little bit,” Alya said.

          “But Alya! Won’t you need any help?” Alial asked. Alya winked.

          “I’ll be all right. Just like I was in the other two battles.” Alya walked out of the room.

          When she got to the hatch that opened a doorway to space, she floated just above the ground and a glow outlined her body and sparkled. Her hair floated up as she closed her eyes. She suddenly disappeared. Alial stared in the direction where Alya had disappeared.

          “Alya…” Alial thought.

          Inside Synicoth’s ship it was a twisted maze. It looked like a golden palace. There was hidden technology and weapons inside the walls. Alya knew, how though she did not know. Alya flew up the spiral staircase. She did not know why she knew Synicoth was at the top either. She felt like she was about to cry. But she didn’t know why that was either.

          “That’s right, come to the top of my “palace.” I’m amazed you knew exactly where I was. But, it will be over soon,” Synicoth said. She was still sitting in her chair. Her eyes glowed and an evil aura surrounded her.

          Alya reached the top of the stairs. There was a large door with carvings of dragons on each side of it.

          “Weird place,” Alya thought, looking back towards the staircase. Alya opened the doors and inside there were rows of candles on each side of her on tall carved, twisting, candle holders. Alya blinked and walked forward, her wings were spread out. The candle light shone on her beautiful white wings.

          “Alya, so, we meet again,” Synicoth said, evilly.

          “Synicoth, why don’t you love us? We’re your daughters after all. And if you hate us so much, then why did you even create us?” Alya asked.

          “Because I loved your father and he wanted to have daughters. Let’s fight, draw your sword!” Synicoth said.

          “All right. The sword I’ll be using will be the light sword!” Alya cried.

          “What the?” Synicoth cried. Alya flung her cape back and took out the sword. She felt kind of silly saying that and holding Geo’s sword.

          Alya slashed the light blade at Synicoth’s black sword.

          “Even the light sword is no match for my evil sword!” Synicoth said.

          “We’ll just see. Fuscia attack, times 1,000!” Alya cried. The sword burst into a flame of purple as a cloud formed below the ceiling.

          “What? What are you doing?” Synicoth asked. She backed away.

          “Sword of darkness! Obey my command! Accept the light sword and me!” Alya cried. The sword grew larger and was now black with a purple outline.

          “Damn, that’s powerful!” Synicoth said. Her eyes started glowing red. Suddenly, Ciel appeared in front of Alya.

          “Ciel?” Alya asked.

          “Yes. I am Ciel. Don’t die, Alya. Synicoth is about to do something evil. I can’t tell what, but I know it can kill you if you don’t stop her now. Please do it, Alya. Don’t let Synicoth kill you,” Ciel said. Alya’s eyes widened and she stood frozen for a moment until another bright light flashed.

          “I have to go for now, I’ll see you face to face after the final battle,” Ciel waved as she seemed to shrink.

          “Why are you just standing there?” Synicoth yelled. Alya readied the sword. This time she didn’t have to say any words, the sword just turned purple and black.

Episode 74: Alya’s Third Victory

          “Synicoth, die!” Alya cried. She floated forward fast and the two swords clashed. This time, Synicoth’s sword shattered into a thousand tiny pieces.

          “What the hell is going on?” Synicoth cried. Alya’s wings spread to full length. Alya ran forward and shoved the energy sword through Synicoth’s stomach. Blood poured out of her mouth. “No!” Synicoth cried. She disappeared, but Alya knew she’d be back.

          Alya walked up to the chair. The chords were dripping with some kind of substance. A gel of some kind. Alya dipped her finger in it. It started glowing on her finger.

          “Weird, I’ll have to analyze this stuff,” Alya said out loud. She disappeared.

          Inside her ship, John was on screen.

          “Alya! You’re all right! You did well, we watched from John. But why were you standing still for five minutes?” Alial asked.

          “I had another vision with Ciel. John, open microscopic window. I need to analyze something,” Alya said. John opened a disk slot and a slide was on it. Alya smeared the gel that was on her finger on to the slide. She pushed a button and the disk slot closed. Alial and Geo watched from behind.

          On screen it showed a blob of gel. Alya made it zoom in, until one could only see a single cell. Alya’s eyes widened.

          “What’s wrong, Alya?” Geo asked.

          “It says that this is my cell, but how can that be? Oh my… god! Amile, Aiya, Ciel, and your cells, Alial, are here too. But why? Is this the source of Synicoth’s power? Why would she use our cells?” Alya asked, still frozen. Alial stood frozen too.

Episode 75: The Journey Back to Earth

          “Alya, I think, maybe it’s because we are the strongest or some of the strongest fighters in the universe. Maybe, she wanted to become stronger than all of us,” Alial said.

          “Yes, and before she created us, she took some of our cells to put in that substance to get stronger. Damn that Synicoth! If only I knew what she has planned for the last battle, I could prepare better,” Alya said, clenching her fist.

          “No one knows except Synicoth. We can’t do anything about that,” Alial said.

          “I know!” Alya said, slamming her fist into the control panel.

          “Try to calm down, Alya. We’re close to Earth, it won’t be long now,” John said.

          “Okay. I’m going to go train. Alial, will you join me?” Alya asked.

          “Sure,” Alial said and followed her out. Geo stayed in the control room.

          Alya was now in the gym and had her hands together, wrists touching.

          “Get ready, Alial,” she said. She moved her hands back slowly. “Light, wind, lend me your spirit! Come into my hands! Ha!” Alya cried. She quickly opened her eyes. Alial put her arms up and crossed them. A blast of light came shooting out. Alial stood in a circle barrier with her arms crossed. She wasn’t even scratched or breathing hard.

          “Good work. Now, try the Fuscia Attack times 1,000 on me,” Alya said.

          “Okay. Fuscia…” Alial started. Light slashed out of her hands. “Attack times 1,000!” Alial cried.

          A beam of purple light flew out of Alial’s palms. It hit Alya. Blood came out of her cheek and arms. She screamed.

          “Alya! I didn’t mean to, are you all right?” Alial asked. Alya breathed heavily and said,

          “I think so, I have to train harder this time,” Alya said, wiping her cheek.

Episode 76: Arrival at Earth, Again

          “Alya, we’re entering Earth’s atmosphere,” John said. The ship shook and looked like a comet falling on Earth.

          “Can we try and land in the park that we always did?” Alya asked. She had to almost yell because of the noise.

          “Yes, we are there, Alya,” John said. The ship landed in the same spot that they always did. The trees blew back as they landed. To Alya’s surprise, Jo was standing there. He had his back turned until he heard the door open and Alya’s voice.

          “Jo?” Alya floated into his arms. They kissed. Geo envied them a little because he still didn’t have Iana since she was still traveling the universe somewhere. He clenched his fist and Alial noticed it. She felt sorry for him.

          “Alya, I just knew you would come back. So, I went to the park, where we first met, to think of you and wait. What a coincidence,” Jo said, hugging her again.

          “Oh, Jo. It’s so good to see you again,” Alya said.

          “Oh, Alial, Yamadi’s waiting for you at my apartment,” Jo said, smiling. Alial blushed.

          The four got into Jo’s car after Geo’s introduction and he drove to his apartment. When Jo unlocked the door, Yamadi was standing there waiting for Alial.

          “Yamadi!” Alial said. She hugged him tightly and a tear fell down her cheek.

          “I’ve missed you, Steph. And this time, I never want to not see your pretty face if you go away,” Yamadi said, holding out a camera.

          “What’s that?” Alial asked.

          “It’s called a camera. Remember the picture of Jo and me? Well, that’s what it does,” Yamadi said.

          “Oh, this is Geo Sana, Yamadi. He is a swordsman,” Alya said.

          “Wow, hi,” Yamadi said, shaking hands with Geo. “Hey, can you take the picture, Geo?” Yamadi asked, “you do know how it works, right?”

          “Yes, I’ve done pictures with Iana before, so, I know,” Geo said and took the camera. Yamadi and Alial stood next to each other, and next to them were Alya and Jo.

          “Say cheese!” Geo said. He held up the camera to his eye and got ready to push the shutter.

          “Cheese!” They all cried, smiling. Geo snapped the shutter.

Episode 77: Alya’s and Alial’s Driving Lessons?

          “Crystal, what were doing this whole time? Tracking down a new enemy?” Jo asked.

          “Yes. Her name is Synicoth and she is my and Steph’s mother. I’ll explain later,” Alya said, closing her eyes.

          “All right. Hey, it’s almost time for dinner. Want to go out?” Jo asked.

          “Sure!” Alya and Alial said. They went down into the parking lot and got in Jo’s car. They drove to a fancy restaurant. (Alya had a different dress on and the Japanese voice and so did Alial.)

          “Hey, Crystal, Steph, why don’t you two take driving lessons?” Jo asked.

          “What? Us? But we don’t know how to drive,” Alya said.

          “Oh, don’t worry. Trust me, it’s nothing. I’ll teach you the road signs and signals. You have to take a test before hand in order to get in,” Jo said. Yamadi laughed. Alial wondered what was so funny.

          “Jo had to take his twice in order to get in,” Yamadi said, laughing. Alya started to laugh.

          “You had to take yours five times, baka,” Jo said, smiling. Yamadi quit laughing, Alial grinned.

          After dinner, Jo drove to the driver’s school.

          “First, you have to sign your full name here. Then you go in the second room to take the test. Remember what I told you,” Jo said. They were now inside a tall building with a desk in front and had two hallways on either side of it. Alya signed her name as Crystal Stelly and Alial signed as Steph Stelly. They walked off down the hall to the left and entered the second door.

          The whole test took an hour. Crystal and Steph were done first, of course, in ten minutes! The instructor looked at them like they were from outer space. (Which they were!)

          “Are you sure you’ve never learned how to drive before?” The man asked.

          “Yes, we’re sure. This is our first time. Where we come from there aren’t many cars around,” Crystal said.

          “All right. You’re lesson begins tomorrow at noon, sharp,” the man said, smiling.

          “Okay, we’ll be there,” Alya said. Alial followed her out.

          “So, how did you do?” Jo asked, as they came out.

          “Well, we passed the first part!” Alya said happily.          

          “Good job. The next step I will show you two,” Jo said, smiling.

Episode 78: Alya a.k.a. Speed Demon?

          At noon, sharp, Alya and Alial were standing outside the building again in a line with some other students who passed.

          “All right, now, each of you will be given a driving instructor. Crystal, you will have me, as instructor, Steph you will have Mrs. Koller…” the man had a clip board in his hands and was reading the rest of their names. Alial got into the car with Mrs. Koller. Alya and Mr. Crei got into a different car. Alya checked the rear view mirror. Then she put her seat belt on and moved the stick up to drive. The man just sat there and starred at her. Alial did the same. Then Alya pushed down slowly on the gas pedal. The car slowly started moving around the track. Alial soon followed her.

          Suddenly, Alial went past her at incredible speed.

          “What the…? Hey! I’ll get you, Alial!” Alya cried. She stepped harder on the gas pedal. They were goind eighty miles per hour.

          “Whoa! Slow down!” Mr. Crei cried. Alya only kept her eyes on the road in front of her. Soon, Alya was next to Alial. Mrs. Koller was already passed out the first time Alial had sped up.

          “You think you can beat me, Alial?” Alya yelled over the noise. Alya pushed the pedal all the way down. She went flying around the corner. Both Alya and Mr. Crei screamed. Alya stopped suddenly. The tires screeched. Jo and Yamadi were standing in the sidelines, wide-eyed.

          Alya and Alial got out. (All of the other students starred at them.)

          “Well, since you’re new here, I’ll let you pass this course. Be here tomorrow at three this time…” the man said, swaying back and forth.

          “Thank you!” Alya and Alial said.

          “Whoa, Crystal, you were going a little too fast!” Jo said.

          “Well, Steph challenged me, so, I got her back,” Alya said.

Episode 79: The Next and Final Test

          “Crystal, you ready? We have to leave in a half an hour,” Alya asked.

          “Yes, I’m ready to get my license. Mr. Crei said it was our last test before we get our license,” Crystal said.

          The instructor, Mr. Crei, said it was the last test before getting the license.

          “I sure hope we pass, the way we drove yesterday!” Alial said, laughing.

          “Well, you were the one who sped up! You challenged me, so, I had to race you. Yes, I started out wrong, but then I got the hang of it,” Alya said, smiling.

          Jo, Yamadi, Alial, and Alya go into Jo’s car. (Geo was back at the apartment sleeping, even though it was noon.) The instructor was standing outside waiting.

          “Good, Steph, Crystal, get into your cars. I’ll be with you shortly, Crystal,” he said, pushing up his glasses. Alya nodded and all the students got into their cars. After he finished reading the rest of the names and their instructor’s names, Mr. Crei got into the car with Alya.

          “Start out slowly, and go slowly the rest of the time,” Ms. Kroller said to Alial.

          “All right,” Alial pushed down slowly on the gas pedal. She went slowly around the track.

          “This time we must parallel park. Are you ready? Rena, Lisa, make a space big enough for another car to fit in between,” Mr. Crei said over a loudspeaker. Two of the students pulled up in a line with a space big enough for one car to fit. Alya looked like she already knew what she was doing. She moved the stick back to reverse. Alya looked behind her through the rear view mirror at the other car. Then she slowly backed up and turned the wheel to the left. She was in the space, perfectly. She looked at the man next to her impatiently. Alial was doing the same behind her.

          “Well, let’s just say you get your license,” Mr. Crei said.

          “Yes!” Both Alya and Alial cried.

Episode 80: Alya’s Breaking Vision

          “Did you hear Jo? We got our license. And it was our second time driving too!” Alya cried as she jumped into Jo’s arms. Alial ran up to Yamadi too.

          “Good job. You drive faster than I do, though, Crystal,” Jo said, laughing.

          “Well, like I said, that was only because Steph challenged me,” Alya said, smiling.

          On the way back to Jo’s place, Alya drove! She didn’t hit anyone either! When they got inside the apartment, Geo was silent, sitting in a chair. Alya knew why he was so sad, and she understood him.

          “Look, Geo! We got our licenses!” Alya said, happily, taking out a card from her bag. Alial also showed him her’s.

          “Good job,” he said, smiling. Alya still knew he was sad, since he hasn’t seen Iana for a long time.

          “Shall we go for dinner?” Jo asked.

          “Sure! That sounds great!” Steph, or Alial, said.

          Everyone vanished around Alya. It was all black.

          “Another vision? Ciel!” Alya said, turning around. Ciel appeared, but in a different form. She had short hair and a diamond around her eye.

          “Alya! Don’t run away from me! Stay here,” Ciel said. Her voice almost sounded different too.

          “Ciel… but why are you here?” Alya asked.

          “I can sense wherever you are. Synicoth will kill you, by using me. She will put me under a spell. Then I will kill you. But you have to understand, that I am being controlled. It’s not me, who will kill you,” Ciel said. She started crying. Her eyes glowing red, she then disappeared.

          Alya was now crying too.

          “Crystal, are you all right?” Jo asked. Alya just stood there crying, until Jo took her in his arms. Geo, Alial and Yamadi stood there looking sadly at them.

Episode 81: Jo’s Transformation?

          After awhile, Alya stopped crying.

          “Jo, can I talk to you alone?” Alya asked as she sniffed.

          “Sure,” Jo said. They walked into the kitchen.

          “I want you to hold still,” Alya said. She walked forward and gently kissed Jo. He closed his eyes. His ears suddenly got longer and pointy. Alya backed away. “Look in the mirror, Jo.” Jo looked in the mirror by the window.

          “What the… I’m an elf?” Jo asked.

          “That’s right, I can turn humans into elves. I just can’t turn myself and other elves into humans. If you want to become a true elf, you can. Otherwise, I don’t think we could ever stay together. I may look human now, but it’s only a disguise,” Alya explained.

          “Wow… I would love to stay an elf. But what about Yamadi?” Jo asked. <p>

          “He can become one too. Only Alial can turn him into one the same way I did to you, it’s her choice.” Jo blushed as Alya said this. “I’ll have to turn you back now. I can also do reverse transformations, but I can’t do it to elves who were born elves,” Alya said. She walked up to Jo and kissed him gently again. His ears went back to normal.

          They walked back into the room where everyone was sitting.

          “So, what does your picture look like, Crystal?” Alial asked.

          “Picture? On what?” Alya asked.

          “On your driver’s license,” Alial replied.

          “Oh, right…” Alya said. She hesitated, but then pulled it out. “Steph, let me show you first,” Alya said. Alial nodded and took the card. It was all blurry where the picture should have been.

          “What? You have no picture, Alya,” Alial whispered.

          “I know, probably because I have no reflection. But the people at the school would have been shocked. That’s strange,” Alya whispered.

          “So, are you going to show it to the rest of us, Crystal?” Yamadi asked.

          “Umm… maybe another time. Hey, Jo, would you like to hear a song that we thought up? We could sing it for you two. How about it, Steph?” Alya asked.

          “Sure. If it’s all right with everyone,” Alial said.

          “Yes, that would be great,” Jo said.

Episode 82: The Singing Contest

          Alial, Alya, Jo, and Yamadi were in a room with a stage. It wasn’t the one in their ship, since only Jo knew about who they really were. There was many instruments too. Alya began singing, she then picked up the guitar and played a couple of chords.

          “Wow! You’re really good. You should enter the singing contest!” Jo said, clapping. Yamadi nodded.

          “Huh? Contest?” Alya asked.

          “Yes. There’s a singing contest that’s being held in this building on the 18^th. Which is tomorrow. There’s a poster over there,” Yamadi said, pointing towards the left wall. Alya turned her head. The poster read: SINGING CONTEST. THE 18^TH OF DECEMBER. SINGING UP IN THE LOBBY.

          “Oh, do you want to Steph? We are pretty good,” Alial asked.

          “Sure we are, we just have to practice!” Alya said, smiling.

          They signed up at the front desk in a huge lobby with about ten people in it. Then they walked out and drove to dinner. Geo was picked up first.

          Dinner was in a mansion. When they walked in, Alial and Alya just stood there in awe for a few minutes. Geo did too. He had never eaten in such a fancy restaurant before, since he had been with Iana. Not even for their wedding reception. The waitress came out to seat them. They walked up the main staircase and into a large room with many tables in it. There were also three floors and a ballroom in the back of the banquet hall.

          “Oh, wow!” Alial said. A large, beautiful chandelier hung from the ceiling that was as bright as the sun. Alya smiled.

          “It’s almost like Synicoth’s ship, only a lot more friendly and beautiful,” Alya thought. They walked up one flight of spiraling stairs and were on the second floor. They sat down at a round, carved table.

          “This place is amazing. I never thought that a restaurant could be in here!” Geo said. Alya looked at him and smiled, since he was finally beginning to lighten up.

Episode 83: The Singing Contest Part 2

          After a very good dinner, there was dancing. Alya was in her dress from when she went to the movies with Jo. Alial also had on her dress. Jo and Yamadi of course, had on their tuxes. Alya spun around like an angel as Jo turned her. It was a slow song. Everyone stopped suddenly and gathered around the two couples. Geo looked at them sadly, remembering his and Iana’s wedding.

          The song ended, and another song started. Alial and Yamadi kept dancing, but Alya went off to one of the balconies. The sliver moon shown down on Alya’s face. Her eyes shimmered and her hair was all the way down to her ankles and was not pulled in pigtails. Jo walked up to her. She turned her head. Jo blushed and looked at the moon.

          “Alya, I do want to become an elf in order to be with you,” Jo said. Alya just smiled.

          The next day after breakfast, Alya and Alial decided to practice. They sang “Me” again and a song called “Last Kiss.” Alya had written both of them. Then they at lunch. Geo had cooked.

          “Hey, Geo, there’s a cooking match this Tuesday. Why don’t you enter? This soup is really good,” Jo said.

          “Thanks, maybe I will. As long as I don’t have to wear an apron,” Geo said. They all laughed.

          At four in the afternoon it was time for the contest. Jo drove them all to the building.

          “Are you Steph Stelly and Crystal Stelly?” A man asked when they walked in.

          “Yes, that’s us,” Alial said.

          “All right, walk this way. The dressing rooms are just down the hall and the entrance to the stage is the last door on the right.” The man pointed his finger down the hall.

          It was time for the contest to start and Alya and Alial were all ready. They had on an identical pair of dresses that were tight around their waists and ribbons went around them. They both had their hair pulled back in buns. Below the stage there was a whole symphony. The lights darkened in the stage room. The people quieted and an announcer came on stage with a microphone.

          “Ladies and gentlemen, here the night you’ve been waiting for! Only beautiful singers with the best songs will win! Here are the first two contestants…” the announcer read off their names and the two came on stage.

          After the fifth singer it was Alya and Alial’s turn.

          “Our next and final contestants are Crystal Stelly and Steph Stelly!” Alya and Alial came out onto the stage.

Episode 84: The Singing Contest Part 3

          “This is the first time that we have had a contestant write the songs. Crystal has great talent in writing songs,” the announcer’s voice rang out in every corner of the room. Everyone in the audience started talking with each other. “They will be singing two songs for us today! Here we go!” The announcer gave the music to each of the symphony members and the conductor. The lights went out and two lights shown on Alya and Alial. They sang “Me” when the orchestra started playing.

Me

Alya: Friends, family, sisters,

Crying, her hair blowing in the wind,

Her radiant face is sad, not happy,

Her sister dying, pale, empty eyes,

Both: Me, what’s happening?

You are watching,

Me, you are beautiful,

You’re life, beautiful,

Alial: your life is short,

Just like winter,

Your feet never touch the ground,

You’re left there hanging,

Both: Me, what’s happening?
you’re taking over my heart,

Me, you are beautiful,

You spread your wings,

Alial: You can fly,

Both: Me, I’m no good,

Alya: It’s me…

Alial: It’s me…

          Then they switched to a different song: Last Kiss:

Alya: Someone running, into the spring,

You jump, Alial: You fall, Alya: You fall, Alial: you land,

Alya: So you start swimming, and can’t find your way,

But you see a shining light,

Both: Last kiss, on your lips, no one’s there,

Someone’s there, waiting for you,

Last kiss, on your lips, someone’s there,

Everyone’s there for you,

Alial: Beautiful symphony, playing your song,

Your voice touching hearts, Alya: of those around you,

Alial: Someone’s watching, all around,

You need someone to remind you that you can dream too,

Repeat chorus, No one is watching but everyone’s there instead of: ‘someone’s there, everyone’s…’

          The audience started clapping and cheering. Jo, Yamadi, and Geo waved and smiled. All the contestants came on stage.

          “And now for the winners! They are Steph and Crystal Stelly!” The announcer cried. Alya and Alial smiled.

          Alya and everyone got into Jo’s car and drove for a little while until Geo asked,

          “Hey, where do you sign up for  that cooking match?”

          “You actually want to enter?” Jo asked, surprised. Geo nodded. “Alright, I’ll show you,” Jo said.

Episode 85: Geo Sana’s Cooking Match!

          The group drove to another tall building.

          “The cooking match is actually today. I forgot. We’ll have to buy the materials after dinner,” Jo said. Geo just nodded and smiled. Alya worried about him. She was wondering why he decided to go along with this, but she decided to let it go since she’d never know what he was thinking.

          After Geo signed up the group went out for dinner. Then they bought ingredients for Geo’s Cole pizza. Then they went back to the building.

          Inside a huge hall there was a stage with ovens, long tables that had utensils, and food on them. Geo went in the back of the stage and Jo, Yamadi, Alya and Alial sat in the audience, which wasn’t too big. The contestants came on. Geo was the 4^th person from the left side of the stage and was the only male.

          “Alright everyone, begin cooking!” The announcer cried. Geo took out his sword (the light beam wasn’t there, it was just a regular sword). The judges and announcer usually didn’t allow it, since the sword wasn’t one of the utensils, but they did this time. Geo tossed the vegetables up in the air and sliced them with his sword. The other contestants kept cutting but watched him in awe. The dough was already laid out flat and the vegetables fell on it. Then he sliced up the cheese and spread some sauce on the dough. He then put it in the oven and turned it to the highest level so that it wouldn’t take as long.

          After about ten minutes everyone was done.

          “Now the judges will decide,” the announcer said. Each of the judges tried each of the contestants’ cooking. The judges tasted Geo’s pizza and started talking about it. Then they tried the other cooking and wrote down their votes. The announcer took them.

          “The judges have decided. The winner is Geo Sana!”

Episode 86: And Yet, Another Vision

          “Way to go, Geo! You looked awesome!” Alya said on the way out of the building.

          “Thanks. I learned a few things from a friend of mine about six or seven years ago,” Geo said.

          “They must have been a really good cook,” Alial said.

          “Yeah,” Geo replied. He missed Iana and Silia (the friend he was talking about.) Alya kept walking but the next step she took turned the whole place around her into a bright white light. Ciel appeared to Alya.

          “Alya, I’m your sister, therefore I love you. Place your hand against mine,” Ciel said and held out the palm of her hand. Alya slowly put her hand on Ciel’s. Then Ciel leaned and kissed Alya on the lips. Alya’s eyes widened as Ciel backed away. Alya was  almost paralyzed.

          “Ciel…” Alya could barely speak.

          “Shh. You’ll learn in time who you are,” Ciel said. She disappeared.

          There was a flash of light. Alya was back with Jo, Alial and the others. Tears fell down her face.

          “Alya, what’s wrong?” Jo asked.

          “Ciel… another vision,” Alya said, softly. Jo took her in his arms.

          “Who’s that, Crystal?” Yamadi asked.

          “Let’s go back to my apartment to explain. Okay?” Jo asked. Yamadi still was confused. Alya nodded and walked back to the car slowly.

          At Jo’s apartment Alya stopped crying and sat down at the table.

          “Yamadi, Alial and I are not really humans. This is just a disguise that we made through a computer. My ship is orbiting this planet,” Alya explained.

          “So, you have been lying to me? Does Jo know?” he asked. Jo nodded.

          “We didn’t want anyone getting hurt, that’s all,” Alial said.

          “You could have told me, Steph, I mean Alial. I wouldn’t have thought you were strange,” Yamadi said.

          “Do you think this…” Alial turned back into an elf, “is strange?” She asked.

          “No. I think you are even more beautiful. You must be powerful,” Yamadi said, smiling.

          “Yes, but my sister is stronger,” Alial said, blushing.

Episode 87: Jo’s Proposal

          “Alya, I have to asked you something,” Jo said, kneeling on one knee in front of Alya. He took out a small black box. “Will you marry me?” He asked.

          “Uhhh… Yes! Yes I will! Jo…” Alya started crying, but this time it was because she was happy. Jo took out a golden ring with a diamond in it and placed it on her ring finger of her left hand. Alya hugged Jo tightly.

          “How about we go out to lunch?” Jo asked. Alya just nodded.

          They went to a restaurant in an area near the center of Tokyo.

          “Tokyo is beautiful, isn’t it Alial?” Alya laughed a little. Geo stared at the table. Alial was looking at him.

          “So, when are you going to complete your computer? You still have two more pieces to find,” he said, a little anger in his voice. Jo and Yamadi were confused.

          “Um, when we get back to the ship! So in a few days or so,” Alya laughed, waving her hands back and forth. Geo clenched a fist.

          “Iana,” he thought.

          “Don’t worry,” Alial said, smiling. He just looked at the table. Their food came and they ate in silence, although Geo wasn’t very hungry.

Episode 88: Ciel’s Attack

          They were just about done eating when a bright light flashed in front of them. Suddenly, Ciel appeared, only this time it was the real one.

          “Alya, I will kill all those you love,” she said. A blast came out of two of her fingers and shot straight at Jo.

          “Jo, look out!” Alya cried. But it was too late. The blast went through Jo’s shoulder. He went flying back a few feet, screaming. The people around them were almost paralyzed. (They were standing around them.) “Jo!” Alya cried. Ciel realized what Alya was doing. She now had her dress back on and two stars appeared on her cheek and above her forehead. Wings appeared on her back. Alya screamed as she was powering up. “How dare you! Ciel!” Alya cried and an energy wave blasted from her fists. Alya kept screaming. Her hair flew up. “Fuscia attack…” People ran away, even the owner of the restaurant. “Times one million!” Alya cried. Dark, black clouds went around her from the sky. A sphere of black light formed in her hands.

          “Well, I better get going!” Ciel said and just when the huge beam of light was about to hit her, she disappeared.

          “No! Damn you…” Alya said, breathing heavily. She fainted.

          “Alya!” Alial cried and ran to her sister. Alya slowly opened her eyes.

          “I’m all right, just heal Jo, please,” Alya said, barely able to talk. Alial nodded and went over to Jo. Alial took his head and slowly sat him up. Jo winced.

          “Don’t move. Healing!” Alial raised her hand. Light shown from the sky and then a beam of light came down over Jo. The wound in his shoulder healed. Jo stood up and went over to Alya.

          “You shouldn’t have done that for me,” Jo said. Alya started crying.

          “I want to marry you, so I didn’t want you to die,” Alya said, sweating. Yamadi and Geo just starred at Alya in awe because of her beautiful wings.

Episode 89: Yamadi and Jo’s Transformations

          Alya was back to normal thanks to Alial’s healing. Back at Jo’s apartment, Alial asked,

          “Yamadi, do you want to become an elf?” Alial blushed. Alya smiled.

          “I can? Really? Sure. I’ve always wanted to know what it was like to be one. And since you’re an elf, and I’m a human, we can’t really be together. Even though Jo asked Alya to marry him. Maybe I can do the same,” Yamadi said. Alial grew bright red. Alya laughed.

          “All right. Close your eyes and relax. Don’t think of anything,” Alial said. Jo and Yamadi both closed their eyes. Alya and Alial walked up to the. Alya kissed Jo and at the same time Alial kissed Yamadi. Their ears grew longer and more pointed. Alya backed away, but Alial kept kissing, or rather, Yamadi kept kissing her. Alya laughed a little and so did Geo. Alial finally let go of Yamadi. Geo just stood their starring. Then he smiled, Alya noticed that he seemed a little happier.

          Yamadi looked in the mirror.

          “Wow!” Was all he said. Suddenly, black angel wings appeared on his back. Alial blushed.

          “Jo, why am I the only one who has wings?” He asked.

          “Probably because I didn’t put that much power into the transformation,” Alya said, smiling.

          Alya and the others went outside. It was getting dark and some stars were out. Jo’s apartment was above a grassy hill and a lake. Alya took Jo in her arms and floated up. Alial took Geo, since Yamadi could fly on his own, and he didn’t mind it. Yamadi’s feet lifted off the ground. Soon they were flying above the clouds.

          “Alya, Alial!” John’s voice rang in Alya’s head.

          “Oh… John. I guess it’s time to fight now, sorry Jo and Yamadi. We’ll be back after we’re done though,” Alya said. They landed and Jo and Yamadi turned back to normal. (They were still elves, just in disguises like Alya and Alial were.) Alial caught Yamadi’s hand before they landed.

          “Bye, Alya,” Jo said.

          “Bye Alial and Geo. See you soon,” Yamadi said. Alya and Alial smiled and they, along with Geo, disappeared.

          “They’ll be back. Alya can’t and will not lose to any enemy,” Jo said.

          “I hope so,” Yamadi stated. They looked into the starry sky as the moon started to rise.

This Song

My life is nothing more than a destiny,

My heart, nothing more than it’s love,

I know, my dreams won’t be real,

But they can live in me for eternity,

This song is but a tune,

Played on the wings of my heart,

Every minute is everyday,

But when will I find you again?

My eyes are nothing more than seeing,

My mind is nothing more than thoughts,

But why can’t I fly? Why can’t I fly?

I have beautiful wings, wings of my heart,

This song is but a melody,

Played on the absence of fear,

Every second is every soul,

Ticking away the hours of death,

Your heart helps you to love,

Or is it just your mind playing tricks?

You can never see your true life,

What you are and what you’ll become,

My life is nothing more than a destiny,

My heart is nothing more than it’s love…

This song is but a tune,

Played on the wings of my heart,

Every minute is everyday,

But when will I…

This song is but a tune,

Played on the wings of my heart,

But when will I find you again?

Episode 90: Truth About Synicoth

          “Iana,” Geo mumbled. They were in Alya’s lab. She turned to him, but still turned on the computer. A picture of a sorceress blinked on the screen. It disappeared. But at the same time it seemed to say ‘help me.’

          “What the…?” Alya started.

          “Could this mean that Iana’s somewhere nearby? We would probably have to defeat Synicoth in order to save her. Where do we even start looking?” Geo asked. He had a worried expression on his face.

          “Poor Geo,” Alya thought.

          “Alya Star!” An evil voice called out to her. Alya froze. She couldn’t move.

          “Who are you?” She asked. It was Synicoth. Alya had heard her voice before on a recording.

          “Geo, how did you lose Iana? Do you know?” Alial asked. She and Geo were in the control room.

          “Well, the only thing I remember was seeing her one minute, and then the next, she was gone. I can’t really explain how it happened. It was so long ago,” Geo said. He had a sad expression and Alial thought about her sisters. But she had to put that behind her.

          “I won’t ask anything else, since you probably won’t want to talk about it,” Alial said. She pushed a button and a girl with a sword appeared. She was Synicoth. “Wow, she’s pretty. More beautiful than Zellial, that’s for sure. Wait a minute, she looks familiar, a little too familiar,” Alial gasped. Alial ran into the lab.

          “What is it, Alial?” Alya asked. She was crying but Alial didn’t stop.

          “It’s Synicoth. She looks a lot like our mother,” Alial said, breathing hard and sweating.

          “But what would an Asiania want with an Elfin?” Alya asked.

          “Our father wasn’t Elfin, he was… Asiania. So that means, our sisters and I, we are Asianias as well,” Alial said, crying.

          “No way. You just explained to me that you and I were elfin awhile ago!” Alya cried.

          “I know, but I know that this has to be true also. Because an Asiania can’t marry or even have a relationship with an Elfin,” Alial said.

Episode 91: First Attack

          “We still have to kill her. She is our enemy now,” Alya said. Geo was now in the lab, and the two sisters were in the control room.

          “Yes, I understand. She’s still our mother, which is going to make it difficult to fight her,” Alial said.

          “Why is the only question though. Damn! Here she comes!” Alya cried. A blast hit the ship.

          “Alya, be careful. She is extremely powerful,” John said.

          “No shit!” Alya cried.

          “I’ve never seen Alya so aggressive like this,” Alial thought. Geo ran into the control room and drew the light sword.

          “No need for that,” Synicoth said. A blast of air hit Geo and he went flying back and hit the wall.

          “Geo! That does it… where are you, Synicoth?” Alya cried.

          “I’m right here,” Synicoth said. A beam hit Alya. She screamed as she fell on the floor, her dress disappearing and star locket shattering.

          “Alya!” Alial cried. Alya lay there, eyes blank, but she was still conscious.

          “I can not give up. Never! I have to save… everyone,” Alya Star Eternal said.

          “What the hell?” Synicoth asked.

          “I’m never giving up!” Alya cried. She started getting up, still no dress, her locket started to appear again. Her dress also slowly appeared.

          “What the… you’re will to fight is the only thing that keeps you going. But you will never defeat me!” Synicoth cried, laughing evilly. She flew forward, spreading out black angel wings.

          “I will kill you! No matter what!” Alya exclaimed.

          “You will never get me,” Synicoth said and disappeared.

          “Where is she?” Alya asked.

          “I will be one day away from here, and if you want, don’t put to much into finding me. I still want to battle you!” Synicoth laughed.

          “Oh don’t worry! I’ll make sure my ship has enough energy left!” Alya said.

          “Alya, I wonder if we’ll ever be able to kill her,” Alial said. Alya winced and clutched her chest. “What’s wrong?” Alial asked.

          “It just hurts. I think I used a little too much of my powers. We have to heal Geo,” Alya said, suddenly remembering. Geo was lying on the floor. He had blood dripping down his right arm and chin. “Alial, can you help me?” Alya asked.

          “Yeah,” Alial replied. She helped Alya get up and go over to Geo. They put their hands over him and a light formed around him. He winced and opened his eyes slowly.

          “Iana,” he said, weakly.

Episode 92: Synicoth’s Story

          “Thank you. I feel a lot better,” Geo said. Alial blushed. (She had always liked him, but she could not tell him her feelings, since she was marrying Yamadi.)

          “I’ll be in the recovery room if you need me. I’ll only be there an hour or so, I’ll be back!” Alya said. She held up two fingers as she teleported back to the ship. Alial and Geo did the same. “I hope nothing happens while I’m recovering. Damn, this hurts. I should have kept my guard up,” Alya said, pushing the button on one of the chambers. She got in. “Why am I feeling this way? I am…” She started. Images of Synicoth came to her mind, the past and future. Synicoth used Tomorrow’s Legacy on Earth.

          “No!” Alya cried. She woke up. “A dream. It had to be a dream, it will never come true. But these are the same as last month’s dreams,” Alya thought, sitting up in the chamber. She started to cry but stopped almost right away. The ship tilted. She ran into the control room. “Alial, what’s wrong?” Alya cried. Alial and Geo were there.

          “It’s Synicoth! I thought she was going to be a day away from here!” Alial cried. The ship was blasted by a beam of light.

          “Alya Star!” Someone cried. Alya stopped moving completely. Her eyes were closed tight. Images kept appearing in her mind. Horrible images.

          “Noooo!” She cried.

          “Alya, what’s wrong?” Alial asked, clutching her sister’s shoulders.

          “Syn… Syn…” Alya started, she could not speak.

          “”Synicoth! What have you done with my sister?” Alial cried. For a moment there was no answer.

          “I have given her the sad memories of her past. Your father dying, Amile and Aiya being destroyed. Even what will happen to you, Alial Star. Alya Shadow, awaken!” Synicoth said. Alya Star turned slowly into Alya Shadow.

Episode 93: Alya’s True Form

          “Alya! No! There will be no way of getting you back!” Alial cried.

          “Well, there is a way. You have to defeat me!” Synicoth said. Alya Shadow burst through the top of the ship. Wind blew in through the hole in the ceiling.

          “Geo, take this shield!” Alial cried.

          Further away, a woman was floating. Light years away from Geo, she could still hear him.

          “Geo?” She asked. She started to life her head up. Then she started to cry. “Geo!” She cried.

          Geo, now in space also, heard her.

          “Iana?” He asked. Alya Shadow appeared in front of Alial.

          “You think you can try your silly healing spell on me again? Well, it won’t work on me this time. You are not my sister and this is my true form!” Alya swung at Alial. Alial put her hand out to block the attack.

          “No. You can’t be this way! You are my sister. We are from the same family. We’re all Elfin’s! Alya!” Alial cried. Her eyes were filled with tears.

          “No! It is true that I thought I was Elfin. But even you said yourself that I was Asiania. And you are not my sister! Jazel created you. I know that for a fact because Synicoth is her sister!”

          “Alya! You are the one I hold close to my heart! Remember all the good times we had together? The memories on Earth, when we went to Arillas to get supplies and met Geo! When I first met you! I even knew at the time that you were my true sister!” Alial cried. Tears fell from her blue eyes.

          “Power sword!” Alya cried. Her wings expanded and a black glow surrounded them. A red sword appeared in her hands. She charged at Alya.

Episode 94: Alial’s Death? No!

          The sword went right through Alial’s chest.

          “A…lya!” She screamed, gasping for air. She held her chest and floated upright, breathing heavily.

          “You won’t live much longer. You will be dead in a day or so,” Alya Shadow said.

          “Alya, what you just said hurt me more than this wound. I am… your sister! I would rather die than to see you like this,” Alial said, barely able to talk.

          “I will fight. At least until Iana gets here!” Geo cried, he drew his light sword.

          “That weapon’s useless against my power!” Alya cried.

          Swords clashed and could be heard miles away. Geo had slashes of blood across his face from Alya’s sword. Iana kept flying towards Geo. She had wings and a tight gray suit on.

          Alial was pale and her eyes were clear.

          “A… lya. Why?” Alial gasped.

          “You’re not my sister! You are not Asiania at all, you are Elfin,” Alya cried. Geo was just floating there, catching his breath.

          “No! That’s not true… I…” Alial bent her head down and started to cry. Alial started floating towards the ship.

          “No! You won’t escape!” Alya cried.

          Alial closed the door to the ship.

          “John! Battle… formation!” Alial cried.

          “Right,” John said and turned the ship into a robot that looked like Alya, but a little different. 

Episode 95: Alya’s Assault

          “Alial, what are you planning to do? You can’t possibly defeat me and Synicoth with that robot. Plus, do you think it will follow your commands, since I’m the one who built it a long time ago?” Alya asked, laughing. Her eyes were glowing red.

          “I know… it will. John is my friend and yours as well. So why don’t you join us. We could defeat Synicoth together. You told me yourself we had to destroy her. Don’t you even remember that?” Alial asked.

          “No! Now shut up, damn elf! You don’t belong in space, so I will kill you!” Alya cried and charged toward Alial. Alial floated there, in the control room of the robot, staring out the window at Alya Shadow coming straight for her. She burst through the shield and glass. “Why aren’t you fighting me?” Alya asked.

          “Because I have no reason to. You are my sister, and I will always love you, no matter what you do to me,” Alial said, tears fell down her face. Alya slashed at Alial. Blood ran down Alial’s arms, face and chest.

          Suddenly, Alial’s dress flew off and her whole body was covered in blood. She was still floating but this time she shot up through space. Although it was hard to fly since it hurt so much. Alial could barely speak.

          “Alya… why?” Her voice was small and quiet. “You are not the Alya Star that I know. I knew that you were not “normal…” Alial started. Alya was following her.

          “I will never be Alya Star again!” Alya cried.

          “You will. I will make you normal again!” Alial cried. Her heart started to shine. Rays of light shone on Alya. They also made the blood disappear on Alial as well.

(This is played in the beginning of the episode.)

This Song

My life is nothing more than a destiny,

My heart, nothing more than it’s love,

I know, my dreams won’t be real,

But they can live in me for eternity,

This song is but a tune,

Played on the wings of my heart,

Every minute is every day,

But when will I find you again?

My eyes are nothing more than seeing,

My mind is nothing more than thoughts,

But why can’t I fly? Why won’t I fly?

I have beautiful wings, wings of my heart,

This song is but a melody,

Played on the absence of fear,

Every second is every soul,

Ticking away the hours of death,

Your heart helps you to love,

Or is it just your mind playing tricks?

You can never see your true life,

What you are and what you’ll become,

My life is nothing more than a destiny,

My heart is nothing more than it’s love…

This song is but a tune,

Played on the wings of my heart,

Every minute is every day,

But when will I find you again?

This song is but a tune,

Played on the wings of my heart,

But when will I find you again?

Episode 96: Alial’s Heart and Alya vs. Synicoth

          “Alya, Alya Star… please wake up. Wake up to your true self!” Alial cried. Alya Shadow spun around slowly, her skin was turning to normal. Her dress appeared again. Light shown all around Alya.

          “Alial, my dear sister. Thank you. Now, we have to defeat that evil Synicoth,” Alya said, taking her sister’s hand and flew back to John. <

          “Damn you, Alial,” Synicoth muttered. She was sitting in her chair. Weird vines were coming down from three different spots and hooked into her left shoulder, right arm, and her back. She was holding a wine glass in her left hand. Her aura started glowing purple. “Damn you Alial!” She cried and broke the wine glass. Wine dripped down her arm.

          “John, turn back to normal mode. Turn in the direction of Synicoth’s ship. Once we are 200 kilometers away, turn back into battle mode and attack her!” Alya said.

          They reached the ship in under an hour and the ship turned back into the robot. The word ‘Lightning’ appeared on the screen. The eyes of the robot glowed and it held its fist up. Light rays shot out of it and hit Synicoth’s ship. Geo and Alial just stood there looking out the windows. Alya came out of the hatch that she used to control the robot. Light shown around her in order to protect her from space.

          “Power Sword!” Alya cried.

          “Dark Sword!” Synicoth cried. A dark, black and red sword appeared in Synicoth’s hands. They both flew forward and their swords hit. They kept slashing at each other until finally, Alya slashed Synicoth’s arm and her sword broke into pieces. Synicoth gasped and started flying away.

Episode 97: Iana’s Contact

          “Oh no! You’re not getting away!” Alya cried. She disappeared. Synicoth was almost a mile ahead of them and thought she lost Alya. Suddenly, Alya appeared behind Synicoth. She raised her sword against Synicoth’s neck.

          “All right! I’ll retreat, but only for right now. In a few hours you and your “sister” will be killed with these two hands!” Synicoth cried and disappeared.

          Back where Alial and Geo were, Synicoth’s ship started moving. Then it was out of sight.

          “Alya Star, you shall die. In exactly two hours my greatest destruction plan will commence!” Synicoth laughed. She was typing on a large computer. Much like John, only the screen was bright red.

          “Iana!” Geo suddenly cried. Alial was in the recovery room and Alya and Geo were in the control room. Geo was shaking and gasping like he was trying to move, but couldn’t. A flash of a picture of Iana appeared in his mind and Alya’s.

          “Geo, what do you suppose this means?” Alya asked, almost frozen.

          “Geo, can you hear me? It’s me, Iana,” a voice called out.

          “Iana? I can hear you, but how…?” Geo started to ask.

          “I learned this technique on another planet. Anyways, I’m flying towards you and I’ll be there in exactly two hours and ten minutes. I can’t communicate with you much longer. I’ll see you soon,” Iana said.

          “Iana! Don’t go!” Geo cried. It was too late.

          “That was strange, I could hear her too,” Alya said.

Episode 98: Alial’s New Form

          “Alya!” Alial cried. She was still in the chamber but had the door open.

          “Alial! What’s wrong?” Alya was in the doorway soon after hearing her scream. Suddenly Alial started glowing. She spun around, her hair grew longer and new wings appeared on her back. They were crimson red with some gold and purple around the edges. A long dress appeared on her body. She had a moon on her forehead and she had a headband around her head with a moon on it as well. “Alial, you’re different! That’s the same thing that happened to me after I recovered. I think Aiya did something to the chamber, but what I don’t know,” Alya said. Geo stood behind her, blushing. (Like he didn’t already have a wife!)

          “Alya! Synicoth is almost here!” John cried.

          “What? Synicoth?” Alya asked.

          “Yes, and she’s very angry too,” John added.

          “Alya, Alial and Geo, you all will die. And so will the planet Earth!” Synicoth cried.

          “What?” Alya cried. The ship of Synicoth appeared out of nowhere and transformed into a robot.

          “Iscicle shield!” Synicoth cried. A large white barrier formed around her ship.

          “Why do you want to destroy all of the Elfins and humans?” Alya cried.

          “So I can achieve what my sister could not! She tried to make the universe a better place to live in!” Synicoth cried.

          “Power Sword! You’re our mother, why do you want to kill us?” Alya asked. Her sword appeared in her hands and in her ship’s hands.

          “You are a nuisance and always will be if you aren’t destroyed! That’s why I want to kill you so badly. Yes, I would love you, but only if I had a heart to love with!” Synicoth cried.

          “Then you shall die with regret!” Alya cried. Her sword started glowing. The one in the robot’s hands gathered energy. “Light beam, strike!” Alya cried. Her sword seemed to get very long. It was only a slash of light.

Episode 99: Earth’s Destruction and Iana Sana

          The light beam stretched out towards Synicoth. The barrier around her flashed.

          “What the…?” She asked. A dark, powerful strike hit the barrier. It broke the ice circle into pieces. The dust cleared partially.

          “Iana?” Geo asked. Iana was floating there, she was breathing heavily and holding a large, dark sword.

          “Iana Sana? Is that really you?” Alya gasped.

          “Iana! It is you!” Geo cried.

          “I heard you needed help!” Iana said. She winked. Synicoth drew a sword also. A hatch opened in Alya’s ship and Iana flew in just before she got stabbed. <

          “Iana! I’m so glad to see you!” Geo said.

          “Yes, I am too. But now we have a problem to face before we celebrate,” Iana said, seriously.

          “I don’t know how we’re going to win, since she knows Tomorrow’s Legacy. Somehow we will,” Alya said.

          “Are you sure about that? ‘Demons that dwell in space and time, will  be destroyed by this power, come into me, head my power, let all those fear me and your being!’” Synicoth’s robot started glowing.

          “No! She’s using Tomorrow’s Legacy!” Iana cried. Alya, Alial, Iana, and Geo all started glowing.

          “Tomorrow’s…” Synicoth stretched the robot’s hand out towards the Earth. It’s hand covered one side of the Earth. “Legacy!” Synicoth cried. A black light stretched across the Earth. It also destroyed both Alya’s and Synicoth’s ship.

          Alya was the only one left, alive. The Earth was now brown and bleak, just like the moon.

          “Noooo!” Alya cried.

Episode 100: Final

          Prologue:

          “Sister, no, Asiania through blood, but not through heart,” someone was calling out to her.

          “Who’s there? Aiya?” Alya Star Eternal, now naked, turned around. A tear fell down both her and Aiya’s face. “No! Everyone!” Alya cried. No one could hear her. The whole Earth had been destroyed, it was now brown and it seemed to cry. “You were just talking to me a minute ago! Answer me, Aiya! Alial! Someone hear me!” Alya cried. Her hair flowed behind her.

*        *        *

          “Alial, my dear sister. I am still Elfin now! You hear me? Do you Synicoth? Answer me!” Alya cried, taking the body of her dead sister in her arms. “The Earth, it was such a peaceful world. So full of love. But because of me it got destroyed. It was all my fault!” Alya cried. The tears fell down her face. A few feet away from her sisters were Iana and Geo, their hands enclosed in each other. “Iana, you were the most powerful sorceress on Earth, yet you died because of me,” Alya thought. Was this her purpose for being created? To destroy everyone because they wanted to protect her? No, it couldn’t be true. Everyone had to be okay on Earth. Alya placed her hand on Alial’s face. Her dress flew back on her. A shimmering golden dress that went below her feet. Angel wings appeared on her back.

          She flew desperately towards Earth. She landed in Japan and saw everyone laying still on the grass and streets. She then came across a bridge. All of the buildings were destroyed. There was nothing left but that bridge and a river. It still sparkled blue and something about it seemed strange. She lowered her head and put her arms on the railing.

          No, my reflection’s there! It can’t be! I’m an Asiania!” Alya said. Tears fell down into the water. Ripples floated there. They waved away her reflection. Soon she saw another face. “Alial, I miss you so much. Why can’t this world go back to the way it was?” Alya asked.

          “Because you’re Alya Star Eternal, the princess of both Asiania’s and Elfin’s,” a voice echoed throughout the Earth.

          “What? My locket…” Alya said, as it had started to glow. She gasped. Alya lifted off the ground. The Earth itself glowed and gradually regained it’s shape and life. All of the people got up. “What the…? Did I do that? It’s back to normal! Alial?” Alya turned her head around. Everyone was standing there, including Aiya and Amile. “Alial!” Alya cried. She started crying as soon as she hugged Alial. Her sisters joined in. Iana walked up to them.

          “You did a better job than I did. Thank you,” she said.

          “I know that was what I was created for. So that I can restore the Earth after Synicoth destroys it,” Alya said. Geo smiled.

          “We fought well together,” he said. Iana leaned against his shoulder.

          “Alya,” a man said. Alya turned around.

          “Jo? Jo!” Alya started crying again and floated into Jo’s arms.

          “I’ll go to wherever you go from now on. I never want to lose you,” Jo said. They kissed.

          Iana and Geo stayed on Earth while the sisters and Jo flew through the universe. 

Alya Star Theme

Chorus: To me, it is a golden star,

To me, it’s who you are,

And when you want to b e with me,

Dreams are meant to be,

Verse 1: When danger arrives, shout my name,

I will come to the rescue, against the burning flame,

I’m Alya Star, a shooting star,

I’ll be there, near or far,

Chorus: To me, it is a golden star,

To me, it’s who you are,

And when you want to be with me,

Dreams are meant to be,

Verse 2: I call your name and you can’t come,

Because you are lost, my heart is here for you,

To me, it is a golden star,

To me, it’s who you are,

I just want your heart to be mine,

Be always true…

Chorus: To me, it is a golden star,

To me, it’s who you are,

And when you want to be with me…

I’m Alya Star, a shooting star,

I will be there, near or far,

Chorus: To me, it is a golden star,

To me, it’s who you are,

And when you want to be with me,

Dreams are meant to be,

To me, it is a golden star.

Alya Star Episode 1:

Theme to Alya Star

Beautiful Destiny

Chorus:

To me, it is a golden star,

To me, it’s who you are,

And when you want to be with me,

Dreams are meant to be,

V1:

When danger arrives,

Shout my name,

I will come to the rescue,

Against the burning flame,

I’m Alya Star, a shooting star,

I’ll be there, near or far,

Chorus x2

To me… it is a golden star (Repeat and fade out)

Episode 1: Birth of Alya Star

          “Why is it so cold?” Alya asked, “is it because I’m in space?” She looked around. Alya glided through darkness, up ahead Alya saw a bright light. It couldn’t be a supernova; otherwise, she would have felt it. Alya flew right through it!

       “I feel strange. What’s happening?” Alya now had butterfly wings a different dress. A star dangled from the collar and sparkled like a diamond. She also had a star on her cheek and in her hair.

      “Sister, help me! Save me… sister, help…” someone called. It was her sister Alial.

     “Alial! I’m coming. Hold on!” A blast of energy caused her to halt.

    “What’s wrong? Why won’t I go forward?”

    “You have to learn how to use your new power,” her sister’s voice rang through her head.

    “My new… power? What? I’m Alya Star now. I’m coming Alial!” Alya Star flew faster than she did before. It was because of her new wings.

    “Where is your sister? Tell me now! Damn it!” The evil queen of Zanenth said. She had a laser in her hand. Alial was hanging on a wall in an Asiania ship.

    “I don’t know! Ah! Please! I don’t know!” She cried, “Stop it! Ahhhh!”

    “I’m here, Alial! Stop right there!”

    “Who’s there, answer me!” The evil queen cried.

    “I am Alya Star. You are going down!” Alya spun around and sparkles flew over her.

    “Power spark….” A lightning bolt formed of the tip of Alya’s finger.

    “What’s that? Oh damn! She’s powering up!” (Black out.) The theme plays only in piano and no singing. Some drums can play every once and awhile. Electric guitar plays after the first verse.

Episode 2: Power Sword

          “Midnight mysteries!” Alya and Alial were in a small room and on a stage. Alya was singing. (Jo had taught her how to sing when she was on Earth.) There were a set of drums, two keyboards, a harp, and Alya was playing the guitar.

          “Midnight mysteries,” Alya sang. Alial moved from the drums to the harp.

          Suddenly, Alya blacked out. Now she was floating. Her powers were gone. Eyes clear. Radiant light was flowing off her.

          “What’s going on? I thought I was with Alial.” Suddenly Alya had a cape and also held a sword.

          “Alya! Alya! Are you okay? Alya!” Alya sat up in bed.

          “What the… oh, it was a dream.” Again, like in her dream, a cape appeared. She also held a sword.

          “The power… I don’t think my body can handle it.” Alya winced. Sweat ran down her face.

          “What’s wrong with Alya? She looks so spaced out all of a sudden. It’s like something happened.” Alial tried to shake Alya, but she pushed Alial’s hand away.

          “Alya are you…”

          “I’m fine,” she said solemnly. Alya felt her cheek. A sudden chill ran down Alial’s spine. Alya flew up, her arms stretched out.

          “You’re mine Alial! I have you now!” A beam of energy lashed out of both of her palms. Alial moved to the side at lightning speed. Alya kept shooting. A beam almost hit Alial and scraped her arm. Suddenly, Alya stopped. She landed and fainted. 

          “Alya!” Alial cried. She landed on the ground beside Alya. Her eyes were open, but no life was in them. Alial picked her up gently. She walked over to a regenerating tank. Alya wasn’t hurt, but she had a lot of energy taken out of her. Alial checked her pulse. She was still okay.

          “Where am I?” Alya woke up, still floating in the tank.

          “You are in your ship. You just fainted.” She could almost recognize the voice, but she couldn’t quite figure out who’s it was. All she saw in front of her was a wave of grey and light blue.

Episode 3

          “Let me show you your past, sister.” As Amile did to Aiya, Alial lay a firm, but gentle grip on Alya’s mind. Some memories came back to her. Her and her sisters having a good time, Amile running after Aiya. Alya splashing in the water with Jo on Earth. Defending Amile, but Amile getting killed.

          “No stop! This is…” There was a long pause before Alya remembered everything. Alial let go of Alya’s mind, giving Alya a chance to recover and concentrate. Alial went off into the main room.

          “Alya! We got a message! It’s from the Evil Queen of Zanenth, the one who captured me. She said that…”

         “I know, I heard her!” Alya cried. The glass crystal shattered to pieces and water poured out. Alya fell on her knees. “No! I can’t fight her again! But I will, I have to.”

Episode 4

          Alya is sitting in a chair, her back towards us. She is in the planning room with Alial. She draws a figure of the Queen of Zanenth.

          “Now, what should we do? I developed a new attack that I used on targets. But I don’t know if it is powerful enough. Have you been training while I was?” Alya asked. She got up and paced back and forth across the room.

          “Yes, I have also developed a new technique. You know the Fuscia attack? Well, I can increase it to the maximum capacity, but it may risk my life. My body isn’t strong enough for the attack quite yet.”

          “Well, work on that. You can make your body stronger by stretching out. Try smaller attacks on slow moving targets. Also, try just the regular Fuscia Attack before you go and destroy yourself. Come to the main gym. I’ll show you my new attack.”

          A line of red striped targets lined the wall. They were solid steel and almost as strong as an Asiania. Alya pushed a button by the door and the ground started to shake. Then the targets started moving.

          “Mystical night winds!” Alya cried. Streams of light flew out of her hands. Her forehead brought forth the most beautiful light. A ray of pink shot out of two of her fingers. Alya moved her hand so that the light would hit all of the targets. They all exploded.

          “Whoa! That’s cool. How did you learn that so quick?” Alial asked.

          “I didn’t. You see, while I was fighting to save Amile, I saw Jazel do the same thing to Zoras. So, I learned the attack from John and developed a stronger version of the attack to use on open targets. Just like the Evil Queen of Zanenth. She’ll be my first real target to test this out on. But if it fails, I have another trick up my sleeve.” Alya formed a fist and chanted some words in the elfin language. A light formed in her hand.

          “Now watch. See that target over there?” Alya slowly brought her fist in front of her face. Then she opened it quickly. The block of metal exploded with the blink of an eye.

         “Whoa! That was wicked! But how…” Alial stopped there in awe.

          “That was a form of solar burst. But it doesn’t produce a blinding light.”  

          “Could you teach me that sometime? It looks hard but I could learn it,” Alial said.

          “Sure. Let’s go back to the control room. We have to find out where the evil queen’s ship is.”

Episode 5: The Arrival

          Opening scene: Alya is sitting in front of John. Alial is looking over a smaller screen on the control panel.

          “Here it is. Evil Palace. The only one of its kind, made much like the Asiania’s Battle Ships,” Alial read out loud. On the screen there was a large ship. Almost like the one Super Elfin Aiya was revived in.

          “Wait a minute. That is the one,” Alya thought. “Alial, switch the monitor to enlarge. Then switch to each corridor and enlarge them.” Alial flipped a switch to her left. John showed each room in the ship. Alya’s eyes widened with realization.

          “That is the ship! Alial, that’s the ship that Aiya was revived in. I told you that after I saved you, remember?” Alial remembered.

          “Alial. Aiya was damaged very badly. Amile took her back to an Asiania Battle Ship that Amile had almost destroyed. She was revived in a tank and when she woke up, Amile told her everything. She used a memory wave link on Aiya’s mind and all of Amile’s recordings and memories went back to her sister. They both lived until I showed up. Aiya died while trying to save me. As well as Amile. I found my new power. It was a radiant light in the middle of space. I flew through it, and now I’m Alya Star.”

          “Now, turn the ship directly towards the Evil Queen’s ship. We’ll arrive there probably tomorrow. Come on, we have to make plans.”

          The alarm clock rang at 7:00 A.M. the next morning. Alya rolled over and turned off the alarm. She picked it up.

          “7 AM! Oh my god! We overslept! We’re there already!” Alya jumped up and closed her eyes. Her dress appeared. She got out her power sword from a long velvet case on the table. The window in the control room stretched all the way in the front of the room. They were in the hanger of the queen’s ship. Since the ship was automatic, it tracked Alya’s ship easily.

          “But how did she know?” Alya thought. She had exited the ship before looking outside. She shivered as she looked at her ship. The whole front of it was damaged. There were tears in the back. The gym area was torn to pieces. They’d never get out of there.

          “Uh-oh! John!” Alya cried. She ran back in. She almost tripped in the doorway. John was damaged badly. He had cracks in the screen and tears in the wires in the back. Alya slowly walked up to him.

          “No! John!” Alya turned around. There was the Evil Queen of Zanenth. There were spikes on her shoulders and neck.

          “So, you’ve finally decided to fight me again! I’ve been waiting for this, this glorious day when I will triumph!” The Evil Queen laughed and pulled her fist up and said “Portal open!”

         Alya, Alial, and the queen disappeared.

Episode 6: The Battle Begins

          “I have you now, just where I want you Alial,” the Queen said, laughing.

          “What? Alial!?” Alya cried. Alial went slamming into the wall on the far right.

(Black out, not end.) (Fade into next scene.)

          Alya awakens. She is lying on a cold metal floor. She feels the presence of someone on top of her.

          “Alial? Is that you?” Alya rolled over. Alial flopped to one side. Sparks flew over her. She opened her eyes.

          “Damn,” Alya said and winced.

          “Don’t worry, I’m okay,” Alial said in a shaky voice.

          “Alial! What did she do to you?” Alya held her hurt arm and gently pushed her badly injured sister off her back.

          “Well… at first the evil queen locked me in chains after she knocked you unconscious with a club. I was still hanging and the evil queen started electrocuting me. And I fell unconscious too, and I think I heard her push a button that made me fall. That was the last thing I remember.” Alya helped her weak sister up from the cold steel floor.

          “Hahaha!” A voice laughed throughout the room.

          “Now I have you!” Alya cried and flew towards the Queen at lightning speed. The queen was faster though and kicked her in the face. Alya went flying backwards. Suddenly Alial flew forward.

          “Fuscia! Attack! Times 20!” She cried. A dark purple cloud formed just below the ceiling. Some of the cloud swirled around Alial. She charged in front of the queen of Zanenth.

          “Fuscia attack!” She cried again. A ball of light formed in the palm of her right hand. A ray of light shot out towards the queen, blinding her and blasting off her armor on top of her normal battle suit. It cut right through her left arm, burning it and causing it to bleed. But the sore healed right away.

          “What… just happened?” Alial cried, her eyes widened, “the Fuscia Attack normally works like that, but the sore just… healed. That’s not fair!” Alial charged at the Queen again and again, but she kept getting blocked. The queen yawned, thinking it was a joke. And she kept stretching her arm out and blocking Alial.

        “Power Sword, come forth!” A brilliant light shot out from Alya’s forehead and behind her, the Power Sword formed. Slashes of light came from both of her hands.

Episode 7: The Brilliant Angel

           Many nights Alya had dreamt that she would, or try to destroy all evil. She never thought she could do it because she didn’t have enough strength and ability at the time. But now, since she was older and stronger she thought she could. But she has had one thought in her mind that never left her. Where was her father?

          “Magical Night Winds!” A ray of pink shot out of two of her fingers on her left hand.

          “Black rays!” The Queen of Zanenth cried. A ray of black shot out of her hand and the two rays collided. But the queen’s ray was stronger.

          “Alya! Watch out!” Alial cried. The ray of black light hit Alya. She fell on her knee. Her eyes went blank for a second until she blinked. Her own shoulder started to bleed. She grabbed her arm and winced.

          “Alya!” Alial ran to her sister.

          “No. I must do this alone. You’ve done enough, my dear sister.”

          “But Alya, I hardly did anything. I only…”

          “I know,” Alya winced, “but I must do this alone. I must defeat her!” Alya cried.

          “Hahahaha!” The evil queen’s eyes glowed a powerful and deadly red. Then everything became dark. A cold hand appeared and grabbed Alya’s neck. Alya cried out in severe pain as the queen squeezed harder. The Queen then appeared. Only different looking. She had long black wings and a weird outfit. She had long black hair also.

          “Ha! You can’t defeat me. You damn elf!” The queen chuckled and threw Alya against the wall.

          “Power sword…come forth! Give me power to save the universe!”

          “Ha! That’s going to be a little hard.”

         “Oh, shut up! You don’t know that this is Alya’s strongest attack! Ha! Who’s laughing now? It destroys everything. Even an upper class Asiania like yourself. You thought you could hide it from us? Elfin technology is a lot better upgraded than Asiania devices. You should have known that!” Alial laughed. Alya stood up.

Episode 8: No Reflection!?

          Her body glowed a vibrant gold. Alya’s wings transformed into a beautiful purple. They expanded to a full twenty feet. Alya closed her eyes, held up her sword, and chanted a summon of an angel.

          “Angel of power! Give me strength! Fight this enemy, save my sisters from evil! Save them!” Alya shouted. A brilliant shine came over Alya. She herself turned into a radiant angel. Alial’s eyes widened as a light shone from Alya’s forehead, this time, even more beautiful than before. Even her power sword transformed into a light sword. The queen could not stop her now. The sword cut the queen’s arm and wings. This time, though, the wounds did not heal. The queen fell on her knees.

          “Ah! Damn, that hurt! I’ll show you something!” The three teleported to another room. In the middle of the floor was a pool of water. The walls were rainbow.

          “Look into the pool, Alya Star! See if you can see yourself!” The queen laughed, clutching her arm.

          “What are you talking about? I…” Alya stopped, as she glared into it.

          “Alya, what’s wrong?” Alial asked.

          “I… have no reflection!” Alya just stood there gazing into the water. But she saw nothing except water.

          “How, could this be?” Alya finally asked.

          “Ah ha! You will never see your dreams! If you can’t see yourself, you can’t see your dreams. This pool of water is an ordinary pool! Try and look in this mirror!” A mirror appeared in the queen’s hand. She flipped it over and Alya walked to it. She looked in it and saw nothing except the back wall.

          “What… is going on?!” Alya cried, “in order not to have a reflection I have to not be an elf!”

          “Yes, that’s right! You figured it out. You are an Asiania, not elf! Asiania’s created you! It was your “sister” who made you believe you were an elf! They knew all along!”

          Alya just stood there in silence. Finally she turned to her sister and burst out, trying to hold back tears.

         “It’s not true, is it Alial? Why would you or any of my sisters keep a secret from me?! Answer me!” Alya couldn’t take it anymore, tears streamed down her cheeks. She ran to Alial and hugged her. Alial was still pale with terror. But she hung onto her sister tightly and stared at the Evil Queen.

Episode 9: Alya Realizes the Truth

          “Alial, why… why does it have to be this way?” Alya asked, quietly. Her tears were gone but there was still sadness in them. The queen laughed an evil laugh. Alya had always known something was wrong with her. Had… had John known this about her? That she was not an elf? No, it could not be true! Now Alya’s cheeks and eyes were hot with anger.

          “Evil queen, this is not true! You’re lying. I am not an Asiania. You tricked me into believing that I was somebody else, somebody evil. And that I don’t have any love in my heart. But I do. I love my sisters. They loved me too! I would never, never do anything to hurt them. They would only hurt themselves trying to protect me. Alial’s not going to do that,” Alya said, looking fiercely at the evil queen of Zanenth.

        “Then, let’s get this over with! Fire… beam!” The queen cried. A huge red stream of light formed just above her hand. The queen stretched her arm out and the beam lashed out towards Alya.

Episode 10: Alya Shadow

          “Alial! Watch out!” Alial, still battered from the battle, turned to see the fire beam coming towards her.

          “No…. this can’t be happening! No!!!” The fire beam went right through Alial’s chest. A voice rang inside Alya’s head. A hand appeared.

          “Sister, help me up, sister!”

          “No! Alial!” She grabbed the hand, thinking it was Alial’s. She felt cold and suddenly she was floating.

          “I feel strange. This feeling… what’s happening? My body…” She thought. A dark power came over her. She was now Alya Shadow. Instead of her eyes being kind and gentle, her eyes were now a crimson red. They glowed. Alial started to get up but held her stomach and winced.

          “Magic bracelet! Magic winds! Night winds! Combine!” Alya Shadow cried. Even her voice was evil. Energy formed around her fist. She circled it faster and faster. Alial cried,

          “Power blade!” She formed a round blade with her hand. She shot it at Alya, but it sliced the bracelet and the attack stopped.

          “Damn you! Fire beam!” Alya Shadow cried. (She still had some of her old personality left!) Alial crossed her arms in front of her face. Her gloves were torn and her hands were clenched into fists. The fire beam bounced off and flew back past Alya, and then it disappeared.

          “She is strong as you can see. But you are stronger! Finish her off,” the queen said, yawning, “I’ll be in the other room taking a nap.” The queen walked out the door. Alial just stood there with her arms up.

          “Wind blast!” Alya cried. A gust of black wind shot out of her hands and blew Alial back slowly.

          “Double!” Alya cried. The wind got stronger and Alial couldn’t hold it back. She went flying backwards and slammed against the wall. She fell forward but stood up before she hit the floor.

         “Alya. No! You’re not an evil Asiania! I can prove it!” Alial started to glow a deep purple…

Episode 11: Alya Back to Normal?

          “Power of love, show my sister your power! Help her to regain her memory!” Alial cried. Her heart glowed pink. A moon appeared on her forehead and a light shown on Alya Shadow. She too, closed her eyes. More images came through her mind than just destroying Alial.  

          “What are these images? Ughhh! I can’t take it any longer!” Alya was changing at first. But she heard the queen’s voice.

          “Destroy her, destroy Alial!” She’s weakening, do it now!”

          “Destroy Alial!” Alya cried. She charged at Alial at lightning speed.

          “No! It didn’t work,” Alial said, quietly. She was so weak she couldn’t move. Alya ran into the motionless body and jumped back to see that Alial stood up.

          “Power Sword!” Alya cried. And again she ran into Alial. Alial fell back and landed on the floor. Trying to get up, Alial winced and fell back again.

          “Don’t tell me I defeated you already! You’re so weak, I hit you down with one blow!” Alya laughed. It hurt Alial more than her wounds to think that her own sister had turned against her. But it wasn’t true. She’ll have to use the Super Power of Love technique on Alya when she regains her strength.

          “I’ll think I’ll go and warm up,” Alya Shadow said turning towards the door. Then with a snap of her finger, Alya was gone. Alial tried to sit up at least. She succeeded in this and pushed herself off the ground. She almost fell, but she dug her feet into her boots to keep herself balanced.

          “Ha! Don’t try and escape! Your “sister” will always stop you no matter where you go! Haha!” The evil queen laughed.

Episode 12: Escape

          Alial, panting, ran to the other side of the ship. She opened the door and floated out, only to find her evil sister in front of her.

          “I’m done working out, so, I figured I’d come and see what you were up to. And look, you’re trying to escape. Well, you won’t get away!” A huge sphere of light formed in Alya’s hands. Then she disappeared. Alial flew fast towards the ship that was Alya’s. But Alya appeared in front of her upside-down.

          “Ha!” She cried. Alya shoved the light into Alial’s stomach.

          “Alya!!” Alial cried as the light dug into her stomach.

          “Stop!” The light disappeared and Alial was floating there clutching her stomach. Suddenly, she was being thrown towards Alya, her sister. Or, what used to be her sister. Alial tried to resist, but she just went forward. She stopped and opened her eyes. Her nose was just below Alya’s.

          “Alya Shadow! What the hell are you doing?! Get back here now!” The evil Queen’s voice echoed in space.

Episode 13: Alya Back to Normal?

          After and hour or so, Alial was almost recuperated. She woke up one time, but didn’t open her eyes, and thought about her dream.

          “I can’t die, not yet. I have to get my sister back to normal and kill that evil queen. Why is she called that? Doesn’t she have a name? What is Zanenth anyways? Obviously it’s a planet. But I still don’t get it. Why is she telling Alya that she’s an Asiania?” Alial winced even harder than before and started to cry. But she stopped herself. Then John’s voice called to her.

          “Alial, Alial! Sorry to bother you, but you need to come here. Please hurry!” Alial opened the door and climbed out of the chamber. She closed it and ran to the control room.

          “Alial, you have to see this!” John said. The screen turned on. There was a picture of Alya Shadow.

          “Ahh! The-that’s my sister!” Alial cried.

          “Alya Shadow is an Asiania at this time, but not through blood.”

          “Wha-what do our mean?” Alial asked, shaking.

          “Since an Asiania turned her evil, she is an Asiania. But if you turn her back to normal, she will be Elfin. But you have to go back there now.”

          “John, I’m not fully healed. I can’t face my sister…” One tear ran down her cheek. She closed her eyes. Alial’s body started to glow. Wings appeared and lifted her off the ground. A light flashed around her.

          “Whoa, Alial,” John said. Alial stepped onto the ground and opened her eyes and looked at herself. She had a blue dress on with black shoulder guards. A long cloak hung over her shoulders. On Alial’s back were beautiful golden wings. She was much  lighter and faster.

          “I must get my sister back.”

Episode 13: Alya Back to Normal?

          After and hour or so, Alial was almost recuperated. She woke up one time, but didn’t open her eyes, and thought about her dream.

          “I can’t die, not yet. I have to get my sister back to normal and kill that evil queen. Why is she called that? Doesn’t she have a name? What is Zanenth anyways? Obviously it’s a planet. But I still don’t get it. Why is she telling Alya that she’s an Asiania?” Alial winced even harder than before and started to cry. But she stopped herself. Then John’s voice called to her.

          “Alial, Alial! Sorry to bother you, but you need to come here. Please hurry!” Alial opened the door and climbed out of the chamber. She closed it and ran to the control room.

          “Alial, you have to see this!” John said. The screen turned on. There was a picture of Alya Shadow.

          “Ahh! The-that’s my sister!” Alial cried.

          “Alya Shadow is an Asiania at this time, but not through blood.”

          “Wha-what do our mean?” Alial asked, shaking.

          “Since an Asiania turned her evil, she is an Asiania. But if you turn her back to normal, she will be Elfin. But you have to go back there now.”

          “John, I’m not fully healed. I can’t face my sister…” One tear ran down her cheek. She closed her eyes. Alial’s body started to glow. Wings appeared and lifted her off the ground. A light flashed around her.

          “Whoa, Alial,” John said. Alial stepped onto the ground and opened her eyes and looked at herself. She had a blue dress on with black shoulder guards. A long cloak hung over her shoulders. On Alial’s back were beautiful golden wings. She was much  lighter and faster.

          “I must get my sister back.”

Episode 16: Alya Star is Back!

          Neither the queen nor Alya could tell what she was planning. Alial closed her eyes, and could tell that Alya was surprised. She floated a little closer to Alya.  

          “Power of love! Come into my hands!” As she said this, Alya’s locket floated out into her hands. It opened and started playing. Alial hummed along with it. She began to glow. Her eyes glowed a deep purple. The place where her heart was glowed pink.

          “Super Love Attack, turn my sister back to normal!” A ray of light shot out of Alya’s locket.

          “What the hell?” Alya cried. The beam of light hit her. It moved up towards her own heart.

          “Damn… you!” Alya couldn’t resist it. She felt warm. Her body was enclosed by her sister’s. Tears ran down both Alya and Alial’s faces. They didn’t speak for a long time. Suddenly, Alial broke the silence, her voice echoing the universe.

          “Alya! You’re here!”

          “Of course I am!” Alya replied with a small, but reassuring laugh.

          “Everything’s going to be okay again!”

          “Well, not yet. We still have to defeat the Evil Queen of Zanenth. I wonder why she’s called that,” Alya said, sort of to herself.

          “I was wondering the same thing,” Alial said.

          “James can help us!” Alya cried and started for the ship.

          “Ahhhhh!” Alial screamed.

          “Alial, what’s wrong? Alial!” Alya raced back towards Alial. She was just hanging there, glowing, her eyes closed.

          “No! Alial, you can’t… not now!” Alya tilted Alial upright.

          “Damn you, evil queen,” Alya said and put Alial’s arm around her shoulders and raced towards the ship.  

          In the recovery room, Alya was standing. She placed Alial gently in one of the chambers. All the time she was Alya Shadow, she only thought of two things; defeating Alial, Aiya, and Amile. She knew where they were, on a different planet, time, and universe. They would probably end up on Earth. They’ll meet Jo… Right as she was thinking this, Alya started crying. She tried not to, but the tears just kept coming. She closed the lid to the chamber and steam came into it. She went to her lab. A small computer was sitting on its stand on the table. Alya sat down and punched in her code. A picture of her came up and then it spoke.

          “Hello Alya. Are you alright?”

          “Yeah, I’m fine. I just have a little headache, that’s all.”

          “Oh, what do you want me to look up?”

          “See if you can find me anything on the Evil Queen of Zanenth’s real name, and why she’s after us.” It took a few minutes before James could find anything. But it did find the queen’s name. It was Zellial.

          “That figures. Zellial means ‘Evil Creature’ in Elfin. And she’s the worst kind of evil. But she was good before.”

          “I can’t die, I just can’t. Alya depends on me,” Alial thought. The thought of her sister being killed in front of her sister, Aiya, appeared in her mind. She can’t let that happen.

          “Alya Star, what’s wrong?”

          “Shh, be quiet James. I think I hear someone coming. Yes, it’s Zellial.”  A blast came through the door.

          “Alya, you are Asiania, believe me. Don’t give in to your good side. Come with me, I want to show you something,” the queen said.

          “It’s not true,” Alya turned off James and floated towards Zellial, “I am not an Asiania. You just made me one before.”

          “No, that was your true form. I just unleashed it for you. Come with me now, or you will die!” Zellial cried.

         “Oh fine, I might as well go,” Alya sighed. The two vanished.

Episode 17: Alya’s Past

          “What is this place? Wait, I know this place. It’s the past, Aiya?” Alya started to fly towards the beam coming at Aiya, but Zellial stopped her.

          “You can’t change the past.”

          “What? Now I’m in the recovery room. There’s Amile. Aiya’s badly hurt!” Tears started falling down Alya’s face, as well as Amile’s. Alya was now in the Asiania’s ship. She was there. Alya Shadow, was there. She was helping the commander.

          “Nooooooo!” Alya cried. Glass broke around her and fell on the floor, then disappeared.

          “No!” Alya cried again. She sat on the floor and put her hands over the sides of her head. She started crying again.

          “Now you see. You understand! You are Asiania!”

          “Go to hell!” Alya cried.

          “Oooo, I’m scared. It’s rude to say that to someone, when actually, you’re going there!”

          “I will not… forgive you! You tortured my sister. The Asiania’s tortured my other sisters! You will die!”

          “And how are you going to kill me?” Zellial asked.

          “Ha! Easy! Eternal…” Alya started glowing. She closed her eyes.

          “What? Oh, not this again!”

          “Angel wings!” Alya transformed into a beautiful angel. Her dress was a pale blue, and her wings were wide.

          “Power sword!” Alya’s locket appeared in front of her and broke apart to form a sword. Alya flew towards the queen, her long hair flying back.

Episode 18: Alial Awakens

          “Hi ya!” Alya cried. She shoved the sword right through Zellial’s right arm. She pulled it out and Zellial fell to the floor.

          “Why… why didn’t you kill me?” She asked, breathless.

          “My sister is stirring. I think she might be waking up.”

          In the recovery room, no one was in the chamber. The glass shield was up. Alial was standing outside the door her eyes and heart were glowing.

          “Alya, I’ll come save you! I’m completely healed, I’m much stronger than before,” Alial thought.

          “Ahhh!” Alya went flying upside-down and landed on her feet.

          “Fire… lightning!” Alya’s body glowed a bright red. Bolts of lightning shot out of her hands and hit the queen, striking her arm and then disappearing. The queen now fell completely on the floor.

          “Alya! Are you okay?” Alial came in when Alya clenched her arm and winced.

          “Alial! I’m okay.” Alya stood up and hugged her sister.

          “Healing!” Alial said. She put her hand gently on Alya’s arm and it healed.

          “Wow, Alial, you’ve gotten stronger!” 

          “Yeah, in the chamber I must have gotten stronger as I was healing.”

          “I’m not finished yet, Alya Star! Sometime, I will kill you. And… that will be soon!” The queen disappeared and all that was left of her was some blood on the floor.

          “Alya, you did it! Now we can relax awhile!”          

          “Yeah, and why don’t we sing a song? I bet we can come up with something after this battle!” Alya said.

          “Yes, and I think I have an idea. It will take me almost a day to finish it though.”

          “Okay, I can wait. I have some work to do also. Come and get me when you’re done. I’ll be in my lab.”

          It took Alial 16 hours. She had to stay up most of the night to finish it, but it was worth it.

Episode 19: Alial’s Song, 12 Verses!

          “Alya! I’m done! It’s pretty good, let’s try it. Here is the guitar part and each of our parts.”

          “Wow. This looks really cool. Okay, let’s go to the stage. Oh, how about we record it also? I have a recording system in the back and have been recording our songs and some of my own. We can listen to them after we’re done.” They walked up to the stage and Alya got her guitar and Alial got behind the keyboard.

          “Okay, one, two, three…” Alya started singing the first verse.

(Alya=blue, Alial=red, both=aqua)

“No one is there,

in the silence of the night,

two evil eyes, watching you at a distance,

you know you can defeat this evil inside of you.”

“Fighting, the power,

the same side of you,

you are burning, your heart is burning,

you keep going, your body marching on.”

“Someone takes over your mind,

sending you on a mission,

to destroy your own sister,

so none of you are left,

no one can hello you find your way.”

Chorus

 

“You wade in the lake,

trying to find your way, but you are lost,

and someone can take you there.”

“Fighting through the night, 

you’re losing your strength,

but you have to press on,

for the love of your sisters.”

Chorus

 

“So you take your locket,

you spread your wings and say,

that you’ve had enough of evil,

and express how you feel.”

Chorus

 

“You blank out, thinking you can’t fight anymore,

but you know that you are wrong,

and that the battle’s just beginning.”

Chorus after every verse.

 

“Finally, you break out in tears,

your friends all disappear,

but love conquers evil,

and you know that deep within, but you can’t see,

all the love you possess.”

“You race up the spiral staircase,

almost floating through space,

trying to make it all the way,

and you strive just to keep your head up.”

 

“Someone moving in the darkness,

he places his hand on your shoulder,

you turn around, not knowing what to do,

so you pull out your sword,

and fight until you can’t anymore.”

“No one piercing your heart with an arrow,

no one striking you down,

you are marching away,

your chin held high.”

“You return to Earth,

your heart pounding after a fierce battle,

but no one is around, or making any sound that you can hear,

at least, not in your life.”

“The cold barren world,

a shiver goes up your spine,

telling you what to do, but your heart sinks,

trying to stay alive, to say that you are the one to save yourself.”

“Fighting the power, of the same side of you,

you are burning, your heart burning,

you keep going, your body marching on.”

“You are nothing, your world nothing,

bleak, cold, world.”

          The tape stopped recording as soon as Alya struck the last chord on her guitar. There was a moment of silence. Then Alial smiled and said,

          “That was really good. We haven’t sang for a long time. Let’s listen to the tape before Zellial attacks us again.”

“Okay.” They listened to the whole tape. 2 hours of recordings. Most of it was Alya’s, of course, even before she met Alial. No disturbance was made.

Episode 20: The Dramatic Assault

          “Alya Star! This will be your end! And also, your “sisters!” Zellial laughed, “she doesn’t get it does she? That she’s Asiania. This will happen! A super Asiania will be born! As soon as I’m through with her! She’ll never know that she even exists! Just like Alya Shadow!” The queen open-ended the door to her ship and looked at a planet. It was a beautiful planet. No humans or any mankind were living there. Just creatures.

          “A little warm up.” She thought.  “Fire blast!” Zellial stretched out her hand and cried. A ray of fire shot out towards the planet. It dug down into the land and the planet phased out.

          “Be quiet, Alial. I sense something evil happened. A whole planet was destroyed! It could only mean one thing!” Alya said.

          “Zellial,” Alial finished. She closed her eyes, “Alya, get down!” A blast hit the ship. Alya fell backwards and so did Alial.

          “Oh no! She’s here. Alial, stay in here. I’ll take care of this! Power Sword!” Alya’s sword appeared in her hands.

          “No, sister. I’m coming with you!” Alial cried as Alya opened the door to the control room.

          “No! Stay here. She might threaten me that way. So do as I say.” Alya left the room and closed the door.

          “Ahh! How nice of you to come!” They both disappeared and appeared in Zellial’s ship. They were in the same gym.

Episode 21: The Final Battle?! No Way!

          “Alya, surrender now while you still can!”

          “Surrender to what? You? Ha! I’d rather go back home than surrender to you!” Alya cried. She clutched the Power Sword and fire appeared around her. Alya’s eyes turned black. Her angel wings spread apart.

          “What the hell?! What’s happening? Tell me!”

          “I’m using my new technique that I learned, to beat you and your kind!” Alya cried.

          “Ha! You think you can defeat me? You don’t have the power!”

          “Wanna bet? I will destroy you once and for all! Plus, to show off my confidence in myself, it will only take an hour to fight you. Now die! Fire wing!” Alya charged at Zellial. The Evil Queen started to go forward, but then stopped. Alya pushed her sword right through Zellial’s stomach. Then the sword disappeared and appeared in Alya’s hand.

          Blood came out of Zellial’s mouth and splattered on the floor. Blood spilled out of the evil queen.

          “Now, can I be transported out of here? I’ll give you time to heal just enough so that you have strength left to attack me!” Alya’s sword disappeared and her voice echoed in the gym. Zellial’s weak arm rose up and it stretched out, shaking, and opened its hand. Alya started to glow and then vanished.

          She appeared in her ship. Alial wasn’t in the control room.

          “John, where’s Alial?” Alya asked, searching for any sign of Alial.                

          “She’s in her room and wants to see you,” John mumbled in Elfin language.

          “Okay.” Alya went outside and saw Alial in her room. “Alial, what’s wrong?” Alial turned her head around. Her face was red and her eyes were pale.

          “Oh, Alya. It’s not because I didn’t have faith in you. It’s just that I was thinking about our sisters and father who created us. Do you think about them too?” Alial started to cry. Tears ran down Alya’s face too.

          “Oh, Alial. Of course I do. I always think about them every moment of my life. Especially when I’m fighting an enemy. One who has killed them and the whole Elfin race.” Alya went over to her sister and sat down on the bed with her. They looked at each other for a long time.

          The evil queen was in a tank. It was a healing one with Asiania DNA. She was healing quite fast too.

          “Damn… Alya Star. I’ll get… you!” The queen could barely talk.

          “Alya, you better come quick!” It was John. Alya brushed her eyes and ran into the control room. “The evil queen of Zanenth will be here in a half an hour. You better rest too.”   

        “John, stop worrying about me. Why do you and Alial put only an inch of faith in me? I’m going to think for awhile ok?” Alya went into her lab and closed the door.

Episode 22: The Second Assault, On Planet Zanenth?

        Alya tried to stay awake. Alya was figuring out why Zellial was after her. And if she could sense her presence while she is healing.

          “I don’t understand it. What is taking her so long? I’m going to… oh, now I know why I can’t sensor her. She’s too weak to sense! She’s healing fast but not enough,” Alya thought, her eyes closed. “This is becoming harder and harder. If I can’t find why she’s trying to kill us, I can’t beat her.” Alya put her notebook on the small table. She opened it to the page that she was working on.

          “Ah, my home planet. I wonder what my people are doing,” the evil queen thought. She was not fully recovered, but was capable to float outside a small window in the door to her ship. Zellial could see another large planet. The door opened, (there was a protected shield around her ship so that she could breathe in space.) and she stretched her arm out to the planet.

          “I don’t need this planet anymore! I didn’t need my… family…goodbye, Zanenth!” The Queen’s eyes glowed red and then yellow. A sphere of light formed in front of her palm. The sphere got smaller and then, a ray of gold shot out in a slow moving pace. But the queen cried “Flash lightning!” and the light sped up and finally, the planet exploded and faded into space. Some stars went along with it.

          Alya slammed her hands down on the table and winced hard.

          “No! She… she destroyed Zanenth… but why? Why would she destroy her own planet?” Alya’s face was pale. Sweat ran down her cheek. “No. Why is she doing this? She could destroy the whole universe if she wanted to. But… oh no, Alial!” Alial screamed.

          The queen appeared in Alial’s room.

          “Alial. Wow, you’re strong. I’m impressed. But it won’t matter!”

          “Fire Wing!” A fire blast came around into the room. The light hit the queen and then disappeared. She knelt down and then got up again.

          “What? How did she block that?” Alya asked.

          “I’ve  reached a new power, Alya, let’s team up and beat this evil beast of Zanenth! Now!”

          “Right!” Alya cried.

The battle started…

Episode 23: Another New Attack! Alial, watch Out!

          “You… what are you doing?” the queen’s hand shook as Alya stood there with her eyes closed. She was trying a new attack that she had just learned from her computer, James.

          “Fine. I’ll get your sister then!”

          “No, let’s go to the gym. I’ll lead the way.”

          “Fine then. But I will be fighting your sister once we get there.”

          Alya and Alial walked in front of Zellial. They knew she would wait until they got to the gym.

          “Turn right here,” Alya said calmly.

          They entered the gym. Alya and Alial on one side, Zellial on the other.

          Now, the battle has begun! Alya had fought many battles alongside Alial. Alial really never fought on her own. Just against Alya, herself. But that was a long time ago, she never fought Alya since then.

          “Fireball!” Alial cried. She flung a fireball, about the size of her head, at the queen. The queen bounced it back to Alial. She blocked it with her arms.

          “Heart Scepter! Come forth!” Alial cried. A light filled the room and a scepter with a moon and a heart on it appeared.

          “Spiral love ache, shutter!” Alial turned around as power gathered in her scepter. A ray of powerful energy shot out. Alial spun around faster and faster The energy swirled around her. The energy then formed into a sphere and she shot it at the queen and struck her hard.

          “What’s this? Ha! Even if you just scratch me, I still will win!” The queen laughed. Alial was sweating and the blast got weaker. But here’s something the queen didn’t expect.

          “Spirit force!” Alial cried. A huge sphere of light slowly came out of Alial’s right hand and then went faster and cut off the spiral attack. It hit the queen. It blasted most of her armor and some of her hair.

          “Noooo! Spirit force. I thought only Alya could do such strong attacks.”

          “Then you don’t know very well. I am the second strongest fighter now. That makes you the third, since my sister is the strongest.”

          “You lie! I will not be beaten by a weak Spirit Force! Alya could do some damage with it, but not you.” The queen kicked it and it disappeared. 

          “No! That was my only attack left accept…”

          “No, sister. You can’t use that attack. Your body isn’t strong enough to have it be at it’s maximum!” Alya cried.

          “Don’t worry about me. Fuscia…” Wings appeared on Alial’s back…

Episode 24: The Fuscia Attack x 1000

          “Attack times 1,000!” Alial started sweating and then a thick purple ray of lightning and wind shot out of Alial’s fingers. It split into two and swirled around the queen.

          “Ahhhh!” The queen burst out of her clothes. The fascia attack cut into the queen’s skin. Alial suddenly fell to the ground. The attack stopped.

          “Alial, Alial, are you okay?” Alya asked. She held Alial up to her face.

          “I’m… alright. I just need to rest.”

          “What… was… that?” the evil queen mumbled.

          “That was the strongest Fuscia attack the Elfin’s know. This time, you cannot recover. Your head is filling with hatred and despair. You don’t know anything!” Alya said.

          “Don’t give me that speech again!”

          “It’s true though…” Alya started.

          “No, it isn’t. I loved, for a short period of time. Remember your brother, Zoras? I loved him. You know what love is. You say you love your sisters. But you don’t. You killed them, you are an Asiania! Admit it! You know it in your heart. Deep down in that bitterness you KNOW!”

          “No!!!! I told you one thousand times, no! Maybe I do have something different deep down inside me, but it’s not Asiania. Asiania’s have reflections, I saw it! Jazelle, I fought her alongside of Aiya. She looked in the mirror after he bath and saw her own face. She was an Asiania! Here is a going away present!” Alya explained.

          “What do you mean?” The queen knelt there, clutching her shredded arm.

         “I mean you’re going to be killed!”

Episode 25: The End of the True Alya

          “Fuscia, love, heart, star, eternal, glacier, ikinalubaken uzkekienla tafalibo…”

          The queen got up and ran to a control panel. She pushed a button. Her sword appeared and she took it. Her energy went into it. Then it disappeared.

          “Attack!” Alya spun around. Her clothes flew off. A white dress and gold armor appeared. Alial too, was in a white dress. Only a little different from Alya’s. She held Alya’s hands. A strong energy light beam came out of the air in front of their hands. It hit the queen and she disappeared. They both fell on their knees but sat up right away.

          “We did it! Alya! You were… great!” Alial cried, almost in tears.

          “I never knew that the Fuscia attack could be so viscous. You really weakened her. For a moment, I thought we couldn’t beat her,” Alya said, breathing hard.

          “Now we can rest for a long time. Hey, Alya, why don’t we fly to Earth? I bet we could find Aiya and Amile. How about it?” Alya started to cry.

          “I don’t think… that we’ll ever find them. They are gone. But we could try. Plus I want to see Jo,” Alya got up from the ground and went to the control room of her ship. “John, locate Earth.”

          “But Alya, isn’t that where Aiya and…”

          “Just do it! You’ve seen how powerful I am.”

          “Oh, right. I’ll do it right away.” Alya walked out of the room.

          “Alya…” Alial started.

          “What do you want, my dear sister?” Alya asked. She turned around to see Alial there. She had tears in her eyes. She ran up to Alya and hugged her.

          “Oh Alya, I miss Amile. I only met her once. You know you are Asiania. Father created you that way. He stole an Asiania computer and made you think that you were on the Asiania Battle Cruiser as Alya Shadow. Your true form unleashed and turned evil.” The ship was silent for a moment. The John spoke.

          “Alya, you have a transmission. You might want to come here, quick!”

          “Okay, I’m coming.” Alial sat on the bed and Alya walked out.

          “Alya, are you there?” A voice asked.

          “Jo, is that you? I’ve missed you! What’s happening?” Alya switched her voice to human language.

          “Well, I located your sisters and they seem to be somewhere here in Tokyo. I think they’re with another group that taught them not to fight all the time. They have Earth names now too. Amile’s is Erika and Aiya’s is Alisa. Are you coming soon? Wow, you look different. And gorgeous as always,” Jo replied, smiling.

          “Oh, Jo. You flatter me too much!” Alya said, blushing.

          “I’ll see you soon. And I’ll show you how to kiss!” The screen blinked off. Alya smiled.

          “Alial, we’re going to Earth. But first, I need to show you how to talk in Japanese or “human” language. There are a ton of languages around the “world,” as they call it.”

          Alya showed Alial how to talk in “our” language. And the voyage for Earth began.

Episode 26: The Earth and Universe

          “Alial, are you ready? Open your eyes.” Alial opened them and the Earth was outside of the ship.

          “Oh Alya, it’s… beautiful!” Alial breathed.

          “That’s what I thought the first time I saw it. I still do. Especially since it has wonderful “people” like Jo on it.”

          “Alya, I can’t wait to meet him!”

          “We’ll land in this park. The one where Jo and I first met. But first, we have to switch our voices.” The ship landed in the planet. A young man in his 20’s ran up to the ship. The door opened.

          “Oh, Alya! I’m so happy to see you again!” Jo ran up to her and hugged her. Alial extended out her hand.

          “I’m Alial, Alya’s sister,” Alial said.

          “You two do look alike. Nice to meet you,” Jo said, shaking her hand. “First you’ll need new clothes. You’ve never been on Earth have you Alial?”

          “No, it’s my first time. Your planet is really beautiful,” Alial said smiling.

          “Thank you. You can stay at my place. I’ll get something for lunch and buy you some clothes. Alya, how long do you plan on staying?” Jo whispered.

          “Oh, a few days perhaps. I just want my sister to adapt to the atmosphere here. Where’s your car?” Alya whispered back, Jo laughed. A bird landed on Alial’s shoulder.

          “What lovely creatures you have here! Alya, he has wings like you have!” Alial petted the wings of the blue bird.

          On the way to Jo’s apartment, Alial was in the backseat of a red convertible. The light turned red and the car stopped.

          “Hey Jo! Who are those two babes in your car?!” Some young man called out from the corner.

          “Hey Yamadi! This is Alay and… I mean, Steph and Crystal. They are new here and know me, so I’m going to take care of them.”

          “Oh, does Crystal have any friends yet? I bet she won’t mind my company!” The light turned yellow and then green. Jo went into the parking lot. Yamadi walked up to Alial. He opened the door for her and she got out. So did Jo and Alya.

          “Yamadi, pleasure to meet you,” Yamadi said.

        “Pleasure to meet you too!” Alial or Crystal was not too thrilled with Yamadi’s attitude. She didn’t even know what he meant. She just played along, “as humans call it.”

          Alya and Jo sat on the one side of the table, and Alial and Yamadi sat on the other side.

         “So Steph, what are we going to do this week? I have off from school and work,” Jo said.

         “Hey, how about we all go see a movie tomorrow night? There’s a really good one out, but I forgot the name of it. I saw the preview for it today,” Yamadi suggested. Alial blushed. She had never been with someone this handsome or nice before. She only saw Zoras once, and you could guess what type of man he was. Plus, he was sort of her brother. Jo laughed and said that Alya had been with him once before, but that Alial had been in Tokyo. (It was only Alya’s second time and she knew little about it.)

          “Oh, where are you from then, Crystal. America or Africa?” Yamadi asked.

          “I don’t know where I came from. I lost some of my memory when I was a baby. I can’t remember if I was even born,” Alial said. It seemed like a good thing to say.

          “Oh. Well you’re here now. So you were born. But, I better get going. I’ll see you at the movies tomorrow!” Yamadi said.

          “Yeah see ya Yamadi!” Jo said. Alial smiled and said bye.

          At Jo’s apartment Alya was sitting on a couch. Alial was looking around and Jo was out getting clothes and something for lunch.

Episode 27: The Kiss

          “What’s this stuff? I’ve had pancakes before, but not this!” Alial said. She was staring at her plate.    

          “I think you and Alya will like it,” Jo said, smiling. Alial tried it and smiled.

          “It’s okay, I guess your idea of “food” is really something. I only have to hook myself up to a machine every once awhile to stay alive,” Alial said. She took a bite of the meat.

          “Yeah. But we need to try something different once in awhile. Plus, I’ve never seen you in one of those. We have a lot on my ship, but they are kind of old,” Alya said, laughing.

          “Did you somehow transport your ship into space? You know, if someone finds it, they’ll probably take it and sell it,” Jo said.

          “No, I launched it already. I knew you would say that, so I did before. I wouldn’t just leave my own ship on a strange planet and go off somewhere.”

          After dinner Jo sat down at his desk and worked on his new book he was writing. He was a novelist and part of a business. He had a few books and a lot of people bought and liked them. Yamadi he had met at his office. And he mostly works at home.

          “So, Alial, are you liking it here so far I was okay the first time I came. I had to call Jo, oh you didn’t see the “telephones” yet. It’s over there.” Alial walked over to where Alya was pointing.

          “That’s how people communicate if they can’t see each other,” Alya explained.

          “Oh wow. Too bad we can’t locate things with them,” Alial said, picking up the receiver.

         “Alya, you know how I said that I’ll show you how to kiss? Well, why don’t we do that? Do you want to?” Jo asked. He walked out of his office and came up to Alya.

         “Sure. I’ve seen some other people do it the last time I was here. Okay, does Alial have to go away?” Alya asked.

          “No. Just close your eyes.” Alya did. She felt a wonderful feeling on her lips. Alya opened her eyes. Jo was standing there, his eyes still closed, and his arm wrapped around Alya’s waist.

          “Wow, I never suspected that humans could do so much,” Alya said, almost falling over.

          “Yes, we know a lot of different things. That was a symbol of love. If two people really love each other, they use this symbol. I really can’t explain it anyway else.”

Alya Star Episode 28: Movie, Alial, Wow You’re Cool!

          It was “Tuesday;” as Yamadi called it. Alya was trying on a dress that Jo had bought her the other day.

          “Wow! Alya, you look awesome. Can’t you do anything with your hair? You could put it up in a ponytail like I showed you before,” Jo said. Her dress was long and silky. A V ran down her back. Alial then came out from the other room.

          “Oh, wow. Alial, you look so beautiful. I bet Yamadi will melt!” Alya exclaimed. Alial blushed. She had on a bright red dress that went down to her knees. It had shoulder pads and long sleeves that went down her hands and around her middle fingers. She had her hair tied back in a bun.

          “Come on, it’s just a movie. You didn’t have to look that pretty! But I bet Yamadi will be just starring at you,” Jo said, putting on his jacket and took Alya’s hand.

          Outside of the movie theater Yamadi was waiting in his car. When Jo pulled in the parking lot, Yamadi got out. Jo helped Alya out and Yamadi helped Alial.

          “Whoa, Crystal, you look beautiful! Steph, you do too.”

          The theater was packed, but there were four seats towards the back. The four sat down with popcorn and soda. The movie was a romance story. The movie started and the theater was silent.

          About halfway through the movie Yamadi whispered “I love you” in Alial’s ear. The two of them kissed. It was a long one and Alya was starring at them through the whole thing. Alial then opened her eyes and pulled away. She blushed. The movie was just about to end, Yamadi had his eyes fixed on it, but she could tell that he was thinking of her.

          After the movie, Yamadi and Alial walked out together. So did Jo and Alya. Just then, a blast fell from the sky and landed just before them.

Episode 29: The Battle, On Earth?

          “Yamadi! Are you okay?’ Alial cried. Yamadi was on the ground, hurting badly. He had some blood coming out of his arm. “No! Yamadi! Who did this?” Alial cried, furious.

          “It’s your old friend, Zelial! Only, more powerful!” A voice cried out. Everyone at the movie theater screamed.

          “Everyone! Get going! Fast!” Jo cried. The people quickly got into their cars and drove off. An Asiania landed. She had long blue hair and black armor on. Her cape went down to the ground.

          “Zelial? But how!?” Alya asked, puzzled.

          It was 10:00 p.m. and the bunch was still outside the movies. But they weren’t enjoying themselves. Alial healed Yamadi’s arm, but he was still unconscious.

          “Oh, Zelial didn’t tell you before she left? She had put a part of herself into her sword, which was I in disguise. She sent me here, because she knew that you were going to Earth. Tokyo, to be precise!” The Asiania laughed. Her voice was scratchy and harsh.

          “You’re dead!” Alial cried, now angry of what the Asiania said. She charged at the figure. Alial thrust her hand out and had it clenched into a fist. But the Asiania put her hand out and stopped it.

          “You’re strong. But not strong enough! Wind!” She cried. Alial was slowly blown back. She crossed her arms up to her face. “Next time I’ll kill you!” The Asiania said and disappeared.

          “Damn! I knew something about her seemed different. I should have known it was Zelial!” Alya cried. The three picked up Yamadi and put him in the backseat of Jo’s car along with Alial.

          “I wish I could have been in front of him. I would have stopped that attack,” Alial thought, full of guilt.

          Back at Jo’s apartment, Yamadi started to wake up.

          “Good! He’s awake! Are you alright?” Alial asked, looking relieved.

          “Where am I?” Yamadi asked. Alial explained the whole thing. She didn’t want to give away that she was from space. Oh well, she’ll tell him eventually.

Episode 30: Return to Space, Already?

          “Well, Yamadi… we have to leave today. It’s been fun. The most fun I’ve had in my life. I’ll be sure to call Jo and have him say ‘hi’ to you for me,” Alial said. She kissed him on the cheek and got into Jo’s car. Alya said ‘goodbye.’

          “Goodbye Crystal. Goodbye Steph! Come back sometime!” Yamadi said. His hand waved in the air. Alial’s did back at him. A tear sparkled in her eye.

          “We will, we will,” she said quietly. The tear ran down her cheek.

          “Come on Alial! Cheer up! We’ll come back, after we kill Zelial! I can’t believe she’s still alive! Even after we killed her the first time!” Alya said as Jo pulled up to the park. Alya slipped her hand inside his. Alial walked beside of them. Alya’s ship flew down slowly and landed in front of the trees. Jo hugged Alya tightly and closed his eyes. Alial opened the door to the ship.

          “Thank you for letting us stay with you. I loved being here,” Alial said, bowing.

          “Hey, no problem. I’ll do anything for Alya and her sister,” Jo said smiling. Alial said,

          “Well, Alya, are we going to go?” Alial asked. Alya faced Jo.

          “Well, here’s goodbye for now,” Alya kissed him. It was a short one, but true.

          Alya walked into the ship and the door closed. Jo stood there, waving his hand. Alya waved her’s. But then they were in space, watching the beautiful planet pass them by.

          Meanwhile, Zelial locked herself in her chambers. There was a large chair to one end of the room. It had cords coming out of it. She sat down and hooked the cords into her shoulder guards, armor, and knees. She closed her eyes and thought,

          “Alya, so you left Earth? I’ll kill you on the next planet you land on! But in the meantime, I have to recover my strength. I used a lot of power on that one attack. Plus I got that stupid guy instead! Alya will pay!” Zellial tightened her grip on the arm of the chair and winced. She then fell asleep.

          “Zellial, hmm. I wonder how she had enough power to transport herself into her sword at the end of the last battle. I almost completely destroyed her. Besides that, she looks more confident than the old Zellial! I wonder what happened,” Alya said, back in the control room.

          “I don’t know, but one thing’s for sure, she’s not going to play games with us,” Alial said, scratching her head.

          “Yeah, you may be right. But I still don’t understand. I’ll stay up tonight and try and find something on her. You go to sleep Alial,” Alya said. John then turned on.

          “Okay, Alya,” Alial said. She went to her room, even though she wasn’t tired.

          Alya stayed up the whole night trying to find a video, that she had her camera in John, record during the last battle. At 4 A.M. Alya found the recording under a pile of charts. She put it in the disc drive and turned on the monitor. ‘Battle with Zellial’ it said on the screen. Alya fast forward until she got to the part where she used her attack. She pushed play and saw the brilliant attack form. Then, off by a control panel, there was the beaten Zellial. A sword appeared in front of her. She grabbed it by the handle and the sword glowed. Alya changed the view and zoomed in on the hand. It almost x-rayed it. It was machine! Zellial was part robot!

          “Alial, Alial! Wake up!” Alya cried. She ran into Alial’s room and Alial slowly opened her eyes. “You have to come see this! I figured out something.” Alya started walking out.

          “Alya, I was having the strangest dream that we were fighting the new Zellial, but she was different looking. I don’t know how I dreamt this,” Alial said, running up to Alya. Her hair was pulled back but she pulled the band out.

          Alya showed Alial the attack. Then slowed down and x-rayed the hand.

          “No way!” Alial cried.

          “Yeah, that’s what I thought. I can’t figure out why just her hand is mechanized. I don’t understand. It must give off some magic, that must explain the why the new Zellial is so strong. But how did she get her hand cut off? John! Analyze both the new and old Zellial,” Alya said and walked back into the control room. It took them awhile to get the graphs and 3-D pictures. But after a minute or so he came up with two graph pictures of both Zellials.

          “Oh, the other Zellial had her arm cut off by a Trici Bind, an attack with a sword. She probably went to another planet before she met us.”

          “Yeah, but how did that hand get so strong if it’s just a mechanized one?” Alial asked, rubbing one of her eyes.

          “John, analyze the hand on Zellial that’s mechanised,” Alya said, “that’s it! It has positive and negative energy combined to make Trici energy! I don’t know what planet she was one, but if creates large attacks like the Trici Bind and others. I read is somewhere on my computer in my lab. But now we know why she’s so strong. Well, let’s train!” Alya said. Alial walked with her to the gym.

Episode 31: Zellial vs.. Alya… What the…?! Oh, It’s Only a Simulation!

          “John! A simulation of Zellial. But make it as real as possible, but make the attacks just a simulation also,” Alya said. Alya was in a square room. Alial was studying the attacks that Asianias used against their enemies.

          A full Zellial appeared a few feet from Alya.

          “I’ll kill you!” The simulation said. It flew at Alya and punched at her. Alya put her arms up.

          The duel went on for about a half an hour.

          “Fire…wing!” Alya cried. She blazed a huge fireball at the simulation. Zellial screamed and disappeared and at the end of the far wall the word “Congratulations!” in big letters.

          “V!” Alya said and put two fingers out in a v shape and smiled. “John, switch off the simulation mode. I did enough training for now. I’m going to see how Alial’s doing.” John powered down the room.

          Alial was in her room reading off a file. It was a small screen and it had buttons under it.

          “Did you find out anything?” Alya asked.

          “Well, not much more than we know already. It was cut by a Trici attack, like you said. She was fighting a sorceress with the last name of Maho,” Alial said, looking up at her.

          “Hold on, I think I’ve heard of her. I’m going to check on James,” Alya said, going back to her lab.

          James was on the table as usual. She grabbed it and turned it on. She then typed in the name: Maho and it came up with a picture of a sorceress. She had a long black cape on and a black outfit. Her hair was as red as flames. There was a description underneath her. It told the age, then it gave the name of a spell that Iana had used a long time ago.

          “That’s it! That’s the spell!” Alya cried. She memorized the words and then ran into Alial’s room. Alial was up writing in her journal. “Alial, can you come to the gym with me? I need you to create some sort of barrier around it. You have to see this attack, if I can even cast it,” Alya said.

          “Okay,” Alial said, putting her journal on her bed. “Barrier Wall!! Come into my hands! Shield this area so that nothing can break through!” Alial cried. A light flashed around the gym walls.

Alya Star Episode 32: The Dark Sword

          “I call upon you, seep into my hands. Power Sword!” Alya cried and her sword appeared in her hands. She put it across her face.

          “Sword! Enswirl in darkness, obey my command,” the sword started tow swirl with darkness as she spoke. “Now! Light of darkness, except my word and destroy those in front of me! Destroy those that might oppose me! Sword of Darkness!!” Alya cried and breathed heavily.

          “Alya!” Alial cried and ran out to her sister, who was lying on the floor. Alial slowly helped her up.

          It was a few weeks later and Alya learned how to control the sword. So they decided to find where the new Zellial was. It just happened that she was by the spot where they where she had destroyed Zanenth.

          “Why would Zellial be at that place? If that planet was already destroyed?” Alya asked, more to herself than out loud.

          “Yeah, I wonder why,” Alial replied, thinking, ‘’I know she probably has a ship, and maybe she’s trying to gather negative energy from the place where it was destroyed.”

          Floating in space was quite a large space ship. It looked like an Asiania woman.

          “Alya Star… you will die for what you’ve done!” Zellial said.

Alya Star Episode 33: The Encounter

          Alya was now in her room with the door shut. She could not stop thinking about how both Aiya and Amile saved her. Aiya first, after she died, Alya tried to hold Jazel off. But Amile had to sacrifice herself in order to defeat Jazel. Alial came in quietly.

          “Are you thinking about out sisters?” She asked. But Alya only cried harder. “John and I found exactly where the Queen is. Should we go there?” Alial asked quickly.

          “Yes. Let’s go. We will kill that thing even if it takes us ten years to do it.” Alya said and turned her head. Her eyes were filled with tears, but her face was happy. Alial smiled but knew what Alya was going through. She herself had witnessed her own father’s death. She was only about 5 when it occurred, but an Elvin’s memory is pretty strong. Alial left the room.

          The next morning Alya woke up and found that Alial wasn’t in her bed. Alya rubbed her eyes from the sleepiness. She went into the control room. Alial was sitting in front of John, typing.

          “Alial, are you okay?” Alya asked.

          “Yes, I couldn’t sleep because I was thinking too much about our father. I know you didn’t see how he died, but I did. We were teleported out of there as soon as he died by the other people. And that’s when the Asiania’s destroyed the rest of the Elven race. All that was left of our planet Eien and Alyasie was nothing. my memory is too strong to keep the pain away. But, I did manage to get a view of the ship that Zellial was on. Hold on,” Alial said. Alya was shocked at what her sister said. But on John there was the queen’s robot.

          “Damn! That’s a big robot. But I think I have one as big as that! And it can use the power sword. Perfect for casting the Sword of Darkness attack,” Alya said.

          “But wouldn’t that take all of your strength?!” Alial asked.

          “No, it should only take away about half of it. I’ll be fine if she doesn’t cast a fire blast to keep me from casting the spell. But if you help me out it will help. Just don’t get in front of me.”

          “Okay, but what ship will you use?” Alial asked.

          “This one. John can transform into a robot. That’s why this ship is so large.” Alya turned the ship towards Zellial’s direction.

Episode 34: The Painful Truth

          Alya was in her room again. But she was asleep this time when the images came. She as Alya Shadow, was by a canon towards the front of a large ship. She aimed the canon at her sister, Aiya. She then pulled the trigger on the large gun. Millions of beams shot out at Aiya and pierced her arm and side.

          “You are a true Asiania, Alya Shadow! You will obey me at my every command!” Zellial’s voice said. “Yes, and one of those commands is to destroy every last elfin!”

          “What the?!” Alya sat up quickly. “That can’t be the truth. It has to be Zellial tricking me. I can’t be an Asiania,” Alya thought. Alial was in the bed next to her. Alya got up and walked over to a large mirror and looked in it. She still had no reflection. A different face appeared in it. Alya Shadow’s face.

          “No! It can’t be!” Alya cried. Alial didn’t wake up. “But it is,” Alya Shadow said in the mirror. Tears started falling down Alya’s face and Alya Shadow’s face. “Noooooo!” Alya screamed. She ran out into the control room. She ran up to John. “John, go into battle mode now!” Alya cried and pushed a large button on the panel.

          “Battle mode on!” John said. The ship started to shake and then formed into a large robot.

          Alial walked into the control room.

          “Alya, what’s happening?” She asked.

          “We’re going to kill that damn Zellial! John, go to the Queen, fast! Power Sword!” Alya cried. A sword appeared in her hands.

Episode 35: Zellial Gone? The True Sword of Darkness

          Outside the window in the control room, there was Zellial’s robot ship. It was pretty enormous.

          “I’ll change to voice communicator,” Alya said and switched a mic on. “Queen Zellial of Zanenth. Stop attacking us and you may live. But if you don’t say you will, I will use an attack on you that you won’t be able to hold off,” Alya said and smiled.

          “I will never surrender. Especially not to you! I have to fulfill my sister’s wish in killing you and your sister!” Zellial’s voice rang out in space.

          “Then you shall die!” Alya cried. A power sword appeared in the robot’s hands also.

          It stretched across both Alya’s face and the robot’s face.

          “Sword! Enswirl in darkness!” Alya said. She started to sweat heavily. The sword was covered by a dark shadow. The one that the robot held was almost a sword of light. Alya’s hair unfolded and was now a long veil of hair.

          “You don’t know what it’s like! To loose two sisters! You have no feelings at all! Not even for Zoras! He loved you and you didn’t love him back! Your heart is pure darkness! Sword, obey my command!” Alya cried. Tears fell down her face. “Light of Darkness! Except my command and destroy those in front of me! Those evil. Sword… of Darkness!” Alya cried. The sword outside the ship cut through the robot before it could defend itself.

          “Damn you Alya!” Zellial screamed. Alya fell forward with her eyes blank. The sword disappeared as soon as it touched the ground.

          “Healing!” Alial cried. Alya’s eyes turned back to normal and she was breathing normally.

          “Thank goodness you’re okay!” Alial said, hugging her sister.

          “Yeah, but she did mention her sister. Which will probably be an even bigger problem. And I can’t use the full Sword of Darkness yet. It’s because I’m too weak. But I can keep trying the Fuscia Attack and then use it to power up the sword first. Then it may make me more powerful,” Alya said, smiling.

Episode 36: Alya’s Fuscia Sword of Darkness?

          “Fuscia attack… times ten!” Alial cried. Dark purple clouds swirled around the sword.

          “Sword! Obey my command! Light of darkness! Obey my command. Except me and destroy those in front of me. Those evil, sword of fucia darkness!” The sword got really large and caused a crack in the wall in front of Alya. She remained standing this time.

          “Try it times twenty this time,” Alya said and took a deep breath.

          “Okay, Fuscia… Attack, times twenty!” Alial cried. Her staff appeared and this time, the clouds came out of the heart on the top of the staff. It blended with the sword and made it dark purple and darkness swirled around it. Instead of saying the chant out loud, she said it in her head. She pictured darkness. Just a black hole sucking everything in. Alya started to shake but then held firm on the sword. Her hair opened again like it did before.

          “Sword of darkness!” Alya cried and broke the barrier that was around the gym and glass flew everywhere but then disappeared.

          “Okay. I’m going to heal myself in the new chamber I created a little while ago. It heals your body completely and makes it a little bit stronger. You can use it after I’m done if you want,” Alya said. Her sword disappeared.

          “That’s okay, I’m going to think for awhile. Goodnight sister,” Alial said.

Episode 37: Alya’s Transformation Sequence

          Alya now floated in a gel like substance. She was really strong already. So that’s why she was going through what she was right now. She stepped out of the chamber. Her dress was gone and so was the star on her cheek. Alya’s body was glowing. She closed her eyes. Then she raised one of her arms and sparkles ran down her skin. A dress flew over her and her hair got just a little shorter and stayed down. Her sword appeared.

          “Fuscia… attack!” She cried. The sword glowed purple. Then darkness instantly swirled around it. She didn’t even have to say the last part. A barrier quickly flashed around the room. But it broke through the room barrier and the wall. “John, repair.” The wall repaired itself right away.

          “Alya, what happened? Is that you Alya?!” Alial asked.

          “Yes, and I can instantly cast the Sword of Darkness. I can control it now that I’m stronger. Plus, I’ve developed a few new attacks. So, do you want to train? I think I’ll train also. It’s 5 o’clock already, so why don’t we? I have a smaller gym that you can use,” Alya said.

          “Okay, you have to show me those attacks sometime,” Alial said, still looking at her sister like she was someone else.

          “Fire… lightning!” Alya cried. She put her hand into the air and a park flicked on for a second. Fire swirled around Alya and a blast of fire and lightning shot out of her hands. It blew up the target on the far wall. “Ha, yes!” Alya cried.

Episode 38: Intensive Research

          “Alial! Oh good, tea. Well, I was just training and realized that we need to find tons of information on Zellial’s sister. I can’t believe she has a sister. She probably didn’t love her. And I bet her sister is even worse than her,” Alya said, coming into the control room. Alial was pouring some Elven tea. It was only one of the things they inhabited from humans.

          “Yeah, but where do we start looking? Since Zellial is dead, we can’t get any information from her,” Alial said.

          “Yes. But I have a pretty good feeling of who she is. John, look for the word Synicoth. S-y-n-I-c-o-t-h,” Alya said.

          “What? You mean that Princess Synicoth that was in that awful legend?” Alial asked, surprised.

          “Yep. It may be her sister even though she’s a princess. Zellial couldn’t become a princess because she didn’t marry a prince, or Zoras,” Alya said. A girl with long black hair stood holding a sword and was wearing a white dress on the screen. John’s voice came on.

          “Synicoth. She is a very refine lady and is also a skilled sorceress. She also took fencing lessons when she was little and is very good with the sword. She had one sister named Zellial who was the Queen of their planet, Zanenth,” John said. It showed up on print on the next page.

          “Ah, I thought so. But wow, she sounds powerful.  The name was out of my  mind from the stories that I heard when I was little. But she could cast a spell that could literally destroy the world,” Alya said.

          “I’ll see what I can find, but I’ll have to rest since you woke me up at 5 this morning. But I was warred about you,” Alial said.

          “Don’t be worried you lumped! I’m 10 times stronger than I was when I was just Alya Star. Maybe even 1,000. I’ll have to check my fighting power once I get back in my lab,” Alya went back into her lab and checked on James. It said 10,000.

Alya Star Episode 39: Intensive Training

          28 targets were set up all the way around the gym.

          “Fire… lightning!” Alya cried. The same thing happened to her as before. But then as the fire blasted two of the targets, Alya slowly brought her hand to the right and turned around as it smashed each target. All of them were gone and Alya wiped her forehead from the sweat. One large target appeared and Alya started to chant some words in her tongue. Then she cried: “Fuscia lightning… fire!” A circle of fire swirled up and down her body.

          Then lightning flickered around her. A purple cloud swirled around her arm. It shot out at once at the target. Four massive metal blocks shot up from the ground far away. “Sword, seep into my hands! Sword of Darkness!” Immediately the Power Sword appeared and swirled in the dark clouds. Then it slashed out and blasted the first three blocks. “Fire… lightning!” Alya cried and fire and lightning shot out of Alya’s hand and smashed the target. “Phew, that’s enough training for today. I’ll go check on Alial,” Alya said.

          Alial was in a chair and her arms and legs were hooked up to it. It was like Alya’s tank, only it gave more than just energy to her. Alya walked in the doorway.

          “My sister, rest, for you will need it for the upcoming battle. Synicoth knows nothing of mercy or kindness. We need all the strength to beat her. And I don’t think I’ll be able to use the Sword of Darkness right away,” Alya thought.

Episode 40: Why?

          “Alya, Alya! Wake up as a true Asiania! Come to us, Alya Star,” a voice pounded inside Alya’s mind.

          “No! I am not an Asiania and I never will be! Never!” Alya cried. Tears rand down her cheeks. She woke up suddenly. “Why? Why do I keep getting these damn dreams? Is it… is it because I am an Asiania?” Alya asked herself. Alial was now awake as well. They were in their room and both were silent. “Alial, you have to know something. You have to know why the queen said I was an Asiania. And why I keep getting these dreams. Alial, please tell me!” Alya cried, taking her sisters shoulders and shook her a little. Alial then started crying.

          “It’s because you are Asiania. Father didn’t create you. He only adopted you. Yes, it means he took you in when you were created by Synicoth. She is your mother. Amile and Aiya are my sisters since I was created by their father. I’m so sorry but this is the truth. But you’ll still be my sister,” Alial said, still crying. Alya broke out in tears also.

          “No!” She cried.

          “I know now what the truth is. Thank you, my sister,” Alya said. Alial wiped away her tears and looked up at her sister.

          “I know that it was Synicoth who killed father, since he took you away. You were little when it happened. I was only at about power level 10 at the time too. But I still remember it,” Alial said and closed her eyes.

          “Synicoth? How can she be my mother? If that’s true, why didn’t she make me look more like her? I look like you, Aiya, and Amile. Anyways, my power level now is at 10,000. Do you want me to check yours?” Alya asked.

          “Sure,” Alial replied.

          Alial’s power rating was at 9,000, just below Alya’s. Which was to be expected because Alya was just training and was in a regeneration tank. Now they had to get ready for the battle with Synicoth, which was going to be in one week.

Episode 41: Arrival on Arilias

          “Alial, we’re going to be landing on a planet called Arilias. We have to get a few parts for my new computer that will help us make plans for the battle against Synicoth,” Alya said, turning the ship towards a large planet. It was almost as big as Eternal; Aiya and Amile’s home planet, which was destroyed. It had two moons and a large star was near it. It was Arilias. Alya turned her ship and landed on the planet. There was a large palace near the landing base. There were more people like the Asiania’s and Elfins. But they were called Aliasans. They spoke many different languages, and their most fluent on was Elfin. Elfins were known around the universe. Some think that they were the most powerful creatures around.

          “Alial, open the door,” Alya said calmly. She was a little nervous, just like when she went to Earth the first time. But she knew there had to be some good here. But she couldn’t help feeling uneasy. The air was breathable, so she stopped glowing. Then the smell of blood and dirt came. There was a large doorway leading into the palace. There were bloody warriors lined up against the wall. “What could have happened here?” Alya asked, quietly.

          “Go! Leave this place! I warn you, you will only find nothing but corpses ahead of you!” A deep voice called out.

          “Who are you?” Alya cried.

          “Never mind, just go!” The voice said. Alya walked on ahead. Her expression was very firm. Finally she came to the edge of the pathway. There was a groove in the ground. Behind that was a pile of dead bodies. All were covered in blood and looked like soldiers. There was a silhouette of a man standing on top of the bodies. “I warned you, but you did not listen. You did not need to see this,” the man said.

          “Just who are you?” Alya exclaimed. Alial held her hand up to her mouth and was shocked. Alya’s face was also pale. The man jumped down and landed at the edge of the groove. He walked into the light. “You’re Geo?!” Alya cried. He had short brown hair and wore a cape. He had a light sword in his right hand.

          “Yes, I was Iana’s husband until we seperated. Now I don’t know if she’s even alive. But how do you know my name, if I don’t know yours?” Geo asked, putting his sword away.

          “Well, I’m Alya Star, I’m just happened to be passing by after I saved the universe, and I read about you in a file I just happened to have about the Light Sword,” Alya said, laughing.
          “Oh, and who are you?” Geo turned to Alial.

          “Uh, I’m… Alial,” Alial said blushing.

          “She’s my sister. Anyways, I was hoping to find supplies here, since Arilias had such a great file report. I was thinking the three things that I need, do you know anything about their supply base?” Alya asked.

          “Supply base?” Geo asked. “Yes.”

          “Do you know where it is?”

          “Well, yes. But they don’t have very many rare pieces. They only have certain parts,” Geo replied.

          “Oh they’re not that rare,” Alya said.

          “Okay, I’ll take you to it.”

Episode 42: The Arilias Supply Base

          “Here it is,” Geo said. There was a sign above the entrance way that read ‘Supply Base.’ There were window shops all along each side of the street. People were behind each one of them and sometimes there were little creatures.

          “You’re right, they don’t have a lot here,” Alya said.

          “Yeah. They usually get new stuff after it’s all sold out,” Geo said. One of the creatures started chattering and pointed at Alya.

          “Young lady, would you be looking for this by any chance?” An old man asked.

          “Yes, I do need it. But how did you know that?” Alya asked.

          “Oh, I just thought you might be wanting it, so I thought I’d ask. You can have it for free. This piece is not rare at all and I can get it any time,” the man said and put it in Alya’s hands.

          “Thank you very much,” Alya said.

          “Oh, the other things that you’re looking for aren’t here. But before you leave, I’d like to have a sword fight with you,” the man walked out of his booth.

          “All right. I accept your challenge,” Alya said.

          “But Alya, your sword is too powerful for him!” Alial cried.

          “Oh,I’m sure he can hold it off, right Synicoth?”

Episode 43: Sword Fight, Alya vs. Synicoth

          “Synicoth, what?” Alial asked.

          “And how did you know that?” The man asked.

          “Well, I was wondering how you knew what I needed, and I read on my computer that you can change forms. So I just thought you might be her,” Alya smiled.

          “Maybe you did find out. Draw your sword!” Synicoth said. The “man” put his hand in front of his face. The body glowed and he transformed into Synicoth. She had long gold hair that went down to her knees.

          “I knew it was you! Power Sword!” Alya cried. Her sword glowed as it appeared.

          “Now you’ll only get a taste of my real power!” Synicoth cried. She almost had the voice of a small girl. She wasn’t exactly like Alya had expected her to be.

          The clashing of swords rang throughout all of Arilias. The people and creatures left their booths as the fighting began. So there was no one there but the four. Geo was just standing there watching and Alial was floating above the ground.

          “You’re strong, but I know I’ll kill you!” Alya cried. Their swords scrapped each other. Alya was sweating but Synicoth seemed fine. ‘Maybe she is too strong, no I can beat her!” Alya thought.

          “See, I’m too strong for you. Plus, I’m a skilled sorceress and learned Tomorrow’s Legacy; the most known and powerful spell in any kind of field,” Synicoth said, laughing.

          “Tomorrow’s Legacy?” Geo and Alya both cried.

          “Since when do you know that spell?” Geo asked.

          “I learned it one year ago, from a sorceress named Iana Ilia.

          “What? Where is she now?” Alya asked.

          “Who knows? Probably floating around in space somewhere. You’re Geo aren’t you? She asked about you but I didn’t know where you were. Hell with this, what am I doing? Anyways, you lost, Alya Star, now you have to battle me two more times in two places in order for us to have our last battle,” Synicoth disappeared and laughed.

          “Damn it. I just let my guard down. Geo, are you all right?” Alya asked. Geo was almost paralyzed.

          “Why would Iana… do something like that? Unless she used a certain from of the Tomorrow’s Legacy.”

Episode 44: The Powerful Tomorrow’s Legacy

          “I’ve never really understood Tomorrow’s Legacy. I know it is very powerful and can consume an entire world. But what is the Tomorrow’s Legacy exactly?” Alya asked. Alial had just been quiet the whole time. It was not that she wasn’t interested, it was just that she didn’t want to interrupt.

          “I thought that only… Iana could perform that spell. She swore on that day after she used it for the third time that she would never teach it to anyone, even if it cost her life. The Tomorrow’s Legacy is the Goddess of Darkness herself. A power unlike anything in the world. The most deadly spell in black magic that could destroy an entire world. I don’t really know the rest, but that’s mostly it.”

          “The Goddess of Darkness. Well first we have to find where Synicoth will be waiting for us and the two other parts that I need before our last battle,” Alya said.

          “Yes, I still can’t believe that Iana would teach someone else the Tomorrow’s Legacy. She promised to never use that spell again,” Geo said.

          “Well, we’ll just have to find her somehow and get some answers. But before that let’s head back to the ship. I have one of the parts I need and I can at least put that one in.” Alya started flying towards her ship, which was by the castle where they first landed.

Episode 45: Alial’s Dream

          It was around eleven o’clock at night and Geo couldn’t sleep. He kept thinking about Iana and the Tomorrow’s Legacy. At that time he really didn’t understand it either. Neither did Iana. He was only a swordsman and had no magic. Iana was the most powerful sorceress on Earth.

          Alial was in her room sleeping, but rolling over and over in her bed. Sweat ran down her face. She was dreaming of herself, trapped in Synicoth’s ship. And was running around, breathing hard, desperately trying to find a way out.

          “Help me!” A cry rang out in Alial’s head.

          “Iana, where are you?” Alial cried. She could barely yell. Suddenly a picture of a magic circle appeared on Alial’s chest. About ten Synicoth’s spun around her as she turned around.

          “Are you afraid you won’t find Iana in time? It’s already too late!!” All the Synicoth’s disappeared except for one behind her. She had a black sword and struck it right through Alial.

          Alial woke up suddenly.

          “Nooo!!” Alial cried. Geo heard her and ran through the dark hallways to her room. Alial started crying when she saw him. He walked over to her bed and sat down. She hugged him tightly and cried the rest of the night.

Episode 46: Alya’s Vision

          “What’s wrong Alial? Did you have a nightmare?” Alya asked. She had dark circles under her eyes from working all night. John had tried to get her to go to bed, but she wouldn’t.

          “I don’t know what happened, I just heard a loud scream. Didn’t you hear her?” Geo asked.

          “I’ll… explain later,” Alial said, still sweating, but not crying anymore.

          “I was tracking Synicoth and the part I need for my computer. I found Synicoth. She’s heading towards Nexus, a small planet 1,000 light years away. I think the next piece that I need is also on that planet. But I can’t trace it. I just have this feeling,” Alya said, rubbing her tired eyes.

          “You need some rest, though we still have to battle Synicoth two more times. We’ll take over in trying to find the piece that you’re looking for,” Alial said, still in shock but able to speak.

          “What about your dream?” Alya suddenly screamed and couldn’t move.

          “Alya, what’s wrong?” Alial cried. Alya didn’t seem to hear her.

          “Alya? Are you there, can you hear me?” It was a man’s voice calling out to her.

          “Father? Is that you?” Alya asked in her mind.

          “Yes, Alya. I created you to destroy the Asiania’s. That’s why you were born on an Asiania battle cruiser. I just wanted you to get the idea that they were pure evil, who’s only thoughts are destruction, hatred, and terror. Do not let Synicoth trick you, my dear daughter. She does not love you the way I do, even though I’m an Asiania too. I have to go now, goodbye, my daughter,” the man disappeared as he said this.

          “Father, I’ll make Synicoth bleed for what she did to us.” Alya fell on her knees and clenched her hands into fists.

          “I’ve created a mind reader device that can search for Asiania’s dreams. I’ll hook myself up to that and record my dream for you. It won’t be real though,” Alial said, walking out of the room.

Episode 47: Synicoth’s Fear

          “Alial, she’s one of the strongest Asiania’s left. Alya Star and I are the only other two. Alial, if you ever reach your highest power level, you will be even more powerful than your sister. I do love you Alial, as for Alya, Aiya, and Amile, they are the ones that I hate. I have lived for over 200 years, since I am not human. What disgusting creatures. Almost as bad as those elves. I transformed my so called husband into an Asiania when we got “engaged” as humans call it. He was always so kind to Alya and the others, whom I hate.

          But finally, I had a few of my troops and their battle fleet ships destroy the planets of the elves and even, Aiya and Amile. My sister and her partner took care of them. Now I need to figure out a way to kill the both of them! Oh, the crystal shard! That will work for sure… Alial, you better not transform anymore times or you will have a slim chance of defeating me,” Synicoth explained. She took a breath and sweat ran down her face. She was nervous, afraid that they might be able to defeat her. But her plan about the crystal shard still remained in her mind.

          Back in Alya’s ship…

          “Why can’t I… fall asleep? Is it because of my vision of father? I still can’t believe he communicated with me even though he was killed. Father, I wish you were still alive so you would be able to help us,” Alya said. She soon fell asleep after that.

          Meanwhile Alial was in her room hooking up the chords that were connected to the inside of her mind. She then took out a small screen that had chords running through it also. She pushed a button and a shock wave went through each of the chords. Alial jerked back a little and closed her eyes. A picture of her appeared on the screen. A red light was flashing near the screen to show that it was recording. It was her dream.

Episode 48: Alya’s Decision

          “I must fight these next two battles alone. If Alial gets captured or something, I’ll be helpless. Synicoth, I’ll destroy you! I still don’t think that it will be another swordfight. The last battle she’ll probably use her robot. It’s a good thing that John can turn into one. I better go check on Alya. It is morning already,” Alya thought, laying in her room, unhooking.

          Alial was still in her room unhooking the cords when Alya came in.

          “Did you get it recorded? Maybe it shows where she’ll be the second time,” Alya said.

          “Well, my dream wasn’t real, because I won’t ever go inside her ship. But maybe where she is, is true.” Alial gave Alya the screen. There was a speaker in the back for the sound. Alya pushed the playback button below the screen to the left. It played Alial’s dream over again.

          “Oh wow. Synicoth must be pretty powerful,” Alya said, looking up at her sister.

          “Yes, but that dream isn’t true. It was only a nightmare caused by my fear. We’ll beat her somehow. By the way, aren’t we getting close to the next piece you’re looking for?” Alial asked.

          “I don’t know. Let’s check on John,” Alya said.

          In the control room, Alya sat in the chair by John. She typed a few symbols. A weird looking ship appeared on the screen. It then showed the planet below it. Nexus, it said below it.

          “I knew it! It’s on the same planet that Synicoth is on! But, we have to make sure not to battle her until after we get the piece. Otherwise, we might forget about it or she’d find it first,” Alya said, looking at Alial. They both nodded.

Episode 49: Geo’s Sadness

          Geo was practicing in a simulation with the Light Sword. Monsters appeared in front of him. With once slice he turned them into little pieces. A sorcerer appeared. He had a sword also. His eyes were covered by his hair, so you couldn’t see them. Geo was breathing hard and sweat ran down his face.

          “Come on! I’m ready for you!” Geo cried. He slashed the sword against the sorcerer’s. Suddenly a memory of Iana hit him. He tried as hard as he could not to let go of his sword. He then charged forward and stabbed the man right in the stomach. Geo then saw Iana falling out of his sword instead. He was missing her that much.

          “Geo!!” She cried but the simulation turned off.

          Geo just stood there. He had his eyes closed tightly and put his sword away.

          “Was that just a simulation, or was I really seeing that?” He thought, his eyes still closed.

          Alya still was in the control room. Only she was training as well. She was concentrating all of her power into one spot. Her body was glowing and her wings spread out. Feathers swirled around her.

          “Wing flash!” She cried. A ray of light shot out of her hands and feathers swirled around it also. It disappeared right before it hit the closed door because there was a shield around the room. Alya stopped glowing and slowly opened her eyes.

          “Thank you John. I just have to work harder to push it up so that the power level is at it’s maximum. Don’t worry though, I’ll do that in the gym,” she said. She wasn’t even sweating or breathing hard at all.

Episode 50: No Evil Eyes, Hearts

          “Alya, can I talk to you for a little while?” Alial asked.

          “Sure. But I have to get back to training soon. We’re almost to Nexus. There’s only a day left,” Alya replied. They were in the planning room. (Geo was sleeping.)

          “I just don’t know what to do. That dream might have been a warning, a vision of the future. I really don’t want to die. Alya, I’m kind of frightened,” Alial said and tears started to fall down her cheeks. Alya was shocked, but then she said:

          “If you’re not thinking evil thoughts throughout the battle, you won’t die. At least, not by Synicoth. You are one of the kindest people I know and I love you. We are sisters after all. But that’s not only the reason. I sense something inside of you. A love for the universe, for life itself. That’s what father created us for, to live and destroy all evil so that we can live in peace. We have to kill Synicoth,” Alya said, smiling. She took her sister’s hand, gracefully.

The Isolated One: No one knows who this person is, except that he or she was isolated because they saw Masquerade’s true face. Some speculate that this was the woman that he fell in love with, and then there was distance between them, so he banished her from London, telling her to wipe her identity clean. There are many stories surrounding this character, but only one knows their true nature.

The Poet: The Poet is a strange man, keeps to himself mostly. He often reads in the park, or he would read at the masked parties. The Poet rarely talked about his work, but he had many admirers. He mainly writes dark stories about wars, or death. Most people just listen to his work because they are bored, not particularly because he is good.

Livia: Livia is originally from France, but she came to London seeking refuge. She had a tendency to get into trouble. Either she would gamble, or just steal from men. She managed to set up a small shop selling whatever she could. It is called The Red Boutique and has become quite popular. Livia’s personality can be strange at times. One could be talking to her for one minute, and the next she could be talking to an animal, or a mannequin. People tend to make as little contact with her as possible. She is friends with the Poet, though.

The Crazy: This character has a unique personality. She always has a knife with her, and is often seen talking to herself on the streets. People tend to avoid her, since she can be rather freaky at times. Her eyes glow a bright red whenever the moon is in sight, and people speculate that she is from it, or at least her power comes from the moon. She just wants someone to love, and is always lonely. There was one person who she fell in love with, but you will have to read to find out. She also loves the smell of blood and fresh rain.

1

Introduction

 

“Somewhere in the sky,

in the clouds, floating,

there is a power,

greater than any other,

the wind breezes through,

the wings of a being,

then it dives down,

against the currents,

the wings shutter and soar,

helping the creature live,

but an evil takes over,

blackness falters,

it brings down the power,

reduces it to nothing,

and the wings fade,

and chains wrap its soul,

the dark power grows,

digging into the heart,

but light will prevail,

and conquer the bleakness,

the bright wings fly,

once again,

they soar and dive,

and live once more.”

            Trila looked to the sky as she sang this melody. It was a sad song, but for some reason it calmed her. Trila had no wings, no power. She felt helpless most of the time. She was only twenty years old, and had no particular future in mind. The world she lived in was very mystical, it had many beings and creatures that she never thought could exist. The world was known as Tempessia. It was the planet with the most power in the solar system. There were only five planets that circled the sun, which as called Navil. The other planets were Savet, Tomsia, Jaeve, and Mayel. Only few had the ability to fly through space to get to these other worlds, so only the most powerful in Tempessia knew about what lived there. Trila wished she had power so she could visit the other worlds, as they were called. This is why she set out around her own world to find the most powerful beings.

            “Shade! Shade, where are you?” Trila called out. She was in an area with many trees, it wasn’t exactly a forest, but there were no houses anywhere in the vicinity. She looked around and finally found a tree that was different from all the others. It covered more ground and there was more shade from the sun. “Shade, are you there?” She asked. A woman came out from behind the tree. She looked like she was about thirty-seven or so, had deep black hair that went down to her knees. It was tied neatly into two braids. Her eyes were a light purple and she had very fare skin. There were no wrinkles or dark circles under her eyes. She wore a long dark coat that tied in the front. She also had on a purple collared shirt and black pants that tucked into tall boots. She always wore a blank expression on her face, but Trila thought she saw her smile.

            “What do you want?” Shade asked. Trila laughed.

            “That’s no way to greet a friend,” she replied. Shade pouted even more.

            “I didn’t know we were friends,” she stated. Trila frowned.

            “I’ve known you for what, six years and you still aren’t my friend? That’s a little harsh. Remember when we used to sit out here and just read for hours?” Trila asked. Both her and Shade sighed. There was no time for that now. It was a busy time of year, both were studying to get into a sorcerers school. Even though Trila had no magic ability, she still wanted to learn about magic, as much as she could. Shade helped her every day, showing her spells that sometimes took enormous amounts of energy. Shade had power, Trila was envious sometimes. But the two had been together for a long time, so they got along. Shade was normally a quiet person, kept to herself. Trila met her back when she was still a little girl. They were both quiet back then. Trila’s mother introduced her to Shade, and they became friends quickly.

            Both of them had also suffered from tragic events that happened five years ago. They had both been scarred emotionally, but somehow they helped each other through the difficult times and were able to move on.

            The difficult times were during the war between dragons and humans. Trilla was only around six years old at the time, so she did not remember much from that time. Just that it was a painful experience. Shade had lost both of her parents, who were killed by the dragons, and Trila had lost her father. Trila was human, but Shade was half human, half angelic. Shade had always had some hatred for both races, but never showed her emotions to anyone. Trila was the only one who could understand her. The two had always lived on Navel. Shade would sometimes go to the other planets, but Trila could not because of the lack of power.

            “What are we going to do today?” Trila asked. Shade shrugged. She had a ‘did not care’ attitude most of the time. “I would like to go over those spells again, if you don’t mind. You know, the ones you showed me yesterday,” she said. Shade nodded and pulled a book from the bag that was sitting next to her. She opened it to a page that had a marker in it. There was writing and a diagram on the page, but it was a different language. The language was called Shinma, which was also the spoken word as well. Everyone knew how to speak and write this language, but if someone from a different planet found some way to get to this world, they would have to learn Tempessia’s way of speaking and writing, since their language would be different.

            “Shall we start with Midnight’s Toll?” Shade asked. Trila nodded. “Okay. For the hand signals, you put both of your hands together, as if you are praying. The next step is to move your left pointer finger in between you right one and middle finger. Then you fold your hands and call out ‘Mia skeh tap mektal,’ you do this three times, and that will create darkness in your hands. This spell is useful when you are escaping from an enemy, you simply put your hands on yourself in order to cover yourself in shadows,” Shade explained, reading from the book. Trila listened and then tried it herself. Nothing happened, at first. Then slowly, a small ball of black matter filled her hands.

            “Look! It’s working! I thought I didn’t have any magic ability,” Trila exclaimed. Then the sphere started to grow exponentially in size and did not stop until Shade yelled:

            “Meh temp vol!” which caused the sphere to stop right above Trila’s head and then burst into a thousand particles. They spread all over the grass and the tree that Shade had been sitting under. Shade glared at Trila for a moment, as she was being covered by black specs of dust, but then the two burst out laughing. “Everyone has magic abilities. The trick is getting to know how much of it you actually have. It looks like you have a considerable amount after all,” Shade explained. This made Trila ecstatic. She had never been able to perform any of the spells that Shade had taught her, but now since she discovered her power, they might just work. With some practice, of course.

            It was growing dark outside and the two decided to pack up and head home. They lived in the city of Shmhah, which was a small, but cheerful place. Many dragons and humans lived there. There were few elves, but everyone got along for the most part. The buildings were made from the materials found on their planet. There were limited resources, but everyone was able to get by somehow. On the way back to their houses, they met up with Sesilae, who was talking to some of the people.

            “Hey, how are you?” Trila asked. Sesilae smiled and bowed.

“I’m doing all right. Have you been practicing spells again?” She asked, noticing Shade dusting off some of the black specs that were still lingering on her shoulder. Trila laughed, nervously.

            “I tried a spell, and it actually worked. Not the way it was supposed to, but I was able to get it a little at least,” she replied.

            “That’s good,” Sesilae stated. Shade glared at Trila again, which made her gulp. Sesilae laughed. “I am about to head home to make dinner. Are you two doing the same?” She asked. Trila nodded.

            “I am living with my mother and five children, and it’s my turn to cook tonight. So I better get home and prepare the feast,” she stated, making them laugh. Shade looked at the ground, thinking of her parents. 
           
            “I should… get home too,” she stated, running off. Trila and Sesilae looked at each other sadly, and then went their separate ways.

2

Sesilae

            Now, Sesilae’s story is a sad and tragic one, more so than the others. When she was born, her parents did not want her. They were powerful dragons and did not have time for a child. They kept saying she was an accident, because dragons usually have about ten or even twenty children at one time. She was the only one born. So they gave her to another family, where she was happy for five years, until the wars started. Both her adoptive parents ended up fighting against the elves and losing, so they became slaves to the elves. Sesilae tried to form a group to rescue them, but the plan failed. It actually made the situation worse and the head elf, Pastem, killed them when he had found out there was an intruder in the elves’ fortress. Sesilae managed to escape somehow, and had to live on her own for a few years. This was hard and painful, since there were not a whole lot of resources left after the first war, and Sesilae was still very young, even though dragons age quicker than humans do.

            She wandered around until an elf recognized her in a village. She was chased through town and finally captured. She was put through experiments that took days to complete at a time. She was given little food and water, just barely enough to stay alive. Every night before midnight she was abruptly awoken and was taken to a torturing chamber, where she was hooked up to a device that recorded the amount of pain that she could take. Then she was placed back in her cell where she finally would drift back to sleep before dawn, when she would wake up for more experiments.

            These experiments were to test her strength and speed. Even though the elves knew that she was a young dragon, they were still obsessed with research and power. They wanted to learn anything they could from Sesilae, putting her through as many tests as they could. Some were tests of stamina, where they would throw rocks or various heavy objects at her in a simulated room. She would have to try to break the objects in her human and dragon form. She would have cuts and bruises all over her by the end of the day, even though she would heal them every time, she was just get more when she was tortured.

            Sesilae stayed in the fortress for eleven years. She did not know how she survived, but when her best friend, Singe, saved her from her cell, she was very grateful. He had been working for the elves at the time, but he was a spy for the dragons. He was able to mask his presence so that they thought he was an elf. He was very sneaky and crafty, so that made escaping easy for him. Every day he would try to visit Sesilae, which made the day a little easier for her. Sometimes she would be in so much pain she could not look at him, let alone speak. Singe also helped her with her wounds.

            After her escape, Singe had to go back to work for the organization. He did not say what type of organization or work he did, just that it may be a long time before he would see her again. She was saddened by this, but knew that it could not be helped. He did stay until she was strong again. He helped her find a family to live with, and introduced everyone. Everyone in town also helped her out, she found a place to work quickly. It was a small shop that sold jewelry and other small things. It was something to pass the time, and Sesilae enjoyed it. She loved the people in the town, and made friends every day. She only had the one while she was in captive, since he was the only dragon there.

        Then the day came when Singe had his first mission since spying on the research facility. Sesilae hated to see him leave, hated saying goodbye. Before she knew it she had fallen in love, something she thought was never possible, lying in that cell. Now her love was leaving, she felt empty, as if a part of her were leaving as well. She knew she would never be lonely, physically, but her heart ached.

        “I’ll be back soon, I promise,” he had said. Sesilae looked at him sadly. “Don’t give me that look! I’ll be back in a few days and everything will be all right,” Singe said, smiling. Sesilae smiled slightly and then wrapped her arms around his waist. His eyes widened.

      “I want… to tell you this before you leave,” she started. They were both blushing by now. “I… I think I’ve fallen in love with you,” she said, softly. Singe was surprised.

      “What?”

      “I think I’m in love with you,” she replied, a little louder this time. Singe backed up a little, but then put a hand on her left cheek. He stroked the scar that had been made by the elves, gently. She blushed even more.

      “I love you too,” he said. He leaned in slowly, making Sesilae back up for a second, but then she leaned in too, until their lips touched. They both had their eyes closed tightly, and Sesilae’s hand was in Singe’s. Sesilae thought she was dreaming. She had been in a cell for so long. She never knew she could feel this way; it was so powerful, so overwhelming. Then her heart was empty again, he left, after a minute. Sesilae waved as he walked off, fading slowly as he grew farther and farther apart from her.

       The next few weeks were hard, but she was able to be happy in the new home that she found. She lived with a woman; that was around her mother’s age when she had been captured, so Sesilae called her mother, and five other children. They were all young, but very smart. Sesilae often helped them with their school work, but most of the time they did it on their own. Two of the children were the mother’s, Naitel, and the other three were orphans, like Sesilae. Everyone in the town was very kind to her, and she learned fast that these people could be trusted, even though she was different from some of them. The town was a mixture of dragon, elves, and human, so Sesilae felt at home here. She did not know what to expect at first, but people kept coming up to her to offer sympathy, so she felt relieved. Even if Singe was not around, she was free from pain and suffering. 

      “Sesilae? Are you all right?” Naitel asked, worried. They were in the main room of the house, which had a round table in the middle, with seven chairs around it, a large chair that sat near the right corner, and a few shelves with some pictures sitting on them. Sesilae looked at her and smiled slightly.

      “Yes, I am just thinking of the past,” she replied. This made Naitel worry even more. She had come to think of Sesilae as her daughter as well, even though Sesilae was over one hundred years old. “Really, mother, I’m fine. I just wish… I could see Singe again soon.”

      “You will, dear. I am sure of it. If you truly love him, he will come back,” Naitel said, smiling. Sesilae smiled at this, but then decided to go up the stairs to the left of the table and go to her room. She lay flat on her bed, and looked at a picture of her and Singe, it had been taken before he had left. She sighed.

     “Singe, where are you?” She asked, out loud. One of the children, Saya, came in her room and went up close.

     “Are you sad, Sesi?” She was only ten years old, and an elf, so she had a long life ahead of her. Sesilae smiled and patted the kid on the head.

     “I’ll be fine. Why don’t we play a game tomorrow, all right?” She asked.

     “Yay! A game with Sesi!” The girl cried and skipped out of the room. Sesilae sighed and remembered when she was that young. She was in captivity. The experiments had caused her to grow, and that is why she was the person she was today. Sesilae had sometimes wished she was someone else, some other being or not a being at all. She wanted to get away from her normal life, but she knew if she went after Singe, he would be angry.  He may not talk to her again, and it would break her heart. She wanted to see him so badly, it hurt her entire being. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door downstairs. Naitel answered it, and Sesilae heard a mumbled, but familiar voice. She jerked up and ran out the door and down the stairs. She could not believe who it was.

3

Quest

 

            There are many mysteries in the world. No one person or being can truly say that they have seen it all. Everything is beautiful, no matter how ugly situations or people can get. This is what Trila wanted to believe. She understood that no one was perfect, not even elves or dragons. They all had flaws. These flaws would be the death of them, someday, some time and place. It had to happen eventually. Trila knew that her time would come, and she was not afraid of it. Trila lived to the fullest, or she thought she did. She only had one mission in life, and that was to find all of the Winged Ones, and bringing them together. She wanted everyone to get along, so that another war could be prevented.

            Trila was outside, lying on the hill just outside of her home, gazing up at the stars. There were so many, she wondered what it was like to travel through space. She sighed, knowing that she would never get the chance too, even with dragon abilities; they were not able to transport humans to other worlds. Elves could do it, but only if they were high ranking, and there were few of those left. They were all in other worlds as well. Trila sighed again. She decided it was time to go inside when she shivered. It was beginning to get cold; frost lined the grass and tree roots. Tempessia had two seasons, summer, which they called Solari, and winter, or Wintia. Each had its better and worse times, Trila preferred Wintia.

            Once inside, Trila went to her room after saying goodnight to her guardian, and went to her room, which was just down the hall a little ways. Their house was small, but Trila liked it. It had two bedrooms, two baths, a small kitchen and one big living room. Trila lived with a guardian she called Chiena. She was also half-human, half-angelic. Chiena took Trila in after the war. She felt sorry for Trila, since she had also lost her husband. He was everything that she had had. So she was excited to hear that a little girl was looking for a home, and that she could help. Trila loved Chiena very much. She always thought that her mother must have been like her, loving and kind. That night Trila dreamt of her mother.

           “You must hurry, take Trila and go!” Saiya cried. She was standing in front of a burning building, not far from a castle. She had long blonde hair, just like Trila’s. The man she had been calling out to was tall, and had dark black hair. He was holding on to a scared, little girl. She was six years old, and crying.

            “But dear, what about you?” He, Triam, asked.

            “I’ll meet up with you in a bit,” Saiya called. Suddenly, a flash of light hit the area, blinding Triam and the young Trila. A figure had jumped down in front of Saiya, raised a sword, and thrust that arm down, so the sword pierced Saiya’s chest. Blood sprayed everywhere. Trila started to cry and Triam called out to the figure.

            “You… bastard!” He cried and unsheathed his own sword. He ran towards the figure, which was now more visible. It was a man about Triam’s size, he also wore a cape that covered his face with a hood. His eyes seemed to glow for a split second before he ducked to dodge Triam’s attack. The man sliced through Triam’s torso, cutting him in half. “Trila…” Triam stuttered, before falling to the ground, dying instantly. The man put the bloody sword back in the scabbard, and turned his head to the crying Trila. He went over to her; she stopped crying, and stood perfectly still.

            “Girl, make sure you forget this day. Forget what happened here. I had to… I had to do this; it was for the sake of the kingdom. When you are old you will understand, but until then, please forget,” the man said, in a kind voice. Trila was confused. How can such a killer have that voice? The man then put a hand on her head and rubbed gently. “My name is Singe, pleased to meet you Trila,” he said, and then walked off into the smoke from the burning houses.

            Trila jerked up in bed, tears streaming down her face. Chiena knocked on the door.

            “Trila? Are you all right?” She asked. Trila wiped away the tears, but they kept falling. She got out of bed and slipped a bathrobe on. She then opened the door and rushed out, almost knocking over Chiena.

            “I’m sorry, I have to go. I have to talk to Sesilae,” Trila said and walked quickly out the front door. She walked down the streets and towards Sesilae’s house. The sun was just about to rise, so it was very dark outside. Stars shown above, as Trila knocked on Sesilae’s door, hard. “Sesilae! I know you are there! I know what happened to my parents! I know Singe killed them, murdered them, for the sake of the kingdom! Come out!” She cried, tears still falling. Sesilae answered the door, in a bathrobe as well. She was rubbing her eyes.

            “What about Singe?” She asked. Trila looked sadly at the floor. “Come inside,” Sesilae said. They went into the kitchen area and sat down at the table.

            “I’m sorry… I know it’s late. I just had to come and tell you. I had a dream, or rather, a memory recollection. It was of when my parents were killed in the war. The person responsible… was Singe. He told me, to forget everything. So that’s what happened, I forgot until now. I’m so sorry… I cannot forgive him either,” Trila explained. Sesilae had tears in her eyes.

            “No! You must be mistaken! Singe would never do something like that, ever! I mean, he did kill some scientists and guards, but that was only to help me! He would never just kill two people!” Sesilae cried. Trila again looked down, sadly.

            “I’m sorry, it’s the truth. I… didn’t believe it at first, but there’s no way that could have been a dream. It was Singe,” Trila said. She now had tears in her eyes. She did not want to believe it. She had loved her parents, dearly, but she also loved hearing about how Singe had saved Sesilae’s life, and how he had helped her find a new life. Trila was not mad at Sesilae at all, she loved her as a friend. “Are you angry with me?” She asked. Sesilae was surprised and shook her head.

            “No! I’m just, shocked, that’s all. I think… I will try to find Singe and ask him what happened. I will go now,” Sesilae said quickly and started to go upstairs. Trila grabbed her arm.

            “I am leaving soon to find all of the Winged, why don’t you come with me? We can ask him together. I don’t think anything less of you, I was just shocked that the kind man you spoke about could do such a terrible thing. I want to know as well. Come with me, but tomorrow afternoon,” Trila explained. Sesilae hesitated for a moment, but then sighed.

            “I guess I can come with you. I don’t blame you for anything; it just shocked me as well.” There was an awkward pause and the two wiped away their tears.

            The next morning, Trila awoke feeling rested, even though she had stayed up late the night before. She was excited, nervous, happy, and sad all at the same time. She wanted to get going as soon as possible so that they could find Singe, and all of the Winged. It was her mission, her destiny, her fate. She needed this, something to hold on to. Trila yawned and got dressed and ready for breakfast. Chiena was preparing a large meal for everyone before Trila was ready to set out. Chiena always did this before something big was going to happen. Trila loved her for it.

            “Morning!” Trila singed. Chiena gave her a weird look.

            “Where did you go last night?” She asked. Trila practically skipped over to the kitchen counter to help with the eggs.

            “I… had to go talk to Sesilae. Everything’s all right, don’t worry. She’s coming with me to find Singe,” Trila replied, cracking a few eggs over a pot.

            “Will Shade be joining you as well?”

            “Yes. She’s meeting us here in an hour. I have everything packed and ready to go.” Trila was now a little bit nervous, she now saw how saddened Chiena was by her leaving, and did not want to disappoint her. “I’m sorry, mother. I have to do this. I feel this urge to do something, besides become a brilliant mage. I can’t just sit around here forever. I need something in my life,” Trila explained. Chiena sighed and stopped cooking for a minute. She turned to Trila and put her hands on her daughter’s shoulders.

            “You are absolutely sure you want to do this?” Trila nodded. “Okay, then I can’t stop you. You are old enough to make your own decisions. Please promise me you’ll be careful,” Chiena said, a few tears in her eyes. Trila nodded again and smiled.

            “Of course, I know how to use magic now, and I’ll have Sesilae and Shade with, two powerful beings. You have nothing to worry about. Breakfast is ready, I’ll call everyone,” Trila said, getting the plates and glasses down from a cupboard and set them down on the counter. She then went upstairs to wake the children. It was early, but not too early, it was around eight o’clock. The children’s names were Dari, Zaria, Mel, Tali, and Seme. All had lost their parents in the war, and were now living with Chiena and Trila. Trila was the oldest, of course, being seventeen, and in order of the names the children were seven, eight, ten, twelve, and fourteen. They were all very good children, and Trila loved each one as a brother and sister.

            After breakfast had ended, Shade and Sesilae were waiting outside for Trila. Chiena and the children went out with her, and all took turns giving her a hug.

            “Remember to be careful, and be sure to write,” Chiena said, tears in her eyes again. Trila started to tear up as well, but wiped the tears away before could fall.

            “I will, I promise. See you all soon!” She said, waving. Sesilae and Shade said goodbye as well and the three walked off. It was going to be a long journey, since Trila wanted to go to each sector, in order to find Winged. She had to travel as much as she could. Uniting the Winged was her goal, and finding Singe.

4
The Long Road

 

          Trila yawned, she thought about the conversation she had with Sesilae and looked over towards her direction. Sesilae was smiling, but Trila knew that she was thinking of Singe too. Trila kept denying that it happened, and yet, she knew that it did. How could anyone kill someone else? What drove this man to commit such a horror? The three were walking down a dirt road; it seemed to wind on forever. Fields lay to either side of them, there were some flower patches, and most of it was just green grass. Frost covered all of it. Shade shivered, and rubbed her arms.

            “Why don’t we take a break here? It’s almost noon, and I’m getting hungry,” Sesilae suggested. Shade and Trila nodded and the three went out into the left field, where they found a flat part to sit down in. Trila put down a blanket that she had in her sack. They sat and Sesilae took out some food from a basket she had been carrying. She spread sandwiches and fruit on the blanket. She also had a hot container of tea. (She had been keeping it hot with a spell.)

            After lunch was over, they decided to get moving again. The clouds were getting darker and were covering the sun. It felt damp and the air was getting fogged over.

            “We should head for cover,” Trila suggested, as it started to rain. Suddenly, it was pouring out. Lightning struck, which made Sesilae very uncomfortable. It had been raining and lightning the day that Singe left. Trila smiled at Sesilae and Shade, which made them feel a little better. Shade liked the weather, but sensed something was wrong. They had just started walking when a figure was coming towards them.

            “Stop right there!” The figure called. It was a female’s voice, and she had to shout over the rain and thunder. The wind blew even harder than it had been, and almost knocked them over.

            “Who are you?” Sesilae asked. Lightning struck, making her visible for a few seconds. She had long, red hair that was tied into a ponytail, and a black, leather body suit on. Her eyes were dark green, and seemed to glow with the light. She was smiling, evilly.

            “I am known as Chain, since that is my power, and I will destroy you with it!” Chain cried, she stretched out her arm and flicked up her hand, several chains flew out of the palm of her hand. They swiveled until they reached Trila and then they separated, and tried to hit each of them. They dodged just in time, but they slid in the muddy ground though, since the rain had made it slippery. Sesilae created a barrier around them, making the rain slide off of it as well. Trila started up a spell as well as Shade. “You fools! That’s never going to work, no matter how powerful you are!” Chain cried.

            “Why are you coming after us? What did we do to make you attack us?” Sesilae asked. Trila raised a hand above her head and said some elfin words. She then thrust her hand in front of her, holding her arm with her other hand.

           “Mah temp vol!” She cried and fire shot out, but it dissipated before reaching Chain. She laughed.

            “Ha! What was that? You must be a trainee!” She cried, and shot more chains at them. Sesilae started to yell and put her hands clasped together behind her back. Trila was confused at first, but then saw a hilt of a sword, and then a blade form in mid-air. Sesilae rushed forward and dodged all of the chains that were coming towards her. She jumped in the air and sliced down at Chain, colliding with the chains, making sparks in the rain. Sesilae cried out and managed to slice through and cut Chain’s shoulder, making her fall on her right knee and hold her shoulder. Sesilae held her sword up to Chain’s neck, she smiled. “You have won this round, but I will be back, I promise you!” She cried and disappeared. The sun also appeared again when she did. The rain stopped and Sesilae put away her sword, feeling more at ease. Trila ran up to her.

            “Are you hurt at all?” She asked. Sesilae smiled, wiping off her wet hair.

            “I’m fine. Do you want me to show you how to amplify the spell that you performed?” She replied. Trila lit up.

            “You mean that I failed at, yes, I would like to learn more. If that’s all right with you, Shade. I know you’ve been my teacher for all things magic,” Trila said. Shade shrugged.

            “I don’t mind. Obviously, I couldn’t teach you enough to be useful in a fight. Maybe a different mentor will help you,” she replied. Trila looked at the ground for a moment, feeling guilty for letting her friend down. She wanted to be useful, to help everyone in dire times. They then decided to get moving again, since they did not know the next time Chain would come back. Why was she even there in the first place? They all wondered, and they wondered what she could be after.

            Soon after setting out again, they reached a town. It was small, and had fewer houses than their own village. The houses themselves were made out of wood and sticks. They had not yet learned of the technology or power that the elves possessed. Sesilae noticed a few people standing around talking. They looked human, but when the three got closer, they realized that two of them were elves and the other one was dragon. The man had a tail, and the other two had long pointed ears. They seemed to be talking about the war. Everyone could understand each other, since they were using Shinma.

            “But if we didn’t have the war, then we wouldn’t be where we are today,” the dragon man said.

            “Many people lost their lives though, how can you justify that with one phrase?” The female elf asked. Shade and Trila looked down as they walked past. They were thinking of their parents, and Trila cringed, knowing what really happened to hers, she had to find out the real reason why Singe had killed them. She wanted the truth.

            “We should find an inn to stay in for the night. We don’t know if Chain will come here or not. I will investigate later,” Sesilae suggested. This sounded good to Trila and Shade, they both nodded. They found the inn down the next short road, of which there were only three, so it was not hard to find. They checked in and decided to eat at the small restaurant that was inside. The inn was one story, and had four windows, but was pretty long. Then the three that were talking when they had first arrived, came over to their table.

            “Are you travelers?” The dragon asked. Sesilae nodded.

            “You might want to consider leaving before nightfall,” the female elf said. The other elf nodded.

          “You don’t want to be here at night, trust me. If you are not a resident, they will surely find you,” he said. Trila saw fear in his eyes, which is something that she thought elves could not feel. Apparently, there was something that even the elves were afraid of. Trila did not like this.

            “Who are they?” She asked. The three looked at each other, and then back at her.

            “They are beings far beyond anything that you can imagine. They come and take anything they can, and if someone resists… they kill that person. You really should leave,” the female elf explained. All three of them nodded.

            “We’re not afraid of anything! We’re on a quest, we have to stay here tonight, we will leave in the morning,” Shade said, standing up. The dragon sighed.

            “If you really insist. We did warn you though,” and with that, they went back to their table. Shade sat down and took a sip from her glass.

            “Really, it’s like a ghost story. Do they expect us to believe them?” Shade saw her friend’s foot tapping up and down, and sighed. “There’s nothing to be afraid of, we’ll protect you, right Sesilae?” Sesilae nodded.

            “Right, we won’t let anything happen,” she said.

            “I know, and I am learning magic, it’s just what they said reminds me of a place that I stayed in a long time ago,” Trila said, looking down. Shade and Sesilae looked at each other. Trila shook her head, and went back to her food.

            “You never told me anything about this. Where did you live?” Shade asked, worried. Trila was surprised. Her friend usually never asked about the past, unless it was absolutely necessary. Trila looked down.

            “It was… before I met Chiena. Right after the war, when we were separated for a short time. I was only a small girl, but I still remember hiding from creatures, and huddling with another group of children. That’s when Chiena saved me,” Trila explained. Sesilae and Shade looked sadly at their plates. Shade regretted asking her friend. “It’s okay, I’m in a better home now, and that’s all that matters, right?”

            “That’s good. I’ve never seen you without a positive attitude about things. I’m glad to have met you,” Sesilae said, smiling. Shade also smiled.

            “Thanks. I’m glad I met you two as well. This is going to be a long journey, so I’m not sure when it will end, but I hope you will stick with me,” Trila said. The two nodded.

            “Of course, you know I love a good fight every once and awhile. And I’d never let you down,” Shade replied. Trila laughed.

            “I’m trying to find Singe as well, and ask him what happened, so of course I’ll accompany you,” Sesilae stated.

            After their meal, it was starting to grow darker, and the wind picked up a bit. The owner of the inn shut all the windows and barricaded the door. Trila, Shade, and Sesilae went to their room. They each put their bags under their beds, and hid anything valuable, just in case. When they turned out the lights and crawled into bed, they heard some strange noises from outside.

            “What was that?” Trila asked.

           “Don’t worry, we put spells around the room and our belongings, remember?” Sesilae whispered. Then the whole room seemed to wave, and the walls looked like they were made out of water. The three pretended as if they were asleep, but Trila kept one eye slightly open. A creature in a cloak came through the far sidewall, floating. Then more of the creatures came from all angles, and they all had short, black wings. Trila almost gasped, but remembered what the elves and dragon had said and stopped herself. The creature turned towards her, and she shut her eye quickly. It floated to the foot of her bed and stopped. It then slowly bent over and reached under, grabbing the bag that was supposedly hidden with a spell. Trila winced, knowing that her clothes and necklace she received from Chiena were in that bag. Just as the creature was leaving, Trila sat up. It stopped.

            “Trila! No, get back into bed,” Sesilae whispered. Shade was also afraid, but did not say anything.

            “I am not going to let you take my necklace! It was given to me by Chiena, and is very precious to me!” Trila said, starting a fire spell in her hands. The creature turned around, its long neck twisting as it did so. Trila gasped, but planted her left foot behind her and drew her hands back. Before she could say the spell, the creature created a blade out of its arm, and stabbed her through the side.

            “Trila!” Shade cried, getting up now. Sesilae also got up and started a powerful spell. The creature thrust its arm to the side, causing Trila to smash against the wall and fall on the floor. Blood flowed out of her side. She had one eye open and watched the creature fade through the wall, taking the bag with it. Trila had tears in her eyes as she fainted. Sesilae ran to her side and began a healing spell. Shade also helped with the spell.

            “Damn, why did this have to happen?” Shade asked. She was worried about her friend, whose face had been stained with tears. Sesilae was also worried.

            When the healing spell was complete, Trila opened her eyes slightly. Her cheeks felt hot, and she instantly put a palm to her forehead. Sesilae and Shade smiled.

            “My… necklace…” Trila started. She tried to sit up, but winced and rolled on her back.

            “We’ll get it back, don’t worry,” Shade said.

            “How? You heard what the villagers said, and you saw what happened to me,” Trila said. The room was silent for a moment.

            “We could try a tracking spell!” Sesilae exclaimed. She stood up and went to get a spell book. Trila was able to sit up in a chair and she looked confused.

            “A tracking spell?” She asked.

            “Yes, I can track your necklace. If I know what it looks like, I can pinpoint its location and hopefully be able to see around the spell we placed on it,” Sesilae explained.

            “Okay, it’s a silver chain, with a red pendant on the end of it. It also has a rose etched in black on top of the stone.” Trila stood up slowly, with the help of Shade, and they went over to Sesilae, who was now sitting with her legs crossed and arms stretched out in front of her. She nodded, and looked in the book sitting on her lap.

            “Tia sol… meh sam necklace creis!” She cried. A cloud filled the room on the ceiling, and then dust flew down in front of Sesilae from the cloud. It made a circle, and then a picture appeared in the middle of the circle. It was of the pendant, being held by the creature with black wings. It was muttering something that they could not understand. It was in another language, and not the ancient language that Tempessia used.

5

The Winged Midnights and Singe

 

            Trila looked at the creature and winced, remembering what it did to her, and felt both hatred and rage.

            “Can you sense where it is?” She asked. Sesilae closed her eyes, they were moving back and forth under her eyelids. She shook her head slowly, but then reached out towards the picture. She was trying to see the area in which the creature was located. She saw a room made out of brick and steel, and it had a large steel door as well. Then, the creature seemed to look at her, and a wave of energy came from its head. It blasted through the picture and hit Sesilae. She flew back, causing her to hit her head on the wall next to the bed. “Sesilae!” Trila cried. She went over to her friend, who was rubbing her head.

            “I’m all right. He just… threw me back. I did see where it was though,” she stated. Shade and Trila smiled at each other. “First, we should get some sleep. We can go to the place tomorrow, when it’s daylight. I know where it is, so it won’t be a problem to find it,” Sesilae suggested. Trila yawned.

            “Yeah, getting stabbed really takes it out of you,” she said, smiling. Shade shot her a look and she stopped smiling. The three fell asleep shortly after this, and Trila dreamt of her parents again. This time it was a happy memory of a birthday party. Tears still stuck at the corners of her eyes.

            In the morning, Sesilae was the first to wake. She got some breakfast for all of them, and Trila and Shade awoke after she came back. When they had eaten, they set out for the place where the creature had taken the necklace.

            “The Winged Midnights came again, didn’t they?” A villager asked another villager.

            “Yes, it took my mirror. I didn’t try and stop it, since I knew what would happen,” the other said. Trila looked down as they kept walking.

            “That must be what they’re called, the Winged Midnights,” Shade whispered. Trila nodded. The one villager turned and looked at her.

            “You don’t want anything to do with them, they are dangerous,” she said. She was an elf that had long blond hair and green eyes. The other was a male elf with shorter blond hair and gray eyes.

            “We… need to deal with them somehow. They took my necklace,” Trila said, clenching a fist. Shade put a hand on her friend’s shoulder.

            “You’re better off leaving it with them. Trying to get something back… well, it’s impossible,” the male elf said.

            “I don’t care, I’m going to try anyways,” Trila retorted. The elf blinked.

            “Your death wish,” the other said. Trila and the others walked on, and Trila became a little afraid of what might happen to all of them. She did not want any of her friends in danger, let alone the townspeople. Trila looked down, and her friend Shade put a hand on her shoulder.

            “Don’t worry, if these beings have anything to do with the rest of the Winged, we have to at least find them,” she said. Sesilae nodded, and this made Trila feel a bit better. She smiled.

            The next town that they were traveling to was called Misal, which was known for a high priest that could supposedly bring people back from the dead. It was said that he was an elf with wings, so of course Trila was interested. She thought that he may know something on the Winged Midnights and Singe as well. Trila held her stomach, since it still stung from the blast, even though Sesilae had healed it well, she could still feel it.

            When they reached the town, after traveling over many barren roads, with few trees or any scenery at all to look at, there were hardly any people outside. It was cold, so Trila could understand why people would not want to come out. The town was also small; the houses were made out of wood and twigs for roofs. There were a few shops that were open, and had customers inside them, but other than that there was no activity.

            “I wonder why it’s so quiet here,” Shade stated.

            “Maybe the Winged Midnights came here as well,” Sesilae suggested.

There was one person in the middle of the road, he was wearing a hood and his eyes were shadowed over. Sesilae saw him and gasped. She stood frozen for a second, but then Shade put a hand on her arm.

            “What is it?” Shade asked.

            “It’s… Singe…” Sesilae replied, paralyzed. She then started running towards him. The man in the cloak turned around, and lifted his head slowly. Everything within the town disappeared, it was all white, except for the four. Shade and Trila looked around them; Sesilae had frozen and stared at the man. His eyes were shadowed over and his hair was longer, so it was hard to tell who it was, until he lifted his hood.

            “I knew this day would come,” he said, in a scratchy voice. It was not the soft, kind voice that Sesilae remembered. She started to cry, instantly. His face was a bit different, the cheek bones were higher, and there was a scar over his left eye, which he had closed. Sesilae could not move. She wanted to leap into his arms, but somehow, she couldn’t get her feet to go forward. Trila went up to them, but did not say anything.

            “Singe… I have… so many questions,” Sesilae stated, almost unable to speak. Singe smiled, sadly.

            “I know. Trila, you remembered?” He asked. Trila’s eyes widened.

            “So it was you? How could you?” She cried. Sesilae gasped.

            “I didn’t… want to believe it was true. You didn’t kill her parents, right?”

            “I’m sorry, Trila, Sesilae. I really wanted her to forget and not have to endure that pain,” he said.

            “You monster! You don’t deserve to live!” Trila cried, Shade had to hold her back in order to keep her from slashing her sword at him. Sesilae fell to her knees. Singe went up to Trila, as tears ran down her cheeks, and leaned forward. She started to hit his chest, but then sobbed into it. They both fell to their knees. Singe held onto her tightly. Shade went over to Sesilae and hugged her as well. The two cried for a few minutes, Trila a little longer, she eventually stopped and the town went back to normal. Trila and Singe stood up and she was still sniffing, but she had mostly forgiven Singe. He had explained that it was an order that he had to carry out, otherwise he would never have saved Sesilae. Sesilae felt horrible that the reason she was still alive was the cause of such death and destruction, but she was happy that everything was all right. She knew it would take some time for Trila to trust Singe, but she still wanted to hear everything.

            When they were at the inn, Singe went to a room by himself, and the three girls went to a different room, of course. It was slowly becoming dark, the sun was setting, since they had spent most of the day traveling. Sesilae sneaked out of their room when Trila and Shade were talking. She walked down the hall to Singe’s room. She hesitated to knock at first, but then Singe opened the door. He was surprised to see her standing there.

            “Uh… I was just about to get something to eat, I was wondering if… you would like something?” She asked, blushing. Singe smiled.

            “Sure. Here, I’ll pay for it,” he said and took out a few coins. (Currency was gold in this region, so Sesilae did not have that much money to spare.)

            “Thank you, I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she said happily and walked off. Singe waited for her return in his room. He was sitting on the bed when suddenly a sharp pain struck him in the head. He winced and bent forward. Sesilae came in and saw him. “Singe!” She cried and set down the tray of food quickly. She went over to him and knelt down in front of him. He looked up at her slowly and smiled.

            “It’s okay. This is normal.”

            “It’s not okay! Did the palace do something to you?” Singe winced again as the searing pain did not stop.

            “Yes. This is the price I have to pay for… saving you. I wanted to save you though, it was my duty to protect my own kind. But, I still had orders to follow, so they had to give me a punishment. I’m… always fighting…” he stopped, tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

            “What do you mean?” Sesilae asked, standing up. She sat in the chair that was lining the table and gave him a glass of water. He smiled and sipped some.

            “You know what I did before, right? It’s a barrier. In that barrier there are multiple barriers. Each is like a different dimension, in my mind, I’m in one of those dimensions, fighting with their drones,” he explained. Sesilae was still a little confused, but she understood most magics, since she was a skilled sorcerer and a powerful dragon.

            “So it’s like your soul is fighting these drones?” She asked. Singe nodded, blinking.

            “Yes, basically. This is also a way for them to detect exactly where I am at any moment. They can’t control me though, they can only take pieces of my soul. The Winged Midnights are also behind this.”

            “That’s who we’re trying to find! And we need to stop Chain as well. If she continues with this destruction, all of the Winged Ones will be demolished,” Sesilae stated.

            “Why are you trying to find the Winged Midnights?”

            “They stole something of value of Trila’s, so we want to help her get it back. We know it’s dangerous, but I’ve been able to survive, so I think I can handle it.”

            “I don’t… want to see you get hurt again. I don’t like it when my loved ones are in pain.” Sesilae smiled as Singe also sat at the table. They ate in silence.

            Meanwhile, Shade was trying to show Trila a locating spell. It was like the one Sesilae had used, only this was to find lost objects. Trila had her hand stretched out, and a red gem rested in her palm. It started to glow as Trila spoke in the old language. Her eyes were closed tightly.

            “That’s it, now shout out the last part and open your eyes quickly. You should see where the coin is even though it isn’t visible,” Shade explained. Trila did so and everything around her went black. She could see different shadows, the desk, the beds, and the window. Then something shone bright yellow, and she turned quickly to the right. She then walked over to it and picked it up. The room returned to normal. Shade smiled.

            “You did it! You’ve really gotten better,” she said. Trila smiled, but then sighed.

            “This still won’t help me. I need spells that are more powerful. If I’m going to face Chain, and the Winged Midnights. I know I have Midnight’s Toll, but I need something more.”

            “We’ll keep working. Don’t worry, Singe is here to help, and I’m sure Sesilae knows some powerful spells.” This made Trila a little angry, since she was still wary of Singe, but decided not to say anything. She wanted to bring all the Winged together, not tear them apart. She still had no idea on exactly how to do that yet, but Trila swore she would find a way.

6

Decisions

 

            The next day was going to be a long one, Trila knew in her mind. She still did not like Singe all that much, even though she had forgiven him for what he did to her parents. She held back from complaining though, since she was friends with Sesilae, and she knew that her friend loved Singe. She did not want to give Sesilae any trouble.

            The journey started out with kind weather, but then it had started to rain. They were on an open road, so there was no shelter. There were no trees to hide under either. Shade loved the rain. She could spend hours in it, even though she could get sick. Trila did not mind it and neither did Singe, since he had to work in some tough situations. Sesilae hated it. It had been raining on the day she was captured, and she remembered it well. She was dragged from her house, even though she was only eleven at the time, she could still fight back. She still failed to escape, and it was the rain that had stopped her from running. If she had not slipped, she could have gotten away. Now, silently, she cursed the rain.

            “Are you all right?” Singe whispered to her. She blushed and nodded. She took his hand as they walked quickly in order to get to the next village. It was not far from the previous one, but Trila was getting anxious. She wanted to find a way to get to the Winged Midnights, as well as Chain.

            “So, I see you have a friend with you this time,” a voice called out. Trila recognized the voice right away, it was Chain’s. Lightning struck the ground in front of the group, Chain was then made visible after everyone was able to see again. “No matter, I will still destroy you all!” She said, bringing her hands together, she started to form lighting in between her palms. The lightning grew stronger. Singe stepped in front of the girls and drew his sword. Chain laughed as she shot the lightning forward, which caused Singe to fly backwards. Sesilae ran to him.

            “Singe!” She cried. Chain laughed again. Trila grew angry and started a spell.

            “Mah… temp… vol!” She cried, creating a fireball in the middle of her palms. She waved her hands around the fireball so that it would grow bigger, and then she thrust her palms out, the fire flew through the rain, and struck Chain, causing her to crash to the ground. Trila was breathing heavily, but smiling. Sesilae had gone to heal Singe, who was slightly wounded on his shoulder. Shade started to chant a barrier, and a clear shield surrounded them. Chain got up slowly, coughing up blood.

            “All right, Trila! Now hit her again!” Shade cried. Trila started to chant again, this time, it was a binding spell. She raised her hands, and then shot them out towards Chain, but then Singe ran up to Chain and put his sword up to her neck. Trila finished the spell, and Chain’s hands whipped behind her back and were bound together by a glowing band. Her feet were also bound.

            “Now, who are you and what do you want with Trila?” Singe asked. Trila blushed a little, trusting Singe a bit more now.

            “I want her to die, of course,” Chain said, smiling. Sesilae got up and brushed herself off.

            “Why would you want Trila to die?” She asked.

            “She’s trying to bring all of the Winged together, right? For this reason, she must die!” Chain yelled and broke free of the bindings. Then she jabbed Singe in the ribs, causing him to release his sword, and she jumped over him and backwards. “I will let you go for now, but take my warning, next time will be different, I will definitely kill you then. And I’ll have the help of a few friends,” Chain said, and disappeared. Trila fell on her knees, and the rain stopped. Singe sheathed his sword and Shade and Sesilae went up to Trila.

            “Are you all right?” Sesilae asked. Trila smiled, a little pale.

            “Yes, I just wish I knew why Chain doesn’t want all of the Winged together. I mean, I do realize she’s evil and all, but still,” she replied. There was a pause, and then everyone laughed. “What?”

            “What you said… about her being evil,” Shade said, almost in tears she was laughing so hard.

            “I have never heard you laugh like that before. Sesilae, you too,” Trila stated, starting to laugh herself.

            “Let’s get going. The town’s just over this hill,” Singe said, smiling. He was glad to see that things were progressing right. He then fell to his knees, and held his head.

            “Singe!” Sesilae cried, kneeling in front of him. Blood ran down his chin.

            “It’s… all right,” he gasped.

            “What’s going on?” Trila asked, worried.

            “I’m… I’m always fighting. It’s the price that I had to pay for letting Sesilae go,” he said, wincing. Sesilae almost started crying as she put a hand on his cheek.

            “Always fighting?” Shade asked.

           “In my mind. I am in another dimension, fighting demons, or whatever comes at me. Right now, I just fought against one of their leaders. Of course I won, but he managed to scratch me,” Singe explained. Trila was surprised. She never knew about this kind of magic, or rather, no one had ever heard of that kind of magic.

            “Who put this spell on you?” Trila asked. Singe was able to stand, with Sesilae’s help.

            “It was… one of the Winged Midnights. They did it to keep me from disobeying orders, which I never did in the first place, unfortunately,” Singe said, looking at Trila for a second and then turning away. Trila smiled and went up to him. She put a hand on his shoulder.
            “I forgive you,” she said. Singe looked at her, sadly. He stood up slowly and wrapped his arms around her. Trila’s eyes widened for a moment, and then closed.
            “I’m so sorry. I wish I could take it back,” Singe said. Tears fell down Trila’s cheeks.
            “It’s okay, you had to. And if it weren’t for you, I would have never known Sesilae, one of my best friends. She is dear to me, and now so are you,” she said. Shade and Sesilae smiled. Singe blushed and backed away.

            “Thank you,” he said and then went over to Sesilae and put an arm gently around her shoulders.

            “Well, we have to decide what to do next,” Shade said.

            “Right. I think we need to find out more about where the Winged Midnights are staying. If we can somehow sneak into their fortress, then we can find out what happened to the necklace,” Sesilae suggested. Trila nodded.

            “Can we try that locator spell again?” She asked Shade. Shade nodded.

            “Sure. Now that we’re in an open field, it should work in a wider range. I will help you so that you have more power,” Shade suggested. Trila nodded. They walked until they found a secluded area. It was in an area that was covered in trees. Sesilae and Singe sat down in front of one tree, while Trila and Shade sat in front of another. Trila sat cross-legged and held out her arm. She closed her eyes and Shade put her hand on Trila’s shoulder. She focused her energy at her friend, and a wave of power flowed over the land. Everything went blank, only a few objects could be sensed, like a tree, or a bush. Then Trila searched further, and found a larger heat source, figures, with wings. They were hovering over something. It was small, and it was white and circular. Then Trila made out the chain, and the pendant. The spell broke and Trila stood up quickly.

            “I know where they are!” She said. Shade looked at Sesilae and then back at Trila.

            “Are you sure?” She asked. Trila nodded.

            “Well then let’s head out to their location. I know their weaknesses, or at least I think I do, so I’ll be able to fight them if we have to,” Singe stated, smiling. Sesilae had a worried expression on her face, but sighed.

            “Thank you. You know that none of you have to go through with this,” Trila said, looking at each one of her friends. Shade stood up and brushed herself off.

            “I’ve been your friend for a long time, I am with you to the end,” she said, smiling. Trila smiled.

            “I’ve only known you for a little while, but I can tell you are a good person. I will stay by your side,” Sesilae stated. Singe nodded.

            “As will I,” he said. Trila wiped away a tear that was about to fall, and then turned towards the road that was just a few feet ahead.

            “Thank you. Let’s get going,” she said.

5

The Winged Midnights and Singe

 

            Trila looked at the creature and winced, remembering what it did to her, and felt both hatred and rage.

            “Can you sense where it is?” She asked. Sesilae closed her eyes, they were moving back and forth under her eyelids. She shook her head slowly, but then reached out towards the picture. She was trying to see the area in which the creature was located. She saw a room made out of brick and steel, and it had a large steel door as well. Then, the creature seemed to look at her, and a wave of energy came from its head. It blasted through the picture and hit Sesilae. She flew back, causing her to hit her head on the wall next to the bed. “Sesilae!” Trila cried. She went over to her friend, who was rubbing her head.

            “I’m all right. He just… threw me back. I did see where it was though,” she stated. Shade and Trila smiled at each other. “First, we should get some sleep. We can go to the place tomorrow, when it’s daylight. I know where it is, so it won’t be a problem to find it,” Sesilae suggested. Trila yawned.

            “Yeah, getting stabbed really takes it out of you,” she said, smiling. Shade shot her a look and she stopped smiling. The three fell asleep shortly after this, and Trila dreamt of her parents again. This time it was a happy memory of a birthday party. Tears still stuck at the corners of her eyes.

            In the morning, Sesilae was the first to wake. She got some breakfast for all of them, and Trila and Shade awoke after she came back. When they had eaten, they set out for the place where the creature had taken the necklace.

            “The Winged Midnights came again, didn’t they?” A villager asked another villager.

            “Yes, it took my mirror. I didn’t try and stop it, since I knew what would happen,” the other said. Trila looked down as they kept walking.

            “That must be what they’re called, the Winged Midnights,” Shade whispered. Trila nodded. The one villager turned and looked at her.

            “You don’t want anything to do with them, they are dangerous,” she said. She was an elf that had long blond hair and green eyes. The other was a male elf with shorter blond hair and gray eyes.

            “We… need to deal with them somehow. They took my necklace,” Trila said, clenching a fist. Shade put a hand on her friend’s shoulder.

            “You’re better off leaving it with them. Trying to get something back… well, it’s impossible,” the male elf said.

            “I don’t care, I’m going to try anyways,” Trila retorted. The elf blinked.

            “Your death wish,” the other said. Trila and the others walked on, and Trila became a little afraid of what might happen to all of them. She did not want any of her friends in danger, let alone the townspeople. Trila looked down, and her friend Shade put a hand on her shoulder.

            “Don’t worry, if these beings have anything to do with the rest of the Winged, we have to at least find them,” she said. Sesilae nodded, and this made Trila feel a bit better. She smiled.

            The next town that they were traveling to was called Misal, which was known for a high priest that could supposedly bring people back from the dead. It was said that he was an elf with wings, so of course Trila was interested. She thought that he may know something on the Winged Midnights and Singe as well. Trila held her stomach, since it still stung from the blast, even though Sesilae had healed it well, she could still feel it.

            When they reached the town, after traveling over many barren roads, with few trees or any scenery at all to look at, there were hardly any people outside. It was cold, so Trila could understand why people would not want to come out. The town was also small; the houses were made out of wood and twigs for roofs. There were a few shops that were open, and had customers inside them, but other than that there was no activity.

            “I wonder why it’s so quiet here,” Shade stated.

            “Maybe the Winged Midnights came here as well,” Sesilae suggested.

There was one person in the middle of the road, he was wearing a hood and his eyes were shadowed over. Sesilae saw him and gasped. She stood frozen for a second, but then Shade put a hand on her arm.

            “What is it?” Shade asked.

            “It’s… Singe…” Sesilae replied, paralyzed. She then started running towards him. The man in the cloak turned around, and lifted his head slowly. Everything within the town disappeared, it was all white, except for the four. Shade and Trila looked around them; Sesilae had frozen and stared at the man. His eyes were shadowed over and his hair was longer, so it was hard to tell who it was, until he lifted his hood.

            “I knew this day would come,” he said, in a scratchy voice. It was not the soft, kind voice that Sesilae remembered. She started to cry, instantly. His face was a bit different, the cheek bones were higher, and there was a scar over his left eye, which he had closed. Sesilae could not move. She wanted to leap into his arms, but somehow, she couldn’t get her feet to go forward. Trila went up to them, but did not say anything.

            “Singe… I have… so many questions,” Sesilae stated, almost unable to speak. Singe smiled, sadly.

            “I know. Trila, you remembered?” He asked. Trila’s eyes widened.

            “So it was you? How could you?” She cried. Sesilae gasped.

            “I didn’t… want to believe it was true. You didn’t kill her parents, right?”

            “I’m sorry, Trila, Sesilae. I really wanted her to forget and not have to endure that pain,” he said.

            “You monster! You don’t deserve to live!” Trila cried, Shade had to hold her back in order to keep her from slashing her sword at him. Sesilae fell to her knees. Singe went up to Trila, as tears ran down her cheeks, and leaned forward. She started to hit his chest, but then sobbed into it. They both fell to their knees. Singe held onto her tightly. Shade went over to Sesilae and hugged her as well. The two cried for a few minutes, Trila a little longer, she eventually stopped and the town went back to normal. Trila and Singe stood up and she was still sniffing, but she had mostly forgiven Singe. He had explained that it was an order that he had to carry out, otherwise he would never have saved Sesilae. Sesilae felt horrible that the reason she was still alive was the cause of such death and destruction, but she was happy that everything was all right. She knew it would take some time for Trila to trust Singe, but she still wanted to hear everything.

            When they were at the inn, Singe went to a room by himself, and the three girls went to a different room, of course. It was slowly becoming dark, the sun was setting, since they had spent most of the day traveling. Sesilae sneaked out of their room when Trila and Shade were talking. She walked down the hall to Singe’s room. She hesitated to knock at first, but then Singe opened the door. He was surprised to see her standing there.

            “Uh… I was just about to get something to eat, I was wondering if… you would like something?” She asked, blushing. Singe smiled.

            “Sure. Here, I’ll pay for it,” he said and took out a few coins. (Currency was gold in this region, so Sesilae did not have that much money to spare.)

            “Thank you, I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she said happily and walked off. Singe waited for her return in his room. He was sitting on the bed when suddenly a sharp pain struck him in the head. He winced and bent forward. Sesilae came in and saw him. “Singe!” She cried and set down the tray of food quickly. She went over to him and knelt down in front of him. He looked up at her slowly and smiled.

            “It’s okay. This is normal.”

            “It’s not okay! Did the palace do something to you?” Singe winced again as the searing pain did not stop.

            “Yes. This is the price I have to pay for… saving you. I wanted to save you though, it was my duty to protect my own kind. But, I still had orders to follow, so they had to give me a punishment. I’m… always fighting…” he stopped, tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

            “What do you mean?” Sesilae asked, standing up. She sat in the chair that was lining the table and gave him a glass of water. He smiled and sipped some.

            “You know what I did before, right? It’s a barrier. In that barrier there are multiple barriers. Each is like a different dimension, in my mind, I’m in one of those dimensions, fighting with their drones,” he explained. Sesilae was still a little confused, but she understood most magics, since she was a skilled sorcerer and a powerful dragon.

            “So it’s like your soul is fighting these drones?” She asked. Singe nodded, blinking.

            “Yes, basically. This is also a way for them to detect exactly where I am at any moment. They can’t control me though, they can only take pieces of my soul. The Winged Midnights are also behind this.”

            “That’s who we’re trying to find! And we need to stop Chain as well. If she continues with this destruction, all of the Winged Ones will be demolished,” Sesilae stated.

            “Why are you trying to find the Winged Midnights?”

            “They stole something of value of Trila’s, so we want to help her get it back. We know it’s dangerous, but I’ve been able to survive, so I think I can handle it.”

            “I don’t… want to see you get hurt again. I don’t like it when my loved ones are in pain.” Sesilae smiled as Singe also sat at the table. They ate in silence.

            Meanwhile, Shade was trying to show Trila a locating spell. It was like the one Sesilae had used, only this was to find lost objects. Trila had her hand stretched out, and a red gem rested in her palm. It started to glow as Trila spoke in the old language. Her eyes were closed tightly.

            “That’s it, now shout out the last part and open your eyes quickly. You should see where the coin is even though it isn’t visible,” Shade explained. Trila did so and everything around her went black. She could see different shadows, the desk, the beds, and the window. Then something shone bright yellow, and she turned quickly to the right. She then walked over to it and picked it up. The room returned to normal. Shade smiled.

            “You did it! You’ve really gotten better,” she said. Trila smiled, but then sighed.

            “This still won’t help me. I need spells that are more powerful. If I’m going to face Chain, and the Winged Midnights. I know I have Midnight’s Toll, but I need something more.”

            “We’ll keep working. Don’t worry, Singe is here to help, and I’m sure Sesilae knows some powerful spells.” This made Trila a little angry, since she was still wary of Singe, but decided not to say anything. She wanted to bring all the Winged together, not tear them apart. She still had no idea on exactly how to do that yet, but Trila swore she would find a way.

6

Decisions

 

            The next day was going to be a long one, Trila knew in her mind. She still did not like Singe all that much, even though she had forgiven him for what he did to her parents. She held back from complaining though, since she was friends with Sesilae, and she knew that her friend loved Singe. She did not want to give Sesilae any trouble.

            The journey started out with kind weather, but then it had started to rain. They were on an open road, so there was no shelter. There were no trees to hide under either. Shade loved the rain. She could spend hours in it, even though she could get sick. Trila did not mind it and neither did Singe, since he had to work in some tough situations. Sesilae hated it. It had been raining on the day she was captured, and she remembered it well. She was dragged from her house, even though she was only eleven at the time, she could still fight back. She still failed to escape, and it was the rain that had stopped her from running. If she had not slipped, she could have gotten away. Now, silently, she cursed the rain.

            “Are you all right?” Singe whispered to her. She blushed and nodded. She took his hand as they walked quickly in order to get to the next village. It was not far from the previous one, but Trila was getting anxious. She wanted to find a way to get to the Winged Midnights, as well as Chain.

            “So, I see you have a friend with you this time,” a voice called out. Trila recognized the voice right away, it was Chain’s. Lightning struck the ground in front of the group, Chain was then made visible after everyone was able to see again. “No matter, I will still destroy you all!” She said, bringing her hands together, she started to form lighting in between her palms. The lightning grew stronger. Singe stepped in front of the girls and drew his sword. Chain laughed as she shot the lightning forward, which caused Singe to fly backwards. Sesilae ran to him.

            “Singe!” She cried. Chain laughed again. Trila grew angry and started a spell.

            “Mah… temp… vol!” She cried, creating a fireball in the middle of her palms. She waved her hands around the fireball so that it would grow bigger, and then she thrust her palms out, the fire flew through the rain, and struck Chain, causing her to crash to the ground. Trila was breathing heavily, but smiling. Sesilae had gone to heal Singe, who was slightly wounded on his shoulder. Shade started to chant a barrier, and a clear shield surrounded them. Chain got up slowly, coughing up blood.

            “All right, Trila! Now hit her again!” Shade cried. Trila started to chant again, this time, it was a binding spell. She raised her hands, and then shot them out towards Chain, but then Singe ran up to Chain and put his sword up to her neck. Trila finished the spell, and Chain’s hands whipped behind her back and were bound together by a glowing band. Her feet were also bound.

            “Now, who are you and what do you want with Trila?” Singe asked. Trila blushed a little, trusting Singe a bit more now.

            “I want her to die, of course,” Chain said, smiling. Sesilae got up and brushed herself off.

            “Why would you want Trila to die?” She asked.

            “She’s trying to bring all of the Winged together, right? For this reason, she must die!” Chain yelled and broke free of the bindings. Then she jabbed Singe in the ribs, causing him to release his sword, and she jumped over him and backwards. “I will let you go for now, but take my warning, next time will be different, I will definitely kill you then. And I’ll have the help of a few friends,” Chain said, and disappeared. Trila fell on her knees, and the rain stopped. Singe sheathed his sword and Shade and Sesilae went up to Trila.

            “Are you all right?” Sesilae asked. Trila smiled, a little pale.

            “Yes, I just wish I knew why Chain doesn’t want all of the Winged together. I mean, I do realize she’s evil and all, but still,” she replied. There was a pause, and then everyone laughed. “What?”

            “What you said… about her being evil,” Shade said, almost in tears she was laughing so hard.

            “I have never heard you laugh like that before. Sesilae, you too,” Trila stated, starting to laugh herself.

            “Let’s get going. The town’s just over this hill,” Singe said, smiling. He was glad to see that things were progressing right. He then fell to his knees, and held his head.

            “Singe!” Sesilae cried, kneeling in front of him. Blood ran down his chin.

            “It’s… all right,” he gasped.

            “What’s going on?” Trila asked, worried.

            “I’m… I’m always fighting. It’s the price that I had to pay for letting Sesilae go,” he said, wincing. Sesilae almost started crying as she put a hand on his cheek.

            “Always fighting?” Shade asked.

           “In my mind. I am in another dimension, fighting demons, or whatever comes at me. Right now, I just fought against one of their leaders. Of course I won, but he managed to scratch me,” Singe explained. Trila was surprised. She never knew about this kind of magic, or rather, no one had ever heard of that kind of magic.

            “Who put this spell on you?” Trila asked. Singe was able to stand, with Sesilae’s help.

            “It was… one of the Winged Midnights. They did it to keep me from disobeying orders, which I never did in the first place, unfortunately,” Singe said, looking at Trila for a second and then turning away. Trila smiled and went up to him. She put a hand on his shoulder.
            “I forgive you,” she said. Singe looked at her, sadly. He stood up slowly and wrapped his arms around her. Trila’s eyes widened for a moment, and then closed.
            “I’m so sorry. I wish I could take it back,” Singe said. Tears fell down Trila’s cheeks.
            “It’s okay, you had to. And if it weren’t for you, I would have never known Sesilae, one of my best friends. She is dear to me, and now so are you,” she said. Shade and Sesilae smiled. Singe blushed and backed away.

            “Thank you,” he said and then went over to Sesilae and put an arm gently around her shoulders.

            “Well, we have to decide what to do next,” Shade said.

            “Right. I think we need to find out more about where the Winged Midnights are staying. If we can somehow sneak into their fortress, then we can find out what happened to the necklace,” Sesilae suggested. Trila nodded.

            “Can we try that locator spell again?” She asked Shade. Shade nodded.

            “Sure. Now that we’re in an open field, it should work in a wider range. I will help you so that you have more power,” Shade suggested. Trila nodded. They walked until they found a secluded area. It was in an area that was covered in trees. Sesilae and Singe sat down in front of one tree, while Trila and Shade sat in front of another. Trila sat cross-legged and held out her arm. She closed her eyes and Shade put her hand on Trila’s shoulder. She focused her energy at her friend, and a wave of power flowed over the land. Everything went blank, only a few objects could be sensed, like a tree, or a bush. Then Trila searched further, and found a larger heat source, figures, with wings. They were hovering over something. It was small, and it was white and circular. Then Trila made out the chain, and the pendant. The spell broke and Trila stood up quickly.

            “I know where they are!” She said. Shade looked at Sesilae and then back at Trila.

            “Are you sure?” She asked. Trila nodded.

            “Well then let’s head out to their location. I know their weaknesses, or at least I think I do, so I’ll be able to fight them if we have to,” Singe stated, smiling. Sesilae had a worried expression on her face, but sighed.

            “Thank you. You know that none of you have to go through with this,” Trila said, looking at each one of her friends. Shade stood up and brushed herself off.

            “I’ve been your friend for a long time, I am with you to the end,” she said, smiling. Trila smiled.

            “I’ve only known you for a little while, but I can tell you are a good person. I will stay by your side,” Sesilae stated. Singe nodded.

            “As will I,” he said. Trila wiped away a tear that was about to fall, and then turned towards the road that was just a few feet ahead.

            “Thank you. Let’s get going,” she said.

7

Chain’s Revelation

            The sun was just about to set, and Trila had protested against staying in a town for the night, but then shivered. It had just rained, so the ground emitted a cold that she had never felt before. She finally gave in, and the four of them found the inn at the edge of town. The town was called Crys. (Pronounced Cries.) There was also a large library next door to the right, and a bar across the road. It was a small town, so there were not many people on the roads. Mist floated slightly above the ground, and it gave an eerie presence to it all. Once checked in, and after a light meal, Sesilae suggested they check out the library.

            “There might be some spell books in there that would give us an advantage over Chain and the Winged Midnights,” she stated, holding up one finger.

            “That’s a good idea. I would like to learn as much as I can,” Trila said. The four went into the building, and right away they could feel that it had been there for a long time, but also a strange sense of power. There were many spell books, a whole section was dedicated to them. “All right! Let’s get researching. I’m not tired at all, so I can go as long as I can,” Trila said, excited. Shade yawned, but then followed her friend up the staircase that lead to the spell books. There was a long table with many chairs in the middle of all the shelves. Singe and Sesilae also followed and grabbed a few books each and sat down.

            It seemed like forever until Trila started to read something about an ancient spell that had been lost, but was extremely powerful. Sesilae had fallen asleep on Singe’s shoulder, he was also nodding off. Shade was sleeping as well, her feet up on the table.

            “Everyone! I found something. It’s supposedly and ancient spell that had been lost until now. I don’t quite understand it though. Do you think you can look at it, Sesilae?” She asked, waking them up. Sesilae yawned and rubbed her eyes.

            “Sure,” she replied and took the book. Dust flew off in a cloud, and Sesilae brushed off some of the remaining dust. She read the first page, and then put two fingers up to her chin. “Hmm.”

            “What is it?” Trila asked.

            “Well, this is talking about a summoning spell. It was used by the dragon kind a long time ago, if they were ever in need of help. It was abandoned because of what it summons,” Sesilae explained, turning the page. There was an illustration, an enormous picture of one dragon in the middle of what looked like thousands, perhaps millions if there had been more space, of dragons. “This must be what the spell summons, all of the Winged creatures. There are even elves among the dragons, but are very tiny in comparison.”

            “This is what we’ve been looking for! We can use this to unite all the Winged, and gather enough help to fight!” Trila said, excitedly.

            “Wait, who is going to pull this off? I mean, I’m sure Sesilae is a strong dragon, and I am somewhat of a sorceress, but that’s not nearly enough power for this level of spell,” Shade stated. There was an awkward silence, but the Singe stood up, took his cloak off from the back of his chair, and pulled out a small bag from an inside pocket.

            “I received this as a gift for helping a village once. It’s supposed to have a magical amplifier sealed within,” he explained, taking out a small scarlet amulet, with gold wrapped around the outside and a gold chain attached.

            “Why didn’t you say you had such a powerful item before?” Sesilae asked.

            “I’m sorry, I had forgotten about it, until Shade mentioned that we needed more power,” Singe said, feeling a little embarrassed.

            “It’s okay! Now we’ll have enough to complete the spell, right Shade?” Trila asked. Shade looked at her friend, knowing the risks of what a spell like that could take, she still nodded. “Okay! Now how do we perform it?”

            “I will copy the spell in my book. I will be able to pull it off if I have the amulet,” Sesilae explained. Singe put the amulet around her neck, she blushed and smiled at him.

            “Why don’t we get some sleep before moving to the Winged Midnight’s position? I will be able to teleport us in the morning, as long as I have the exact place,” Shade suggested. Everyone agreed and went back to the inn after copying the spell.

            The following day came quicker than any other it seemed, and Trila awoke feeling groggy. She knew it was because she had stayed up the night before, but it had been worth it. Today was the day she was finally going to see all of the Winged, what she had worked so hard for, it was finally going to transpire. Suddenly, a huge flash appeared outside of the inn. Trila was blinded, and then her vision slowly came back to her. She ran outside, meeting Shade and the others. People also gathered, to see what was going on. Chain had appeared. She was beaten, there were bruises on her arms and legs. She was wearing a body suit that had been torn, and blood ran down her side. She was kneeling on one knee, and she looked up at Trila, angrily.

            “You… you little…” she started, but then she looked down again.

            “Are you all right?” Trila asked, going up to her. She knelt down in front of Chain, cautiously. Chain then grabbed Trila’s arm, and a chain wrapped around it. Trila’s head jerked backwards, and then forward again. Shade almost went up to Chain to try and stop her, but Sesilae stopped her.

            “We have to help!” She cried.

            “I don’t think Chain’s hurting Trila,” Sesilae stated. Chain looked into Trila’s eyes.

            “Now I will show you the pain I have had to suffer all these years,” she muttered. Trila’s mind was filled with images, memories. They stopped a few times. One memory was of Chain realizing her power, chains flying from her body, tearing through her skin. Blood flew everywhere. Tears fell down her face. Other memories were of young Chain wondering deserts, wearing nothing but a cloak, searching for food. Then, Trila saw herself, during the war, she was with Chain, crying. She noticed that she and Chain looked alike, very similar in fact. They were holding hands.

           Tears fell down Trila’s cheeks as Chain let go of Trila’s arm. The chain went back inside her body.

            “Yes, you are my little sister. I was ordered to kill you by the Winged Midnights. I didn’t want to, so that’s why they… hurt me. Please, please help me,” she said, tears falling down her face. The other people had gone back in their houses. Trila wrapped around her sister, lovingly, being careful not to touch the wounds. Sesilae went over to heal Chain.

            “Why didn’t I remember you?” Trila asked. Chain backed away slowly.

            “They made me put a memory spell on you, so that you would forget. Then I was taken in by one of the Winged Midnights. He did… horrible things to me,” Chain said, shivering. Sesilae sympathized with her.

            “I’m so sorry,” she said. Chain smiled, sadly.

            “I can help fight them, I want to get back at them for everything they did, to you and me,” Chain said, getting up. Trila wiped away her tears and smiled.

            “We’re going to them right now. We just found a powerful spell that will be able to help us fight them. Sesilae will be able to cast it,” Trila explained.

            “I can teleport us, if everyone is ready. Trila, I will need to look in your memories so that I know where the location is,” Shade said. Trila nodded and went over to Shade. She put a hand on Trila’s cheek, then Shade could see all of Trila’s memories in bubbles, but one was bigger than the rest, and glowing. It was the location of the Winged Midnights.

– Epilogue
The Final Fight

 

            The four appeared in the middle of a barren wasteland, somewhere outside of Crys. There was a strange energy a few feet ahead.

            “Are you sure this is where they are?” Shade asked. Trila nodded.

            “I’m sure,” she replied.

            “Are you read, Sesilae?” Singe asked. Sesilae smiled and looked at him.

            “I’ll be fine. Just cover me if something happens,” she whispered. Singe looked at her, worriedly. Then there was a large pulse, like everything around them was shaking, and four figures appeared. They were in shadows at first, but then they came into the light. Clouds covered the sun, and lightning struck the ground behind them.

            “We are the Winged Midnights, what business do you have with us?” One of them asked. His voice was strange, almost drowned out by something.

            “We are here to get my necklace back, and revenge for what you did to Chain,” Trila stated. The Midnights looked at each other and then chuckled. The laugh was haunting.

            “You will not get anything back from us. That is what we do, we take and do not give. But try all you will to fight us,” the woman Midnight said. Her eyes glowed red. She reached out an arm. Sesilae pulled the page with the spell written on it, and began chanting. Singe stepped in front of her, as Shade put up a barrier. Trila started a fire spell, and Chain started chanting as well. Chains came up out of the ground all around the Midnights. They formed a sort of bubble around them. Trila thrust her palms forward and fire shot from them, smashing into the chains, breaking through and hitting one of the Winged Midnights. He screamed as his body burned and melted. As Sesilae was chanting, auras of figures appeared, glowing brightly. They all had wings, either dragon or elf. The three remaining Winged Midnights broke through the chain bubble, and blasted electricity towards the barrier. It blinked a few times, but Shade kept chanting, and now Singe helped as well. (He was able to perform small level spells without an amplifier.)

            “You think this is enough to stop us?” One of the Midnights asked. One of them spoke in a language that the four had never heard of before, and more of the Midnights appeared. Then Sesilae finished the spell.

            “And this is when all of us will be brought together, this is where all of us will shine! Bring forth the power, the power to fight and be known! Let us have the ability to stop this evil force, SHINING STAR OF NIGHT! RAIN DOWN FROM THE HEAVENS!” Sesilae cried, her arms reaching to the sky, eyes glowing gold. Her dragon wings extended from her back, and so did Shade’s elf wings. A ray of light shone down from the sky, and hundreds, then thousands of dragons and elves appeared, all facing the Winged Midnights, ready to attack. Sesilae fell backwards, but Singe caught her, and sat her down gently. Her hair had turned white because she had used too much power, although it had already been blonde. The dragons and elves charged forward, they did not have to go far, since they took up the rest of the land, and Trila, Chain, Shade, and Singe also joined them. One of the elves stayed behind to heal Sesilae.

           “No! You will not destroy us!” All of the Midnights cried as they were either melted or shattered. Within a few minutes, all of the Winged Midnights were destroyed. Sesilae was back to normal, and everything that had been stolen from people over the years appeared, including Trila’s necklace, which she found right away and put around her neck. She then looked around her, every Winged was there, standing around her, she did not know what to say.

            “Haven’t you been wanting to see all the Winged together and have them finally stop fighting?” Shade whispered. Trila nodded, slowly. The dragons around her stared at her.

            “Uh… everyone, please hear me out. My name is Trila and I have been working hard to gather all of the Winged, and now that you’re finally here, I want to tell you that I am pleased to finally meet everyone. I love every creature that lives on our planet, Tempessia, and also Savet, Tomsia, Jaeve, and Mayel. I want everyone to be able to live in peace and not have to worry about war ever again. Please stop the battles, so that we don’t ever have to experience something so horrible again!” Trila called out. Then, everything was silent, and all of the dragons and elves knelt down on one knee and bowed their heads toward Trila.

            “We will do as you command, human,” the dragons said, using their minds to transmit the words.

            “Yes, we do not wish to fight anymore as well,” the elves said. Then there was another ray of light, and each one disappeared as they had come. Tears fell down Trila’s cheeks. She had finally achieved her goal, and could now go back home to Chiena. She smiled at her friends. Singe’s curse had been lifted, he was no longer fighting inside his mind, and Chain’s power had been removed, but she was happy. She was now a normal human again, and was able to live with her sister. Shade was the same, although she felt like she had grown a little more because of this journey. Sesilae was finally free of the torment she had faced when she was younger, and was able to live a normal life with Singe, the man she loved. Everything was right, and just. Peace flowed over the land like it was wind. Shade said that she could teleport everyone back to Shmhah.

            Once back in town, Sesilae and Singe went a separate way from the others, after hugs and goodbyes.

            “Thank you so much for your help. Come visit us soon!” Trila said, hugging Sesilae.

            “We will. I was glad to help out, plus you helped Singe as well,” she said, smiling.

            “I am very grateful,” Singe stated, hugging Trila, but not for too long, since he knew Sesilae was watching him. He also smiled at Chain and Shade, and they smiled back.

            “Goodbye!” Everyone said at once, and waved. Shade went back to her home, and Trila and Chain returned to Chiena, who had been waiting outside for them.

           “Welcome home,” she said. Chain was hesitant to say anything at first but then Trila nudged her.

            “I’m… Chain. I’m Trila’s older sister,” she said, a little under her breath. Chiena smiled. She went up to Chain and wrapped her arms around her. Tears fell down Chain’s face, they were tears of happiness and relief. She was finally in a place where she could be loved. Trila also hugged both of them.

            “It’s good to be home,” she said, smiling, and that smile remained there.

The End

            “Why am I even alive?” A young girl sat all alone on a black bench. Her face was covered in smudges. She had short brown hair and blue eyes. Her body was only covered by a sheet that had a hole cut to go over her head. Her mother had decided to leave her there that afternoon. It was raining. She was crying as the rain fell harder in between two buildings. A bright light came towards her. She shielded her eyes at first, then the light grew dim.

            “Who are you?” The girl asked. A young man appeared and smiled. His brown eyes looked into her’s. He had light hair and it was cut short. He had a cape around his brown shirt and brown pants. The girl took his hand, not knowing why.

            “I am someone with great power, and I can help you,” he said. She was happy to have someone again, someone who loves her…

Chapter 1

            “Mother! Wait!” Tomoi, 10 years old, ran after a tall woman, who was laughing. Tomoi was laughing also as she ran through the puddles.

            “I’m sorry, my sweet daughter, I have to leave you,” the woman said and ran off. Tomoi stood there, crying.

            Tomoi opened her eyes and starred at an unfamiliar ceiling. She had a dress on, it had blue flowers on it and the rest of it was white. She smiled and sat up to see the man that she had met the other day, standing there, next to her bed.

“Good morning. I made breakfast,” he said, smiling. The man suddenly started gasping and he held the spot on his coat where his heart was.

            “What’s wrong?! Are you alright?” Tomoi asked and went to him. He slowed down and put his other hand on her head.

            “I’m alright. My name’s Dar, don’t tell anyone, alright?” He asked, getting up. Tomoi nodded and went into the next room and sat down at a round table. Dar put some eggs onto her plate and his.

            “I hope you like them,” he said, smiling. She smiled as she took a bite.

            “I do like them! They’re delicious!” Tomoi ate happily. He was glad. It had been awhile since he had someone with him. Both his wife and daughter were killed by and evil wizard. He had to get revenge, and maybe this girl could help. He closed his eyes and stretched out his arm towards the girl. She looked at him and she started to glow. Tomoi closed her eyes and inside her mind she heard a voice, Dar’s voice.

            “Do you want to become stronger?” He asked. Tomoi nodded. She floated in the air and her aura glowed a bright red. She started screaming.     

            “The pain will pass, don’t worry,” Dar said. She couldn’t see him.

            “Where are you?” She cried. Her eyes grew blank and small angel wings opened on her back. She screamed one last time and opened her eyes. She had a different outfit on. It was black and went all over on her body. The wings were as long as one of her arms. She looked to Dar and saw him collapsed on the table.

            “Dar! Wake up!” Tomoi cried. She sat him up in a chair. He opened his eyes slowly.

            “Good, the transformation worked,” he said, holding his chest again. Tomoi was confused as to what just happened. “I gave you power, but the side effect is that you have strange feelings attacking your heart. That won’t happen until you’re older.”

            “What can I do?” Tomoi asked. Dar let go of his coat and put his hand on her head again.

            “You can go into peoples’ hearts and see what they cannot see about themselves or other people that they are close to. You can also see their nightmares and what they fear the most, and sometimes even, the future of the person they are close to,” he replied.

            “Shall I go try it?” Tomoi asked. Dar nodded. She left the apartment. There weren’t too many people around. She then saw a young lady who held onto a man’s arm. Tomoi stretched out her arms and concentrated on that lady. The lady kept on talking to the man. She saw the man inside the lady’s heart, he was shivering and in a car. He drove up to the lady’s apartment and three guys in black suits came around the corner. The man unbuckled his seatbelt and started to get out when one of the three men took out a gun and shot through the window and blood spilt everywhere. Tomoi gasped and stopped watching. She went back inside and saw Dar reading a book.        

            “I saw, a murder, it will happen two days from now,” Tomoi said and started to cry. Dar closed his book and hugged her.

            “You have to stop this murder, I know it’s a lot for a little girl like you, but you must do it for the person he loves,” Dar said, quietly.

            “I understand. I want her to be happy,” Tomoi said and wiped her tears away.

Chapter 2

            Two days from the vision…

            “I’m leaving now, mother,” Randy said. He took his black sports coat from the coat rack. He had an odd feeling when he walked out the door. He shivered since it was cold out. The rain had been pouring for three days now, but the water never seemed to get deeper on the ground. It was weird, Randy had to admit, but he didn’t let the rain bother him, since there weren’t any floods. He opened the door to his red car and sat down. He smiled as he thought of Mira. They were both in college and had the same classes.

            Two days ago…

            “C’mon Randy! Let’s get some ice cream!” Mira said, her long blonde hair in a ponytail swung from side to side as they walked down an almost empty street. Randy turned towards an apartment building. Mira looked concerned.

            “What is it? Did you see something?” She asked. He shook his head.

            “No, nothing,” he said and sat down on a bench. Mira sat down beside him and tugged at his arm.

            “I thought we could get some ice cream and then go sit in the park, how about it?” Mira Mirada asked Randy.

            He remembered all of it, but he still had a weird feeling. He suddenly saw a little girl, about the age of 10, with angel wings. He pulled up to Mira’s apartment, shivering. He didn’t move.

            “You mustn’t be afraid, I am here to help you,” she said. She put her hand on his shoulder and teleported him into Mira’s apartment. Mira was surprised to see him but didn’t see Tomoi. They heard gunshots and glass braking. Randy looked out the window to see his car wrecked.

            “Tha…” he started to say but Tomoi was no longer there.

            “How did you get here?” Mira asked. Randy shivered.

            “I think a guardian angel saved me. That’s crazy huh?” Randy asked, smiling as Mira put her elbow on his shoulder.

            “I’m glad you weren’t in that car,” she replied and they kissed.

Chapter 3

            “Did you save him?” Dar asked, getting up from a chair to see the pale Tomoi frowning.

            “Yes, but it was hard for me to do,” she said, putting her hand on her heart. She felt a strong power outside. Tomoi quickly spun around and saw a young boy sitting on one of the rooftops. He was mysterious 

and shaded. He smiled and disappeared.

            “Did you see that?” Tomoi asked. Dar shook his head. “I don’t know who he is even. A little boy was sitting on top of that building.”

            A little boy about the age of three walked up to his mother. She fell over and started coughing up blood. He knew something was wrong.

            “Mama! What’s wrong?” He asked. His mother turned to him and smiled. She put her hand on his head and closed her eyes. He saw her inside his mind. The space they were in wasn’t very large, and there wasn’t much room to move. She widened her eyes and his started to glow.

            “Remember this, my dear Sasal,” his mother said. He had visions of his mother in a hospital.

            “She’s seriously ill but with child, what should we do doctor?!” A nurse asked.

            “Take her into the Labor Center!” A doctor cried. They rushed her into a room. A baby started crying.

            “Sasal…” the woman said, holding the baby in her arms. The vision stopped. Then he saw himself at the age of 1, at his birthday party with his mother. She was talking to someone on the phone in the kitchen.

            “I see, so I am infected with a virus? How much longer do I have to live?” She asked, starting to cry. She nodded. “Thank you, I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said and hung up the phone. She wiped her eyes and saw the kids trying to make balloon animals and smiled.

            “Why don’t we go to the park? It’s a lot of fun!” Sasal said to his friend, Takisa. She smiled and nodded.

            “What are you going to do for college, Sasal?” Takisa asked, sitting on a swing next to him.

            “I’m not sure yet. I think I’ll go to Tsunami University. Do you think that’s a good school?” Sasal asked.

            “I haven’t heard anything bad about it. Accept… there have been strange things happening to the students who go there,” Takisa said, frowning.

            “Like what?” Sasal asked, looking worried.

            “Oh, I’ve only heard rumors, but people talk about a guardian angel who saved them from different possible deaths. Many of them are really strange deaths, like a disease that could never be cured, but apparently this girl has the power to cure anything and save anyone,” Takisa said.

            “Oh, does it only happen to the people at that school?” Sasal asked.

            “Yes, it seems that way. It’s a good thing they’re being saved, but it’s still a little odd. Well, I have to go make dinner for my family now, I’ll see you in school tomorrow!” Takisa said, waving to Sasal, who waved back as she slowly disappeared. Sasal sighed.

            “Why didn’t you save my mother?” He asked and started to cry. It was strange for an adult to cry, especially if you are a male. But he thought he was still a little boy, that he never got rid of the child in him. He started to walk along the curb of the street. A car came racing around a corner. Sasal turned to see the car coming towards him. He started to run but tripped. The car hit him and blood flew everywhere.

            Takisa sat next to a bed in the hospital, crying. Sasal’s soul as a boy appeared in front of her.

            “Don’t cry. I am happy now, but I will get revenge on the one who didn’t save my mother and me!” He said and disappeared.

            “Why, Sasal? Revenge isn’t a good thing. You never wanted to hurt anyone… so why?” Takisa asked, sobbing even more.

Chapter 4

Dar laughed as Tomoi told him a joke about a small cat that was lost in the woods. It was sad at first but the ending is what was the funny part. The kitten got stuck in a tree and cried ‘Help! Someone’s trying to possess me!’ and the one who was trying to possess her appeared and asked, ‘But aren’t you that lost soul that nobody can save?’ Dar and Tomoi laughed and she ate some sandwiches. She suddenly felt very cold and shivered.

            “Is something wrong?” Dar asked. She smiled and shook her head.

            Takisa was walking down the sidewalk near her school. She was thinking about Sasal and smiled. She did not realize how much she loved him. She did not think that he noticed either. She saw him turning the corner and ran after him.

            “Hello, Sasal!” Takisa said happily. He turned and smiled.

            “Do you have guitar practice today?” He asked. She nodded and blushed.

            “Sasal, I…” she started but could not finish. She wanted to finish but couldn’t.

            “What is it?” He asked. She frowned.

            “Nothing, sorry. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow in school!” Takisa said and entered her house. She waved to him and he waved back. Takisa sighed and said ‘hello’ to her mother, who was the only one home.

            “Your brother went to the library, he should be home soon to help you study for that exam tomorrow,” her mother said. Takisa just went up to her room and closed the door. She set her bag down and lay on the bed.

            “When will I ever tell him?” She asked herself. Her mother knocked on the door.

            “Takisa,” she said.

            “Come in!” Takisa replied.

            “I have bad news. Your guitar teacher died unexpectedly last night,” she said. Takisa’s eyes widened.

            “What? How did she die?” Takisa asked.

            “I don’t know. I’ve heard rumors of weird killings around. Please be careful,” she replied and walked out. Takisa started crying. She missed her teacher already and decided to call Sasal.

            “Takisa, aren’t you practicing your guitar?” Sasal asked.

            “No, my teacher was killed… I miss her too,” she replied.

            “Hmm, that’s weird. I’ve heard of killings in this town, I wonder what this means. Do you have any idea?” Sasal asked.

            “No, none. I wish I did though. Then I would be able to do something about this,” Takisa said, starting to cry again.

            “Don’t worry, I’ll help you work something out,” Sasal replied. Takisa smiled but was still confused and sad.

            “Well, I have to go, see you tomorrow. Let’s meet in the park, all right?” Takisa asked. There was a moment of silence before Sasal replied:

            “That should be okay. Around ten o’clock?”

            “Yeah, see you then,” Takisa said and hung up.

            The next day came quickly, almost too quickly. Takisa walked towards the park in a fast pace, it felt like someone was following her. She stopped and turned around. A small girl with angel wings appeared. They turned black slowly and tears of blood ran down her cheeks.

            “You and your friend will die, I’m sorry, but I can’t stop it,” she said and disappeared.

            Takisa had talked with Sasal about a guardian angel that saved people from Tsunami University and how there were some other cases. Takisa entered her house after saying goodbye to Sasal.

            “Hello dear, is something wrong?” Her mother asked as she looked at her daughter’s sad face.

            “Nothing, I just had a weird dream last night, that’s all,” Takisa said, smiling. She went in to the kitchen to get the ingredients for dinner on the counter. Her mother helped her.

            “I’m worried about you. You’ve been in a daze often and you don’t seem to eat the amount you usually did,” her mother said.

            “I’m fine, mother. You don’t have to worry,” Takisa said.

            After dinner she sat in her room and played her guitar. She played a rather sad song that she had learned from her teacher. Someone knocked on her door.

            “Come in!” Takisa said. Her mother came in and started to tear up.

            “Sasal is in the hospital… he was hit by a car and was seriously injured. They don’t think he’ll make it,” her mother said. Takisa started crying. Her mother drove her to the hospital.

            “Hey, Sasal. Are you awake?” Takisa asked, sitting next to Sasal. There was no life in him anymore.

            “Sasal…” Takisa started. She could not seem to finish, but finally she said, “I love you.”

Chapter 5

            Tomoi drank some tea and smiled at Dar, who was reading some papers on magic. He had many of these types of things; spell books, staffs, jewels, etc. He did not really use magic, since there were no evil powers in the world besides humans, most of which can not use magic anyways, or did not have any happiness in their lives. Dar hated these people. He even hated the people who are happy, and will not take pride in sharing it with someone else. This happened to him a long time ago, back on the planet where he was from…

            “Dar! Hurry up!” A young woman said. She looked about twenty and had a fair face. Her hair was blonde and long. Her eyes sparkled blue and her dress waved as she ran towards Dar, who was running ahead of her on the street. She was smiling and laughing and so was Dar.

            “We’ll be late for the concert, Mari, we need to hurry!” Dar said, back. They entered a large building and gave a man their tickets. They went in to the rounded room where the seats went around the stage in the middle. There was a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. They sat down towards the middle of the area. The lights dimmed and a spot light shown on the orchestra on stage. The music started and Dar felt relaxed, but he could feel tension all around him.

            “Isn’t this beautiful?” Mari whispered. Dar nodded, now getting a little warm. Sweat ran down his face. Everything turned black.

            “What’s going on?” Dar asked. His voice did not go anywhere. A girl with short black hair appeared in front of him.

            “You will lose something very precious to you. You can stop this but it will take time,” the girl said. She had a gentle voice and the butterflies on her dress seemed to glow.

            “Yes, I do want to stop it! How?” Dar asked, worried. The girl smiled and stretched out her arm and Dar took her hand. He felt a strange feeling all though his body. His eyes widened and the area returned. Everyone was clapping.

            “Are you all right, Dar?” Mari asked. He nodded slowly. He could see everyone’s hearts and what they were feeling. Most of them felt sad, or lost, and others felt confused or angry. Dar did not know why he felt these feelings. He then looked at Mari, and took the sides of her face with his palms gently, and kissed her. He pulled away gently and she smiled, as if almost knowing what was going on. He saw Mari a few days later, getting killed by a serial killer. He almost threw up and Mari held on to his arm.

            “Come on, let’s go out back,” she said, quietly. They went slowly into the hall of the theater. They could still hear the music playing, it was a slower song than the first, but Dar felt calm listening to it.

            “Do you want to go home?” Mari asked. Dar shook his head.

            “I’ll just rest awhile here. Do you want to go back in?” Dar asked. Mari shook her head.

            After the concert Dar and Mari were walking home and Dar felt a cold chill up his back.

            “Why am I so cold all of a sudden?” He thought. He then motioned for Mari to stop and said, “ I’m going to check something out, hold on .” He went around the corner. Dar looked around to see if anyone was coming. He heard a scream and ran back to where Mari was. A man in black was stabbing her and she was trying to get away.

            “Mari!” Dar cried. The man ran the other way. Dar caught Mari before she fell.

            “Dar… I…” she started.

            “Don’t talk, I’ll get you an ambulance!” He said, taking out his cell phone and started to dial a number but Mari put a hand on his arm. He stopped.

            “I… love you!” She smiled and closed her eyes after saying this. That was the last phrase that he heard.

Two days later…

            Dar was visiting her grave and put a bouquet of lilies on it. Dar started crying uncontrollably.

            “I’m so sorry, I knew that this would happen. I thought… that you’d be all right, because I was always there. Why did I let you down?” Dar asked, through his tears. “I will join you soon, I’ll be able to see you again, don’t worry!” Dar said, laughing suddenly. He walked to the high bridge towards the edge of town. He stood on the very edge of one side. People would honk at him as they drove past.

            “Goodbye!” Dar cried and fell off the bridge. About half way down a ghost appeared and caught him. It lifted him and put him on the sidewalk that was near the bridge. He opened his eyes and saw Mari standing there, smiling.

            “You have to save other people from dying. You couldn’t have prevented my death, please live,” she said and disappeared.

            “Wait!” He cried and tears fell on to the ground.

Chapter 6

            “Tomoi, you might…” Dar started. Tomoi looked really worried and Dar shook his head. “It’s nothing. Do you want to go to the park?” He asked and Tomoi nodded, confused. They walked there, it had stopped raining and now the sun was shining and Tomoi had to shield her eyes, but she smiled up at Dar, who was sweating and pale, but he smiled back.

            “Tell me more about your mother, what was she like?” Dar asked, sitting on a swing. Tomoi sat on the one next to him.

            “She was kind and gentle, and very beautiful. My father didn’t love her very much and I can’t see why. She was always talking about how great he was, before he left. You actually look a little like the photo that she had of him,” Tomoi said. Dar closed his eyes and put his hand over the place where Tomoi’s heart was. An image of Tomoi’s mother appeared in his mind. He winced hard as he saw her run off and Tomoi crying.

            “She’s going to come soon,” Dar said.

            “What?” Tomoi asked, starting to cry.

Chapter 7

            “Tomoi! Do you want to go shopping?” Shaii asked. Tomoi nodded and put on the coat that she always wore. It was brown and it went down to her knees. She did not have many clothes, since her mother was a single parent. They lived in an apartment towards the edge of a small city called Kasai and her mother worked at a flower shop.

            They walked down the street of shadows of people, all seemed to disappear, Tomoi only thought of her mother.

            “Mommy! Look at this! It’s so cute,” Tomoi said, pointing at a bear in the window of a shop.

            “Would you like it? It’s almost your birthday anyways,” Shaii said, smiling.

            “Really? Yes!” She replied, holding on to her mother’s arm. They entered the shop and Shaii went up to the desk and asked the man to get the bear in the window. Tomoi suddenly felt dizzy. She started swaying back and forth and fell forward. Her mother caught her and picked her up. The man looked worried as he handed her change and the bag with the bear.

            “Thank you very much,” Shaii said and walked out.

            “I’m sorry, mommy. My head began to hurt and I saw all blurry,” Tomoi said, weakly. Shaii smiled and put a hand on Tomoi’s head. They walked to their apartment. Shaii laid her daughter in bed and gave her the bear. It suddenly looked sad to Tomoi as she looked at it. Her mother frowned also and went to get the thermometer and a cloth with cold water. She put the cloth on Tomoi’s forehead and removed her coat.

            “Don’t leave me mommy,” Tomoi said. Suddenly the phone rang. There was one right near her room. Shaii got up and picked up the receiver.

            “Hello?” Shaii asked. There was a moment of silence.

            “Shaii, I want you back,” a man’s voice said.

            “But… you said that you didn’t love me and left, for a year. How can I let you back in my life?” She asked.

            “How is Tomoi?” He asked. Shaii looked surprised.

            “Fine. She’s really happy,” Shaii lied.

            “You must leave her. I know what will happen if you don’t. Please come tomorrow to the park,” he said. Shaii started to cry.

            “I… still love you,” Shaii said and hung up the phone. She wiped her eyes and went into Tomoi’s room. She was asleep . Shaii kissed her forehead and Tomoi smiled. Tears fell down Shaii’s face.

            The next day Tomoi woke up and saw her mother in the hall.

            “Mommy, I feel a lot better. Can we go shopping again?” She asked.

            “It’s raining out, don’t you want to stay inside?” Shaii asked, sadly.

            “But we didn’t do anything for my birthday. You don’t have work, do you?” She asked. Shaii shook her head and smiled.

            “Let’s go then,” she said and Tomoi put her coat on and took the bear from her bed. They ran in the rain, laughing and splashing water. Then suddenly Shaii stopped.

            “I have to leave you now. I’m sorry!” She cried and ran away as fast as she could. She could hear Tomoi yelling for her to come back, but she could not stop. Or was it she did not want to stop? She reached the park and saw a tall man standing at a tree.

            “Sasal! I’m… sorry about what I said before, but I was thinking about Tomoi,” she said, hugging him.

            “Don’t worry, she’ll be safe. If you don’t leave her, she would have… well, you know,” Sasal said. Shaii closed her eyes. She suddenly felt a strange power near her. She opened her eyes and jerked back and saw a glowing Tomoi with wings. She almost looked like a ghost.

            “Don’t worry, mommy,” she said.

            “What is it?” Sasal asked. Shaii looked back at him and then at where her daughter was but she was not there anymore.

            “Nothing, let’s go,” she replied.

            Back at Sasal’s apartment, he showed her pictures of him when he was little. There was on where he was in a school play and was a crow. They laughed as he told her the story of the play. The phone rang and Shaii was surprised and Sasal answered it after the third ring.

            “Hello?” He asked.

            “She’s safe, don’t worry. I think she misses her mother, but I’ll keep her occupied,” a man said on the other side.

            “Thank you Dar. Please teach her well,” Sasal said, looking at Shaii.

            “I will. Goodnight,” Dar said and hung up. Sasal also hung up the phone.

Chapter 8

 

            Tomoi was sleeping and Dar went up to the side of her bed. He put a hand on her heart and went in to her dream. She was standing on a bridge over a river that had water lilies on it.

                “I wonder if I will save anyone today,” she said, but then she wondered why she said it. Then Dar came up to her, but she could not see his eyes. He smiled and put an arm around her shoulders; she then smiled and closed her eyes, letting the wind blow in her hair.

            “Someone important to you will die,” Dar said. She was suddenly falling. Everything was black.

            Tomoi jerked up in bed. Dar looked concerned as she started crying.

            “Why… did you tell me that?” She asked. Dar sat next to her on the bed and she hugged him.

            “I’m sorry, I saw it…” he started and then started to cough. He held his chest and started breathing heavily.

            “Are you all right?” Tomoi asked. He nodded slowly. Someone rang the doorbell. “I’ll get it,” she said, wiping her eyes and running to the door. She opened it and there was a young girl, about fifteen, standing there. “Who are you?” Tomoi asked. The girl smiled and bowed.

            “I am a friend of Dar. Is he here?” She asked. She had golden brown hair that went down to her knees and her purple eyes sparkled.

            “Yes, but he’s not feeling well,” Tomoi replied.

            “I might be able to help him. What’s your name?” She asked. Tomoi smiled.

            “I’m Tomoi Sasaka… please to meet you!” She replied.

            “I’m Sherl Tarla,” the girl replied, walking in. Tomoi closed the door. Dar came out from the other room and leaned up against the wall.

            “Hello Sherl. How are you doing?” He asked. She smiled and Tomoi then realized that she had pointed ears.

            “I’m fine, you’re friend, Tomoi, tells me you’re sick. Is it because of your power?” She asked. Dar nodded and winced. Sherl went up to him and kissed him. Her ears started glowing and dragon wings opened on her back. A tear ran down her cheek and Dar was breathing normally again. He took her arm and held her close to him. Tomoi felt angry at her for a minute, knowing that he had a girlfriend before. She did not know why he was kissing this half dragon.

            “How are you…?” Tomoi started but she screamed suddenly and held her chest.

            “Tomoi!” Dar cried, pushing Sherl back gently and going to her. Tomoi pointed out the window. The boy, Sasal, was sitting on a window sill, smiling. He had a strange aura around him, almost as if he was being controlled.

            “Why are you in the shadows of my heart, haunting my dreams, trying to scare away my power to do good?” Tomoi asked.

            “You are a nuisance. You didn’t save me, or my mother. You won’t be able to save your friend either. He will fight me, in the past, and lose!” Sasal laughed and disappeared. Tomoi was just breathing heavily now and had a painful look in her eyes. Sherl bent down to her level and kissed her forehead. Tomoi’s aura glowed and she felt a little better. Sherl fell over to one side.

            “Sherl! Are you all right?” Dar asked, lifting her head up. Sherl opened her eyes slowly and smiled.

            “I just used a large extent of my powers, that’s all,” she replied. Sweat ran down her cheek. Tomoi started crying.

            “You saved me, and I hated you. I’m sorry,” Tomoi said.

            “It’s all right. I can see how close to Dar you are, so I know why you hated me. We go way back though. He found me when I was only two years old and helped me find a home. Dar was only a teenager, but I still fell in love with him over the years. He had also told me that his girlfriend had just died,” Sherl explained. Tomoi hugged Dar and he smiled, putting a hand on her head and still holding Sherl with the other. Tomoi still had tears falling down her face.

            “The boy, Sasal, said you were going to die, Dar,” she said. He smiled.

            “Don’t worry about me, I’ll manage somehow. I want to protect you two, because you are the only family I have now,” he replied. Then Sherl started crying and sat up. Tomoi then looked out the window and saw a man, about Dar’s age, walking on the sidewalk. He had a black coat on and a black hat. He was handsome, except for the scar on his cheek. Tomoi reached out to him, seeing inside his heart. Dar almost laughed, seeing Tomoi wanting to help people still.

            What Tomoi saw was a small bird; it had black wings and a white stomach. A young boy was next to it, he looked almost like Sasal, but not quite. He touched the bird’s wing and it began to glow. The bird grew in to a monster. It had purple eyes and a hairy body. It slashed its claws at the boy and kept whacking him with its tail. The boy fell to the ground and blood ran down his arm and he was not breathing anymore. Tomoi suddenly saw that this boy was his son. She did not know why this was going to happen, but she knew it was going to take place a few minutes from that moment.

            Tomoi waved to Dar and Sherl as she exited the apartment. She ran down the stairs and opened her wings and saw the direction that the man was heading. She then flew above him. She touched the ground in front of him and he stepped back.

            “Don’t worry; I’ve come to help you. An evil force is after you. Please, take my hand,” she said. The boy was confused but took it anyways. They flew into the sky as soon as the bird landed. Tomoi took the boy to his house, which was not very far.

            “Thank you. Please come visit tomorrow for tea!” The boy said, smiling. Tomoi nodded and flew back to Dar’s apartment. She opened the door and saw Dar sitting down, coughing. Sherl was next to him.

            “Dar! Is everything all right?” Tomoi asked.

            “He has grown weaker and the pain is increasing. I tired many times to heal him, but… I can’t do anything now,” Sherl explained and started crying. Tomoi went up to Dar and took his hand and touched her forehead to his. The place where his heart was glowed and he was breathing normally and stopped sweating.

            “How did you do that?” Sherl asked.

            “I don’t know. I just knew that would work. I guess it’s because of my powers,” Tomoi replied, a little confused too.

            “Thank you,” Dar said. Tomoi smiled and looked out the window, almost daydreaming. She wanted to meet the boy who she met that day…

Chapter 9

 

            Tomoi went over to the boy’s house, the boy she saved the other day. It was the day after. She was talking with him about her mother. She started crying when she mentioned that her mother left her. The boy, Tom, hugged her.

            “She’ll come back to you,” he said. Tomoi smiled and wiped her eyes.

            “Thank you. I do live with Dar right now. He’s really nice and he helped me get these powers,” she explained.

            “So that’s how you knew to save me. You’re cool!” Tom said, and Tomoi laughed. Her wings were currently gone. The boy’s father came home.

            “Do you want some cake? I just made it today,” he said, peering into the room.

            “Sure, thank you,” Tomoi said, sipping the tea that was in blue and green cups.

            “Can you fly anywhere?” Tom asked. He was only nine years old, five years younger than she. She nodded.

            “I haven’t flown very far yet. I’ve only had the powers for a week. I don’t know a whole lot yet,” Tomoi said. Tom nodded. His father brought out two plates with chocolate cake to them. “Thank you,” Tomoi said and bowed politely. The man smiled and went back in the other room. Suddenly everything grew dark. Mist rose all around them.

            “What’s going on, Tomoi?” Tom asked. Tomoi put a finger up to her mouth.

            “Be quiet, stay close to me and I might be able to protect you from whatever this is,” she said, Tom went up to her back and wind started swirling around them.

            “Tomoi, I need you at my side, please…” a young boy’s voice said. Tomoi’s eyes widened. The wind cut her sides and arms.

            “Tomoi! Who are you and why are you hurting my friend?” Tom cried, catching Tomoi.

            “I am Sasal. You will not keep me from her! But I’ll let you go this time, my daughter,” he said. The blackness disappeared and Tomoi started crying.

            “Father? But it can’t be!” She said.

            “Daddy! Get some bandages! Tomoi’s hurt!” Tom called. Tomoi smiled slightly. Tom’s dad rushed in with rolls of cloth.

            “What happened?” He asked.

            “I don’t know exactly. This wind started hurting her and a boy was talking to her,” Tom said. Tomoi lifted her shirt up and his father put some ointment on the sores and wrapped the bandages around her.

            “Thank you so much. My mother used to bandage me too, but she left me,” she said, smiling and wiping her eyes.

            “Where do you live now?” Tom’s father asked.

            “With Dar. He’s really kind and helped me when I was alone,” Tomoi said. The doorbell suddenly rang. Tom answered it and Sherl was standing there, breathing heavily.

            “Something’s wrong with Dar!” She cried. Tomoi came to her.

            “What’s wrong with him?” She asked.

            “He won’t stop crying and he’s breathing heavily. He said something about Mari and then he just…” Sherl started crying.

            “I’m sorry, Tom. I have to go. Thank you, I’ll visit you soon,” Tomoi said. They ran out and Tom was worried.

            Tomoi opened the door to the apartment and saw Dar sitting in his chair, eyes closed.

            “Dar! What’s wrong?” Tomoi asked, walking to him slowly. He opened his eyes quickly and they started glowing. He screamed and held his chest.

            “Tomoi… I think… this is the final stage in my power,” he said.

            “What?” Tomoi and Sherl both asked.

Chapter 10

 

            Dar’s eyes were almost blank and both Sherl and Tomoi held on to him. He started crying, thinking about Mari.

            “I’ll be with you soon,” he thought. Tomoi closed her eyes and opened her radiant wings and shown upon Dar. His aura started glowing and Tomoi leaned forward and kissed him. His eyes turned normal and the pain stopped, at least for now. He pushed Tomoi away and held his head.

            “Why… did you do that?” He asked. Tomoi started to cry.

            “Because I didn’t want you to die! I still don’t. I love you!” She cried. Sherl was surprised. So was Dar, but Tomoi still hugged him.

            “Why, why do we still live?” A young girl about Tomoi’s age, asked. She had been tortured all her life by her parents; she had no choice but to run away. Now, she does not know why people even exist anymore. Terri, never really did anything wrong, she obeyed her parents, but they still beat on her. Now she was living in an abandoned chapel. Terri had to steal or find any food she could. Every once and awhile her parents would come by and look for her. She knew they had a problem and could not help beating her, but she could not stand it anymore.

            “I want a good family,” she said, crying.

            Suddenly a boy appeared.

            “Who are you?” She asked, still sobbing.

            “My name is Sasal. I can help you,” he said. Terri smiled slightly at his “kind” face.

Tomoi shuddered and looked down.

“What’s wrong?” Dar asked, worried.

            “Something’s happening in the past,” she said.

            “Do you have to go?” Sherl asked. Tomoi nodded.

            Sasal hugged Terri as she cried some more.

            “Don’t worry, you’re with me now, and I’ll always protect you,” he said.

            “Always?” Terri asked. Sasal nodded.  “I will help you too, what do you want?” She asked. Sasal smiled evilly.

            “Can you help me get revenge?” Sasal asked. He put his hand on her head and her eyes glowed. Tomoi suddenly appeared.

            “Yes, master,” Terri replied.

            “Oh no! I was right. Sasal, why are you doing this?” Tomoi asked, holding her chest.

            “I won’t kill you because you didn’t save me,” Sasal said.

            “Then why is there an older version of you?” She asked.

            “I wanted you to have a father. I knew that yours was killed. And that you have the power to save anyone,” the kid said, smiling evilly. Tomoi’s eyes widened and tears fell down her face.

            “Then why… why does my mom not want to see me anymore?” She asked.

            “You don’t need that answer!” Terri cried. She made a sword appear. She took it and ran at Tomoi. She sliced at Tomoi’s face and blood flew in the air. Tomoi stood up.

            “Dar, please help me,” Tomoi said. Her wings wrapped around her as Sasal started laughing.

            “No one can help or save you here!” He said. Suddenly Tomoi disappeared. “What?” Sasal asked in frustration.

            Tomoi appeared in front of Dar’s apartment.

            “Dar, did you save me?” Tomoi thought and flew to the door and opened it. Dar was sitting in his chair, eyes closed, Sherl in his arms. They were both sleeping. Tomoi sighed and got a blanket and put it around them. She went in to her room and saw her teddy bear that she got for her birthday and started crying.

            “Mommy. I miss you,” Tomoi said quietly and cried herself to sleep.

            The sun rose early that morning and Dar woke up. He saw Sherl on his lap and smiled. He gently picked her up and moved her to the couch. Then he saw Tomoi on the floor, hugging her bear.

            “Thank you,” he whispered. She smiled as if she heard him. He went into the kitchen and started making breakfast. Sherl woke up also and yawned.

            “You should still be sleeping,” she said.

            “It’s okay. I’ll be fine for awhile. You don’t have to stay here,” he said.

            “But if something happens…” she started.

            “You have a phone right? I’ll call if anything does,” he said.

            “I’ll stay for awhile,” Sherl said, coming in. They suddenly heard Tomoi singing.

            “Don’t be afraid, someone is there for you, everyone is a dream, to die is to give up,” the tune was sad but beautiful.

            “I fell her pain. It’s the same,” Dar said. Sherl frowned. She hugged Dar and Tomoi came out.

            “I’m sorry, did I do something wrong?” She asked. Dar shook his head. The image of Sasal came to Tomoi. “Why did he do that?” She thought.

            “What happened in there?” Dar asked.

            “Well, there was a young girl being controlled by Sasal. Sasal made her attack me and he said that he wanted me. I don’t think he loves me though,” Tomoi explained.

            “We need to do something about this,” Sherl said. They sat down at the table and Dar put the bread and eggs on four plates and filled the glasses with juice.

            “I don’t know if I can. My power to save people is almost gone. There’s probably only one percent of it left,” Dar said.

            “I might be able to do something. I have a good amount of…” Sherl started.

            “No! I don’t want your help! I might be able to save Sasal’s soul!” Tomoi cried. She almost started crying. “He’s suffered so much. I want to help him.”

            “I don’t know. Maybe I can use the same thing I used on you,” Sherl said, blushing. Suddenly the doorbell rang and Sherl answered it.

            “I’m looking for Tomoi. I’m her mother, Shaii,” a woman said. Tomoi’s eyes widened and started to run out, but Dar caught her.

            “Why do you want her?” Sherl asked.

            “Why else would I want her? She’s my daughter!” Shaii said.

            “But didn’t you leave her?” Sherl asked. Shaii nodded.

“I want her back. Sasal and I will take good care of her now. I promise,” Shaii said. Dar and Tomoi came out and saw Sasal behind Shaii.

            “Sasal,” Dar muttered. He smiled.

            “Thank you, Dar. Now you must die!” Sasal cried. He stretched out his arm at Dar and a blast hit him.

            “Dar!” Tomoi and Sherl both cried. Dar flew back and hit the wall. Blood ran down his chin and out of his side. Tomoi flew over to him. Sherl started crying and fell on her knees.

            “Dar.. are you…?” Tears stopped Tomoi’s words.

            “Save… everyone… you must,” Dar said, and his hand fell against the wall.

            “What a shame. He used to be such a good friend. But I did what I had to do,” Sasal said, smiling. Even Shaii was in shock.

            “You… you killed him!” Tomoi cried. She started to power up and ran at Sasal. Suddenly everything turned black. Dar and Sherl were no longer there, it was just Tomoi, Shaii, and Sasal. She stopped in front of her mother.

            “No, I can’t hurt you. Even if you did do something wrong,” Tomoi said. Shaii smiled slightly.

            “Come back to us, and you will save Sasal’s soul. He told me that he was another person, a child. And that child was a young man once, but a girl with tremendous powers did not save him from death,” she explained. Tomoi started crying, listening to her mother.

            “Tomoi… I need you,” Sasal, the child, said. Her head suddenly started to hurt and everything turned normal again. She ran over to the window and saw Sasal and Terri sitting on the roof, crying. Terri leaned on Sasal’s shoulder.

            “Tomoi…” Sherl started but Tomoi was not listening. She put her hands on the ground.

            “How… what do I do?” Tomoi asked, crying. She saw a sword out of the corner of her eye and went to it. She wondered why Dar had this.

            “No!” Shaii cried as Tomoi picked it up. She tried to get to her daughter, but Sasal stopped her. Sherl just stared, afraid of what Tomoi was about to do.

            “That’s it, do it!” The young Sasal said in Tomoi’s head. She stabbed the sword through her chest. Blood flew everywhere.

            “Tomoi!” Shaii cried and tears fell down her face. Sasal closed his eyes. Sherl caught Tomoi before she hit the ground.

            “Thank you, Dar,” Tomoi said, smiling. She closed her eyes and her hand fell.

            “What?” Sherl cried. Dar’s ghost appeared with his hand on Tomoi’s hand that still held the sword. He smiled at Sherl who started crying as Tomoi’s soul appeared and took Dar’s free hand. They disappeared.

            “No, this isn’t right!” Sherl cried. Sasal and Shaii left. “What about the boy..?” She asked.

            “He’s gone now,” Sasal said, turning his head.

“And so is Terri,” Shaii said, still crying.

“But I’m all alone,” Sherl said, opening her dragon wings and folding them over Tomoi, who faded away slowly with Dar.

            “Thank you,” Sherl heard Tomoi say again. Her tears fell to the floor, she picked up the sword and blasted it.

            “Dammit!” She cried. The boy, Sasal, appeared in front of her and touched her cheek.

            “I am saved, thanks to Tomoi. You will now have her powers to save people from death,” he said and smiled.

            “Wait! What do I do?” She cried.

            “Look into your heart for the answer. You will find it,” Sasal said and disappeared. Sherl stood up and put a hand on her heart.

 

Lost Soul

 

Tears fall down,

In the river of death,

You come to save me,

And you fly away,

 

I cry before you do,

Even though you’re lost,

And everywhere you turn,

You can’t decide where to go,

 

I’m here with you,

So don’t be afraid,

No more nightmares will com.

 

The End “I want her back. Sasal and I will take good care of her now. I promise,” Shaii said. Dar and Tomoi came out and saw Sasal behind Shaii.

            “Sasal,” Dar muttered. He smiled.

            “Thank you, Dar. Now you must die!” Sasal cried. He stretched out his arm at Dar and a blast hit him.

            “Dar!” Tomoi and Sherl both cried. Dar flew back and hit the wall. Blood ran down his chin and out of his side. Tomoi flew over to him. Sherl started crying and fell on her knees.

            “Dar.. are you…?” Tears stopped Tomoi’s words.

            “Save… everyone… you must,” Dar said, and his hand fell against the wall.

            “What a shame. He used to be such a good friend. But I did what I had to do,” Sasal said, smiling. Even Shaii was in shock.

            “You… you killed him!” Tomoi cried. She started to power up and ran at Sasal. Suddenly everything turned black. Dar and Sherl were no longer there, it was just Tomoi, Shaii, and Sasal. She stopped in front of her mother.

            “No, I can’t hurt you. Even if you did do something wrong,” Tomoi said. Shaii smiled slightly.

            “Come back to us, and you will save Sasal’s soul. He told me that he was another person, a child. And that child was a young man once, but a girl with tremendous powers did not save him from death,” she explained. Tomoi started crying, listening to her mother.

            “Tomoi… I need you,” Sasal, the child, said. Her head suddenly started to hurt and everything turned normal again. She ran over to the window and saw Sasal and Terri sitting on the roof, crying. Terri leaned on Sasal’s shoulder.

            “Tomoi…” Sherl started but Tomoi was not listening. She put her hands on the ground.

            “How… what do I do?” Tomoi asked, crying. She saw a sword out of the corner of her eye and went to it. She wondered why Dar had this.

            “No!” Shaii cried as Tomoi picked it up. She tried to get to her daughter, but Sasal stopped her. Sherl just stared, afraid of what Tomoi was about to do.

            “That’s it, do it!” The young Sasal said in Tomoi’s head. She stabbed the sword through her chest. Blood flew everywhere.

            “Tomoi!” Shaii cried and tears fell down her face. Sasal closed his eyes. Sherl caught Tomoi before she hit the ground.

            “Thank you, Dar,” Tomoi said, smiling. She closed her eyes and her hand fell.

            “What?” Sherl cried. Dar’s ghost appeared with his hand on Tomoi’s hand that still held the sword. He smiled at Sherl who started crying as Tomoi’s soul appeared and took Dar’s free hand. They disappeared.

            “No, this isn’t right!” Sherl cried. Sasal and Shaii left. “What about the boy..?” She asked.

            “He’s gone now,” Sasal said, turning his head.

“And so is Terri,” Shaii said, still crying.

“But I’m all alone,” Sherl said, opening her dragon wings and folding them over Tomoi, who faded away slowly with Dar.

            “Thank you,” Sherl heard Tomoi say again. Her tears fell to the floor, she picked up the sword and blasted it.

            “Dammit!” She cried. The boy, Sasal, appeared in front of her and touched her cheek.

            “I am saved, thanks to Tomoi. You will now have her powers to save people from death,” he said and smiled.

            “Wait! What do I do?” She cried.

            “Look into your heart for the answer. You will find it,” Sasal said and disappeared. Sherl stood up and put a hand on her heart.

 

Lost Soul

 

Tears fall down,

In the river of death,

You come to save me,

And you fly away,

 

I cry before you do,

Even though you’re lost,

And everywhere you turn,

You can’t decide where to go,

 

I’m here with you,

So don’t be afraid,

No more nightmares will com.

 

The End