Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Yup, yet another chapter :) Heh, Nina Windia was curious as to how I got the name of my characters, so I actually wrote out where I got the names. This is a long list. Like four pages long ^_^;; So, um... yeah. Nina Windia, I am going to PM this list to you ^_^ anyone else that’s interested, let me know and I will PM it to you. Don’t worry, it does not contain spoilers. It’s also not complete. There’s like one or two more names missing, but 99% of the characters are on that list.

Here are the reviews!

Nina Windia: Hello! Hahaha~! I thought that would be funny :) Troy does have a way of wording things (snicker) Hee :)

Meeerf: HIYA! Haha! I can totally relate to that :) this chapter doesn’t even have any of the main group in it. But, ah, it DOES have a pairing I think that you will like (looks innocent). Yup, Nina and Ryu just should have stayed in bed for that one :) hehe, fantasy costumes would really be funny ^_~ hm, maybe I can incorporate that… Hn, really? Yeah, it did seem a bit rushed. I will try to work on that in future chapters :) hee, yup! Glad you liked the chapter!!!

Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

It was dark. That was the first thought that came into his mind. He didn’t know where he was… or even what he was anymore. The pain was still all too fresh in his mind. What had happened?

Go away!

The voices just kept echoing off of the nothingness. He wanted to know what had happened? Had he done something wrong to deserve this punishment he was forced to endure?

You are not welcomed here!

Go away!

Whatever he had done, it must have been severe if even voices didn’t want him. He thought he was wandering around a wasteland. He wasn’t sure what he was doing anymore.

I don’t want you yet!

GO AWAY!

And then, in the darkness, there was a faint pinprick of light. The voices seemed to almost urge him to run towards the light, but he was afraid. He was lost in darkness. He thought that he’d never be able to see the light ever again.

He took one shaky step towards the light, but there were other voices that told him to stay where he was. That he wasn’t worthy to walk in the light again. He faintly remembered that there was once one that he regarded as his light… his life. A small, precious life that he swore that he would protect with his entire being.

How that light seemed so far away now!

He could feel the darkness enveloping around him once again. He closed his eyes as if to accept this fate. He was not worthy to walk in the light ever again.

“What part of “go away!” do you not understand?!”

He looked up and saw the source of the light standing right before him. It was not so much a light, but more like the light that was pouring and radiating from the female figure in front of him. What appeared to be butterfly wings were protruding from her back as purple hair fell around her face.

What matter of creature was this woman to be able to freely walk around in this endless darkness?

“I don’t want you yet!” the woman shouted. A name crept into his mind. The woman that shared her name with the force of land and magic. Manna.

“You are not welcomed here! Only the dead may enter here… and you are not dead! Not yet! Go away! Go back! They need you!”

He was confused. He was dead? He shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but was unable to do so. Manna shook her head, her long purple hair falling into her face.

“You are not dead yet! You still have a mission. A destiny that will not be able to play out if you truly die! Self sacrifice? HA! Don’t make me laugh! You think that will wipe away your transgressions? That will only make the loss that much harder to bear when all is said and done. Harmony doesn’t want you to kill yourself in her name or honor! She wants you to live, to live and be with her in the moments she and the world needs you the most!”

What was Manna really saying? Could he still be given a chance? What about Harmony? Who was Harmony? Who was he?

With a sharp pain, it all came crashing back. He had betrayed Harmony and Ryu’s group in order to secure the Earth Key. He had thought he was doing it to help Harmony, but in truth, he was afraid of Gideon and what the Dragon King would do to his kingdom, his charge, if he didn’t comply.

In the end, it cost him his home, his honor, and most of all, Harmony. He agonized over the fact that he would not be able to see the little girl ever again.

What have I done? He thought in despair.

“There is still hope!” Manna said, her gold eyes flashing. “Return. Return to the land of the living and complete your mission! The balance of power is shifting and I fear that Ryu cannot handle the overflow of power alone! Only one that knows life… and death… can help the one that needs to be saved.”

“Hope…?” he asked. He was amazed that he was able to hear his own voice.

Manna raised her staff. “Go back! Go away! I don’t want you yet!”

And with that, the light engulfed him and he knew no more.

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Rekks Counsei howled as he felt like he was being ripped apart. The pain was suddenly gone. He opened his eyes and blinked. Was he truly alive?

“I see that Manna was able to reach you,” a feminine voice chuckled.

Rekks looked around at the ancient stone room he was in. He looked ahead and spotted the indigo-haired woman standing a few feet away from him. She was dressed in a long, sectioned dark purple and blue dress that had a slit up the side, purple elbow length gloves and boots, and a purple and gold hemmed hood with a small cape attached to it.

Though he had never met this woman, no goddess, he knew exactly who she was.

“Lady Deis!” Rekks yelled as he fell to the ground on his knees.

“Oh, get up!” Deis snapped in annoyance. Rekks rose in hesitation. He wasn’t exactly sure as to what was going on.

“What is going on? I thought I was dead.”

Deis smirked slightly. “Ah, I know. But god does not cast die. The facts that you are here, and the fact that you saw Manna, are not merely coincidental. You were brought back for a reason. One that gives their life for the greater good always deserves a second chance. This is not a false half life, this is true rebirth.”

“But… as I understood it, only the creator gods could grant such a request.”

“Or the Overseer of the Grand Design,” Deis said, smirking. Rekks’ eyes widened. “What? You look surprised. Manna is the current Overseer. But… there’s so much more to this than you would ever believe.”

He didn’t know what it was, but for the first time, he was able to see the similarities between the two goddesses. The hair, the shape of the face and eyes… those ever present all knowing eyes…

“What is your connection to this Manna person?” Rekks asked.

Deis grinned widened. “Why would you think that there is a connection between us?”

“You both look almost the same! The only difference is that Manna looks slightly younger than you!”

Deis grinned. “Another story for another time. Now, you must listen to me now. I have a mission for you. You MUST do this, or all is lost…”

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Leon sighed as he watched Sari, Ryu, and the rest of their group vanished in plumes of light. Manna, Jin, and Sari were truly great forms of transportation. Leon knew that Ryu was still angry at him. It was an anger that had festered for many years. Ten to be exact.

Leon was just glad that Ryu and Nunnally both survived the many years. Nunnally being alive was living proof that there was still some part of their father that was still him. A part that Legence could never control.

He knew, however, that it was mainly his fault that all of the events in the past had happened. If he had not lashed out at Ryu like he did, if he had not allowed the Seeker into the castle to infect Ryu and Valerie…

Then maybe none of the things that had come to pass would have happened.

He said nothing as he watched Salla wheel Nunnally out of the dinning room and onto the balcony to enjoy the late morning air. He shook his head and walked out of the dinning room and to his bedroom.

Fourteen years of hell, and it was his entire fault! Everyone’s lives were ruined, and it was his entire fault. If he had not been jealous, angry, whatever else he had felt, Ryu and his mother would not have been infected. Nunnally would still have her family. Wyatt would not have had to be used for the link experiments. Miyuki and Jin would not have lost their mother…

Miyuki. Just thinking about the hyperactive spaz ball made his heart sink. He didn’t know how it happened, nor even why it happened, but he had somehow managed to fall hard and fast for her. If he had never done what he did, she would still be alive.

That mere thought ate at his heart like nothing else.

Leon growled slightly as he sat down on the edge of his bed and placed his head in his hands. Ryu and Sari and their group were now on their way to Navare to get one of the last Goddess Keys. It worried him when Manna had said that they found Valerie and Aaron had implanted the Light Key inside her.

He had not understood at the time how Ryu could not react to such news. But if there was one thing that he learned about his little brother, was that he was getting really good at hiding his emotions. He had the feeling that Ryu wanted to do nothing more than start crying at that moment. But, Ryu would not allow himself to get that upset until everything was said and done.

Dear Ladon, could he ever be forgiven for what he had done?

Leon closed his eyes and clasped his hands in prayer and started to pray to his god Ladon for forgiveness. It was something that he should have done along time ago, but he just could not bring himself to admit to all of the sins that he had committed.

“Ladon will not answer you,” a young woman’s medium soprano voice pulled him out of his prayer.

Leon looked up and his eyes widened as the brown haired woman continued talking. “Well, it’s more like he CAN’T answer you.”

The woman paced the bedroom as Leon watched her, his body slightly shaking from both disbelief and emotion.

“Who…?” Leon could not get the words to form. was he seeing a ghost? Was it even possible?

The woman crossed her arms and stopped walking. “Are you serious? Have you forgotten me so easily? Really Leon, I figured you had a better memory than that!”

Leon slowly stood up. “N-no… it’s not that…” Leon stood shaking as the woman watched him warily.

“Well then, what is it?” the woman asked.

“Are you really here?” Leon asked, his voice cracking slightly. “Or have I finally gone insane from grief and guilt?”

The woman uncrossed her arms and walked right over to Leon. She reached up with both of her hands and cradled the sides of Leon’s face. Leon stood still as a statue as the woman looked right into his eyes and smiled.

“Oh, I’m here, all right! I am as alive as you are.”

Leon swallowed and wrapped his hands around the woman’s. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened them again and looked at the woman’s intense green eyes.

“Then, you really are here,” Leon whispered. “You’re alive. But… how?”

The woman cracked a grin. “Heh, I can sum it up in one word… well more like a name actually. Manna.”

“Manna?” Leon asked. “She brought you back to life? But… I only thought that the creator gods could do that.”

The woman’s smile grew bigger. “There’s more to it than you would ever believe,” the woman said. “None of it matters, though…” the woman trailed off.

Leon was confused but soon realized why she had stopped talking when she quickly retracted her hands and grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him forward and kissed him intensely on the lips.

Leon’s eyes were wide for two seconds before he roughly grabbed onto the woman’s back and pulled her close to him and returned the kiss with much more force than she had done. The woman pressed the kiss and caused both of them to lose their balance. Both of them let out a shriek and fell back onto the bed.

The woman giggled as she laid on top of Leon. Leon, for his part, looked amused and… something else. Leon blinked and cleared his throat. The woman sighed and got off of Leon as they both sat on the bed side by side.

“Fah!” the woman sighed. “You are no fun.”

Leon tried to look dignified. “What if someone were to come in and see us doing… that?”

“Uh… your point?” the woman growled as she looked up at Leon.

Leon blushed slightly. “We…I mean, we haven’t even known each other for all that long. Not to mention that it would complicate things if we…”

“Ryu and Jin would get over it,” the woman said as she played with a loose strand of brown hair.

“That’s not what I meant,” Leon said as he stood up. “I… I’m not really sure what I mean.”

“Uh, huh,” the woman said as she stood up.

“Mi…Miyuki…” Leon said. “I thought you were dead… and now here you are, alive and well. I’m not sure how to handle that.”

Yuki merely gave Leon a once over. “Nothing’s changed… well, other than the simple fact I don’t really have my powers anymore. Well, I can still throw lightening and teleport, but that’s it.”

“Why did you do it?” Leon said as he clenched his hands into fists. “Why did you go and die?”

“I did it to save Ryu and Sari from Gideon and Legence. If I hadn’t, they would have died. If I hadn’t acted as a decoy, Legence would have aimed for Sari and killed her and Ryu would have crystallized.”

“I… understand,” Leon said. He embraced Yuki once more.

The two of them stood there for a long time, before they were suddenly thrown to the ground by a loud explosion. Leon released Yuki and ran over to one of the windows. Outside, above the city, was a massive white and silver-scaled dragon breathing fire everywhere.

Yuki frowned as she watched the dragon spray fire all over Shevat. Leon’s eyes widened in terror.

“I know that dragon…” Leon whispered. “That’s Valerie…”

“She’s alive?” asked Yuki. “But… how? Wait, don’t answer that. Does it have something to do with Aaron?”

“Long story… longer time to answer any questions!” Leon yelled. “I…” Leon looked at Miyuki. “Look… someone is going to have to go to Navare and warn Ryu…”

“Okay, we’ll go together…” Yuki started, but Leon cut her off. He forcefully grabbed her shoulders as another explosion shook the ground. “No!”

“What?!” Yuki snapped. “What the hell do you mean?!”

Leon kissed Miyuki once more then released her. “No, what I mean is someone will have to help in defending the city… Yuki, you have to take Nunnally and go to Navare and warn Ryu… Please! You have to get Nunnally out of here…”

Yuki sighed and closed her eyes. “I can help, too…” she said in a low voice.

Leon gave her a bitter smile. “I know you can, but this is my fault this happened. Please, allow me to rectify this…”

Yuki nodded. “Okay, I will get your sister out of here. But,” Yuki gave Leon a sharp look. “You better survive! I will not forgive you if you allow yourself to die on me!”

Leon smiled slightly. “Of course.”

There was a sudden knock at Leon’s door. The door swung open to reveal Nunnally and Salla. Both women bore expressions of terror on their faces. Salla was about to say something, but stopped when she saw Yuki.

Yuki sighed and walked over to Nunnally and Salla. Nunnally looked up at Yuki, a feeling of dread washing over her. Yuki gave the younger girl a bitter smile and reached down and picked the girl up cradle style. Yuki grunted under the weight, but managed to flash Leon a small grin.

Yuki turned around and closed her eyes. She vanished in a purple plume of light. Salla turned to Leon with a confused look on her face. Leon merely sighed and shook his head.

“Don’t ask,” Leon said. “She is taking Nunnally to Navare so they can warn Ryu about what is happening. As for us,” Leon sighed as he squared his shoulders. “We are going into battle against our former queen.”

 

To be continued…