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{\info
{\title The Crystals of Mana}
{\subject }
{\doccomm }
{\author Flak}
{\*\company dotq.org}
{\*\copyright 1999-2007}
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\f0\b\fs24 \cf0 \ul \ulc0 PART ONE: GEM\
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One
\f1\b0 \
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Verga's spring moon is awe-inspiring to behold. The night sky is tinted a dark violet by the pollen of countless flowers suddenly blossoming countrywide. Brilliant rays of moonlight stream through the pollen and become vibrant beams of color, vivid spears of lilac and orchid. The young, the lovers, the bored, the tired\'d1they are all invigorated by the stunning display that nature puts on the night of the full moon. Artists are known to have gone mad attempting to name all the shades of purple present in the sky. Amongst the inhabitants of Verga, the words "purple sky" are synonymous with "the busy week of the early spring full moon" as a result of this special phenomenon's appeal to foreigners. During the first week of April, the cities flood with travelers of all sorts. From all over they pour in, veritable tidal waves of men and women from Eldra's poorest hamlet, from central Libra's largest palace, even from the most remote reaches of Terra's northern marshes.\
\
It's a phenomenon in and of itself that these people of all walks of life, for the sake of this one shared interest, blend together and become one. Indeed, Verga City is the largest national and socio-economic mixing bowl of peoples, and at this time of year the most densely populated city in all of Libra. Year after year, the flocking crowds return like pilgrims to their holy land\'d1this land bathed in murasaki moonlight. It is not an easy trip for most. The majority of those who come spend a month on their journey alone, being unable to afford steeds or other methods of transportation. The roads from Eldra are poorly defined and often dangerous, with bandits and marauders taking advantage of the sheer numbers of people to pass their operations off as small-scale. The sounds of creaking wheels and panting animals are associated with the impossibly busy thoroughfares, and the cities fill with the heat and smell of bodies.\
\
Residents of Verga greet the incoming people in a variety of manners, ranging from opening their doors to turning their noses up in disdain. One Vergan might gladly share the wonder of his country's spring while another might look down on the outsider who seeks it so fervently. One inhabitant of little less than eleven years had his own question as he looked down upon the swarms of people crowding the streets of Verga City.\
\
"But why don't they simply pick the flowers?" Gem wasn't particularly asking his companion this so much as posing a rhetorical question. He absentmindedly ran his right hand through his hair after speaking, and turned to look up at the sky. A cool breeze was fluttering around, and up on the rooftops, above the warmth of jam-packed bodies, Gem felt a bit chilly. He held his loose-fitting cloak close about him as he crouched down, gathering his body heat and looking more closely into the sea of heads.\
\
"How do you mean?" Gem had become accustomed to the demon's rasping voice, but still he started upon hearing its jarring metallic sound. He looked over his shoulder, back at the gray-robed figure standing at the apex of the roof's slope. The demon's red eyes shone steadily from the shadow cast by its cowl, never blinking or shifting. "How do you mean, kid?"\
\
Gem's own eyes, a calm, passive gray, gazed straight at his demon companion. For minutes, their eyes locked on eachother, until Gem broke the connection and turned back to examining the crowds. The wind rustled through his shock of hair\'d1an intense green in the moonlight\'d1and played with the knot of his headband. Facing away and down from the source of light, the metal plate that served as a forehead protector was shrouded in darkness, its red center-set jewel dim and unlit.\
\
From his position atop a five-story inn, Gem could make out a large portion of the city. No matter where he looked, the streets were crowded. Even the back alleys were full of loitering travelers\'d1emptied kegs and storage crates made excellent vantage points for those who wished to observe the moonlight. Gem could see the young of the arrivals, enthused by the unnatural colors of this night, clambering around on the few trees that were scattered within the city limits. Some of the more able-bodied visitors made their way to spots such as Gem's, a low crouch atop a high building. Some stood basking in the moonlight, eyes closed, drinking in the unnaturally sedative sensation caused by the pollen of the Vergan flowers. Some, with wide eyes and mouths, jostled others for a better view of
\f2\i it
\f1\i0 \'d1the rose-pink moon set against the deep purple sky.\
\
Having experienced this festival of sorts eleven times, Gem had grown weary of the crowds and the busyness of the city, things that repeated themselves every year. After living in Verga for a few years he had lost his own enthrallment with the purple sky, but he had found something else to amuse himself during this long night\'d1the feelings of the crowd. All he needed was to find a face, the face of an outsider enjoying the novelty, and, picturing that face, close his eyes\'d1and he'd feel their awe.\
\
"The petals possess the same properties as the pollen, Ji. Any Libran should be able to collect a few, carry them home, crush them, and relive this night." Shortly after speaking, Gem smiled and closed his eyes. He'd found his target. A construction zone full of kids and two shops down the way, and there stood a young woman upon the roof, arms outstretched, three feet of hair billowing softly with the encouragement of the air's gentle movements, gazing up at the moon. Gem's insides began to warm as he felt the joy of letting go of one's worries and enjoying something new, something beautiful. A simple pleasure\'d1a purple sky.\
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A rough sensation on his shoulder dismissed the spell immediately.\
\
"You're not doing that idiotic thing again tonight, are you?" The demon had removed one of its gauntleted hands from beneath its robe and placed it beneath Gem's ear. The gauntlet resembled a giant metal claw, black steel capable of ripping a man's organs out with little effort. "You can't afford to close your eyes."\
\
"Aww, Ji, it's the night of the festival... let's enjoy it!" A bit of his true self\'d1that of a man who has only recently become such\'d1shone through as Gem abandoned proper speech and let a playful tone reach his words. He weakly formed a lopsided smile as he faced the demon.\
\
"Need I point out that you should be securing the entrances to the city right now? At this moment, the city is at its busiest. Anyone could slip in and out amidst the crowds with no suspicion, and not a single glance his way. This is not a night to be dreaming."\
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"If he escapes, he escapes... it's just one chicken flown the coop."\
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"It would be very sad, kid, if the illustrious Roof-runner Gem's perfect record were marred due to simple indolence."\
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"It's not as if I asked for the title." Gem shrugged nonchalantly and brushed the demon's claw of his shoulder. "Serves the Underworld fan-boys right. I'm no one's entertainment. Tonight, the moon takes center-stage."\
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"You seem to forget that the reason you received an unwanted title was not sheer coincidence. As I recall, you have very little choice in the matter. Go secure the exits."\
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"If you want him caught so badly, Ji, go secure the exits yourself. I'm taking tonight off."\
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Gem lifted his toes slightly and slid down the roof a bit, allowing for some room to lie down on his back. Crossing his arms behind his head, he looked up into the sky, trying to re-conjure the image he'd had beneath his eyelids earlier.\
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"Cocky brat," the demon snorted, and took off, the metal ring of his boots on the rooftop tiles quickly blending with and disappearing into the noises of the crowds. Gem smiled to himself a little more broadly once he was alone, and then slipped away into rapture. It wasn't long before the lull in sounds was broken by the tap-tap of approaching footsteps, and Gem snapped into an upright position and glanced about. Rather than finding the demon returned, he saw a man in a large brown cloak standing with his profile against the full moon, panting heavily, face contorted with an all too rational mix of fear and confusion.\
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"What's the news, man?"\
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"Run for it, sir, it's all bad\'d1" the stranger paused for breath and waited until the hyperventilating ceased. "There's one or more terrifying demon in town, and all I can think of is ensuring that the crowds don't panic."\
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"Demon, you say? No, it couldn't be..." Gem furrowed his brow as he rose to his feet, muttering to himself. "Pursuit from the Inferno?"\
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"Apologies sir, but you were saying?"\
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Gem turned and reexamined the other man, taking in every detail of his appearance. The blue eyes, the standard thief's outfit of brown tunic, breeches, and coat, the tight-fighting brown leather cap that hid his hair.\
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"Hmm... you would not by any stroke of luck happen to be he who calls himself Pyrim?"\
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"Indeed I am, sir\'d1Entities, did the Underworld send you after me?" The man backed away, his eyes widening. \
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"I'll take that as an confirmation. In that case, the demon chasing you was most likely my companion."\
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"Com-com-companion?! Since when has the Underworld allied itself with abominations such as those that spawn from the chasms of the Inferno? That's nonsense, sir." The man took a few more steps back, one gloved hand drawing a dagger from a sheath at his hip. His first intent was to wield a weapon as a precaution, but after a slow shake of Gem's head, the thief's grip on the hilt tightened threefold. "Stay away from me!"\
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"Were I operating on my own, I would have but this to say to you: 'Don't take my uncle's name.' As things stand, I believe that I have taken on the task of securing your capitulation and returning your person to the hands of our employer. Defecting from the Underworld is a sin punishable by death, according to the lawbreaker's joke of a code of law we have. You should know this well, but whether or not your body is still that of a functioning human being when I carry it back with me is of no import to the sum I will receive as bounty. I believe that should clarify the situation a bit?" Gem took a step forward, reaching for the sheathes he had strung about his waist. \
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"Your uncle's name? That doesn't clarify anything one bit, you lunatic!" Pyrim yelled hysterically, his mental balance put off by the calm manner in which Gem had set forward such a substantial amount of unsettling information.\
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"Well sir, I didn't think it would," observed Gem as he launched forward, closing the distance between himself and his target in a matter of three seconds. Metal rang as his stubby twin blades clashed against Pyrim's longer, more graceful dagger, and a few of the roof's tiles loosened as feet slid across their smooth surface. For a brief moment, Gem's face came close to Pyrim's as they struggled against each other's guard. "But would you not concur that a loud fight will only serve to alarm the public?"\
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"I don't get you, man, I don't get you!" Pyrim cried out at the top of his lungs, exerting himself and knocking Gem back, sending the green-haired youth staggering around in a dance-like search for secure footing. Pyrim's yell didn't reach the crowds below, the general tumult of the hordes of people drowning out any sounds from above. He took only the time to ensure that his push forward would not send him off balance before turning tail and fleeing.\
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"Gah, I really didn't want to have to work this night," Gem sighed as he watched Pyrim dash away over the rooftops. He had recovered his balance quickly, and stood still for a moment, contemplating the situation. "I suppose I had better do this right."\
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He lost the last of the laziness that had come over him earlier and flung his cloak off. Experience told him that to perform at his highest level, he needed full range of motion, and a little chill wasn't enough to require those encumbering folds. He dropped it where he stood and, with a single movement, sheathed both of his daggers. Hands free, he dashed off, his bare arms flashing as his fingers searched the many pouches and cases attached at his belt, checking his equipment.\
\
After two minutes of pursuit, he had the target in his sights once more, and tossed a couple of projectile blades Pyrim's way with a deadly underhand. The ex-Underworlder evaded one with ease and deflected the other with a casual fling of his wrist, not even looking back.\
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"As expected of one of us," Gem commented, and gritted his teeth. "This might have been expected." And with that, he was neck and neck with the other. "Yo!" He called cheerfully as Pyrim jumped sideways, away from him, onto a neighboring building's roof. Gem whistled, impressed. "That's quite a leap."\
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"What will you do if I descend into the masses?" Pyrim shouted over the gap between the rooftops.\
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"I will have my demon rustle you out."\
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"Bane above, you freaks will do anything, won't you?"\
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"Were I operating on my own\'d1"\
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"Yes yes, I know! Your uncle, huh? I'm not puzzling out your riddles, Underworld dog!" Pyrim spat Gem's way, and the breeze carried his spittle forward, missing Gem's face by mere inches.\
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"Unfortunately for me, I'm the dog of something much more frightening than a mere criminal organization." Gem bowed his head as he said this, and Pyrim, seeing an opportunity, ignored the message and leapt back across the gap, dagger forward. A blast of purple shot past Gem's face, and in an instant Pyrim was prone on his back at Gem's feet.\
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"What the blazes are you doing, kid? He almost got you!" The demon's rasp lifted Gem's visage and brought him back to the immediate situation\'d1Pyrim struggling to sit up, a large steel boot planted square on his chest, the demon facing Gem, its red eyes flaring angrily. "I couldn't find him anywhere," the demon continued, "so I returned to our spot, only to hear the clamor of combat. Glad I found you when I did."\
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"What? You mean that prior to now you had not had contact with the target?"\
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"That is correct."\
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"But he said..." Gem cursed under his breath, looking around with fear in his eyes.\
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"What did he say?" The demon looked down at the face of the helpless thief, a change in visual targets only noticeable by the tilt of the gray robe's cowl. Those merciless crimson eyes continued to shine Gem's way without pause.\
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"The man says a demon was chasing him, Ji. A demon."\
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"A demon? Blazes! Has the Inferno finally started to act after all these years?" The demon stepped off of Pyrim and twirled around a few times, scanning the horizon of rooftops. "This is bad, Gem. You take care of the thief, I'll go and scout out the opposition."\
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"Watch out, Ji," warned Gem, "in this moonlight, you're much weaker than you're accustomed to being at night."\
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"I know that, brat." And off the demon dashed, robes billowing in the wind kicked up by the sheer speed of its movements. Within a minute Gem's companion was out of sight. Pyrim coughed once or twice before managing to sit up, whereupon a swift kick on Gem's part laid him flat on his back once more.\
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"Well, sir, I don't really have the will to keep this up much longer," Gem began as he whipped out one of his two short blades and pressed it to his captive's neck. "I'll give you the option of dying at my hands or going through the torture our employer will surely have ready waiting for you. Your choice."\
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"Neither!" shouted Pyrim defiantly. "If I truly am in the position to make a decision, then that decision is to not die at the hands of those who consort with demons!"\
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"Your choices are far more limited than that, man," Gem warned, a stern look taking over his features. "And you had better select one before I eliminate them both."\
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"How about I," Pyrim growled, before his right arm flashed up and made contact with Gem's solar plexus, "eliminate those choices for you?" His captor stumbled aside in minor shock as Pyrim leapt upright and brought his dagger around in his left hand, slashing at Gem's head. A few tufts of green hair broke away from the rest as Gem barely dodged the vicious slice. He had no sooner regained his balance than a second attack came his way, one that he blocked easily with a swift positioning of his own dagger.\
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"I don't get it," Pyrim muttered with each successive attack as he pressed on. Gem dodged and deflected each attack with time left only to take a step back and stabilize his stance. "I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get it!" A crescendo became evident with each passing blow as Pyrim's voice grew louder and louder.\
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After a couple minutes, Gem found himself standing on the edge of the roof on which they were fighting. If their current pattern of attack and defend continued, he would be thrown off and into the crowd, and, from this height, most likely to his death. Even as he registered this fact, Pyrim had begun his next swing. Gem's eyes narrowed as he worked out how he would jump forward, under the blow, hopefully bowling his opponent over and regaining room to move about. The thief's dagger seemed to approach in slow motion as Gem's arms flashed down from their defensive positions to waist, as Gem's knees bent, as he readied himself to launch forward. And then, just then, mid-swing, Pyrim said something different.\
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"One of our people, and still you talk just like them!" \
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Gem froze where he was in a low crouch, those soft gray pools of his eyes becoming raging black vortexes of chaos as his mind spun in circles. Pyrim's attack swung high, and he stumbled backwards clumsily in order to not go tumbling over his adversary and off the roof. He paused as he saw Gem look up at his face and listened closely as the dazed man's mouth began moving.\
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"Our, as if we had some connection of some kind," Gem mumbled, not blinking once.\
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"What's wrong now, Underworlder?" Pyrim asked derisively. "Surprised I could keep up with you?" In Gem's perception, Pyrim stood against the moon, tall and dark, showered in purple light. Who was this man who stood so ominously against the night's beauty? Who was this man who'd just insinuated that he and and Gem shared more in common than the Underworld?\
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"Family." Gem mouthed the word with barely a whisper of voice behind it.\
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"You mean you didn't know? It's a unique trait, cousin," Pyrim smiled, his teeth a dull gray in the shade that masked his face. "It's a trait unique to our family." So saying, he grasped his cap and pulled it off, revealing a short crop of bright green hair. Gem's mouth moved but no sound issued from it as he attempted to comprehend the situation. Never since his childhood, never since his time spent struggling on the streets of a tiny hamlet in Eldra, had he seen another person with the green hair that marked them an outcast, a descendant of the exiled branch of the Mana Line. A stigma, even amongst the other mercenaries in the Vergan Underworld, Gem's green hair had meant nothing but strife throughout his days. Since the last living person he'd known to have it died, he'd seen himself as alone in the world, without family.\
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"Don't tell me you're going to go easy on me now, cousin. You know how the Underworld sees favoritism!" Pyrim brandished his weapon and waited for Gem to rise\'d1a slow and mechanical process\'d1before smiling and jumping forward, bringing his dagger to bear.\
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With hawk-like precision, Gem's empty hand homed in on Pyrim's wrist and caught it a mere foot from his head. With a single squeeze of Gem's fingers, the blade fell to the roof tiles. Pyrim tried to pull back, but the blood flow in his arm had already been disrupted and his circulation was failing. He struggled against Gem's grip, but, even using his other hand against Gem's fingers, he couldn't free himself.\
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"Let me go!" he cried out, desperation setting in. "If you're going to kill me\'d1"\
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"Quiet down," commanded Gem in a low voice. "They're close." He swiftly dropped to his knees, pulling his catch into an awkward crouch. He looked around furtively, his eyes returned to their calm gray. \
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"What's this all about now?" Pyrim demanded angrily, his body twitching as he vainly attempted to free his arm. "What\'d1" The thief was cut off as Gem sheathed his dagger in a flash and place his hand over his captive's mouth. Sounds of blades meeting emanated from an alley four buildings over.\
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"I can and will explain the situation in depth once we're outside the city, but for now I believe a shorter version will do. The demon that saved me from you just before was not 'my' demon; I am 'his' human. I have been for nigh on eleven years of my life, ever since my mother died of disease in Eldra. I am, in the same manner as you are, a descendant of the Disgraced Gem. I am Legend Reborn."\
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The roar of the crowds below seemed insignificant as the sound of boots falling heavily on roof-top tiles grew louder. The moon had not yet reached its apex and the sky shimmered that elusive color between purple and pink, bathing the entire city in surreal serenity. The footsteps came to a halt as the gray-robed demon appeared next to the spot where the two knelt. Its red eyes scanned the scene, and then the night's calm was shattered by what sounded to be a wheezing cough. Another, and another, and yet a fourth split the night. The demon was laughing.\
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And it was wielding a shining sword stained blue with demon ichor.\
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Two
\f1\b0 \
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"Aren't you glad?" Dana asked her neighbor as she swept the doorstep.\
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"You mean about the Heir leaving?" Leora asked back, turning her head from the clothes she was hanging up. It was a quiet afternoon at the Mana Palace, and the streets of the town were empty. The Guardians and lower nobles were all inside the palace preparing and the men and soldiers were all out drinking. The odd group of children ran by every now and then, but for the most part, the only company these two women had was each other, a small picket fence in between.\
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"Yes, about that." Dana stopped sweeping and smiled over at Leora.\
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"Oh, yes. I'll sleep much better with him out of town. He's kind of... creepy. I'd say that his manner makes it easier for one to see why his great-grandfather outlawed magery."\
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"Certainly. I'm sure that our town has been better off these last hundred years, with more grounded folk in the palace. Those magi all had their heads in the clouds, and I don't even know if they were capable of thinking straight."\
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"I'm not too enthused about the party, tomorrow, though," Leora sighed. "It's going to be long and loud, and there'll be a lot of cleaning up to do afterwards."\
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"Just think about the fact that he'll be gone! For a whole year, our town will have only normal people in it. Yes, no Heir, no magi\'d1just normal folk. Isn't that a refreshing thought?"\
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"You're right, Dana. Tomorrow's going to be a good day." The two went back to their chores, humming tunes and anticipating the departure of the Guardian Heir, Mana II. It had been announced a week earlier that he'd be traveling the world for a year, to learn the customs and ways of life in other countries. A large farewell party was planned for the next day, and the vast majority of the inhabitants of the palace and town were looking forward to its outcome: the absence of Mana II.\
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---\
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The day of the party came gloomy and overcast. Mana sat at his chamber's single south-facing window, one arm on the sill, gazing out into the gray sky. He sighed as his eyes wandered down to the streets below, unimpressed with how colorless things were. Out of curiosity, he took a strand of his own hair and held it out. It, too, had lost a good deal of its color, its intense red diminished to a blurred mocha. Sighing once more, he stood.\
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"Time to wake Julien, I guess."\
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Mana turned from the window and strode across the room, his green robes swishing as he moved. He caused the room's lock to click open without using his hands, and the doors swung outwards. They slammed shut behind him as he walked down the hall, eyes focused straight ahead. The magnificent tapestries on the walls bored him, the ornate gilded braziers, the red silk carpeting. The eastern tower of the Mana Palace was the most decorated, and Mana was indifferent. He hadn't chosen his room at the top of this gaudy turret. He'd merely moved into it upon his father's orders several years ago, leaving the traditional Heir's chamber in the central compound behind.\
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There wasn't a whole lot in the Mana Palace that Mana cared for. He wasn't glad to have a dozen servants and he wasn't ecstatic that his father had installed that portrait of a Guardian Lord from the first millennium over his bed. He didn't consider the special meat that the Guardians ate a delicacy. He didn't find anything to like in the same stories or songs that the others in the palace adored. He took no interest in the goings-on in town and had no inclination towards politics.\
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There were three things that Mana cared about. First and foremost was Julien Tryn, his cousin. Older by ten years, Julien was someone Mana admired, a role-model. An orphan from the time he was three years old, Julien was the youngest Lord Tryn since the formation of the province, and had had enormous responsibility shoved upon him all his life. Mana, at times overcome with the weight of being Guardian Heir, thought on his cousin, and Julien's valiant struggles to become the perfect Lord gave him heart. More than just cousins, they were inseparable companions. Whenever Julien managed to come up to the Mana Palace, he would spend whatever free time he had in the presence of his younger cousin. In all of Central Libra, Julien was the one man who respected Mana, and the one man who did not fear or abhor Mana's magical gifts.\
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Second, Mana loved the moon, its sheer beauty and mystery entertaining his thoughts and filling his restless nights. Third, Mana loved nature, all things green and the wild animals that dwelt among them. He had gazed at it from afar for almost fourteen years, always from a window in some high tower of the palace. The lushness that spring brought, the sparkling of the summer, the serenity of the autumn, winter's silent promise, these were things that Mana could only look upon his whole life. Confined to the palace, unable to leave, unable to go out and touch a plant, all he could do was sit and look. In comparison, the decorations of the eastern tower were drab. \
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Today he'd be leaving the palace, he thought triumphantly as he traversed the halls. He'd be able to go out and experience nature. Unlike the day before, and the day before that, and for years and years and years, Mana felt at peace. He was finally going to take a step outside the palace in which he'd been born, the palace in which he'd been raised, the palace in which he'd been imprisoned.\
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\cf0 His footsteps quickened by enthusiasm, he crossed the main floor of the palace in two minutes, and began scaling the spiral staircases of the western tower. Around and around the tower he ran, the clack of his metal soles ringing off the stone steps echoing around him. He reached the top short on breath, paused to recover, and then walked over to the guest chamber door. It flung open before him at his command and he stepped in, shutting it gently behind him.\
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Julien Tryn lay fast asleep atop the big bed in the corner, snoring comfortably. \
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"C'mon Jul, time to get up," Mana murmured as he crept over to the bed. Gently nudging his cousin's shoulder, he repeated the request.\
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Julien groaned and turned over to face the wall. "Five more minutes..."\
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"Not this morning," said Mana playfully as he took a hold on the sheets and blankets beneath his cousin. "Up you get!" With one motion, Mana caused Julien to fall to the ground.\
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Instantly on his feet, Julien yawned once before crying out, "Oi, Mana! What're you doing?!"\
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"Because today's an important day, you need to get up now." Mana spoke quietly, a serene smile on his face, his eyes closed. "Today we leave."\
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"Oh, that's right! We had better get going!" The lord of Tryn began dashing around the room, snatching up his effects\'d1a hunting knife, a long sword, and two pouches of various odds and ends that he'd prepared the night before. While fastening these to his belt, he clumsily stumbled into boots. Extracting his cloak from the mess of bed sheets that his cousin had created, he flung it around himself. "By the way, how late is it, Mana?"\
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"Er, you don't need to rush it, Jul. The palace isn't up yet."\
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"What? Then we have plenty of time!" Julien sighed, dropping back onto the bed and sitting with his arms crossed over his knees.\
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"We'll never have enough time. I think we should go over our plan one last time."\
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Julien gave Mana a funny look before sighing in consent.\
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"So, we know that our great grandfather Lont al'Kondo scattered the Crystals in the second year of his reign. Upon his death, treasure hunters across the world began searching for them, hoping to ransom them back to the Guardians. Five of twelve were found, but no transactions were made due to constant fighting among commoners looking to lay claim to them. A few years ago, all trace of these five Crystals vanished. It is our intention to recover at least those five, correct?"\
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"Correct," Julien replied.\
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"But if possible, we wish to reclaim all twelve."\
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"Again, correct."\
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"We will use the trip as a cover to get out of Libra. At the party today, I will persuade father to make Verga our first destination. Once in Verga, you will commandeer the airship we are on, and we will go our own way."\
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"I still don't see why we need an airship at all, Mana. Aren't you able to hasten our bodies so that we might run faster that those lumbering crafts?"\
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"We already discussed that, Jul," Mana said sternly. "It's a dangerous course of action, and can have many long-term effects on our health. Unless you want your legs to give out from the stress and be forever useless, I suggest you abandon any idea of using my talents as our main means of easing travel."\
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"You know, airships charge through the roof for trips to Verga."\
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"We're stealing the airship, anyway, Jul. We don't need to worry about the fare. Come on, we've already talked about this and we're going nowhere. Trust me here. We shouldn't rely on magic for travel. It's dangerous."\
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"We wouldn't need to steal the airship, though."\
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"Jul, it's too dangerous. That's that. Now, we'll have plenty of time to discuss more exact plans\'d1such as when and how to look where for what\'d1on the ship. For the time being, there are some final preparations to make before the palace wakes up. You need to send your Right back to Tryn as a regent, and before that you probably want to speak with him a while. I'll head back to the eastern tower and ready my luggage. Remember, the party's at noon\'d1don't fall back asleep now."\
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"Yes, sir," Julien replied, yawning once more before getting back to his feet and striding out of the room. Mana followed closely, and the stairwell became filled with the footfalls of the two nobles.\
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Julien stopped abruptly and craned his neck back, looking up at Mana.\
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"And remember, we chose to be secretive about this because there's no way your father would condone our plans. If he somehow gets wind of our intentions, our journey will be over before it starts."\
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"Don't worry, Jul, I'm not going to blunder when I talk to him."\
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"Not to him, Mana. Not to him. But be wary of his Right." And Julien was off, dashing down the stone steps two at a time.\
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"What does that mean, be wary of father's Right?" Mana snorted. The Right, the closest servant of a lord, was always the lord's confidant, his most loyal vassal. Unerringly faithful and geared towards fulfilling the lord's needs in the most efficient ways, the Right had no reason to live other than for the lord. "Father's Right. Be wary of him?" Mana repeated softly, and then chuckled. Of course there was no need for that. Sounds of doors opening and footsteps traversing halls began to creep up from downstairs, a sign that the palace was rising.\
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Mana followed down the stairwell and began crossing the palace when he caught sight of a group of Guardians walking towards him, clothed in white ceremonial garb and bearing ornate golden arms. He nodded to them, and made to continue on his way, but one stopped him with an outstretched hand.\
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"Please halt, Milord," the Guardian requested.\
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"What for?"\
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"Sir Kieku wishes to speak with you before you depart. To wish you well." Another one in the group nodded.\
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"Can't he do so at the party?" Kieku, the Guardian Lord's Right.
\f2\i Could it be...?
\f1\i0 Mana frowned, wondering if it was just his imagination getting ahead of him.\
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"He wishes to speak with you in private in a quiet place," the Guardian responded.\
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"Alright then," Mana sighed, "where is he?"\
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"He's in the chapel."\
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"Thank you."\
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"Our pleasure to serve," a third Guardian said, inclining his head respectfully. The others followed suit, and then the unit turned as one and walked off. Mana cocked his head, wondering if it wasn't a bit odd for the men to be dressed in that manner this early. And if it wasn't a bit odd for Kieku to summon him at this time on this day. Troubled with these thoughts, he hurried off to the chapel, a small room in the back of the palace with a miniscule shrine to Bane, the Creator. Kieku was there waiting for him, standing before the shrine with a benign smile on his face.\
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A graying man in his late fifties, Kieku stood much taller than most in the palace. He was in incredible shape for a man his age, and his main source of entertainment was sparring with Guardian Knights. He was an accomplished doctor, a master story teller, a wise source of advice, and, as his Right, a strong crutch for Mana's father. Most in the palace admired Kieku and none treated him like the servant he was, always referring to him as Sir Kieku and inclining their heads to him as if he were a member of the Mana line itself.\
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"Good morning, Milord."\
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"Good morning. You wanted to speak with me?"\
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"Yes."\
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"Well, please make it quick. I need to gather my effects for the trip."\
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"As we speak, your servants are preparing your luggage."\
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Mana had to think fast in order to keep his face straight.
\f2\i If I don't pack my own bags, I'll end up without the things I need most! My sword, my charts and tools... and I can't protest, or Kieku will suspect something.
\f1\i0 \
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"T-thank you for your kindness," Mana managed to get out, not wanting the man before him to catch wind of his displeasure.\
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"My pleasure to serve," Kieku inclined his head.\
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"So, what did you want to speak of?"\
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"I wanted to wish you my best before the party begins, Milord. You are about to embark on a long voyage, and no doubt will encounter many hardships outside of these palace walls. It is in my best interests that you return safely, for, as you might know, it is I that suggested this trip to your father, blessed be he in the Light." At this, Kieku faced the shrine and inclined his head towards it. Turning back to Mana, he continued. "So, I wish you the best in your endeavors, and hope that you return safely."\
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"Thank you."
\f2\i \
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\f1\i0 "That is all."\
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Mana, once more, had to think fast to keep his face from displaying his shock.
\f2\i It's more than coincidence. He called me all the way over here just to say that? It can't be. He did this on purpose to keep me from packing my own things.
\f1\i0 \
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"Then, see you at the party," Mana said quickly, eager to get away from this man whose presence had suddenly become suffocating. He rushed from the chapel as slowly as he could manage, trying to not arouse his father's Right's suspicion. Once out of sight of the chapel, he ran to the eastern stairwell and dashed up it, unwittingly quickening his stride with magic. He arrived at his door and it burst open, hinges groaning in protest at the amount of force applied. His room was empty, the large bed stripped, the portrait above it removed from its fixture, the window wide open.\
\
Two large bags sat alone in the center of the room.\
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Mana fell to his knees and released the clasps, opening the luggage and letting their contents spill out across his freshly-mopped floor. Clothes, clothes, all clothes! Of course they wouldn't have packed anything else. Mana scanned the room once more, hoping that he'd been mistaken, but there was nothing. He groped around under his bed, and no scabbard came to his finger tips. \
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Footsteps approaching from behind, Mana turned fearfully only to find Julien Tryn smiling down at him.\
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"I told you to watch out, didn't I?" He held out a black-scabbarded sword and a small leather pouch. Mana leapt up and accepted them, sighing in relief. He unsheathed the sword once, checking the blade, and rummaged in the pouch to ensure that everything was in order.\
\
"How did you...?"\
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"I had my suspicions, and moved first," Julien shrugged. "You really need to be more careful. I hope you didn't make that man wonder anything strange."\
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"I don't think I did," Mana replied, "but apparently my thoughts aren't that sharp today." He stashed the sword and pouch in one of the bags and closed all the clasps, securing his luggage.\
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"You were up too early," Julien laughed, ruffling his cousin's hair. "Well, I've talked to my Right, and Tryn's covered, so shall we relax until the party?"\
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"Wait, Jul. Aren't you making light of the situation?"\
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"What do you mean, Mana? There's a party in a couple hours, and we're free until then. Shouldn't we\'d1"\
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"How did you know that Kieku would do this, Julien?"\
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Mana, his long red hair mussed, glared up at his older cousin with clear blue eyes. Julien, taken aback by the demand, didn't erase the stupid smile from his face. Defensively, he put his hands up, palms facing the Guardian Heir, and stood there, speechless. Mana grabbed his things and moved towards the door.\
\
"I'll accept it as intuition," Mana sighed, and walked out of the room. Julien, still in shock at Mana's question, followed silently. Never before had Mana questioned Julien's knowledge or actions, never before had he glared at Julien like that. The lord of Tryn decided right there that he never wanted to see that expression again.\
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"I hadn't heard that laugh in a long time," Gem muttered as he gripped Pyrim's wrist. Overhead, the purple sky became littered with rays of gold as blasts erupted around the city. Screams filled the air as the crowds panicked and people began trying to push their way out of the streets.\
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"It looks like my fears have come true," Pyrim sighed. The demon was no longer standing by them, it was off battling pursuers. "Are you going to let go?"\
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"Ah, sorry," the bounty hunter replied quickly, dropping the thief's forearm and standing up straight. "I think we should get out of here before the city goes up in flames."\
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"Flames? The whole city?" \
\
"The last time I heard that laugh, almost eleven years ago, was the night that Ky'Ebi vanished from the plains of Eldra. There isn't a living thing in Verga with its safety assured right now." Gem put two fingers to his temple and looked around studiously. Already, several small fires had started around the central marketplace. "Let's hurry towards the southern gate."\
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"Can I ask two things of you?" Pyrim asked hesitantly as he rose to his feet and turned to face the south. "First, why didn't you defeat me?"\
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Gem took a running leap to the next rooftop and called back, "Isn't it obvious? We're family. If I'd known that earlier, I would have escaped the city with you, or something."\
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"And second, about the identity of that demon...?"\
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"He was named Ji'Lopan by his father, Maha, three thousand years ago," Gem replied, smiling. "You've probably heard the name before, seeing as Ji's the one Ly'ban ever known to leave survivors to tell tales of how horrible the forces of the Inferno are."\
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\cf0 Pyrim's eyes widened. Ly'ban? The mythical grand demons that were capable of manipulating Jikkuu, the power of Bane? The strongest soldiers of the Inferno?\
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"Ly'ban?!"\
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"Yes, Ly'ban."\
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"But if Ly'ban truly exist, why would they be on the run from other Infernals? And how did you get caught up in all this?"\
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"Well, you see, Ji'Lopan is a traitor to Maha, and intends to use me against the Inferno." Gem said this all calmly, but followed it up with a swift "hurry!" and dashed off. Pyrim followed in silence, his dead arm hanging uselessly at his side. After a dozen minutes of running, they reached the thick walls of Verga City. Unguarded, open, and defenseless, they provided no hindrance and in seconds the two green-haired men were out of the city.\
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"We're not safe yet," Gem cautioned Pyrim, and continued running, away from the walls.\
\
"Will we ever be?" the thief questioned, still following.\
\
"It's doubtful. If Ji'Lopan is victorious against our pursuers, he'll be here, and if not, the Inferno will be coming after me. It was like that back when we first met, too. Ji's presence was constantly made benign in contrast to the others we were around."\
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"Now that I think of it..." Pyrim stopped running, and Gem paused in order to not lose him. They stood in the tall grass of an uncultivated Vergan field a little less than a mile outside of the city. Directly overhead, the purple sky was untainted by the explosions and blasts of light that marred the city's beauty. "If this Ji'Lopan is a traitor to Maha, doesn't that make him an ally of the humans? Of course we're better off with him! He's good!"\
\
"No, he's not good. At least, not by the conventional sense of the word from our perspective." Gem turned back to face the city, his eyes narrowing as he focused on gate they'd passed through, now serving as an exit from the city for hundreds of frightened people. "It seems as though the situation of the world has become more complex than the classic 'light versus darkness' that is portrayed in our outdated lore books."\
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"Outdated? But the current editions were written less than one hundred years ago..."\
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"Less than one hundred years ago, our great grandfather was still the Guardian Heir. A lot changes in one hundred years. And apparently, over the course of the last two hundred years, Maha has gradually strayed from the path set out by Chaos. Ji'Lopan, eternally loyal to his grandfather, turned on Maha and fled the Inferno the moment he found a chance to secure some kind of victory. That chance was me." Gem paused, and shook his head. "No, it's still crazy to think about all this so clearly. It's hard to believe that I'm talking like this to you."\
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"What you're saying is crazy. I don't get any of it!" Pyrim exclaimed, closing his working fist on midair as if futilely trying to grasp the meaning of Gem's words. "First you seem innocent and levelheaded, one I could run to about the demon I'd seen, next you turn out to be some Underworld mercenary, not only that, but with a demon of your own in tow, then you find out we're cousins and you grip my wrist so hard that I still can't use my arm, finally you call yourself Legend, flee the city with me, and begin dishing out all this lore-related information! Who are you?"\
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Gem sighed and crossed his arms.\
\
"I was told by Ji'Lopan that I was Legend Reborn, almost eleven years ago, the night he rescued me from Ky'Ebi. I doubted him at first, but over the years I've come to realize that this must be true. As a person, though... I was born in als'Loen, a hamlet in southern Eldra. I don't remember my father, and my mother died before I was taken to Ky'Ebi. I don't remember anything my mother ever said to me, as she lost her voice to a disease when I was two, so I don't even know my own name. On her death bed, she gave me this headband," Gem tapped the metal protector with his thumb, "along with a written note explaining to me that it had belonged to my great grandfather. Nameless and with no possession other than the Disgraced Gem's headband, I named myself Gem-"\
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"You're the one who named himself after our great grandfather?" Pyrim broke in, excitedly. "You're the Underworld's Gem? The Roof-runner of Verga?"\
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"Yeah, that's me," Gem sighed again and closed his eyes.\
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"So I was able to keep up with the best in the business," Pyrim said lightly, finishing with a slight chuckle. "I should have stayed with the Underworld and challenged your title."\
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"Actually, now was a really good time for you to push me to flee Verga City. It seems like it's become unsafe for me. It's unsafe for all of us, of course, but according to Ji'Lopan the fact that I'm Legend Reborn makes me a magnet to misfortune. He said that my pull was an exponential variation on the number of other people prone to the same misfortune... I don't know exactly what that means, but I think the more people there are in danger, the more in danger I am."\
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"Legend Reborn, huh? What's it feel like?"\
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"I can't exactly compare it to not being Legend Reborn." \
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"Hehehe... ah! Gem, what's this?" Gem opened one eye and looked at Pyrim's index finger, pointing down at the ground. "Down, down!" Gem's other eye snapped open as he saw the grass blackening beneath their feet. Pyrim's words became tinged with panic. "What's going on?"\
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"It looks like Ji was victorious," Gem said, "unless the Inferno sent Ly'ban after us."\
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"I was indeed victorious, kid," spoke the demon, appearing in an explosion of black smoke above the patch of dead grass. "Against one of them. I figure that there are at least eight or nine Infernals in that city right now, and I'm not in my element tonight. You and I should run from here for the time being."\
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"The purple sky really does mess you up."\
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"Naturally." The demon turned to face Pyrim, its glare unfaltering. "What's he doing here?"\
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"He's family," Gem replied, "and we're taking him with us."\
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"Hold on a moment!" Pyrim interjected angrily. "I never agreed to having this demon as a companion!"\
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"As if it were your choice to make, human," the Ly'ban spat, "I was planning on you dying in the city tonight. Since that didn't pan out, I suppose you'll die here." In a rustling of cloth, its arm swung down. Metal met metal as gauntlet grasped hilt, and light flooded out of scabbard as sword was drawn. In two steps, the demon was next to the thief, its blinding sword at Pyrim's neck. "Pray to whichever set of Gods you like the most, human."\
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"Ji, stop!" Gem cried out. He moved to take a step forward, only to find that he was glued in place by the Ly'ban's shadow. "Unbind me, damn it, Ji!"\
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"I knew you'd try to interfere. You make everything so much more complicated, Legend." The Ly'ban turned around, throwing back its cowl to reveal a tall black helm. Carved into the front where a thin mouth and two red sockets from which shone the demon's eyes. "You let your guard down before the enemy, you accept the enemy, you flee with the enemy. You're pathetic. Maybe I should do away with all my plans and kill you, too, tonight?"\
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"You wouldn't," argued Gem. "I'm-"\
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"A useless pawn. You do-"\
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"What's he done to me, Gem?" Pyrim called over the Ly'ban's huge form, interrupting. "I can't move!"\
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"Neither can I, Pyrim. We're bound with Ji's shadow."\
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"LISTEN TO ME, LEGEND!" the Ly'ban roared. "You do as I say, remember? From day one, when I freed you from Ky'Ebi, to today, when I encountered Infernals under the full moon, I have never ceased fighting for you. Not once. Don't you see that your safety is in my hands? Don't you understand that I have my hands full dealing with your enemies? If you don't do as I say, I can easily turn my back on you. I have no obligation to help you. All I need is whatever power you might happen to have locked away in the memories of your past life. I won't kill you, Legend, but I will remind you of your position. You're helpless. You're weak and vulnerable. You exist for a variety of reasons, and I exist to exploit these. You are my possession! You are less than that! Don't act on your own! Don't get so familiar and comfortable with me when you're relaxing. You should constantly be wary of my wishes. Do as I say!"\
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Pyrim looked on in shock as the demon berated Gem. He was surprised to see Gem bow his head and mutter an apology.\
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"Now, kid. Show me your gratitude. Kill the thief for me."\
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"Yeah, Ji, I got it..." Gem took a step forward, the shadow dissolving beneath him as he reached for the hilt of one of his daggers. He closed the distance between himself and Pyrim, eyes narrowing as the demon lifted its blade from the thief's shoulder and stepped back. "I'll do what you want from now on, Ji." Gem's grip tightened on his hilt as he place himself between the demon and the thief. "I'll be strong." He spun around to face the demon, drawing the dagger and holding it up before him. A blazing blue light circled out from the surface of the blade, diluting the sky's purple. The dagger Gem held was a long, pointed black-steel affair with a ragged edge, a fearsome weapon. Its surface was marked with three blue letters, each glowing faintly under the light of the full moon. \
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"What is that?" Pyrim asked at the same time as the Ly'ban took several more steps backwards, distancing itself from the outstretched blade.\
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"I told you, right, Pyrim? That I'd come to realize I was Legend."\
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"Impressive, Legend. When did you get into forging?" The Ly'ban did its best to sound composed, but its rasp was shaky at best. Gem smiled.\
\
"I've had more than ten years, Ji. You didn't watch me all the time, and I decided to put your theory to the test. I assume that you know what this is?"\
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"Of course I know what it is, cocky brat! I was one of the first Ly'ban created, back in the first year of your calendar. Weapons like that were common then, they were everywhere."\
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"That's... a runeblade?" Pyrim asked, dumbfounded. "Like in the stories?"\
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"Yeah," replied Gem, brandishing the dagger and leaning forward.\
\
"So, what are you intending to do with that knife, kid?" Ji'Lopan asked, achieving a better grip on his sword hilt as he spoke. "Don't tell me you plan on fighting me- with a runeblade no less- to defend this common thief!"\
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"That is exactly what I plan on doing, Ji."\
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"Idiot! Even with that, you're no match for my magic-"\
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"Wrong. You don't remember the meanings of the runewords, do you?" Gem's smile widened as he leaned farther forward. "Why don't you try me, Ji? Just like back then, when we used to spar."\
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"You never beat me once, kid," the Ly'ban laughed, and charged. For a brief moment, Gem wondered if he'd made a mistake. Ji'Lopan had definitely shown surprise, but he seemed to have gotten over it quickly. Too quickly. The demon was confident in its ability to trounce Gem. It must have its reasons for this attitude. It was experienced, it had fought for Chaos for more than three thousand years. Perhaps it knew something Gem didn't?\
\
These unsure thoughts disappeared as the demon reared before Gem, swinging its sword around to strike. With no choice at this point but to fight, Gem blocked the shining blade with his black dagger. The impact sent tremors up his arm, and he gritted his teeth, straining himself to keep the Ly'ban's monstrous strength at bay. It occurred to him only then that he'd never seriously fought a non-human before, and it was with this realization that he understood, as if for the first time, that the Ly'ban was a demon. He'd known it before, but never before had he had such solid proof that the creature was made of different material than a human.\
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A human's muscles could not be so strong.\
\
A simple shove, and Gem was sent staggering backwards, his arm in tremendous pain. Pyrim, no longer bound by the Ly'ban's shadow, caught his shoulder and helped him remain upright, muttering something in a worried tone that Gem couldn't pick up. Focusing on what lay at hand, Gem gripped the runeblade with his other hand. As soon as the Ly'ban pushed Gem back, it completed its swing and readied another.\
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"That sword is too long," Gem cautioned Pyrim, "if he strikes right now, you'll be caught in the attack."\
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"You can still parry it, right?"\
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"Yes, but-" It was too late. The demon's sword approached Gem's head in a blur, and the bounty hunter barely managed to block it. A small explosion emitted from the point of impact, blue coils trying to contain the spray of white light. Unable to completely suppress the power of the Ly'ban's sword, Gem cursed as a stray ray of white shot past him and speared Pyrim in the shoulder. The thief cried out in agony.\
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"My weapon isn't just a sword, Gem, did you forget? This isn't like those sparring sessions."\
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"Kaiblade." Gem knew all too well the power of the Chaos Blades, the weapons of the Ly'ban. Manipulating light and the material build of items, they were capable of slicing through almost all natural substances, and had a goodly amount of magical charge in them besides. Ironically white for the ultimate weapons of evil, Gem detested their very existence.\
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"You've tested my patience enough, boy, and our thief here will die for it now. Unless you have a third arm, you shouldn't be able to block my next strike. Step aside."\
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Pyrim lay out cold on the ground immediately behind Gem, covering his wounded shoulder with the hand that had until just now supported his cousin. Blood seeped slowly from the wound, staining the tall grass red. Gem didn't budge.\
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"Step aside!" the Ly'ban yelled.\
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Not moving, Gem stood there, his arm still raised to the point at which he'd blocked the Ly'ban second attack. He regarded the demon with grim eyes. For almost eleven years, they'd been together, traveling. The Ly'ban had fought, Gem had learned. They'd been mentor and student, companions, almost friends. The Ly'ban had freed Gem from the prison of Ky'Ebi, had called him Legend and saved him from a terrible death. They'd been in Verga for years, serving the Underworld organization. After all those years of being together, Gem had begun to think that nothing would never change. He'd never thought about freedom because he had become comfortable with the demon's presence. He was used to either being called brat or Legend, he was used to following orders, he was used to being able to relax and treat the Ly'ban like a peer.\
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But today, out of nowhere, he had encountered a kinsman, a member of the exiled branch of the Mana line. Today, he'd learned that Ji'Lopan was not the only company he could ever have. In order to preserve that hope, he needed to stand up to the Ly'ban. He needed to be strong, and show the demon that he could fight for himself.\
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"If you don't step aside, I swear I'll cut straight through you, boy."\
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All those years, nothing really happened. Gem had a sense of ordinary life, even if it might be different from that of the majority of Verga's residents. All that time, he'd never done anything for the Ly'ban. He'd never served it directly. He'd never done anything to deserve the demon's protection. Yet the demon had stayed by his side.
\f2\i Ji'Lopan will not kill me,
\f1\i0 Gem thought.\
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And then the Ly'ban swung, aiming for Gem's midsection. \
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The bounty hunter's eyes widened as he realized that the demon was actually attacking him in this state. He couldn't block, he couldn't dodge, all he could do was stand there and wonder if maybe- just maybe- he'd pushed his luck too far.
\f2\i He thinks that I can still block him,
\f1\i0 Gem realized.
\f2\i He thinks that my obstinacy indicates confidence in my ability to defend myself. I'm going to die, this time.\
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\f1\i0 Pain racked Gem as his arms shuddered from the impact. He didn't remember moving, but there before him were both his hands, maintaining a firm double-grip on the runeblade's hilt and keeping the demon at bay.\
\
"Why did you swing that time?" Gem growled.\
\
"I attacked because you were going to defend," the demon answered, stepping back and lowering its sword.\
\
"How could you know, damn it?" Gem demanded, his whole body wavering after the shock of the last parry. He dropped to his knees and looked up at the merciless eyes of the demon.\
\
"I've told you this before, kid. You still need to fulfill several prophecies, and Fate won't let you die until you've done so. You might be weak and useless, but you're still Legend Reborn. You know this; you've proven it to yourself. That dagger that you forged there contains secrets only known to Legend, son of Bane."\
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"Damn it, Ji! All you talk about is destiny this, Fate that, prophecy... why do you put so much store in all that? What we do is what we do, and it just so happens that some greater power known as Fate continues adjusting itself to match up with what goes on in the world. Right now, I'm trying to save the life of my cousin, and I don't want to be worrying about whether or not it's my destiny to or not!"\
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"Can you stop me from killing that man?"\
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"Yes."\
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"Are you sure?"\
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"Yes."\
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"Even if you're able to block my sword, I can just send a spear of tainted Jikkuu through your shadow at him."\
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"Try it."\
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"You get what you ask for, kid." The Ly'ban sheathed its sword in the pitch-black scabbard at its side. "I hope you won't cry about the bloodstains this will place on the back of your tunic."\
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Gem nodded, and then shakily drove his dagger into the ground before him. The Ly'ban laughed as its contour turned purple and began shimmering. Crackling noises began to emit from the demon's armor as magic coursed through it. Emerging from behind Ji'Lopan like a giant tail, a long black spike shot out of the ground and curled around, pointing down at Gem. For five seconds its tip hovered in the air before shooting down into the ground between Gem's knees. \
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The Ly'ban, anticipating screams from its victim and sprays of blood, was speechless when its magic shot back out of Gem's shadow and spiraled away into the sky. The crackling became buzzing, and the demon hastily dispelled its purple aura.\
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"If you'd remembered the runewords, Ji, you might have recognized this as a blade that seeks to obliterate demonic magic users. The three words carved into its flat are 'end, ash, block.' In effect, it's an anti-Ly'ban dagger. Your tainted Jikkuu is useless here." Gem smiled triumphantly from where he knelt before the much larger, more powerful demon. "One prick from this, and you disintegrate."\
\
"Are you joking around, kid? Your 'block' couldn't contain the simple blast caused earlier by our blades meeting. Do you truly think that you have the power to destroy me?"\
\
The Ly'ban advanced on the injured bounty hunter, gauntlet reaching once more for sword hilt. Gem squinted as the near-blinding sword was unsheathed, and the demon took advantage of that vulnerability to dash forth and swing.\
\
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"Cut out the act," Gem sighed, twirling his dagger around once before pointing its tip in the direction of the oncoming demon. A small beam of white, bright enough to rival the shine of the Ly'ban's blade, shot out and struck the robed figure in the shoulder, white fire bursting out from the point of impact. The demon grunted heavily before dropping its sword and grasping at its shoulder. The fire receded quickly, but it was clear that it had done harm. "Don't pretend to think that I'm unintelligent, Ji. You know that I'm well read."\
\
"What do your damn Creation lore-books have to do with defeating me in battle?" the Ly'ban snarled.\
\
"I read through the entire Vergan Hall of Records, Ji. The lore-books there covered more than just the Creation. There were some odd volumes here and there that touched on the subject, and, combining that knowledge, I discovered some interesting facts as to the nature of Ly'ban. More specifically, how they die."\
\
"Ly'ban don't die, fool," Ji'Lopan spat, "we're the immortal grandsons of Chaos!"\
\
"Wrong," Gem replied, twirling the dagger around his fingers once more, "you are the mortal children of Maha. Chaos was imprisoned before your creation, and Bane's laws of life and death were well in place. Your kind can die as any human, though the necessary means are, admittedly, quite different."\
\
"You
\f2\i do
\f1\i0 seriously think you've found a way to destroy us," the Ly'ban muttered, and then burst out once again in its diabolic cackle. "You've merely singed my robe."\
\
"This dagger can kill you, Ji'Lopan. Step down now."\
\
The demon remained silent for a few minutes, standing over its dropped sword, the full moon shining down on it. The capital of Verga rose from the plains in the distance behind him, bedlam. Smoke rose here and there from fires caused by the pursuing Infernals. The chilly breeze from earlier was sweeping the plains in greater force now, causing the Ly'ban robes to billow out to the side. The tall grass, trampled now by all of the commotion caused by the fighting, stirred restlessly at the feet of the demon. It brushed against Gem's elbows and battered the unconscious thief behind him. \
\
The breeze also carried on it the sounds coming from the city. Gem could make out the cries of hundreds of common folk being swept up into something beyond their control. He could tell that they were dying, that they were being trampled underfoot much like the tall grass around him. The smoke was increasing, the fires spreading.\
\
"Ji, step down. I need to go back there and fight."\
\
"Fool! You'll be dead for treason within half an hour from the time that the Underworld discovers your return."\
\
"I'll just need to keep it from them, then."\
\
"You know how powerful their information department is, kid. Besides, what can you do with your arms like that?"\
\
"Feeling's already returned to them." Gem stood, stretching his arms.\
\
"And carrying your half-dead pal there?"\
\
"I'll stash him away somewhere safe."\
\
"You're a right idiot as always, Legend," the demon sneered. It pulled its cowl back on and bent down, recovering its fallen kaiblade. "Save Verga City if you can, but don't expect me to be the one protecting you when the Infernals find you. Oh, and I'll give you some parting advice. Those Infernals back there? They're not just imps. They're strong. You'll do well to know that physically, you're no match against them."\
\
"I'll keep it in mind, Ji."\
\
"You're making a serious mistake, Legend," the demon sighed, its rasp coming out half-heartedly. Sheathing its sword, the Ly'ban looked around once before beginning to fade away into the purple sky. With a head-pounding bang, its wraith-like contour vanished into a sphere of black smoke. Satisfied, Gem sheathed his weapon and heaved Pyrim over his shoulder, thinking only on the task at hand. He knew that if he thought too much on the events that had just transpired, he'd be incapable of surviving to see the sky's purple turn blue.\
\
Forcing thoughts of freedom to seem unnecessary, Gem ran towards the city. As he approached, the flames in town shot yet higher. Their heat was tangible even before Gem was through the gates, and passing into the southern quarter of Verga City entailed dashing through fire. After ensuring that neither he nor his unconscious charge were ablaze, he rolled Pyrim off his shoulder in the middle of trashed house.
\f2\i
\f1\i0 He scanned the abode briefly and found, to his delight, a bucket of water in one corner. Gem soaked the floor and furniture around the thief and ran back into the fires.\
\
Chunks of masonry and burning timbers came crashing down around Gem as he ran through the quickly deteriorating city. He had too many thoughts to count- considerations as to the destruction's effect on the rest of civilization, ponderings on what would come next, frightful premonitions regarding the motives and actions of the Infernals pursuing him. Tossing these all aside, Gem took to the roofs, hoping to at least avoid the dangers presented by being at a lower elevation in relation to the loosening tiles and beams. Running as lightly as he could, he took in the city below him in sweeping gazes, hoping to discern something meaningful among the spiraling ashes.\
\
What had an hour before been a peaceful scene illustrating content and shared interests had become a tableau of fear and chaos. The usual orderly nature of Verga City had been deconstructed earlier in order to accommodate for the masses, a move which now facilitated the escalation of disorder. Entire facades of buildings lay in ruins on the streets, corpses of citizens and travelers alike crushed beneath them. Fire poured from every window; every beam of every building was aflame. Seeing the city from on high, Gem realized the truth he should have noticed back in the field at Ji'Lopan's side: Verga City was finished, and there was nothing he could do about it.\
\
How could he hope to lead the innocent out of this hell alive? And with the demons still loose and roaming? It was impossible, sheer fancy. And that fancy was not long-lasting when Gem caught sight of his first human pursuer, a well-known man of the Underworld. As insinuated by Ji'Lopan's threat, the organization was better informed than even the invading demons. Already, they had learned of his decision to save Pyrim, and had decided to finish him off for it. Confronted by the axe of his fellow bounty hunter, Gem understood how much he'd just thrown away. And, taking it in stride, he continued to dash forward along the crumbling roofs, leaving the corpse of a skilled Underworld mercenary behind.\
\
None of that Underworld stuff mattered anymore, Gem decided as he sheathed his dagger. He'd been a mercenary, and his role had switched back and forth between thief and bounty hunter from time to time. This was his role in the game that the Underworld Architects played. At some point, his role had solidified as he earned a name for himself and became the Roof-runner of Verga. But still, it was just a mercenary organization. This whole time, he'd been played with by the Inferno. Eleven years ago, while on the run from the Eldran Undertakers, he'd been assaulted by the lieutenant of the Inferno himself, Ragnarr. Thanks to Ji'Lopan's presence, he was able to escape unscathed. All this time, though, he'd pondered on the meaning of the appearance of the most powerful demon in existence, and why, for all these years, there had been no more attempts at his life.\
\
He chose to believe he understood why while shoving a third Underworlder away from himself as he ran, sending the poor mercenary to his painful demise amidst the flaming wreckage of one of the greatest cities of Man. It was, he decided, due to who he was. He was Legend Reborn, thanks to some great stroke of misfortune, and that was the sole reason why anything irregular was occurring to him. Why he could rune-forge, why Ragnarr had played with him, why Ji'Lopan had protected him for eleven years, why Infernals were rampaging through Verga, and why he could do nothing about it.\
\
Gem didn't like it one bit.\
\
He was going to destroy every single Infernal that had dared harm a human that night. He was going to make them regret defacing Verga City. Never mind the fact that demons most likely didn't know anything like what humans such as Gem would call regret. Fully recognizing the fallacy present in his plan, Gem charged ahead. His footsteps became steadily heavier as he took less care with them, causing whole buildings to collapse in behind him. Scanning the flames for demons, for those he wished to destroy, the ex-Underworlder batted away human pursuers like insects. \
\
It wasn't until he saw the shadow rear up before him that he realized that he'd never seen an ordinary demon before, and by the time he realized that, it was too late. Gem was in the middle of a leap from one building to another when the shade appeared before him, a skeletal yet extremely powerful arm connecting with his side. He was sent flying back, crashing through the one standing wall of the building he'd just jumped from. There was the sound of air being sucked in, and the shade was at his side in a flash.\
\
Now on the ground, Gem managed to roll to the side, avoiding the thing's next blow. In doing so, he stuck his back full of glass shards. Pain racked his frame as he attempted to stand only to find that his ribs didn't like the idea. He turned his head to get a good look at the demon, and what he saw caused shivers to run down his spine. The thing wasn't just a large robed figure with red eyes like Ji'Lopan. It was a mixture of ethereal and tangible, an abomination patched together of shadow and cloth and flesh, frightening as the immaterial often is and yet immediate and dangerous as only a solid creature can be.\
\
Its head, if those perfectly round yellow eyes were truly set in what could be called a head, was part skull and part ragged black cloth. Its neck, a mass of black muscle, connected the head to a body of shadow and rags. The whole thing reeked of brimstone and its form fluttered around in the hot breeze that blew through the flames. Every time the wind would pick up, what might have once been a cloak flared out around the shadows, extending and waving, yet never catching fire despite the demon's position in the middle of an inadvertent bonfire. The demon, the shade, the indescribable paragon of darkness, seemed infinite in Gem's eyes.\
\
It grew larger as it hovered forward, closing the distance between them and towering over the injured bounty hunter. Clamped in its skeletal hand was a lengthy black pole, a curved blade jutting out at a right angle from its end and reflecting the red-orange blanze. With dexterity that did not suit its derelict image, the shade spun the scythe around once, twice, before twirling it up and around, raising it high over Gem's head. With a flick of its wrist, the scythe's blade snapped down, the point poised inches from Gem's nose.\
\
The shade spoke its first words, and where Ji'Lopan's voice had been an abundance of harsh sound, this demon spoke softly. Like unto a whisper\'d1a foul smelling whisper\'d1the words were breathed out so gently Gem had to strain his ears to catch them above the crash of falling masonry and cries of people.\
\
"Legend..." It paused as though it were savoring the word. "Our opposition has crumbled. Lord Ragnarr desires audience with you. In the Inferno. You will come. If you resist, I will kill you."\
\
"Like hell I'm going to the Inferno!" Gem cried, straining his body and managing to edge away from the demon. "I'm going to kill you, demon. I'm going to finish you all, for what you did to this city, its people, and its guests!"\
\
The scythe came down, clanging off the floor. The startled shade had dropped it, both of its bony hands limp as its yellow eyes blinked. Recovering its composure, it bent over, scooped up its weapon, and slung it over its shoulder. And then it began laughing. Not a harsh series of cough-noises like Ji'Lopan, but a faint chuckle.\
\
"You think you can kill demons?"\
\
Gem answered by drawing forth his runeblade.\
\
"Can you defeat a weapon shaped from the material of the Monolith in which Lord Maha is imprisoned? Do you realize what you are pitting yourself against, Legend? Can you even swing that little knife?"\
\
"Swinging is unnecessary," Gem said, tightening his grip on the weapon. Fully recovered from the repeated shock they'd received earlier, his arms were the most functional parts of his body. Lying on the hardwood floor, fire everywhere around him, unable to get up and run, all he could do was reach out and point his dagger at the demon. "Ash."\
\
The dagger trembled in his grasp, its blade vibrating as the runes etched into it began to glow more brightly. The black blade flashed white, blindingly bright even in the glare of the fire. The demon reacted quickly, swinging its scythe around in an attempt to take off Gem's arm. But even as it moved, it began dissipating, its shadowy form fading into nothing. From the bottom up, it fell apart, its destruction ending with the shattering of its arms and semi-skull. Its cloak floated down to the ground, covering the small piles of ash that were the remains of the demon's solid features. Within seconds, the cloak caught flame. The fire before Gem grew brighter and larger as the rest of the world dimmed. After about a minute, it faded away, and along with it, Gem's consciousness.\
\
---\
\
"Nothing's broken, that's a relief."\
\
"Good, now will he get up? We need him to help us out here."\
\
"He just won't open his eyes, and I don't know why not. He's in fine condition, if you ignore a couple scratches in his back and the nasty bruise on his side."\
\
Voices, words. Gem didn't remember losing consciousness. His eyes snapped open as he realized that the men speaking were talking about him, and the rest of his body followed. In an instant he was sitting upright, a bit dizzy from the rapid movement. He looked around, saw the bloody corpse of a green-haired man lying a few feet away. Beyond that, a second shade was locked in combat with another green-haired man. A ring of men, all with green hair, stood around where he lay, their backs to him. Wielding weapons of every sort and clad in makeshift leather armor, the ragtag bunch of men stood their ground, defending him. Sitting by his side was Pyrim, awake and with his shoulder bandaged.\
\
"You're awake, Gem!" Pyrim gasped.\
\
"He's up? Then get him over here fast, brother! Ohn's about to be next down!" one of the men in the circle called back over his shoulder.\
\
"Gem, we're facing a dilemma here," Pyrim tried to explain. "There's this... demon here, and-"\
\
"Say no more," Gem said, noting that Pyrim had returned the soaking favor as he tried to move only to find his clothes uncomfortably wet. "I killed one earlier, and I'll kill as many more as necessary." He stood, the pain in his side and chest reduced, though not gone entirely. He found his dagger on the ground and grabbed it before turning to face the demon.\
\
"We got the Underworld off your tail," the other man who'd spoken earlier said, "we got our best runner to dress like you, and sent him off into the city. We'll do anything to stop the demons."\
\
"This is our family," Pyrim said, "the descendants of the Disgraced Gem, a clan that has congregated in this city in order to best support itself." The belated introduction presented no new information to the runeblade-wielding bounty hunter, as he had gathered as much from the abundance of his family's unique trait.\
\
"I thank you for protecting me for however long you did," Gem said.\
\
"No thanks are needed," Pyrim insisted. "We're family. Besides, it was only ten minutes or so- the night is not yet over. Now, please, Gem- take care of that demon! You have your runeblade, correct? The weapon you defeated the Ly'ban with?"\
\
"Ash," muttered Gem, aiming his dagger at the demon. As it disintegrated, he turned back to Pyrim. "I didn't defeat Ji. My bluff worked and he decided not to risk the both of our lives. There's no way that this amateur weapon could destroy a Ly'ban."\
\
"Amateur or not," the man that had been engaging the demon, Ohn, said, "that knife saved my life. We know the rough locations of the other demons. Will you help us to destroy them?"\
\
"I came here for that purpose," Gem replied.\
\
"We'll save the proper introductions for later," said the man to whom Pyrim had been speaking, clearly the leader of the band. "For now, we need to make those demons pay for what they've done."\
\
"There's no way to regain Verga City. I saw it from the rooftops. This place is gone."\
\
"We know that, Gem," Pyrim said grimly. "And so did you when you engaged that demon before we reached you. Right now, you just want to destroy them. This is our wish as well."\
\
"Well said," the leader commended. "Now, everyone, put your weapons away. As we've seen, they're useless against those monsters. Cousin, shall we point you to our next target?"\
\
"Please."\
\
"Follow us, then."\
\
Ohn was the first out of the trashed building and into the blaze. The other dozen and a half descendants of the Disgraced Gem issued out after him, Gem and Pyrim following closely behind. For an hour, the green-haired men acted as a unit, dashing around the burning ruins of Verga City, turning one shade into a pile of ash after the next. Finally, the leader of the band turned to Gem and inquired as to whether or not Gem would like to take a rest.\
\
"Are they gone?" Gem asked. "All of them?"\
\
"According to all the intelligence we could gather, the only demons still here are those that reside within our minds."\
\
"And whatever survivors there were?"\
\
"Before we found Pyrim and then you, we were sending civilians out of the city. All we could, we ushered out of the city. A meager fifth of those within the city, maybe. The rest are dead."\
\
"Then, if everything we can do is done, a good sleep would be welcome."\
\
"We have an underground hideout near here. We can relax there for a while." Pyrim nodded enthusiastically at this suggestion. "And you, brother, can get your wound fixed up. I'll take care of burying Rejh."\
\
"Wait, what about your man who was posing as me?"\
\
"Do you seriously think that the Underworld would let him live?" the leader's voice dropped and he lowered his head. "Pyrim said that you were our only hope against the demons, so our best runner sacrificed himself to keep the Underworld off your backs. Like I said earlier, we did everything to stop the demons. Let's go to sleep, cousins."\
\
Gem stood there speechless, watching the retreating backs of the green-haired band. One of them had died for him? That wasn't how it was supposed to work. Weren't all the disasters supposed to be affecting him? Wasn't he the vulnerable one? The one constantly in danger? And then he realized that the reason the demons had attacked was to take him away. Wondering why he had caused thousands of people to die tonight, Gem turned his eyes to the sky, noting that the purple tint was fading, gradually being replaced with a light orange on the horizon. The moon was vanishing as the sun approached the morning sky. In less than eight hours, his adopted hometown had been completely destroyed, and four fifths of its populace with it. He'd betrayed his employers and earned himself dozens of deadly enemies. \
\
He jogged a minute to catch up with the others and then followed them silently to their hideout. Verga City was gone, the attendants of the festival slain, and the Underworld turned on him. But Gem knew that the greatest change in his life that had occurred that night was his separation from Ji'Lopan. It was inexplicable and disturbing, that odd feeling that he'd feel more comfortable if his demon companion were around.\
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"What's the Heir doing?" "He's so... strange..." \
\
"I wish he'd hurry and get out of here," an old woman mumbled with a hand over her mouth.\
\
Julien cast a scathing glance her way from where he sat atop his steed. Her eyes filled with fear as she cowered before Lord Tryn. \
\
Mana was crouching at his horse's hooves, prodding the wild flowers and grasses that grew just outside the town. He looked up every now and then as a villager said something particularly cruel, but each time he quickly returned to examining the flora at his feet. There were no Guardians or any other town guard present, just a gaggle of villagers that were supposedly seeing their future Guardian Lord off with best wishes for his safe return. In reality, they were uniformly there for one reason- to make sure that this creep of a Guardian Heir leave.\
\
They weren't very good at hiding it, either.\
\
"What's so special about a dandelion, anyway?" one man, a blacksmith judging by the size of his arms, asked his wife in a loud whisper. "Why doesn't he get a move on instead of sulking about?"\
\
"You fools don't learn," Julien muttered, holding a hand to his temple and closing his eyes. He took a deep breath and spun on the amassed townsfolk. Making wild gestures with one hand and holding two sets of reins in the other, he yelled, "You sit in your little homes, trembling at the thought of your horrific
\f2\i wizard
\f1\i0 prince taking one tiny step out of that damn palace! You're scared that he'll
\f2\i devour
\f1\i0 your souls or something, are you? Lord Mana has never been in such proximity to nature! You keep him caged up, and when you finally let him out of his prison you expect to keep him from discovering the little joys you've taken for granted your whole lives! You-"\
\
"It's fine, Jul," Mana said wearily. "Let's get going." The young mage clambered into his saddle, green robes and red hair falling upon the horse's back in disarray. He took his reins from Julien, and the two trotted off, leaving the crowd behind uniform in yet another respect- their faces all shared the same look of shock. The same gaping mouth.\
\
They rode at a fairly slow pace, not wanting to exhaust their horses. Mana's carried the load of his two large luggage bags, and Julien's bore the weight of one such bag and a veritable arsenal of blade weapons, ranging from knives to hunting daggers to swords. A nine-foot spear lay across Julien's pommel, one hand balancing it as the other directed his steed. The two nobles rode in silence, Mana too awed by the surrounding countryside to speak and Julien too deep in thought. \
\
It was late afternoon, and the fog had finally burned away to reveal the low-hanging sun, shining bright orange on Mana's left. The riders' shadows stretched away to the right as they rode on, not pausing until the night had come upon them. The Mana Palace was gone in the distance behind them, out of sight. All around, the flatlands were only marred by the occasional barn and the rough path that ran from the south to the north. This time of year was the resting season for the northlands, and while the farmers in Tryn were just now beginning to plow their lands, these fields lay barren, recuperating from the light frosts of late winter. The air was chilly, and Mana shivered as he rode. Here, there was no fireplace to warm up in front of. Here, there wasn't a warm bed to climb into.\
\
Julien noticed Mana's discomfort, and kept quiet. They'd decided beforehand not to stop along the way, even though they'd ride well into the night. The only rest stops between the Mana Palace and their destination were the homes of Libran peasants. Julien had pointed out that with their status, any farmer in Libra owed them shelter and food, but Mana chose to forego such conveniences. He had no desire to upset any of his subjects' stomachs with appearances at their doorsteps. With his red hair- unique now that his father had grayed- he would be recognized immediately.\
\
Julien had at first urged Mana to disregard those thoughts and do what he felt like doing. If that means rest, then you should rest, he'd said. Mana dismissed the thought immediately, saying that if Lord Julien Tryn wished for a respite he had every right to seek it- Mana would stay outside. \
\
And so they continued along the path, even as dusk fell and the chilly air became cold. When the sun's afterglow had faded, Mana lit up his hand, causing it to shine white with magic. Using this light, the two riders could see ahead of them, but only far enough to continue along the path they were on. Their destination, though it was the tallest building in the world, was not yet visible.\
\
"So Jul, there were no leads on those five Crystals, right?" Mana broke the silence with the question that interested him the most. If they were going to search, they were going to need to know where to search.\
\
"Not that I was able to find, at least." Julien appeared deep in thought when Mana cast a glance his way. "But I'm sure we can find them if we look outside of Tryn. My people don't generally interest themselves in such matters- and neither does the rest of Central Libra. They're frightened of those edicts."\
\
"So we go around Terra and look for people who might know a thing or two?"\
\
"I was thinking Verga, actually. I know we intend to deviate from our chartered course, but heading west first might seem less suspicious. Worse than not being allowed to go would be being caught in the process."\
\
"Good, good. Oh, and Jul... have there been any rumors regarding the other seven? I know that at the time that the five disappeared, Crystal hunting became a lot less popular, but there still might be some information."\
\
"Of course there have been rumors- most of them baseless, none of them making it very far. Like you said, after the five disappeared, most people lost interest. There's a heavy dose of cynicism regarding the matter as well, thanks to the short interval between the fake Crystal auction-scams and the disappearance of the five. A lot of people are of the opinion that five real Crystals were never found."\
\
"Wait, really?" Mana paused for a moment, then urged his horse to catch up with Julien. "Then how do we know the five were ever found?"\
\
"Documentation," Julien shrugged, looking straight ahead. "Documentation. If one were to examine all that everyone's written about the time period between 3104, when the Crystal hunts began, and 3114, when it was noted that the five thought to be true Crystals were lost, one would find that several people's accounts as to the Crystals they'd found are quite... convincing. For example, there's the case of one commoner suddenly being endowed with the ability to lift oxen whilst holding the jewel."\
\
"So it's likely that the five were actual Crystals?"\
\
"Yes. Of course, that's also most likely why they went missing..." Julien's voice trailed off and the rest of the sentence became lost.\
\
"Hmm?" Mana asked, but Julien just shook his head.\
\
"In any case, we'll be fine so long as we don't do anything too rash. Even if we don't manage to secure the Crystals, if you don't get caught all will be well. It's good for you to get out of that place."\
\
Mana didn't reply, simply riding ahead, straining his eyes to see beyond what was illuminated by his glowing hand. All he could make out was path. Above him, a few stars glittered, but the return of the fog and heavy clouds obscured the moon, darkening the plains of northern Libra. At his side, Julien rode, still seemingly deep in thought.\
\
In the magical light, Julien's light brown hair seemed almost golden. His blue eyes appeared electric and his untrimmed whiskers almost pieces of wire. There was a certain weariness to his appearance- as though he'd been tossed about and was too dizzy to open his eyes all the way. He was definitely ragged-looking, though that might just be from the trip between Tryn and the Mana Palace with no real break in between. It was not a short distance.\
\
Mana realized, looking at his older cousin, that he'd never seen him properly groomed. He wondered what the Lord Tryn looked like while seated upon his throne. The Guardian Heir pictured Julien in the same patched coat and loose shirt, sitting atop a golden stool, spear in hand instead of a scepter, looking out over a sea of followers. Mana couldn't resist a slight giggle, and when his cousin turned a quizzical eye on him he burst out laughing. \
\
"What's so funny?" Julien asked, a light chuckle in his own voice.\
\
"N-nothing," Mana replied, choking for breath. Concentrating on not laughing- on some other matter than his cousin's status as the lord of Libra's one province, he rode forward, leaving a confused Julien halted behind. \
\
Again they found themselves riding side by side in silence. The dawn was still far off, and they had no way to gauge their progress with the night's darkness obscuring their view of their destination. They were headed for the airship port, Antyliken, the forty-floor rock tower, the greatest architectural achievement of Man. In daylight, they surely would have been able to see it by now, standing tall and prominent against a backdrop of mountains to the northeast. Just beyond to the north were the dense forests of southern Gaia, a place Mana desperately wished to see at least once on this trip. And west of Antyliken were the other countries in the Libran Alliance- the marshes of Terra, the roads and cities of Verga, the farms and hamlets of Eldra.\
\
If the Mana Palace was the center of the political world, then Antyliken would be the center of the economic world. The hub of commerce, the mainstay of travel, the one place where a country's individual taxation laws don't apply. Without it, trade between countries would be in significantly less abundance. Without it, people would forever be confined to the mud and earth of the continent. With it, people can take to the skies, experiencing something which no ordinary human could otherwise experience.\
\
Each story has four terminals and each terminal can harbor two ships, making for three hundred and twenty docks. Most of the time, less than a quarter of these would be occupied with a ship. As Antyliken is the only such port in the world, this means that more often than not, at least two hundred and seventy ships would be in use at a time. These figures had been announced in early winter the year before, the aging grand-son of the maker of the first airship speaking with pride from a pedestal in the middle of the town surrounding the Mana Palace. At the time, Mana would never have imagined that he'd ever be aboard one of those absurd flying boats. It was in the first days of the new year that Julien had made the trip up to the palace with no other business than to suggest the trip to the Guardian Lord Lanto.\
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Mana remembered being shocked at the news that he'd be flying from one country to the next, learning the customs of the other peoples under the Libran Alliance. Of course, this shock was nothing compared to his surprise at his cousin's private introduction into the history of the Crystal hunters.\
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Now, their plan had been established for several months. They were headed off to board their ship and set sail in search for the Crystals of Mana. There was no doubt in their minds that they knew what they were doing. There was no more sensation of shock, or any "hey, am I really going to do this?" floating around. There were just two riders trotting along the path to Antyliken, looking forward to grabbing a bite in the port's restaurant.\
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Mana had, of course, read up on the Crystals of Mana before deciding to undertake this voyage. Their history was quite fascinating, stemming back to his ancestor, Mana the first. The Crystals are named such because they're a number of tiny crystallite jewels that are imbued with the essence of the magic that runs in the Mana Line. They were created to contain the power of Mana I when it was getting out of control, and were entrusted to his descendants to guard and treasure.\
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"One thing I don't understand, Jul, is why my great-grandfather scattered them."\
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"Most people don't understand it, unless they've been brainwashed by the propaganda of the times."\
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"But why did he scatter them? He's the one who created all the anti-magic fuss, right? So what made him snap?"\
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"Guardian Lord Lont was a man who knew how to deal with his problems, though his means were by no marker the best available. He gained the throne in the place of his older brother, the rightful Guardian Heir, and he banished everything that would be a threat to him. One might say that he had the best self-preservation instincts of any member of our family."\
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"But we were meant to guard the Crystals, right? Isn't that why we are called the Guardians? How could our leader- the one with the greatest responsibility to Bane, our Creator- how could he betray our duty? It doesn't make sense."\
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"It makes plenty of sense. Jealousy can inspire a man to make a lot of mistakes."\
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"You're saying that he banned magery and scattered the Crystals out of jealousy?"\
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"I suppose that is what I'm saying," Julien replied, tilting his head to check on the clouds overhead. "They say that Gem was shaping up to be the most powerful mage since the start of our line. Watch out, Mana- looks like it might rain soon."\
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"Not a problem," Mana spoke quickly, making a deft movement with his lit hand. Sure enough, within minutes, the rain began falling, but not a drop touched the two riders.\
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"If Gem had so much going for him, why did he kill his father?"\
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"It's a mystery to most, and a good deal of our country's people don't like to believe that their beloved Guardian Heir had killed his own father. Whether that's a matter of pride and misplaced love and trust, or a matter of incredibility, is unsure. There are very few around anymore who remember who Gem was, and they're all very old- possibly senile. I have the feeling, though, that most pro-Gem sentiments are the result of resentment for Lont- not the other way around."\
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"Hmm... so it's unlikely that Gem would kill his father, but most people take it for granted that he did?"\
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"That's what it looks like, from the information gathering I've done. I looked into the matter quite a bit when I was your age- I was never out of questions regarding it."\
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"Then you'll understand if I have another question, Jul?"\
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"Of course."\
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"Why was Gem exiled?"\
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"Of course, for murdering the Guardian Lord. That's a silly question, Mana."\
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"But wasn't there that one edict- The Purge, or something? That one that both your father and mine worked to get rid of a dozen or so years back. That one outlawing magery and sentencing all magi to death."\
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"What of it?"\
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"Why wasn't Gem killed?" The Guardian Heir turned to face his cousin, peeking over his shining hand at the vaguely amused expression on the lord's face. "You just said he was a mage."\
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"Who knows?" Julien murmured, and then chuckled. "Well, maybe fate."\
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\f0\b \
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Six
\f1\b0 \
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"It's true, Gem. We're all really thankful that you were there."\
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Pyrim sat down at the foot of the bed and offered a warm mug of tea to the injured bounty hunter. The room was dark save for the dying glow of the almost-empty oil lamp in the corner. It was cold, underground, and every time Gem shivered the pain in his back seemed all the more acute. He accepted the drink gladly, and sipped it slowly, warming himself up gradually. Pyrim sat facing the door, holding his own mug with both hands. His gaze seemed vacant.\
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There were no footsteps outside the room now, no sounds at all. The rest of the group had turned in, weary and in need of rest before facing the new day, a day already dawning. The underground complex was massive, and there'd been an empty room all ready for Gem. No one had needed even to speak with him- one of them had just pointed to the door and he'd gone inside.\
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While he was as tired as- and quite possibly more tired than- the rest of them, Gem had trouble finding sleep. He was uneasy. His pain made him restless and the cold magnified the pain. Pyrim had come in with the tea as if he'd known it was just what Gem was in need of.\
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Gem looked down at his blanket.\
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"My brother and the rest might have you believe otherwise, but it's true. Of course we're sorry about our comrade- it's only natural. Some of us take it harder than others. But we all are well aware that without you, we'd have perished. You helped us live, Gem, and we're thankful. It's not your fault."\
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"Oh, but it is," Gem sighed. "If it wasn't for me, no demons would have come here last night."\
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"That can't be helped, right? Because you're Leg-" Pyrim stopped when he saw Gem's expression. "Sorry."\
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Gem now stared morosely at the blanket, both tea and pain forgotten. All he saw was the look in the eyes of the band's leader, Pyrim's older brother. The lamp went out and, in the pitch black darkness, Gem could picture that man's eyes all the better. The emptiness, the lack of anything. The sorrow.\
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Gem felt it too, of course. His city, his comrades, countless innocents, all gone. And some by his own hand.\
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The mattress moved a little as Pyrim's weight was lifted from it. Gem heard a few footsteps leading to the door. He half expected to hear his cousin say good night, but no such words were spoken. Gently, the footsteps lead out of the room. No doors were shut. Gem starred into the darkness for a while, waiting for more noises to issue from the direction of the hall, but he heard nothing. After dozens of minutes- possibly an hour- fatigue finally set in, and Gem slipped off to sleep.\
\
---\
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It was a cold, gray day. Though there was no fog and no clouds littered the sky, the ashes swirling about in the cool mid-morning wind tinted the sky gray. Gem shivered as he stood at the entrance to the underground hideout, at the base of a stone stairwell that lead up to a small alley behind a now-charred inn. He had woken to find that he was the last one up, save for Pyrim, who was still sleeping soundly. The rest of the descendants of the Disgraced Gem were out and about, and Gem had yet to run into them. He resisted the urge to stretch and walked up the steps, out into the alley. Everywhere, as far as he could see, lay wreckage and corpses. No fires remained lit, and the intensity of last night's glow had been replaced with various shades of brown and gray. Gray. Gray. Gray.\
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The light gray of ash, the dark gray of burnt flesh, the usual gray of the cobblestones. \
\
Gem cursed to himself. Verga City, the center of its country, had been the home of the king and his family. Now, the government had crumbled. Either Terra would move in from the north, acting on its age-long border dispute with Verga, or Eldra would move in from the south, occupying the territory in the name of the Guardian Lord. Perhaps both countries would enter Verga- resulting in a large-scale war between human armies of the likes not seen since Maha's arrival three thousand years ago. It wasn't just one city and its people that he'd doomed. It was an entire country. It was three thousand years of shaky peace, three thousand years of political harmony between the nations of Man.\
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He shivered as he stood there, and turned back to head into the hideout. There in the doorway at the foot of the stairs stood Pyrim, now risen, sporting a bandaged shoulder and a marvelous yawn.\
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"'morning," Pyrim mumbled as soon as he could. "You goin' out for the day in those?"\
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"These?" Gem asked, and then realized he was still wearing his outfit from yesterday- torn, blood-stained, sooted. "Ah, are there any extra garments lying around? I think my apartment's gone, now."\
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"Mmhm," Pyrim replied, "lemme show you..." He yawned again and then turned and walked back into the hideout. Gem sauntered down the steps and through the door, following Pyrim closely. They arrived at a dresser in the middle of a hall, marked as "guest apparel" according to a sign hung on the wall beside it. In the flickering candlelight, Gem could make out bundles of clothes packed tightly in every drawer. Cloaks, shorts, trousers, tunics, coats, everything a man such as he could desire to clothe himself in. He took a cloak, a pair of shorts, and a tunic, and thanked Pyrim.\
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"No prob-" Pyrim yawned yet again "lem. I'm going back to bed. The bath's down that way."\
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Gem nodded and walked off in the direction Pyrim had pointed, following the light of the wall-mounted candles and torches. He found the bathroom and stepped in to find the largest bathtub he'd seen outside of the houses of rich men. He turned the faucet experimentally, and was instantly rewarded with a warm stream of water trickling over his hand. Just what he needed. \
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After a long, hot bath, Gem clothed himself and wandered around the subterranean complex for a while. Here and there were closets full of weapons, food, and other supplies. He could see at a glance that the inhabitants would be able to fend for themselves for a long time without outside support. The complex itself was a labyrinth, and should the signs be taken down, outsiders would be at a loss within the halls. There was more to the hideout than a defensive architecture and storerooms of weapons, however. Gem happened by a small room full of books. Slipping inside, he threw his cloak over his shoulder and picked up one particularly large, dusty book, from atop a pile of widely-known fiction. Its name appealed to him, a vivid red in the dim light of the torch just outside the room. Gem murmured the words to himself as he stood holding the tome- "The Two Sons of Kondo."\
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He looked to the bottom of the front cover, searching for an author, only to find letters he couldn't make out. An odd scrawl of the like he'd never seen before occupied the standard location of the author's name. He carefully lifted the front cover and turned the blank first page. The header on the second page struck him- "An Exercise in Common Libran." \
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Below that, a paragraph.\
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"I have journeyed with Gem al'Kondo for many years as of the writing of this sentence. He has taught my friends very useful things, such as the global tongue of Man, and this book will be my attempt to repay him. For every word of knowledge that he has granted us, I shall return unto him five words of truth. For all the kindness he has shown us, I shall return unto him this one act of righteousness- that his memory not be forgotten, and that it not be tainted with the lies of his brother Lont al'Kondo. This book shall be a collection of knowledge that I have gathered in my personal quest to discover the truth regarding Gem's exile from Central Libra, and a testament to the greatness of Gem. Had he not taken myself and my comrades in and given us Common Libran, we would have been lost in this tumultuous world of Man. It is only fitting that I combine my personal queries with the vital teachings of the once-Guardian Heir, and that this combination bring light to the truth behind Kondo's demise. I hereby dedicate this book to Guardian Lord Kondo, short though his reign was."\
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Gem paused in his reading and shut the book. He carefully placed it back upon the stack whence he'd plucked it and allowed his cloak to fall back into place. He studied the room once more and found a small cupboard. Opening it he found piles of silk, bright yellows and blues, and a strangely curved sword. \
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"Those belonged to a companion of the Disgraced Gem," came a voice from behind Gem. The bounty hunter whirled around, shutting the cupboard hard in the process, only to find that Pyrim stood in the doorway, seemingly wide awake.\
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"Our great grandfather?"\
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"The man whose name you took, yes."\
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"How did you get your hands on that book?" Gem asked, indicating the tome he'd just picked up. "It seems to be relic of some kind, and-"\
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"...and written by a non-human in our language, too," Pyrim finished. "It's a long story, but somehow when we congregated here, someone had had it passed on to them by the author himself. It's just sat in this room ever since, almost like a sacred item, only it doesn't exactly have the most luxurious shrine."\
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"I had a question earlier, Pyrim," Gem said suddenly, remembering a thought that had flashed through his mind as he'd walked through an empty kitchen. "Are there no women amongst the descendants of the Disgraced Gem?"\
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"There are, of course," Pyrim replied sadly, "but I suppose just asking you how your mother died is enough to tell you what happens to them. It's some kind of curse... from parent to daughter, and no matter what we do she'll die before she lives to be thirty five. A sad fate."\
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Just the sound of the word caused Gem's hackles to rise.\
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"But that aside, Gem, I sought you out because you have a guest."\
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"A guest?"\
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"Yes, he's waiting for you outside. I'd suggest you hurry, he didn't seem inclined to wait around."\
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Gem nodded and left the room, heading towards the stairs up to Verga. He made it in under a minute, rushing at Pyrim's suggestion. There at the top of the stairway was a man Gem recognized well enough- Miles, Lord the First, Architect of the Vergan Underworld's first circle. Standing at the top of the stairs, looking down upon the Roof-runner, Miles appeared to be the ghost of a man who had once had everything. His face was gaunt and his clothes too loose. His black hair was matted, his every feature was ragged, and even his narrow green eyes seemed dead. \
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"We've met under better circumstances, First," Gem said quietly.\
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"Is that the first thing you have to say when you see me, Roof-runner? I certainly can't be looking too terrible."\
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"You do, First," Gem replied instantly.\
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"Excuse me," the Architect bent down and rummaged around, standing back up holding an ashen corpse in his arms. "But I think I'm better off than most of this city."\
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"Your humor is black as always, First."\
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"You don't need to- no, wait. Yes, that's actually one of the reasons I came to greet you. The Vergan Underworld has, as of this morning, disbanded. I'm heading off to Terra, where I'll most likely become the fifth or sixth Architect. Apparently, the Boss of the Vergan branch disappeared in the chaos. Most likely became Shade bait. Thanks to the communication between Links, orders in from the big Boss in Mist got here fast. If I ever see you again, it will be in Terra, and we will most likely be enemies. But while we're here, I feel that it should be noted that you're still the best I've ever seen in the business. There won't be anyone on your tail unless you stumble across this country's northern border. That's all."\
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"Miles, I-"\
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"Actually, it
\f2\i is
\f1\i0 weird, being called by my name after all this time. If we ever meet again, be sure to address me as First." And so saying, the man turned, trench coat flapping in the afternoon wind. The Underworld officer slowly walked away, and, had Gem wished to speak further, he would have been heard. Between the misplaced corpse and the Architect's defeated look, there was nothing to be said. Gem sighed as he watched Miles disappear into the gray distance.\
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"Well, you took on the Underworld and won, kid," a harsh rasp sounded from overhead. Gem's neck snapped as he instantly looked up, searching for the source of the voice. The voice that could only have one source. But there was nothing above him, and nothing on either side. Gem massaged his neck ruefully, wondering if hearing Ji'Lopan's voice had only been a trick of his imagination.\
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"Well, if there's one thing to be happy about, it's that we're no longer targets," Pyrim spoke from just inside the doorway. "Have I yet thanked you for sparing my life?"\
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"I don't think so, and please don't," Gem turned to face his cousin, the man that a day before he would have tried to kill on sight. "I'm not worthy of thanks. I did this," he made a sweeping gesture with his hand, indicating the ruins of Verga City, "and will most likely cause worse disasters to take place before my life ends."\
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"You saved my life, and your fighting enabled our family to evacuate many people. Without you and your abilities, the descendants of the Disgraced Gem would be gone, corpses such as those." Pyrim pointed to the body that Miles had dropped upon leaving.\
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"In the end, it's you who saved me," Gem sighed. "If you hadn't guarded me while I was unconscious, that demon would have dragged me down to the Inferno."\
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"What is this nonsense?" derided Ohn as he descended to where Gem stood. Behind him strode a handful of green haired men, all of whom had been present last night. "We're getting ready to move, Pyrim. We're leaving this soot pile behind and heading for Terra."\
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"Alright." So saying, Pyrim disappeared into the halls of the hideout.\
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"Terra might not be such a wise destination," Gem cautioned. "The Vergan Underworld is regrouping there. We won't be safe if we pass across the border."\
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"How do you have this information? Aren't you their enemy, too, now, Roof-runner?" Ohn raised an eyebrow quizzically. \
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"One of the Architects came by just now and told me what was going on."\
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"It's most likely a trap. They want to keep us here."\
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"A trap? No, Miles is trustworthy. He-"\
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"Is a criminal. A greatly experienced criminal. We can't trust words that he's passed onto you." Ohn turned to face the men following him, all standing on different steps of the staircase. "Come on, cousins and brothers- let us gather our supplies and luggage. There are some surviving horses and mules in the northern-most stables of this city. We'll use those." Ohn turned back to Gem as the others filed by. "Our leader doesn't like you, admittedly, and he's bitter about the events that came to pass last night. But you saved us, and bought us the little time we had to save others. Furthermore you're one of us, albeit from- where was it?" "als'Loen." "als'Loen?- some tiny hamlet in southern Eldra, and, as you share our heritage and curse, it is imperative that we offer you hospitality and the place of a comrade in our group. You're more than welcome to head to Terra with us."\
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"I thank you for the offer, Ohn." Gem paused, and smiled slightly. "I guess it would be hard for me to put into words how alien this feeling is to me, this feeling of being accepted somewhere. And I suppose you could say I have some sort of longing to come along with you and feel that acceptance longer. But I respect Miles. He always stood out to me as one of the most honorable in the business, and whenever anything outstandingly underhanded occurred in the organization, he was the one who would put an end to it. He came to me with neither weapons nor threats, informing me that I would be safe so long as I remain here in Verga." Gem looked around at the ashes and charred buildings. "I appreciate everything you've done for me- tending to my wound, housing me for a night, protecting me when I was unable to move, bestowing upon me new clothes. I appreciate the promise of acceptance. But I'm going to stay here, and I think you should as well."\
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"Ee's got a point'ere, wi'thu trusting Miles stuff," Pyrim put in, having reemerged bearing three large sacks and a wedge of bread clenched between his teeth. Ohn took two of the bags and Pyrim removed the obstruction in his mouth. "I walked up as that guy was leaving, and I can tell you there was no way he was lying."\
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"Hmm..." Ohn looked conflicted. "If even Pyrim thinks that... maybe we should reconsider. I'll talk to the leader about this. Pyrim, bring these back inside, will you? And then come along. Your brother will most likely want to know your thoughts on the matter."\
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"Gladly." Pyrim, having finished the bread, took back the two sacks that Ohn had liberated him of and trudged back inside. Gem still stood where he'd listened to what Miles had to say, somewhat dazed by the rush of activity as his relatives scurried around him, bearing bags and objects rolled in cloth. He was relieved that his warning would be at the very least heeded, but at the same time could not wrap his mind around the dynamics of this group of people. \
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Gem decided to let it be and went inside for a short nap. He collapsed upon the bed he'd slept in that morning and was fast asleep in minutes. He slept much longer than he'd intended, and when he woke it was all but silent in the hideout. Gem was still sleepy, but as he was in need of toilet, he rose and exited his room. Along the way back, he noticed light streaming forth from under the door to Pyrim's room. He clumsily turned the knob and entered. There, seated upon his bed, was Pyrim, and there, seated on a chair opposite the bed, was Ohn.\
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They both turned their heads to greet Gem as he walked in, and Pyrim was the first to get out,\
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"The leader decided. We're staying in Verga."\
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"We have supplies to last us about a month," Ohn added, "and by then we'll have moved to the next large city east of here."\
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"It's good that we're not headed for Terra, at least," Gem said. "How long will we be here, do you think?"\
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"Maybe another fortnight," Ohn replied promptly.\
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"Things will work out," Pyrim assured Gem. "Maybe not for this city, but the descendants of the Disgraced Gem will survive a bit longer."\
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"Oh, that reminds me," began Gem, "is it alright if I read that book- the one about our great grandfather- some time?" After receiving a nod from his cousin, he excused himself and headed back to his room, thinking that he'd have plenty of time to rest and recuperate for the next two weeks.\
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\pard\tx720\tx1440\tx2160\tx2880\tx3600\tx4320\tx5040\tx5760\tx6480\tx7200\tx7920\tx8640\pardeftab720\ql\qnatural\pardirnatural
\cf0 Seven
\f1\b0 \
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"It was on the third day of the second week of our sojourn in Verga that we were driven by excited villagers towards the south. With naught on our backs but our fur and whatever scraps of cloth we could find, we fled from the wicked tines of their pitchforks. We were without steel, we were without fire, we were without the protection of our gods. We huddled together for warmth during the long nights, unused to the odd chills of the southern Verga plains. Eventually, they found us there, and drove us on once more. Always south. \
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"Eventually we reached warmer climes, though the hearts that received us were far from warm. Though they did tolerate us, the yeomen of northern Eldra showed us no more hospitality than those of Verga. Reassuring though it was to not be roused in the middle of the night by the cries and shouts of humans, we did little better in our new location. We uniformly longed for home; we uniformly grew less and less content with our lives.\
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"One night, they descended upon us, bearing weapons of the like we had never seen before. Jagged hunks of sturdy wood, tapered to a smooth, leather-bound handle, took one after another of us. Men in black cloaks flitted among us, preying on the weak, dodging the futile jabs of the able-bodied. They left as quickly as they came, red tracks leading away from our home. The injured howled in agony. The dead lay silent.\
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"My beloved was slain by Eldra's Undertakers\'d1"\
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Gem closed the book gently and laid it down at his side. He sat back against the stone wall behind his bed and shut his eyes. He knew not where the sun stood in its path, but outside his room was pitch darkness. The torches and candles of the hallways had been extinguished as the descendants of the Disgraced Gem took to their rooms to begin mourning their two fallen comrades. Gem, having never mourned, decided that now would be an odd time to start. So he was reading the tome entitled "The Two Sons of Kondo" from the beginning, intrigued by the writer's tale of exodus.\
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He had paused in his reading of that last line for the sole reason that it brought back unpleasant memories. Memories from his tenth year...\
\
... those of his caste littered the streets, looking on appreciatively as he dashed over the shoddy cobblestone. As his pursuers passed by, eyes would be averted and boredom feigned lest the mace-wielding men decided that someone needed a good clubbing. Every now and then, an onlooker failed, and was brutally slaughtered in the streets. Though gray as the day they were gathered from the quarry two miles away, everyone knew that in actuality, the cobblestones were red. Blood stained them as it stained the Eldran government, and the tiny hamlet of als'Loen was as Eldran a town as any. \
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The child who would later come to name himself Gem wove between buildings and stands, ran circles around hovels, and slipped around his pursuers as best he could, attempting to throw them off. He ran as fast as his short legs allowed him, and made for the cozy squalor of his home. In each hand, he held a sack of coins pilfered from the als'Loen bazaar's coffers, all told an amount sufficient to pay for any single service one could buy. He entered his home only after looking around thrice and ensuring that no black-cloaked men were in sight. He dropped the bags in the corner and trotted over to his mother's bedside.\
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The granddaughter of Gem al'Kondo lay in the same cot in which she'd lain for months now, gaunt and seemingly devoid of life. The child's mother turned her head to face him, her blank eyes staring far beyond his face. Lips moved, but no sound came out. The mother had been mute since her disease had struck her eight years earlier. Over time, the disease's symptoms had worsened, and its effect increased. The child had worked as hard as he could to earn money in a legal fashion, but in the end had just ended up exploited on a farm outside town. As soon as he'd escaped the place, he'd begun attempting to raid the bazaar. He needed the money to pay for a doctor to see his mother.\
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His fellow paupers approved of his plans, even when another of their ranks was battered to a pulp for seeming to enjoy the spectacle. They all hated the Undertakers.\
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Today, the child felt, he'd finally managed to do it. He spoke quietly into his mother's ear,\
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"I'm going to get you a doctor soon, mother." \'d0\'d0\'d0\
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Someone was tapping at the door. Gem sprung up, almost upsetting the lantern at his bedside.\
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"I'm coming in, Gem," came Pyrim's voice, and then the door opened and he walked in. "Eh? You look like a mess! What happened?"\
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Gem turned to the small table and stabilized the lantern. Gazing into its flicker, he sighed deeply.\
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"I just read something that made me remember the past."\
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"Your mother, is it?"\
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"How did you know?" Gem asked calmly, still staring at the lantern.\
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"Even though it's been almost sixteen years, I still remember her. My sister. She was too young, and yet, even so... died just like the rest of them. It's painful." Pyrim's voice didn't seem pained in the least.\
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"Ten years ago... the Undertakers held my arms behind my back and forced me to watch her final throes." Gem stood upright and turned away from the lantern. "I didn't feel sad, then, I just knew that I didn't want her to die. I guess I never truly learned to be human. It's fitting, in an ironic way. They threw me in a cell, promised me that in a week's time I'd be dead. Some time later\'d1before the week was up\'d1Ji appeared. He caused Ky'Ebi to... vanish..., and we've been together ever since. Well, until now."\
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"If I might give you my opinion, Gem, I'd say you're being too hard on yourself. I don't know what situation you grew up in, but I can imagine that you weren't treated better in Eldra than we were, here. It's also not as if you had much choice in following that demon, either. It's like with the attack two days ago\'d1there's nothing that can be done about it. You're plenty human, Gem. Your worries, if nothing else, prove it."\
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"You say a lot of kind things, Pyrim, but you are mistaken. I didn't recall my past thanks to any sorrow that the reading induced in me. Rather, this show of the Undertakers being so vile\'d1" Gem scooped up the book, flipped it open to the fourth page, and ripped out the leaf in question, "\'d1Take a look." He handed the paper to Pyrim. "It says here what monstrosities the Eldran Undertakers committed. Reading this... it made me feel
\f2\i good
\f1\i0 about the past, Pyrim. Like Ji's razing of the capital was justified."\
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Pyrim remained silent, holding the aged paper delicately. His eyes roamed across the page time and time again before he spoke, and when he spoke, it was a murmur.\
\
"Does this passage make you wish you were back at the demon's side?"\
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"No," Gem replied immediately. "I have no wish to see that bastard ever again."\
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"Then you are human," stated Pyrim firmly. "I came in to see how you were doing, but I guess it goes without saying now that you're not mourning. I suppose you're done with that book for now?"\
\
Gem hesitated before thrusting the open book into Pyrim's hands, crumpling the torn page.\
\
"I'll sleep now."\
\
"I hope you have a good rest, Gem." Pyrim exited the room, shutting the door softly behind him.\
\
Gem put out the lantern and collapsed onto his bed, curling into a ball atop the covers. In frustration, his hands clenched shut, holding tightly onto the nearest holds they found. His left hand took the bedding, his right hand gripped his headband. He resisted crying out, but could not stop himself from heaving a few sobs. As he'd told Pyrim, he wasn't sad about his mother's death. Perhaps that was why he was sad.\
\
Ohn passed by the door to Gem's room as Pyrim leaned against it and heard Gem's sobs.\
\
"He's crying?" Ohn asked Pyrim skeptically. \
\
"He's still a kid," Pyrim answered, "a kid whose mother just died."\
\
Eventually sleep took Gem, and when it did, he saw dreams filled with horrifying scenes from his past. Again and again, he saw fires breaking out of mid-air, the lieutenant of the Inferno descending upon him, a giant building collapsing as unadulterated destruction spread out in a giant nova from the demon's misshapen body.\
\
When Gem was rescued from these dreams by being roughly shaken awake, his first response was to be grateful to his rouser. He started to thank the owner of the hand on his shoulder, but then he opened his eyes and caught a glimpse at who it was. Immediately, the gauntleted hand at his shoulder flew to his mouth, cutting off his scream.\
\
"Quiet, kid," Ji'Lopan rasped. "Nod your head when you've decided you won't make any loud noises."\
\
Gem took a minute to calm down, and then nodded. The Ly'ban removed its hand and stepped away from the bed. The young bounty hunter sat up and reached over to light the lantern.\
\
"How did you know I was here, Ji?"\
\
"I've been watching you ever since you returned to this city."\
\
"Odd... I haven't seen you anywhere."\
\
"It's easy to become invisible down here, kid. There are lots of shadows." The demon demonstrated, stepping just outside of Gem's room and fading away. Seconds later Ji'Lopan was back visible once more, back inside the room.\
\
"Why are you here?"\
\
"I've need of you, Legend, so I came to pick you up. We're heading west, now. Get up, dressed, whatever you need to do. I'll have you back here in time to move east with your new buddies."\
\
"I refuse," replied Gem flatly.\
\
"I don't think you'll be capable of that. Let me ask you, have you never heard of the Crystals of Mana?"\
\
"Of course I have! You know about what I do in my spare time, Ji\'d1I read lore-books. The legendary Crystals are far from kept secret, being mentioned at almost every turn in Creation lore. And besides, they were a rather heated topic of discussion until just recently."\
\
"Mmm, you know some things. So do you know why they became such an important topic recently? They're over three thousand years old. Things of the past. Why would they so suddenly make an appearance? Why would they again, just as suddenly, disappear?"\
\
"No, I don't think I caught that. Only that\'d1"\
\
"Fool! I must explain, then. Your great great uncle Lont
\f2\i scattered
\f1\i0 the Crystals of Mana, spreading them across the continent, expelling them from their shrine in the Mana Palace. This caused hundreds of your kind\'d1the hunters of various types, be it treasure or bounty or fame\'d1to search for them, going on long quests to find the discarded Crystals. Last year, the rumors died. The hunts and missions ceased to be. The reason for this is that last year, all clues and leads so far disappeared. The five Crystals that were found vanished without a trace."\
\
"Why are you telling me this, Ji?"\
\
"Well, doesn't it excite you? The Crystals of Mana. Twelve completely unique crystals, each containing the power of Bane's third son. As one interested in lore, you must surely be intrigued by these little trinkets!"\
\
"Intrigued... how, exactly?"\
\
"Wouldn't you love to get your hands on one of them?"\
\
Gem paused. Three thousand one hundred and some odd years ago, the demon known as Maha al'Kai descended upon the world. To combat this beast, the Creator, Bane, created three warriors. One of them, Mana, ended up surviving the battle and imprisoning Maha in what would become the Inferno. He went on to live in Libra, but before long, the impressive powers which had been granted him by Bane became uncontrollable and took a life of their own, lashing out at random. To put an end to the mindless destruction and seal Mana's powers, the Entities created the twelve Crystals of Mana.\
\
"Are you telling me that you know where one is?"\
\
If he could so much as touch one of the sacred relics, his world would be changed. Years back, when he'd finally learned enough to read the lore-books of Creation, he'd entertained fantasies of holding one\'d1just one\'d1Crystal in his hand. In truth, it seemed the most awesome thing to Gem. The thought that flew through his head as he considered the demon's words instilled an exhilarating feeling in Gem, evoking memories of his earliest studies.\
\
"Ebony Fields Hill. Surely by now you know this country's geography well enough?"\
\
"The Dead City's shrine to the gods. One hundred and sixty-four miles west north west of the northern gate of this city. Deserted for about seventy years."\
\
"I've need of you, Legend," the Ly'ban repeated. "The A'xia Crystal needs to meet the five that disappeared. Ebony Fields Hill is not deserted; it's home to a powerful being. Come, Legend."\
\
"A'xia Crystal?"\
\
"You'll understand soon enough."\
\
"We won't be back before my brethren leave. It'll take a fortnight just to make it to Ebony Fields Hill on foot through all the woods between here and there. I refused before, I repeat this refusal. I'm done with you and your plans, I'm done with your betrayal of the Inferno, I'm done with living at your beck and call. I can destroy you if you decide to use force. I\'d1"\
\
"Oh?" The Ly'ban held up Gem's runeblade, the lettering dull and nondescript. "Do you have the means?"\
\
In the flicker of the lantern's glow, Gem saw that his blade was useless to him. He bowed his head in resignation. This time, the demon had outwitted him.\
\
"We use the Net, Legend. We'll be back in two days."\
\
Gem stood and straightened his cloak. Tightening his headband, he walked over to the small cupboard behind the door, and took out his supplies. The bounty hunter fastened pouches and daggers to all four limbs and stuck two long knives into his belt. In minutes, he was ready to go. He would be back soon enough, the demon promised, and Gem knew the efficiency of the Net. A network of dirt paths lined with flames that connected every point in the world, it was possible to enter it on the first day and be across the continent on the fourth. Two days in the presence of the Ly'ban was not too steep a price to see one of the twelve Crystals with his own eyes. He knew not the demon's intentions, but they did not matter. Gem felt that after this last adventure, he'd truly be through with the demon.\
\
"Now then, we head through the blazes."\
\
The Ly'ban grabbed a hold of Gem's arm, and the dark room warped around the two as flames burst up around them and they entered the Net. Gem had been in the Net once before\'d1almost eleven years ago, when the Ly'ban brought him to Verga City. He recalled the sensation of slipping into darkness just as his consciousness began to fade. Only those with the power to enter the Net were awake within it. Extras were cargo and that's exactly what the motionless Gem was. The Ly'ban threw the green-haired young man over its shoulder, and dashed off, the very ground shaking beneath the tremendous stomping of its giant boots. Behind the flames that lined the paths, charred, barren farmland stretched out for miles. Here and there lay the skeletons of barns and farmhouses. The metal remains of plows and other agricultural machinery littered the plains. Cracks and rifts decorated the dirt, and the sky overhead was smoky black. The fires, bright though they were, didn't serve to pierce the darkness, and Ji'Lopan could only see so far ahead.\
\
The demon headed west, crossing the lines of flames when the need arose, charging across the derelict farm yards and churning up the dry dirt of the fields. Here and there, a crack could be heard as a bar or blade snapped underfoot. The Ly'ban fell into a comfortable pace, one that it could keep up for a whole day. It didn't tire easily, and within twenty hours, it would be emerging from the Net at the outskirts of the Dead City.\
\
It was dark out when the Ly'ban exited the Net. A more natural dark, of course, than that which had dominated the sky over those dead fields. Stars shone bright against the sky, and the waning moon emitted a gentle glow of its own. Rays of moonlight fell upon the ruins of the Dead City. The four gigantic rock pinnacles rose from the plains, four great monuments to the disaster that had made the Dead City what it was. Pieces of rope ladders hung down from the edges of the narrow plateaus. A jumble of leveled stone architecture covered a wide circle around the pinnacles, the great gravestones. No vegetation grew in these ruins, not a fern, not a vine. Passage of time dictates that nature should have worked its course, and thusly it is said by many that the catastrophe that destroyed Ebony Fields was a work of the supernatural. Others yet claimed that the only supernatural intervention was in the prevention of further life on the spot, that this was how the Entities had consecrated the ground.\
\
The demon cared not for such ponderings. Its business didn't lie amongst the shattered roofs and crumbled walls of the Dead City, but rather up the hill immediately north of its location. Visible high against the fourth hour sky was the dark outline of the shrine, a building that seemed oddly square from the demon's angle. Having been here before, Ji'Lopan knew that the shrine was built in the most beautiful style, its walls broken every few feet with ornate columns, its roof decorated with icons. Stained-glass windows populated the walls between columns, and beautifully-carved pews sat in neat rows before the now-barren pedestal. The whole building was made of smooth white stone, the same stone from which the buildings of Ebony Fields had been made. Unlike the Dead City, however, nature had done plenty to the shrine, and lustrous green ivy coiled around every pillar. The walls were weathered and stained with wind and rain, and the entire hill induced an overbearing awareness of time.\
\
At this time, however, only the silhouette of the shrine was visible. Ji'Lopan placed Gem down lightly upon the dewy grass at the foot of the hill and sat down a yard away. The effects of being carried through the Net are not a natural loss of consciousness, the demon knew, and so it waited for the bounty hunter to wake up. The Ly'ban tilted its head back and looked around. Behind the Dead City, the nigh-endless forests of central Verga spread in every direction. Beyond them had once been Verga City, capital of the most prosperous of the five countries in the Libran Alliance. Now, all that lay on the other side of those woods were the ruins of yet another great city of Man.\
\
To the south was a large tract of farmland, previously owned by the king of Verga. Its farmers worked on, most likely not knowing that the king was dead and the capital razed. This time of night, the fields were still. Quiet was about, the only sounds those of the occasional breeze mussing the grass. To the west of its location, the demon could make out the winding path leading towards the ports and seashore villages. Tall grass spread out for miles on either side of the path, land that was not yet needed.\
\
The country of Verga was beautiful. Its woods, fields, rivers, and hills were the perfect balance of terrain. It had but two blemishes\'d1the Dead City, and now the ruins of the capital.\
\
As the Ly'ban contemplated the coming dawn, and the approaching awakening of the young Gem who lay motionless three feet away, it wondered how its actions here would affect the rest of Libra. It imagined that eventually, what took place here might shake the very foundations of Central Libra, that it might manage to penetrate the calm of the Guardians. The Ly'ban liked the idea of making an impact. It liked the thought that what would happen here, within the ancient beauty of the shrine of a long-lifeless city, might change the world.\
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\
"We've arrived?" Gem asked as he pushed himself up on one arm and looked around. The faint light of dawn had begun to stream in over the eastern horizon, and the ruins of the Dead City cast a gloomy shadow upon the two at the bottom of the hill.\
\
"Two hours ago," Ji'Lopan confirmed.\
\
"So, we're here, eh? That's the shrine, up there? It looks deserted to me. This whole place looks deserted."\
\
"It's safe to say that the shrine is not deserted. Now get up, kid. We're going in."\
\
"Right."\
\
The Ly'ban dashed up the hill, Gem rising and following close behind. They reached the top in seconds and took the front steps two at a time. They dashed in and headed for the front of the shrine. The bounty hunter only noticed in passing through that the door seemed to have been knocked off its hinges before their arrival. They were standing at the pedestal, clouds of dust and dead leaves rising up in their footsteps. Gem looked around furtively.\
\
"There's nothing here," he whispered.\
\
"It's true that we weren't attacked upon entering. I suppose that means that for now, we don't need to be particularly on guard. Now look," replied the demon. "Right in front of you."\
\
An empty window frame. There was no glass in sight, no remnants of a pane. Through it and down the hill, the sweeping northern fields of Verga.\
\
"That's odd... I wonder why they never put glass into that window," Gem murmured. "But\'d1"\
\
He stopped short as blood appeared, pouring forth from window frame. It ran down the wall and pooled at the bounty hunter's feet. He took two steps back and tripped on a thick brown vine. Gem landed hard on his back and sat up only as far as he needed to see the advancing pool of crimson. The demon stood in place, seemingly unperturbed, as the blood came gushing forth in a torrent, swirling around the green-haired man.\
\
Gem cried out, horrified. The Ly'ban turned immediately and looked down at where he sat.\
\
"It causes you to see something, doesn't it? You see something? What do you see?"\
\
"B-blood..." came the shaky response. "My blood!"\
\
"As I suspected. Snap out of it, Legend." The Ly'ban stooped down and smacked Gem hard across his face with the back of its gauntlet. "Wake up!"\
\
Gem's head swiveled quickly under the force of the Ji'Lopan's blow. When he turned back to face the demon, the blood was gone. He stood slowly and covered his eyes.\
\
"Did you just remember something, Legend?"\
\
"Yeah," Gem removed the hand from his eyes and waved it back and forth before his face, following its motion. "How I died."\
\
"There's a myth in the Inferno regarding that. It describes how bold and impressive Ragnarr was when he entered your forge and smote you. It's all tales, of course. Betraying traitors is not an impressive feat. Though, I guess I'm the same as him."\
\
"His name wasn't Ragnarr, then," Gem said quietly. "Zukro, my older brother, my role-model. First son of Bane, heir to the world, the Warrior. I doubt I'll ever understand why he slew me."\
\
"And that's unimportant," the Ly'ban replied. "What's important is that we recover the A'xia Crystal, a jewel that had been implanted into this stained glass window."\
\
"Which stained glass window?"\
\
"The one that is now lacking in glass. The one that was constructed from a piece of your soul."\
\
"There was glass in there before?"\
\
"When you died, your brother Mana created this shrine to be your soul's home. This window, set high above the pedestal, was created from the shards of your masterpiece runeblade. Translucent and multicolored, it was the most beautiful glasswork ever made. You, the Soul-forger, invested a piece of your soul into every weapon you created, and thusly this window pane was a vessel for a part of you. Upon that pedestal was the hilt of your sword. Both the shards of the blade and the hilt are disappeared; something is at work here. And, should you still your mind, you should be able to sense its presence."\
\
"I don't sense anything."\
\
"Fool boy, letting your fear get a hold of you. But it's alright\'d1thankfully you don't need to be at your sharpest as the Roof-runner today. All I asked of you was you, and your presence alone is sufficient. Broken Angel, come forth!"\
\
Gem's awareness increased tenfold as he spun around, experiencing what could only be described as magic. Everywhere, dust exploded into the air as the stained glass windows shattered one after the other in a row down one wall and up the opposite. Shards of multi-colored glass scattered across the stone pews and a strong wind issued into the shrine, ravaging the ivy and ripping Gem's cloak. The Ly'ban remained calm as ever, immune to the force in the air and explosions of glass, but Gem ducked down for fear of having the wind carry wayward bits of glass into him. It all happened in a matter of seconds. Three blinks later, the gale had subsided and the shrine was once more silent.\
\
The rising sun's rays streamed through the now-broken windows, playing across the countless fragments of colored glass on the pews and floor, and the walls became reflections of shattered rainbow. Gem gaped in awe as he saw the Broken Angel descend, slowly floating down to rest just inside the doorway. Gem didn't take the time to wonder where under the high ceiling this being had been hiding, quickly dodging aside as a multicolor blast shot by and hit the Ly'ban.\
\
Gem took a good look at the creature that had so suddenly and explosively materialized. He resembled a young man, roughly Gem's age, perhaps a year younger. His messy hair, a beautiful reddish-brown, covered one eye and hung down to his shoulders in the back. His one visible eye was solid white, and had no discernible iris. He was robed in a thick brown fabric that covered him from neck to foot. The tips of black leather slippers peeked out from beneath the hem of his robes. From his back, two giant wings spread, giant shimmering birds' wings, made not of feathers but of interlocked shards of stained glass.\
\
Gem jumped back, behind the pedestal, as yet another blast issued forth, scattering on impact with the gray-robed demon. Tiny fragments of glass ricocheted throughout the shrine, pinging off walls and pews and finally coming to rest amongst their brethren on the floor.\
\
"Hold your fire, Broken Angel," the Ly'ban rasped. "I have the son of Bane with me." The demon's robes were a pincushion for the glass shards, but it seemed like none of the projectiles had penetrated its armor.\
\
"This child is the son of Bane?" the Broken Angel's voice was much like those of the Shades Gem had destroyed three days before. It rustled and existed, yet was so faint that the bounty hunter needed to struggle to hear it.\
\
"Get up, Legend," the Ly'ban hissed. "Talk to him."\
\
Gem rose shakily, half expecting to be once more forced into evasive maneuvers. No more attacks came, and the Broken Angel was still. Gem had heard stories of the Broken Angel before, as a monster of the past. He was the topic of many children's tales, but no one Gem had ever encountered recognized the Broken Angel as a real existence. There was nothing regarding him in any lore-books Gem had perused, no notes in the Underworld, nothing. Yet here he was, standing before Gem in the Ebony Fields Hill shrine. Those two shimmering wings, surreal and impossible, were there. They were real. That lifeless, soulless eye was real.\
\
Gem walked towards the Broken Angel.\
\
"He-hello, sir," he spoke.\
\
"Moron," hissed the Ly'ban.\
\
"You don't resemble your brother Mana at all, you know," the Broken Angel breathed. "Yet I sense it in you. The power of Bane. What have you come here for? Ebony Fields is gone. No one is left."\
\
"It's not your doing, right?"\
\
"Of course not. I came here after the destruction. The shrine was still intact, those pillars had risen, and the city was flattened. I came here to search for something, though now my memory is so hazy I can't tell yours apart from my own."\
\
"You can see my past?"\
\
"My dreams are haunted with visions of your brother Zukro sliding his blade between your ribs."\
\
Gem felt sick. He trembled slightly as he stood there, facing the Broken Angel.\
\
"Just falling through the window, as you seem to have, should not have had enough power to force Legend's soul into you or grant you the powers you have," the Ly'ban said. "Tell me, is it the power of A'xia?"\
\
"Stay out of this, Ji'Lopan. I thank you for bringing me the son of Bane, but do remember that I want nothing to do with you or Chaos. I fought you the last time you entered this place, and will be glad to send you off once more." He didn't sound particularly glad, Gem thought.\
\
"Legend, ask him for A'xia. He can't disobey if it's what you desire." The Ly'ban dashed out of the shrine, past the the Broken Angel, an extending whip of stained glass trailing close behind him, reducing pew after pew to dust.\
\
"Tell me... do you have the Crystal?" Gem asked, uncertain, once the demon was out of sight and the Broken Angel had calmed down.\
\
"Yes, I have the piece of Mana. As the demon\'d1" and here, the Broken Angel's soft voice grew harsh "\'d1said, it is what has bound your soul to me. It is what has cursed me. It is what has kept me young all these years, and burdened me with these heavy wings." The Broken Angel lifted one arm from within the folds of his robes and pulled aside the bangs covering the left side of his face. There, where his second eye should have been, was a small black and gray jewel set into blackened flesh.\
\
Gem gasped and did his best not to vomit at the being's feet. He winced as he gazed upon the Broken Angel's face, covering his mouth with one hand and his stomach with the other.\
\
"That is the A'xia Crystal?"\
\
"If that is its name. It is one of the twelve. Please, Legend. Unburden me. Lift Zukro's curse. Erase these wings and set me free."\
\
"Why defy Ji'Lopan? Why not let him take it, if having it taken is what you wish?"\
\
"I can't entrust Mana's essence to those who would abuse it."\
\
"But you trust me?"\
\
"Of course. You are a son of Bane, pure and untainted. You are Legend, the Soul-forger."\
\
"Then... I will take the Crystal."\
\
"Before that, Legend, allow me to pass onto you something you once owned. This hilt may help you out in the future." The Broken Angel rummaged within his robes and brought out a worn, leather-wrapped hilt. It was nondescript, and looked as if it could have been the hilt on any of the standard iron blades distributed throughout the Vergan militia. Gem took it, and at once knew that it was no ordinary hilt. It was the hilt of a runeblade.\
\
He stuck it in his belt and thanked the Broken Angel.\
\
"I've been alive for almost ninety years now, if I recall correctly. No, not alive. Existing. I trust you to end this now, Legend. My dreams, my curse, everything\'d1end it, please. Take this Crystal, A'xia, from me. I know you won't do the wrong thing with it. Now, please, take it. End my torment."\
\
Gem hesitantly reached out, and the Broken Angel grabbed his hand and pulled it closer. The bounty hunter touched the Crystal with his fingertips, and then dug one finger in around it. The Broken Angel did not cry out in pain or move in the slightest. His one eye was closed, and his lips showed a small smile. Gem employed a second digit, and plucked the A'xia Crystal from the face of the Broken Angel. Immediately, those giant glass wings crashed to the floor, and the Broken Angel collapsed backwards, his body disintegrating from the feet up. In seconds, the only remains of the being were his brown robes and two more piles of shattered glass on the floor of the Ebony Fields Hill shrine.\
\
Gem held the Crystal between his thumb and index finger, peering into its depths in order to distract himself from the gross deed he'd just performed. The so-called "crystal" was actually a smooth spherical gem, a shiny black with splotches of gray here and there. The whole thing was roughly an inch in diameter, and had no crystalline properties whatsoever. However, Gem could feel\'d1much in the same way as the Broken Angel had sensed it in him, he supposed\'d1the power of Mana. The power of Bane. \
\
The Ly'ban reentered the shrine.\
\
"Stubborn beast," he commented as he trod on the brown robes. "He could have just let me do that."\
\
A hand gesture, and what shadows there were in the shrine moved and circled around Gem. Before the bounty hunter knew what was happening, he was bound in place, unable to move. Ji'Lopan pried Gem's fingers apart, and the Crystal fell to the floor, causing a small disturbance in the glass shards and dust. The demon stooped to pick it up, stashed it within its cloak, and then released Gem from the shadow bind.\
\
"I thank you, Gem," Ji'Lopan declared, and then he was gone in a burst of flame. Into the Net. Gem's runeblade, the black dagger, clattered out onto the glass where the demon had stood moments before.\
\
Gem collapsed to his knees, ignoring the pain of the glass pricking him. He didn't feel guilty or sad, just hopelessly, irreconcilably stupid. His gaze wandered from shard to shard on the ground before him, coming to rest upon the empty robes of the Broken Angel. It had been a brief meeting. In a few minutes, this mysterious being that somehow eluded common folklore had appeared, spoken words that shook Gem's world, and then faded away. Gem had held one of the twelve Crystals of Mana between his two fingers.\
\
The idea of the supernatural was not at all odd to Gem. It was a known fact that the world was watched over by the Entities, spirit-gods that governed all matter. It was a known fact that magic was real, that, until The Purge of the 3000's, magi were common. He had spent almost eleven years of his life in the company of a demon capable of using magic. Gem himself was a god, Legend, reborn. He had forged a runeblade. But all this had, until now, seemed like mere fact to Gem. Now, he had met the Broken Angel. He had touched one of the legendary Crystals of Mana. \
\
In Verga City, running jobs as a member of the Underworld, he had felt very in control. He'd mastered his trade and was among the best of the best. He'd had a degree of confidence.\
\
Now, so tangibly immersed in the supernatural, Gem felt outclassed.\
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"So
\f2\i this
\f1\i0 is our ship?" Julien inquired of the stout fellow who stood before the empty portal.\
\
"Yes indeed," the man confirmed, crossing his arms and beaming up at the young lord from behind a bushy brown beard. "Beauty, ain't she?"\
\
Julien sighed as he scanned the hallway for his younger cousin. Mana was all the way on the other end of the corridor, peering down through a window at a departing freighter. They were up on the thirty-ninth floor of Antyliken, a row of terminals reserved entirely for the business and pleasure of various lords under the Libran Alliance. Below them dozens of airships were coming and going, hundreds of people milling about.\
\
The two travelers had arrived at Antyliken with the fourteenth hour flight announcements, their shadows tilting ever so slightly to the east. Hungry and tired, they had spent an hour in the restaurant on the second floor, replenishing and reviving themselves after their long ride. They had cut straight through the night without respite, and when they dismounted at the tower's front door Mana could barely stand from being stiff.\
\
Now, with the mid-afternoon sun well to the west, Mana paced up and down the halls, examining every nook and cranny with great interest. Everywhere he tread, people turned to stare at him, immediately recognizing who he must be. With his father old and grayed, he was the only person alive who bore his line's unique trait, the red hair of Mana. While they were fascinated with him, he was equally fascinated with the crowds- these were people who did not have pre-formed prejudices concerning magi. A good number of people respectfully inclined their heads to him, dozens of others actually got to their knees. These were the loyal subjects of the Libran Alliance. Each man traveling through this tower had his own lord, his own king, yet each had indirectly sworn fealty to their High King, the man who sat upon the Mana Throne. Mana's father, Guardian Lord Lanto.\
\
They did not hate Mana as those who feared his power and its proximity to their homes had, back in the town surrounding the Mana Palace. These were merchants, scholars, travelers, soldiers- men who had seen the world, men who knew more than the lies that had been passed down in Central Libra for three generations since the terrible rule of Lont al'Kondo. They respected the power that the Creator, Bane, had passed down to Mana I, and believed in the divine right of the main branch of the Mana line.\
\
At first Mana had been befuddled by the way he was being treated. He suspected a cruel joke, yet he could not hold onto this suspicion in the face of the calm etched into the features of those nodding to him. One man, ragged and dragging a sack behind him as he dashed down the hall of the fourteenth floor, had the look of a desperate beast. Upon noticing Mana, he had stopped in his tracks, and the frantic expression on his face had become replaced with that of peace. Julien, walking at Mana's side, had noticed the young mage's wonderment and smiled to himself. Finally his kid cousin was being treated better than he'd been at home.\
\
Now, towering over the short man who stood guard over terminal eight of the thirty-ninths floor, Julien no longer felt that satisfaction. He was agitated. Mana had wandered off, and the man who they'd been told to meet was entirely insane. There was no ship out there. Julien could see to the horizon clearly. There were the dense green forests that spread from southern Gaia through north Libra and well into Verga. Before them lay extensions of the same fields and plains that had surrounded Julien and Mana as they rode north. Snaking around hills and knolls were many small rivers, and cutting straight across the fields were the irrigation ditches, a system heavily invested in by the Guardian Lord who had reigned five generations before Lont. The land seemed like a grid from on high, a large piece of dough that had been neatly divvied up with a rectangular cookie cutter. All this, Julien could see, peering out the portal and past the empty docks.\
\
But he saw no ship.\
\
"Where is it?"\
\
"What do you mean, good sir?" the fellow laughed jovially. "It's right here. Right beyond this portal. The gangplank is out and everything. We're just waiting on Lord Mana over there."\
\
"I don't see it."\
\
"What's there to see?" chuckled the man. Julien's hand twitched as he resisted the urge to pick up the man by his collar and toss him out into the open air where the ship ought to have been.\
\
"The airship, man!" Even with his self-control in full swing, Julien couldn't hold back the anger in his voice.\
\
"Captain, to you, Lord Tryn," the stout man replied sternly, cracking one bright eye open and gazing at Julien critically. "Captain Guhnss." Guhnss closed his eye and again and broadened his grin.\
\
"I will not stand here and be lectured on my manners by some over-grown pipsqueak who thinks he can play me for a fool! All this time you've been insisting that the airship
\f2\i Vapor
\f1\i0 takes off from this terminal, yet there is no ship in sight. We were assured that it would be prepared by this time today, and if it had been delayed, that would be fine. But you keep saying that-"\
\
"Cool it, Jul," Mana said quietly as he walked up behind the lord. "The ship's right there." Julien stopped mid-sentence and stuttered meaninglessly for a few moments before the captain spoke.\
\
"Hahaa! Keen eye you got there, Milord," Guhnss complimented the mage. "Indeed she is."\
\
"But, sir," questioned Mana, "do we really need such a high-level enchantment to escape notice? It's not as though we have any personal enemies, and these are times of peace."\
\
"Can never be too sure, Milord. News is Verga City was razed two nights ago."\
\
"Razed?!" Julien exclaimed.\
\
"How do you have this information, Captain?" Mana asked, narrowing his eyes immediately and taking on a cold tone. "At best it's a five-day ride from Verga City to here."\
\
"When Lord Kieku dropped by this morning to enchant the Vapor, he told us all about it. Amazing man, Lord Kieku. Enchantment's perfect, won't be spotted by human eyes in a hundred years! Hahahahaha!" The captain made to move towards the portal, but Julien stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.\
\
"Lord Lanto's Right is a mage?" Julien demanded, his voice laced with shock.\
\
"Oh, didn't you know? Everyone here knows. Lord Kieku's been caring for the Guardian Lord for years now, always using his Light magic to ease the pains of age. He goes about here and there performing good deeds for people. A true lord the people, he is."\
\
"He's no lord," Mana muttered, unperturbed but no more happy.\
\
"Does it not surprise you, Mana?" Julien asked anxiously, turning to face his younger cousin.\
\
"It's been clear to me from the start," Mana shrugged. "I've never been good at not noticing things like magical residue. It seemed like no one in the palace knew, so I never bothered to say anything. It's not like the people there would listen to me."\
\
"Shall we board?" Guhnss asked, placing his hands on his hips and looking back and forth between the two lords, the shorter of whom stood a whole two heads taller.\
\
"Let's," proposed Mana, grabbing Julien's left hand. "We'll discuss this later," he mouthed to his cousin.\
\
Julien followed in contemplative silence as Guhnss led the way out onto the pier. Without hesitation, the captain skipped up an invisible walkway and disappeared.\
\
"He must do this all the time," Julien whispered, feeling sick to the stomach. "How often does Kieku come out here and throw his magic around?" Mana shrugged, and then pointed straight out into space. Julien felt a surge of power resonate in the form of a sudden wind blowing around them, and then watched in amazement as the vague contour of the invisible ship before them appeared.\
\
"This is the most I can do without trying to break the enchantment," Mana said. "Kieku's not just some dabbler, either. He has real power. Watch your step, Jul."\
\
Julien walked forward hesitantly, stepping as precisely as he could on the midline between the two fuzzy gray trails leading away from the pier. Indeed, there was a gangplank. Knowing this was no more reassuring to him than the fact that Kieku could zap around the continent at approximately five times the speed of a galloping horse. He had his suspicions stemming from the incident with Mana's possessions disappearing on the morning two days before, and this new fact he'd learned did nothing to abate his morbid curiosity.\
\
He walked carefully- very carefully- and was soon on a solid, visible deck. Looking back the way he'd come, he saw Mana walking up what appeared to be a perfectly solid wooden pathway.\
\
"The enchantment of course doesn't effect us onboard. It'd be troublesome if we couldn't pilot the ship," Guhnss said. "Now, want to make yourself useful? Need to set a few things in place before we take off."\
\
Still feeling resentful towards the captain, a residual feeling left over from his temporary loss of temper, he followed the man's pointing finger to a pile of rope, which he set about untangling at the captain's order. He looked about briefly as he worked, noticed the others scurrying about the deck. Broad-shouldered, tall, and impressive, the sailors who crewed the Vapor seemed to work with great efficiency, accomplishing tasks much like Julien's in half the time. \
\
Soon he was joined by Mana, who brushed his hands away and righted the ropes in seconds with a wave of a hand and a small tremor in the air. Mana hurried on to the next task that Guhnss pointed out, leaving Julien kneeling on the deck and feeling very much useless. Gazing about, he saw that the deck of this airship was not very different from that of a great battleship he'd once been on just off the eastern coast of Libra. At the time, he'd been sitting in on a meeting with various other provincial lords from the countries of the Libran Alliance, but it had been his first time on any such vessel and he remembered the feeling of awe that has resounded within him as he set foot on the deck.\
\
Now, he felt no such awe. Though this was his first time taking a ship to the skies, it was not an amazing experience. Julien was glad that Mana was getting so much out of this, and he realized that perhaps he was simply too old to derive simple pleasures from a new thrill. He had been about Mana's age when he'd boarded that battleship.\
\
Now, the lord of Tryn was too bogged down in his thoughts to pay much attention to the design and construction of the airship. He noted that the sails on the masts were ribbed and seemed much thinner than those he'd seen on the battleship, and that there was a large assortment of propellers and gears scattered about, but that was all. His main thoughts were focused on Verga City. Why had Kieku been there the night before Mana's departure? Who would have destroyed Verga City? Rebels? The Terran army? Neither of these seemed likely to the young lord. \
\
"It must have been demons or bandits." He didn't realize that he'd spoken aloud until he noticed one sailor eyeing him oddly. "Er... nothing, nothing," he assured the man, and the sailor went back to work with a shrug and a raised eyebrow.\
\
In all his ponderings, one thing troubled Julien above all else.\
\
Why had Kieku said nothing while at the Mana Palace the day of Mana's departure? According to the information presented by Guhnss, by that time, Verga City had been razed. By that time, Kieku should have already known about the destruction. By that time, Kieku should have told Lanto everything and suggested a change of course to Mana. At that time, Kieku was knowingly sending the two travelers to a ruined city.\
\
Julien sprung up, unable to bear it any longer. He sought out the captain and inquired as to their heading.\
\
"West south west, sir," Guhnss replied. "Verga City."\
\
Julien bit his thumb in frustration and stalked off, not wanting to say anything rash to the captain without consulting first with Mana. From behind he heard the captain's yell of "Brace yourselves, boys!" And then the crunch of a lever being snapped into place. The groan as countless gears began spinning, the slow drone that arose from the madly spinning propellers. With a creak of timbers, the airship began to pull away from the dock.\
\
Julien grabbed onto a nearby rope and hung on tight as the vessel built up speed. Within a minute it was clear of the scaffolding of the terminal and well away from the portal, trundling along in midair. With excruciatingly slow speed, it turned to the left, pointing its nose towards the western-most branch of forest and setting its stern facing the gray mountains of Magnetia. Guhnss stood at the great steering wheel, an affair almost as tall as the captain himself, squinting into the sun. The sails caught the wind, the propellers churned, and the ship was off at a frightening speed.\
\
"You can go down, sir," Guhnss called out to Julien over the hiss and whirr of machinery. "Won't need any hands on the deck for a while now." Looking around, Julien noticed that all the sailors had already gone below deck, Mana with them. He scrambled over to the door to the stairs, looked around once more, and went in.\
\
The belowdecks were oddly cramped for such a huge craft. Julien figured that the engine and machinery must occupy an awful lot of room, because the main hallway in the vessel was barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side. On the left side of the ship were the galleys, on the right were the crew's rooms. All the rooms had their doors wide open, and as Julien walked by, he caught glimpses of sailors playing cards and dice with each other, reclining against furniture, some dozing. Here and there, he picked up pieces of dialogue.\
\
"Looks like a girl."\
\
"Guardian Heir? Phaw."\
\
"Is that boy really so terrible a mage? Descendant of Mana? Hahaha."\
\
They seemed in high spirits, Julien thought, as he trembled inside with rage at the disrespect. He picked up his pace, arriving at the end of the hall in a hurry. There to his right was another open door, and through it, Mana sitting on the edge of the room's one bunk.\
\
"Jul, you came down!"\
\
"Of course I did," Julien replied, ducking in and dropping down on the floor, back against a wall.\
\
"Want to hear my thoughts?"\
\
"Sure."\
\
"No humans destroyed Verga City. That much seems clear to me. Which means that those causing problems are demons, and that our invisibility enchantment is most likely a brilliant beacon." Mana pushed himself back along the bedding, reclining against the wall behind the bunk.\
\
"As I suspected. We're making a gigantic target of ourselves, are we not?"\
\
"Indeed."\
\
"Guhnss said that we're headed for Verga all the same, destruction or no destruction."\
\
"I can't destroy the enchantment, Jul. I already tried. Several times. We're going to have to change this ship's course sooner rather than later. Preferably before we reach the Vergan border." Mana sighed, and then sat up straight, gazing down at Julien and looking him in the eye. "I have to admit, Kieku surprises me."\
\
"Myself as well," Julien said heavily. "Never liked the fellow, but this is all too suspicious. Too shady. What was he doing in Verga City two nights ago? Why did he say nothing at all at your ceremony?"\
\
"He did."\
\
"He did what?" Julien asked, startled. Mana's clear blue eyes shone with realization and understanding.\
\
"He said something. Before the party. That I'd encounter many hardships. Come to think of it, the beast was smiling as he spoke. He said to me that he wished for me to have the best of luck. Smiling. He knew that our destination was a pointless one." Mana pounded the bunk with his fist. "I should have noticed!"\
\
"No use getting upset now, Mana. We're here on this ship, and there's no way we're getting off without a clean landing. If we can't get rid of that enchantment, all we can do is head somewhere else, right? Somewhere with a smaller chance of there being demons."\
\
"Terra?"\
\
"My thoughts exactly. If we head for Mist, we should be safe." Julien's gaze seemed clouded, his eyes unfocused, as he thought.\
\
"We won't be able to persuade the captain to take us there, though. I could sense it on him as well. Kieku's magic."\
\
"What? He went that far?"\
\
"It would seem."\
\
"Well then, we have no choice, do we? I trust you're up to the task of stopping any bloodshed?" Julien slid up the wall, gradually straightening his knees. His hands went to the sword hilts at his side, and he smiled grimly.\
\
"I can do it." Mana stood and rolled up his sleeves. He flexed his fingers, and then nodded. \
\
"Then let's."\
\
The two lords of the Mana line strode from their room and into the hall. Heading in the direction of the stairs they made a left at the first opportunity. There they stumbled in upon a group of four sailors, two playing dice, one watching, and one smoking a pipe while reading a book. All four looked up in unison as Julien and Mana walked in, and uniformly an expression of shock and confusion spread on their faces as Julien whipped out his twin long swords. In a flash of gestures, Mana has compressed the air in the room, and the four sailors had their faces stuck in that expression as their bodies were stopped. Julien re-sheathed his swords without having swung them a single time and exited the room. Mana took a minute to apologize to the immobilized men before stepping out behind his cousin.\
\
Room after room, they repeated their routine, Julien inspiring fear and a pause in action as Mana prepared his spell. Room after room, sailors were stopped, relieved of the notion of time. They froze in place, no longer sentient beings but rather grotesque decorations. They remained as they were, be it kneeling, sitting, standing, leaning, or lying down, all in the exact state they'd been at the time that Mana wove his magic.\
\
In ten minutes, the whole of the crew had been put out of commission.\
\
Mana, disgusted with himself for this display of magic, yet exhilarated at the same time, headed up the stairs, Julien but one step behind. It was horrible to be doing such things to the innocent crew members, and even though it was reversible and Mana would be able to cure them later, he felt sorry for the sailors. This display of power... it was exactly as terrible a thing as the villagers of the Mana Palace believed magic to be. Yet it was also the ultimate relief for Mana. His powers, extraordinary and immense, were definitely the remnants of the powers vested in his ancestor by the Creator. Keeping them constantly contained was hard and unpleasant, and the surge felt as he wove magic, as he channeled the frightening skill within him, as he unleashed Bane's power upon these poor sailors, was that of pleasure.\
\
\
\
\
\
\f0\b Ten
\f1\b0 \
\
The airship was moving at an astonishing pace when Mana and Julien stepped out onto the deck. Low-hanging clouds sped by as the
\f2\i Vapor
\f1\i0 overtook them and moved on, ploughing a straight course through the endless blue sky. Ahead, the sun seemed incredibly low in the sky, much lower than it had been, even though they couldn't have been in the air for more than fifteen minutes. Looking back, Mana was surprised to see the tiny speck that was Port Antyliken behind them.\
\
"We're pretty far up," Mana commented. Julien couldn't hear Mana speaking over the cacophony of machine noises, and continued heading towards the stern of the ship. Upon noticing that his cousin had already moved on, the mage followed.\
\
"Enjoying your- first is it?- airship experience, sirs?" Captain Guhnss asked, turning his eyes from the gigantic steering wheel and smiling up at the two lords. "Something wrong?" His smile turned to a worried expression as he noticed Julien's grim face. \
\
Mana extended both his arms and closed his eyes. The air cracked around his body as he prepared his spell and caused his long red hair to flare out behind him. Guhnss looked on in terror as he realized what was happening, as he noticed the fact that Mana's mouth was moving at a speed unknown to those who simply speak words, and he clung onto that steering wheel as though it was the one thing that could save him from the Guardian Heir's dreadful magic, closing his eyes in terror.\
\
"Wait, Mana!" Julien exclaimed, interrupting the mage's concentration. In an instant, the air was normal, a comfortable breeze blowing through it as the
\f2\i Vapor
\f1\i0 sped on.\
\
"Wh-wh-what do you want?" Guhnss asked frightfully. Mana looked up at Julien with a cocked eyebrow.\
\
"It'll be hard to steer this thing if he gets stuck to the wheel," explained Lord Tryn as he moved over to the stout captain and began attempting to pry the fellow off. For one brief instant, Julien closed his eyes as he strained against Guhnss's bulk, and in that instant, the captain's eyes opened, a glaring crimson, and with an incredibly agile swing of one arm, he embedded a dagger into Julien's right shoulder. Mana gasped.\
\
"Kieku's work... what has he done to this man?" Mana wondered aloud as Julien staggered back, clutching his shoulder and wincing. He extended his right hand towards Julien and began to focus.\
\
"I'll take care of it, Jul, don't worry-"\
\
"Don't touch me, Mana!" Julien roared as he pulled the dagger out of his shoulder and tossed it away. "I'll take care of this one." So saying he drew his twin long swords and swung at the captain. In a blur, Guhnss had let go of the wheel and done two back flips in midair, landing five feet away. Already he brandished another dagger in his left hand. Julien's sword strokes marred the wooden column that supported the wheel's weight and then he dashed across the stern's platform, not faltering in his delivery of blow after blow. Spinning around, his swords both at angles, Julien created an affective cyclone of slashes.\
\
Not one of his attacks landed.\
\
The stout captain, his girth jiggling with each of his speedy movements, evaded each of Julien's blows, moving with a dexterity better suited to a man half his weight. Mana stood dumbfounded as he watched the spectacle, something he never expected to see. He knew that Julien knew how to use a sword and that he didn't carry the twin swords for show, but he would never have imagined that his cousin was such an impressive swordsman. And never in a hundred years would he have expected to see a man of Guhnss's proportions hopping and spinning around in calculated evasion of his cousin's swordplay.\
\
After a minute or two of simply dodging, the captain's body for seconds became enveloped in a bright red flame. When the blaze vanished, so did Guhnss. Julien paused in his offensive, wondering where the captain had gone, and immediately Guhnss burst out of midair behind him, that bright red flame wreathed around him, driving a second dagger into Julien- this time into his right elbow.\
\
"Julien!" Mana called out from across the platform. One of Lord Tryn's swords clattered to the wooden planks as his right hand twitched. Cursing angrily, the lord spun around, his dead arm flopping with his movements, slashing the air with his left-hand sword where the captain had been moments before.\
\
"Julien, stop it!"\
\
"I'll get that bastard," Julien breathed heavily, drawing the blade from his arm in a spurt of blood and looking around in search of the possessed airship pilot.\
\
"Don't you see you can't-" Mana was cut short as Guhnss reappeared and bowled Julien over in a mad flying tackle. The captain landed atop the lord and began slugging him mercilessly. "STOP!" Mana shouted, his voice deeper than usual, commanding. A powerful blast of wind burst forth from the young mage, spreading out in a nova, rippling through the sails and confusing the propellers. Guhnss looked up at the Guardian Heir, and then leapt off of Julien and charged Mana. Lord Tryn lay by the steering wheel, bloodied and groaning.\
\
Mana dodged out Guhnss's path, leaping to the side. In the same motion, he twirled the fingers of his right hand and the captain tripped, sprawling out on his face. The airship continued speeding west into the sun as Guhnss stood, drawing himself to his full height of four feet, and drew forth two more daggers.\
\
Keeping his eyes focused on the captain, Mana extended his right hand in the direction of Julien and began muttering the words of renewal. He just managed to get them all out before he was forced to leap aside once more, barely avoiding the captain's attack. Julien coughed once, and slowly the blood on his face seeped back into his body, the skin began healing, and the internal hematomata faded away. \
\
Now able to focus on weaving other magics, Mana continued to dodge the slashes and charges of the captain while leaving a trail of solid air in his wake. Within a minute of movement, he had completely encased Guhnss, leaving him locked in an invisible cell.\
\
"Well, that's that," Mana sighed, as he prepared to stop the captain's life. Extending his arms and closing his eyes, he began incanting the spell.\
\
"Look out, Mana!" Julien roared, knocking the mage aside with his own charge seconds before a red-outlined Guhnss materialized with his fist extended to where Mana's face had been. "We're not getting anywhere like this." Julien brandished his sword with both hands, assuming a defensive stance as he stood over Mana. "Pick yourself up. We need to somehow talk strategy while avoiding this monster."\
\
Mana rose just in time to nimbly skip towards the steering wheel and out of harm's way, Guhnss speeding by a blur of red and dagger.\
\
"It seems as though he can move through just about anything with that ability of his," Mana commented.\
\
"The Net," Julien muttered under his breath, swinging his sword into the oncoming Guhnss and cutting air.\
\
"What's that?"\
\
"Er, something I read about once." Julien raised his voice and then continued. "The Net. It allows its user to transpose their existence to another point in this space- the world we know- via an alternate space. It looks as though this man has been enchanted to have access to this alternate space."\
\
"What can we do about it?"\
\
"Normally- or so I've read- it's very tiring, using this Net thing. So supposedly, he should exhaust himself and lose access. However- and you can probably confirm this- he seems to be enchanted in such a way as to defy this rule. We'll tire long before he at this rate."\
\
"Indeed. So what do you propose?" Mana panted as he dodged yet another attack, this time by only a hair's breadth.\
\
"I propose going back on my original plan. The one to not cause bloodshed."\
\
Mana paused briefly, and luckily for him it was Julien who was targeted next.\
\
"You intend to kill the captain?"\
\
"Maim, incapacitate, yes, perhaps kill- whatever it takes. He's not a captain anymore, Mana! You see it, don't you? You see that this man has been transformed. Your magic alone can not stop him. Now, hasten me! Do what you must so that I may strike him!"\
\
"Don't ki-" Mana was cut off as Guhnss appeared before him and ran him through the abdomen with one of his two daggers. Julien cried out in shock as he saw the man materialize and Mana's body begin to tilt sideways. Rage overtook Julien, a complete, distilled rage that did not merely make its presence known through words. He moved instantly, his actions clumsy yet incredibly speedy. Three bounds and one swing, and the captain's head landed four feet away, on the edge of the platform. A small spray of blood issued forth from Guhnss's neck as his body toppled over, lifeless. The dagger lodged in Mana's abdomen was wrenched out, gripped tightly in the corpse's grasp. \
\
"Are you alright?" Julien asked, worry causing his voice to tremble as he knelt at his cousin's side. The young mage's green robes were stained a bright vermillion around the tear left behind by the captain's blade.\
\
"I'll manage somehow," breathed Mana between gasps of pain as he winced and propped himself up on his left elbow. Looking around, he discerned the severed head of Guhnss and sighed disapprovingly. "I'm better off than him." Holding his right hand over the wound, he closed his eyes and wove another spell of renewal. A soothing aura crept outward from where he lay, calming Julien and stilling the sense of incessant movement that was created by the airship cutting across the sky. Three minutes later, Mana's right arm dropped to the floor, his left gave out, and he was flat on his back, fast asleep.\
\
Julien, still very much worried, opened the top of Mana's robes and checked the wound. It was healed, the bleeding hole replaced with blood-covered skin. Breathing a sigh of relief, the lord of Tryn stood and punted the captain's head off the platform and into the wide-open sky. He then heaved the weighty corpse overboard. \
\
"He did a good job with my wounds," Julien remarked to himself as he flexed his right arm after disposing of Guhnss. So saying, he strode to the steering wheel and spun it clockwise. The airship ponderously turned its nose towards the north and continued its course. The sun, no longer straight ahead, had fallen quite a bit. The clouds around the
\f2\i Vapor
\f1\i0 were tinged orange as sunset commenced, intense pinks and reds scattering across the otherwise solemn blue sky. \
\
It was nighttime when Mana came to. Thousands of tiny stars glittered overhead, but with the moon behind clouds, everything was dim. Mana could see Julien clearly, standing at the steering wheel and peering out into the darkness ahead. Mana rose, stretched, and waved cheerily to his cousin when Julien realized that he'd risen.\
\
"You're alright," said Julien, just loud enough to be heard over the airship's machinery.\
\
"Looks like these robes are done for, though," Mana observed as he inspected the sizable tear and large bloodstain.\
\
"Are you hungry?"\
\
"No."\
\
Mana stepped down from the captain's platform and trotted over to the side of the ship. Looking down, all he saw was black.\
\
"Are we still at the same altitude?"\
\
"Most likely," Julien replied, looking down at the mage. "I haven't caused the ship to ascend."\
\
"And we're headed for Terra?"\
\
"That we are. Last light had us about a third of the way from Antyliken to what I would estimate is the Terran border. Of course, it's just an estimate- there's no way I could tell with any certainty from all the way up here. The forests seem a blanket of green covering those parts of the continent. We should pass over Murkwater, the nearest Terran city, in about seven days. Mist is another two from there."\
\
Mana, contented with the information he'd acquired, moved along the side of the airship, heading for the bow. Treading carefully over the metal pegs and now-taught ropes that led away up to the tops of the masts, he picked his way over to the most narrow segment of the vessel. There he sat down, his back to the low railing, and leaned his head back so that his hair and the long tassel of his hood became caught in the wind and blew out, trailing off.\
\
He looked up at the stars, searching for the moon, but it was still hidden behind a thick curtain of clouds. Sighing as he turned his thoughts from the moon and to the matters at hand, Mana began pondering what to do next. They would arrive in nine days and then would set off hunting for the Crystals. He was well aware that there were no solid plans regarding the search, but he felt confident that it would go well. Where this confidence came from, he had no idea, but it was so real that it was almost tangible. Mana had somehow held this confidence even before boarding the ship, and it is perhaps the only reason why he boarded the ship, for from the outset he could tell that the enchantment was no good omen.\
\
Even as he faced Guhnss with no clear way to win, even as he saw Julien injured again and again, and even as he felt his own wound form, he knew that everything was going to be alright.\
\
It wasn't an overconfidence in his own abilities. He knew that they were very limited. Ever since the Guardian Mage Academy was disbanded in the middle of the year 3035, there had been no one around the Mana Palace to instruct the young in the use of magic. Most of Mana's knowledge stemmed from books that Julien had managed to smuggle to him and from what he guessed to simply be an innate ability to "see" magic.\
\
He understood, from one of the books that he'd read, that until Lont's ascent to the throne, magic had been called Jikkuu by the people. "Magic" was the demeaning replacement that the horrible tyrant had insisted upon, claiming that mystical powers were nothing. Jikkuu, a word of the old language of Libra, meant "everything", the denotation of which Lont determined to be "far too noble" for such a "vile, useless thing." Mana was on the whole unable to decipher the book as it was loaded with terms he was unfamiliar with, but he came away from the preface with the knowledge that magic- Jikkuu- is in everything, and that its mastery lies in the power to understand the composition of all things, both matter and nonmatter.\
\
With this in mind, Mana had gone about looking at things differently, as if attempting to decrypt the secret of Jikkuu's workings in the world, and he had trained himself to consistently produce the same results with the same effort when manipulating Jikkuu. As he was self-taught and had grown up facing a future of continued imprisonment within the Mana Palace, he had mainly taught himself various telekinetic tricks useful in his daily life- the turning of a knob, the sliding of a window, the straightening of fabric. This journey approaching, Mana had turned to attempting to master techniques more suited to the adventurous traveler, but with many disadvantageous factors, foremost amongst which was the fact that he couldn't be caught practicing the dreaded magic.\
\
In the end, Mana knew, his ability to use magic on the spot was quite limited. Even if his opponent wasn't able to access that Net or whatever it was that Julien had mentioned, Mana doubted that his own magic would be able to stop or otherwise subdue him in battle. With the help of the environment, more precisely the local turbulence and wind, Mana had been able to improvise an air-solidifying spell, but he feared that on solid ground he'd have no chance of pulling it off a second time. He had never bothered to learn any of the offensive spells he'd read of, those of cinder-rain and torrential deluge, and now he realized that it might have been useful to spend the required weeks studying the composition of fire.\
\
Sitting in the bow of the Vapor, Mana was very well aware of the limitations he faced in expanding the scope of his powers. Yet he also remembered something that Kieku had once said, years ago...\
\
"The boy's got real potential," Kieku remarked as he stood over the bed on which the five-year-old Mana lay. "Probably enough to surpass any mage of your line since Mana."\
\
"Heeding your advice, I named him Mana II," Guardian Lord Lanto said, peering into Mana's eyes from the stool on which he sat next to the bed. "It was so long ago now, but may I ask you why you suggested this back then?"\
\
"It's simple, really," Kieku said, standing straight. From Mana's perspective, he towered above everyone in the room, including the Guardians in the doorway. "From the tests I've done, it's clear that he's the one."\
\
"The one of prophecy?"\
\
"Yes."\
\
Mana had never thought to inquire as to what that prophecy was, but he stumbled across some cryptic writings in one lore-book that he'd picked up out of boredom one day. He remembered the words well, for they had puzzled him at the time.\
\
"The prophecy is thus; 'born under a purple sky, the son of Bane is reborn.'"\
\
Inspecting this message, he had spoken with his father, who had merely closed his eyes and told the young mageling to run along. He had next gone to Kieku, whom he trusted at the time and who had acted as his doctor and caretaker since before he could remember. Kieku had thought for a bit, as if pondering the meaning, and then had knelt down to Mana's height and had looked him in the eye.\
\
"Did you know you were born in Verga, boy? And under the full moon, no less. Do you know what the full moon is like in Verga?"\
\
Mana had shaken his head.\
\
"At the time of the full moon, the sky becomes purple. Chin up, boy. You're Mana Reborn."\
\
... at the time, Mana had not understood what Kieku was saying. Years later, however, he understood what this meant. He came to realize that he was Mana, son of Bane the Creator, reborn. What this itself meant was nothing at all. It didn't change the fact that he was scorned by the townsfolk, or that his father didn't show him any affection, or that his mother had died by the time he had aged three years. It didn't change the fact that he was still a prisoner within his own home. Now that he was out, what did it mean? Still nothing. It was simple factuality.\
\
Mana didn't think much of it.\
\
Kieku had never explained it to him, and he had never investigated past that one conversation. He didn't imagine that it could have any effect on his powers, and prophecy didn't mean anything for all he cared. Now, so disillusioned with Kieku, he entertained the possibility that the old man had been merely pulling his leg when he had shared the secret. He didn't even consider that it might have anything to do with the immense confidence that he had garnered.\
\
Discarding the confusing memories of his past, Mana sat up straight and reached up into the air above his head. The strong wind from which his body was shielded by the barrier around the bow battered his hands, and he reached into that battering and sought its source. Eyes closed, completely calm, he focused energy into his finger tips, reaching out into that
\f2\i everything
\f1\i0 that was Jikkuu, into that
\f2\i everything
\f1\i0 that was the power of magic the opposition of which he'd been so long exposed to, and a small torrent of wind shot straight up from where he sat.\
\
Passing between the sails and not disturbing the propellers, the gust reached into the sky as if it were just an extension of Mana's hands. And the clouds parted, and the moonlight streamed down.\
\
Mana sat back and looked up.\
\
It was going to be a long nine days, and he'd have plenty of time to spend ameliorating his powers.\
\
\f0\b \
\
\
\
\
Eleven
\f1\b0 \
\
Gem stuck his runeblade into his belt alongside the hilt that the Broken Angel had given him and stepped out of the refracted technicolored glare of the glass-littered Ebony Fields Hill Shrine, into the shade provided by its broad stone doorframe. The sun had established itself high in the eastern sky, and everywhere Gem looked he could see the world of morning.\
\
He took a step further, and then two more, until he was in full view of the Dead City. Standing in the one patch of light between the shrine's doorway and the ominous shadow cast by one of the four pinnacles, the young bounty hunter shaded his eyes and looked east. Beyond the ruins of Ebony Fields, that desolate stretch of fallen civilization, he saw nothing but the dense woodlands of central Verga. Beyond those, he knew, in some vague eastwardly direction, lay another set of ruins- those of the recently vibrant Verga City.\
\
There, his distant relatives awaited him. A group of men, all carrying the mark of Gem al'Kondo- that distinct green hair, all victims of the societal hatred that had come to be directed towards those bearing that stigma, had extended their arms to him. They had taken him in and he had lived amongst them for a little more than two days before his demon mentor, the Ly'ban Ji'Lopan, had plucked him away with false promises of quick return. After having tricked Gem into acquiring a valuable artifact, one of the twelve Crystals of Mana, Ji'Lopan had vanished without a trace.\
\
Gem scanned the horizon to the south, to the west, peered once more across the length of the empty shrine and through that glassless window. The entire area was completely deserted. The only sounds Gem could hear were those of the birds in the woods on the other side of the Dead City. From where he stood atop Ebony Fields Hill, he could see that he was isolated.\
\
\pard\pardeftab720\ri0\ql\qnatural
\cf0 The nearest town that he knew of lay along the road heading west, approximately two days' comfortable walking away. It would be much easier to get there than back to Verga City, as there were no towns or cities at all between the Dead City and where he needed to be in eleven days to stay in the company of his discovered family. But, Gem reasoned, what could he do if he went west? There was no one in Verga who would give a horse away to a descendant of the Disgraced Gem on goodwill, and the bounty hunter had no money on his person. His only chance was to run back to the ruins of the capital as fast as he could, clinging desperately onto the hope that his fellows would not depart east without him.\
\
There he stood, at the top of a small hill in the middle of the western half of Verga, nothing on him but the clothes he wore and a couple weapons, gazing down upon the ruins of Ebony Fields. A distance he estimated would take a fortnight when walked steadily lay between him and his goal, a distance that to him signified just how poor his judgment in agreeing to come to Ebony Fields Hill with Ji'Lopan was. Here, standing before the entrance to a deserted shrine the glittering serenity of which haunted him, Gem was detached from everything he had known for the last ten years.\
\
His superiors in the Underworld had moved north into Terra.\
\
His acquaintances in Verga City were escaped or dead.\
\
His one companion, his mentor, the one whom he at once despised and yet cared for the most, was gone, run off somewhere along the dreadful pathways of the Net.\
\
"Damn that Ji'Lopan bastard," Gem growled aloud as he stood in the patch of sunlight.\
\
And with that his mind was made up and he was down the hill, rushing straight for the lifeless ruins of the Dead City. Gem cut through the shadows in the flatlands and began leaping forward as he reached the outermost edge of derelict masonry. The Dead City was a grim enough sight to behold from outside its bounds, and Gem felt sick to his stomach as he picked his way across its broad expanse. \
\
Thanks in part to the positioning of the sun in the sky in accordance to the time of year and in part to the sheer size of each of the four rock pinnacles, the majority of the area occupied by the leveled buildings and shattered stonework was cast into shadow. Amidst these forsaken remnants of a grand city, Gem noticed that he was surrounded on all sides by a stormy sea of gray. The same gray that had taken Verga City hung low over what had once been Ebony Fields. It was the same bland gray that, in so many shades, had summed up the result of Verga City's destruction. It was the same gray reflected in Gem's eyes, the same gray that filled his heart with incomprehensible feelings of remorse.\
\
Not wanting his return to Verga City to end prematurely with a careless loss of footing and whatever damage that might incur upon his body, Gem made his way across the ruins very carefully. He slowed down considerably upon entering the thicker parts of the Dead City, and he moved cautiously over the demolished buildings, lest some sturdy-looking slab of stone give way beneath his feet. The whole time he traversed the ruins, his mind was filled with one thought save those required to calculate appropriate movements. He would never again be played the fool by Ji'Lopan.\
\
Never again.\
\
Never.\
\
The word "never" looped in Gem's mind as he crossed the halfway mark and came closer to the other side of the shadow under which he moved. He had broken away from the demon, seeking to make his own decisions, and, within days, he had been back in the Ly'ban's grasp, playing a grunt role of servitude. Making this mistake was what had led to his displacement. Yes, it had been because he had aided Ji'Lopan in acquiring the A'xia Crystal that he was now fourteen days away from his brethren, his brethren who were planning on moving out of the razed Verga City in approximately eleven. \
\
At length, Gem emerged from the shadow and dropped down to the plains below.\
\
Would they leave him behind? Would they wait? Of course they wouldn't wait. Gem had vanished without a trace and with no warning, disappearing into the night as the others knelt in solemn mourning. They would head on at the appointed time, and if Gem was not there, then they would simply depart without him. He would, once more, be alone. This time, though, he was not ten years old. This time, there were no Undertakers to drag him, kicking and screaming, away from his mother's corpse. This time, there was no heroic traitor demon to swoop in amidst golden fireworks and spirit him away from solitude.\
\
Picking up speed once more, Gem ran for the woods, leaving the gravestones of the Dead City, its four immense pinnacles, behind. He ran with the grace he had learned atop the precarious steeples and ledges of the tall buildings of Verga City. With solid ground beneath him, he was able to run with much more surety, taking giant strides and covering the distance between the ruins and the trees in a few minutes. He jumped across the small brook that ran south along the edge of the forest and plunged into the shadows.\
\
The forests of Verga were not tapped for resources nearly as often as the almost-depleted woods of southern Libra. The majority of Vergan buildings were constructed of and furnished with stone and lumber was not an important resource to the people of the country. As a result of this, the woodlands of Verga were the thickest in the world, known for not being traversable once one strayed from the set paths. Over the last seventy years, travel west from Verga City came to a gradual stop, and the paths through the central forests were no longer maintained. Thickets and roots littered the way, bushes and branches stretched from one side of the path to the other. Gem continued to run as he blazed a path for himself with his daggers, hacking plants away left and right. Seeing the insides of the forest first-hand, he was glad that he'd chosen against somehow acquiring a horse- a steed would be no good in this dense morass of flora. \
\
\pard\pardeftab720\ri0\ql\qnatural
\f2\i \cf0 The distance itself is not so great
\f1\i0 , Gem told himself.
\f2\i If it weren't for these trees, I'd be back in Verga in six days. If the brush disappeared, I'd make it with ease.
\f1\i0 \
\
Gem slowed to a stop and caught his breath as he thought. It was dark in the forest, what sunlight there was that could penetrate the canopy being filtered and weak. Here and there, the odd ray shone through, lighting the area just enough for Gem to see a couple yards in all directions. As he was following no path, he didn't even have a tunnel to follow through the woods. There was no darkness in the distance to orient himself towards, no trail of flagstones leading into a living cave. All he could see in all directions was a shadowy wall of plants and ferns. There was no entering the cave, he was in the cave. It was a dungeon, one with walls that could be slashed but would regenerate, one whose walls gradually closed in on its prisoners. \
\
Gem had no sign that the direction he was heading in was the correct one. All he had to guide him was his instinct. Down beneath ground, in this gloomy cavern, where everything was cast in shadow, there was no shadow. Without view of the sky, positioning himself according to the sun was impossible. For ten brief seconds, he allowed himself to panic as the realization that he had no way of securing his escape from the forest sunk in. For ten brief seconds, he contemplated dying alone in this place, so lush and full of life yet just as desolate and lifeless as the broken city he had just passed over. He had no way of extricating himself from this mess, he had no way of contacting anyone; all he had was his gut feeling that east was somewhere...
\f2\i there
\f1\i0 ..., and the silent promise he'd made to his cousins.\
\
Those ten seconds passed more slowly than hours spent poring over volumes of lore, and Gem spent every tick of them considering the possible outcomes of his rash run into the forest.\
\
When those ten seconds were up, Gem's head was full of thoughts- that he would never forgive Ji'Lopan, that he would definitely make it out of the forest and meet his cousins, that the Dead City could be rebuilt, that these woods were a veritable hell. He had never seen such darkness before. Even in the dead of night, as he had chased down criminals across the rooftops of Verga City, the occasional light flickered from behind a curtain. Even in the halls of his cousins' home, where he found himself truly below ground, there had been torches, fire- light and warmth. Even under the shadow of the dark pinnacles, he could see light surrounding the ruins.\
\
This darkness, this
\f2\i natural
\f1\i0 darkness, this unending darkness, it was a far greater darkness than any he'd been subjected to. A new thought came to mind.
\f2\i Infinite... darkness...
\f1\i0 and that was it, he realized. This was the darkness of a demon. This was the darkness that Ji'Lopan, a son of Maha himself, had subjected him to.\
\
Gem knew he'd seen worse. He'd fought those Shades amongst the blazing city of Verga. He'd been imprisoned in Ky'Ebi, prison of the Eldran Undertakers. And he'd dealt with worse than that, even. A force he had not been able to comprehend at the time, a being whose name even Ji'Lopan had seemed afraid to let slip from the darkness of his hood ten years ago.\
\
Gem almost laughed as the big picture came into view. This was no time to panic.\
\
A little bit of dark forest was no challenge compared to the dangers he'd faced ten years ago as he fled Eldra with the awe-inspiring Ji'Lopan. He was no longer in any desperate rush to speed back to Verga City. Gem closed his eyes, dimming his view only slightly, and thought back on a day that, despite the years in between, he recalled crisply. He smiled briefly as the scenes of the day flashed through his mind and then he opened his eyes.\
\
Gem had thought all he needed. He dropped his ordinary weapons and drew forth his runeblade. Its length shone a bright blue, illuminating the immediate area. As he stepped forward, swinging the dagger, the actual runes carved into the surface were invisible, completely enveloped in the light that surrounded the blade.
\f2\i Ash
\f1\i0 . That tunnel, the one he'd been wishing for, appeared. Tree after tree fell, deafening noises resounding from where they hit each other and broke. An unnatural fire of immense temperature engulfed them and then disappeared, leaving nothing but darkness stretching onward. Gem tightened his grip on the runeblade. Its glow diminished slightly, but it continued to shine. His cell might regenerate, but so long as he cut his way out, he'd reach the shadow's end before all would become lost. The bounty hunter, the Roof-runner of Verga, the great-grandson of Gem al'Kondo, dashed on into the tunnel that had appeared, heading due east. Legend Reborn had defeated the forest.\
\
...\
\
"Where are we?" the kid asked as he looked around the large room.\
\
"As you can see, it's a hospital ward," the Ly'ban replied. Though it had been two weeks, the demon's rasp still made the hairs on the back of the kid's neck stand up- it was too unnatural.\
\
"Why are we here?" Rows of unmade beds lines the walls. The floor was littered with bits of rock and glass. The large white curtains on the window facing the kid were billowing, a cold wind flowing through the empty frame. As he examined the room, the kid gasped, noticing that there was more than one thing off with the room. \
\
"You collapsed, kid. What, are you unhappy that I brought you here? You seemed pretty sick, and-"\
\
The first problem was that there was no one around. The impossibly large demon stood over his bed, looking down on him with those baleful red eyes, not moving. Demon aside, there wasn't a single being in the room.\
\
The second problem was that all the beds were stained with fresh blood.\
\
"What... happened?" the kid covered his mouth as he spoke, his eyes widening as disgust spread throughout his consciousness.\
\
"I had you treated, and then eliminated the others. It is standard practice, not leaving witnesses to the Ly'ban. Do not become so concerned, it's just-" Gem cried out in shock. "Hey, don't raise your voice so much. You would not want more people to come in here, would you? I would have to kill them, too."\
\
"Why all this?" the kid managed to voice.\
\
"Oh, don't look so shocked. You have seen death before, it's not such a shocking thing. It was the same with the Undertakers-"\
\
"It's not the same!!" the kid yelled. "It's not the same!! These people weren't murderers!"\
\
The room was literally blown out, the kid realized. He put the pieces of the puzzle together, noticed the pockmarks in the walls and the charred furniture. He had seen the demon's power a couple weeks before when he was freed from the dungeon of Ky'Ebi. He had seen the Ly'ban draw forth a blade that shone a blinding white, a blade that appeared to be something like that brandished by Mana in his battle in the sky against Maha three thousand years ago. He had felt sick when he saw that blade sheathed, when he pictured Maha's wings blotting out the sun. He had felt tiny and helpless when the demon reduced Ky'Ebi and all of its inhabitants to nothing. \
\
So why, when he'd been in the demon's company for so much time, and when he'd seen the thing's fearsome magic, did he feel so particularly sickened now? There was far less pure destruction than there had been in the plains of Eldra when novas and starbursts of light shot from one corner of the sky to the next and the plains erupted into flame. Yet here, the humanity of those who had been killed, the scent of the flowing blood, the sound of drops hitting the ground... it was all too tangible.\
\
The kid cried out again, unable to contain himself.\
\
"Damn kid," the Ly'ban cursed as the sliding door to the ward was slammed open and dozens of soldiers bearing halberds rushed in. Upon seeing the towering demon, the men who had dashed in were confused and two of them actually stepped back, fear apparent on their features. The Ly'ban turned from the kid's bed and stepped in the direction of the door.\
\
"No..." the kid whined weakly, but the demon paid no heed. Three soldiers, cowering in the corner of the room, burst into black flame. A purple spike emerged from the Ly'ban's shoulder and shot at a cluster of men, skewering six as it bent back and forth, seeking out its prey. The demon glowed purple as its magic wreaked havoc in the enemy ranks. Bursts of purple light and explosions of shadow surrounded it as it drew its sword, that sword of light that could cut through anything. It took another step forward before running at the few remaining men, cutting them down in seconds.\
\
"Hopefully those will have been the only men stationed in this building," the demon rasped as he slashed at the last soldier standing. With one hand gesture, the ward's door began to shut on its own accord. The kid watched, fear and confusion battling to take control of his thoughts, as the door stopped in its path and slid back open, the handle clanging against the doorway before the last body had fallen completely to the floor. Simply keeping up with the Ly'ban's movements during the last few moments had been hard enough for the kid, and now he scrambled to comprehend what the white lances being fired in from outside were. Upon contact with the opposite wall, they shattered, creating small explosions of white.\
\
The Ly'ban staggered back from the doorway, one such lance stuck through its middle. The kid could see a smattering of dark blood on the tip of the lance. The demon fell to one knee, its bright Chaosblade dropping from its hand and skipping across the floor to rest at the foot of the kid's bed. The lance through the demon's middle vanished, drenching the floor around it in blood. Through the doorway strode a man, one whose face looked ancient but whose height and posture told of man in his prime. This man, clad in commoner's clothes but looking every inch the lord, looked down upon the demon, this impossibly powerful being who had laid waste to the Eldran capital in instants, and spat.\
\
"Ji'Lopan!" the kid cried. "Are you alright?" Worry that even surprised its owner surpassed fear and the kid jumped out of bed.\
\
"I am fine, Legend," rasped the Ly'ban. Heavily, it rose, blood pouring forth from the wound in its midsection. "But this bastard won't be for long."\
\
"Do you know why I'm here?" asked the man. Though shorter than the demon, he wasn't dwarfed as the soldiers had been. "Do you know why I'm here, Ji'Lopan?" He was, in fact, much taller than any man the kid had before seen. He bore a slight smile and his green eyes twinkled as he spoke. He bore no weapons, and his clothes were of the same type as those worn by the servants at Ky'Ebi- plain gray-brown tunic and trousers, a dark red woolen scarf to combat the cold. \
\
The kid's brain became scrambled, almost shut down. There was simply too much to process. First the massacre of one minute ago, then this invincible-seeming demon was forced to its knee, and now the man who'd so wounded the demon was speaking to it using its name.\
\
"Yeah, I know why you're here, Kieku," the demon replied. "And neither Fate nor I will hand Legend over to you."\
\
"Who are you?" the kid asked meekly, addressing the man.\
\
"I am Kieku, Right to Guardian Lord Lanto. I have come to rescue you from the clutches of this demon. Now, come over here, and keep your head down."\
\
"No one is going anywhere!" the Ly'ban yelled. "Don't go with him, Legend. He is a dabbler, one who managed to so thoroughly study Jikkuu that he has escaped The Purge his whole life. He has the Guardians all-"\
\
"A... dabbler?" the kid asked. That word,
\f2\i Jikkuu
\f1\i0 , struck fear in his heart.\
\
"Stay out of this, Legend," the demon commanded, not eager to continue what the kid had interrupted. "You will get hurt if you try to interfere."\
\
"Aren't dabblers evil?"\
\
Kieku sighed heavily before extending his arms.\
\
"Legend, don't worry about such things. Evil is in the eye of the beholder. For us humans, your subjects, the demon who stands between us is evil. You are the son of Bane, you are one of the three destined to lead mankind. You should know that those who are spawned from your enemy- Maha- are evil. Come with me, Legend. If you come with me, you can meet your little brother. If you come with me, you can be freed of this monster's control. I'll give you a place in the Mana Palace and return power to the sons of Bane."\
\
"Little brother?"\
\
"Don't listen to him, Legend! He's full of lies, just as he was when he poisoned the Guardian Lord!"\
\
\f2\i I don't understand him, anyway,
\f1\i0 the kid thought.
\f2\i You're both saying things I don't understand. Poisoned the Guardian Lord?\
\
\pard\pardeftab720\ri0\ql\qnatural
\f1\i0 \cf0 Kieku's expression, a calm smile, changed as he turned from the kid to face the demon. His features hardened, darkened, his eyes lost their shine, and he spoke solemnly.\
\
"Actually, I am speaking truth."\
\
To the kid's eyes, Kieku continued speaking after those words, but whatever he said was lost in the crashing sound of masonry collapsing. The fight was a blur. He prayed to the Entities, hoping against hope that he would not be struck down by an odd blast of the Ly'ban's tainted magic or crushed beneath the weight of one of the large stones that fell from above. Despite his fear, he kept his eyes open, trying to no avail to follow the actions of the two. To him, everything was soft smears of black, purple, and white overlaid upon a rapidly-changing scene of destruction.\
\
There were lulls in the fighting when both parties stood facing each other, gasping for breath. For minutes they would eye each other, move a little to one side or the other, prepare to engage in battle once more. Then, without a word, they would both disappear, into a separate world, one into which the kid could not imagine stepping foot. Once more, flames would erupt from midair, shadows would crawl away from the floor and rise up to strike, beams of white fire would haphazardly glance around the room. The kid watched it all in silent terror, confused on all counts but one- he knew that he was utterly helpless.\
\
"This is not going anywhere," panted the Ly'ban as it faced Kieku. They had ceased in their attacks once more and stood in the center of the battered room, equidistant from their sole spectator.\
\
"Oh, it's going all over the place," Kieku laughed calmly. "Do you wish to give Legend to me before the End truly reaches you?"\
\
"You say 'all over the place', but not even a dabbler as accomplished as you could hope to perform that ritual. I've been weakened by this battle, but so have you. You haven't tapped an endless source of magic, Kieku. You know very well the effects of excessive use of Jikkuu, having 'served' the Mana line for however many dozens of years it has been."\
\
"Don't we all know its effects, demon? After all, were it not for them, the sons of Bane would all still be alive today. Fear not, I've not come to exercise my magic without knowing what the results would be. You, on the other hand, seem to have been taught a rather odd concept by your master- my source of power is not unlimited? I would contest this, Ji'Lopan. You are clearly well aware of the
\f2\i what
\f1\i0 , but you're dreadfully lacking in answers to the
\f2\i why
\f1\i0 ." The man assumed a smile once more as the air wavered around his head, ripples and black fractures shooting across it and disappearing.\
\
"It's useless, Kieku. Go now, or-"\
\
"Why did Bane create the Entities? Why was Mana's power sealed?
\f2\i Jikkuu
\f1\i0 , Ji'Lopan. It
\f2\i is
\f1\i0 infinite." There, before the kid's eyes, the world exploded. There was no noise save for the sound of sand running through an hour glass as the scene in the hospital ward unraveled. The kid found himself standing in the middle of nothing- on what, he did not know, for there was no floor beneath his feet. The wall against his back was no longer there, the bloody beds were gone, the walls and the very sky beyond them- all vanished. The space he found himself in, if it could be called that, was dark to the point of not being able to see anything, yet he could see his own body and those of the demon and mage clearly. He was too paralyzed with fear at this point to experiment in movement, and too dumbstruck to voice even the most guttural acknowledgement of how frightened he was.\
\
The darkness quivered as a gelatinous object. Those fracture lines, cracks in the world, became visible once more, though black on black should be invisible. Realizing this, the kid understood that the darkness was not black at all, but
\f2\i nothing
\f1\i0 , a
\f2\i nothing
\f1\i0 that his eyes could not discern from black. He tried to focus, squinting and peering into that endless
\f2\i nothing
\f1\i0 , but was rewarded with nothing but chaotic eddies of color. His head hurt and his eyes throbbed.\
\
"Reality is this weak?" Ji'Lopan mused, stretching his arms and shifting his weight. "Interesting enough, Kieku! I'll accept this challenge."\
\
"As you can tell, demon, the important differences are neither those between light and darkness nor those between good and evil- but those between Jikkuu,
\f2\i everything
\f1\i0 , and nothing." A crackle crept away from Kieku's right hand, echoing out across the non-space in which the three stood. Then another, and another, and the darkness around Kieku's right hand turned white, rays haloing out from it and a blinding aura surrounding his entire being. "Allow me to demonstrate for you just how infinite that word
\f2\i everything
\f1\i0 is, Ji'Lopan."\
\
The kid who called himself Gem stood back to a nonexistent wall, feet nailed to a nonexistent floor, eyes locked on the nonexistent distance that rapidly diminished as Kieku approached the Ly'ban. Everything he saw was defying the reality he knew. He was locked in a place where the world that Bane had created was unwound. He was gazing upon a man whose reach encompassed the powers of the Void, the emptiness that had been before the world.\
\
...\
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Yes, that was it, Gem confirmed to himself. He ran without stopping, his hope intact, knowing full well that he had faced Chaos before. This forest, this mess of tangled plants and thick trunks, was very real. It was solid, tangible. Destructible. With his runeblade, Gem could clear a path. This darkness could be cut, it could be charred, it could be moved through. It was not the nothingness of the Void. It could be defeated. It had been defeated.\
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Twelve\
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\f1\b0 \cf0 Gem carried on through the forest, stopping for rest only when he could no longer take another step. He managed to scrounge up enough sustenance from the surrounding wildlife, but only just enough to keep going. He concentrated on one thing- reaching Verga City before his cousins leave.\
\
When he broke out of the woods and saw the still-smoking ruins ahead of him, he was glad. He didn't know what day it was, for his sense of time had suffered horribly within the darkness of the forest, but his gut told him that he had made it in time. Relief washed away his fatigue and he closed the remaining distance between himself and the city's west-facing walls. He slid across the enormous threshold and made for the gray inn behind which the entrance to the hideout lay, belting his runeblade as he entered town.\
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The young bounty hunter was halfway to his destination when a rank smell came to his nostrils.\
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\f2\i \cf0 Wait- it's been at least a week and a half,
\f1\i0 Gem realized.
\f2\i The city wouldn't still be smoldering. Something's wrong.
\f1\i0 Indeed, the ruins themselves were motionless. Ash gray, they no longer burned, and smoke no longer rose from them. He wondered what the source of the smoke he'd seen from afar was, and followed his nose. Stumbling across the cobblestones of the small streets, he moved closer to the center of town, to the marketplace that had been overturned in the chaos that surrounded the night of the full moon. He emerged from the side streets and set foot on the large flagstones of the main north-south road that ran through the capital. The central square came into view, its ruined fountain dark and foreboding.\
\
Gem became aware of sounds, sounds that had not been present when he left. The ruins he had bid good-bye to upon entering the Net with Ji'Lopan had been motionless and silent. The quiet of death had been hanging over them and they had felt abandoned- more than that, helplessly ancient. The destruction that the demons of the Inferno had caused had appeared to age incredibly over the two days Gem had lingered underground, almost banishing the idea that just days earlier it had been the most vibrant city in the world. The gray sky had felt heavy on Gem's shoulders when he had stepped outside to speak with Miles.\
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Now, the silence was gone- there was the slow, rhythmic sound of feet- feet other than Gem's- descending on stone. Hushed voices murmured. The occasional bird crossed the gray sky. Gem, following the smell and finding the voices in the same direction, moved toward the center of the square. Trashed stalls and booths lay in a ring around the open area into which the bounty hunter now stepped. He turned his head as he approached the fountain and saw men- soldiers by their uniform- standing at the entrance to the old town hall, halberds resting loosely against the crooks of their arms. Their helmet visors were up and their eyes closed. From the way their chins almost touched their chests, they had fallen asleep on duty.\
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Gem examined the crests emblazoned on their tunics. He recognized them immediately, having grown up in a town constantly overrun with people bearing the symbol. These soldiers bore the crest of the Eldran militia. While Eldra had no official standing army, its militia had organized itself and given itself identification- a symbol. The crest was a shield divided into four quarters; the first quarter was a dark green, the two adjacent to it yellow, and the final a light blue. It supposedly represented the things that the citizens of Eldra would fight to defend- the peaceful agricultural society that was undyingly loyal to the Libran government. Growing up in the small town of als'Loen, Gem had always wondered where the "peace" was in what the militia did. They were no better than the Undertakers and in fact worked together so often that the only notable differences between the organizations were the colors they wore. The militia had representatives in Ky'Ebi and the Undertakers had been centered around Ky'Ebi, their prison facilities being located there.\
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Growing up, Gem had despised the militia almost as much as he despised the Undertakers.\
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For ten years now, with Ky'Ebi vanished from the face of the Eldran plains at the hands of Ji'Lopan, Gem had been wondering what had happened to the citizen-soldiers of the country. It seemed ironic to see them here, in the ruined capital of another country, looking for all the world like the invading force that had sacked the city.\
\
The door to the town hall was open, and Gem could see that there were lights lit inside. Smoke rose from one of the building's four large brick chimneys. The smell he'd been following issued from inside, as did the voices. He slipped past the snoozing guards and entered the building- one that had, miraculously, withstood the demon rampage. It was bright out, the sun located near the apex of its path, and it took a moment for Gem's eyes to become accustomed to the dark in the building. The torch light streaming out from deeper in the building was weak and looking back, the square seemed blinding. Gem shook his head and turned back towards the building's light source. Adjusting himself, he set off slowly, on guard, looking for other people, and wondering all the while what it was that he was smelling.\
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The town hall was a large building and the entryway in which Gem stood was sparsely decorated, two plain stone benches lining each of the walls. The door into the next room, a large open assembly hall, was wide open, and Gem walked in. Here were long tables with benches to seat an easy hundred men, and along the walls were torch fixtures. The furniture was arranged in a long rectangle, and beyond it, another door, this one closed, leading into another hall. Gem skirted around the tables and benches, seeing that there was no one in the room, and was about to proceed through the door when he identified the scent he'd been following.\
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It was that of burning flesh.\
\
He stopped in his tracks, petrified. The young bounty hunter stood with his left hand on the door knob and his eyes narrowed. He knew he was approaching the source from the sudden overpowering odor that had replaced the previous burnt smell.
\f2\i Why would corpses be burned?
\f1\i0 he asked himself, biting his lip and trying to prevent the strong smell from causing tears. As he was thinking that, the door opened, and a man in full plate armor strode out, fastening the buckles on his gauntlets. He was facing down and didn't make eye contact with Gem as he ran into him, and as he moved on he growled, "you're in the way, soldier!" at the shocked bounty hunter.\
\
The man wore no helm and his hair, a light blue, was the detail of the most note to Gem, who didn't budge as he studied the retreating figure.\
\
"Who are you?" Gem asked, too scared to look through the door and quite happy to content his curiosity through conversation.\
\
"What do you mean, 'who are you'?" The armored man stopped halfway down the hall and turned back. Bright red eyes looked into Gem's gray and shock wrote itself across the man's angular features. He had high cheek bones and thin eye brows, a sharp nose, and a triangular chin. His skin was pale and smooth, and boyish- he had no hair on his face, and he bore the appearance of one who had never once shaved. His hair, so light that it almost seemed white-gray, seemed incompatible with this image of youth. As his mouth opened in shock, Gem noticed that his canines were particularly pointy. "Who are
\f2\i you?
\f1\i0 " the man asked in response. "And how did you escape my men?"\
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"Escape?" Gem asked innocently, his brow furrowing as he tried to place the man's appearance.\
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"My men were supposed to be on the look-out," the man said to himself angrily, slamming his armored fist down on the table. "How could they let this cur get away? Well, it's alright, I'll deal with him myself." So saying, his hand went to his side and drew the short sword from the scabbard at his belt. He turned his body fully and faced Gem. "We dealt with the rest of your kind, descendant of Gem al'Kondo! We can't let anyone get away with doing something this heinous! In fact, in light of this, we can't let anyone associated with the Marauders live. I shall slay you myself, villain!"\
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"Villain? The descendants of Gem are not villains!" Gem cried as the other man, much bigger and better armed, charged him. "Nor do we have ties to the Marauders! Hear me out!" And then he had to stop speaking, as dodging the man's attacks took all of his attention. His opponent was clearly a trained soldier, and not some country bumpkin in regiment uniform- his strikes were well-calculated and his movement fluid, and his style was akin to that passed on by the high-level hired swords of the Underworld. Gem understood in a few seconds that this blue-haired man was an expert fighter, and that his intent was truly to kill. Fatigued from his journey and doubting his own powers, Gem also understood that the right course of action was to run as fast as he could. Unfortunately for him, the man's cries had woken the guards outside, and they now stood within the assembly hall, their halberds ready to cut him down should he try to escape.\
\
Gem slid under one long table and emerged in the middle of the furniture's rectangular configuration. The blue-haired man stepped up onto a bench and then leapt clean over the table, losing no time in swinging once more. Gem was astounded at the speed with which his opponent could move in so heavy a seeming suit of armor, and he jumped back, away from his would-be killer.\
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There was too much to ask and too little time to ask it, Gem realized, as he tried to formulate a question to toss in the path of his aggressor. Before he knew it, he was in a corner, with no time to talk and no place to run, and all he could think of doing was to draw his black rune-dagger and attempt to parry. He braced himself, ready to absorb the next blow. No impact was felt in Gem's arms; no blow was blocked. The armored man stood two feet away, sword raised, face a mixture of concentration and bewilderment.\
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"A runeblade..." The man stepped back and lowered his weapon. "They're supposed to have been lost. How did you obtain one?"\
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"My questions first," Gem demanded, seeing that he held the upper hand. He was not surprised that this man recognized a runeblade when he saw it. His unearthly features and the things he had said were plenty to rattle Gem's psyche, and the fact that he knew a runeblade by sight was no big shock. "First, who are you, and what are you doing here?"\
\
"I am Oberon, head general of the Libran Alliance's armies," the man replied slowly. "I am here with a troop of Eldran men, acting on reports of Marauder activity in this city. We were informed that those of the clan of Gem al'Kondo who had gathered here over the years destroyed the city during the night of the full moon not ten days ago."\
\
"There were no Marauders here,
\f2\i general
\f1\i0 ," Gem hissed. "The ties between the Underworld and the Marauders are but a cease-fire and an agreement not to meddle- no Marauder could set foot in this city prior to its destruction. Furthermore, the descendants of the Disgraced Gem are not the ones who destroyed this place. It was the work of the demons of the Inferno."\
\
"How do you know that?" The man looked as though he wished to challenge Gem's words more simply, but the mystery of the runeblade held him back.\
\
"It's my green hair, is it not, general? You linked me with the others who lived here, who managed to survive the destruction of the city and who clung to their home. Are we to be your scapegoats? Are those my cousins smoking in the next room? ARE THEY?"\
\
"We were informed that it was the Marauders," Oberon nodded, and then gulped as he continued, "with full cooperation from the descendants of Gem al'Kondo, who wreaked havoc here. Our source was fairly reliable, being the Right of the Guardian Lord himself."\
\
"The city was overrun in shadow and flame, general. My cousins and I were the only ones fighting the Infernals that skittered around freely. With this," Gem brandished his runeblade, "I smote down the Shades that sought to vacuum Verga up into the deep pits of hell. You come in here and kill off the men who stood by the capital in its time of need? Even the governor abandoned this city. The Underworld dispersed. The men you have killed for destroying Verga were the ones most loyal to Verga. Wait- who did you say was your informant?"\
\
"Guardian Lord Lanto's Right," the general responded. "Lord Kieku."\
\
Gem cursed. That man again? Could it be that he was behind all of this? Gem's brow furrowed as he thought back to the day he'd first encountered Kieku. Since that day, he had not seen the man, but he had heard much of him. "Lord Kieku" was a popular figure outside of Central Libra, looked up to by many and respected by most. Kieku's charisma and character controlled a huge portion of the Vergan population, Gem knew, so it didn't surprise him that the commander of the Libran Alliance armies acted on the man's words.\
\
"So you're saying that your kind- the descendants of Gem al'Kondo- had nothing to do with this tragedy?" Oberon asked, cutting into Gem's thoughts. Gem didn't respond immediately. They had everything to do with the tragedy, after all. At least, he did, and he was as much descended of the Disgraced Gem as the others. His grip on the runeblade tightened and he let his arm fall to his side, pointing the dagger away from Oberon.\
\
"I cannot say that none of the descendants of Gem al'Kondo are at fault for the razing of Verga City," Gem replied at last, his conscience getting the better of him. "But only one of them is, and he still lives. I am the Roof-runner of Verga City, the one who took his ancestor's name. This headband," Gem tapped his forehead, "is the headband of Gem al'Kondo. I am Gem. Perhaps your admirable Kieku did not inform you of this, but one amongst the group he suggested you exterminate is Legend Reborn."\
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"So that explains the runeblade in your hand," Oberon muttered, not seeming all too surprised. "But the innocence of your kinsmen?"\
\
"The presence of Legend draws trouble. Someone told me that wherever I am, history-changing incidents have a greater chance of occurring. The demons that attacked this city sought me, not my cousins. None of this had anything to do with them!"\
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"How can I trust the source of your information?"\
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"You slaughter two dozen men without questioning your information and you need solid proof to recognize your mistake? Sickening, all of this-" the overpowering stench had taken its toll on Gem, and he felt sick to the stomach- "but very well. He's someone your Kieku should know well enough. His name is Ji'Lopan. Listen, general. I will assume responsibility for what you have done here, as everything that has happened to Verga City is related to me. Now, I have just spent seven days traversing the forests, and need to sleep. Once I am rested, I will take one of the horses- you did not slaughter them, too, did you?- and ride north. And you will give my cousins a proper burial, along with everything of value they possessed."\
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"Their home is an ashen tunnel," Oberon said. "We smoked them out of hiding."\
\
That book, the one piece of evidence that might rid the Gem clan of its curse, was gone. Burnt just as its owners, it everything in the underground hideout was gone. It didn't have the chance to return that Gem's cousins did, but Gem felt it just as well- the idea of Pyrim's shade making its way out of the Inferno was a dreadful one. Gem shook his head and then walked out of the corner. He stepped past the halberdiers, who were gaping in disbelief, and exited the dark hall. \
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Oberon made no more attempt to take the bounty hunter's life. He stood in silence for a few minutes, waited for Gem to be out of earshot. Then he spoke.\
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"You heard him, boys, go stop the fires and prepare the proper funerary rites. The men we killed today were heroes. They won't move on to the Inferno without an appropriate celebration."\
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The two soldiers dropped their halberds against the door frame and rushed through the hall's back door, into the room in which the descendants of the Disgraced Gem roasted. The general sheathed his sword and eased himself onto the nearest bench. Laying his head on the table, he closed his eyes and prayed. He prayed not to the Entities, those small gods that the men of Libra worshipped, but to the Dragons, the great gods of old who had been locked away when the Crystals of Mana were created. The Dragons were no longer the centers of human worship. Their shrines were lost in overgrowth and their names forgotten, those who uttered them considered heretics. Oberon knew the story, that they had been dismissed due to their inability to deal with the excessive power of Mana, son of Bane. Everyone knew the story. \
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Oberon had taken to worshipping the Entities with the rest of Libra, but this encounter with the man claiming to be- no, the man who clearly
\f2\i was
\f1\i0 Legend Reborn, had resonated within his memory and evoked a bitter nostalgia. He didn't understand why he felt obliged to demand forgiveness of the Dragons, but he also didn't understand how or why Legend had been reborn. There had been rumors, and there was that ancient prophecy, but Oberon had never truly taken stock in either and the realization of something he'd discarded unsettled him. He'd thought he would never see another runeblade, and yet there it had been, waved before his face.\
\
The general opened his eyes and sat up straight, resting his armored elbows on the table before him. All his previous emotions had been replaced with one sole feeling: regret. He sat motionless as his men carried out the funeral for the green-haired men and he didn't budge before nightfall. The torches were long burned out and he sat in the darkness, gazing down in the direction of the wood beneath his arms. The feeling of regret lingered, and weighed all the more heavily for Gem's words regarding responsibility. Oberon understood that when Legend Reborn had told him that he'd assume responsibility, that responsibility had been taken away. Acknowledging the fact that he had allowed Legend Reborn to absolve him of guilt only magnified the general's remorse.\
\
Oberon sat in this manner through the night, and when dawn broke, he stood and stepped back from the table. He strode from the assembly hall into the light gray of the early morning, his head bowed, his back hunched, and his hands at his waist, gauntleted thumbs tucked behind his sword belt. He gazed down at the flagstones beneath his feet for a few minutes, and then called out, causing his voice to ring throughout the square and wake his men. They came spilling out of the various surrounding buildings and formed into a haphazard circle around their leader. In the faint light, the Eldran crest emblazoned on their tunics appeared dull and colorless. Bedraggled and unarmed, the militiamen looked the peasants they were, homely and plain next to the general in his bright armor. For all their disorganization, however, they stood silently, awaiting Oberon's words with utmost attention.\
\
"I wish to speak with Lord Kieku," he began slowly, "but I have an inkling that returning to the Mana Palace will not be the most direct route to him. Are you ready to ride north, boys?"\
\
The assembled men had heard, from the two among them who had witnessed the fight between Oberon and Gem, of everything that had been said the day before. A couple exchanged uneasy glances, and one muttered, "North? Isn't Legend going that way?", but none voiced any complaints.\
\
"Get your stuff together, then. We'll leave as soon as everything's ready."\
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Oberon stretched his arms out as the militiamen scurried back to where they came, gathering up supplies and bags and saddling horses. The sun had begun to rise in earnest, its rays falling on the general and causing his polished plate armor to sparkle. Oberon looked at the sky, and saw, to his satisfaction, that blue once more stretched from city wall to city wall.\
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Thirteen
\f1\b0 \
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Terra is the largest of the five inhabited countries of Libra, as far as land area is concerned, but it has the smallest population. It is positioned in the northwest, and shares borders with Verga, Central Libra, and the lands of Gaia- unprotected borders. Near where the plains of Central Libra begin to become treacherous, there is a dreary little town by the name of Murkwater. It is the only town between the Vergan forests and the Gaian hills, and is rarely visited. Travelers headed for Terra are headed for its capital, Mist, and due to the placement of the huge Vise Lake, directly between the two cities, avoid Murkwater altogether\
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Mist, the second of a grand total of two cities in Terra, appears to be even smaller than Murkwater to a passing observer. Shrouded in the same perpetual fog that covers the whole of northern Terra, the first layer of Mist is comprised of a few clusters of thatched-roof huts. This is where the common folk of Terra live, the four or five dozen peasants who know a life harder than that faced by the beggars of southern Eldra. Fruitlessly, they till the surrounding marshlands, praying to the Entities that their hard work not go unrewarded. Generation after generation, these valiant farmers drive their families further into debt with the Terran landowners, accomplishing nothing beyond mean survival. \
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The majority of the landowners never see the gigantic plots that the peasants struggle to cultivate. The majority of landowners never even see the sun. They live in grand subterranean palaces, inhabitants of the core of Terra- the second layer of Mist. The home of the Underworld and the heart of crime, UnderMist stretches out in a forty mile radius from Mist. A huge city built entirely below ground, lit by lanterns, and warmed by the heat of the crust, it is as impressive an architectural feat as its opposite, the airship port of Antyliken. Thriving off of a busy mining industry that has dug as deep into the earth as Antyliken has into the sky, UnderMist is a city richer than any other.\
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The government of Terra is unlike that of the other four countries of the Libran Alliance. In comparison to the rigid monarchies of Eldra and Verga, it is a lawless place, devoid of order. It counts itself as a member of the Alliance as a mere pleasantry, and for the most part ignores the presence of the high king, the Guardian Lord. To call Terra an anarchy, though, would be incorrect. Unlike in Adamantine, the country of farmers south of Central Libra, there are laws, and order is kept. The main difference between the government of Terra and those of the rest of the Alliance is who does the keeping.\
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The Underworld did not appear overnight. It lacked no precedent. Organized crime has pervaded Terran society for as long as any inhabitant of UnderMist can recall. A smattering of "clean" nobles who uphold the law of the Alliance in Terra exists, but those that are not puppets to crime lords enjoy playing a major role in the hierarchy of the Underworld. Crime is not a violent, mindless thing in Terra- it is calculated and serves a purpose. It gradually came to be a given that if there is no meaningful tie to an honest government, the dishonest powers must work side by side to hold the country together. The Underworld is more than a thieves' guild- by extending itself to include offices for legitimate work such as bounty hunting and sword selling, it became able to exist on the surface, and by existing, it was able to increase its influence. There is no question of who is in power in Terra, or who governs its capital. It is the Underworld, the largest, most prosperous criminal organization, that rules the country.\
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Under the rule of the Underworld, the people of Terra have managed to hold onto their secrets. The technology of the steam trains that run the length of Undermist, the advanced tools used in the mines and factories of the lowest levels of the city, the steel-forging that no other country has yet figured out- these and more lie within Terra, and, so long as the Underworld continues to fulfill its role, there they will stay. The Underworld's eyes watch any traveler who enters the confines of Undermist's subterranean expanses and the Underworld's swords bar any path necessary to keep Terra's puzzles from being solved. Everywhere, the libraries of UnderMist are famous for being impossible to get into. The collections of lore-books housed therein are supposedly complete, the dream of every scholar and the pride of the educated people of Terra. The guards of the book vaults allow no outsiders in without expressed permission from one of the Architects of the Underworld, and so it is that when he showed up at the main entrance to one of the immense metal-walled library buildings, Gem was turned away immediately.\
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He had arrived in Mist inconspicuously, traveling wrapped in a heavy brown cloak. Being unused to the fog, the air temperature of Terra had chilled him, and as he had descended into UnderMist, following a long winding passage down from the center of Mist, he had shed the cloak, no longer needing its warmth. The sturdy brown stallion he'd ridden near to death from Verga City rested in a small stable above ground, recuperating from the grueling trip the bounty hunter had forced it to undertake. The horse, like its rider, was unused to the cold northern climate, and huddled against the ground in its stall, dreaming of the warm hay of its old home. In a sack that lay on the ground by it were the headband of Gem al'Kondo, a black rune-dagger, the hilt of Legend's runeblade, and half of a nondescript rag.\
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Gem blended into the street crowds of UnderMist perfectly, the torn cloth around his head fitting a fashion favored by the runners and thieves of the Underworld. Without the headband of the Disgraced Gem and with his green hair hidden, he appeared no different from any other member of the lowly castes. He was armed, as were most passersby, men and women alike. He felt at home, as though he were back in the Vergan Underworld's headquarters, but the feeling did not put him at ease. He would have liked to sit down somewhere, and think out what he would do next, but he had to keep moving, to stay with the crowds. When the city shut down for the night, he would be able to find an inn, but until then, he had to remain alert.\
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The words of Miles had not grown old in Gem's memory.\
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\f2\i \cf0 "If I ever see you again, it will be in Terra, and we will most likely be enemies."\
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\f1\i0 \cf0 Gem reminded himself once more that that nostalgic feeling of being in the Underworld needed to mean fear to him. He had come to Terra, Entities knew why, and now that he was there he had to watch his back at all costs. He was no longer a member of the Underworld, he was no longer their ace. He was on their blacklist and he would be killed if anyone in the organization learned of his presence. Gem had quickly picked up on the way in which UnderMist ticked, and he understood full well that that meant that he would be killed if anyone at all learned of his presence. He shook his head to himself as he walked through town. It was foolhardy of him to come to this place.\
\
Gem knew that, and yet...\
\
He needed to know. He needed access to the bottomless book-vaults and endless collections of lore-books. He had questions that couldn't go unanswered. Gem understood that he needed to be the person he was meant to be. He could choose to ignore his strengths, but the downsides of being Legend Reborn were still present. Unless he could embrace who he was and learn how to counter the evil being worked around him, he would be nothing more than a cause of disaster, as he had been the night of the festival in Verga City. Gem knew that Ji'Lopan's talk of Fate and destiny had not been meaningless, and he knew that while he liked to think that destiny had no sway on his actions, what he liked to think and actuality seemed to be too separate too often.\
\
It was Fate that had made him who he was, a reborn son of Bane, and it was Fate that dictated how the disasters around him occurred. It was Fate that consistently stabbed him in the gut and it was Fate, and Fate alone, that provided him with a means to defend himself. During the eight-day trip from Verga City, Gem had thought a great deal on the events since the destruction of Verga. He despised the very notion of "Fate," now, though now more than ever before he was sure that Fate existed. It wasn't just a notion, and it wasn't just something a superstitious demon spoke of- it was real, and he hated it.\
\
The question of what to do next had weighed heavily in Gem's mind. For a whole day, he was at a loss as to how to move forward. The death of his cousins was the final toll of Verga City's bell. The city that had provided him with a stable life was destroyed and the small group that had accepted him was dead. No longer attached to anyone or anything save the two artifacts he carried and his black rune-dagger, he found himself without obligations. He could have very easily gone back to a life of simple crime akin to that which he had led before Ji'Lopan appeared. With the experience and honed skills of ten years in the Underworld, he would surely be able to conduct himself more efficiently. Gem had entertained the thought of returning to Eldra, him homeland, where he would be safe from the Underworld and able to mingle with the other poor folk.\
\
No, he had realized, he needed to do more than that. And besides, what if tragedy strikes some small town in Eldra? What if the fall of Verga City repeats? Gem understood, along with the fact that Fate was real, that he could no longer run from being Legend Reborn. He had to either go along with it, or face it head on.\
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Face it head on. At length, that's what he decided to do. He discarded prudence and charged north, seeking the fabled libraries of Mist. Now, in Mist, he found that the libraries were everything that they were in the stories, including inaccessible. He would find a way to access them, he promised himself. More than simple curiosity drove him. He wasn't seeking fantastical stories of gods. As he saw it, the knowledge kept within the lore-halls of Mist could prove crucial to finally overcoming the "problem" of being Legend Reborn. Gem desired to find a means by which to discard his burden, to bury Legend Reborn, to nullify his pull on disaster. He would become a regular person and quit being Fate's plaything.\
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Gem was deep in thought when the person in front of him stopped walking. He bumped into the man, uttered a muted apology, and then looked around. The crowd had stopped moving. \
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"They're finally getting it," laughed a robed woman a few heads away.\
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"Oh, they deserve it, alright," replied the man in front of Gem. Gem stood on his tiptoes to see over the shoulders of those in front of him and discerned a gallows set up in the middle of the street. The crowds were gathered around it, waiting eagerly for something to happen, though no single passerby came close to the gallows themselves. Gem felt the morbid fascination that gripped the crowd and sensed the tension building up as the executioner stepped up onto the makeshift wooden platform, two figures in shackles following close behind.\
\
The executioner cleared his throat and the crowds stilled. He addressed them:\
\
"Ladies and gentlemen, undoubtedly you have all heard tell of this city's clowns, the Joker and the Thief. Any of you with any property have most likely been swindled by them at some point in the last ten years, and most likely none of you regret it. They amuse us with their buffoonery, don't they?" The crowd cheered. "The Joker's magic tricks and fireworks, convincing and beautiful, held the eye of many of our lords as the Thief spirited away their possessions. We bear no ill will to these two rogues- they are accepted here in Mist, are they not?" Another cheer from the crowd. "Unfortunately, our fond memories of these two men will soon be all the remain, for soon the Joker and Thief shall hang!" More cheers. "They have broken the most grave taboos of our society and this can not go unnoticed. For long have they thrived off of petty crime with impunity, but the crimes they are charged with now are nowhere close to petty. Friends, assembled here, do you know the crime these two men have committed?" Questions were fired off at the executioner.\
\
"Get it over with!" one man in the crowd yelled, only to be promptly felled by a solid punch to the face. The inhabitants of UnderMist enjoyed the ceremony and did not want it to end prematurely.\
\
"The Joker, here, is charged with theft of knowledge!" roared the executioner, making his voice ring throughout the subterranean street. "He has loitered in our lore-halls, and we have witness accounts of him meeting with outsiders and discussing certain forbidden subjects at great lengths!" The crowds cheered more. Gem, giving up on the hope of figuring out whose side the crowd was on, decided that they were just pleased to witness the spectacle. Part of him was in awe, completely swayed by the dramatic tone of the executioner. Another part of him was disgusted at capital punishment being made into such sport.\
\
"The Thief, here, was found to be plotting to steal away this city's most beloved treasure!" More cheers. "And, for these two crimes... oh, and I suppose we can throw all their previous crimes on the pile, just to make it grander-" Deafening cheers. "... they will now be hung."\
\
Seeing a man die at the hands of another is considered to be the worst of luck in UnderMist, and the people of Terra are extremely superstitious when it comes to that. At the word "hung," the crowds dispersed in a flash, people scrambling for the doors of the nearest establishments, pouring in, shutting and locking entryways and windows behind them as they went. In moments, the street was empty. Gem now had a clear view of the gallows, and stepped closer to get a better look at the condemned.\
\
One of the two chained men wore an outfit that screamed "thief." Tied around his head was a rag much like Gem's, his tunic was the same gray-brown preferred by the runners and thieves of the Underworld, and a multitude of pouches and loops, intended for weapons and tools, adorned his tan shorts. This man, presumably the Thief, did not look particularly cheerful about the situation. Gem had half-expected the two chained men to be cheering along with the spectators, but it became clear now that the accused did not participate joyfully in the ceremony. The Thief's eyes, a dull defeated brown, were downcast and his eyebrows furrowed.\
\
The Joker, however, showed no such signs of disrupted spirit. Gem couldn't make out his face, hidden beneath a large cowl, but the man's posture alone was enough to tell that he was calm. He stood erect, a whole head taller than his broken-looking companion. Gem found it harder to place his dress. It was too generic. A heavy robe and a concealing cloak covered the Joker from head to foot, both a nondescript brown common among the rags of the poor. It was the Joker who caught Gem's attention.\
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\f2\i \cf0 This man knows the secrets of Mist's libraries
\f1\i0 , Gem thought.
\f2\i He could be useful.
\f1\i0 Besides, the Joker seemed... different... from the other people the bounty hunter had encountered in the city up to this point. It was a wild thought, but Gem fancied that beneath the shadows cast by that cowl, there lay something other than a human face. Gem wanted to talk to the executioner, to ask him to wait a few minutes, so that he might be able to speak with the Joker. He stopped himself, realizing that the executioner was most likely a member of the Underworld, and that doing anything so suspicious would mark him a target for the Underworld's investigators. He had no option but inaction, so he stood and waited. The executioner cast a funny look his way.\
\
"You new here, or something? Go inside if you don't want to be cursed."\
\
"I-" Gem caught himself. He had almost protested. Thinking about it logically, he realized that there was no way to protest the death of the two men. They seemed charged with serious crimes, and death was the appropriate punishment for what they had done. "Yes, I will do that, sir."\
\
"Wait." It was the Joker who spoke, just as Gem was turning to leave the scene. "You have a good nose, kid. What's your name?"\
\
"No talking," growled the executioner, hand straying to the sword hilt at his side.\
\
Gem faced the Joker, ignoring the Underworlder.\
\
"Gem."\
\
"No, no, no... perhaps I didn't make myself clear.
\f2\i Who
\f1\i0 are you?" the Joker took a step forward on the platform, chains clanking. The executioner whipped his blade out and held it to the neck of the Joker's robes.\
\
"Don't move, or it won't be the noose that takes you," he threatened. The Thief whimpered.\
\
"You fret too much, Mark," came the Joker's calm words. "Have more faith in your partner." The sword at his throat dissipated into a small white haze that eddied up towards the rock ceiling. The executioner jumped back, frightened. "I was going to wait until all the spectators were gone, but this one seems different." The executioner erupted in flames, staggering backwards off the platform as a roaring furnace consumed him from within. Invisible blades sliced through the chains and the Thief straightened, his face the definition of relief.\
\
Gem took a couple steps back from the two.\
\
"It's as you guessed, I do possess the talent. They called my displays magic 'tricks,' the fools." The Joker stepped down from the platform and approached Gem. "So, who are you, kid? Mind telling me?"\
\
"I'm the great grandson of Gem al'Kondo," Gem replied shakily. The small force he thought he had felt before, the tiny hint at the Joker being a mage, had been replaced with an intense aura that caused the bounty hunter to shudder.\
\
"You're either not too bright, or you have a terrible sense of humor. You're not just the descendant of some king. The Gem line does not carry the power to detect Jikkuu. Who are you?" \
\
"Leave him be," said the Thief, who had finally calmed down completely. "He's too dull. I'm going to take another shot; I'll meet up with you later."\
\
"Once again, good luck," the Joker tossed back. The Thief dashed away down the street, disappearing into the distance. "Now, kid, we had best get going before all those people come back out and see you here with me. When they find the executioner dead-" he now smoldered gently at the foot of the platform- "they'll be after me, but that's fine, as I was supposed to die anyway. There's no reason for you to become an accomplice. Let's head up above ground, and then we'll find a quiet place to sit and talk."\
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\cf0 Gem followed the Joker without a word, running after him up the flights of stairs leading to the small village of Mist. Things had taken a turn for the better, he felt. These two criminals would provide the Underworld with something to occupy itself with, and its men would pay less attention to a random stranger such as Gem. Besides, this Joker fellow was alive, and would be able to talk about what he'd found in the libraries. As long as he remained wary of the Joker's motives, the bounty hunter felt safe around the mage. He had lived half of his life in the presence of a demon who threw Jikkuu around as freely as this man seemed to, and magic in and of itself was no longer enough to shake Gem. It was the abruptness of it all, the violence of the executioner's death, that had shocked him. Nothing more. He followed the Joker without a doubt in his mind. Things had taken a turn for the better.\
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\f0\b \cf0 Fourteen
\f1\b0 \
\
"My name is Luke." Just outside of Mist, a fallen tree served as a makeshift bench for the two. The warm glow from an artificial fire heated Gem. It didn't bother him one bit that the flames dancing just two feet away were the product of magic as, for years, Ji'Lopan had employed similar methods to keep him comfortable during the long nights of winter. "As I'm sure you know by now, I'm a mage, a practitioner of the forbidden art of Jikkuu. My deal with Mark- that's the Thief- is that I entertain the small nobles of UnderMist, catching their attention while he robs them. Until now, he only stole the things we needed to live. And, well, this time... I suppose his crime was a bit more severe. And that's how we ended up like that."\
\
"What did he steal?" asked the curious bounty hunter.\
\
"My question first, kid- who are you? You still haven't answered me." The Joker's otherwise calm tone held a note of impatience. \
\
"You are not with the Underworld, are you?" Gem muttered furtively.\
\
"No, no I'm not- why? Are you wanted?"\
\
"Yes, something of that nature."\
\
"Well, don't fear. I'm not about to waltz up to the First Circle and divulge your secrets. You know that I'm wanted as well. Just don't worry about the Underworld for now, and tell me who you are. This information won't go anywhere- I promise." It was hard for Gem to accept such a promise at face value. He couldn't so much as discern the face of the man who sat by his side- how could he trust him? The logic presented to him regarding the Underworld, however, was infallible, so he pulled the makeshift bandana from his head and let his hair loose. In the weak late afternoon light, dimmed by the thick fog, the green seemed as colorless as his eyes.\
\
"I'm the last living descendant of Gem al'Kondo. I possess his headband, though it is not on my person at the moment. When I was ten, I named myself after my great grandfather, and have gone as Gem ever since. In Verga City, where I lived for almost eleven years, I became known as the Roof-runner. The night of the last full moon, when Verga City was destroyed, I betrayed the Underworld, and that is why I am hiding from them."\
\
"A lovely story," the Joker said, impatience more than a little prominent in his tone, "but I believe I already told you that the 'descendant of Gem' gimmick wasn't enough to answer my question? You can't pass yourself off as a normal human. I can sense your power as clearly, if not more so, than you could sense mine. All that I ask of you is that you aid me in placing it. I repeat:
\f2\i who are you?
\f1\i0 "\
\
Gem slid a few inches away from the Joker.\
\
"What do you mean?"
\f2\i It can't be that he can tell that I'm Legend Reborn? Ji never said anything about it carrying a tangible signature alike to Jikkuu. But then again, there are a lot of things that Ji opted not to tell me...
\f1\i0 \
\
"You reek of Jikkuu," the Joker replied. "But you are clearly not a mage." \
\
"Ah, so that
\f2\i is
\f1\i0 noticeable?" Gem laughed lightly and smiled, attempting to hide his unease.
\f2\i Damn Ji. He should have told me that magi could detect that I'm not ordinary. Then again, I suppose he didn't expect me to encounter any...
\f1\i0 "You caught me, then. I shall tell you who I am- I am Legend Reborn. Do not think too much of it- it's just something that has been told me by others."\
\
"Don't think too much of it, you say?" The Joker paused for a moment, and then laughed. "Legend Reborn, are you? Oh, that's grand, just grand. Wait- you're serious?"\
\
"Yes, I am." Gem was a tad perturbed by the Joker's immediate dismissal, but managed not to show it.\
\
"You are."\
\
"I am."\
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"Yes, yes, I believe you. Say, why did you hang around the gallows after everyone else left? Was it just because you could sense my magic?"\
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"Actually, I was not sure I sensed anything," Gem replied sheepishly. "Instinct told me you were more than just a jester, but that did not cause me to stay in the street."\
\
"Oh? What did, then?"\
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"You spoke a bit before about the Thief's crime, but you did not mention your own. Why were you at the gallows? Why were you sentenced to death? If what the executioner said of you was true, which I believe to be the case, then I would be very much interested in speaking with you. Is it true that you have studied in the libraries of UnderMist?"\
\
"Yes, that much is true. The executioner's accusation was also on target."\
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"How much do you know regarding Legend?"\
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"Ah, too much, too much," the Joker sighed, turning away from Gem. "How could I merely describe it? I'd have to recite at least ten whole tomes. Apologies, but I'm no god. If you have any particular inquiries, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt for me to answer your questions where I can-"\
\
"How do I stop Fate?" Gem cut in eagerly. Things were going as well as they could. The young bounty hunter was at the edge of his seat, excited at the prospect of hearing an answer so soon. A remnant of the child in him was gleeful, anxious to learn. But no answer came. Instead, mighty guffaws issued from the shadow of the Joker's cowl.\
\
"Stop Fate? Oh, dear Entities, that's gold. Keep dreaming, kid." So saying, the Joker rose and extinguished the fire with a wave of his gloved hand. "I'm going to go back down, now. Mark might need some support." Off he stalked, headed for the middle of the village. Gem called after him,\
\
"Wait! You never answered my question!"\
\
"What's that?" the Joker asked over his shoulder, his voice still ringing with laughter.\
\
"What's Mark trying to steal?"\
\
"One of the Crystals of Mana." The Joker disappeared behind one of the village's huts and was gone. Gem leapt to his feet upon hearing the words and dashed after the robed figure, his curiosity no longer regarding some Terran treasure that some thief was attempting to take for his own. The scene in the Ebony Fields Hill Shrine flashed by in his mind's eye and his interest doubled. One of the twelve legendary Crystals... there was no way he could miss it. He scrambled for the stable at which he'd left his horse, scooped up his belongings, hid his hair once more, and sped down the stairs into UnderMist, seeking to catch up with the Joker.\
\
By the time Gem reached the streets of UnderMist, the mage was nowhere in sight. Gem pushed through crowds as quickly as he could without attracting undue attention, but even after an hour of shoving and running, the Joker eluded him. He kicked himself in the shins for being too slow, for not keeping up, for losing his chance to see another Crystal. Gem slowed down and wandered the streets for another hour, losing hope and becoming progressively more and more fatigued.\
\
The city did not seem to live by the sun, and abandoning the idea of turning in when the crowds did, Gem made for the nearest inn, a building carved straight into the rock walls, and booked himself a room with little trouble. He climbed the rickety wooden stairs and entered his grand chamber, a claustrophobia-inducing closet with a half-cot stuffed into the corner. Too tired to worry about such trivial things as comfort, Gem flung himself down upon the cot. He had not fully recovered from his run through the Vergan forests, and he had exhausted himself on the trip up from Verga City. For more than two weeks straight, he had been running around, always trying to reach a new location.\
\
He figured that, given time, he'd work his way into Terran society and gain access to the libraries. He needn't be in a rush. For now, what he needed to focus on doing was regaining his strength, and that meant rest. He closed his eyes, and, even contorted into the most painful ball, sleep found him quickly.\
\
Gem snapped awake some time later, cramped up and feeling drowsy. It took him a few minutes to identify what had awoken him, and when it dawned on him his first reaction was to stand. Lancing pains shot down his spine and the top of his head hit the low ceiling. He rubbed the spot ruefully as he leaned back against the wall opposite the room's door- the door that had awoken him by slamming open.\
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In the doorway, stooped over, was a gray-cloaked figure. What light there was glinted off dull black armor through the cloak's tears.\
\
"Good morning, Legend," came an all-too-familiar rasp. \
\
"What are you doing here, Ji?" Gem cried, sliding down along the wall into a sitting position. He groped around in the darkness, seeking the rune-dagger that should have been lying next to the cot.\
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"I don't really have time to chat, Legend- I just came to confiscate this." Blue light filled the room as Gem's runeblade floated up into the air in between the two. "Or rather, to prevent myself from making further incorrect decisions. It was wrong of me to let you have this dagger back after visiting the Broken Angel, and I fear I'll repeat that wrong if I don't do ...
\f2\i this!
\f1\i0 " The blade snapped in half and the runes ceased glowing. No sound was made as the fragments of the dagger shattered in midair, torn asunder by invisible forces. "And now, I bid you good day, Legend."\
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Gem watched in horror as his runeblade, reduced to powder, dropped to the floor before him. Ji'Lopan faded into the shadows of the hallway.\
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"Damn it, wait, Ji!" Gem cried, inching towards the door on his knees, in too much pain to stand and walk.\
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"He has no further business with you, Legend." The bounty hunter looked up in surprise as a man, much shorter than the Ly'ban yet still very tall, stepped into the room. Light from a ball of flame held in his hand revealed his face to Gem, who uttered a single whimper. Standing not four feet away was the man Gem least wanted to see, the man who had caused the death of his cousins, the man who had shown him the Void at the age of ten. "I see you recognize my face, Legend. I'm honored." The Guardian Lord's Right, Kieku, bowed respectfully before Gem. His garb of office, a sterile white robe, was as torn and ragged as the Ly'ban's gray cloak.\
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"S-stay away!" yelled Gem, drawing his legs to his chest and burying his face in his knees.\
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"Oh, are you still scared of me, even after ten- no, nigh on eleven now- years? That's almost... cute. Do you know why I'm here, Legend?" Gem didn't respond. "Do you know what day today is? It's the twenty-ninth. You know what that means? It's your birthday, Legend. Happy birthday."\
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Gem covered his ears, trying to no avail to block out the man's words.\
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"Ji'Lopan told me that you don't know any of the prophecies. He opted not to tell you, I suppose. Oh, what's this- shock?" Gem stared up at Kieku's face in fright. "You didn't know that Ji'Lopan was working with me? Hahahaha! Hahahahahahaha! Puny man-pup, too afraid to follow Fate to deserve knowledge. If you'd stuck around with Ji'Lopan, you might be on my side now. Pity for you, isn't it? Isn't it?!" Kieku strode over to Gem and grabbed his shoulders, pulling him into a standing position. "Answer me, brat!"\
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Gem didn't feel pain as he was thrown bodily against the wall. He just crumpled down onto the cot, relieved that Kieku was no longer holding him.\
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"You're no fun, Legend, no fun at all. I'll tell you the prophecy, then, and you can continue to pretend not to hear me if you so desire. Today- the twenty-ninth of the fourth month- is the day of your twenty-first birthday. Perhaps you were already aware of this, but your cousin the Guardian Heir shares a birthday with you. Today is the day that you turn twenty-one and he fourteen. It is prophesied that on this day, you two shall meet." Gem pushed himself up on one arm and looked straight into Kieku's eyes.\
\
"The Guardian Heir?" he managed to murmur.\
\
"Mana Reborn. That should mean something to you."\
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\f2\i \cf0 The Guardian Heir... the son of the Guardian Lord, heir to the Mana Throne, next in line to rule over all the countries. A distant cousin, very distant. And... Mana Reborn?! That means that he, too, is the reincarnation of one of Bane's three sons, that he is my little brother...
\f1\i0 \
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"Your damn silence is irritating," growled Kieku. "Look, I'll be real clear here. Like you, I'm not so keen on the whole Fate thing. I'll try my hand at tripping it up. Consider it a favor, would you? As we speak, Mana's on an airship on his way over here. The airship is enchanted to give out a very strong signal to demons; in essence, it's a signal beacon that's crying for destruction. He should have heard of the destruction of Verga City by now, and he will be avoiding Verga altogether out of fear- in other words, he's headed here over Vise Lake. Soon, another Ly'ban under my command will intercept him. Preferably, before long, he will be at the bottom of the lake. Then I'll have the satisfaction of laughing at Fate while killing you."\
\
"Killing... me?"\
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"Yeah, you don't think you're invulnerable, do you?" Kieku laughed madly at his own joke. "Now that you're against Ji'Lopan, you're entirely useless to me. So I'll kill you. And you won't mind, right- it'll make you happy to see Fate defeated, from what Ji'Lopan tells me."\
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"Damn it, Ji... damn it, Kieku..." Gem struggled to his feet. "I won't go down so easily..."\
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"We shall see about that, shan't we? You seem to have regained some energy, and that might make this more interesting for both of us. I look forward to seeing how you deal with the little birthday present I've prepared for you."\
\
"And... what might... that be?" Gem gritted his teeth. The cramps and pains were gone, replaced with an icy sluggishness that made it difficult for him to move. He knew that it was caused by Kieku's presence, that the man was no doubt employing some devilish spell to augment his fear. Even knowing this, he could do little to fight it save show a little resistance.\
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"Memories, Legend. Memories."\
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Every visible detail of the room faded away into darkness and Kieku's face changed. The creases in his skin disappeared, his eyes became twin topazes, and his hair turned red. The white robe billowed out and then was gone, replaced with a suit of sturdy scale mail and a yellow tunic.\
\
"Z-Zukro," Gem stuttered and stepped back, almost tripping across a pair of tongs that lay on the floor. He supported himself on the anvil at his side with one palm and held his other to his forehead, checking his temperature. He wasn't... hallucinating, was he? No, he had no fever, he was fine. If he was warm, it was the heat of the forge.\
\
"Legend, brother, do you know why I am here?"\
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Gem shook his head rapidly. Zukro took a step forward and drew his sword, a ten-foot-long blade thinner than a man's finger. Gem could step back no further without planting his foot into the forge's furnace, and instead held out his empty hands.\
\
"Stop this, Zuk," he heard himself say. He looked around and saw that he was in a large room with a stone floor and brick walls. At his side was an anvil, at his feet blacksmithing equipment. The apparition of Zukro that had taken the place of Kieku stood between the bounty hunter and the forge's door. No, Gem realized, it was not he the bounty hunter who stood in this place. It was Legend, son of Bane.\
\
"That's exactly what I'm doing\'d1 stopping everything." Zukro's voice was calm and his tone soothing. Gem could tell that Zukro bore Legend no particular ill will. His words almost seemed an unnecessary explanation, a courtesy to the bewildered smith. "See, what you and our youngest brother are trying to do defies the will of our grandfather. Currently, Maha is fighting for something we should all support- Chaos. I'm not going to bother asking you, Legend... I know how devoted you are to our father, and that you'd go to any end to protect Mana, who in turn would go to any end to see to Maha's demise. I know you wouldn't even consider leaving here and joining me. That's why I must see to your death. You understand now, don't you?"\
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Gem found himself nodding his head, and then immediately shaking it, shrugging as he said,\
\
"But Zuk... our grandfather might not have been right, you know. Are you sure that Maha hasn't affected your decisions?"\
\
"You would question your older brother's judgment? Tsk. I need to go- Mana will be back shortly, I imagine, and I'd really rather leave him to Maha. I'm able to kill for what I think is right, even able to kill you, my dear younger brother, but I don't believe I'm callous enough to extinguish a life as brilliant as that of our youngest brother. Please keep this in mind as you die for Chaos, Legend: I love you."\
\
Resignation swept across Gem as he knelt before Bane's eldest son. He knew that, even should he resist, he would have no chance to survive. He also knew that he didn't have the guts to go up against his older brother, the one who had taught him almost everything he knew, who had practically raised him in the absence of true parents. He, as Legend, had been born into the struggle between Bane and Maha, two sons of Chaos, and had sided with his father. Until this evening, he had thought that both of his brothers were on that same side.\
\
"Warrior, heir to the World. First son of Bane. You discard this in favor of loyalty towards our grandfather, Chaos. Admirable as ever, Zuk. Good-bye." And Zukro's sword, a runeblade crafted by Legend the Soul-forger, penetrated its maker's abdomen.\
\
Gem snapped out of his trance, grasping his gut, crying in pain. The forge vanished, replaced by his tiny room. Zukro faded to Kieku, and everything was normal again. Blood soaked Gem's shirt, though brief inspection showed no wound to be present. He was sweating profusely, and so chilled that his fingers shook and teeth chattered as he knelt before Kieku.
\f2\i So that's why,
\f1\i0 Gem realized, recalling what he'd said to Ji'Lopan in the Ebony Fields Hill Shrine,
\f2\i "I doubt I'll ever understand why he slew me."\
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\f1\i0 \cf0 "I understand now," he murmured. Kieku chuckled.\
\
"Does it hurt, Legend? Tell me it hurts. Tell me you're in pain. I can make you relive that moment as many times as I wish, too, and in as short a period of time as I desire. I can torture you with your memories. Hahaha! Your memories!" Kieku broke off once more into mad laughter, taking a full minute before calming down enough to talk again. "Ready for round two?"\
\
Gem groaned in protest, still clutching at where Zukro had stabbed Legend, but made no further sign of resistance. Then, as Kieku prepared to reenter Gem's memories, the room was lit by a bright red flash and the bounty hunter disappeared in a burst of flame. Kieku staggered back, startled, but quickly regained his composure.\
\
"Hey, demon, you said he didn't have the ability to enter the Net," Kieku said, a touch of anger to his voice. Ji'Lopan materialized in the corner, his dark form emerging from the shadows.\
\
"He didn't two weeks ago," the Ly'ban replied matter-of-factly.\
\
"And he's no mage, I can tell that," mused Kieku. "Yet, he seems to possess an enormous talent of some kind. It is not straight Jikkuu manipulation, like the magic of the magi of old, nor is it the perversion of matter, like the Tainted Jikkuu of your kind. It's something I've never seen before, though it fits the bill for something I've read about on occasion... interesting, Legend, interesting! Well, demon, shall we see how far he gets? He's not the only one with access to the Net."\
\
"Indeed he's not," the demon answered. So saying, it took Kieku's arm and the two vanished.\
\
---\
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Gem stumbled out of the Net, weak and tired. He had run through the Net as hard as he could, staggering across the worn paths and scorched plains. He had emerged somewhere along the southern shore of Vise Lake. The night sky, decorated with thousands of tiny stars, spread from horizon to horizon. The fog had lifted miraculously, and Gem could see all the way to the other end of the lake. The shore was a rocky place, a dusty trail stretching around the lake between boulders and jagged outcroppings. The water itself was impossibly still and incredibly beautiful, reflecting the night sky with all its lights. Gem dragged himself to the water's edge and splashed some on his face, hoping that it might revitalize him.\
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The bounty hunter sat back on a large rock, gazing into the sky, thinking on the events that had just transpired. It was a lot to contemplate, a lot to process. The last time he'd seen Kieku, Ji'Lopan and he were fighting to the death. Now, together, they sought to undo him. He kicked himself for being so weak-willed as to lose all strength in the presence of Kieku, and was angry that his memory of that day ten years ago was almost enough by itself to paralyze him. Then there were Legend's memories to deal with and the meaning of Zukro's betrayal. Finally, Gem realized, he had just run to this place using what could only be that phenomenon Ji'Lopan had called "the Net." That alone was cause enough for deep thought. \
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Before he got much beyond organizing the topics he needed to consider, a whirring noise interrupted his train of thought. The sound of gyrating machinery from above caused him to look up at the sky above the lake. Sure enough, there, black against the starlight, was an airship. Gem rose and peered into the dark depths of the sky. The sound, a comfortable sound, had suddenly become replaced with a terrible grinding. The airship had ceased moving forward, yet it had not turned back. For a full minute it hung in midair, terrible and ominous, its frenzied machinery churning uselessly. Then, silence.\
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Then, a deafening boom as a bright red explosion rent the airship. Flames flew out from every one of the ship's apertures, literally flooding out of the large rift in the middle of the ship where the explosion had taken place. For yet another minute, it seemed, the airship hung in midair, burning away, and then it dropped. It didn't take a long time for its first pieces to reach the lake's surface, plunging in at incredible speeds. Powerful waves swept outwards from the point of impact, swallowing whole chunks of shoreline. Fragments of burning timber and metal rained down on the land surrounding the lake. Larger pieces of the ship continued to fall, some into the lake, some onto the shore. \
\
\
Even as the last parts of the ship hit the ground, Gem could discern something floating down, slow as a feather. He peered up into the sky, now tinted orange from the airship's destruction, and made out the figure of a human, arms outstretched, descending to earth.\
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Gem's eyes widened as he realized just who this person was.\
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The light of the stars illuminated the boy's crimson hair and reflected in his piercing sapphire eyes. Spray from the breaking waves showered him, but not a single drop of water touched him. His tunic and robes, a beautiful green, were spotless- the garb of a prince. His landing by the lake shore was silent next to the crackling of the burning wreckage. \
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Wreathed in a spectral blue aura, the Guardian Heir alighted.\
\
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\f2\i \cf0 There's only one person alive today with hair that color...\
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And according to Kieku, that person should be at this place...\
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\cf0 But it is not from these facts that I know who he is
\f1\i0 , Gem realized,
\f2\i rather... it's a sense of familiarity. I know this kid- this frail-looking boy whose face and hair are better suited to a girl. This kid is my baby brother. This kid is Mana.\
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\f0\i0\b \cf0 \ul PART TWO: MIST\
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\cf0 \ulnone \
Chapter 14.5 \'d0 Interlude \'d0 The Creation
\f1\b0 \
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\f0\b \cf0 Gem Hunter\
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\cf0 A long time ago... no, that is not quite right. Time did not exist, then. No, no, no\'d1that is not quite right either. There is no "then" because if there was a "then" then, then "now" would be the future of that "then." And that period of time- no, there I go using that word again\'d1that dimension, shall we say, had no future.\
\
Its one living inhabitant\'d1\
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No. There was no life, then. Again, "then!" How would the scholars speak of those times using accurate words? How would the recorders of lore refer to the period of non-time that passed in that non-space, and the non-actions taken by the non-life that resided therein? Oh, to have access to the Hall of Lore in Mist, to have access to each and every one of those dusty volumes, to have access to that limitless vault of knowledge. That is my present wish, for, at present, I know not how to chronicle the past.\
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For now, at least, I shall speak of these matters in terms I understand, disregarding the slight falsities that spring forth from my inaccurate descriptions.\
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\f0\b \cf0 Ji'Luc\
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\f1\b0 \cf0 My father, (that is, Maha) was the second son of Chaos. He was fiercely loyal to his father, once Bane created loyalty, that is. He took everything very seriously, fighting Bane with all he had, struggling to tear apart the order that Bane had made. He gave it his all, really. It's almost commendable.\
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But to make use of Zukro in that manner... to turn son against brothers and father, just for the sake of reinstating a fallen deity...\
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Loyalty is no excuse. Whenever I think back on the first days of my existence, I become sick. I see, again and again, my father chained within the Monolith by Bane; I see, again and again, Zukro descending into shadow and flame in order to serve Chaos through my father. Zukro and I... cousins, yet nothing alike. He was the son of God and I was the son of the Devil. My father wreaked destruction upon the world of Bane's children and Zukro joined him in this pursuit. They both ended up in the Inferno, and I, I came to Mist because I was tired of the Inferno.\
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\cf0 \
I was tired of the flame, I was tired of the shadow, and I was tired of vomiting everytime
\f2\i he
\f1\i0 \'d1the Warrior, the Heir to the World, Zukro\'d1walked by, all decked out in the basalt armor of my brothers and bearing the flaming weapons of my father, and acting for all the world like the prince of the Inferno, and all because he decided to betray a traitor. And to betray. And betray. And be betrayed.\
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\cf0 I was tired of the burdens thrust upon me by the actions of my father.\
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\f0\b \cf0 Mana II\
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\f1\b0 \cf0 \
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\cf0 Bane had three sons: Zukro, Legend, and Mana.\
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I'm told that I'm Mana Reborn, but I'm not told what that means. I'm imprisoned in my family's palace, but I don't think it's because of who I am. It must be because of what I can do. Just by concentrating, just by wishing it so, the candlestick by my bed flickers on and off. I don't touch my window to open it, and I don't don heavy clothing when I'm cold.\
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No one I know can do these things.\
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I read once, in a book that Jul got me, that these powers were common three thousand years ago. They were regarded holy and blessed, and were not the cursed stigma they are now. That's what I read. Mana was the Mage, gifted with all of Bane's magic, the youngest out of the three and the one who triumphed over Maha in the end and became the king of men.\
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Something's wrong with that, though. Zukro was the eldest, the Warrior, the Heir to the World. Should he not have become king of men? Where was he when I triumphed over Maha in my previous life? There's something missing...\
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\f0\b \cf0 Gem Hunter\
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\f1\b0 \cf0 \
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\cf0 Chaos. It started with Chaos. Chaos was in Void. Void was in Chaos.\
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How else can I explain the lack of existence and order, the lack of time, the lack of anything one can use meaningful words to describe?\
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\f0\b \cf0 Julien al'Donaan Tryn\
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\f1\b0 \cf0 \
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\cf0 Chaos created Bane, and Bane Created. That's what the textbooks say. Chaos created Bane, and Bane Created. Some textbooks even go so far as to say that in Creating, Bane eliminated Chaos. But that's not true. I've been to some of the lesser Halls of Lore and have read the tomes on the Creation\'d1Bane destroyed Chaos before Creating. Though we attribute the name to Maha, Bane was the original Destroyer. Creator he may be, holy and blessed he may be, reverent and benign he may be, our God he may be, but he is not the pure-white angel of life that he is made out to be by some. He didn't erase black with white. He killed black to make room for white.\
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Chaos gave rise to many children like Bane. That's evident from reading the lore-texts. It wasn't just Bane and Maha\'d1there were at least twenty of them, all beings of limitless existence, limitless power, and limitless definition, all equal to Chaos.\
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\cf0 \
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\f0\b \cf0 Ji'Lopan\
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\cf0 Bane destroyed his own father. He locked Chaos within the Heart of the Void and then he Created, sealing Chaos from existence. Once existence came to be, Chaos was gone. His other children remained, however, and my father\'d1Maha\'d1struggled against Creation.\
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Where do your loyalties lie? If not with your kin, then where? And if with your kin, then which kin? Maha sided with his father, the father that his older brother Bane had overthrown. Maha took it upon himself to destroy all life that Bane made and to undo all death caused in this manner, attempting to unlace Bane's order. Tear, and tear, and tear, and cut, and rip, and stitch, and sunder, Maha kept at it, trying to revive his father through the unraveling of Bane's reality.\
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What a foolish father I have.\
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Should he have simply accepted Bane's order, he would be a god now. And yet, there he lies, imprisoned within the Inferno, shackled within a giant rock, his name and all that it implies his only remaining power. He gave rise to my kind, the als'Maha, and we his sons served him to the best of our abilities, but we cannot unravel Bane's order. We cannot take time back to a point at which it didn't exist. We can't free our father and we can't revive Chaos. The only ones who can do that... are the very ones who locked him away in that damned hole to begin with.\
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\f0\b \cf0 Oberon\
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\f1\b0 \cf0 \
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\cf0 My father tells me stories from time to time about the time when time was not time, when existence didn't exist, and when ideas were all there was, with no brain to compute them and no body to act upon them.\
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My father tells me stories of his father and brothers and the non-time they spent together in the non-space known as the Void, the "good old times" as he calls them. His oldest brother, Bane, created the world we know and he created all the things we know, including the distinctions between ideas that allow us to formulate the thoughts behind the words behind the meanings of those ideas. My father was caught up in the struggle between Bane, who overthrew Chaos, and Maha, who supported Chaos. All of my father's siblings were, and all of them were killed.\
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It's amazing that my father was able to convince his two warring brothers not to kill him, once he and they were the only three left out of the twenty odd children of Chaos.\
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But he did, and while Bane and Maha remained at odds, Nai gladly took shelter in one of the planes created by Bane\'d1my home, Atlantis.\
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\f0\b \cf0 Gem Hunter\
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\cf0 So Chaos begot Bane and Maha, and Bane begot Zukro and Legend and Mana. And the three sons of Bane fought Maha in their father's name, and they tried to preserve their father's order, and ultimately, only one of them succeeded. Zukro, the firstborn, turned on his brothers and killed Legend, seeking to aid Maha in supporting the undoing of reality. \
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And Mana and Bane together locked Maha in hell, in the Inferno, within a giant basalt Monolith in the deepest pit in the darkest abyss of the Inferno, and there he remains to this day, imprisoned within that Monolith.\
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And Zukro joined Maha in the Inferno, devoting the rest of his immortal existence to his uncle.\
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And Mana begot the line of the Guardians, and they begot Central Libra, and it begot civilization.
\f0\b \ul \
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Fifteen
\f1\b0 \
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\f1\i0 \cf0 Flaming chunks of airship continued to rain down around Mana, several bouncing off the same spectral shield that kept the lake's waters at bay. His eyes might not have shown it, but he was shaken. He saw the green-haired man sitting three yards away, but did not inspect him or address him. His thoughts were elsewhere. He fell to his knees by the lake shore, turning to face the waters themselves. A fragment of timber floated past, carried on the swell caused by the burning hull that floated half-submerged in the lake.\
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"JULIEN!!" the mage cried at the top of his lungs. "JULIEN! Julien... Jul..." The lord of Tryn was nowhere to be found. The shore was desolate save for Mana, the green-haired man, and pieces of the airship. No one floundered in the lake, no human bodies were visible. Mana buried his head in his hands.\
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"What happened?" he asked himself. "We were supposed to have avoided the demons, and yet..."\
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"You were attacked by a Ly'ban, were you not?" the stranger asked hesitantly, rising slowly and stepping closer to the kneeling Guardian Heir.\
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"Was it a Ly'ban?" Mana asked, still not giving the man his full attention. "Where's Jul...?"\
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"Yeah, it was a Ly'ban," the man replied. "Kieku sent it after you."\
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"Kieku did? Wait, that's almost to be expected of the man..." Mana looked up, his brow furrowed as he stared into the night beyond the lake. "Is he evil, or something of that nature? I never did anything to him to cause him to do something like this... Wait one minute\'d1 how do you know Kieku?" So asking, Mana stood and looked up at the face of the green-haired man. Gray eyes, calm and sad, looked down at him. "You're a descendant of Gem al'Kondo..."\
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"Kieku haunts me, Milord. I know of him through painful experiences." Starlight fell upon the fresh bloodstain on the man's tunic, and Mana gasped. "I am a descendant of the Disgraced Gem, and Kieku has decided to torment me."\
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"You're a descendant of the one who was exiled by the initiator of The Purge!" Mana exclaimed, his worry suspended momentarily. \
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The man took a while to think about it, and then replied, "Yes, Milord, that I am."\
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"Then you and I are cousins! Please, don't call me 'Milord'\'d1my name is Mana. What's yours?"\
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"Yes, Lord Mana. The name I took is that of my great-grandfather: Gem." Mana noticed that the facial expression of the man\'d1Gem\'d1expressed unease. "But more importantly, what's happening here? You seem safe and sound, but what of the others aboard the ship?"\
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"The others? I don't know where Julien is, and the... the sailors, they were killed... by that... thing. The Ly'ban, you call it." Mana shuddered, remembering the state in which he found the sailors he'd stopped. Their guts were plastered all over the wall and orange stains lay where they had once stood. It wasn't killing, it was slaughter, and it had been gruesome.\
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"Julien?" the man who called himself Gem asked softly. He could see the horror reflected in Mana's eyes, and his own expression grew gentle.\
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"Lord Tryn," Mana replied.\
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"If it's Julien Tryn... well, I've heard some stories about him. He'll be fine." These words seemed to reassure Mana. Gem opted not to include the source of these stories- the Links of the Underworld. He had heard much of the illustrious Lord Tryn whilst working in Verga.\
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"You're right, Gem. Julien is strong."\
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"See?" Gem laughed a little, trying to throw off his discomfort. The Guardian Heir clearly cared about this Julien, and the reason for Julien's strength would most likely do no more than worry the boy further. It wouldn't do to tell Mana that Julien was lord of more than just Tryn- that he was the Marauder Lord, head of the Underworld's most powerful competition.\
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"Is that demon gone, though?"\
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"I don't sense any Ly'ban around here," Gem replied, "and I believe I've become so used to Ji that I can sense them easily enough."\
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"Ji?" Mana inquired, his eyes wide.\
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"Yes. Ji'Lopan\'d1a Ly'ban. Until a couple of weeks ago, he and I were together. I turned on him, though, to defend a human cousin of mine."\
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"You have the strength to fight Ly'ban? Amazing!"\
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"I wouldn't say that I do, Lord Mana. My means was destroyed about an hour ago."\
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"Hey! Just Mana is fine! But how were you fighting it?" Wonder was written all over the mage's face, replacing whatever worry had been present before. Julien was safe, he believed, and no amount of worry would help either of them. Besides, this adult seemed compassionate and Mana was not afraid of talking to him. Should the Ly'ban resurface, they'd find a way to defeat it together.\
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"I..." Gem hesitated, then decided that no deceptions were necessary. He was talking to the Guardian Heir, after all. The kid who, despite his childish look, was Mana Reborn\'d1the most powerful mage to ever live. "I fought him with a runeblade."\
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"A runeblade? Weren't those all lost hundreds of years ago?"\
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"That they were."\
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"So that means you\'d1" The meaning dawned on Mana, and he gaped at the man. "You crafted one yourself?"\
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"Indeed, I forged a runeblade."\
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"How? Only Legend\'d1"\
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"I
\f2\i am
\f1\i0 Legend," Gem replied bitterly. "Much as how you are Mana Reborn, so am I Legend Reborn. I took up the hammer once in Verga and made myself a dagger imbued with the power to turn demons to dust. It was just destroyed, and I intend to take the hammer up once again here in Terra. Now, I have some questions for you\'d1what are you doing all the way out here? And wouldn't you, too, be able to fight a Ly'ban with your magic?"\
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"Legend Reborn...? My magic is weak, currently," Mana explained, shrugging off his wonder. It wasn't that odd to encounter the reincarnation of another one of Bane's sons, he figured. "My fire seemed to melt into nothing on impact with the beast. As for my goal, I came out here with Julien seeking the Crystals of Mana." \
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"Another?"\
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"Another what?"\
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"I am just thinking, I know of four people seeking the Crystals now. I thought that Crystal Hunting had died out... I would guess that it is making a revival, but you're hardly the average Crystal Hunter yourself, are you, Mana? And the others are not, either. A demon. A mage who avoids The Purge. The thief who works with him."\
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"I'm assuming that you're referring to these three, in which case you should know that they are not independent. They're collecting the Crystals for me, Legend, and I believe you helped one of them once. In fact, I must thank you for your efforts. Without you, A'xia would still belong to Matthias Kinjaku, the Broken Angel."\
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Neither Gem nor Mana spoke. They both turned slowly, away from the lake, to face the one who had made the proclamation. He sat upon a giant rock outcropping across the path from the two reborn sons of Bane, the three aforementioned Crystal Hunters standing by the base of the rock. The gray-robed, black-armored demon smiled gaudily from beneath his hood. At his side stood an ordinary-looking man in common thief's garb and a figure cloaked in such concealing garb that not a single patch of skin was visible.\
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"Luke! Mark! Why are you\'d1" Gem was cut off as Mana broke in.\
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"Kieku! Explain yourself immediately!" Mana yelled. "Who are these people? What are your intentions?"\
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"These people? Only one of them is a person. The other two... well, you'll see soon enough. They are all minions of mine. My intentions? To gather the Crystals of Mana. My immediate goal? To kill both you and Legend, there." The demon in the gray robes drew a shining white sword and spun it around twice before brandishing it menacingly.\
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"So you
\f2\i are
\f1\i0 Legend Reborn?" Mana whispered to Gem. "And these people... you know them?"\
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"The demon is Ji'Lopan," Gem muttered, backing away from Kieku's group as he spoke. "I suppose I know less about the other two than I thought. Hey, Luke! Why are you here?"\
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"We've been serving Kieku for some time now, kid," the Joker replied. "How do you think Kieku found you so easily in UnderMist? You walked right up to me, called yourself Legend. How much more help could I have in my task of relaying information to the boss?" The Thief snickered.\
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"Do you have any more of that Jikkuu in you, ...Mana?" Gem asked quietly, keeping his eyes trained on the advancing demon. "I have no means to defend us at the moment."\
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"I'm worn out, ...Legend," Mana replied. "I already fought a Ly'ban\'d1"\
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"That's right!" Gem exclaimed. "Kieku! With some difficulty, I understand Ji'Lopan's reasons, but how were you able to control other Ly'ban? How did you make them serve you and attack the Guardian Heir? You're not with the Inferno!"\
\
"Demons are stupid beasts," Kieku scoffed. "All it takes is some convincing from one of their own." Mana noticed the one Gem called Luke tremble, as if angered greatly. The demon\'d1Ji'Lopan\'d1seemed to have no problems with Kieku's statement as he dashed forward, still smiling, closing the distance between himself and the mage at a frightening rate. Mana stepped backwards, following Gem's lead, but didn't hold as steady a stance as the trained fighter.\
\
"Mana, get down!" Gem yelled as the demon swung. Mana dropped to his knees and then fell over to one side, avoiding the blow but leaving himself completely open to further attacks. Tangled in his rich royal robes, he could do nothing but flail wildly in the mud. The demon, towering above him, prepared to drive its shining sword, a sword which Mana realized could be nothing other than one of the dreaded Chaos Blades, through his body. Gem jumped in between the two, grabbing the Ly'ban's sword hand with both of his and pushing it away. \
\
"You want to wrestle with me, brat? Haven't we seen that your strength..." With one shove, the Ly'ban tossed Gem five feet back, right into the icy waters of Lake Vise. "...is no match for mine?" Mana heard Gem splashing in the water, but couldn't look back at the lake. His eyes were locked on the Ly'ban's blade, once again poised to skewer him.\
\
"Wait, Ji!" The Ly'ban hesitated on hearing Gem's desperate voice, its eyes shifted to focus on the water behind Mana. "Don't you remember when you fought Kieku at the hospital in southern Verga all those years ago? You said that you were going to protect Mana and me from him! You said that you were a proponent of Fate, and that Kieku's interference would surely fail! Don't you remember?" The splashing subsided as Gem dragged himself onto the shore by the frightened mage. "Remember, Ji! How can you be working with this man?"\
\
The Ly'ban didn't react immediately.\
\
"Kill them, demon," Kieku commanded sternly.\
\
"Hurry up, Lopan," the Joker called derisively. "Else Kieku's hypothesis may become justified."\
\
"Don't do it, Ji. Remember\'d1"\
\
"SHUT UP, LEGEND!" the Ly'ban roared, rearing back like a wild creature and slashing at the air before him with its now-blazing Kaiblade. "No, Legend wouldn't snivel like this. It's disgusting." The demon calmed down and took a deep rasping breath. "You're not Legend, kid. You're just some nameless bastard descended of a murderer. You're a man of convenience, aren't you? If it gives you purpose, stick it to Fate. When your ass needs saving, you come running back to it. I tried to raise you well, to give you a place in the world and a grand purpose. But nothing good is good enough for you\'d1you need to hinder everyone else as well! 'No, Ji, I've found a cousin'\'d1'No, Ji, stay away'\'d1'No, Ji, I won't serve Chaos with you'\'d1" Mana gasped. "I've had it with you, brat. Please just die."\
\
Mana looked on in horror as the Ly'ban stepped over him and swung out with its Kaiblade, scoring deep into Gem's chest.\
\
"Legend!" cried the mage as red flames burst out of the man's body and he disappeared.\
\
"Blazes," cursed the Ly'ban. "Has he become a master in just two weeks? How is he able to access the Net so casually?"\
\
"One night," corrected the Joker. "When examining his powers yesterday afternoon, I could identify no clear signature. Now, there is still a mass of Jikkuu floating about him that I cannot make sense of, but he clearly has the ability to access the Net. I could tell before he entered it that it was an option."\
\
"Next time, say something," growled Kieku. "Ji'Lopan, finish up here and then pursue that stupid thief. I want him dead, you hear?"\
\
"Th-thief...?" Mana stuttered, still lying motionless on the ground.\
\
"Yes,
\f2\i Milord
\f1\i0 , thief," Kieku laughed. "You thought that just because The Purge is wrong, any descendant of Gem al'Kondo is a holy servant? No Entities bless that man's footsteps, boy. Take a good look at this situation: he's even gone and escaped without you. Leaving his cousin behind, does he have no heart? More importantly, does he have no sense of duty? You're the Guardian Heir- as a citizen of the Alliance, your safety should be his first priority. Ji'Lopan, you say you tried to raise him well, but apparently you did as good a job of that as you just did of killing him."\
\
Ji'Lopan didn't reply.\
\
"Though maybe you're onto something with that 'not Legend' thing there, demon. Legend would never abandon his darling younger brother."\
\
"He abandoned me in death." The words came from Mana's mouth, though he didn't intend to speak them, and he was very much surprised to hear them. Kieku blinked twice and then completely lost control, giving way to a storm of laughs. Ji'Lopan and the Joker laughed as well, the Joker's laugh barely audible next to Ji'Lopan's mad rasping cackle.\
\
"Oh, that makes my day! Thank you for being slow, Ji'Lopan." Kieku began laughing again, this time at his own joke.\
\
"He abandoned me in death, I said." Mana's voice became stern and his eyes hard. Slowly, he disentangled his feet and pushed himself up into a sitting position. "I don't recall saying that he has abandoned me now. In my previous life, Legend stood by my side because he believed in me. He died because he refused to leave me any other way. I can't let that trust down now." \
\
A powerful wind leapt up around the Guardian Heir, causing Ji'Lopan to jump back. Mana rose slowly, his hair whipping out every which way. His mud-stained green robes billowed slightly as he stood and assumed a stronger stance. For a whole minute, Mana stood motionless, arms spread and face towards the heavens. Then, thousands of tiny blue lines began intertwining with the air and the wind became visible, a raging beast constructed entirely of force. Mana's eyes opened and he swung his arms to point in the direction of Kieku. A flash of gestures, a mad dance of fingers, and the wind charged the old man, turning rocks to powder in its wake.\
\
The Joker raised a hand, and black lines shot forth from his finger tips into the tangle of blue that now comprised the outline of the beast that Mana had summoned from the wind. The wind's attack halted instantly as its form began to quiver. Purple tentacles burst out of the ground around the wind beast and began constricting it, gripping tighter and tighter. The Joker clenched his gloved hand into a fist, and Mana's magic shattered, the tentacles disappearing as a powerful nova of wind exploded outwards from the point where the beast had been stopped.\
\
Mana's brow furrowed.\
\
"You're a mage, too?"\
\
"Something like that," the Joker replied. "I'm impressed by the level of your wind-manipulation, Milord. It's quite high for one who had no teacher. Though it should go without saying, you can't defeat me with that kind of Jikkuu."\
\
"I'd noticed," Mana said angrily. "It seems that against you, giving power a physical form is unnecessary. Take this!" Closing his eyes, he leaned forward. The wind picked up once again, this time carrying red lines. Within seconds, the air around the Joker burst into bright orange flames.\
\
"Do you realize how futile this is, Milord? More importantly, Lopan, why don't you go ahead and finish him off?" The Joker literally brushed the fire aside, sweeping it away down the path with a wave of his hand.\
\
"He can't... you know do
\f2\i that
\f1\i0 , right?" Ji'Lopan asked hesitantly.\
\
"You never know just what a mage is capable of," the Joker replied. "His level allows for it."\
\
"I hate these type of gambles," Ji'Lopan declared. "It was fine and all when he was showing no sign of resistance, but I'd really rather not go down to his magic. You take him, Luke."\
\
"I don't particularly like gambles myself," the Joker commented. "Besides, you're the one with the Kaiblade. You take him."\
\
"Here you go." The Ly'ban tossed its blade towards the Joker, who dodged it nimbly and allowed it to sink its tip into the ground.\
\
"Kieku ordered
\f2\i you
\f1\i0 \'d1"\
\
"Kieku is getting very,
\f2\i very
\f1\i0 angry," the old man cut in, rage in his voice. "You've both lived longer than I, and you're bickering like bratty little children. I don't care which of you does it. Blazes, I'll do it myself!" Kieku raised one hand towards the sky and closed his eyes. Gray flames burst out of nothing and flowed into his hand. Slowly, he brought his arm down, palm facing Mana. "I could have done this a long time ago, kid. However, killing you within the Mana Palace wasn't the best idea. It seems that that Guhnss failed to finish you on the
\f2\i Vapor
\f1\i0 , though that's okay\'d1he and his airship were both expendable. Truth be told, all I needed was for you to leave the Mana Palace. Taking this trip was the worst move you could have possibly made. Outside of that sanctuary, you're vulnerable, an easy target. And the one who proposed the trip to you? Julien Tryn? He's\'d1"\
\
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\cf0 "Mana! Let's go!" In a flash of red, Gem stood at Mana's side. "I'll explain my delay later. Right now, we need to run." There was another flash of red and millions of tiny, warm flames burst into being around Mana. He felt as though he was looking past a doorway that could not be walked through, staring at a desolate landscape of charred buildings and burning fields where seconds before had been dusty path, rocks, and enemies. Mana felt Gem tug his arm, and tried to step forward, following him into this unfamiliar world of destruction. He stumbled at the threshold and fell to his knees. The Guardian Heir was vaguely aware of Gem picking him up, and then lost consciousness.\
\
\
\
\
\
\
\
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\f0\b \cf0 Sixteen
\f1\b0 \
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\f2\i \cf0 \
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\f1\i0 \cf0 "Mana. Mana, wake up." Mana opened his eyes slowly. He was lying on his back on the soft earth. Gem knelt at his side, leaning over him, hands on both of his shoulders. "Are you alright? Did they injure you?"\
\
"I'm fine," the Guardian Heir replied quietly. "Where are we?"\
\
"We are in the marshes, a little bit north of Lake Vise." Gem looked around and Mana followed his gaze. The only noise was the buzz of flies. All around, the heavy fog of Terra seemed like an impenetrable dark gray wall. Even the brilliant starlight couldn't pierce its dense mass, and the two could see very little. Mana waved one hand weakly, creating a small orb of light that floated up into the fog and cast light on the scenery. Trailing off into the mist were the weeds and wild grasses of the wetlands. Mana shivered as he looked back at Gem. Sitting up, he rubbed his arms, seeking warmth. It was still nighttime, and the cool, damp air of the marshes was chilling. Gem gave no sign of being affected in the same manner as Mana. Though his tunic had short sleeves and he wore no cloak, he did not seem cold in the least. His clothes and hair, previously completely drenched in Lake Vise, were perfectly dry.\
\
"How did we get here?"\
\
"I carried you through the Net. It turns out that it's fairly easy to use." Gem demonstrated by fading in and out of Mana's presence amidst red bursts of harmless flame. "We just got here. You've been unconscious for about ten minutes\'d1it looks like you don't have the ability to access the Net."\
\
"I had never been in it before. All I know of it is what I read in books, and that's not much. My father made sure that I didn't learn too much."\
\
"I'm sorry, Mana." Gem removed his hands and placed them on his own knees, bowing his back and inclining his head.\
\
"What for?" asked Mana, surprised at the sudden apology.\
\
"I left you alone with them for too long," Gem said angrily. "I was supposed to only fade out long enough to avoid being killed, and then take you and run. When I reappeared, Kieku was about to put a lance of Voidfire through you. I failed."\
\
"Failed what? Relax, Legend\'d1I'm fine. Just a little tired. I don't think I'll be able to use much Jikkuu for a while."\
\
"You used it to defend yourself after I entered the Net? Damn it, I knew you were weakened. I wasn't supposed to leave you alone like that. I... as a citizen of the Alliance. I wasn't supposed to leave my liege in mortal danger."\
\
"No." Mana's voice was firm as he spoke. "I, not as the Guardian Heir, but as Mana, did not feel abandoned. I knew you were coming back. That's why I was able to fight. That mage is strong, though. Luke? He shrugged my attacks off as though I was blowing wind at on him. What do you think of his power, Legend?"\
\
Gem raised his head and peered into Mana's eyes. Mana blinked and edged away slowly.
\f2\i He's... looking at me funny. What's he thinking?
\f1\i0 \
\
"Legend... so, we're brothers, huh?" Gem said after a long pause. He closed his eyes and sighed. "I guess I prefer cousins. Don't call me Legend anymore."\
\
"What?" Mana almost gasped in astonishment.\
\
"I don't like the name. I don't like\'d1"\
\
"Then I'll call you brother."\
\
"What?" It was Gem's turn to be astonished, and it showed on his face.\
\
"Jul's my cousin. Legend's my brother."
\f2\i He must think that I'm just selfish from being spoiled
\f1\i0 , Mana thought. It wasn't so much that Mana was spoiled as that he was still shaken from the events of fifteen minutes ago. Julien Tryn might be tough as nails, he might have survived the fall from the
\f2\i Vapor
\f1\i0 , and he might be perfectly fine, but the truth remained that he was not there. Enter Legend, the center of all of Mana's happy memories from his previous life. Legend Reborn's presence was something for Mana to support himself with, reassurance, a solid foothold. For that reassurance to appear and then vanish immediately was too much for Mana to take. Now that he was here, Legend had to stay by his side as his brother.\
\
"Brother it is, then," Gem laughed gently. "What now? What do you do next? You probably can not return safely to the Mana Palace, and Kieku and his men are in this country. Would you like to head for Verga?"\
\
"I can't do that," Mana replied. "I think what I'm looking for is in this country."\
\
"The Crystals?"\
\
"Yeah." Mana frowned.
\f2\i If Kieku's looking for them here, here's the place to look for them. I won't lose.
\f1\i0 \
\
"You will run into Kieku again," said Gem, who didn't look all too happy at the prospect. "Running away is always a viable option, so we will not necessarily die if we stay in Terra, but there is no way we can win against him and his men in a confrontation. My advice is such: give up on the Crystals. So long as Kieku seeks them, you will only see defeat."\
\
"I can't do that, either. I promised Jul\'d1"\
\
"Do you not understand, Mana?" Gem asked impatiently. "We do not even know why Kieku wants the Crystals. He is lashing out at us with the intention of killing, for no discernible reason. You have not seen the things I have\'d1he is deranged. Mad. He seeks to stop Fate by killing us, though his motives for doing so have yet to be revealed. For all we know, your search for the Crystals could help him. He could most likely make use of your talents. But he is just out to kill us."\
\
"I understand that," Mana mumbled.\
\
"Then give it up."\
\
"I understand that I can't stand up against them alone." Mana's eyes hardened as he realized that he had made his decision. "But with you, brother, with your skills, we can surely defeat Kieku and his minions." \
\
Gem stood and looked off into the mist. His eyes remained calm as usual, but his tone bespoke extreme frustration.\
\
"My runeblades are not the runeblades that Legend forged three thousand years ago. They are imperfect and are easily shattered. They are not something we can rely on to fight even the weakest of Kieku's minions."\
\
"My magic is also imperfect, brother," Mana pleaded. "Together, we\'d1"\
\
"Together we can die!" Gem yelled. "I told you that you have not seen the things I have seen. Kieku showed me the day that Zukro killed Legend. Would you like to experience the Entities sealing you into the Crystals of Mana? I imagine it was painful. Do you want to feel that pain? Mana, I am telling you. Kieku is beyond us. If we compete with him for the Crystals, the only thing that lies in our future is death."\
\
"Legend wasn't such a pessimist." Mana pouted as he spoke, looking away from Gem.\
\
"Yeah, that's right. I am not Legend."\
\
Neither spoke for several minutes, each gazing off in their separate directions. Overhead, Mana's bauble of light flickered violently before dying. The fatigued mage didn't bother to maintain the spell, and sat in darkness.\
\
"Tell me, brother... why do you struggle against your destiny?"\
\
"Destiny? The idea of letting your life be determined by some greater pattern is ludicrous. Since the age of ten, I've heard Ji speak that name thousands of times. Legend, Legend, Legend. Time and time again, it was proven to me that I was Legend. That I couldn't escape that fate with ignorance alone. You didn't experience Verga City's destruction, Mana. I was there. It was my fault." Mana gasped. "Because I was Legend, so many people died. I decided that I would escape my fate, no matter what. Ignorance wouldn't work, but something would. I decided to fight Fate."\
\
"Do you... realize the flaw in your logic?"\
\
"What?" Gem's voice carried earnest surprise. "What flaw?"\
\
"Consider this\'d1what if Ji'Lopan wanted you to fight Fate? What if he used the name 'Legend' to give rise to resentment? Don't you realize that if you fight against your destiny because of the actions of others, you're letting your life be determined?" Mana turned around to face Gem's dark outline. He snapped his fingers, and light filled the pocket of air the two shared in the fog. "You need to decide what you want to do as you, without listening to the words of those you resent."\
\
Gem didn't reply for a minute, then turned his head and faced the fourteen-year-old Guardian Heir. Remembering the encounter between Ji'Lopan and Kieku, he could still recall the Ly'ban's response to Kieku's challenge:
\f2\i "Yeah, I know why you're here, Kieku. And neither Fate nor I will hand Legend over to you."
\f1\i0 \
\
"Ji'Lopan is a proponent of Fate."\
\
"But he works for Kieku!" Mana pressed. "He\'d1"\
\
"When we met eleven years ago, Ji'Lopan knew Kieku. They fought violently, and I was caught up in their battle. It is impossible for me to put into words the incredible powers they possessed when they clashed. They were fighting to the death. If there had not been any interference, Kieku might well have completely annihilated Ji. When I discovered that Ji and Kieku were working together, I could not believe it. Kieku is challenging Fate, as we have established, but Ji'Lopan used the words of "Fate" and "destiny" to justify his protection of me eleven years ago. Even just now\'d1"\
\
"What happened just now?"\
\
"Ji'Lopan. He let me go."\
\
"He seemed to really hate you, though. The things he said to you\'d1"\
\
"Were to my benefit. They spurred me into action. He also did not use the Net to stop me immediately, and when I fled with you, he stayed behind in the Net to secure our escape. He smiled at me as I left with you. Fate won this last round, after all. You and I met and we are still alive."\
\
"It doesn't make any sense."\
\
"That much is true."\
\
"Why did he need to secure our escape? All he had to do was not follow us, right?"\
\
"Eh, there was an obstacle in the Net," Gem said mysteriously. "Suffice it to say that without Ji's help, neither of us would be here right now."\
\
"What was this obstacle?"\
\
"Someone who wished to hinder us\'d1you know, Mana, don't worry about it. We'll be alright so long as we steer clear from Kieku. What do you want to do now? You look cold, and it's hardly comfortable out here."\
\
"I want to know what obstacle you met in the Net. I want you to tell me why you were delayed in your rescue of me, since you seem to think it was such a big deal. I don't want you to hide things from me. With Julien gone, you're the only one I can rely on, and I'd feel much safer about doing so if you were to tell me everything. You're my brother, right? Why can't you\'d1"\
\
"You really want to know?" Gem's eyes seemed even sadder than before as he looked down at the mage. "Fine. I was intercepted in the Net by the same person who interfered in the fight between Ji'Lopan and Kieku eleven years ago, the same person who killed me. Ji'Lopan remained behind to fight him, allowing the two of us to escape."\
\
"Zukro?!" Mana exclaimed, his sight failing as his brain overloaded. Zukro, the only one of the three sons of Bane to survive the war with Maha three thousand years ago, was thought to be permanently asleep in the Inferno along with the uncle he had betrayed his father to serve. The oldest of the three, Zukro had been the fighter, the one whose job had been to battle Maha directly. Legend's job had been to forge Zukro's weapons, and Mana's job had been to support Zukro with holy magic. Zukro was the Warrior, the one to whom the world was given, and he had thrown that away to serve Maha.\
\
"Zukro." Leaving Legend in a pool of blood and leaving the task of slaying Maha to the youngest son of Bane, Zukro had quietly disappeared, never to appear before men again. "He has a new name, and is the lieutenant of the Infernal armies. He now goes by Ragnarr, and under that name he serves Maha unquestioningly. Eleven years ago, he sought to kill Ji'Lopan for betraying the Inferno. When Verga City was destroyed, it was by his orders\'d1his demons were after Ji and myself."\
\
"Zukro's... after you again?"\
\
"Yes. Both Kieku and Zukro, the powers of whom I can't begin to comprehend, have been hunting me all this time. You really should seek safety somewhere else\'d1quiet west Verga would work. Somewhere away from me, somewhere where Kieku won't find you."\
\
"Do you really think that running is such a good idea?" Mana asked, doubt in his voice. "I can tell that you're Legend, brother. I'm sure Zukro can sense out our presences. I intend to continue to search for the Crystals, and I believe that your best course of action would either be to run, yourself, or to face up to your enemies. I can't back down, and there's no place for us to remain in safety."\
\
"Did I ever say I intended to seek safety? I'm going back to Mist, no matter what you do, Mana. I need to find out how to destroy Fate."\
\
"I'm also going to Mist, brother."\
\
"We're insane," Gem laughed, burying his face in his hands. "I can't drag a kid like you into that place. Blazes, I'm wanted by the Underworld. And if they find you, do not think that they won't hand you over to Kieku in return for the safety of their city."\
\
"The Underworld?"\
\
"The mercenary organization, you know. There is a bounty on my head because of what I did in Verga City. I... defied them a little."\
\
"Didn't I tell you to explain everything to me?" Mana demanded.\
\
"I'd like to hear as well," came a voice from the fog. Gem jumped at hearing it. Trotting out of the dense mist came a dozen horsemen, led by none other than the blue-haired, red-eyed head general of the Libran Alliance. The arrival of the horses had been muted by the soft marsh soil, and both Mana and Gem were greatly startled to see the mounted Eldran soldiers stream into view.\
\
"Y-you!" Gem stuttered as he pointed at Oberon.\
\
"You two know each other, general?" Mana asked.\
\
"W-well, sort of," Gem replied in Oberon's stead, averting his eyes from the young mage.\
\
"What are you doing out here, Milord?" Oberon inquired, ignoring both the bounty hunter and Mana's question. "Were you not with airship in your travels? And headed for Verga City? You should not be out in this blasted marsh, much less this late at night. And your magic, sire. Why are you using it at will outside?"\
\
"If only Julien were here," Mana muttered.
\f2\i He would know what to say to this man. How to defend my use of Jikkuu.\
\
\f1\i0 "Lord Tryn? He's here. We found him by the west shore, floating in the water along with some debris. We came out looking for you as soon as we fished him out, thinking that whatever had happened to him had happened to you as well. We are elated to see you in such good health, Milord, but it is time to return to the nearest city."\
\
"Julien's with you? Where is he?!" Mana cried. \
\
"Right over here, Milord," one of Oberon's soldiers gestured towards the horse he led by the reins, across the saddle of which was stretched the body of Julien Tryn. "Don't worry\'d1he's fine, Milord. Just sleeping. From the looks of the wreckage we found, you two had a hard time with something."\
\
"You can say that again," Mana laughed, relieved that his cousin was alright. He rushed over to the horse and placed his hand on Julien's head. "Thank the Entities that you're safe, Jul."\
\
"What are you doing here,
\f2\i general
\f1\i0 ?" Gem asked of Oberon in an angry hushed voice behind Mana's back. "Do you intend to finish the job you started in Verga?"\
\
"I told you what I'm doing here,
\f2\i Legend
\f1\i0 . We were looking for the Guardian Heir after we found the unconscious body of Lord Tryn floating in Lake Vise. Any objections to those actions?"\
\
"Yeah.
\f2\i Why are you in Terra?!
\f1\i0 Do you intend to start a war between Terra and Eldra?"\
\
"The general need not explain himself to you," one of Oberon's soldiers spoke, and he would have said more had Oberon not raised his hand in a signal for silence.\
\
"I am seeking Kieku. I wish to speak with him."\
\
"No need for that," Gem said firmly. "I spoke with him just half an hour ago. He just made attempts at the lives of both myself and Mana, and it is by the hand of one of his demonic minions that Lord Tryn lies unconscious upon that horse."\
\
"I can't believe this nonsense," Oberon barked. "I let you live, Legend, but I won't take your stories for truth. If you wish to have another go at it, I will be more than glad to split you open with any weapon you choose."\
\
"It's the truth," Mana said without looking up from Julien. Both Oberon and Gem started, thinking that there was no way Mana could have heard their conversation. "General, the man you threaten is the son of Bane; he is my brother. Learn your place." Oberon stuttered, but did not get out any words. After failing to speak, he simply bowed his head after casting an angry glance Gem's way.\
\
"Mana, shall we head for Mist now?" Gem asked.\
\
"Yes. General, could you lend us two horses, and send Julien with us?" Mana took the reins from the Eldran soldier who held them and led Julien's horse a couple steps towards Gem.\
\
"I shall accompany you, Milord."\
\
"
\f2\i War
\f1\i0 ," said Gem.\
\
"Stop it, brother," Mana cut in, exhaustion in his voice. "Let's all ride back to Mist together. I need some sleep. A lot has happened this night, and I will be better suited to face it in the morning."\
\
"Well said," Oberon applauded. "Back to a city, safe and sound. Who knows what lurks in these marshes." One of the Eldrans at his back brought two riderless steeds forward and Mana mounted one of them.\
\
"
\f2\i Kieku
\f1\i0 ," Gem suggested. He hopped upon the remaining empty saddle and trotted off west, Mana following closely with Julien in tow. Oberon cursed under his breath before ordering his men forward. Mana's light vanished, darkness descending once more upon the mist-covered marsh. The only noise was the buzzing of flies and the stirring of reeds and wetlands brushes, but the marshes were not the same as they were thirty minutes before. \
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\cf0 Even the tiniest flicker of Jikkuu has profound impact upon the fabric of reality.\
\
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\f0\b \cf0 Seventeen
\f1\b0 \
\
"So where's this Legend fellow at?" Julien yawned as he stepped into the room, a warm blanket draped about his shoulders.\
\
"Stealing\'d1"\
\
"Gem's doing research," cut in Mana, interrupting Oberon. "In the Hall of Lore." The mage then turned his attention back to the book he was reading, a thick tome with a rich scarlet cover. Oberon made a grunt of disapproval before taking another sip of peach tea.\
\
"Sounds fun," the bedraggled lord snorted, pulling his blanket tighter and seating himself next to the general at the kitchen counter. Oberon stood and rummaged in the cupboard, seeking a second mug. "It's pretty nice down here, huh, Mana?"\
\
Mana looked up from his book again. The spacious room was well-lit by an ornate crystal chandelier that hung from the ceiling by a silver chain. The floor was carpeted in red rugs. The sofa Mana occupied was red as well, though it seemed more orange in the firelight from the torches outside the open window. The subterranean street on which the small manor the Libran men occupied lay was empty. Two doors led into the room: the one Julien had come through, opening onto the staircase to the bedrooms, and one other, the entrance to the complex.\
\
"Sure." Of course, Mana felt the scenery could use some vegetation. Being in this luxurious room was much like being home in the Mana Palace. Reclining in such a place was not the reason for which Mana had left Central Libra behind. His eyes snapped back to the book at hand immediately after answering his cousin's question.\
\
Oberon had finished pouring Julien's drink, and the lord of Tryn took a long sip. The aroma of the steaming tea filled the room, sweet and energizing.\
\
"I'm not sure I've quite expressed how thankful I am for you being where you were when you were, general," Julien said, looking straight ahead at the wall beyond the counter. "If it weren't for you, I would be dead now, floating in that blasted lake."\
\
"It was nothing," Oberon replied.\
\
"But, while I'm thankful," Julien continued, "I need to ask what you are doing here, and with Eldran militia. Are you in Terra under orders from the Guardian Lord? Or some task you took on due to his Right's suggestion?"\
\
"Neither. I was in Verga City, investigating the destruction, after being informed by Lord Kieku that it was caused by the descendants of Gem al'Kondo. There, I met the one who calls himself Legend... to be honest, since then\'d1"\
\
"With Verga's government in shambles, Eldran military in Terra is signature for disaster, general! Did you not think of that? We're lucky that we managed to get protection before the protection got us! There are many lords in this place who would happily see money leave their coffers in order to pay the Underworld to annihilate your men."\
\
"I'm more worried about the Guardian Heir's magic," muttered Oberon over the rim of his mug. "This place gives me the creeps, and I would gamble that there are dabblers all over who would see a sanctioned mage as a chance at revolution. If we let the fact that we have the Guardian Heir here out, I imagine the city will react violently."\
\
"The city doesn't need any catalyst for violence, general," Julien said firmly. "You haven't been here before. UnderMist is not a place that follows rules you're familiar with. Violence doesn't erupt with oddity\'d1a lack of violence is the oddity. From what I've seen of your actions in the army, you're a man of honor and and you have a strong sense of justice and normalcy. For all of our sakes, discard it while we are here."\
\
"Yes, sir. More tea?"\
\
"Please."\
\
Oberon took Julien's mug and and poured more of the murky liquid into it.\
\
"Here."\
\
"Thank you. Say, Mana, where did you find that book?"\
\
"Gem brought it back from the Vault of History," replied Mana, this time without so much as pulling his eyes from the page he was reading.\
\
"What's it about?"\
\
"Creation."\
\
"Everyone knows the Creation story," laughed Julien. He took a long sip at his tea and then chuckled a bit. "Is Legend bringing you home children's books?" Mana didn't reply. "Alright, tell me how the author fills a book that fat with the Creation story."\
\
"This part's about Nai, and his Judgment."\
\
Oberon snorted forcefully into his tea, tipping the whole mug over. Apologizing, he bent to clean up the mess. Julien turned from the counter and looked back at the Guardian Heir, lounging comfortably upon the sofa, reading.\
\
"Nai?"\
\
"I'll let you read it when I'm done, Jul," Mana sighed, exasperatedly.\
\
"I look forward to it," Julien grinned half-jokingly, reorienting himself to face the counter once more. "Enjoy your book, Mana, but don't forget why we're here."\
\
"I haven't forgotten."\
\
"Why you're here?" Oberon asked cautiously. "Isn't it a mistake? I thought you were aiming for Verga City."\
\
"Ah, I guess there's no point hiding it from you," Julien ran a hand through his messy hair, brushing his uneven curtain of bangs from his eyes. "Lord Mana and myself left Central Libra in order to seek out the Crystals of Mana. The grandest, most secretive Crystal Hunt, if you will. We're planning on recovering the Crystals and bringing them back to the Mana Palace, where they belong."\
\
"That's ridiculous, sir. You should return to Central Libra immediately. A Crystal Hunt in this year? Don't you know what's being said, about some evil force destroying those that seek the Crystals?"\
\
"I know," Julien replied with a wide smile.\
\
"It may well be superstition, but if even the toughest men of Libra are afraid of embarking upon Crystal Hunts, there's something worthy of consideration. I may be out of line in saying this, but I expected better reasoning from you, Lord Tryn. When there are domestic problems at home, most importantly the steadily increasing power of the Marauders, chasing after some risky fantasy is not commendable."\
\
"I know," smiled the lord.\
\
"Do
\f2\i you
\f1\i0 understand the dangers involved, general?" Mana asked from the sofa, laying the book down on the low table beside him. "Kieku is after the Crystals and is prepared to kill anyone who interferes with his plan."\
\
"Don't throw such accusations around lightly, Mana!" Julien chided. "Kieku\'d1"\
\
"You know very well that Kieku is after us, Jul."\
\
"Is this true, Lord Tryn? Is Lord Kieku\'d1"\
\
"Did you know that he was a mage, general?" Julien asked flatly. Oberon's scarlet eyes widened. The only word he could think of to utter was, "no." "Don't lecture me on safety and procedure, general. You did something far more risky than I, bringing Eldrans into this city. I allowed Lord Mana to undertake a quest he felt necessary for the clearing of his family's ancestral guilt. I did nothing to spark war, and had it not been for Kieku, everything would be going well."\
\
Mana stood and walked over to the counter.\
\
"Kieku tried to kill both Gem and me. He's got powerful demons under his control, Ly'ban who abandoned the Inferno. Also, an incredibly strong dabbler called 'The Joker' serves him. Please, general, stop admiring him. He's not the ideal servant of Guardian Lord."\
\
"Understood, Milord. I shall relay the message to my troops, that Kieku and we are no longer allies." Oberon stood and walked past Mana, heading for the street door.\
\
"Wait, general," commanded Julien. "Your outfit." The red-eyed man never removed his near-full plate armor save for when he slept. It was a symbol of his dedication to knighthood and the Libran Alliance, and it was always clean and shiny. "While in UnderMist, you're best off blending in to whatever extent you can. There are some extra sets of traveler's rags upstairs. Wear those."\
\
"Understood." Oberon turned and left the way Julien had come, already unfastening the buckles of his gauntlets.\
\
"So, Mana," Julien said, as soon as Oberon was out of earshot. "Do you have any evidence that Oberon isn't working with Kieku?"\
\
"No, except that I'm still alive."\
\
"Is it true that Kieku tried to kill you?" \
\
"Yes. Like I said just now, he tried to kill both Gem and me."\
\
"Did he say anything as to why? He can't be just going around killing people for no reason. I've known him since I was a little child, back when he used to take time away from the Mana Palace to come guide me as the orphaned Lord Tryn. He always seemed a little odd, and his recent actions are enough to warrant death under The Purge, but\'d1"\
\
"Don't say that, Jul. The Purge won't be the cause of death for anyone anymore." Mana pouted as he spoke, upset that the mage-killing edict was not only still in technical effect, but that it was also still a part of the way people thought. Intelligent, forward-minded people should be able to get over its rules.\
\
"Right," apologized the lord. "But my point is, he seems different from before. I can't imagine that the Kieku whom the people know and love is capable of killing anyone; it just doesn't make any sense. That's why I think that, even if he did do something horrible like that, he must have had a reason, or something, some way of justifying his actions, or..." Julien struggled to find words. He frowned as he concentrated on bringing his thoughts together, and then his face loosened as he resigned. "If he tries to hurt you again, I won't let him live," he promised, a tinge of indignant anger coming to his face.\
\
Silence filled the room as Oberon reentered, wrapped in a drab gray cloak and wearing a hood that concealed his blue hair.\
\
"I'm off, Milords," he said with a slight inclination of the head. He crossed the room, opened the door to the street, and was gone.\
\
"So... Kieku is after the Crystals?" Julien asked.\
\
"So he said. Apparently his servants\'d1that is, the Ly'ban, Thief, and Joker\'d1are all Crystal Hunting here in Mist currently."\
\
"And that's why we're holing up here? You believe that there are Crystals to be found in this place?"\
\
"I'm certain," replied Mana confidently.\
\
"And this Legend fellow, he said he would help?"\
\
"He hasn't said that he would, but I expect that he will once he finds out that there's no way to stop Fate. That's what he's off researching, you know. How to stop being Legend Reborn."\
\
"What a unique pursuit," Julien commended jokingly.\
\
"Ah! He's coming," Mana exclaimed.\
\
"You can tell? Jikkuu? Is that how?"\
\
"No. I can tell because he's my brother. Because he's Legend."\
\
"I'll go out to greet him," suggested Julien. "I'm quite eager to make the acquaintance of this brother of yours." So saying, he walked out of the complex, leaving the door open. "Oy!" he called from outside. "The street's empty, Mana."\
\
"He's using the Net!" Mana called back, and even as he spoke, a large burst of flame placed the green-haired bounty hunter in the middle of the large room. "Welcome back, brother."\
\
"Hey, Mana." Gem looked exhausted, and dragged himself weakly over to the counter, where he fumbled with the cabinet to retrieve a third mug. Picking up the teapot, he grimaced briefly and then set it back down. "Empty."\
\
"I'll make some more," smiled Mana. "It's fairly easy here, since we managed to get a place with running water." Making his way over to the sink at the end of the counter with a black kettle, he asked, "so, how was your day?"\
\
"Uneventful," Gem shrugged. "Are you here alone?" he asked over the sound of water rushing into the kettle. "I thought that that general was with you. Also, has Lord Tryn woken up yet?"\
\
"Yeah, Jul's here with me. He's been up for a while now; he just stepped outside. Ah, there he is." \
\
Julien had just walked back in and closed the door. Turning from it, he seemed very surprised to see Gem seated at the counter.\
\
"Hello."\
\
Gem turned and smiled the weak smile of a man who had not slept enough in days. Mana created a flame with Jikkuu and placed the kettle atop it. Gem inclined his head to the Lord of Tryn.\
\
"Milord," he said, "it is a pleasure."\
\
"
\f2\i Roof-runner?!"
\f1\i0 Julien exclaimed, unable to hold in his surprise.\
\
"I advise silence,
\f2\i Marauder Lord
\f1\i0 ," hissed Gem under his breath. Julien's face changed instantly from shock to stone, his eyes narrowing and his mouth thinning. With one warning glance, Gem told Julien not to say anything. Then he spoke normally."Let me introduce myself as Gem, great-grandson of Gem al'Kondo."\
\
"It is, indeed, a pleasure," spoke Julien slowly. "I am Julien al'Donaan Tryn, cousin and guard to Lord Mana here. You are Legend Reborn?"\
\
"Hopefully not for much longer." Gem cracked a smile. "Hey Mana, I almost got caught today\'d1I'm this tired because of all the running. Some library guard thought that he could sneak up on me. And, well, he did, because I was too absorbed in my studies. I didn't even find any useful information."\
\
"Maybe you should give up?"\
\
"That's impossible, Mana," laughed Gem. "I can't allow Verga City to happen again."\
\
"What do you mean by that?" inquired Julien, puzzled.\
\
"The city was destroyed by Infernals who were chasing me, Milord," Gem explained. "Since then, I have made it my goal to end the catastrophes that arise as a result of my presence. The only way to do this, I believe, is to stop being Legend Reborn. To best Fate and remove myself from its loop."\
\
"Couldn't you just die?" asked Julien.\
\
"Jul!" cried Mana.\
\
"It's only the truth," the lord argued. "If he were to die, there would be no more Infernals chasing him. Why spend time researching? You say that your presence attracts demons, is that it, Legend?"\
\
"Yes."\
\
"Then die," Julien said, "and all will be saved. Surely you're not too selfish\'d1"\
\
"No," cut in Mana. "No, no, no! Brother can't die!"\
\
"Again with brother." Julien raised his voice, his tone accusatory. "Mana. You want this man to be the death of General Oberon, of me, of the people of this city, even of you? Infernals? Bane above! If they come here, don't think for a second that this man won't leave you to die."\
\
"Excuse me," Gem said calmly, "but I am capable of defending individuals against the power of the Inferno."\
\
"You can't even accept yourself as Legend Reborn!" screamed Julien. "I doubt you can even defeat another human in your current state." The Lord of Tryn resisted the urge to spit at Gem's feet. For minutes, Julien was silent, glowering at Gem. Gem gazed back at Julien, his expression one of relaxation. Mana could tell that Gem had no interest in arguing with Julien, or, more precisely, was much too tired to care to defend himself.\
\
"Uh! The water's boiled!" exclaimed Mana, surprised at how quickly the time had passed in silence. With a wave of his hand, he extinguished the flame, and then he created another pot of peach tea. "Here you go, brother." Carefully, he poured the first mug of the pot, a little bit of liquid escaping from a crack near the tip of the spout and dripping onto the counter. Julien seated himself next to Gem, returning to the place he had occupied before stepping outside. He tightened the blanket that had loosened while he was yelling and he held his own mug up. Mana poured him his tea without saying a word.\
\
Gem emptied his mug before speaking.\
\
"I
\f2\i have
\f1\i0 already accepted myself as Legend Reborn," he said quietly. "I have accepted that I am he, and that his skills and memories are gradually flowing into me. I have accepted that I carry the curse of remembering his death. I have accepted that those around me are prone to danger. I have decided to change my destiny
\f2\i because
\f1\i0 I have accepted it, and believe that this is the only way to responsibly deal with it."\
\
"But, you could\'d1"\
\
"Yeah. I'm selfish."\
\
Mana frowned as he refilled Gem's mug, and then returned to the sofa where he reclined with the book Gem had brought him. Silence filled the room once more as Gem sipped as his drink. Julien watched Gem, his own mug of tea forgotten. \
\
"Rather than study," Julien started, and then stopped, searching the right word.\
\
"What?"\
\
"Rather than study... why not use your skills as Legend Reborn?"\
\
"I intend to do both," Gem replied, taking another long sip of tea. "I need to forge myself a new runeblade in order to defend myself against the demons who pursue me. But fighting them can not be all I do. You do understand that constant conflict with the Inferno would only result in more destruction and more casualties, correct?"\
\
"I do. So you're going to make yourself weapons on the side while you figure out a way to end your destiny?"\
\
"Yes."\
\
"And are you going to help Lord Mana in his Crystal Hunt?"\
\
"That depends," Gem replied, "on whether or not helping him interferes with stopping Fate. I am of the opinion that it would be better for him to go somewhere else, somewhere far away from me. Somewhere he won't encounter Kieku or Ji\'d1a Ly'ban\'d1or any of the Infernals who are after me."\
\
"You're a pretty defensive guy," commented Julien.\
\
"You're fairly aggressive," remarked Gem, pouring himself a third mug of the still-steaming tea.\
\
"You wouldn't consider making runeblades for us, would you?" Julien asked hesitantly.\
\
"For Mana, sure. It would be a pleasure. But I would rather not place such weapons into your hands, Milord. You do understand."\
\
"I do," replied Julien darkly.\
\
"Why not?" piped Mana from the sofa.\
\
"You'll understand some day," Julien sighed. Mana shrugged and returned to his book.\
\
"He accepts the things you say without question," Gem noticed. "Since we met, he has been constantly questioning the things I say or do. He calls me 'brother' yet he treats me as though I were some suspect in a crime."\
\
"Aren't you?"\
\
"I am not."\
\
"Roof-runner, eh?"\
\
"Please, Milord, be quiet," sighed Gem. "I was a mercenary in the Underworld, nothing more and nothing less."\
\
"Underworld, is it?"\
\
Gem massaged his temples.\
\
"If it weren't for the gravity of the things you've done, Lord Tryn," he whispered, "and the fact that I cannot reply to your jests in kind, I get the feeling that we would be very,
\f2\i very
\f1\i0 good friends." Gem finished his third mug and then stood.\
\
"You're off again?" asked Mana.\
\
"What did you put in this tea, Mana?" inquired Julien, inspecting his own mug suspiciously. "How can the man be able to head out again so shortly after returning, dead tired?"\
\
"I'm just going to go lie down for a bit. Good-night, Mana. Good-night, Lord Tryn."\
\
"Julien's fine, ... Gem."\
\
"Good-night, Julien."\
\
Mana waved cheerily at Gem's retreating back as the bounty hunter made his way to the stairs and then disappeared from sight. Julien gulped down his mug and poured himself another.\
\
"This stuff is delicious, Mana. Where did you find it?"\
\
"Oberon supplied it, Jul," the mage replied. "He has surprisingly good taste. I wouldn't have expected him to be able to judge tea. I rather imagined he was an expert on swords, or armor, or something of that nature."\
\
"The general's full of mysteries."\
\
"Yeah... reading this portion about Nai, I was quite surprised." Mana flipped a couple of pages back and scanned for the right paragraph.\
\
"Nai?" Julien asked for a second time that evening.\
\
"Yeah. You know, one of the sons of Chaos, like Bane and Maha. It says here that after Bane created everything, Nai most commonly assumed the form of a human with long blue hair and blood red eyes. Prior to Oberon, I had never met anyone with such features, so I made the connection..."\
\
"There's no way that Oberon is a son of Chaos," Julien laughed.\
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\cf0 "I know," replied Mana. "But he's definitely full of mysteries."\
\
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\cf0 \
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\f3\b \cf0 Eighteen
\f4\b0 \
\
"You seem to be amazingly persistent, and it's beginning to tire me... how's this\'d1just give up on them."\
\
"Them? I haven't the slightest idea of what you're going on about. I came here for one reason: to destroy you."\
\
"Why ever would you do that?"\
\
"It's simple: traitors must die. You got away somehow ten years ago, but I'll End you this time."\
\
"Traitors?" Hysterical, rasping laughter. "You've grown hypocritical in your old age. If I were to return to the Inferno, would you return to the Light? Dumb beast. Have a piece of your own judgment."\
\
---\
\
Gem woke prematurely, wracked with pain. Clutching at his chest, he stumbled from his room and tripped down the stairs. He staggered into the underground manor's living room covered in sweat, his hand falling limp at his side as his own pain became a minor detail. He fell to his knees by the sofa. Mana lay motionless upon it, the book he'd been reading splayed on the floor, its pages crumpled and its spine wrecked.\
\
Staring at the Guardian Heir, Gem didn't know what to do. He knew what had caused the mage's collapse. It was the same pain as that which he felt, the pain that suddenly surged back into the foreground, doubled. His vision disappeared as he tipped over and rolled onto his side, gasping for breath. The bounty hunter struggled to remain in control of his senses, fought to regain his vision. Failing that, he let out two pained sighs, each one syllable.\
\
"Zu...kro..."\
\
"What's the racket for?" Julien yawned, his eyes closed as he stepped into the room, wrapped in his blanket. He cracked his eyes open, and the moment his vision adjusted to the chandelier's light, he too was at Mana's side. "Mana! Mana, what's wrong? Mana! What happened? Who did this to you? Answer me, Mana!" He shook the boy's shoulders, desperately trying to get him to wake up. No answer came; Mana remained motionless. Gem could make out the lord yelling, and then his hearing faded as he lost all consciousness.\
\
When he came to, he was still lying a few feet away from the sofa, right to where he had rolled after falling down. Julien knelt by the Guardian Heir's side, brow furrowed, eyes the image of worry, scraggly jaw clenched tight.\
\
"Julien?" Gem coughed, pushing himself into a sitting position with great difficulty.\
\
"Oh Gem, what happened?!" demanded the lord of Tryn, turning his head to face the bounty hunter. "Do you know what happened to Mana?"\
\
"Zuk..." came a faint voice from the sofa. Despite his pain, Gem was at the mage's side in seconds, as speechless as Julien as the two watched Mana surface. First, Mana's eyebrows twitched, then his mouth moved, attempting again and again to speak. Julien encouraged him with a squeeze of his hand, and Mana's eyes snapped open. "He's gone!"\
\
"You did feel it, then," the bounty hunter panted, his voice still trembling.\
\
"He's gone, brother! Why?" With this, Mana sat up abruptly. Gem could see tears in his eyes.\
\
"I don't know!" breathed Gem, frustration full in his voice.\
\
"What are you two going on about?" Julien asked, still beyond worried, his voice as frantic as Gem's ragged breathing had been just moments before.\
\
"Zuk's gone," Mana moaned.\
\
"Zuk's gone," repeated Gem, averting his eyes from the Guardian Heir. "Our... older brother. He has died."\
\
"Zukro? Killed in the Inferno by... what, his own comrades?" a bewildered Lord Tryn asked.\
\
"No," began Mana.\
\
"Slain in the Net by his worst enemy," finished Gem.\
\
"Nothing the two of you are saying makes any sense. Zukro's been locked in the Inferno for three thousand years, along with Maha. And what is this 'Net,' anyway? And what would Zukro's death, should he have died, have to do with you both losing consciousness due to immense pain? I mean, I'm glad that you're alive, Gem, and much more so that Lord Mana is, but\'d1"\
\
"I\'d1we\'d1have just lost something very important," Mana reasoned. "I remember this feeling from three thousand years ago, when Zukro..."\
\
"...murdered me?" Gem asked.\
\
"Yeah. It's unmistakable."\
\
"Feels worse than dying," affirmed Gem, whose chest was still a furnace of pain.\
\
"It must be because we're linked to some extent," Mana concluded, attempting to offer an explanation to Julien. "And we feel, to that extent, what occurs to each other."\
\
"That's freakish," Julien commented, "and it's not even Jikkuu..." Mana giggled lightly at this. Gem was surprised; a mage laughing lightheartedly at his talent being called freakish? Most men of Libra despised Jikkuu with a passion, a fear of the unknown surpassing reason having gripped them with the rule of Guardian Lord Lont close to one hundred years before. Gem could only imagine what ostracism Mana had experienced. The residual terror from Lont's edict of The Purge, the brutal law that had sentenced all Jikkuu-capable men and women to death, had been stirred up once again amongst the countries of the Libran Alliance with the birth of the Guardian Heir. Even in Verga City, merchants and travelers spoke in hushed tones of the terrible powers Mana possessed. Gem himself had never understood the common fear of Jikkuu, having been practically raised by a magic-using demon. After having experienced the two cousin nobles interacting, Gem had come to the conclusion that they were quite close, and had assumed that the Lord Tryn did not view Jikkuu as a dangerous curse. As he was mulling over these facts, Gem noticed Julien smiling broadly. "I'm glad you're alright, kiddo." With that, the lord gave the red-haired kid a muffling bear hug.\
\
So the lord had been joking in an effort to cheer his younger cousin. Gem cracked a lopsided smile and stood, the motion causing him to wince a little. As Julien released Mana, Gem's expression darkened. He'd made up his mind.\
\
"Kieku forced me to remember my death, but just that memory alone did not explain Zukro's actions. I still do not understand why he chose to abandon us back then, but that given I think I know exactly why he killed me. I would have never sided with him so long as Mana fought Maha." Seeing that the mage was visibly discomforted by the third person referral, the bounty hunter looked into his eyes and addressed him. "I swore an oath to you, Mana. I swore I would do anything to protect your happiness. Now I remember the pain I felt when you were injured in your first clash with Maha. Perhaps it was self-preservation, but I believed I would do anything to limit that pain. I take this oath once more. I will do anything for you."\
\
Mana's eyes widened, and Gem could tell that he did not remember any such oath. It made sense that their slowly returning memories would not overlap perfectly, and Gem didn't mind that the mage had no recollection of the immense pain that had caused him to take the vow.\
\
"Isn't that a bit 'Legend' of you, though?" Julien asked quizzically. "Doesn't it defeat your purpose to accept those memories and act on them?"\
\
"I told you before that I do not plan on running from who I am. I intend to use my abilities to the benefit of those around me. Eventually, I will overcome who I am, but until then, I am who I am. I cannot protect Mana as the Roof-runner, so I shall do so as Legend."\
\
"Ahhhhh, it's too confusing," Julien yelled in frustration, rubbing his temple as if alleviating a headache. "Mana, kiddo, you alright? I'm going to go back to bed."\
\
"I'm fine, Jul," replied Mana. "Thanks, and good-night."\
\
"And good-night to you, Legend." So saying, the Lord of Tryn rose from his kneeling position and headed for the stairs.\
\
"I'm sure he isn't confused, brother," Mana said, "and is just messing with you. It's one of his ways of being friendly."\
\
"Friendly, huh," coughed Gem.\
\
"But... brother, will you help me in my Crystal Hunt?" Mana, now sitting upright with his back against the sofa's armrest, pulled his knees to his chest and hugged them, looking up expectantly at the bounty hunter's face.\
\
"I fear that your pursuit of the Crystals will only bring you more pain, Mana," Gem responded quietly after a minute's contemplation. "I was opposed to your Crystal Hunt two days ago and that has not changed. Thinking back, though, I was opposed to you fighting Maha. I remember begging Bane\'d1our father\'d1to let me take your place and fight in your stead. My feelings have rarely had any influence on things. I will not stand in your way, Mana, and should you wish it, I will find every Crystal for you, even if that means taking A'xia back from Ji'Lopan."\
\
"I don't need anything so dramatic," the Guardian Heir smiled, "just your presence and anything you willingly contribute is more than enough. I have just one favor to ask at the moment."\
\
"Consider it done."\
\
"Please, stop seeing me as the Guardian Heir." Gem, surprised by the request, didn't respond. He stood still, and did not show any shock on his face. Mana's expectant look faded after a few moments and he closed his eyes. "Hey, I'm tired. The pain from Zukro's death... exhausted me. I'm going to sleep, brother." So saying, Mana's back slid down the armrest and he slumped sideways.\
\
"Idiot, go upstairs and get in bed," muttered Gem, not loudly enough to wake the already fast asleep mage. "Ah well. Sweet dreams. Now, I will just..." Gem looked around the room and noticed the book, still lying face-down on the floor. Picking it up, he straightened its pages and closed it carefully, hoping to smooth its fresh wrinkles. "Return this, I suppose."\
\
Still clad in the light, over-sized tunic that served him as a nightgown, the bounty hunter headed upstairs to change. He dressed himself in his usual cream-colored short-sleeved tunic and brown shorts, strapped on a belt lined with daggers, flung on a cloak, and in seconds was out the manor's front door, tome in hand, all without a sound. The door shut silently behind him.\
\
To Gem it felt like the middle of the night, yet people milled about the streets in as plentiful numbers as they had during his daytime. The city was truly insensitive to time. Buzzing around the clock, it was filled with people who had adjusted to different schedules and who lived out their waking hours beneath the earth, unaware of the sun's movement overhead. The phenomenon still seemed strange to Gem, whose nearly-nocturnal life in Verga City had been so regulated. The idea of a shop that would be open even in the wee hours, or that of an official who slept while men begged at his doors for audience, seemed outlandish.\
\
Making his way to the Hall of Lore via normal road took Gem over an hour. When he reached it, he sought out a secluded, unguarded corner of the perimeter and entered the Net. Once within, he took a single step forward and willed himself back into UnderMist. He tumbled out in the middle of an aisle lined with bookshelves, each laden with dusty tomes much like the one he held.\
\
The Hall of Lore, indistinguishable in exterior architecture from the average Terran lord's home, was magnificent to behold from within. Its high arched ceilings stretched into darkness, the light from wall-mounted torches not reaching them. Twin Ionic columns framed every doorway, intricate sculptures of opened books resting upon their capitals. Its walls made of red brick and the shelves carved of a similarly colored wood, the entire interior felt warm. The employment of torches rather than more modern lamps had originally confused Gem, but after accustoming himself to the library, he had realized why those in charge risked fire for enhanced atmosphere.\
\
Glancing around to ensure that he wasn't being watched, Gem tiptoed over to the nearest shelf and slid the book he carried in between two others. Both of these concerned the Creation, just as the book he had "borrowed" did, just as the contents of the entire aisle did. It was an oft-visited subject amongst the lore-recording scholars, and was a constant subject of musings from as far back as the records went. The oldest books in the library were books on the Creation, and most of the newer books discussed new theories on that same subject.\
\
"Now then," Gem murmured to himself as he strode from the Creation-lore aisle, "the Crystal Hunts of the past hundred years should be chronicled in this place somewhere."\
\
Instead of heading for the Chamber of Prophecy, where he had spent his last two days of research, Gem crept through a narrow corridor to the immense Vault of History. Still wary of what guards there might be, he shuffled around, examining the shelf labels. After five minutes of searching, he discovered a white plaque that declared its shelf dedicated to the year 3035\'d1the year Lont became Guardian Lord. Lifting a hefty tome entitled "The Scattering: The Guardians' Dishonor" from the shelf, he immersed himself in his studies.\
\
It was exactly eighty years ago that the Guardian Lord Kondo died. He was murdered, a crime placed upon the shoulders of the Guardian Heir at the time\'d1his son, Gem al'Kondo. Gem's younger brother, the first of the main Mana Line to lack the talent of Jikkuu, assumed the throne in Gem's stead. His name was Lont. Lont al'Kondo declared three laws within his first year on the Mana Throne. The first of these, The Purge, was the cause for the popular fear of Jikkuu. It named Jikkuu evil, and called for the deaths of all who possessed the talent. Save for a few Guardian Magi who escaped and hid away until their natural deaths, every registered Jikkuu user, and all children found to carry the taint thereafter, were executed. Perhaps a dabbler or two managed to evade death, but the talent more or less died out with the issuance of The Purge.\
\
The second of Lont's laws, The Burning, was an extension of The Purge, issued in order to stop men from harboring Jikkuu users. It granted local authorities (and any vigilantes) around the continent the right to use "any means" in their pursuit of a safer community. The Burning was a name given the law by its opposition, and it overrode the law's true name decisively, accurately describing the flash-pillaging occurring across the Vergan and Eldran countrysides. Lont's third law, The Scattering, called for the Mana Palace to toss out its three-thousand-year-old relics, the Crystals of Mana.\
\
The book that Gem was reading concerned itself with the last of these laws, and, more specifically, with how its issuance in effect stripped the Guardians of their right to their name. Given them by the Entities three thousand years ago, the title "Guardians" referred to the Mana Line's duty to protect the Crystals. The author argued that discarding the Crystals of Mana meant discarding the title. Gem sighed as he shut the tome. While its contents were interesting, the arguments given were much more political than informative, and didn't touch on The Scattering's more interesting details\'d1which Crystals were scattered to where.\
\
Hours passed as Gem pored over texts regarding the Scattering and the ensuing Crystal Hunts, and he made little progress, if any. Struggling through dense passages on the controversies of the time, there was little substantial information on the whereabouts of the Crystals.
\f5\i I guess that's why it's called a hunt,
\f4\i0 Gem thought. After slogging through page after page of useless information, he had acquired a new-found respect for all the men who had undertaken Crystal Hunts in the last eighty years. They had been hunters, hunters seeking an elusive quarry. Only through thorough investigation could one find the Crystals, Gem realized. Only through hunting.
\f5\i Then I'll be a hunter.\
\
\f4\i0 He studied for hours more, even as he grew hungry, thirsty, and tired. He sought answers to his questions; he prowled the hunting grounds of lore. At long last, after nearly exhausting the resources at hand, he found a short list embedded in a larger paragraph regarding the scattering of the Crystals. According to the author of the book, the information was taken from one of the Guardians who had organized The Scattering under Lont's orders. The list went like this:\
\
\f5\i "Three to the mist, and two to the Fortress within it; and one each to the desert and plains and hill and mountain, and to the second lake; and one overlooking what man can't see, and the last enshrined where all man can."\
\
\f4\i0 "Three to the mist?" Gem whispered to himself. "That must mean Terra. But what's this about a fortress?" Puzzled, he looked up from the book and gazed into the darkness of the ceiling. "There aren't any fortresses in Terra..."\
\
"Is someone there?" came a gruff voice from the next room. Following it came the sound of approaching footsteps. Hastily, Gem replaced the book he held and dived into the Net amidst a burst of flame, leaving the Hall of Lore behind. At long last, he had found a clue. It was enough for now, he figured, as he made his way back to the manor.\
\
Somewhere along the way, he decided to drop out of the Net and visit a bar. He was almost dying of thirst and the heat of his road home was nigh unbearable. He couldn't wait for the sweet peach tea that Mana would undoubtedly prepare for him\'d1he needed water, and he needed it then and there. He chose a place with relatively little traffic to pop out at, and followed a stream of people to the nearest pub, a building the sign of which proclaimed a free half-loaf of fresh bread with each drink ordered.\
\
Once inside, Gem learned that one couldn't simply order a half-loaf of bread, and that it was only available alongside an alcoholic beverage. Not keen on that line of drink, the bounty hunter asked for an ale and the accompanying bread, minus the ale. Being charged for alcohol when all he wanted was bread and water seemed a tad unfair, but he was too starved to object and instead he quickly gobbled down the half-loaf (more like a crust) of sourdough, whereupon he found himself ordering a second of the same. After paying for ten ales and managing to eat the equivalent of a whole loaf of bread, he leaned forward against the counter, glass of water in hand.\
\
Amused by Gem's evasion of alcohol, the bartender, a slight elderly man whose eyes were lost in his wrinkled face, struck conversation.\
\
"You from 'round 'ere?"\
\
"Passing through," replied the bounty hunter, speaking truthfully.\
\
"Oh? Where ya comin' from?"\
\
"I was last in Verga City."\
\
"So, what ya do for a livin'? You a travelin'... scholar? Don't look it!" cackled the old man. Gem was, after all, not the image of a historian. Even with his weapon-lined belt concealed, his outfit spoke for itself. "You a mercen'ry er somethin', boy?"\
\
"I have been known to lend my services to others, yes," answered Gem cautiously.\
\
"Hahahaha!" laughed the bartender. "I'd gander th'Un'nerworld, but ya say ye're jist passin' through..."\
\
"Indeed," Gem stated firmly, "I am not with the Underworld."\
\
"Then p'r'aps ye're able ta lend yer services 'thout goin' through the system," the old man mused, stroking his bearded chin.\
\
"I... suppose I could, yes." Gem kept himself guarded. He didn't want to reveal too much, and should this man ask more than he felt comfortable answering, he would get up and leave. The title "Roof-runner" would be his undoing here in UnderMist, surrounded by the Underworlders he had betrayed.\
\
"Well, would ya listen to this ol' man's request?"\
\
Gem lowered his head and put his hand to his mouth as he whispered, "this has nothing to do with the Underworld?"\
\
"C'rrect," the man muttered back, "those basterds charge through the roof fer their sell-swords. Listen, boy, come back t'morra, an' I'll give ya half yer price and a breakdown of the job."\
\
"Sure."\
\
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\cf0 The bartender pushed a whole fresh-baked loaf of bread onto Gem, insisting that the purchase of ale earlier was "plain silly," and the bounty hunter was on his way. Jumping into the Net in an alleyway behind the pub, he ran back to the manor to report his findings from earlier to whomever might be awake. As he made his way back, he hoped that Mana had recovered properly. The pain from earlier\'d1the death of Zukro\'d1still lingered on Gem's mind.\
\
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\f0\b \cf0 Nineteen
\f1\b0 \
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\f4 \cf0 "Tell me, Heir to the World, do you have any regrets?"\
\
"Yes."\
\
"Tell me, Heir to the World, what would you give to undo your mistake?"\
\
"I would give anything to turn back time."\
\
"Tell me, Heir to the World, would you even betray the Inferno you love?"\
\
"I would give anything to turn back time."\
\
"Tell me, Heir to the World, do you deserve to live?"\
\
"Yes."\
\
---\
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\f1 \cf0 "What are you doing here?"\
\
"Breaking in," came the Joker's steady voice.\
\
"Wh-what? What are you up to? And where's Mark?"\
\
"Breaking in, same as you\'d1"\
\
"What nonsense," Gem laughed, "I am not here to break in!" The Joker rolled up one of his robe's gray sleeves, revealing a a hard leather glove that reached almost to his elbow, and pointed at the tools in Gem's hands. "Oh, these?" Gem asked as he looked down, noticing as if for the first time that he held a lock-picking set. "Eh..."\
\
"To answer your other question, my partner is currently meeting his boss. Now, are you going to stare all day or will you put those things to work?"\
\
Gem stood before the side door of one of the city's largest underground palaces. The crowds that flooded the streets of UnderMist did not reach this deep into the earth, and the small tunnel that branched off from the main road was empty save for Gem and the one he'd found fumbling with the doorknob: the Joker. So far the man had had no luck in gaining entry.\
\
"Before I do, could you explain a few things to me, please?" Gem questioned with a sigh, dropping the tools into his belt pouch and tucking his thumbs into his belt.\
\
"Sure, but I haven't got all night."\
\
"First off, why are we not fighting?"\
\
"What would be the point of that? Had I intended to kill the great-grandson of Gem al'Kondo I would have done it when we first met. Should you attack me, I will defend myself, but I have no desire for conflict."\
\
"Does Kieku not want me dead?"\
\
"I believe he does, from how he ordered Lopan to kill you, and how he began calling Voidfire in order to dispatch the Guardian Heir."\
\
"But then, should you not\'d1"\
\
"Listen up, kid," the Joker said angrily, his voice carrying emotion for the first time in Gem's memory, "you're beginning to piss the Jikkuu out of me via dilution. No, not with your questions. With your stupidity, dammit! Now get this door open."\
\
"Who is Mark's boss?"\
\
"Mark's a Marauder, and the current leader is... let's see... Julien al'Donaan Tryn? Yeah. Lord Tryn." The Joker's tone still held a note of impatience.\
\
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\f2\i \cf0 Wow,
\f1\i0 thought Gem,
\f2\i this guy's surprisingly open, and he's answering without hesitation. But more importantly, the Marauders? That thief, Mark, is one of them, and has a connection to Julien Tryn? How can I keep this hidden from Mana, that his older cousin is chief to one of Kieku's servants?\
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\f1\i0 \cf0 "Anything else? If not, please, the door."\
\
"Why can you not do it yourself?"\
\
"I don't particularly feel like causing a ruckus with explosions, or anything," the Joker explained, shrugging slightly. "If you could gain us a less flashy entry, that would be great."\
\
"Us?"\
\
"Yes, kid,
\f2\i us
\f1\i0 . We are going to enter this building
\f2\i together
\f1\i0 ."\
\
"Why?"\
\
"Why, kid,
\f2\i why?
\f1\i0 No more questions. Open the damn door." Reluctantly, Gem pulled his tools out of his pouch and bent down to examine the knob. "Gah, what a pushover. When you're done building yourself a brain, try to see about acquiring a spine, too."\
\
"Listen, Luke," foamed Gem, standing and turning from the door, "either give me an explanation or don't talk at all."\
\
"Concentrate on the brain part first," the Joker advised. Growling to himself, Gem returned to the task of opening the door. After a minute of fiddling with a variety of thin metal objects, the bounty hunter was rewarded with a minute clicking sound, and he carefully pulled the door open. It was heavy, being at least six inches of solid wood thick, and it creaked a little as it let in the underground street's torchlight. Ignoring the Joker, Gem crept inside the dark hallway and removed flint and tinder from his pouch to start a fire. Before he could so much as clink the two together, the hallway lit up. The Joker had stepped inside, a small warm flame dancing in his gloved hand. "Handy, isn't it?"\
\
"Quiet." Gem turned back to the task of making fire.\
\
"Don't bother, kid. I've got light enough for us both."\
\
"I am not working with you," Gem muttered.\
\
"Fortunately for you, I'm working with you," the Joker replied smugly. They strode down the narrow hallway together, Gem in embarrassed silence. The corridor, walled with brick and smelling of mold, shot off into the distant darkness with no doors leading off nor any guards in sight. The place was eerily isolated from the UnderMist the two had been in seconds before. "So, kid, my turn to ask questions. Apart from Fate, why are you here?"\
\
Gem stopped dead in his tracks.\
\
"Fate?"\
\
"Well, you're clearly destined to come here, kid, since you're here... that part's really not interesting, which is why I asked 'apart from...'"\
\
"I am not here because of Fate. I am here because I am a mercenary and an old bartender paid me good money to come. You are here for Kieku, are you not? Searching for the Crystals."\
\
"You feel it, don't you? The power of Mana."\
\
"Yeah."\
\
"I'm not here for Kieku, kid," the Joker sighed. "Let's go find that treasure now." The cloaked figure walked away from Gem, heading further down the hallway. Gem remained where he was, listening to the sound of footsteps. "You can hear
\f2\i that
\f1\i0 , can't you? Hurry if you don't want them to catch us."\
\
"Guards, and too close to run," Gem hissed, turning his back to the Joker and facing the darkness from which the two had walked. "Stay here, I could use your light."\
\
"Right then." The Joker stopped walking and turned. "Let's see what you have for us."\
\
Gem pulled two daggers out of his belt and readied himself. Within seconds, three burly men dressed in ring-mail and wielding sturdy axes charged out of the darkness. They came at the bounty hunter all at once, and he was barely able to dodge all of their attacks. He smiled as two of them ran past him. They intended to encircle him, and that would be just fine. Gem glanced around the hall and saw that the Joker was standing back calmly, seemingly disinterested in the fight.\
\
"What're you doing in this mansion, thief? You're not from our circle. The master will want to have a good talk with your Architect as to what to do with your corpse!"\
\
"I am not with the Underworld," Gem called back. This seemed to take the three by surprise.\
\
"No one runs independent crime in this city," one of the guards shouted. "You're a pretty poorly informed tourist. Either that, or a pile of lying demon-shit. In this city, both die!" With this, the guards charged Gem once again, bearing their axes down upon him from three directions. Gem's grin widened. The harmless red sparks and flames of the Net burst into life around Gem and immediately died down. Gem still stood where he had been, the three guards charging him, his smile gone. He brought up his daggers to block two of the axes and stopped the third axe with a knee to the guard's arm. The guards, physically superior to him, pressed their attack, and Gem feared that his body would be crushed under the force.\
\
Just as Gem felt his left arm starting to creak, the shadows of the hallway rippled and jumped into motion. Shapes and forms flickered across the walls, odd nightmarish creatures with red eyes and purple sneers. Lances of jet shot out of nowhere and pierced the bodies of the guards. Blood splattered Gem as he felt the pressure subside. The guards' armor had been completely ineffective, providing no obstacle to the shadow magic that had sought to penetrate its wearers' flesh.\
\
With a wave of his hand, the Joker returned the brick walls to normal and the black lances retreated into the shadows. Gem watched in shock as the three guards collapsed to the floor, bloodied messes. \
\
"You are..."\
\
"The secret is out, I suppose," the Joker sighed, releasing the gold clasp at his neck and letting his brown cloak fall to the floor. Before Gem's eyes, his gray robes seemed to grow ragged and the darkness of his cowl became solid. Twin red lights glowed like embers in that darkness, the eyes of a demon. "That was the Taint."\
\
"Tainted Jikkuu," Gem murmured. "You are a Ly'ban."\
\
"Indeed," the Joker replied, looking about. "Though when compared to Lopan I don't look it. He was the strongest of our litter; I was the runt."\
\
"This whole time\'d1"\
\
"The guise of a Jikkuu mage suits me better than that of a demon, and I believe that goes for the rest of this city. Even Mark doesn't know that I'm a Ly'ban. Tell me\'d1when I worked the mansions of lords with Mark, what do you think would have happened if I had let on to being a Ly'ban?"\
\
"Mist would have died." Gem bit his lip. This man wasn't a man at all, but a demon, one of the sons of Maha, a Ly'ban! He was Ji'Lopan's brother. Brothers with that... with that... demon!\
\
"I see you're finally using your head, kid. Now, would you like to explain that unseemly performance to me? You told me before that you were the Roof-runner of Verga City. I would expect a better fight from you."\
\
"Something went wrong," Gem said, his tone admitting some of the confusion he felt. "The Net. There was something wrong with the Net. I couldn't enter it."\
\
"Oh? That's interesting," the Ly'ban said, gathering up its cloak and donning it. "The Net, eh. That's quite interesting. Well, don't count on it in future battles, then."\
\
"I hope there aren't more like them," sighed Gem. "Their fighting was unrefined, but they were strong."\
\
"It's alright, I suppose.
\f2\i I'm
\f1\i0 not about to let you die."\
\
"That's reassuring, coming from one of Kieku's servants," Gem scoffed.\
\
"He still hasn't gotten it!" the Joker nearly cried out in frustration, but quickly fell in behind Gem, who had already taken off down the hall once again. The two plodded along in the Joker's firelight. After another five minutes of walking without incident, they came to a heavy metal door. Beyond it, the bounty hunter could hear voices.\
\
"Can you make out what they are saying, Luke?" he asked the Joker.\
\
"It's indecipherable, kid. They're drunk full of wine in there."\
\
"That should make things easier for me," Gem smiled as he turned the doorknob. It clicked easily and the door swung inward without resistance. It hadn't even been locked. The room beyond was well-lit by a cluster of chandeliers suspended from the center of the circular ceiling. Spaced evenly around the room were seven alcoves, each containing a wooden chest and piles of gold coins. Five hearty men, wearing the same ring-mail as the guards encountered earlier, sat around a stone table beneath the chandeliers. Discarded on the floor around them were scraps of food and now-empty bottles of cheap Vergan wine. The guards were so immersed in their drink and talk that they didn't notice the door open or Gem walk in.\
\
"This would be the treasure room," the Joker confirmed, eyeing a map that he had pulled from his sleeve.\
\
"Shhh!" Gem hissed.\
\
"It's fine, it's fine. They wouldn't notice you even if you stuck a dagger through them."\
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"Where did you get that map, anyway?" the bounty hunter whispered.\
\
"Mark made it when we performed here a couple months ago. Speaking of killing them, care to get on it?"\
\
"I might be able to just recover my prize without hurting them, though, if they are this oblivious," Gem mused, stroking his chin.\
\
"What exactly are you looking for, kid?" The Joker waved one gloved hand and, with a small popping noise, the lids of all the chests in the room burst open. "A-ha! there's the Crystal over there." There it lay, two alcoves counter-clockwise around the room, glowing a deep blue in its container. \
\
"And there is what I am looking for." Gem pointed at the alcove two clockwise from where they stood. "The bartender told me that it was a memory of his daughter. Apparently, she wore it before the Underworld took it\'d1and her\'d1for money." A necklace of tiny silver links rested on a velvet cushion, looking entirely out of place in the dank cellar-turned-treasury. Gem took one step in the direction of what he sought, and then stopped as the Joker raised both arms.\
\
"I'm sorry to do this to you, Gem," the Ly'ban murmured, saying the bounty hunter's name for the first time. "But right now, you need to make a choice." Curling in his ring and little fingers, the joker pointed at the two chests, the ones that held the necklace and the Crystal of Mana, and dark spheres of shadow began to form at his fingertips. "Fate demands this." With a deafening bang, the Joker staggered back into the doorway. Gem watched as the spheres shot towards the two chests, lengthening and becoming spears as they flew.\
\
"Dammit, Luke," he cursed. He took another step towards the necklace, everything in his perception slowing down. Those black lances barely budged as his mind raced. He needed to get the necklace. He couldn't betray the bartender's trust. A mercenary's life becomes meaningless once he abandons a paying customer. Gem then remembered his words from the day before.
\f2\i "
\f5 I take this oath once more. I will do anything for you."
\f1\i0 Biting his lip so as to not scream out, he shut his eyes and turned around. "Sorry, old man."\
\
Gem dashed for the Crystal, crushing a bottle underfoot and ducking under the dazed punch of a very confused guard. The bounty hunter plucked the Crystal from its bed, narrowly evading the Joker's black magic. As he took it in his hands, he felt its power surge through him. This was the power of Mana, the power granted him by the great father, the Creator, Bane. There was no mistaking this feeling. It was the same as back in the Ebony Fields Hill Shrine when the Broken Angel had given him A'xia. The lances of Tainted Jikkuu hit the cellar walls and both alcoves exploded.\
\
"Aqua," Gem murmured as he clutched the artifact to his chest, shielding it from the flying chunks of masonry. He braced himself for the impact of stones pelting him, but nothing made contact. Looking back, he saw between himself and the alcove a wall of solidified shadow against which was piled up an assortment of stone and brick, and heard the words of Ji'Lopan echoing in his head,
\f2\i "Fate won't let you die."
\f1\i0 \
\
"It seems that Fate is not done with me," Gem observed as the five guards advanced towards him, all bearing looks of confusion. "If you do not want it to finish you, please stand down."\
\
"What're you babbling about, thief?" one of them asked gruffly. "You think you can bust into the Third's treasury like this? You're going to die now." He reached out a big hand to grab Gem and then gurgled as a beam of darkness transfixed him. Within seconds, the guards were turned to piles of clothing and blood. The Joker rubbed his hands together expectantly in the doorway.\
\
"You want my thanks?" Gem asked. "Go back to the Inferno, Luke."\
\
"You made a good choice," the Joker commended cheerfully. "Welcome back to this world, Legend."\
\
"Very funny," Gem spat. "I did what I needed to do. Mana needs these Crystals. My loyalty goes to my family first."\
\
"To a distant cousin you only met four days ago?" the Joker inquired with a sly tone. "Or perhaps... to a beloved younger brother?"\
\
"Why are you doing this?" Gem asked. "We need to get out of here. You heard that man, right? This is the palace of the Third Architect of the Underworld. If we get caught, we will never be safe in this city again."\
\
"I'm alright with leaving now. You have what you came for, after all." The Joker laughed lightly at Gem's protests. "But will we really be caught?"\
\
"Would you kill the Third himself?"\
\
"If it comes down to it, yes," the Joker stated.\
\
"What kind of person is he?" Gem asked he stepped out of the room, dropping the Crystal into his pouch. "You said you performed here?"\
\
"Oh. When I performed here, this was the palace of the Second Architect." The Joker followed, lighting the passage once more with a flame of Jikkuu. "Since, a new building was raised for the First, and everyone in the organization moved up. I heard that the current Third is new to this city, though. The old Second, the one I performed for, was killed about a month ago, and the Third of the time took his place. Ahh, Underworld politics are complicated... long story short, I don't know the master of this palace. He's only been here for two weeks, maybe."\
\
"Only two weeks?"\
\
They walked on in silence for a dozen or so minutes, making their way back to the side door through which they'd entered. They reached it without trouble and stepped outside, back into the torch-lit streets of UnderMist. The relatively fresh air of the alley was refreshing to Gem after the dank hall. Stretching, he remarked that the Ly'ban was still standing there by his side.\
\
"You plan to hang around, or something?" Gem asked. "What, do you think I am just going to hand over the Crystal? If I say 'over my dead body,' after doing so much to keep me alive, are you going to kill me for it?"\
\
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\cf0 "Tell me, kid," the Joker replied, "Do you actually think that I'm working with Kieku?"\
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Twenty
\f1\b0 \
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\cf0 \
Mana leapt up from the sofa as he heard the sound of someone turning the doorknob. Julien, General Oberon, and the Eldran militiamen were all upstairs, and were Gem to return from that old bartender's mission, he wouldn't come in through the door. Worried, the mage gathered his focus to his right palm and a small white flame burst into being, concealed by his fingers.\
\
"Who's there?" he asked cautiously. The door opened and there stood the green-haired bounty hunter. Mana breathed a sigh of relief. "You scared me, brother. I thought you would use the Net. How was your mission?"\
\
"Ah, the Net. I can not seem to get in," Gem explained. "So I had to come back along the streets."\
\
"Weird. How was the mission?"\
\
"Quite interesting indeed," came the soft voice of another person. Gem walked into the manor and the Joker, who had been standing behind him, became visible. Mana started and stepped back, swinging his arm forward and revealing the flame in his hand. "Now, now, I'm not here to fight, Milord."\
\
"No need for concern, Mana," Gem reassured the Guardian Heir, "he is not going to do anything to us. My mission... was an utter failure. More importantly, look at this." Gem had kicked off his boots and dropped his cloak to the floor, and was rummaging through one of the many pouches attached to his belt. He pulled forth a tiny aquamarine gem that sparkled under the room's chandelier like a sphere of concentrated water.\
\
Mana was speechless as he regarded the piece of his old self. Gem offered the Crystal to him, and he took it, his face wonder and his hands care. He breathed one word as he took the Crystal: "Aqua."\
\
"Yeah, that's the Aqua Crystal. I'm guessing this is the first time you've seen a Crystal?" asked the Joker. Mana nodded dumbly. "But not you, right, kid?" the Joker asked of Gem. "You recovered A'xia, didn't you?"\
\
"Only to lose it immediately to Ji'Lopan," Gem said bitterly.\
\
"Well, this one is one of Rahg's Crystals," the Joker declared matter-of-factly.\
\
"Huh? Rahg's Crystals?" Mana asked, almost absentmindedly, still turning the Aqua Crystal over in his hand. It glimmered like none of the gold or jewels back in the Mana Palace had. He was sure that, comparing the beauty of this gem to that of all the decorations of his home combined, the royal lifestyle would be put to shame.\
\
"The Entity, Rahg. You
\f2\i do
\f1\i0 know who made the Crystals, right?"\
\
"The Entity High Council, but\'d1" Gem was cut off.\
\
"Do you humans not learn the names of the Entities? Rahg, Master of Elements. Terror, Lord of Nightmares. Phantom, Warden of Tears. Stormclaw, Giver of Strength. Those four form the Entity High Council, and each of them created three of the twelve Crystals of Mana when they divvied up Mana's essence."\
\
"Us humans...?" Mana mused with a questioning expression.\
\
"He is a Ly'ban," Gem remarked offhandedly.\
\
"I knew
\f2\i that
\f1\i0 ," Mana responded. "But I thought he was trying to hide it." After all, the Joker had been taken aback by what Kieku had said about demons, and no human could hide his face so well in the shadow cast by a cowl.\
\
"As I was saying," the Joker coughed, "it's one of Rahg's Crystals\'d1"\
\
"What's going on down here?" Julien Tryn asked, descending from the sleeping quarters upstairs. "Who's the guest?" Julien was draped in his large blanket and looked sleepy, but he perked up immediately on seeing the blue gem in Mana's hands. "Why, hello there! What do we have here?"\
\
"I got back one of the Crystals," Gem muttered, lowering his eyes and pouting slightly.\
\
"I'm the Joker," answered the Joker, "and I've come to ask to join Lord Mana's Crystal Hunt." Mana looked around, searching for surprise amongst the faces of his companions. Gem didn't seem shocked\'d1perhaps he had discussed this with the demon on their way back from acquiring the Aqua Crystal. Julien's face showed the surprise Mana sought, but it seemed somewhat forced, exaggerated.\
\
"The Joker... as in the mage who almost killed Mana four days ago?"\
\
"Actually, all I did was prevent his magic from affecting my party. Mark should have spoken to you already, Lord Tryn, but we've decided after much deliberation to part ways with Kieku. We would like to join with you."\
\
"Mark?" Julien asked almost without interest as he turned to the counter and pulled the teapot and four mugs from the cupboard.\
\
"The Thief. Your\'d1"\
\
"I know no such man, aside from a brief mention as one who was with you and Kieku," Julien claimed, turning from his tea preparations. For a moment, no one in the room spoke, and while Mana examined Julien's eyes, he noticed Gem watching the Joker. \
\
"I see," the Joker said slowly, drawing out the vowels, nodding once as he spoke.\
\
"You say you want to join with us?" Julien asked. "Why? And why are you betraying Kieku? I'm going to need to hear reasons before I approve of this."\
\
"We met with the Eyes," the Joker said. "The Eyes of Bane, the sentinel who chronicles every detail of every happening in this world. He showed us the past, the formation of the Crystals of Mana; he showed us the future, Kieku's goal. Originally, I was merely along with Kieku for the ride. I had no interest in what he was doing. However, in learning Kieku's intentions, I can no longer be an observer\'d1"\
\
"Kieku's intentions? Such things exist?" the Guardian Heir questioned, recalling Gem's earlier hypothesis that Kieku's actions were irrational and without purpose. He cocked an eyebrow at the bounty hunter, who shrugged.\
\
"Apparently."\
\
"Let's hear them," Julien suggested, and then indicated the counter, "over tea. Legend here is tired and deserves something to drink after bringing home a Crystal."\
\
"Dammit, Julien," Gem started, but then stepped over to the counter, sat down heavily, and discarded words for tea.\
\
"I'll pass on the tea," the Joker said, his low voice deadly serious, "and I would advise that you not be in the process of drinking when I state Kieku's goal." The Lord of Tryn put his mug down and Gem followed suit. "Surely you know why the Crystals were made."\
\
"The power of Mana, son of Bane, was too great, and it threatened to sunder reality if unchecked, correct?" Gem responded.\
\
"Very good, kid. Mana's ultimate ability to manipulate Jikkuu, or
\f2\i everything
\f1\i0 , meant that even when he wasn't trying, matter would be altered around him. He was a walking font of disruptions to Bane's order, and his power could not be allowed to remain whole. When the Dragons fell out of Bane's favor for their plan to kill Mana, the Entities came along, the Crystals were made, and the problem was solved. Mana disappeared, his power divided amongst twelve gems, and these given to Mana's descendants to guard until the end of order."\
\
"But then my great-grandfather..." Mana started.\
\
"...took the place of mine, and issued The Scattering," finished Gem.\
\
"I don't suppose any of you three know the long-standing rule regarding the basement in which the Crystals were kept prior to The Scattering?" Julien, Gem, and Mana all shook their heads. "No Jikkuu. No Guardian Magi were so much as allowed down there, and the magic-using Guardian Lords and Heirs never dared enter the place. Your great-grandfather," the Joker addressed Mana, "Lont, was the first Guardian Heir not to possess the talent. As a child, he was the first to enter the sanctuary of the Crystals. What he saw down there is doubtless the reason for his hatred and abhorrence of Jikkuu. He must have seen why Jikkuu users are not allowed to enter the basement."\
\
"Hmmm?" Julien questioned.\
\
"The Crystals of Mana, when assembled, are a bomb of disorder waiting to go off. The tiniest spark of Jikkuu can trigger them, and, should a mage channel directly through all twelve at once, they could in theory call forth the advent of Mana's spirit. This is Kieku's plan: to resurrect Mana, son of Bane, in his original form."\
\
"Nonsense," cried Julien, "Mana son of Bane stands before you at this moment!" He gestured towards Mana. "How can a living man be resurrected?"\
\
"Unless Lord Mana rejoins with the Crystals himself, they can be used to bring forth the parts of him that he is not yet. Becoming one of Bane's children is a gradual process, is it not, Lord Mana? Gem?" Gem nodded. Mana, seeing this, nodded as well. "If this ritual is completed, then you will never be." Mana stared at the demon in disbelief.\
\
"I will never be completed without the Crystals?" When formulating the plan to leave the Mana Palace and search for the Crystals, Mana had only ever had one thing in mind: regaining his family's honor. His great-grandfather Lont, the one who had scattered the Crystals, had left a bad mark on the Mana Line. In undoing his great-grandfather's mistakes, Mana had hoped to elevate his family in the eyes of the people. He could show them, in correcting Lont's wrongs, that Jikkuu wasn't terrible, and that he wasn't a freak. Suddenly, Mana doubted this plan. Collecting the Crystals only to absorb more power would not appease the fearful citizens.\
\
"Then all we need to do is gather the Crystals and join them with Mana, right?" Julien asked. "Perfect! We plan to recover them anyway\'d1"\
\
"That is a terrible idea," Gem murmured.\
\
"The kid understands," the Joker said sagely. "Why were the Crystals created?"\
\
"You already asked us this." The Lord of Tryn furrowed his brow. "The Entities needed to stop the unstable power of Mana\'d1"\
\
"
\f2\i Exactly
\f1\i0 , Lord Tryn. Should the process be reversed and the Crystals replaced with Mana's essence, tell me, what would happen?"\
\
"Mana would be complete?" Julien assumed an expression Mana had never seen before on his face\'d1an expression of stupefaction. His eyes were so puzzled, his forehead so wrinkled, his face a mask of false interest and wonderment. How long would Julien keep up this facade? How long would it last before Julien would realize that it's not believable? Mana wondered to himself as he watched the conversation, as removed from what was being said as he felt he was from the people of his country. He was completely absorbed in observing Julien, his every grain of concentration spent on divining his cousin's motives.\
\
"Bane's order would be disrupted," Gem cut in. "Think about it, Julien. Mana's full power, brought back into this world, would be as strong as it was when it was split and caged. It would affect the fabric of reality and ultimately..."\
\
"Cause the resurrection of Chaos."\
\
Mana snapped back into the now, released from studying Julien's deception, and turned to face the Joker.\
\
"Chaos? Kieku wants to revive Chaos?"\
\
"Yes, that is his plan."\
\
"What does that mean, revive Chaos?" Julien asked. "Chaos was never a living entity, was it?"\
\
"Correct. Chaos is the lack of existence that preceded Bane's order," the Joker said. "In erasing reality, Chaos would return. It's a fairly grand idea, and I'll grant Kieku some respect for his imagination, but... it would mean the end of our world, and the deaths of every single creature currently living."\
\
"Well that's no good." The Lord of Tryn bore an amused expression as he spoke. Mana quickly became perplexed trying to decode it.\
\
"You don't say," the Joker replied, quietly yet haughtily. "Gem here had the same reaction. Anyway, the point of it all is that Mark and I are joining with your group, which I hear also includes the General of the Libran Alliance. The Eyes explained to us some of the basic patterns set forth by Fate, and we can be of use in guiding Legend to aid you in your Crystal Hunt. As you can see, I've already had Legend retrieve one of the twelve. There are no more to be had here, as Kieku already has the other two that resided in this place. Mark and I can guide you to the next Crystal\'d1located in Gaia\'d1and to the next after that."\
\
"That does indeed sound like a good deal," Julien said. Mana nodded in agreement. \
\
"But I'm surprised," the Joker remarked, "two lords such as you, come out on a Crystal Hunt without weapons?"\
\
"We had weapons," Mana blurted, "but when we fought the Ly'ban\'d1"\
\
"When our ship blew up," Julien interrupted in, "we lost all the supplies we had brought with us, including weapons and food."\
\
"We will face off against Kieku and his servants again and again, so long as we pursue the Crystals of Mana." Gem stood as he spoke, the weariness and doubt in his expression disappearing. "Currently, the only one here who has the power to survive in a fight against Ji'Lopan is Luke. I will be making us all new weapons."\
\
"Doing your job, hm?" Julien laughed.\
\
"Really?" Mana asked excitedly. "You're going to make us runeblades?" The Crystals of Mana. His brother Legend. A runeblade. Mana felt a surge of confidence. With the powers of his former self and the aid of his brother, he could take on anything. He could take on Kieku and that Ly'ban of his, Ji'Lopan. He could take on the entire Inferno.\
\
"Yeah."\
\
"I'd better return to where Mark and I are staying," the Joker announced, turning towards the door. "The night is getting on, and if we're still around our inn in the morning... well, we need to remain inconspicuous and hide to the best of our abilities, at the moment. After all, both the Underworld and Kieku want us dead."\
\
"Good night, Luke," Gem called after the cloaked demon as it made its exit. "It was nice working with you." Mana smiled. Gem's voice held a cheer that he hadn't heard before, yet it didn't seem forced or unnatural.\
\
"Your brain came along nicely," the Joker chuckled, waving one gloved hand as he walked away, not looking back.\
\
---\
\
"Why do you hate my brother?" Mana asked of Oberon the next day as they sat together on the sofa, empty tea mugs in hand. Gem had left while Mana was still sleeping to find a place to forge. Julien was out meeting with the Joker and the Thief. Some of the general's men were out and about, enjoying this foreign city as best they could while maintaining low profiles. The others were upstairs, sleeping. Oberon sighed and gazed off at the far wall, his red eyes like twin pools of blood. He was clothed in the gray cloak he'd found, though the hood was removed and his blue hair was showing.\
\
"There is something to him I cannot stand." The general looked away from the wall, down into his mug. "I know he is plenty humble, and one of his main aversions to fulfilling his role as Legend Reborn is that he feels below it... or at least, so I have concluded through observation. He was born in a tiny hamlet in Eldra to a dying single mother. Of course he is humble. But there is a certain cockiness to him I cannot stand."\
\
"Cockiness?" Images of Gem flashed by in Mana's mind. Him struggling out of Lake Vise, weakened and drenched, him apologizing for not rescuing Mana earlier, him laughing softly at the thought of them both being killed by Kieku, him coming back to the manor every night exhausted and his eyes seemingly carved out, replaced with black pits of confusion. Those weren't the eyes of a poor person desperate with hunger. Oberon couldn't be right. Those were the eyes of someone burdened with responsibility and assailed by conflict from within.\
\
"Yes, Milord, cockiness. He does not flaunt it much when you are here, but when he and I met, and a couple times since, he has shown me he is capable of conceit and arrogance. I made a mistake in Verga City recently, and that caused the deaths of a handful of innocent people. It seems whenever he can, he acts the part of Legend around me, as if he was a deity I need pray to to correct my error."\
\
"Causing death is terrible, General," Mana murmured.\
\
"Yes Milord. I understand this. I prayed for forgiveness of the gods. But I will not pray to him."\
\
"Why did you follow him north?"\
\
"What?" Oberon faced Mana, a strand of blue hair falling across his surprised face. "What do you mean? It's not like I\'d1"\
\
"I know you followed him here," Mana insisted. "I overheard some of your men talking." Mana peered into those twin pools of blood, separated by the sharp line of the general's nose and that one strand of blue hair. Oberon's irises were almost solid crimson and they belied no emotion. In his face, his eyebrows and cheeks did the talking, and Mana managed to discern frustration in them as the general spoke.\
\
"I wanted to speak with Kieku. I gathered wherever Gem went, Kieku would be there to combat him, so I followed Gem. He came north so I came north. I know it was wrong to parade Eldran militiamen into Terra, but I believe the consequences thus far have been negligible."\
\
"I'm not faulting you for it, General."\
\
"Then what is this interrogation, if I may ask?"\
\
"I wanted to know what your relationship with my brother was. Call it curiosity." Mana turned away, rose to his feet, and walked over to the counter, where he refilled his mug. "Gem is incredibly interesting, in my opinion."\
\
"In mine, too, Milord. He confuses me. I can see the aura around people that tells who and what they are. He has two. One shows him as a criminal. The other a king. And beyond that confusion lies the fact he is Legend, son of Bane, yet acts as though he does not understand what that means, and\'d1"\
\
"What does it mean, General?" Mana asked cautiously.\
\
"Sire, I... it is not for me to say this moment."\
\
"Can you not be convinced to share?" Mana leaned back against the counter, mug in hand, sipping slowly in contemplation as he faced the sofa on which the general still sat.\
\
"It is best that I not," Oberon pleaded, his smooth white forehead wrinkling as his brow furrowed. Those twin pools of blood remained solid and motionless. Mana sighed as he placed his mug on the counter behind him and stood straight, assuming his full height of five feet and seven inches.\
\
"As the Guardian Heir of Libra, I command you to speak." Oberon lowered his head at the order. Mana half expected those pools of blood to drip from the man's face as liquid would, but Oberon's downcast eyes remained in place. His right index finger tapped the rim of his mug nervously as he opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, as if undecided as to whether or not to follow the mage's order. After more than a minute, his finger ceased tapping and he gripped the drinking vessel tighter.\
\
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\cf0 "... do you know of Nai?"\
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\f0\b \cf0 Twenty-one\
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\f1\b0 \cf0 \
Mana was awoken in the morning, nine days after receiving the Aqua Crystal, by the sounds of talking. He dressed quickly and made his way downstairs, where he saw his cousin talking to the Thief. Both were standing, and neither seemed calm. Julien, on seeing Mana, halted the conversation with an upraised palm and turned to face the mage as the Thief sat down on the sofa.\
\
"Have you yet seen the sword Gem made you?"\
\
"No. Is he done already?"\
\
"I think so. He won't show any of us, but he told me and the Joker about what it does. It should make your Jikkuu much stronger, he says." Julien smiled at his younger cousin. "Isn't it nice of Legend to be making us weapons?"\
\
"With the runes?" Mana asked, ignoring the jab at Gem. "It amplifies Jikkuu with the power of rune letters?"\
\
"Yeah, or so I gather. He's already made a trinket for the Joker, and it seems to work in the same manner. The spear he's making me is runed to weigh close to nothing." \
\
"So they're more than just weapons..."\
\
"They're like tools," the Thief put in. "That's how Luke explained it to me. They have a purpose beyond slashing an enemy, a use." He seemed comfortable as he spoke. "Tools. Luke makes everything so simple." Mana frowned. Since joining their group, neither the Joker nor the Thief had been around much. The Joker, in aiding Gem, ended up spending most of his time at the forge; the Thief, normally uncomfortable around Mana, avoided lingering in the manor.\
\
"Tools to be used, hmm?"\
\
"Yeah." The Thief looked extremely pleased with himself, grinning as he responded.\
\
"That seems almost insulting to my brother. The pieces of his soul, tools?" Mana half-pouted as he considered what to make of the Thief's attitude.\
\
"Oh, come now, Milord. Doesn't it sound better as 'tool?' Legend's soul-forging, rune letters, whatever it is... it's creepy," the Thief pronounced. "A tool... a weapon enhanced to fulfill a certain role, it's much nicer, isn't it?"\
\
"Hey now," Julien warned.\
\
"It's okay," Mana assured his cousin. "But why," he addressed the Thief, "just out of curiosity, say, why can't you accept the supernatural?" The Thief looked away from the Guardian Heir. His grin was no more, replaced now with a look of anxiety.\
\
"I'm fine with it, really," the Thief said, sweating slightly, the ease in his voice dissipating rapidly. "It's just weird. But I'm fine. Tools are just tools, nothing weird about them."\
\
"Weird?"\
\
"I'm going," the Thief announced as he stood abruptly. "Luke told me to meet him back at Gem's forge around this time."\
\
"Should I come along?" Julien asked.\
\
"No," the Thief insisted. "I'll go alone. Besides, isn't Oberon out? Who'll hold the fort if you leave?"\
\
"Mana's here," Julien remarked.\
\
"Can Mana fight?"\
\
"Better than I can when I'm weaponless," Julien smiled. "He's a budding Guardian Mage, after all."\
\
"You still use that term, even after your own family slaughtered them?" the Thief laughed, perspiring heavily now. "And, while the Guardians continue to silence Jikkuu users around the world, our beloved Guardian Heir Mana II lives in luxury, unhounded by the laws of the past. I'm going now."\
\
"Hey!" Julien called after him, but the sound of the manor door slamming shut drowned out his voice. Through the window he could see the man dashing down the street, the ends of his brown rags trailing behind him. The Lord of Tryn sighed before turning back to his younger cousin. Mana stood in the other doorway, having just descended from his bedchamber. He was clad in his regular green robes and his long red hair was done up in a ponytail.\
\
"Morning, Jul," Mana chuckled lightly.\
\
"What a way to start the day," Julien commented sadly, turning back to the window. "He said a lot just now, but don't let what he says get to you, Mana. He's fairly typical in his phobia, and it's nothing against him, really. But more importantly, do you want to come to the forge? Or should I go and bring back your sword?"\
\
"I should probably stay here, right? The general said\'d1"\
\
"Don't listen to that Oberon fellow," Julien smiled. "He's just easily excitable." Mana looked his cousin the eye and paused deliberately before responding.\
\
"His argument made sense to me, Jul. If I go out there, and people realize that yes, there's a sanctioned mage here... the Thief is right, you know. And I know this from all my time at the palace. Commoners who remember what happened eighty years ago hate me. I'm a symbol of our family's hypocrisy. I feel uneasy here, Jul. This place is full of those who oppose our country's laws. I'm sure there are dabblers, and they'd just as soon use me as a figurehead, just like Oberon said. I understand that, Jul. That's why I should stay here. Oberon's smart, you know."\
\
"It seems you're won over completely," the Lord of Tryn sighed.\
\
"What?"\
\
"No, nevermind. I have some information to share with you, information I learned at Gem's forge yesterday. The Joker has been helping Gem with the forging, you see, investing little bits of magic here and there to enhance the runes. As they work, the Joker tells Gem stories. The fellow knows a lot, it's fairly impressive. Yesterday I listened in, and overheard the Joker discussing his encounter with 'The Eyes,' that sentinel he'd mentioned when he joined with us."\
\
"The Eyes of Bane?"\
\
"That's the one. Apparently, The Eyes is a single being that works for Bane as an omniscient observer. From his home, he watches everything that goes on in this world. Traditionally, he has never interfered in anything, remaining impartial and reporting his knowledge to Bane's other servants, the Entities, the god-spirits we worship in our shrines and churches today. However, this time, he has directly contacted someone other than the Entities. According to the Joker, The Eyes visited the two of them, but the Thief told me later that they were the ones who visited him, somehow. That the pair woke to find themselves where he resides."\
\
"Where does he reside?" Mana asked, slightly awed. Having been deprived of books when he lived in the palace, hearing tell of the world's lore was exciting.\
\
"According to the Thief, The Eyes lives in a place called the Hall of Dracon. I asked Gem to check it out in that library he's in love with, but he refused, claiming that he's busy with his work in the forge\'d1in fact, he's been so busy he hasn't even come home these past few days, right? The Joker refused to comment, claiming that he is unfamiliar with this hall the Thief mentioned. I'm not too sure what to make of this, but it means that either one or both of the pair is lying to us."\
\
Mana could barely resist smiling. He found hilarious irony in Julien denouncing others as liars. Choosing to remain silent, he looked up at his cousin with a questioning look.\
\
"Well, don't let it worry you, Mana. The important thing is The Eyes' role in our Crystal Hunt. I doubt that he'll be coming down to guide us along every step of the way, but his knowledge could prove key to being successful. I'll try to coax more information out of the Joker and the Thief. I overheard something interesting regarding the Crystals, and what they represent..." Julien smiled, almost wickedly, "... and something about other worlds."\
\
Mana's eyes widened. He remained in the doorway, gaping, as his older cousin moved towards the door. The Crystals. The Eyes. The Hall of Dracon. Other worlds. Nai.\
\
"Wait," Mana said quietly, then his volume increasing as he cried out, "what do you know, Julien? What do you know?" The mage stepped out of the doorway, backwards, stumbling against the bottom stair. The door through which his cousin had exited the manor grew further away as the stairwell walls shrunk in on him.
\f2\i Where am I? This isn't my room at the top of the eastern tower. This isn't where I belong. This is neither palace nor glade. Why am I here? Where's Jul? No... that isn't my life! Where are my brothers? Where are you, Legend?
\f1\i0 \
\
---\
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When Mana woke, he was lying at the foot of the stairs, surrounded by greenery. One of Oberon's soldiers was sitting on the landing at the top of the staircase, looking down at him curiously. Mana pushed himself up weakly, keeping his eyes focused on the Eldran. Brown hair, darkened by the cold and mist of Terra. Green eyes, almost gray in the poor lighting of the stairwell. A boyish face, soft and round.\
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"How old are you?" Mana asked.\
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"Nineteen years, Milord."\
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"You have no excuse," the Guardian Heir sighed.\
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"Pardon, Milord?"\
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"Nothing, I was just thinking to myself." Mana didn't remove his piercing blue eyes from the militiaman. Visibly disturbed by the mage's scrutiny, the youth withdrew into himself slightly, pulling his knees in. Neither moved for minutes. Gradually, curiosity began to glow in the youth's face, and finally he spoke.\
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"May I speak freely, sire?"\
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Mana nodded slightly, not taking his eyes off the Eldran.\
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"I'd just like to say that it's beautiful, Milord. I\'d1I\'d1I know I may be out of line saying this, but there are many who say your gift is evil, but I think that it's beautiful, I really think it is! I used to help my dad in the fields before the Marauders attacked my village, and we were pretty close, you see, and he would take me into the woods from time to time, and show me all the pretty plants, and... and seeing this sort of reminded me of those days, and... how do I say this... I think your gift isn't bad, Milord! It's a gift, Milord!"\
\
Mana removed his eyes from the youth to look around. Thick green vines, healthy as any in a forest, had burst from the stone walls, and now wound about the floor haphazardly amidst chunks of displaced masonry. Lush patches of grass sprinkled the wooden floor and flowers of every color dotted them. The Guardian Heir looked down at his feet to see that the life had spread from there, that this burst of flora had originated from him. He stood in the middle of a thick verdant patch of grasses and weeds, the vines extending away from him. One of them had crawled along the railing and a large leaf protruded from its tip, inches away from the Eldran's shoulder.\
\
"What is this?"\
\
"It's your magic, isn't it, Milord? It's amazing."\
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"What's your name, soldier?" Mana asked, still looking around at the flora that had sprung up in the middle of the underground manor.\
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"Arsi, Milord."\
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"Thank you, Arsi. But my power really is something to hate."\
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"What?" The smile the youth had formed at the thanks disappeared with the word hate. "But it did this!" The militiaman gestured towards the greenery.\
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"I don't understand how these flowers bloomed," the mage admitted, "but my power is that which will tear this world apart."\
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"You're being overdramatic, Milord," came a soft voice from behind the Guardian Heir. Mana turned to see the Joker sitting on the sofa, facing the stairs. "This blossoming is most certainly your power. Your power as Mana, son of Bane, not as a Jikkuu-using Guardian. It's beautiful, the life that springs up around you."\
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"The life that springs up around me?" Mana asked, stepping into the living room.\
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"Should you really be sitting around there, soldier?" the Joker asked, addressing the Eldran youth. "Upstairs with you."\
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"Uh, yes!" he cried, scrambling up the stairs and disappearing into the sleeping quarters.\
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"When did you get here?" Mana asked of the Joker, ignoring the militiaman's retreat. "And did anyone else return from the forge?"\
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"No, I'm the only one who's come back, to my knowledge. I was here when you woke up, same as that Eldran boy, enjoying the spectacle."\
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"Spectacle?"\
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"Yes. As you slept, all these plants popped out of the walls and floor. It was something else, I tell you. As one who's seen similar miracles with fire and shadow, it was quite satisfying. I guess there was a misunderstanding the other day\'d1the unstable power of Mana was not his magic, per se."\
\
"But what
\f2\i is
\f1\i0 it?"\
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"It's the power of Mana. Surely you know that each of the old god's names meant something in the old tongue of men?"\
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"I didn't know that," Mana confessed.\
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"Blazes, what do they teach in your schools?" the Joker questioned.\
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\cf0 "I never went to school, though," Mana defended. "I was confined to my room up until a month ago."\
\
"Ah, because of The Purge?" Mana nodded and the Joker sighed. "That's unpleasant... well, all the gods had\'d1no, have\'d1meaningful names. Some of them have been translated into our current common tongue, and that translation has replaced their old name\'d1for example, Chaos, or Bane, or Legend. But the majority of the names haven't been replaced with their translation\'d1Maha, Zukro, Mana, Nai, the names of the Dragons."\
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"So what do they mean?"\
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"Bane's three children were Life, Legend, and Time. You are Life. Zukro is Time."\
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"Is? I thought he\'d1"\
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"Foolishness. He lives."\
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"He lives? But brother and I felt him go, we felt his life disappear, and\'d1" Mana spoke as if in a daze, his eyes wide and his words pushing themselves from his lips only with great effort. There was no way that Zukro could be alive. Mana had been immobilized with pain for the better part of a day, his every extremity racked with the realization that his older brother was gone.\
\
"He lives as Ragnarr, lieutenant of the Inferno," the Joker asserted. "He was brought back to life by the sentinel of Bane. Listen, Milord, this is between you and me. Don't tell Gem, or Oberon, and most certainly not Julien. Ji'Lopan killed Zukro. This much is true. But upon dying, The Eyes summoned his soul to the Hall of Dracon, the alternate dimension wherein resides The Eyes. The Eyes gave him life once more, and, once more claimed by Maha, Zukro has returned to the Inferno."\
\
"So he's alive!" Mana sighed with relief.\
\
"I'm surprised you couldn't feel it," the Joker commented. "Though you really shouldn't be happy that Zukro's alive, him being a fearsome enemy to you and all. Getting back to what I was saying, these names all had meaning. Maha, meaning 'evil,' was the name of Bane's greatest enemy. You, Mana, gave rise to life. Legend created the weapons of legendary heroes. Zukro transcended time to become an eternal being."\
\
"So these plants..."\
\
"Are the product of you being you. It is outbursts like these that made your power unstable and dangerous; no doubt this manifestation of your former self has come as a result of you touching the Aqua Crystal. Here you have created life in a radius of approximately..." the Joker scanned around, "five feet. With each additional Crystal, you will likely increase this radius dramatically, and with the last one, your influence will be so great that reality itself will crumble as easily as these stone walls."\
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"So it is to be hated, after all?" Mana asked cautiously, his eyebrows raising slightly in worry.\
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"Not until you've joined with all of the Crystals," the Joker reassured him. "Now, where is the Aqua Crystal, if I may ask?"\
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"Right here," said Mana, fishing in a pocket of his robes. He pulled out the blue gem and held it out for the Joker. "Why do you ask?"\
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"What do we do if you're running and it slips out of your pocket? You should find a more secure way to wear it. Maybe around your neck, or something. Think about it, and once you've decided, I can take you to Gem's forge. I'm sure he could make you whatever you like, and gladly, at that."\
\
"Gladly?"\
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"Indeed. He's pretty gung-ho on the soul-forging thing at the moment. I don't know if he realizes that embracing this part of Legend is hypocritical." The Joker sighed, and then stood. "He doesn't seem to have grown that spine yet..."\
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"You sound like Jul," Mana laughed.\
\
"Anyway, you think about it. I'll be upstairs."\
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"I've got it already," Mana said quickly, catching the Joker right before he passed him in the stairwell. "I was thinking maybe an earring."\
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"Whatever pleases you, Milord," the Joker said, and while Mana couldn't make out the demon's shadow-covered features, he was sure that it was smiling. "Shall we head to the forge?"\
\
"Sure."\
\
The two strode out of the manor, the Joker in the lead, and took only a few steps along the street before stopping. The air around them was unusually heavy and the torches lining the road flared green, then orange, then white, then green again. The usually red surfaces of the rock buildings shimmered purple and yellow.\
\
"This isn't good," the Joker laughed grimly.\
\
"What's this overpowering aura of Jikkuu? Even Kieku\'d1" Mana was cut off before he could complete his sentence, the Joker's usually soft voice hitting hard and fast.\
\
"This isn't one man." The street before them erupted into black flames and crumbled away. Buildings right and left disappeared as they were smashed into oblivion by giant purple tentacles of tainted Jikkuu. "Milord, you should hide."\
\
"What's going on?" Mana cried, pocketing the Aqua Crystal and taking a few steps backwards in the direction of the manor's door. Thick brown smoke from the explosions covered the street, and nothing could be seen beyond it. The Joker spread out his arms and crouched down.\
\
"Run, Mana!" cried the cloaked demon, soft voice replaced with a harsh rasp.\
\
Striding out of the smoke came one gray-robed figure, and then another, and another, and another. They wore black steel gauntlets and carried black lacquered scabbards and black spikes protruded from the shoulders of their garments. Bright red eyes shone from beneath their hoods. In unison, as they stepped out of the obscuring haze, they drew their blades, blades that shone whiter than white, a blinding white, a white so white it mimicked all the other colors at once.\
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\cf0 Out onto the streets of UnderMist poured wave after wave of Ly'ban.\
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\f0\b \cf0 Twenty-two
\f1\b0 \
\
The Joker flung off his cloak, revealing to Mana and the advancing horde his tattered gray robes. The Guardian Heir, motionless with fright as he gazed on, dully noted that the Joker's robes looked the same as those that covered the giant bodies of the Ly'ban. As the demons drew their swords, their sleeves were blown back in a supernatural wind, revealing spiked gauntlets of black steel. The Joker rolled up his own sleeves, revealing hard leather gloves and arm guards. Mana realized that, had the Joker's armor been the same black as that of the countless Ly'ban, he would have blended right in. And in that realization, the mage gained the power to move once more. He flung his gaze from advancing horde to single robed figure, his own hair and robes becoming a flurry of red and green in the wind that surrounded all of them.\
\
"You're\'d1" Mana was cut off as the Joker spoke.\
\
"Gem and Mark call me 'Luke,' and I appreciate it of them." The Joker's soft voice had returned, and he spoke calmly. Mana winced as he let himself imagine that this was the lull, that this was the calm, that the storm had yet to come. Walking towards him were row after row of gray-robed Ly'ban, illuminated not by the torchlight but by the light cast from their upraised swords. Breast to breast and filling the tunnel from wall to wall, they seemed endless. All around them lay the smoky wreckage of one of UnderMist's richest streets. This was the calm. "I'd always wanted to be seen as a human. Remember this if you will, Lord Mana. Should I die here today, Ji'Luc has fallen fighting his brothers." Silence followed, and then the Ly'ban stopped marching.\
\
"Ji'Luc!" screeched one of the approaching demons. "Who would have guessed that
\f2\i you
\f1\i0 were here, too! Step down, runt, or we'll End you."\
\
"I have to admit, I never bothered to learn all your names," the Joker sighed. "I'll be Ending you indiscriminately, now." The Joker stretched his arms out, palms facing the demonic army, and a white beam of fire shot out of each, lancing straight into the first rank. Two gray robes burst into flames as the demons wearing them were turned into piles of ash. Muttered rasps spread throughout the Ly'ban ranks. "That's right, boys. I don't need the ritual."\
\
"Only Ly'ban can kill each other," Mana muttered as he watched, reciting what he'd been taught. Ly'ban, in groups of five, were capable of performing what is called the 'Ending Ritual.' It took five to kill one; the practice was intended to eliminate traitors. Ly'ban could only be killed via this ritual, and only Ly'ban could perform this ritual; only Ly'ban could kill each other. "They're his brothers... but he's only one, and the ritual..."\
\
"There are a thousand of us," one Ly'ban spat. "Can you stop our use of the ritual two hundred times over?"\
\
"Try me." Beam after beam of white fire burst from the Joker's gloved hands, piercing demon after demon. As one, the Ly'ban moved, pointing their swords at the Joker, a thousand white brands shifting in a wave. "Watch me," the Joker cried, addressing Mana. "Watch the way I manipulate Jikkuu. This is your domain, Mana! You can End them as easily as I." Another two shots, another two Ly'ban turned to ash.\
\
"But I'm human!" Mana screamed, confused.\
\
"I'm killing them with Jikkuu, Mana, and so can you, dammit! Watch me!" A chant went up amongst the other Ly'ban. Mana couldn't make out words; they were using the old tongue, High Libran, that with which the gods were named. He looked back at the Joker, who was still shooting white fire into the horde, and he watched the formation of the fire in an almost dazed state.\
\
Mana's eyes widened as he understood the Joker's spell.\
\
"Well? Don't just stand there!"\
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Mana raised his arm slowly and pointed at one of the Ly'ban.
\f2\i Alter the world. Tear the fabric. Rend the Ly'ban to dust.
\f1\i0 His blue eyes shone as the air around him moved in its own current, separate from that surrounding the horde. In between his index finger and the Ly'ban he was aiming at, space didn't exist. His finger was the Ly'ban, and then the Ly'ban was behind him, the space between them negative. It was not dark in the subterranean street, but it was not light, either. Between his finger and the Ly'ban, darkness was negative. The fire he sought to summon was not hot; the cold in the non-space between himself and the Ly'ban was nonexistent. Science gave way in that space between the mage and the demon, and limitless heat came into being. A thin beam of white shot from his finger and exploded on impact with his target, taking off the demon's arm.\
\
"That's the power of Mana Reborn?" the injured Ly'ban laughed, disrupting the chant. "Weaker than this traitor runt." Another blast from Mana's finger took off its head, and it laughed no more. \
\
"I hate to sound selfish, Lord Mana," the Joker breathed, all the while Ending Ly'ban after Ly'ban, "but even if you don't kill them, so long as you stop them from completing the ritual as many times over as you can, it'll increase the chances of my survival, and I'll be able to kill more of them." Mana nodded dumbly without looking back and then extended both of his hands, mimicking the Joker's stance, and began firing beam after beam in rapid succession.\
\
"Mana Reborn is a danger," one of the Ly'ban rasped right before becoming transfixed with one of the Joker's white lances. Another demon in the ranks nodded and broke the chant, turning to face Mana. It extended one great gauntleted hand shaped like a giant black claw, and a large purple tentacle reared from its shadow, arcing up over its head towards the mage. Mana didn't even notice as the manifestation of Tainted Jikkuu sped towards him, concentrating on taking out as many Ly'ban as possible.\
\
"Watch out, Lord Mana!" the Joker cried out, his soft voice becoming a rasp once more. Mana looked up, concentration faltering as he realized that he was about to be skewered by the sickly-looking coil. Just as he ceased Ending demons, one group successfully completed the ritual, and five intertwining beams of light came into existence between the clustered Ly'ban and the Joker.\
\
"Mana! Luke!" came a familiar voice, and then Mana's vision became obscured by a billowing cloak. In a flash, he had a clear view of the situation once more. No purple tentacle was headed his way, no negative space existed between the Joker and the Ly'ban army, no rasping murmurs of ancient words issued from the gathered demons. Mana remained motionless, gazing in awe at the back of the man who had saved him. Gem stood, cloak flaring, sword hilt in hand, facing the the Ly'ban army.\
\
"Nice," the Joker chuckled, addressing the bounty hunter. "Your spine, kid. Very nice." \
\
"Mana, catch," Gem spoke forcefully. So saying he tossed a short sword, sheathed in a plain black scabbard, to the mage. Mana clumsily pulled the scabbard to his chest.\
\
"This is...?"\
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"Your runeblade, Mana. Be careful with it."\
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"Thank\'d1"\
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"There's no time for thanks now," Gem yelled. "Draw it and fight!" He whipped back his right arm, brandishing his hilt. There was no visible blade fixed to it, but the air around it moved as though a sword were being swung. Mana hesitantly put his hand on the leather-wrapped hilt of the sword Gem had given him. The moment his fingers touched it, he felt power surge through him.
\f2\i I wonder...
\f1\i0 He focused on the Ly'ban army into which he and the Joker had barely made a dent, and began altering the world.\
\
The sword in his hand was not a sword, and the Ly'ban before him were not demons. A giant blast of white issued from the sheathed sword, cutting deep into the Ly'ban horde, turning dozens of demons into ashes. Even Gem seemed startled by the power of the attack, and Mana, in wonder, almost dropped the sheath.\
\
"Keep fighting, Mana! I'll stop their magic, so don't worry about their attacks. Keep fighting."\
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Mana nodded silently, despite being behind Gem. He didn't have words. He tightened his grip on the sword and quickly drew it from it sheath. As he did, the air in the street became even heavier than it had become when the Ly'ban entered UnderMist. Buffeted by invisible forces, Gem's cloak was ripped clean off and Mana knocked back. The sword in his hands resembled an ordinary blade, a normal short sword, forged of normal metal, crafted in a normal shape. Inspecting it thoroughly, Mana found the runes set into the blade's base. Twisted shapes carved in seemingly random patterns, they looked entirely decorative and not magical in the slightest.\
\
And yet, this sword was so... strange.\
\
The Joker had pulled back from the fight into the shadows without a word. He stood near the door to the manor, seemingly immobile. The Ly'ban, now faced only with two human targets, chose to charge, and, brandishing their Kaiblades, they descended upon Gem. The bounty hunter turned blacksmith held his ground, readying to swing out at whatever demons got too close.\
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"Did I make it?" came Julien's voice as he jumped next to Gem, wielding a twelve-foot spear that glowed a warm orange.\
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"Barely," Gem replied. "That general had better be close. Even with Mana here, we'll need all our strength\'d1and possibly more\'d1to stop these demons."\
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"This is still ridiculous," Julien sighed, shaking his head, crouching down and preparing to fight. "Three of us, blazes, throw in Oberon's whole outfit, given runeblades and supported by Mana... can we really stand up to this many demons?"\
\
"Who knows," Gem laughed softly, and then the air around him exploded into black and white.\
\
Mana was vaguely aware of willing the Ly'ban around Gem to crumble, but he did not instruct them to be destroyed. He was not conscious of deciding to point his new sword at any demon in particular; he was not in control as the air rippled and broke around the advancing Infernals. Space and non-space clashed and sound was replaced with static as streams of white engulfed the demonic horde. Mana's eyes failed and his senses ebbed as a single emotion surged to the foreground, washing away all else: ecstasy. All he could do was maintain his grip on the sword.\
\
The Lord of Tryn and Verga's Roof-runner were fighting like madmen, their bodies moving like pistons as they pumped back and forth, slicing and thrusting at the encroaching darkness that was the Ly'ban army. Sheer numbers in their favor, the Ly'ban pressed down with their bodies, attempting to break through into the small space around the Guardian Heir and his two defenders. Purple tentacles, black fire, gray robes, white swords, the malicious red glare of demonic eyes\'d1all of these were thrown at the two fighters.\
\
Gem twirled around, lashing out with his invisible, light-bending blade, turning Ly'ban and Ly'ban magic alike to cinders. Julien ducked under the whip-like strikes of the tentacles of the Taint, thrusting at his enemies quickly, as if ignoring the weight of his massive weapon. Together, they managed to successfully fend off the Ly'ban attacks, protecting Mana and allowing him room to fire off his destructive attacks.\
\
"Lord Tryn!" came a distant call. "Lord Tryn!" Julien, not pausing to look away from the demons before him, recognized the voice to be that of Oberon.\
\
"Get over here, General," he yelled over the static cracking in the air. "We're still alive."\
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"This thing works," Oberon's amused voice called back. "They fall apart when I hit them with it." With a loud crash, pieces of Ly'ban armor were propelled into the air above the army.\
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"This would be so much easier if I could use the Net," Gem moaned, barely dodging the swing of a Kaiblade.\
\
"No wishful thinking, Legend," Julien joked, still focused on the fight. He was chuckling, awed within by the situation. "We're crazy." He laughed out loud as he pressed his attack outward, his spear a giant orange fan as he kept the Ly'ban from crossing a line ten feet from him. Ashes and cinders covered the broken street; charred Ly'ban robes and empty armor littered the tunnel. Crashing noises emanated from the other end of the demon horde, clashing with the static surrounding Mana. This was ridiculous, Julien thought.
\f2\i We've been fighting and fighting, and yet they keep coming. I'm beginning to feel... tired...
\f1\i0 \
\
"Are you defending Mana? Or are you defending this world?" Gem grunted as he guarded against a demon's attack with his sword. The Ly'ban pressed down, its shining blade nearing Gem's face. With one grand push, the green-haired bounty hunter threw the demon back into the sea of its brothers, just in time to cut down a flower of Tainted Jikkuu directed at Mana. He tossed the hilt of his sword back and forth between his hands, ambidextrously cutting everything near him. Gem fought tirelessly. "Oberon is on the other side of this pack. He's fighting to defend this world."\
\
"Oberon is using the power of Legend to defend the world?" Julien laughed, still caught up in the frenzy of impossible battle.\
\
"He's fighting, is he not?" Gem's voice blurred and became noise. White flashes passed between the Lord of Tryn and the bounty hunter, tearing apart Ly'ban. Julien looked back for a moment to check what Gem was saying. Words formed on the bounty hunter's lips: "Are you fighting?"\
\
Julien paused. For what seemed minutes, he watched as his spear, it orange glow growing fainter, slowly dropped to the ground. The latest blast of white from Mana rode choppily across the flow of air and enveloped a handful of the ever-advancing Ly'ban. The static had disappeared, along with sound altogether; Gem's lips, moving agonizingly slowly, let out no voice. The Ly'ban slashed at Julien, but he felt no contact. Pain blossomed slowly, and then the world shook a single time as Gem's voice became clear once more.\
\
"What are you using my power to do?"\
\
Julien's spear lay on the ground, its glow faded completely. Mana, a few feet back, continued to indiscriminately launch beams of Ending magic into the Ly'ban ranks. Gem continued to swing his invisible blade, effectively blocking any of the Taint from reaching Mana. Judging by the incessant crashes from the rear of the horde, Oberon continued to smash the Ly'ban to pieces. Julien alone had stopped, his body transfixed in no less than six places by Ly'ban weaponry.\
\
"And what about you?" he voiced faintly as he fell forward, his body sliding effortlessly down the Kaiblades embedded in it.\
\
"Mana is the world," Gem said, his voice trembling along with his body as he struggled to keep going. "And he's destroying himself." Julien gave one final, blood-soaked, laughing cough and was still. A tremor ran through the scene before Gem's eyes, the endless Ly'ban, the countless traces of Tainted Jikkuu. Patches of it became flat, some empty, others small pools of chaos. Flash of white followed flash of white as the world slowed down.\
\
"Put up your sword, Lord Mana," came the gentle voice of the Joker, penetrating into the brain of the semi-conscious Guardian Heir. Mana's eyes opened as the pleasure simmered down. "You're going to tear the world apart." Mana hurriedly sheathed the sword, his body suddenly reacting to his brain, and his brain functioning once more. With Mana's magic not working its way through the Ly'ban army, the demons quickly swarmed around Gem.\
\
"Gem!" Mana cried out, and then, looking down, noticed the body of his cousin being trampled by pair after pair of Ly'ban boots. "Jul..."\
\
"I'm sorry it took so long for me to prepare this," the Joker apologized. "I don't think I left you alone long enough to cause permanent damage to Bane's order, though Gem making such a dangerous weapon was pretty foolish... stand back, Lord Mana. I'll deal with my annoying brothers now."\
\
Mana silently stepped back as the Joker emerged from the shadows. His leather gloves shone every color as he approached the other Ly'ban. He knelt down where Mana had been standing before and punched down, shoving his hands into the ground. Beams of color shot out of the broken stone street where the Joker's arms penetrated it to the elbow.\
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"Ly'ban brothers," he addressed the horde. "I regret spending as much time with our commander as I did, but it is with glee that I use his teachings to End you." Lights shot outward from his hands and ran along the street beneath the cobble stones, glimmering red and green and yellow and blue, a purple to dull that of the Vergan full moon, a white to outshine that of the Kaiblades, a black to swallow that of the Taint. As the lights spread out, they arced around the Ly'ban, encircling them, and then shot out of the street and into the air, forming a technicolor wall.\
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That wall began to close in on the horde, and then white flames burst into existence everywhere within the circle's boundaries.\
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Mana squinted and struggled to glimpse what was going on. The fires died down in seconds and all that was left within the circle was the torn street and the bodies of Julien and Gem. The lights faded away and the Joker stood, pulling his arms out of the ground and brushing away stray bits of rock from his no longer glowing gloves. Oberon, yards away, staggered a few steps closer to Mana and the Joker before collapsing to his knees. He supported himself by leaning on the haft of his weapon, a great axe set with green runes. The general looked wearily in the direction of Mana, and then his grip on his axe loosened and he fell on his face.\
\
"Brother... Jul... General..." The torchlight shifted as the mage whimpered, the unnaturally-colored flames dancing red again. The air grew lighter, easier to breathe, and finally all trace of the demons was gone, save for the marks they had left upon the three immobile fighters.\
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"I can retrieve them, Mana," the Joker spoke solemnly, turning back to face the Guardian Heir. "But I can't be selective about it."\
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"What do you mean?" Mana asked, his voice weak and trembling with tears.\
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"They're not gone, Mana. And I can retrieve them. Your cousin, Gem, and that general. Even this street. They're within reach. Do you want me to get them back?" The Joker had not moved, yet he seemed further away from the mage, taller and more imposing, larger yet distant.\
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"What the hell are you," Mana cried, "telling me you can bring back the dead? They're dead! They're\'d1" He broke off into great sobs.\
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"Your Jikkuu alters reality. Aren't you constantly causing contradictions to occur? Calm down, Mana. Nothing bad has happened." Mana had crumpled to the ground, a mess of red and green, and clutched himself, shivering uncontrollably. "Calm down, damn it. Do you want me to bring them back?"\
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"Yes," Mana muttered, and then repeated himself again and again. "Yes. Yes. Yes, do it. Yes. Yes!"\
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"Are you sure? All of them or none," the Joker said, his voice insistent.\
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"Yes, do it," the Guardian Heir commanded, staring down at the cobblestones.\
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\cf0 "This may be a mistake, Mana." The Joker extended an arm in the mage's direction, and his eyelids became heavy. The sadness was purged, replaced with a sweet exhaustion. Mana closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.\
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\f0\b \cf0 Twenty-three
\f1\b0 \
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Bits of hushed conversation came to Mana as he struggled to open his eyes.\
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"It would be better for him not to know." Gem was talking, by the sound of it, but Mana didn't know what he was discussing.
\f2\i Who would be better off not knowing what?
\f1\i0 \
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"He's coming to." The Joker.\
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Mana lifted his eyelids slowly and squinted to focus. He was lying on a bed in one of the chambers of the manor. Above him, glowing brightly, was a chandelier, and all around him were his companions\'d1Gem, Julien, the Joker, General Oberon, even the Thief. Peeking through the doorway was the familiar boyish face of a militiaman. The mage smiled faintly as he realized that his new Eldran friend had come to see him.\
\
"What happened?"\
\
"You're alright, Mana!" Julien cried happily, grabbing his right hand and squeezing it. "We were all worried about you."\
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"I'm alright, yes, but what happened?" Mana looked from face to face, searching for some clue as to why he was under such surveillance. Each man in the room wore an expression that revealed as much as the Joker's faceless hood.\
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"You fell and hit your head," Gem said briefly. "It looks like it was nothing serious, though you should probably get some more rest." He turned his back on Mana and strode from the room, passing Arsi's nose in the doorway. Julien let go of the mage's hand and stepped back from the bed.\
\
"Gem's right, you should rest more," he insisted, and then followed Gem through the door. The Thief scurried after him. Oberon, who had been crouching at the foot of Mana's bed, stood up and stretched. The Joker remained where he was, sitting on a stool by Mana's pillow.\
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Oberon inclined his head to the Guardian Heir and then left the room himself.\
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"I guess I'll be resting then, Luke," Mana sighed, and turned over under the sheets, turning his back to the Joker's sudden shudder. Closing his eyes, he sought sleep. \
\
---\
\
Gem looked down at the sleeping Mana.\
\
"You said he does not remember anything?"\
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"He woke briefly in the night, and didn't seem to remember that the Ly'ban were ever here," the Joker replied softly. Oberon, Julien, and the Thief looked on in silence as the mage dozed quietly. "Should I remind him of it all?"\
\
"What do you mean by all?" Julien asked.\
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"That the Ly'ban attacked Mist, that I'm one of them, that I taught him how to End them, that the three of you\'d1" the Joker indicated Gem, Julien, and Oberon\'d1"fought against the Ly'ban with runeblades, that you were killed... the whole deal."\
\
"I was supposed to have become better at soul-forging," Gem murmured. "It was a mistake to make the sword I made for Mana, an unforgivable mistake. That he was beginning to tear Bane's order\'d1"\
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"You did what you could to give him the means to fight the Inferno," Julien begrudged him.\
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"I'm not faulting anyone with anything," the Joker stated matter-of-factly. "But do we tell him or not?"\
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Julien bit his lip and the general shrugged.\
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"Doesn't concern me," Oberon declared. "My only concern is your strength, Joker," he added, echoing the thoughts of the others in the room. The blue-haired, red-eyed soldier crouched by the foot of Mana's bed, the hem of his cloak draped about the floor around him. "And I don't guess you plan to explain it."\
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The Thief remained motionless as he muttered, "Do what you think is best, Luke."\
\
Gem thought for a moment, gazing down at the peaceful face of the red-haired mage boy, considering the power of the runeblade he'd crafted and the destruction Mana had wrought wielding it. White fire had shot through the ranks of the Ly'ban, cutting enormous swathes through the demon host. All of Gem's senses had been played with as the mage, in his semi-conscious stupor, altered reality. The bounty-hunter realized that he was afraid of the weapon he'd made.\
\
"It would be better for him not to know."\
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"He's coming to," noted the Joker as the mage stirred. Quickly, those around the bed exchanged nods, and their faces became stone. Mana blinked wearily and then squinted, seeming to have a hard time focusing.\
\
"What happened?" he mumbled.\
\
"You're alright, Mana! We were all worried about you." Inside, Gem was sickened by Julien's acting, but he knew that he had asked for it. There was no backing out unless he wanted to explain everything to Mana, and that could well lead to the mage going berserk again.\
\
"I'm alright, yes, but what happened?" Mana turned his gaze from face to face. Gem wondered to himself if the mage did in fact remember the events leading up to his presumed memory loss. When Mana's eyes landed on Gem, the bounty hunter felt his face itching, burning to move, his lips dying to let out the truth. Reminding himself of his fear, he gathered himself and spoke, as briefly as he could.\
\
"You fell and hit your head. It looks like it was nothing serious, though you should probably get some more rest." He couldn't leave the room fast enough. Turning on his heel, he strode from the room, his cloak billowing out behind him as he moved. As he crossed the threshold, he noticed one of Oberon's men, a young Eldran, snooping around in the hall just outside Mana's chamber.\
\
As he left the room, he could hear the Lord of Tryn urging Mana to sleep.\
\
Gem sighed as he traversed the hall and descended the stairs to the living room. There in the corner, propped up against the wall, were the four new runeblades he'd crafted over the last week and a half. Julien's spear reached almost to the high ceiling, its haft covered in the tiny scratch marks that were a 'hasten' rune. It broad head was marked with the blue runes of 'block' and 'End.' Gem smiled to himself as he admired his handiwork. He had managed to make Julien a solid weapon that could be wielded with dexterity despite its great size. \
\
Its blade making a triangular pyramid with the room's walls, Oberon's axe rested on its head, two-foot-long haft propped up alongside Julien's spear. The edges of its blade were wreathed in green, a visual disturbance caused by the runes set within it; the 'fountain' that could draw water from the axe's victims and 'rend,' which tore any metal to pieces. Also leaning against Julien's spear was the long hilt of Gem's sword, the blade of which shimmered faintly, only semi-transparent in the room's candlelight. Lying flat on the ground alongside these three was the scabbard of Mana's new blade. Seeing its black casing and leather-bound handle, Gem averted his eyes and slowly picked his way towards the sofa. He collapsed back into it and looked up at the ceiling, shading his eyes from the crystal chandelier's glare.\
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The bounty hunter's thoughts were plagued with questions. He raised one hand to his brow and ran his fingers over his metal forehead protector, caressing the embossed red circle. Gem's gray eyes were still as he stared blankly into the space beyond his gloved wrist.\
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\f2\i \cf0 Why did the Ly'ban come to UnderMist, in such great numbers at one time? Has something begun to move in the Inferno? Why is the Joker capable of using ordinary Jikkuu, the school of magic that was supposed to have died out with the Guardian Magi eighty years ago? Why did Julien let down his guard and allow himself to be killed by the demons? How did the Joker dispose of the demons, and how did he undo the damage to the street, and how did he revive us?\
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\f1\i0 \cf0 Even before he could finish mentally formulating his questions, he heard footsteps in the stairwell and jumped up. The Joker came down into the living room and nodded calmly to Gem, gesturing for him to sit back down. Gem shrank back onto the sofa, his gaze remaining fixed on the darkness under the Joker's hood.\
\
"I figured we needed to talk."\
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Gem nodded dumbly.\
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"You probably have a lot of questions, but your confusion is keeping you from asking them. I'll start talking, alright? You interrupt me whenever you feel like it." Gem nodded again, and the Joker spoke after a brief pause. "I suppose I should start from the beginning... as I may have already told you, I was the runt of the one Ly'ban litter. This was some three thousand years ago, and Maha's army being extremely limited at the time, he wanted to make the most of every one of us Ly'ban. I was given special attention so that my magical powers would make up for what I lacked physically." The Joker walked over to the counter and took a seat on one of the stools, facing Gem. "I was entrusted to Ragnarr, Maha's lieutenant. You know him better as Zukro. Ragnarr taught me a lot of things, and over almost three thousand years he and I worked together to perfect our powers. He sought Jikkuu; I sought the power of words. We both reached our goals and taught each other what we knew, and then I, hating Ragnarr for his betrayal of his brothers in the first fight against Maha, left the Inferno, marking myself a traitor as well."\
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"If Zukro and you taught each other all your findings, then why couldn't he beat Ji?" Gem asked quickly.\
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"Ragnarr was a better teacher than I," the Joker laughed, "but there's no guarantee that I could defeat Ji'Lopan, even with the powers I have. I learned Jikkuu from Ragnarr, learned how to End my brothers and how to cast spells without invoking the Taint." The Joker hesitated for a moment and then went on. "Do let me know if I begin to ramble. Now, my own studies opened the path to the Phrases, the individual powers of the original gods: alterations in Bane's order without relying on the Jikkuu system of manipulation. Combining the two, I was able to create what I called the 'End Circle,' effectively a closed space in which nothing but Ending exists. Using it, I annihilated the Ly'ban that came to UnderMist yesterday. Then, using Ragnarr's Phrase, or rather Zukro's, that of Time, I unwound your deaths. That should explain everything that happened yesterday. Any questions?"\
\
"Many more," Gem said, his head spinning, "but not many that will be answered through your explanations. I am glad you were here to destroy the Infernals, Luke, and I am glad that you were able to 'unwind my death,' as you put it, but there's still a lot about you that I simply do not understand."\
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"Does it unnerve you that a Ly'ban such as I can be so just and caring?" the Joker chuckled.\
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"No, Luke," Gem said, almost forcefully, and then he hung his head and looked away. "Between the first time I saw him fight, ten years ago, and the first time I fought him seriously, last month, Ji seemed more human than demon to me. I never doubted that Ly'ban were capable of being considerate."\
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"Ah, kid, you're stirring up conflict inside me. On the one hand, you call me Luke, and treat me like an equal being, which makes me happy. On the other, you see me as Ji'Lopan, and that just pisses me off."\
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"I do not\'d1"\
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"You do," the Joker rasped. "Look, kid. I understand that you lost what family you had when you were little, and that you were imprisoned for a brief spell at Ky'Ebi, and that Ji'Lopan rescued you, after a fashion, and took care of you in his own twisted way, but he's a Ly'ban, dedicated to\'d1"\
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"Aren't you proof that Ji is more than just some demon?" Gem asked quietly, raising an eyebrow as he looked straight into the depths of the Joker's cowl.\
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"I... I suppose I could be," the Joker murmured, and turned away. "More importantly," he coughed, changing the subject abruptly, "about that sword you forged for Mana."\
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"What about it?"\
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"Are you going to give it back to him?" \
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"No," the bounty hunter replied, "I am not. I need to protect him from the true strength of his power." The Joker whistled. Gem smiled and closed his eyes. "That is what I would have said a few weeks back, at least. But things are different now; I made a decision when I took the Aqua Crystal."\
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"To be Legend?"\
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"I have understood what it means to be Legend for years, Luke. I decided that I am Legend, but that I am also Gem. I am me. I will overcome Fate while protecting Mana, just like I promised. Thanks to the push you gave me, I will not falter anymore in those pursuits. I will give him the sword, and caution him against using it, but I will not be so hypocritical as to control the life of another."\
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"I'm impressed, kid," the Joker said, and then shrugged. "I didn't expect you to grow up so fast."\
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"My name isn't kid, Luke," Gem said, removing his hand from his headband and standing tall. "I'm Gem, great-grandson of Gem al'Kondo, of the Mana Line." He grinned as he walked over to the counter where the Joker sat. "I look forward to working with you from now on." He extended his hand and the Joker grasped it, nodding. After a slow handshake, Gem made his way to the corner and picked up the weapon he'd made Mana. Clutching the black scabbard tightly, he nodded to the Joker. \
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"I'll wrap this in cloth. I think even touching the exposed hilt enhances Mana's powers too much."\
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"A wise decision," the Joker commented, and then hopped off his stool. "I'm going to go for a walk and see what UnderMist is up to." So saying, he crossed the room and exited the manor. Gem sighed as he watched the door swing shut, allowing his smile to disappear, and then took a step in the direction of the stairs. His questions regarding the Joker had more or less been answered, but more troubling problems remained.\
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As Gem put his booted right foot on the first stair, he noticed a shadow fall on the upper steps. He remained motionless as Julien appeared at the landing, his eyes downcast and head hanging. The Lord of Tryn paused upon seeing Gem and then hurried down the stairs, passing the bounty hunter without saying a word. Gem turned and followed Julien with his eyes. The lord's shoulders almost reached his ears, and all in all he made a rather pitiful sight.\
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"Why?" he asked quietly.\
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"Why what?" Julien retorted, anger dulled by sorrow full in his voice.\
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"Why did you stop fighting? Did you want to die?"\
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Julien turned around, grinding his teeth, his bangs swaying about his shining blue eyes.\
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"Do you
\f2\i think
\f1\i0 I wanted to die?!" he yelled, and suddenly he was no longer diminutive at all. "What were
\f2\i you
\f1\i0 doing, asking stupid questions in the middle of the fight? Of course I was fighting to protect Mana! It was obvious! Yet you asked those questions, as if trying to confuse me, and\'d1"\
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"I just wanted to know why we were fighting the Ly'ban..."\
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"Blazes you did, you son of a bitch!"\
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Gem took a step backwards up the stairs, taken aback by Julien's verbal assault. His lips trembled as he sought words that weren't there, some sort of explanation, some form of justification. Julien remained just inside the living room, seething, his eyes fixed on Gem's, his whole body shaking as he panted.\
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"Julien\'d1" Gem started, not sure where to go from there, but was cut off before he could figure out what to say. Julien turned and dashed to the corner of the room where the weapons lay and grabbed his spear in one hand.\
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"You want to know what it feels like to die?" Julien asked, his voice suddenly calm.\
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"No, I actually was also\'d1" Gem ducked as the runespear was hurled his way. The middle two stairs crumbled as it made contact with them, a small blast of orange emanating from the point of impact. Gem stumbled back down the two steps he'd climbed and staggered into the middle of the living room. As soon as he recovered his footing, Julien was upon him, wielding his own runeblade, the blade that shimmered in the light. Gem quickly brought up the scabbard of Mana's sword, blocking Julien's strike. The lord pressed his attack down upon the upraised sheath until Gem gave a hefty push, knocking Julien back and giving himself time to run to the other side of the room, where he stood against the wall, calculating the situation.\
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"What's going on down here?" the Thief asked as he came down the stairs. "Lord Tryn, your spear is in the stairs..." The Thief's jaw dropped as he saw Julien readying himself to charge Gem, brandishing the nigh-invisible sword. "Lord Tryn?"\
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"Don't talk now, Mark!" Julien shouted, sprinting at Gem. Gem dodged to the side, narrowly evading the blow, and ran around Julien to the stairs.\
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"Stop this madness, Julien," he urged.\
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"You got me killed," Julien seethed. "How am I supposed to stop?"\
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"You are just taking your confusion out on me!" Gem cried. "Stop or I will draw this sword."\
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"Blazes you will," Julien taunted, dashing forward and charging Gem once more. The bounty hunter clenched his jaw and pulled Mana's sword from its sheath. "You won't," Julien laughed as he approached Gem and swung.\
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"Stop this!" the Thief cried. "Why are you fighting?"\
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"I did not want to have to do this to my own sword," Gem sighed, and then tossed the black scabbard to the floor. He held out the plain-looking short sword before him and waited until Julien was within striking range. He slashed sideways, cutting into the blade of the sword Julien held, and in a flash of dull gray, Julien fell to the floor, panting heavily. "I guess I'll still be able to use it, though."\
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Julien looked down at the sword in his hands. In his shadow, it appeared in its full form, its giant blade almost a foot wide and four and half feet long. Its vicious tip lay seemingly detached from the rest of the blade, a section of the sword missing.\
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"What did you do?" asked Julien, his eyes wide.\
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"The sword you are holding, my runeblade, has had a piece of it removed from this world." Gem stood over the Lord of Tryn, short sword still in hand. With one kick, he sent the frightened lord halfway across the room. He retrieved his own sword, tip floating in midair inches beyond where the blade had been cut, and sheathed Mana's, turning to face the stairs. The Thief ran over to Julien's side and held his shoulders down.\
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"Why did he attack you?" the Thief asked, bewildered.\
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"Miscommunication," shrugged Gem, who then picked up Oberon's axe and headed towards the stairs. "I am going to go see the general and make sure he keeps an eye on this lest Tryn here attempts to take the weapons of others again. Make sure he knows not to pull this stunt again." The Thief nodded dumbly. Gem walked up the stairs, leaving Julien's runespear embedded into the staircase.\
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The bounty hunter turned right in the hallway and entered Oberon's chamber. Oberon lay on his back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling with his blood-red eyes. As Gem pushed the door open, Oberon turned his head to face him. His expression bespoke trouble, but upon noticing Gem, it hardened into the frown he wore whenever he was in the presence of the green-haired ex-Underworlder.\
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"What do you want, Legend?" the general asked, sounding as irritated as ever.\
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"I brought you your axe, General," Gem said, "so that you may keep an eye on it. Julien is being a bit childish right now."\
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"I never thought I'd hear that word from you," Oberon laughed, turning his eyes back to the ceiling. "But whatever. Leave that in in the corner, there." He indicated the space behind the door with one finger. Gem nodded his head and put down the axe. Then he exited the room, closing the door behind him. \
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Not knowing what else to do, he decided to head down to make himself a pot of tea. Upon entering the living room, he saw Julien lying sprawled out on the sofa, the Thief standing over him with a worried expression.\
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"What's wrong?"\
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"Nothing, actually," the Thief replied. "I'm just watching him." Just then the door to the street opened and the Joker scurried in. "Luke! Where were you?" the Thief asked, looking up from Julien. His partner ran over to Gem and placed his hands on the bounty hunter's shoulders.\
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"Bad news," the Joker rasped breathlessly, "Gem. The Underworld knows you're here."\
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\f0\b \cf0 Twenty-four
\f1\b0 \
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"Gem. The Underworld knows you're here."\
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The Thief looked from his partner to Gem suspiciously.\
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"The Underworld?" he asked, raising one eyebrow. Gem remained silent, focused on the Joker. The Thief walked away from the sofa and waved a hand in front of the bounty hunter's eyes. "The Underworld?" he repeated.\
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"What do you want to do?" the Joker asked quietly.\
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"There's only one thing I can do, Luke," Gem replied just as quietly, his voice low and serious. His eyes were hard as he turned to face the manor door. "There are no more Crystals to be acquired here, correct?" The Joker nodded quickly. "It's time we left Mist." The Joker nodded again. \
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Gem stood in the middle of the living room, dressed in his traveler's cloak over common thief's garb, a gray rag tied around his green hair, concealing his headband. In his right hand, he held the black scabbard of Mana's new sword. In his left, he held his own gigantic sword. Thoughts of making tea were forgotten along with the idea that he would have to somehow avoid the eyes of the Underworld. The candlelight gleamed off Gem's eyes. He had only one thing in mind: escape.\
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"What's this about the Underworld?" the Thief asked again, this time of his partner.\
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"Gem should explain," the Joker responded before taking a step in the direction of the staircase. "Gem, I'll go wake Mana. Do you want me to wrap the sword and give it to him while I'm at it?"\
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"Please," Gem requested, handing the Ly'ban the black scabbard. "And remember\'d1"\
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"Yes, yes, warn him to be cautious," the Joker chuckled softly, disappearing up the stairs.\
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"Gem?"\
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"I used to serve the Underworld," the bounty hunter began, turning away from the stairs and facing the Thief, "a month or so back. I had been with them for years as the Roof-runner of Verga. And you, Mark, are a Marauder." The Thief seemed startled that Gem knew. "And Tryn there is your leader." The Thief showed clear distress at Gem's knowledge. "And I suppose you do not want that general to know." The Thief shook his head wildly. "Then do not ask too many questions. I am wanted by the Underworld for treason, and they will try to take me back by whatever means necessary. We need to leave here today; we have not a second to spare." \
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"For now, I'll do what you say," the Thief said. "Lord Tryn seems like he won't be giving me much guidance for a bit." The exhausted lord now snored loudly on the sofa. "I would have hated you for your place in the Underworld, Gem, but I admire you for leaving."\
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"Rivalry between the groups is strong as ever, I see," Gem commented, turning toward the open space of the room. He swung his blade back and forth a number of times, testing it. The detached tip followed the sword's motions as if still connected. The whole mass of the blade shimmered as the chandelier's candlelight reflected off of it at odd angles and passed through it, giving it the illusion of not existing. As Gem swung the blade, the air around the swing flashed white and blurred. "Excellent."\
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"What's excellent?" the Thief asked curiously.\
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"This sword does exactly what I wanted it to do," Gem smiled. "It bends light and becomes invisible. I just need to name it..."\
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"Maybe a shark...?" mused the Thief. "That odd tip brings to mind an image I saw once, painted by an old eastern seaman. It had a strange nose\'d1there's a distinct resemblance."\
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"I like that, actually. The Shark. A predator." Gem's accomplishment helped ease the dismal feeling of failure that had followed the test run of Mana's runeblade. With this sword, he would have a chance against Ji'Lopan. With this sword, he could protect Mana. With this sword, this damaged sword of which a piece had disappeared, he could cut Fate's shackles. "Well, Mark, are you ready to go?"\
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"I don't own anything but these clothes," the Thief shrugged. "I suppose I have all my belongings."\
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"And Tryn?"\
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"Lord Tryn lost his things when he fell from his airship," the Thief answered. "So right now, all he has are those clothes, and the spear you made him. I can wake him and be off any time." Gem reached under his cloak, pulled out a large belt, and with it strapped his sword, the Shark, to his back. "Why, are we leaving this minute?"\
\
"As soon as Luke comes down with Mana."\
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"And the general?"\
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"He can stay here." The Thief chuckled a little at this and Gem continued to smile. The ex-Underworlder wasn't in a good mood; on the contrary, he was incredibly nervous. Images of Verga's destruction passed by in his head one after another: him batting aside former colleagues as they chased after him, the Shades burning down buildings and cutting down people, and then finally, Oberon burning his cousins as criminals, as Marauders...\
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"Gem, we have a bit of a problem," the Joker called from upstairs.\
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"What is it?" Gem called back, leaning over to peek up the stairwell.\
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"Mana says he's staying."\
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"What?" Gem cried in shock, almost falling forward. He caught himself and ran to the stairs. "Tell him to move, we're in trouble!"\
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"Why are we in trouble?" Mana appeared at the top of the stairs in his green robes, hair loose about his shoulders, cloth-wrapped bundle in hand. He appeared to be half-asleep; his eyes weren't fully open and his mouth was fixed in a half-yawn.\
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"The Underworld is after us!" Gem yelled, not thinking.\
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"Why is the Underworld after us?" the mage asked.\
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"I'd like to hear as well," Oberon said, emerging from his chamber and standing beside Mana. The Joker hung his head and stayed by the door to Mana's room. Gem's eyes widened as he remembered the scene in the swamp the night that he had met Mana. Oberon had said those exact words, and the conversation had come to a halt as each person present expressed his surprise at the encounter. Oberon had been shocked to find Mana in the marshes of southern Terra and Gem had been startled to see Oberon's militiamen ride out of the mist. Now, no such circumstances were in Gem's favor, and he wasn't the only one who remembered the previous encounter. "You ducked out last time, Legend. I expect a proper answer."\
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Gem looked up at the mage and the general, standing side by side at the top of the stairwell.\
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"This is not the time\'d1" Gem started, but was cut off.\
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"I see no better time," Oberon declared. Gem looked around and saw the worry in the Thief's eyes. He knew he had to reveal something that would satisfy the Guardian Heir and the General, but he couldn't give away the whole truth, lest he betray the Thief's situation. "Well?"\
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"I used to do some odd jobs for the Underworld," Gem lied. "Like I told Mana when we met, I am wanted now for... for defying them a little. They are very strict, so..."\
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"Blazes," Oberon cursed, "can't you criminal scum make better lies?"\
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"Criminal scum?" Mana asked, his grip on the bundle tightening.\
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"I'm an ex-Underworlder!" Gem cried. "I worked for them in Verga City! I betrayed them when I refused to turn in a cousin, a cousin, I might add, that this man\'d1" the bounty hunter glared at Oberon, "\'d1mistook for a Marauder and killed!" Oberon shrunk back from the top of the stairs. Mana looked from Gem to Oberon and back again. Gem closed his eyes and went on. "Yeah, that's the story. The First Architect at Verga told me that if I ever set foot in Terra, he would see to it that I never leave. I came here anyway, seeking to shed Fate's shackles. The First\'d1" the bounty hunter paused. "Wait, Luke." Mana and Oberon were puzzled as Gem stopped so abruptly. Though slightly confused, they shared an expression of doubt. Moments before, the general had born a smile, thinking himself vindicated, and now his thin mouth reflected his uneasiness with Mana's knowledge regarding the massacre at Verga City.\
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"What is it, Gem?" the Joker asked.\
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"You said that the Underworld had a new Third here," Gem recalled. "Did you ever catch his name?"\
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"Yes, I picked it up a few days after you asked me. The new Third Architect here is Lord Miles, apparently he's from the Vergan branch\'d1" the Joker was cut off as Gem stomped across the living room, making for the door.
\f2\i Lord Miles. The Architect of Verga's First Circle, the man who came to warn me not to enter Terra.
\f1\i0 A dull fear gripped Gem of the like he hadn't felt since the day he'd learned of his cousins' deaths. He knew that, were he caught, the Joker was on his side, and together they could fight their way out of Mist easily enough. \
\
But, Gem knew, it would not be painless. He recalled Verga City the night of its destruction, recalled how he had thoughtlessly thrown countless Underworld pursuers down into the flames, all in an attempt to save himself. Criminals or not, the Underworlders were humans. Gem couldn't allow himself to cause them harm, and if that meant running away as quickly as he could, he would run away as quickly as his legs could take him. Gem's fear was that of more people getting hurt. Vanishing from Mist, preventing bloodshed\'d1these were the two thoughts on Gem's mind as he ran for the door.\
\
"Lord the First, damn it! We're leaving
\f2\i now
\f1\i0 !"\
\
"Wait," Mana called and Gem paused, his hand resting on the doorknob. Mana came down the stairs slowly. "If you go out there, won't you get caught?"\
\
"Not if I run," said the bounty hunter, feverishly hoping that he would be able to evade the Underworld Runners that would surely come after him. He didn't see fit to correct Mana, to inform him that he wasn't at all afraid of being caught.\
\
"We can't all run as quickly as you," the Thief observed, indicating the berobed states of Mana and the Joker with an inclination of his head. He and the Joker were the only calm ones in the manor, Mana, Oberon, and Gem all extremely excited and Julien snoring a snore to trump the rasps of Ly'ban.\
\
"I'm staying with the general," Mana spoke up, having made his decision. "I need to talk to him about some things before I leave this place anyway. You go on ahead, brother, Thief. I'll catch up later." Surprise flashed across Oberon's face briefly before he returned to expressing unease.\
\
"I'll be borrowing Tryn," Gem said, nodding to the Guardian Heir. "Luke," he addressed the Joker, looking back from the door, "make sure nothing happens to Mana." The Joker nodded. "Mark, let's go." The Thief grabbed the runespear, roused Julien, and followed Gem out the door and into the streets of UnderMist. Julien, barely awake and unsure of what was happening, stumbled outside without a word, rubbing his eyes on the back of his sleeve. Mana stood motionless at the foot of the stairs, looking at the door as it swung shut. Oberon and the Joker gazed down at the Guardian Heir from the top of the stairwell. Before long, the sound of boots ringing off cobblestones faded away.\
\
---\
\
Mana turned to face the two above him.\
\
"Luke, you know who General Oberon is, don't you?" he asked. The Joker nodded in silence. Mana peered up into Oberon's crimson eyes. "Oberon, son of Nai, prince of Atlantis. You probably know more about the Crystals than Kieku. I wanted to wait a while longer, but I guess we've stayed too long. We should leave this place\'d1brother said it's dangerous here\'d1and go somewhere where we can have a nice long talk." Oberon furrowed his brow as he looked down at the Guardian Heir. After a moment's hesitation, he began descending the stairs, the Joker in his shadow.\
\
"You don't want to bring your men?" the Joker asked quietly from behind the general. "Is leaving them here a good idea?"\
\
"Better than bringing an Eldran unit out to the middle of UnderMist. It was hard hiding them here with no one noticing. Besides, I will be back to retrieve my things." With this, he had entered the living room. "My armor, my axe, my tea. Shall we go, Milord?" Mana nodded, tucked his bandaged bundle under his robes, and the three left the manor.\
\
The street didn't resemble the broken mess of rock that the Ly'ban had turned it into; it was neat and the cobblestones were laid out in clean rows. The high walls of the underground street were unmarred, their flat surfaces lit softly by the torchlight. A handful of Terrans wandered throughout the tunnel, but none paid heed to the group of three. Mana, long red hair tucked into his large green hood, assumed a diminutive stance and walked next to Oberon. To the passing stranger, he was just a young child in the care of a father or uncle. The Joker, striding behind the two, took on the role of a dark bodyguard\'d1not uncommon in a place like UnderMist.\
\
In this manner, the three made their way to an old pub, a sooty-looking place filled with the smoke of pipes and raucous laughter of drunkards. A sign outside advertised a special deal; for each drink ordered, customers would receive a half-loaf of bread. Entering, Oberon ushered Mana to a place at the counter and he and the Joker took places on either side of the young mage. The bartender smiled at them and rubbed his hands. His eyes, tiny and set deep in his wrinkled face, gleamed as he addressed his new customers.\
\
"What'll it be for ya?"\
\
"Hungry?" Oberon asked, looking around the edge of his cloak's cowl at Mana. Mana shook his head. Turning back to the bartender, Oberon answered, "three waters, then."\
\
"Odd lot," the old man remarked. "remind me of one customer fr'm a few weeks ago..." Shrugging, he pulled out three mugs and filled them with water. "But tha's tha. Enjoy."\
\
The Joker leaned in over the counter and made as if to speak, but then opted not to and pulled back. Oberon returned his gaze to Mana. Mana took a sip of his water and sighed.\
\
"So, General. You told me that you were the son of Nai\'d1why is that?"\
\
"I\'d1" Oberon paused, coughed, and then continued, "I told you because it was going to be revealed soon anyway. Just before you received the Aqua Crystal, orders from my country came in. I'm to give Gem a job on behalf of my father, and in so doing, I would be letting you know who I am." He closed his eyes, shutting out the bright red. "It would be easier to have someone else explain everything."\
\
"Is there anyone else here?" Oberon pointed around Mana, at the Joker, without opening his eyes.\
\
"But more importantly," he added, returning his hand to its place under his cloak, "I can take you somewhere where everything can be explained."\
\
"Can you?" questioned the Joker without so much as facing the general. He continued to gaze at the bartender from the depths of his hood, and spoke softly. "I don't think you can."\
\
"You should know," said Oberon.\
\
"What you seem to not be aware of," the Joker replied quietly, "is that the Net is closed."\
\
"And that means?"\
\
"It can only mean one thing. The Eyes\'d1" the Joker was cut off as Mana set down his mug loudly, making a dull knocking sound on the warped wooden counter. Taking his hands off the mug, Mana placed one each on the shoulders next to him.\
\
"Hold on one minute!" Mana interjected. "Slow down. I'm asking Oberon for information, not for the two of you to talk over my head. Oberon, if you can take me somewhere where someone will answer my questions, that's fine. But I need them answered, so\'d1"\
\
"Are you serious?" Oberon asked, ignoring Mana completely and fixing his gaze on the Joker. "How could such\'d1how could that be true? I thought he was immortal!"\
\
"So is Ragnarr."\
\
"But Lord Tryn told me that Ragnarr was dead," muttered a puzzled Oberon. "Gem and Lord Mana felt it, didn't they? Him dying?"\
\
"But the Eyes\'d1"\
\
"STOP!" Mana yelled. Curious glances were cast his way and he looked around the pub uncomfortably. The bartender's wrinkles rearranged themselves into quizzicality.\
\
"Ev'rything alright, boy?"\
\
Oberon cursed. "You shouldn't have yelled, Milord," he hissed, looking around the room. From the corners, black-robed men rose. The gamblers in the room all had their eyes set on the young mage. The torches in their wall braziers seemed to give off almost no light as they flickered dimly and the room darkened.\
\
"It's the Guardian Heir," someone in the crowd of customers said.\
\
"It's true," added another. "I saw him once when I was passing by the palace." Mana, frightened, pulled his hood tighter about his face, afraid that his hair was somehow showing, hoping that he could retroactively deceive these men into not knowing that he was Mana al'Lanto, Guardian Heir. "It's him, alright." One man spat on the wooden floor.\
\
One of the robed men, face concealed entirely in the shadow of his hood, stepped forth and spoke.\
\
"Lord Mana. We of the Third Circle wish to invite you to our office."\
\
"The Underworld," the Joker breathed. Oberon gritted his teeth, right hand twitching uselessly at his side as it failed to find a sword hilt or axe handle. "The Third Circle is the section governed by Gem's acquaintance from Verga. We only have once choice, General." Mana was silent as he sat there, knees facing the counter and left shoulder to the crowd. The robed man who had spoken took another few steps forward and then removed his hood, revealing a shaved head and a dark, scarred face sporting a pair of brilliant green eyes.\
\
"On behalf of Lord Miles, we, the Pillars of the Third Circle, shall take you." In a blur of cloth and arms, each of the black-robed men stood wielding twin blades, each a pair of identical three-foot swords. Mana's eyes narrowed.
\f2\i Lord Miles\'d1the man brother called 'Lord the First.' An officer in the Underworld. These are his men. How did he know that we would come here? Why here?
\f1\i0 \
\
"One problem," Oberon said, standing, a full head taller than the nearest Underworlder. "I am Oberon, Head General of the Libran Alliance's armies, and the Guardian Heir is in my care at the moment. Stand down." He removed his cowl slowly, revealing his blue hair and red eyes to the onlookers. A few gasps arose here and there, but the robed men didn't show any sign of being impressed.\
\
"Libran military?" the Underworlder spat. "What does the palace want with Mist?"\
\
"What do you want with the Guardian Heir?" Oberon asked, not flinching as the robed men collectively came closer, wading through the sea of unmoving customers. Bluffing, he drew his right arm in as if clutching a hidden scabbard. Immediately, the motionless gamblers and drunkards dissipated, fleeing the scene of what they believed would be slaughter.\
\
"Is it story time?" the head Underworlder asked condescendingly, lowering his blades. The bartender stood behind the counter with an uneasy grin on his wrinkled face. Mana and the Joker still sat at the bar, their heads turned toward the Underworlders. The pub seemed to grow as the customers fled, their absence creating room where there had been none. Now only a few stragglers lingered in the doorway, a morbid curiosity forcing them to watch until blows were actually traded. The Underworlders, six in total, stood spread out throughout the mess of abandoned tables. "The old man back there could explain everything."\
\
"You must be the one who ran to the Underworld about Gem," the Joker hissed, grasping the situation at last and addressing the old man. "And he full-heartedly regretted not being able to accomplish the mission you'd given him." The bartender's face twisted as he drew back from the counter and pressed his back against the wall.\
\
"Take'm away!" he cried hysterically.\
\
"Have your Links told you about the closing of the Net?" the Joker asked of the nearest Underworlder.\
\
"Don't pretend to understand our organization's structure, outsider," the green-eyed man warned.\
\
"Links are your dabblers, Jikkuu users on chains employed to communicate across distances. There's only one way you might be able to force someone to use an ability such as that\'d1it needs to be innately subconscious, like entry into the Net. Maybe you don't even know what the Net is. You 'Pillars,' are you not second only to your Architect? And you don't even know what the Net is?"\
\
Oberon smiled as the Joker talked, pleased by the psychological offensive that was being taken. The Underworlder took a step back.\
\
"How much did the Roof-runner tell you?"\
\
"Tell me? He doesn't talk about your cursed organization. Maybe your secrets simply aren't as well kept as you thought." The Joker stood as he spoke and rolled up his sleeves, baring his gloves. "I take it this old bartender is the one who asked your 'Roof-runner' to break into your Architect's treasury and steal back that necklace? I was there, that night. I'm the one who killed your guards. You should remember me, Pillars. You're the ones who turned me in to the First Circle's execution committee two weeks ago for infiltrating the Hall of Lore."\
\
"The Joker," one of the Underworlders hissed.\
\
Without a word, the head Underworlder dashed forward and ran the Joker through, sinking one of his blades hilt-deep into the Joker's chest, penetrating brown cloak and tattered gray robe. From the point of penetration, small pink sparks shot outward, burning the man's unprotected hand where they struck. He let go of the sword in shock and watched as the hilt melted away. The Joker leaned forward and struck him across the face with the back of his gloved hand, sending him flying into the far wall. The bartender let out a desperate whimper from the back of the room.\
\
"He'll live," the Joker reassured the other Underworlders present. "The Roof-runner asked me to spare life where I can." Before any of them could react, Mana gasped and clutched the bundle under his robes. The Joker looked back over his shoulder at the mage. "What is it, Mana?"\
\
"The sword..." Mana tried to find an appropriate word and decided on "shuddered," though he felt it was wholly inadequate for the sensation of the bandaged scabbard thrashing against his abdomen. He lowered his voice. "There's another Jikkuu user in this room."\
\
"You brought a Link?" the Joker asked, facing the Underworlders. One alone shook his head, the others remained motionless. "A dabbler?"\
\
"I suppose I was found out," came a soothing voice from one of the seemingly empty benches along the walls. In a swirl of blue and white, the form of a man materialized. As the lights and sparks faded away, the speaker was revealed to be an average-looking man with the sickly-pale face of one who lives beneath the earth. His eyes and hair were both jet black and he was clad in a tight black suit of stiff fabric that hid every inch of skin from his toes to his jaw. The Underworlders didn't react violently, but were clearly surprised by the man's appearance, and Oberon's brow furrowed even further as he looked the man's way.\
\
"What's your business here?" the Joker asked.\
\
"I heard from a friend in the Underworld that this establishment was being watched for acquaintances of Verga's Roof-runner. Information travels quickly down here, as you all should know, and before I knew it, I was here, waiting for the young master." The man smiled as one of the Underworlders cursed and muttered something about moving. "Indeed you can't," he responded, addressing the black-robed man. "Maybe I'll just kill you five off now." The man stood and extended his arms. Crackling fireballs burst into existence and floated above his open palms.\
\
"Wait," started Oberon, but it was too late; the dabbler had flung the projectiles at the hapless frozen Underworlders. The Joker's arm moved outward with a whiplike motion and the fireballs dissipated as they made contact with an invisible wall around the Underworlders.\
\
"Don't even think about it," he hissed.\
\
"You're a Jikkuu user too, I see," the dabbler grinned. "I don't suppose my people would mind if you joined us as well."\
\
"What are you going on about?" the Joker questioned ferociously, keeping the dabbler within his sight as he glanced back and forth between the black-robed men, Oberon, and the young mage at his side.\
\
"What am I going on about, you ask?" the man demanded in response, an almost delirious expression of glee creeping across his features. "Oh, the oddest little thing. Funny you ask, oh brother-in-talents. At the command of the young master, of the one sanctioned mage alive in this world, of the Guardian Heir of Libra itself, I shall bring a revolution to Terra\'d1no, to the world!"\
\
Oberon fell back onto his barstool, spun around to face the counter, and buried his head in his hands.\
\
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\f0\b Twenty-five\
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\pard\tx720\tx1440\tx2160\tx2880\tx3600\tx4320\tx5040\tx5760\tx6480\tx7200\tx7920\tx8640\pardeftab720\ql\qnatural\pardirnatural
\f1\b0 \cf0 Mana turned away from the bar in a twirl of green robes. The sword at his side had ceased shuddering and, taking its place, his face moved incessantly, unable to decide on expression. He looked the dabbler up and down from where he sat, unsure of exactly how to react.
\f0\b \
\
\f1\b0 "We have no interest in your revolution," the Joker stated plainly.\
\
"Royal criminals, eh?" the dabbler laughed. "Why the we?"\
\
"Criminal indeed," the Joker snorted. "Look at yourself, Jikkuu-user. I was referring to myself and Mana."\
\
"In life, brother-in-talents, men become men through the making of decisions! Yes, everyone must make his or her own choices, and become a better person by it. And this, oh brother, this is the young master's choice, is it not?" the man cackled. "So, Master? What say you?"\
\
"I\'d1"
\f2\i I want to help this man. I want to make it so that he doesn't need to call his existence a revolution. I want to make it so that he isn't labeled a Jikkuu-user, but rather an ordinary citizen of my father's lands. I want to help this man, but I can't aid a revolt\'d1\
\
\f1\i0 "No way!" Oberon shouted, turning back around from the counter in anger. "Get out of here this instant, dog."\
\
"No need to be so harsh," the Joker said gently.\
\
"No, there is a need," Oberon commented gruffly. "Otherwise the idiot thinks he can get you to help him."\
\
"I'm not an idiot. I'll have you know that I exited the best university in Mist with flying colors, and that..." The dabbler sounded hurt, and trailed off, not spirited enough to keep going. Mana's face, twisted into an expression of apprehension, softened.\
\
"Let's hear him out," he suggested.\
\
"No," was Oberon's response.\
\
"I'm with the general, for you, Mana," the Joker chimed in.\
\
"The young master is the master here," the dabbler declared. "I don't know who you are, but you won't interfere with him helping me."\
\
"I'm the Head General of the Libran Alliance," Oberon said almost carelessly, repeating his introduction from before. \
\
"I'm a Ly'ban," the Joker stated with equal disregard.\
\
"Everyone, be quiet." Mana's order was absolute. The dabbler didn't make so much as to utter a single word as Oberon and the Joker shook their heads in silence. "Luke, Oberon. I don't care about your inhibitions. We're safe so long as Gem gets out of here and these spies are silenced, right? So we'll go with this man, and I'll make a small detour along the way to restoring my family's honor. If anything, fighting against the Purge will only further exhibit my stance regarding Lont's mistakes."\
\
"Mana\'d1"\
\
"No, Luke," Mana said flatly. "I'm not willing to compromise." The dabbler's face shone as he smiled in Mana's direction. "Now I'm going to keep these Underworlders from talking." A few hand motions, a pulse through the air, and the Third Circle Pillars were sent reeling backwards, capable of movement once again but no longer able to speak. They clawed at their throats as they tore out of the pub. "Mage, what is your name?"\
\
"I'm Ay," said the dabbler, after a moment's hesitation. After another brief pause, he cautiously inquired, "I'm a mage now?"\
\
"The idea of a 'dabbler' can disappear," Mana smiled, making a tossing gesture.\
\
"Mana wait a minute," the Joker broke in quickly, talking as fast as he could in order to not be interrupted by the Guardian Heir, "Mana you know that the term 'dabbler' is necessary because 'magi' need to be registered and if you decide to just register all known 'dabblers' then when the next Purge comes around or if you fail then they're all going to die right?" The Joker turned to Ay. "Your best defense as a dabbler is to remain such."\
\
"Then I just won't fail." Mana's confidence shone through in his words and smile, and the revolutionist dabbler-turned-mage Ay reflected this radiance in his own smile and nodded response. "It's not a revolution, Ay. It's a change in opinions."\
\
"Allow me to show you to our base of operations," Ay said, barely able to talk for fear of losing his smile. Mana nodded and stood; then, as he recalled the Joker's fast save and the fireballs that had almost engulfed the Underworlders, he said,\
\
"But Ay, no killing."\
\
"No killing?" Ay demanded, his smile turned into an angry grimace. "Master, you must keep in mind that for eight decades, it is us who have been killed! The Purge and the hate derived from it have led to the ends of hundreds of our kind!"\
\
"You've got it wrong," Mana sighed quietly. "There is no 'our kind.' We're people, just like anyone else. Keep that in mind as you make our stance public. We're not dangerous. Jikkuu isn't dangerous."\
\
"He didn't think this through at all. It's clear in his intent to kill those Underworlders. Proof that he doesn't have full control of his wits," Oberon growled. "I can overlook the criminal\'d1no need to drag him back to the palace for prosecution. One more dabbler isn't something for the government to fret over. But Milord, don't humor him."\
\
"Oberon. You know why I left the palace, right?"\
\
"To retrieve the Crystals, Milord." The general scowled as he spoke, dissatisfied with both this turn of events and the larger picture\'d1Mana's blatant disregard for Libran law and worse, his own safety, in embarking on this quest.\
\
"And why that?"\
\
"I have no idea, Milord."\
\
"He wants to restore his family's honor," the Joker muttered. Oberon burst out laughing.\
\
"Serious, Milord?" Tears streamed down the general's face as he shut his red eyes and winced in mirth. "Is the Joker right? You want to restore honor to the Mana line?" He made as if to ask more questions, but then broke down completely and just laughed, hunched forward on his barstool. Strands of light blue hair fell across his face and stuck, caught in the wet lines running from his eyes to his chin.\
\
"Master, you keep company with men such as these?" Ay asked dubiously.\
\
"Not normally, no." Mana smiled and took a few steps in Ay's direction.\
\
"Mana, Oberon has a point, in a sense," the Joker pleaded. "This is insane. Just\'d1"\
\
"Luke. I want to do something good."\
\
With that, Ay and Mana walked out of the pub, leaving the demon and the general and the terrified old barkeep alone in the dark room.\
\
"There's no more reasoning to be done, son of Nai," the Joker said after some minutes of silence. "You and I, both being old, should understand the feeling Mana has right now. Nothing we can say is going to stop him. We may as well go find Gem and the others, and come back for Mana in a few days, once he's failed."\
\
"I'm surprised you knew me," Oberon said, having calmed down and stopped laughing.\
\
"The military men you're used to dealing with are most likely less experienced than I. It goes without saying that I would know an Atlantian when I see one\'d1I've been around for more than three thousand years. Besides, you haven't changed much since back then."\
\
"I wonder how long I've lived," Oberon replied.\
\
"More importantly, about the Eyes\'d1yes, Oberon. The Eyes is dead."\
\
"Are you sure? That would be a serious blow to our side."\
\
"Our? Speak for yourself, son of Nai. I don't see myself as a follower of the Light. I simply despise the Inferno, Ragnarr, and so on. I was going to ask before, about why you laughed so hard at Mana's reasons for joining the dabbler, but I think I understand now. You see yourself on the side of the Light because it gives you someone to feel better than and to pretend to humor\'d1the Mana line has declined and, by extension, so has all of Bane's power. I ask, why choose the losing faction?"\
\
"Sometimes, demon, I don't know. My father never approved."\
\
"Why don't you go back to Atlantis? You can be safe there, safe underwater with your people. You won't need to worry about Maha's armies or Kieku's insanity or Legend's destiny or the whims of insolent young nobles."\
\
"Sides are one thing." Oberon leaned back against the counter, looking up at the smoky ceiling. "I'm here now because my father asked me a favor."\
\
"He wants Gem for something important, I'm guessing?"\
\
"I don't know. He always keeps me in the dark. I guess that's why I want to talk to Kieku\'d1to get some answers."\
\
"I can give them to you, Oberon. The Eyes came to Mark and I the day before Ragnarr 'died.' He told us Kieku's objective: to gather all of the Crystals of Mana. He wants to revive Chaos through Mana, to return everything to the way it was before our fathers came to exist. He's going around collecting the Crystals very systematically. A very clear indication that he has at least one of the Entities on his side. One of their Elite Council members."\
\
"You're saying the current gods are betraying mankind?"\
\
"It's obvious. At least one of the leading four Entities, most likely with a large number of minor Entity followers, is aiding Kieku in a forced Crystal Hunt unlike anything Libra has seen before. One by one, he'll obtain the pieces of Mana. With the last one, Bane's order will begin to fall apart."\
\
"That is not the best possible future."\
\
"Do you feel like stopping him?"\
\
"Yes." Oberon al'Nai continued to gaze up at the ceiling, speaking the whole time in a flat, emotionless voice. His unblinking eyes were still pools of red. No matter how lifeless the Atlantian Prince might have seemed, the Joker knew that he was won over. "Does that mean escorting Mana on his Crystal Hunt?"\
\
"No. It means going south, and then east. In order to stop Kieku, you need to crush the entirety of the Marauder organization\'d1every band between here and the Blind Oceans. Every band in Verga, every raiding party in Eldra, every agent in Tryn."\
\
"What do the Marauders\'d1"\
\
"Trust me, son of Nai." The Joker spoke quietly but forcefully. The barkeeper had long since fled and it was just the demon and the general in the abandoned pub. "The Marauders are connected to Kieku."\
\
"I'll do as you say," Oberon spoke with great pauses between words, "because the Marauders are a threat to the Libran people as well. Let's leave now and find Gem, who should be out of the city already. I'll pass my father's request onto him and then take my men into Verga. What will you do?"\
\
"I'm going to go with Gem. I'm assuming that Nai's request includes meeting Legend, so I'll just... tag along, in whatever way, and hopefully meet my uncle. I have some things I'd like to tell him."\
\
"The Net being closed is inconvenient, isn't it?" Oberon straightened his back and then stood, covering his head once more with his cloak's hood. He walked out of the pub and the Joker followed close behind.\
\
"Yeah."\
\
The Joker smiled as best a Ly'ban could as he stepped out onto the streets of UnderMist. He was ready to follow Gem as he had followed Kieku, heedless of such things as intentions and goals. He was ready to defend Gem. He was ready to remain in human company until human life would run out. But before that, he had two selfish desires to fulfill.\
\
---\
\
"This is it, Master," Ay beamed as he set key in lock and began turning it. They stood at the entrance to a manor similar in nature to that at which the Guardian Heir had been staying. Though there were windows, the curtains were pulled and no light shone through them. With a click, the lock sprung open and the door swung inwards. "Please, come in."\
\
Mana walked in. It was dark inside.\
\
"Is no one here?" he asked suspiciously.\
\
"Indeed, this is odd. The men were having a riot of a party when I left to come find you," Ay's face was hidden in the shadows. Mana noticed that the entire room, from what he could see from the street torchlight, was empty and spotless. There wasn't a dot on any surface, no sign of people having come through before. There had been no party.\
\
Mana instantly took a step backwards, hoping to leave without making himself noticed. In a flash, the manor door was shut and he was on the wrong side of it, bound hand and foot with ice-cold ropes of magic. His sword, still bundled up, lay several feet away on the floor.\
\
"Those other Underworlders weren't Pillars," Ay chuckled. "Though for mere decoy Runners, they sure did a good job. Your troublesome companions will never expect this." The room lit up as flames danced around the ceiling, artificial lighting created with Jikkuu. "Revolution! The Purge!" Ay laughed. "I had my share of suspicions regarding the Guardian Heir's intelligence, but come on! How many dabblers, do you think, could live in a place like this without being inducted into the Underworld?" He strode over to Mana and kicked the young mage in the shoulder. Mana winced.\
\
"Underworld..." Mana breathed.\
\
"That's right. I'm a Link, a dabbler in the Underworld's service." Ay turned away from Mana, took off his right glove, and put his palm to his ear. Mana could see, in the Jikkuu-caused light, a red tattoo on the back of Ay's hand in the shape of dagger stuck in a shield. "Link Ay here," Ay spoke after a moment, not addressing Mana. "I'd like a direct line to the Third... yes, that's right, I have him." Another pause. "Lord the Third. I have the Guardian Heir at 34 in the twelfth level... yes, that's right. How fast can you be here? Take the train, then\'d1his companions might be here soon. What? An Atlantian and a demon. Yeah. Yes, Lord the Third."\
\
"Miles is coming?" Mana asked timidly.\
\
"The Third Architect to you," Ay spat, kicking Mana in the head this time, knocking off his hood and mussing his hair.\
\
"So that's a yes," the Guardian Heir murmured as he winced.\
\
"He never said I couldn't hurt you a little," Ay grinned. "I'll just tell him that you resisted." The Underworlder raised his leg to step on Mana's head, only to find, in bringing it down, that a wall of air had come to be in between them.\
\
"I see," Mana spoke, standing slowly, the magic ropes falling away from him. In his mind, images of Julien smiling and laughing flashed by. Then the day of their departure from the Mana Palace, Julien handing him his sword and belongings. Then the day that the Joker had joined the party, when Julien had grimaced at everything said. Then the morning, when Julien had been arguing with the Thief, and then\'d1Mana blanked. There, in the middle of his memories, was a giant hole. And all around it, Julien smiling that unnatural smile. \
\
"I see," Mana repeated. "Sometimes, people can't be trusted." The floor around his new sword burst into flying pieces of wood as the bundle shot into his hand. Before him, Ay was talking furiously to no one, his right hand to his ear and his eyes wide in fear. "I guess that's how things are." Vines burst from the hole in the floor and grass spread across the room as Mana took the black scabbard in his hands and discarded the bandages in which it had been wrapped. The light above disappeared as Ay backed away from the Guardian Heir.\
\
Mana put his left hand on the hilt of his sword and the world changed, every visible detail of it streaming constantly upward, only to be replaced by a copy of itself coming from below. Mana felt himself in the middle of a river, a river that was the room but was also the world as a whole. The man before him, who to him was no longer associated with the words "dabbler" or "Ay," streamed along with the rest of what Mana could see. One inch\'d1two inches\'d1gradually Mana drew forth his runeblade.\
\
"STOP!" The order came through clearly and Mana's runeblade slid all the way back into its sheath. In an instant, the trance-like state he'd been in was dispelled and he could see the room properly once more. Ay still cowered before him, frightened beyond belief, eyes wide and lips desperately forming inaudible words.\
\
Mana turned to see whence the order had come.\
\
Standing in the doorway was a man who looked to be made of death. The man was gaunt and tall, a kind of tall that only emphasizes thinness, dressed in over-sized gray clothing that looked to be the trappings of a corpse. His hair cropped short but left unkempt, bits of filth here and there had arranged it into disgusting-seeming clumps. His eyes, set deep in his face, were narrow, and a green to rival the sickest Kaiblade.\
\
"Lord Mana," the man spoke, and it shocked Mana to see what appeared to be a skeleton talk. "Please allow me to introduce myself." He came in and sat down atop a giant toadstool. It was only then that Mana realized that the floor had been turned into a sea of green and the walls into a forest. "I'm Miles, Third Architect of the Underworld. Please do forgive me for sitting\'d1I'm awfully exhausted." The purple bags under his eyes did not betray his words. "How do you do?" He extended a hand, worn and thin. Mana didn't take it.\
\
"You're Lord the First?"\
\
"The Third, now, actually," Miles said, retracting his arm and using the previously proffered hand to massage his neck. "But before anything else, I suppose I must apologize on behalf of my useless subordinate. I hope he didn't hurt you too badly."\
\
Mana didn't say anything, just tossed a cautious glance Ay's way. The Link was now writhing on the floor, his mind still in pieces at Mana's display of power.\
\
"I mean no ill toward you," Miles assured Mana. "I do, however, need a word with an acquaintance of yours and, as you were easier to catch than he, I hope you can play the role of a good hostage\'d1"\
\
"That's all you want?" Mana asked abruptly.\
\
"Yes, yes that's all I want. I need to talk to the Roof-runner\'d1"\
\
"I won't do it."\
\
"So I need to force you?"\
\
"Force is on my side," Mana threatened, brandishing the sheathed runeblade. "Leave Gem alone."\
\
"Cute. Gem, eh? Well, let me tell you something, Milord. It would pain your friend Gem an awful lot if you were to kill me or any of my underlings. Please understand our position, and his\'d1no one wants anyone to get hurt. Except for Ay, maybe. He was forced into the Underworld by a recruiter ten years back, threatened with being turned into the mage prosecution department back in Libra. Please understand."\
\
"You say you don't want anyone to get hurt, but what about Gem?"\
\
"The Roof-runner defied our organization, and should thusly pay the price."\
\
"It's a ridiculous price to pay! I... I don't know the details, I suppose," Mana stammered, "but Gem isn't bad, and he probably wanted to get away from crime!"\
\
"Hahahaha," Miles laughed good-naturedly as he leaned back in his makeshift seat. "You're a good kid, Milord. The Roof-runner? Not bad? Oh, that's grand. He was the worst, Milord. Do you want to know how many he killed for the same reason I want him dead now? He was our finest bounty hunter in Verga and we used him on all our traitors. And his companion, for all those years I knew him, was a demon. Is he still with the demon? Hahaha, not bad. Oh, Entities."\
\
\f2\i He must be referring to Ji'Lopan, that Ly'ban that mentored Gem.
\f1\i0 Mana imagined, for a moment, asking a question.
\f2\i Luke, have you ever killed anyone?
\f1\i0 "Of course I have, and more than I can recall. I was in Maha's army, after all."
\f2\i Oberon, have you killed a person before?
\f1\i0 "What do armies do, Milord?"
\f2\i Julien, tell me you've never killed a man before
\f1\i0 . "Of course not." (An obvious lie, Jul\'d1you killed Captain Guhnss!)
\f2\i Gem, have you killed anyone?
\f1\i0 "No lies, right? ... ahh, what does telling matter\'d1yes."\
\
"How many?"\
\
"What? You want to know?" Miles bore an expression of shock as he caught himself from falling sideways.\
\
"Yes."\
\
"Why would you want to know a figure like that, Milord?"\
\
"I want to know how many of you I can kill while escaping without becoming evil."\
\
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\pard\tx720\tx1440\tx2160\tx2880\tx3600\tx4320\tx5040\tx5760\tx6480\tx7200\tx7920\tx8640\pardeftab720\ql\qnatural\pardirnatural
\f0\b \cf0 Twenty-six
\f1\b0 \
\
Miles burst into hearty laughter unbefitting his derelict appearance and walked over to the door. Opening it, he smiled at Mana, all the while his eyes narrowing further. When he spoke, his voice carried traces of his laughter, a tone unbefitting his words.\
\
"Get the hell out of this city. Right now. I need to get back to my office before the hour is out and destroy the records of Ay having found you. Judging by his state, I doubt he'll remember, so I won't need to kill him. Now,
\f2\i Milord
\f1\i0 , if you so much as set foot in Mist again, I'll personally drive a sword through you. Get going. Get the hell out of here!"\
\
Mana's astonishment delayed him, causing Miles's smile to vanish.\
\
"Leave!" he shouted.\
\
Mana nodded his thanks, unable to find words to express his gratitude, and ran out into the street, heading for the nearest flight of stairs up and out of UnderMist. As he ran, the soles of his boots ringing on the cobblestones, many thoughts came to mind, all of them questions.
\f2\i What was the purpose of my capture if Miles just let me go? Why were those Underworld decoys almost killed by their own companion? Why did Ay hate me, when I trusted him and wanted to help him? Where would Oberon and Luke be right now? Has Gem made it out of the city yet?\
\
\pard\tx720\tx1440\tx2160\tx2880\tx3600\tx4320\tx5040\tx5760\tx6480\tx7200\tx7920\tx8640\pardeftab720\ql\qnatural\pardirnatural
\f1\i0 \cf0 But most importantly, he was asking himself why his great-grandfather, Lont al'Kondo, had instituted the Purge, a law that had killed hundreds and whose effects could still be seen decades later in the situations of people like Ay.\
\
Mana ran as fast as he could when not watched, using trace amounts of his power to detect the gazes of others. Whenever a pair of eyes would turn upon him, he would slow down and walk with the flow of foot traffic, merging with the UnderMist people. He had, since his encounter with Ay, put his hood back on, once more hiding the long red hair that would give him away as the Guardian Heir. As he meandered through the crowds in the upper levels of UnderMist, he examined the people around him. Most of them wore gray and brown, most of them looked unhappy.\
\
From the window of his room at the Mana Palace, Mana had been able to see the commoners scurrying around the village. They had all looked unhappy, tending to chores or other tasks and dealing with everyday troubles. Mana had seen the sailors on
\f2\i the Vapor
\f1\i0 , and they had all looked unhappy.\
\
\f2\i The sailors.\
\
\f1\i0 Mana stopped walking at this thought.
\f2\i I
\f1\i0 have
\f2\i killed someone,
\f1\i0 he realized.
\f2\i I killed a couple
\f1\i0 dozen
\f2\i people, all innocents.
\f1\i0 There was no way that the sailors, in their stopped states, could have jumped from the flaming airship as it descended into Vise Lake. Either burned to death on the airship before submersion or drowned trapped inside it after, the sailors of the Vapor were dead. And it was Mana's fault, because he had stopped them with his magic. He wanted to tell himself that it was alright, that he hadn't had a choice, but he knew that he could have gone to Terra on foot with Julien, using Jikkuu for speed. It would have had repercussions on the health of their feet and legs, yes, but better than causing the deaths of others.\
\
Mana bit his lip as he continued traveling upward.\
\
Eventually he made it to the surface and pulled himself out of the well that was the entrance to UnderMist. Looking around, he felt for any signs of Jikkuu users. He caught one to the east and went in that direction, hoping that it would the Joker. As he got closer, the huts of Mist disappeared around him, replaced with pine trees. All around was the thick fog of Terra and he was chilled to the bone, wearing only his light cotton robes. He couldn't yet see anyone in the distance but he could make out hushed voices. No words, but that was the voice of Oberon. And that, of Julien!\
\
Mana picked up his pace and ran as best as his robes allowed him, stumbling over roots as he made his way toward his companions. There they were, all of them. Oberon, the Joker, the Thief, Gem, Julien. Oberon, the Joker, and Gem were seated facing each other, talking quietly. Julien stood with his back to the circle, cutting in every now and then with a word or two. The Thief stood a distance away, not talking. Before Mana could catch any words, or even think to use magic to enhance his hearing, Julien remarked,\
\
"Mana's back."\
\
Silence fell on the party.\
\
"That was faster than expected," the Joker commented.\
\
"Ay was an Underworlder."\
\
"That explains a lot," the Joker sighed. "So? How did you escape?"\
\
Julien made a gesture mimicking slashing someone with a sword. Mana frowned at his cousin at this, finding the comic nature of Julien's exaggerated motions inappropriate. He was about to remain silent until he saw Gem's face. The bounty hunter didn't say a word. He just sat there, watching Mana, waiting for a response to the Joker's question. His eyes, gray as the mist, showed apprehension.\
\
"I didn't kill anyone," Mana blurted out quickly, seeking to ease Gem's mind.\
\
"That's a relief," the Joker replied, "for all of us." There was no sarcasm apparent in his whisper-like voice, yet Oberon snorted.\
\
The general sat on a log in his full plate armor once more, traveler's cloak discarded. Thanks to the fog's density, the armor wasn't shining as it had in Verga or indoors in UnderMist. In fact, it looked just like Gem's eyes, and the Joker's robes, and Mana's hair: gray.\
\
"This fog is pretty depressing," Julien commented.\
\
"We're leaving Terra, right?" Mana asked. "Gem needs to get away from the Underworld."\
\
"Yeah. We're headed east," the Joker said. "At least, five of us are. The general is taking his men and going south to take care of some business in Verga and Eldra. The rest of us are headed for Gaia."\
\
"Gaia?" Mana asked. "Why Gaia?"\
\
"There's a Crystal there. Why else?" Julien demanded in return.\
\
"What about Gem\'d1"\
\
"I already passed on the request," Oberon sighed. "Well, now that Lord Mana is here, I will take my leave."\
\
"I'm in your debt," said the Joker, eliciting an exchange of confused glances between the other four present.\
\
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." With that, the general slunk off in the direction whence Mana had come. Before long his polished back vanished into the fog and he was gone. Gem, Julien, and the Thief all breathed sighs of relief.\
\
"What does Nai want with you, brother?"\
\
"So you knew about Nai, Mana?" Gem was surprised. "Well, I guess you
\f2\i did
\f1\i0 stay behind to talk to Oberon. So, my new job is still unclear. My first task is to go to Atlantis\'d1that is Oberon's country, in the eastern seas\'d1and meet Nai in person. Supposedly when we meet he will give me the details of this job he wants done."\
\
"I'm going with him to Atlantis, by the way," the Joker declared. "So it'll be just you, Julien, and Mark finding the Crystals for a while."\
\
"I thought you were joining the Hunt in order to guide me?"\
\
"Yes, but then this came up. Besides, you have a good enough guide already in Lord Tryn. And who knows how long it will take Gem and me to make it to Atlantis and back? We might be gone less than a fortnight."\
\
"Isn't the Net closed?"\
\
"Alright, less than a month." The Joker stood. "But before we leave, we'll escort you into Gaia. We have horses, by the way\'d1bought legitimately from an independent stable in Mist. They're right over there\'d1" the Joker pointed to the east, into the dense fog "\'d1though you can't see them from here."\
\
"You look cold, Mana," Julien remarked, noticing Mana's slight shivers. Removing his own heavy cloak, the Lord of Tryn stepped over to Mana and draped it around the Guardian Heir's shoulders, smiling.\
\
As Mana warmed up, he smiled a little, too, glad to have his cousin's affection. Previous images of Julien's forced smile and awkward explanations dissipated, replaced by this familiar picture of Julien doing something kind and heartfelt for Mana. \
\
"Are we heading out?" the Thief asked, impatience clear in his voice.\
\
"Yeah." So saying, the Joker led the way to the horses, and the five mounted. The two former servants of Kieku took the front, Julien just behind them, and Mana and Gem followed a little ways behind, just close enough to not lose sight of the others in the fog.\
\
Gem turned to the Guardian Heir and opened his mouth to speak, then, as though thinking better of it, closed his mouth and turned back to face those ahead.\
\
"What's wrong, brother?" Mana asked softly.\
\
Gem looked back at Mana, then away, down at the ground by his horse's feet. Minutes passed in silence. Then he spoke.\
\
"It is my fault."\
\
"What is?"\
\
"The Underworld apprehended you, right?"\
\
"Not really."\
\
"Not really?"\
\
"They only wanted to hold me until they\'d1" Mana broke off, realizing Gem's point.\
\
"Caught me, right?" Gem said bitterly. "I did tell you that I was wanted by them. I would scold you about being more careful, but Luke explained to me under what circumstances you had been separated, and being who I am\'d1the descendant of Gem al'Kondo\'d1I could not agree more with your reasons for following this Ay person. So Mana... how did you escape?"\
\
"Good luck, I suppose," Mana lied instantly. He didn't want Gem to know that he'd met with Miles.\
\
"Amazing luck," Gem laughed, but there was no humor in it. Mana could tell that Gem knew that he was hiding something.\
\
"I talked my way out of it," Mana amended.\
\
Gem didn't respond.\
\
"With one of their leaders\'d1" Mana hesitated, "\'d1the Third."\
\
"And he let you go?" asked Gem after a few seconds.\
\
"Yeah."\
\
"Damn it, Lord the First," Gem growled, facing straight ahead but not looking at anything, "Mana had nothing to do with this."\
\
"He seemed like a good person," Mana ventured.\
\
"He did, didn't he," Gem snorted. "He is one of the worst. Ordered so many assassinations and robberies... he always seemed out of place in Verga City. Like he would fit better into the more ruthless Terran Underworld. I think even Ji is kinder. He is really one of the worst."\
\
"He said the same about you."\
\
"He would." And saying this, Gem smiled. The two rode in silence for a long time, following the others out of the swamps around Mist. Mana had no need to say anything else to Gem and Gem was content with how their conversation had ended. As before, when he had apologized for getting Mana mixed up with Ji'Lopan and Kieku, he had been reassured that everything was alright. He needed to stop apologizing. He was doing the best he could for Mana and vice versa.\
\
After a few hours of riding, Gem fished some dried meat from a saddlebag and shared it with the Guardian Heir. They munched on it quietly as they watched the mist grow thinner.\
\
"We're almost out," the Joker said after seven or eight hours of riding. The fog had almost completely dissipated and the forest had given way to open land. They were trotting along on a field and they could tell in what direction the sun lay for the first time since entering Mist. It was almost directly overhead, indicating that it was midday.\
\
"How long were we down there, in UnderMist?" Julien wondered aloud.\
\
"I'd say that this is the first week of May," the Joker replied. "Maybe the third or fourth day. So, if you're counting from when you came to Mist, about fifteen or sixteen days. Mark and I were there a lot longer, though, and Gem came to Mist a day or two before you."\
\
"I didn't realize Mist was so close to Gaia," Mana commented. "We're really almost out?"\
\
"Yes, we are," the Joker replied. "You can tell, right? That the mist is lifting?"\
\
"Yeah."\
\
"We have to part ways in Gaia," said Gem.\
\
"You're going far away, aren't you?"\
\
"I am."\
\
"How do you feel about meeting Nai?"\
\
"Heh, how can I put it? Excited, frightened... it is really beyond my comprehension, meeting one of Chaos's children." Gem smiled and looked down at the ground as they kept going. "And he is my uncle, as Legend Reborn. When I think about the family tree, it is pretty messed up."\
\
"Speaking of which, all the Ly'ban are our cousins, right? And Oberon?"\
\
"Yes\'d1we all have Chaos for a grandfather."\
\
"Ah, family," interjected the Joker, having fallen behind the Thief and Julien. "On that note, I have some information to share with both of you, concerning our so-called 'family.'"\
\
"What is it?" Mana asked.\
\
"I heard this third-hand, through Oberon who found out from Lord Tryn, but you both felt your brother die, correct?"\
\
"Zukro?" Mana asked while Gem nodded.\
\
"I wanted to clear something up for both of you, in case this other name comes up in conversation: Ragnarr. Ragnarr, do you know who that is?" The Joker's voice held no emotion as he spoke. Mana nodded hesitantly, remembering his previous talk with the Joker, but Gem shook his head. The Joker continued. "Ragnarr is Maha's lieutenant, the commander of the Infernal armies. He was once known as Zukro\'d1your brother. Ragnarr is the name that Maha gave him."\
\
"Yes, but\'d1" Mana was cut off with a shake of the Joker's head.\
\
"Ragnarr died the morning you thought he did, killed by Ji'Lopan. Gem, he was brought back to life by the Eyes, as Zukro\'d1no longer under Maha's control, ready to return to the Light and apologize. But very shortly after being revived, Maha somehow took control again, and Zukro\'d1as Ragnarr once more\'d1killed the Eyes, who in dying closed the Net." The Joker said this all very matter-of-factly, and Mana recalled the hatred that the demon had expressed for Zukro.\
\
"That is a lot to process," Gem mused.\
\
"So that's why the Net is closed," said Mana.\
\
"Take it how you like. I just wanted you both to know that your brother is out there, alive, working as an agent of Maha. Oh, and we're here." The Joker pointed out the obvious and then spread his arms wide, indicating the open air and the fog behind them rather than all around. They sat on their mounts atop a hill, facing out over a country devoid of people but full of life\'d1dense forests, rivers trickling here and there, birds in the sky and all sorts of hill animals scurrying around. To the north lay hill after hill, like waves in the earth, and beyond them low mountains. To the east and south stretched the same forests Mana had seen from
\f2\i the Vapor
\f1\i0 in mid-April. \
\
Gem fished in another saddlebag briefly, his hand emerging clutching his headband. He cast the gray rag from around his head on the ground and replaced it with his family heirloom. It rested on his forehead differently from how it had before, he thought, scratching around where it touched his skin.\
\
"You still have that old thing, eh?" the Joker asked playfully.\
\
"It is who I am," Gem smiled.\
\
"Our ride seems to be here."\
\
"Yeah."\
\
"What do you mean, ride?" Mana asked, bewildered. The Joker pointed up at the sky. Sure enough, there was a black dot against it, a dot that was gradually growing larger. "An airship?" The Joker nodded. Soon, the sound of propellors whirring incessantly became audible and then louder and louder as the ship's contour became defined and it descended. The travelers became enveloped in a strong wind as the flying boat landed at the base of the hill.\
\
"It's time to say good-bye," the Joker said quietly. Julien and the Thief, who had distanced themselves from the other three, came closer, drawing their horses with them.\
\
"We'll be back to find you soon, Mana," Gem smiled. Before he could say anything else, Julien's hand was on his shoulder. "And good-bye to you, Lord Tryn."\
\
"I said that Julien was fine, right?" The Lord of Tryn smiled. "I wish I could have met you sooner, Gem. Before Verga City was destroyed, at the very least."\
\
"I feel the same way."\
\
"You're a pretty impressive guy, I'll give you that," the Thief chimed in. "To defy the Underworld like that, and get away with it."\
\
"Well, I have a kind of providence on my side." Gem scratched the back of his head as he said this, and then he looked over at Mana and winked. Mana smiled back. In both their minds, Lord Miles, that near-skeleton of a crime-lord, smiled lopsidedly and waved.\
\
"Now, now, gentlemen," said the Joker, "this isn't the end of everything. We only have one Crystal! We'll be seeing each other again before the journey's over." That one Crystal sparkled in the noon sun, set in an earring on Mana's left ear. Gem had made the earring before hearing the Joker's news about the Underworld, but he hadn't had a chance to give it to Mana until after they'd escaped Mist.\
\
"I guess you're right." Julien removed his hand from Gem's shoulder, and then extended it. "Still, this is a good-bye, and I wish to express the pleasure I've had in meeting Legend..." he trailed off, and then laughed. Gem laughed, too, grasping the hand tightly.\
\
"Brother? Can I talk to you for a moment?" Mana's voice seemed timid and small next to the enthusiastic Julien. Gem distanced himself from the Joker, Thief, and Julien, and he and Mana walked a little ways off after dismounting. "You'll come back, right?"\
\
"Like I said, of course," Gem said.\
\
"I can't face Kieku without you."\
\
"I'll be back. But just to check\'d1Luke warned you about that sword, right?" Mana nodded. "And you don't need me to tell you to be careful around other Jikkuu users, right?" Mana nodded again. "And Mana. Even if he was my mentor once, Ji is just a Ly'ban, an enemy Ly'ban. Should you come across him, don't let my relationship with him hinder your efficiency in dispatching him."\
\
Mana almost couldn't help laughing. Gem's eyes held worry as he said that, and Mana knew that only a portion of that care was reserved for him. Most of it was fear for Ji'Lopan.\
\
"I'll deal with him if the time comes in whatever manner seems suitable," he promised, giving Gem a reassuring smile as he spoke. "Don't fail Nai, alright?" Gem nodded. "And don't worry about the past." Gem nodded again. "And beat Fate." Mana smiled wide as he said this last bit, and Gem almost teared up.\
\
"Thanks, Mana." So saying, Gem mounted his horse once more and rode over to the Joker, who was already heading down the slope toward the airship. From the ship were coming shouts of "get over here now, Roof-runner!" and "hurry it up, will ya?!" Gem looked back over his shoulder once as he went down the hill. He waved at Mana, and Mana waved back, and then Gem was aboard the ship and it was taking off and Mana was just a green and red dot on the landscape.\
\
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\pard\pardeftab709\ql\qnatural
\f0\b \cf0 Twenty-seven
\f1\b0 \
\
The Joker looked back over his shoulder as Gem waved to Mana one last time. The Guardian Heir stood radiant upon the hill, his hair shining red-gold in the midday sun. The Joker was shocked to note that though he glowed, Mana was less brilliant than when they'd met by the shores of Lake Vise. During what had felt like an eternity spent in UnderMist, those blue eyes had lost some of their glitter. Nowhere near an eternity, the Joker reminded himself.
\f2\i I'm beginning to think in human time
\f1\i0 , he laughed internally. Then Gem had passed him and he turned once more, heading for the airship. \
\
It was a small affair, for an airship, the Joker observed. It looked as though it would only fit ten horses side by side between the port and starboard railings. There were men scurrying about on board, about two dozen rugged looking sailors, securing knots in the rigging, adjusting the railing around the ship's perimeter, checking the sails and propellers. While Oberon had informed the Joker and Gem that they would be picked up in an airship, the general had given no indication that it would be this small, and with this small a crew. \
\
"Gem, it's almost like\'d1" \
\
"I know, Luke. It's a pirate ship." Gem urged his horse forward as the men on board let down a long plank. With the boom in airship traffic and the increased use of airships to transport the goods of merchants, pirates had also become common, preferring smaller craft for maneuverability. "But it'll be alright. Much as I hate him for what he did to my family, I trust the general, and he is the one who arranged this flight for us." \
\
"'Pirate ship,' Roof-runner?" came a bemused voice. "Is that how ya refer teh'n ol' acquaintance's vessel? \
\
"Sir!" called Gem, surprised, galloping up the ramp. "You are an airship pilot now?" \
\
Standing just to the side of the wooden ramp was a huge man, easily seven feet tall, with golden eyes like a cat's and a good-natured grin. He was bare-chested and the Joker was impressed by the man's muscle; it seemed plentiful enough to rival a weaker Ly'ban's armor. A mane of gray hair streaked with bits of bronze covered his head and shoulders. Traces of similar hair, much like fur, dotted his arms and chest. Had he been bearded he would have looked like an aged lion. \
\
"Who is this, Gem?" the Joker asked, walking up the plank and leading his horse behind him by the reins. As soon as the demon was on the airship, anchors were pulled and propellers spun into motion. With a jerking motion that set the horses neighing in fright, the airship took off. \
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"This is Edge, our pilot," Gem said, as soon as he was sure of his balance, then, turning back to the man, "and this is the Joker, a friend of mine. He shall be accompanying us." \
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"Very well! How d'ya do, Mister Joker? How d'ya do?" Edge extended one of his great mitts and the Joker hesitantly placed one of his leather-gloved hands within it. \
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"Well." \
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"Edge is the one who got me into the Underworld back in Verga," Gem explained quickly, sensing that the Joker's question hadn't been answered yet. "As you can tell from looking, he is a demi-human. If I remember correctly, he came down south with one of the last groups of Kriss and then loitered in Verga for several dozen years, doing odd jobs for the Underworld." Edge nodded.\
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"The Underworld, eh?" the Joker asked suspiciously. "Not here to get Gem's head, I hope?" \
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"Oh, no, no," Edge beamed. "I heard 'bout the Roof-runner's situation from Prince Oberon, yeah? I'm not with the Underworld either, anymore, ya know? This 'as a looong time ago, but I used to do work fer the Marauders, too. Back when it was jus' Gem, and the Kriss." \
\
"What?" \
\
"Ya know, the old days. When the Marauders\'d1ah, never mind. Anyway, 'ventually the Underworld decided I 'asn't trustworthy anymore, an' they told me I could leave the western countries, or die. I left." \
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"An interesting story," the Joker remarked, inwardly confused.
\f2\i How old could this man be? He must be at least one hundred years old to have been around when the Marauders were formed...
\f1\i0 \
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"I owe a lot to you, Sir," Gem commented as the Joker passed him and Edge and moved further away from the edge of the ship. "Thanks to your recommendation, I managed to make a good living for myself in Verga City." \
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"But now Verga City's\'cagone, an' I hear from Prince Oberon that you got Lord Miles's 'get out or die' treatment, too, yeah?" \
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"... yeah." Gem shrugged half-heartedly, silently saying that he wasn't too bothered by the threat. The Joker knew that he was still upset about Verga. \
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"Well, puttin' that to the side," Edge smiled, "off we set, yes?" \
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"Where to?" the Joker asked. \
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"Atlantis, Luke," Gem chuckled. "That is where we are headed, right?" \
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"You can't get there by airship," the Joker sighed. \
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"Right he is, Roof-runner! I'm takin' ya to the coast. Ya'll be in the care of a proper ship's captain before ya know't, yeah?" \
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"By ship, you mean\'d1" \
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"Good ol' wood on water. 'ere, le' me show ya teh yar rooms. Follow me." Edge walked toward the ship's stern, headed for the stairs down. Gem and the Joker followed him, a sailor taking their horses. They descended into the ship's innards, walking past pipes and gadgets that jutted out from the walls. The floor represented wooden planks and churning gears equally. "Sorry, this 'ere's no lux'ry craft, ya know? Wi'these smaller crafts, ya gotta kill comfort fer functional machinery." Arriving at their cabin, they found that it was more or less a closet, about large enough for the two of them to stand in at the same time. Gem laughed when he sat it. "I got teh get back teh pil'ting, yeah?" With that, Edge turned and went back the way they'd come. \
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Gem made to follow the pilot back to the deck, but the Joker stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. \
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"What's wrong, Luke?" \
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"There's something that bothers me about that Edge fellow." \
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"He's a demi-human, like I said. That's all. Is it so hard for you to accept?" Gem sighed as he asked this. The Joker, understanding this to be a question of tolerance\'d1demi-humans, much like their magic-using creators, were generally treated miserably\'d1shook his head. \
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"Demi-humans, those unfortunate people who are born of magical experiments involving men and beasts. If he's one of those\'d1and\'ca I don't doubt it\'d1then he's at least older than the Purge," mused the Joker. "But even so, there weren't any Jikkuu users where he comes from... you said he came from north of here, right?" \
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"Yes, the wastelands." \
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"So he comes from the Kriss homelands. In all the millennia of my existence, not a single one of the Kriss was blessed with the talent of Jikkuu. No magi went there because it was too hostile for human life. None of my brethren went to Gaia because there were no humans to torment. Your friend sure has some mysteries to him." \
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"I had never thought of that," Gem admitted, "but does his birthplace matter? He is who he is, much as I am Legend Reborn. Demi-human is just a tag the Palace came up with several hundred years ago, right? What does it mean, anyway?" Shrugging the Joker's hand away, the bounty hunter moved away from the demon and headed back to the deck. \
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"Yeah? 'What does it mean...' did you catch the bit about him knowing your great-grandfather?" \
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Gem looked back over his shoulder at the demon, puzzlement in his eyes. \
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"I thought you grew a brain, but you were just smiling and nodding back then when he was trying to tell me the story of his life! That demi-human knew your great-grandfather, Gem al'Kondo, around the time of the Marauders' forming. They were in the organization together." \
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"Gem al'Kondo was a Marauder?" the bounty hunter asked, surprised. \
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"You didn't know? Kid, your great-grandfather
\f2\i founded
\f1\i0 the Marauders! He was the first
\f2\i Marauder Lord!
\f1\i0 " The Joker sighed heavily. "Ah well. I suppose I could have trusted you not to know that. You're always busy studying lore, after all. No time for recent history." \
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"Gem al'Kondo, you say? He founded them?" \
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"Yes. When he was exiled, about eighty years ago, he formed the Marauders with the help of a band of Kriss who had come down from the wastelands. From Edge's tale, I would guess he was with that band." As the Joker spoke, Gem recalled the book he had found in his cousins' hideout\'d1the one entitled "The Two Sons of Kondo," the one written by a non-human. A thought struck the bounty hunter. \
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"I need to go ask Edge about something," he said, and hurried off. \
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"Wait," called the Joker. \
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"What is it?" asked Gem from the stairs, hanging from the railing and looking back at where the Joker stood, just outside their cabin. \
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"... nothing," muttered the demon. Gem eyed him quizzically and then leapt up the stairs, disappearing onto the deck. The Joker stood motionless, his eyes fixed the staircase ahead. "What are you doing here?" \
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"Don't mind me, Luc," came a harsh rasp, "I'm just here on the master's orders. He has no use for you anymore, so I won't be dragging you back, and, unless you get in my way, you won't need to die." \
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"What did Kieku tell you to do?" the Joker asked, addressing the darkness of the hallway. \
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"Kieku? Who's that?" \
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The Joker didn't respond. \
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"Well, I'll linger here a while longer, Luc. Once we're out of Gaia, I'll take his head." Grating laughter followed, and then silence. The Joker remained immobile, watching the darkness whence Ji'Lopan's voice had come. Questions flew through his mind and he answered them himself, piecing together the puzzle that was Ji'Lopan's presence and words. \
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Understanding in a flash, he took one step forward for the stairs. \
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Immediately, the walls of the hall changed, the pipes snapping out, multiplying and sharpening, becoming a sea of giant spears aimed at the Joker's chest. The shadows shimmered; the wooden walls moved forward and groaned as they grew horrible, twisted smiles. The darkness had become a lake, and, as it rippled, giant tendrils of purple shot out, wrapping around the Joker's body.\'ca \
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"Uh-oh," laughed Ji'Lopan, "I can't have you be telling him. That counts as interference, Luc." \
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"How did Maha get you back, Lopan?" the Joker asked angrily. "Why did you go back to the Inferno?" \
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"What are you talking about?" Ji'Lopan laughed. "I've always served Father for the greater goal of Libra's complete destruction." \
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"Always...?" murmured the Joker. \
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"You so much as tell Legend that I'm here and I'll make sure it's the last thing you tell anyone. Once we get into eastern Libra, this ship goes down, him on it, and that'll be the end of his story. You'll survive easily, but the Net is closed right now, so whether or not you stop
\f2\i me
\f1\i0 from killing him, he's going to die. And no, you can't try to regain control of the airship. Father gave it to me." As quickly as it had morphed into something out of a nightmare, the hallway returned to its previous state, spikes and tendrils and demonic visages fading away into the mundane reality of wood and steel. Ji'Lopan remained invisible, hiding somewhere in the shadows. \
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\f2\i How disgusting,
\f1\i0 the Joker thought to himself.
\f2\i Even when we were in the Inferno together, you never called him Father, Lopan. You're completely under control.
\f1\i0 \
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"But blazes, Luc! You sure are dedicated to him." \
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"I am," the cloaked demon declared.
\f2\i So were you.
\f1\i0 \
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Ji'Lopan laughed briefly, but spoke no more. The Joker took another step toward the stairs, testing the waters, and the hall remained normal. Sensing no magic in use, he walked slowly back up to the deck, where he met Gem with a casual "hey." The Joker didn't say anything about Ji'Lopan. He stepped softly over to the side of the ship and watched the land fly by beneath them. From his vantage point, he could see hills stretching in every direction, the famous terrain of the southern half of Gaia. \
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He wished that those hills would continue to be all he could see for a long time, but he knew that soon enough\'d1within only a few days\'d1they would be out of Gaia, over the forests of northern Libra, and then over the coastal region of the east. As long as those hills were the only thing in sight, Gem was safe, and he wouldn't need to fight. The Joker cursed quietly.
\f2\i If I try to stop Ji'Lopan before we get out of Gaia, the bastard will just destroy the airship in an instant, and dozens will die. I could save Gem with my magic, but the sailors, and Edge... and were I to start using my magic, Lopan would trigger the ship's destruction before I could save everyone. Sooner or later, the sailors will most likely die.
\f1\i0 \
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Shaking his head, he turned from the railing and addressed Gem, who was standing by Edge at the ship's wheel, watching as the demi-human piloted the craft. \
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"Is this your first time in the air, kid?" \
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"Yeah." \
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"You don't seem too excited about it," the Joker commented.\'ca "I would think that a first-timer would be more wide-eyed." \
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"It's your first time on an airship, too, right?" \
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"Yes," replied the demon, "it's not too common for someone like me to wander the Overworld with company, much less by air."\
\uc0\u8232 "You're none too giddy yourself."\u8232 \u8232 "That's true." The Joker turned back to the railing, reminding himself not to mention Ji'Lopan's presence.\u8232 \u8232 "I'm worried, Luke," said Gem suddenly, stepping down from the platform around the wheel and joining the Joker by the railing. "I'm afraid of Kieku and Zukro. I'm worried about the job Nai is going to give me. I'm worried about the Crystals being reunited. I'm worried about what Underworld politics will do to Lord Miles for letting Mana go. I'm worried about Mana. I'm even worried about Ji." Gem turned his head and looked over at the Joker, his eyes wide as though seeking an answer.\u8232 \u8232 "I thought you made up your mind to go forward with this journey without hesitating," murmured the Joker.\u8232 \u8232 "I'm not going to hesitate,"\'ca replied Gem, his voice slightly calmer, turning back to look at the sky, "but I can't help but be a little anxious."\u8232 \u8232 "I won't hesitate either."\u8232 \u8232 "What?" asked Gem.\u8232 \u8232 "Nothing," sighed the Joker.
\f2\i I'm worried about you, Gem.\uc0\u8232 \u8232
\f1\i0 "Well... putting all that aside," began Gem, "we're going to be on this trip for a while, won't we? Do you know how far it is from Libra to Atlantis?"\uc0\u8232 \u8232 "I have no idea," admitted the Joker. "I've never been there before; as is the case with Gaia, it's not in the usual scope of Ly'ban expeditions."\u8232 \u8232 "I heard that it is a country completely submerged in the sea."\u8232 \u8232 "That is possible. It's governed by the God of Water, after all."\u8232 \u8232 "I cannot wait to meet him."\u8232 \u8232 "There's a saying, Gem\'d1like father, like son. It's safe to assume that what you hated in Oberon will be present in Nai's character as well." The Joker chuckled lightly with this. Gem, too, laughed quietly. "It's good to relax a bit, Gem. Our time in Terra was exhausting; we should use this ride to unwind." So saying, the cloaked demon let go of the rail and fell backwards, landing with its back flat to the deck. Gem, looking down at his companion, smiled.\u8232 \u8232 "Right as always, Luke." Turning from the sky, Gem faced\'ca the ship's main mast and slid down into a sitting position, his back against the railing. "Worry won't help anything right now. We just need to make it to Atlantis, get Nai's request, and meet up with Mana again."\u8232 \u8232 "What if his request\'ca keeps us from going to find Mana?"
\f2\i But before that, we need to make it to eastern Libra safely. We're both right, Gem\'d1worry won't help anything. But we're also both right to worry. I guess all you can do for now is relax. I can't tell you anything without risking the lives of all these sailors and your old friend, so I'm going to lie here, and pray.
\f1\i0 \uc0\u8232 \u8232 "Then I will tell Nai to wait."\u8232 \u8232 "Keeping a god waiting, eh? You're not getting ahead of yourself, are you, kid?"\u8232 \u8232 "I made a promise," said Gem sheepishly as he shrugged.\u8232 \u8232 "And you have that sword to make sure you keep it." Gem nodded. The Joker smiled to himself. "You'll be fine, Gem. You'll be fine."
\f2\i I'll protect you. I'll protect you from Maha and Chaos and Fate.
\f1\i0 \uc0\u8232 \u8232 "Heh, you think so?"\u8232 \u8232 "Yeah, I think so."\u8232 \u8232 Gem closed his eyes and leaned his head back, letting the wind play with his hair and headband. "The wind feels nice."\u8232 \u8232 "Doesn't it?"
\f2\i Just keep feeling the wind, Gem.
\f1\i0 \uc0\u8232 \u8232 "Yeah. It's like being back on the roofs in Verga." Gem sighed as he recalled the feeling of dashing around at night, looking down upon the streets below. He had felt powerful back then, before he'd been pitted against Shades, before he had met the Broken Angel. In comparison, spending weeks in Terra in fear of being found by Kieku had left him with almost no sense of control. He had found himself threatened at every turn; the Underworld was on the lookout for him, the entire Ly'ban army had descended upon the place where he had been staying, Kieku and Ji'Lopan had come for him twice, even Julien had attacked him. It was his destiny, he knew, and he cursed Fate for it.\u8232 \u8232 The Joker, sagely watching Gem, knew that Fate wouldn't leave the bounty hunter alone until it was done away with.\u8232 \u8232
\f2\i I'll protect you.
\f1\i0 }