Fragile Hearts (Book 1 - Complete)

Kalne chuckled at Mai's craving for food. They headed for the cafeteria. Kalne turned a corner and came face to face with Ying and Alyse. "Almost bumped into ya." Kalne said smiling, and got out of Ying's way.

Kalne suddenly had a thought. "Ying, I could help train with you and Mai sometime. I do have over 200 years of experience." She laughed, then started walking passed them.

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Rikka leaned on the railing and felt the noon air rush passed her face and through her hair. She may have looked like she was relaxing, but in truth Rikka was putting all the information on Jugediel she knew, to try and come up with a battle plan.

Uriel couldn't help but feel surprised that Kelly knew exactly what he was going to ask her. Taken a bit aback, he managed to respond in time.

"So Ying passed by here as well? I see...thank you." Before Uriel walked away, he mumbled something quietly so that only she could hear.

I'd like to know who's the other Demon on this ship... He said to her before he left, catching sight of Ying and Alyse in the distance, as well as Kalne and Mai, whom appeared to be serving themselves. He walked over to Ying and waited until she noticed him.

"Ying, I was told by Lieutenant Kelly that you learned something about Shin's current condition?" Uriel asked, hoping that he would find some leads on what was happening. He looked at Alyse, who seemed to be accompanying Ying while he waited for Ying's response. He couldn't help but notice that just like Izuna, she was also very young.

I see this generation is reliant on the youth... Uriel thought, thinking about Brianna, Kyo, Izuna, Mai, and Alyse. Kyo wasn't technically young in an age standard, but he was a child at heart, which ended up making things more difficult for the fallen Angel.
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Kyo, having been waiting for a very long time for Uriel, was almost half asleep when Izuna attacked him. He probably would have been impaled if he didn't feel Brianna suddenly tense up next to him. Looking up, he saw a blur and instinctively called Tsurugi in a flash of light, managing to block the sudden attack. It was the commander herself, Izuna.

"Holy...what was that for?!" Kyo asked shocked, looking up at Izuna's smiling face. He could tell that she wasn't trying to kill him, but he still felt tense.

Damn she was quick... Kyo thought, surprised. He couldn't believe that someone so young could move so quickly and apply so much force in an attack like that. His sword remained pinned with her dagger.

It wasn't long before Ying and Alyse bumped into Kalne and Mai. Ying didn't seem too surprised but she stepped back slightly as to give way to Kalne as well as she passed by.

"Thank you, I will keep note of that" Ying replied after she heard what Kalne said. She did think it odd for a moment.

200 years of experience? Yet she seems so young... Ying thought. Mai was thinking the same thing. She had a slightly stunned look on her face as she watched Kalne walk off. Then she looked at Ying and Alyse.

"Nice to see you, Master Ying...oh and...Alyse.." Mai said politely in greeting. Kyuu chirped up as well.

"Hello..." Alyse answered softly.

"How are you, Mai?" Ying asked.

"I'm...doing all right. I um...went into your room earlier and...took Alex's sword because Kalne asked for it but she stored it in this orb thingy and gave it to me..." Mai explained as she pulled out the orb that Kalne gave her which contained Alex's gunblade.

"I see...was Shin in the room?" Ying asked.

"No...he wasn't..." Mai replied. Ying was quiet a moment.

"Not to worry anymore..he is still on the airship, Mai..." Ying added.

"Did you find something out?" Mai asked, looking slightly hopeful. Ying thought about what Kelly told her. Somehow the last part that she was told about Shin choosing the path of the demon might not settle right with Mai and even Ying herself didn't feel right about it either.

"I will explain things later, Mai..." Ying said. Mai looked down a moment, then nodded.

"Come, let's get something to eat..." Ying suggested. Mai silently agreed, thinking it might get her mind off all she had taken in last night and today. She went ahead a bit to the serving window to look for Farah.

Ying and Alyse took their time. It wasn't long before Uriel approached. Ying was a bit surprised when Uriel asked her about Shin. She wondered if the angel had seen where Shin and Kelly had gone the night before he had gone "missing". She hesitated a moment.

"From what I was told...he is still on the airship...in a secret area...one that the lieutenant could not tell me where. For what purpose I do not know. He may be turning up soon. However..." Ying began, but paused and glanced at Alyse. The girl turned her gaze down, then quietly walked away, realizing that the conversation between Ying and Uriel was not for her ears so she decided to accompany Mai.

Ying didn't mean to make Alyse go away but she thought it was better she did leave. Then she looked back at Uriel.

"However...I fear that Shin will not be himself when he returns. So I must warn you to be ready for anything that he may do from then on..." Ying replied. She stared at Uriel a moment.

"That is all I can say...please excuse me..." Ying said before leaving Uriel.

Shin...I cannot let you go down that path...for Mai's sake...

Hashnel's voice came into Kelly minds. Be careful of that angel. I won't let anyone interfere until I say so. Sorry for over reacting earlier. After some thought I knew you didn't give any important information away. But remember our pact.

Kelly continued eating. "Yea yea." She said aloud.

-----------------

Farah fumed over her heated conversation with the chef. And now she was on window duty. But again the buffet was already served, so no one even needed to come to it. She looked up to see Mai again. She instantly perked up. "Hey." She smiled. "Had your fill of the buffet already, and wanted fourths?" She asked in a way that couldn't be recognized as a joke or not.

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Kalne set down her plate at an empty table and began stuffing her face. She had at least one of everything.

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"I told you you looked fun." Izuna said jumping back to the wall and turning on the generator. "Everyone's afraid they'll hurt me because of my age."

"I used to be a thief you know. Orphan before I was allowed to take my parents estates. Everything I learned was about thievery. Where the weak points of the body are, how hard to hit them, how lethal each one is." She was silent for a moment. "No one on this airship understands, I like to train, but no one wants to help me. So will you continue to be fun?" Izuna kept her bright smile.

"Secret area...I see, thank you Ying." Uriel reponded. That helped clear up one thing from what he saw last night; Kelly and Shin's "disappearance" was undoubtly linked. But he knew that for now, it would be impossible to prove anything about that. However, he was quite confused when Ying mentioned that when Shin came back, he would no longer be himself. Somehow, Uriel knew that Shin wouldn't have changed for the better. It was then that he started to draw up some conclusions on what may have happened in his mind.

From what he knew, Shin was not abducted; he willingly went with Kelly. And from what Ying had just told him, Shin chose to stay in the "secret room" himself, without telling anyone else. But the real question was why he had not yet returned, and what he was doing that would prevent him from showing himself. A theory began to formulate in his mind.

Could the other Demonic presence be linked?...
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"Oh...I didn't know." Kyo said, unable to help from being a bit surprised when Izuna revealed a bit of her past. He would never have been able to tell that the bright and cheeful airship commander used to be a theif. He hesitated while thinking about having more "fun" with her.

"Um...maybe it's best if you don't fight yet, we're still waiting for Uriel." Brianna said nervously to Kyo, shifting a bit uncomfortably. Despite Izuna's assurance that she was much stronger for her age, she still looked very laid back, too laid back for fighting. But Kyo knew from the moment that he had clashed blades with her that she was much more powerful than anyone thought. In fact, she was probably stronger than Kyo. Smiling a bit, he motioned for Brianna to step away. She hesitatated a bit before stepping away from them, sitting down on the cold floor.

"Alright, well you did insist we should all be friendly. I don't know if beating the crap out of each other counts as "friendly" or "fun", but hey, you're the captain." Kyo said, entering a ready stance with Tsurugi held in front of him. Now was a good time for the fallen Angel to see if he had learned anything from last night. He grinned one last time before darting to the side, quickly circling behind Izuna, sword winded back.

Izuna's second dagger slip into her other hand. "You know, only one person had been able to capture me." Izuna took stance, and focused her chi. Her mana didn't change. Izuna was a thief at heart, and thieves never took a first strike unless they knew it was perfect. She knew she didn't know enough about Kyo's fighting style to strike first, so she backed off a small bit then started to paced around him.

As Izuna backed away from him and began to circle around him, Kyo quickly began to analyze her motions, and started formulating a plan in his mind. There was no doubt that she was much faster than he was, and with her speed, she had a very powerful offensive as well. However, for the time being, Kyo had the range advantage. Immediately moving before he remained immobile for too long, he swung his sword outward in a 360 degree motion, only to be quickly evaded by Izuna. He had the feeling that would happen, but he also knew that she wasn't going to attack until she found an opening. But the battle would be much to drawn out if he himself waited for an opening as well. Grinning, he threw Tsurugi at Izuna, the sword spiraling through the air toward her. Soon after, Kyo quickly sprinted forward, his scythe materializing in his hand. Focusing his mind on Tsurugi, the sword suddenly curved around and began soaring toward Izuna like a boomerang, about to hit Izuna in the back at the same time that Kyo was going to collide with her from the front. But the young captain was too quick for him, and immediately dodged, a blur as she seeming disappeared and appeared in another spot. Kyo stopped and caught Tsurugi by the blade, unharmed despite grabbing the sharp end. He couldn't be harmed by his a weapon shaped by his own soul after all.

Heh, she's good, Izuna hasn't even started attacking yet... Kyo thought, feeling the thrill of battle.

"Hiya, just wanted to see what was going since I kinda heard a commotion...but it's nice to see ya again" Mai greeted as she smiled at Farah. She blushed slightly when Farah asked if she was coming back for fourths.

"Well I...haven't eaten anything yet. Not since breakfast, anyway. I um...well I'll go check out the buffet and maybe I'll come back..." Mai said. Kyuu chirped happily to Farah before Mai turned and walked off.

Alyse was gazing at the buffet line blankly as Mai came up behind her.

"Can't decide what to eat?" Mai asked. Alyse glanced at her a moment. She put some salad on her plate then left. Mai blinked, wondering of Alyse could survive eating so little. Then she looked around to find what she wanted.

"Get some of that, and that...oh and that...I'm starving" Kyuu said as he squirmed excitedly on Mai's shoulder. His tail was wiggling happily.

"All right all right" Mai said, giggling a little as she picked up some food.

Ying finally came up beside Mai.

"Oh, Master Ying...is there something wrong?" Mai asked when she saw the somewhat serious look on Ying's face.

"Hm? Oh it's nothing...I have just been...meditating all morning. Need a little nourishment..." Ying replied as she picked up a plate. Mai nodded then moved down the line.

After a while the two of them went to sit with Alyse. They ate in silence a while.

"Are you sure...that Shin will be okay?" Mai asked suddenly. Ying paused and looked at her. She thought of what she could say.

"We will only be able to know when he returns..."

-------

In Shin's mind...

Get out.....get out...... GET OUT!

Shin cried out as he grabbed his head and thrashed back and forth. His past memories were invading him, trying to sway his morale back and forth.

Eventually he fell to his hands and knees.

Shin... his father's voice called. Shin looked up.

Do not forget...your own father...you must save her....

Save...? Save who? Shin asked.

Do not forget...

Father....

A soldier entered the room as Izuna landed. "Commander. There is is something you need to take care of."

Izuna sighed and her daggers vanished. "That's never a good thing." She glanced at Kyo as she walked away. "We'll finished this some other time." She said with a half smile. Then she was gone with the soldier.

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Farah smiled as Mai walked away. Suddenly a spatula hit her head. "Oww." She turned to her assailant. It was the head chef.

"Stop moping around and clean the cooler."

Farah sighed. "Yes sir." She turned and went off to do the task.

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The noon passed, and night began it's descent as it neared first dinner.

Izuna tossed in her sleep, spread out like the hyper child she was.

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The old man's hand landed on Shin's shoulder. Shin was still within the darkness of his own mind. "This Hashnel shouldn't be trusted." He said simply. "Demons aren't always so direct." Bits and pieces of the man were gone, but his resistance to disappearing was greater then Evan's. He looked around the darkness. "Your mind wasn't always like this you know. There once was light. But alas, this is the choice you've chosen isn't it?" He lifted up his hand and looked at the small pieces that were missing. "Revenge isn't fulfilling, nothing can bring them back, Shin. Nothing. In the three planes that currently exist death is absolute. People may be able to contact the dead, but nothing can be reborn." The old man chuckled. "Then again, everything I am saying will just disappear from your mind when I do... That leaves me to ask you one last question Shin. Is this really what you want?" The old man seemed ask the question hoping to get an answer before vanishing.

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Kelly sat lazily in the command chair as the day crew began their leave. The night crew set up.

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Farah was cooking without mistakes this time.

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"So this is where you've been hiding." Kalne said to Rikka. The sun setting in the distance, as air blew through their hair.

Rikka opened an eye and looked at Kalne. "You knew where I was the whole time."

Kalne sighed. "Are you really gonna just mope around the entire trip."

Rikka sat up and looked at the twilight sky. Her gaze was lazy, "I don't know what I should do. My body was acting on it's own for awhile. I couldn't control myself."

Kalne sat down beside her. "Don't everything is easy Rikka. Death among them is the hardest." She thought about the event 200 years ago. "I'm not gonna lie to you. You will have to face the death of a few friends. And eventually, someone will face the death of you. The feeling will not change. If Alex dies you cannot blame yourself. Instead make sure that you did everything in your power trying to save him." She was silent for a moment. "I won't always be there for you Rikka. Soon my power won't be enough to protect you. So here." Kalne offered an orb to Rikka. "When you think your ready, open this. I have left a note among other things inside." Kalne stood up.

Rikka looked at the orb in her hand. She knew this technique well, even though she couldn't use it. "Alright."

Kalne smiled and left Rikka. She was off to find Ying.

"How well can we rely on them?" Yondaime asked.

Anthro spoke. "I believe Kalne will be able to do it. She's one of the few people I trust."

"As for the others, I cannot say." Tyson said. Bandages covering his chest.

"So we move against the Kingdom." Yondaime stated.

"Once we have one or both of the royal heirs we can. To move beforehand would be pointless. The king has gone mad, or being controlled. Only Yumi and Alex have the right to take the throne from him."

"How long has he been this way?"

"About twenty years. Everything he's done has slowly been leading up to events such as these. I'm sure there's a bigger picture we can't see."

"All we can do now is wait. For them to rescue Alex."

The three watched as the hole to the underground city was being dug.

Letting his weapons fade away, Kyo sat down, waving goodbye to Izuna before she left. He was looking forward to the next time they clashed blades.

"I'll see you later then Cap'n."

"Bye Commander." Brianna said, also waving.

He still had much more energy to burn from the battle, so decided to start trying to invent some new arts while he was waiting for Uriel. He opened up his hand and started focusing mana into it. An orb of mana formed in his hand, and it slowly began to change. It continued to morph and change shape until it took the form of his signature feathers. Kyo brought the feather up to his face, and examined the mana feather from all angles. Brianna was watching quietly, and decided not to say anything; he seemed to be concentrate for once.

I won't be able to hold Nome off with just a flash of light. Kyo thought. He held the feather away from him, and continued to concentrate, the feather now beginning to change once more. It started to grow larger, and soon developed into the shape of a sword. Inspecting it from each angle, he let go of his new feather sword, and it slowly began to fade away. Kyo's wings flared out, and reached behind and grabbed an entire handful of feathers. He tossed all of them into the air, and tried to morph all of them at once. After four of them transformed into swords, the remaining feathers fell to the ground unchanged, slowly rocking back and forth.
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Fia sighed. She had been searching for Zander since the afternoon, but he was no where to be found. She couldn't understand what he had gotten so upset about. All she wanted to know was if he had seen Aryus anywhere. If Aryus was going to leave like he said he was going to, she wanted to at least say goodbye. Obviously, she didn't like the way the Demon was treating her all the time, but she swore that she saw a bit of light in his eyes when they last spoke with each other. Suddenly, she felt a cold shiver run through her veins. She kept completely still and slowly turned her head, looking over her shoulder.
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Aryus suddenly awoke from his deep thought when he heard a female shriek pierce through the sky. He looked out in the direction of the scream, and narrowed his eyes.

That was Fia... Aryus thought, suddenly cautious. He hesitated as he started to walk toward the source of the noise.

No...I don't have time to waste. Aryus thought, sighing, and turning his back, beginning to walk the other direction. Once more, he stopped again, remembering the previous night.

Why are you so sad? He remembered Fia asking him. Aryus remembered the exact response that he gave her.

I lived my life with only one purpose, but when it came time to fulfill that purpose, I was too much of a coward. I didn't have the guts even after everything I threw away.

Oh really? So you're just lost then... He remembered her replying, and he could remember himself scowling at her. Then...maybe it's time to find a new purpose. We all have dreams and goals, but we don't always accomplish them. When things get too hard, and you don't know what to do, there are two things you can do. You can be persistent, and keep following that dream or... She paused. You can find a new path to follow. I know, trying is the hardest thing to do, sometimes you just want to run and turn your back on the world, pretending that everything is just fine. But it's a dead end, and it won't get you anywhere. You'll suffer if you try to follow a new path but...the end of that path might actually lead to something...

He remembered his wide eyed look, shocked at her wisdom. He remembered her giggling as Fia saw his widened eyes, and smiled at him reassuringly, the same bright smile that seemed to light up the dark, the same smile that he couldn't get out of his mind...

He clenched his fist and stopped walking, turning back to the direction of Fia's voice. He took a deep breath, and started running as fast as he could. The numbness that was choking his throat, his heart and his mind started to fade away slowly as he drew closer to the source of Fia's scream. He started to feel the true extent of his emotions, worry, fear, and anger. But it didn't bother him so much; it proved just how much he needed to make sure she was okay, no matter what the cost.

Four figures walked across the lobby, and began waiting. The walls were lined with books and scrolls.

"I'm glad you could all make it." Nome said as he landed in the middle of the lobby. He looked at them from left to right. "Rebbecca, Siege, Rei'nai, and Karri.

Rebbecca and Siege didn't say anything. Rebbecca's gaze left him, while Siege kept his eyes on him.

"It's been awhile." Rei'nai said. "Ever since you help me in the stockyards I haven't seen you. I've been meaning to repay the favour."

"That is why I call you four here. To make use of it before I no longer had the chance."

Karri was smiling. "So what kind of job do you have for us?"

"In less then three days around nine people will enter this place. I need to prepare a way to keep all of them from reaching me. So I'll tell you everything I know about them now, and then what I want you to do."

Nome began his instructions.

Shin looked up at the old man. He instantly thought of the first moment he met him, how the old man had "saved" him, given him a place to stay. In the end, having sacrificed himself for a village of people that shouldn't have mattered yet they cared about him deeply.

"You...if it wasn't for you..." Shin mumbled, caught beside himself. He listened to the rest of the old man's words.

He knew nothing could bring his father back. What would it change if he did? He had just felt lonely and betrayed since his father's death, and anger only helped him forget. He wanted to find his mother, his anger telling him to kill her for what she did, his regret wanting to just see her face.

Then he thought about all the cruel abuse and hatred from people who feared him. Since the children in Mai's village, to the people and villages he had destroyed on his journey afterward.

Then there was Mai. Besides Ying, she was the next human to show him kindness. The first person who wanted to be his friend. The first one to ever dissolve the anger in his heart.

"Is this really what you want?"

Shin heard the old man's last words.

"I....don't know...."

-------


After lunch was finished, Ying asked Mai to accompany her to the training area. Alyse decided to follow them and watch.

"Mai...there comes a point when a teacher has taught everything he knows to his student, when his student has surpassed him in everything he has learned. Therefore, I want to teach you the last of what I know, so that you can continue on your own strength. You must continue to learn from others, and gain knowledge from your own experience" Ying explained as they stood in the middle of the training area.

Alyse stood away from them, just barely hearing their voices. Kyuu had stayed by her, and Talken was sitting up on a railing again, watching.

"But Master..." Mai said, looking down. It felt like Ying was going to leave her again.

"Mai, I am telling you this because you must believe in yourself. Whether or not anyone tells you differently is your own choice, but when you do not believe in your own abilities then you will fail..." Ying said. She didn't want to sound so cold but it was the truth. Mai nodded.

"Now...I want you to train with Kalne...when she arrives...because she seems to have more knowledge and experience than I ever had..."

Kalne arrived where Ying, Mai and Alyse were, about an hour before dinner. "Sorry I'm late. Had to talk to Rikka." She said smiling. She bowed to Ying. "Just tell me what I can do for you."

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Farah began serving out snacks to people who came by the kitchen. All seemed to love them.

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Everyone else was having a quiet time.

Finally, Uriel appeared, stepping through the door of the training room and sighing. Brianna jumped up angrily, and stomped over to the fallen Angel, glaring him straight in the slits of his mask.

"Do you realize that you made us wait nearly half a day for you!" Brianna shouted, furious. Uriel gazed at her, a neutral expression on his face, before moving past her and over to Kyo, much to her outrage.

He had been actually searching for the source of the Demonic presence that he had sensed the entire time. He had not remembered that Kyo and Brianna were waiting for him until just now. Despite his relaxed attitude, he did feel bad for making them wait. He watched as Kyo scattered several of his feathers into the air, morphing a number of them into swords, while the rest fell slowly to the ground.

"What are you attempting to do?" Uriel asked.

"Well, I just thought that my offensive could use a bit of work, so instead of blinding whoever I fight, I just thought that it'd be better to skewer them." Kyo answered, so concentrated that he didn't even scold his father for making him wait.

"I see...in that case, I will continue Brianna's training." Uriel said. He motioned for Brianna to move away from Kyo and toward him. She was obviously still mad, and wasn't making an attempt to hide it.

"Brianna, I know that you were upset when I used Kyo as a hostage during the last training session. So this time, it will be only the two of us as adversaries. Hopefully, you won't hold back." Uriel said. He examined Brianna's angry expression and almost smiled. She may just do well today.

The two stood about ten meters from each other, and faced each other, Brianna summoning her chakrams, while Uriel called upon Longinus. The two never kept their eyes off of each other, and before Uriel could even tell her to begin, Brianna threw one of her chakrams straight at him, and using the same hand that she had thrown it with, pointed her palm at Uriel. A thick fog rose around Uriel, completely obscuring his view. Staying completely still, Uriel waited, and suddenly thrust out his lance, clipping the chakram that had suddenly flown in out of nowhere. But he didn't have time to relax just yet, as two chakrams suddenly emerged from that same chakram, and began to home in on him. Watching the two chakrams carefully, he swung outwards with his spear, and quickly ran out of the mist. It was a good thing that he did, as two more chakrams unattatched themselves from the previous two chakrams.

Hm, it seems she does much better when none of her loved ones are involved in the battle... Uriel observed. Suddenly, he felt his knee buckle, causing his knee to crash to the ground. Looking up, he saw a glowing purple gravity glyph just above him. He heard something to his left and right, the sound of Brianna's chakrams. The two chakrams were spinning at blinding speed, and were intended to decapitate Uriel from two sides. Brianna watched anxiously as the two chakrams got closer and closer to converging directly at Uriel's head, and for a moment, felt worried.

What if he doesn't move? Brianna thought, no longer strafing. But Uriel suddenly stabbed the air above him, a burst of mana shooting out of his lance and destroying the gravity glyph. In a matter of seconds, Uriel was no longer pinned to the ground and appeared behind Brianna. She knew she had lost.

"You did well." Uriel said, nodding at her. "But you mustn't stop moving. You are extremely vulnerable at close range without your chakrams."

Brianna nodded slightly and stayed quiet. She suddenly heard someone clapping in the distance.

"Whoo, go Brianna!" Kyo shouted, smiling encouragingly at her. Brianna couldn't help but smirk a little bit.
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Stopping Aryus stared wide eyed at the large gaping hole full of what looked like black liquid. This was where he swore that he had heard Fia's voice the last time. Stepping cautiously over to it, his bladed gauntlet in hand, he peered closer at the swirling abyss.

"You've gotten a lot softer..."

Aryus suddenly felt someone's foot press against his back, causing him to fall into the black abyss. Just before the vertigo overtake him, he caught a glimpse of a figure standing atop the hole. The grey haired man smirked at him and starting laughing cruelly before Uriel plunged deeper into the darkness.

Ying nodded to Kalne when she arrived.

"It's no trouble at all. Thank you for joining us" Ying answered.

"Hi Kalne" Mai greeted. She felt a little glum, especially after what Ying said to her. It was a bit to take in, but she knew she had to accept it.

"Kalne, I would like for you to train Mai...in any way you see fit to her skills. I have taught her what I can, but I would like to observe her skills against someone other than me. You did say you have 200 years of experience after all..." Ying explained, smiling slightly.

Mai blinked as she looked at Ying. Then she turned her gaze back on Kalne. She knew Kalne was strong, so she felt a slightly uneasy.

"Kyuu, if you would please leave Mai a moment..." Ying said. Kyuu hesitated but obeyed Ying and jumped off of Mai's shoulder to the floor.

"You can help Mai again when need be" Ying added.

"Don't worry Mai, I believe in your abilities" Kyuu said to Mai.

Ying looked at Kalne.

"The floor is all yours..."

"Most of everything I teach is in agility. Being able to swing a weapon is easy. Defending against a weapon is harder. But moving out of the way of one is much easier." Kalne glanced at Ying and moment before returning her gaze. "This will be our only training session. Mai, I'll try to teach you some of what I know, and hopefully you'll learn enough to continue it on your own." Kalne took stance as she began the session.

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After awhile, Kalne left the training area, she was breathing a bit heavy. I've taught you what I thought you could handle Mai. Use it it well.

Breathing hard, Uriel stood up slowly and nodded at the two.

"You both did well, this is the most I can teach you for the time being, as we only have one more day after this to train." Uriel said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"There's really nothing else?" Kyo asked, holding his nose closed, due to the recent training session.

"There is nothing else that I can teach you in a day." Uriel said. "I cannot perform miracles, nor can I change your fighting style and ability within the duration of three days. This was mainly to bring your weaknesses to light."

"Well I guess you can't really hope for miracles nowadays." Brianna said, sighing. Nonetheless, she felt much more stronger than she normally did. Of course she still had her weaknesses, but she was sure she wouldn't burden anyone much more than she originally did.

"Uhm....a-alright..." Mai replied a bit nervously. She always thought Kalne was strong, but she never thought she would have to spar or let alone train with her. Mai took a deep breath. She glanced at Ying a moment before looking back at Kalne, who seemed ready in fighting stance. She too stood ready for battle.

"Yes, please teach me..."

----

Mai was also breathing heavily after her training with Kalne was over. She felt relieved that she had eaten first, otherwise she didn't think she couldn't handle so much assault from Kalne. After the fox girl left, Mai thought about what she had learned. She knew she was fast, but from Kalne's training she felt she had made herself more aware and a lot faster than she ever thought she could before.

Kyuu was surprised at the outcome.

There is still much you haven't learned, Mai... he thought.

"Well done" Ying said as she approached. She had thanked Kalne quietly herself before the girl had left.

"Thanks..." Mai breathed out. She collapsed down to the floor, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Can I go to bed now?"

----

Later that night, after making sure Mai and Alyse were asleep, Ying had gone out of her room.

Even though she knew she wasn't really supposed to, she had gone to the area atop of the airship to feel the wind and open air. She knew Talken wanted to stretch his wings a bit also.

The moment they were outside, Talken took off from Ying's shoulder and up into the sky. Heavy, dark clouds lay like a blanket amongst the sky. Ying felt the wind whip through her hair and she gazed up and watched Talken.

"So you didn't tell me about her..." Ying said aloud when Talken flew close by.

"It was a secret kept by Master Eiji...she...was his guardian..." Talken replied. Ying widened her eyes in surprise. For all this time she never knew that Eiji ever had a guardian like the other demonslayers in the village, because she never saw him accompanied by one.

"Why did no one know of this?" Ying asked.

"Us guardians were never obliged to tell because of what happened...we are always sworn to our word. Humans have a temptation to reveal secrets, and so Master Eiji....being a master at his skill...used a great deal of his power to seal everyone's memories of that ordeal..." Talken replied.

"I...never knew he had such a power..." Ying said.

"For him it was a blessing and a curse. He could seal away others' memories....but never his own...so he was always burdened by everyone's lost memories. Even yours, Ying...." Talken answered. Ying felt a sting in her chest.

"My....memories?" she asked. The thought of it made her uneasy. She had always suppressed the thoughts of her mysterious past. She never liked thinking about the past, so she always lived for the present, always looking into the future.

"If you want to know....that I cannot tell you. It is something not even I have knowledge of, only Master Eiji himself. I only knew of his burden. However...I'm sure that someday...you would find that out yourself..." Talken explained.

Ying lowered her head slightly. She was lost in thought a moment. She clasped her hand around her locket. Then she looked out into the distance.

Someday....

A day passed by uneventfully. Everyone seemed to follow the same routines. But for some of the people a small tension had begun to grow.

---------------

Farah fumed. She had been given some time off for setting another fire. She kicked the door. "It's not my fault metal burns so easily." She yelled. She turned and headed back to her quarters.

---------------

Izuna and Kelly stood in the command deck.

Kelly examined the map. "We're within range of the tower. I'd say only 4 hours until we arrive."

"Yep, and we're ahead of schedule. This leaves an extra day to get back." Izuna turned and began walking away.

"Should I make the announcement."

"Go ahead." Izuna said happily as she vanished.

--------------

The ships intercom came on. "Attention all hands. We'll be arriving at our destination in less then five hours. Begin preparations." That's all Kelly's voice had said.

The ship began to fill with activity.

---------------

Kalne listened to the announcement. She turned to Rikka. "Rest. By the time frame of the announcement we'll be arriving around noon."

"I understand." Rikka said, seemingly thinking about something else. She left the training area.

Kalne sighed. "Looks like my last chance has slipped by. I wanted us to be happy for alittle awhile longer." She said to herself, feeling a stab of nostalgia.

---------------

Hashnel laughed as his mental grip focused on Shin's last memory that prevented him from taking a path of a demon. He found it amusing that the path of humans was influenced to Shin by his demon father. "Shinosuke, today your son will be freed from you."

Within Shin's head, the final meeting had begun, as Hashnel tried to erase Shinosuke from Shin's mind.

Jason's sword surged with electricity. The wound in his chest had healed, but the hole in his clothes remained.

Zenos' sword was alittle more lax, but his guard was up.

Sarene was in full battle stance. She was ready to rip Nome in half.

The tower doors opened and Nome walked out from the darkness. He stopped a few meters away from the three. "It seems you found me."

Zenos spoke first, to silence the other two before they could act rashly. "Nome, the being created by the merge of a young boy and a fallen angel, you are hereby ordered to come with us."

"And if I refuse?"

"We'll have no choice but to either force you, or kill you."

"Even you want me dead?"

"I don't old friend. I would gladly see you return to your former glory."

"I cannot go back." His phantom swords began appearing around him. "My death will be today, but not by the likes of you three." He was silent for a moment. "Though I do have something I wish you look into Zenos."

"What would that be?"

"The demon seeds. That's all I can say."

"Then the time for talk has ended." Zenos said.

The angel battle had begun.

Yondaime closed the door behind him. Within the closed room a number of people were present. Yuki, Tyson, Dante, Anthro, Marion, Matiko and two people he didn't recognize.

"Glad you could join us." Tyson said to Yondaime and Marion. "Howse the underground city?"

"The emergence tunnel has been dug. Our country can start it's rebuilding." Yondaime said.

"Why are we here?" Marion asked. But in the back of her mind she was focused on Soran's disappearance.

"What we're about to discuss is extremely important, and for the next two years must remain a secret. I'm sure everyone here is familiar with the legends of the ancient hero."

Everyone nodded.

"They are more then legends. Everything within them are completely true, abet missing details, but they have the general story. Within this room are three of the ancient hero's companions. I am the Aerfeld Draconis."

"I'm the Frozen Blade." Yuki said.

"And I'm the Scourge of Darkness." Dante stated.

"These are the names in which the legends currently use. We made sure our real names were covered up, lest we become under attack of the enemies we once had. Our real names are the following. Tyson Aerfeld."

"Dante Frehart."

"Yuki Hinataro."

Everyone except Matiko were caught off guard by what he said. And Anthro just didn't show his reaction.

Yondaime spoke. "If this is indeed true, why come out now?"

Tyson stood up. "The Great Evil is returning."

With that everyone did show a reaction. Anthro's gaze became like steel.

"No the Hero destroyed it."

"That is half true. Trust me, I was there." Dante said before retreating again.

Tyson continued. "The Ancient Hero only stalled what he couldn't kill, and as I'm recently informed." Tyson briefly glanced at Anthro. "Around 200 years ago, the Evil had rose once again, but that time it was in secrecy, in a war hidden from everyone."

"Why is it you tell us?" Marion asked.

"We must started planning now, the Evil will be upon us in less then five years. Perhaps sooner. We must unite everyone to defeat it. The Empire, The Kingdom, the countries across the seas. Everyone."

"Two thousand years ago, the world was in majority of the Evil's control when we chose to go on a two and a half year journey to destroy it."

"Using every power we came across, we destroy it's army, and met it face on."

"And what your history has shown for the last millennia is the result of our journey."

The room was tense as Tyson continued.

Rebbecca, Siege, Rei'nai, and Karri watched from windows on the third floor of the tower of knowledge.

"I never thought I'd see him fight again." Karri said absently.

"It has been awhile." Rei'nai replied.

"He's someone whose helped us in times of need. His power is immeasurable by our means." Siege stated.

"Given enough time one of the four of us would beat him."

"This is the last day we will have to beat him." Rebbecca said suddenly.

"What do you mean Rebbie?" Karri asked.

Rebbie was silent.

Siege glanced at her. "He fully intends to die here today. When the other group he mentioned shows up. It is why he has called in his favours with us."

The four became silent. Somehow they were feeling regret at that thought.

Sarene was first to attack. She came at him from behind, but Nome's phantom blades stopped her.

Nome's blades started to spin around himself.

Jason flew at him and electricity exploded over the area.

Nome was unaffected and gripped one of his many blades.

Zenos attacked from above, and the two's blades crashed within Nome's spinning defense.

----------------------

Jason collapsed, and fell unconscious. Minor wounds covered his battered body.

Zenos was in the same condition, and was knocked out against a wall of the tower, which was now cracked where he had hit five floors above.

Sarene left arm hung limply to her side. Her right arm ready to attack. A wound over her right red clouded half her vision.

Nome's blades disappeared, except the one he held. "This is your last chance. Take those to with you and survive. Your mission will be completed, but not by you three."

Sarene fully wanted to kill him, for the pain he had caused her. But she knew she was still outmatched, even after all her training, since they last had clashed. And now her comrades had fallen. One even had been stronger then herself. "If your gonna die today, why not just let us kill you?"

"Because the boy I merged with would die also. He's innocent in my struggle, and I regret involving him within this whole thing."

Sarene didn't know if she could trust him, but at this point she had no choice. "My mission is clear. We were ordered to let the fallen die, should any of us fail." Mana exploded out of her back as she surged towards him.

"I'm sorry." With That Nome's blade pierced Sarene's chest. "I've missed your vitals, but you'll be out for an hour."

Sarene's vision blurred as she passed out and fell against Nome.

Nome placed her on the ground gently, and closed her wound. Then did the same with Jason and Zenos. Then he turned his back on them, and walked back into the tower.