Crata stood on wobbly knees, her body still wracked in
pain from the initial attack. She raised her weapon at the
black armor-clad stranger. She saw him reach behind him and
retrieve something that immediately flashed into a full-
length sword. "What the hell are you?"

     She aimed her rifle, switched to Explosive mode, and
fired. She watched as the laser-guided explosive projectile
raced towards the stranger. Her eyes widened as the
stranger merely raised his left hand and her projectile
merely exploded harmless against it. *How are these humans
able to raise shields like that?* Her mind protested
against the scientific impossibility she was witnessing.

     She fired again and again but each time her projectile
proved useless against the stranger's shields. So engrossed
and enraged was she that she didn't realize the stranger
had been taking a step closer each time she fired her
rifle. She was about to let lose another projectile once
more but a flash of light slashed downwards, effortlessly
slicing the front barrel of her weapon causing sparks to
shoot all over.

     Crata dropped her now useless rifle and looked up into
the eyes of the armor-clad human. She detected a bit of
sadness there as she felt his bright sword barely touch the
base of her neck. She forced herself to stand erect. She
was determined to die with dignity.

     The stranger uttered something that was neither
Japanese nor English. It didn't matter. There was a flicker
of movement and she felt no more...

     * * * * *

     Lantis watched the headless body crumple before him.
It was then that he heard the rhythmic pounding of the air
caused by an air craft of some sort. He turned towards the
trio behind him and the stunned and horror-struck
expression on their faces at what he did registered in his
consciousness. Except he didn't have time to process it. He
eyed Kuu and said one word: "Fuu."

     Kuu's eyes widened and realized that they had left her
sister at the hands of two other aliens. "She with aliens,"
she said frantically in broken Cephirean and began pointing
towards the front lawn.

     Lantis nodded and quickly rushed towards the direction
indicated by Kuu. He heard them hasten to follow. Lantis
skidded to a stop just as he reached the front lawn and saw
an unconscious Fuu being held up on both sides by unknown
men he took to be the aliens. The helicopter he heard was
on its final approach. Something else was not right though.
Lantis cast his eyes around looking for that elusive
something that was nagging at the back of his mind.

     Having found nothing and yet convinced that something
was about to happen, he turned and saw Kuu still rushing
forward without thought of the danger that would be befall
her if she ran past him and into full view of the invaders.

     He stretched out his arms effectively encasing Kuu in
them. He then dropped her to the ground, using his body to
shield her. Lantis looked up to see the look of surprise on
the faces of Hikaru's brothers. But they seem to understand
and they dove to the ground as well.

     In that split second an explosion rocked the whole
compound. The magic swordsman glanced up to see smoke
billowing out of a gaping hole on a far wall. Streams of
armed soldiers began pouring in and a firefight between
them and the aliens ensued.

     Lantis rose slightly from his position to locate Fuu.
She was trying to crawl away. *That's it, Fuu. Keep
moving.* Suddenly, one of the aliens turned his attention
away from the soldiers and began stalking the Wind Knight.
*This is not good.*

     He prepared to make his move when the alien suddenly
raised his weapon and shot Fuu! "No!" the magic swordsman
cried as he leaped forward. No sooner did he cross the
threshold from the side of the house to the front lawn in
view of the soldiers did they began shooting at him too.
Lantis quickly erected his shield. "I'm not the enemy, you
imbeciles!"

     Weapon fire began pouring in on his side and he
realized that the alien who was closest to Fuu was now also
firing at him. "Not good," he muttered as he began to run,
closing the distance between him and Fuu. He didn't think
his shield will hold for very much longer against the
weapons fire from the soldiers and the alien but he had no
choice.

     A large projectile streaking towards him began to
register on his peripheral vision. It came from the
soldiers. He didn't know what it was but something told him
that he needed to dodge it. And dodge it he did by leaping
backwards in the nick of time as the projectile exploded
upon impacting the ground where he was just a split second
ago. While he was not hit directly, the shock wave from the
blast threw him into the air in an arc and his back hit the
ground hard, knocking the air out of him.

     "Lantis!"

     The magic swordsman's name called out by Kuu barely
registered in his ear. Neither did the beating rotors of
the helicopter, nor the additional explosions that
blemished and pockmarked the once well-maintained lawn of
the Hououjis. By the time he got hold of his senses, Fuu
was already in the helicopter with her alien abductor.

     "Fuu!" Lantis cried out, his hand reaching towards the
sky. He forced down the bile that was threatening to rise.
He had failed. And worse, he had failed Hikaru.

     * * * * *

     When Hikaru stepped out of the portal she immediately
spotted Kuu and her two brothers hunched down among the
shrubs.

     It was Kuu who first noticed her arrival. "Thank
goodness you're here, Hikaru!" the elder Hououji cried out
in relief which was evident by the tears that started to
spill.

     "What happened?" Hikaru rushed towards her and got
pulled into a tight, desperate hug. The Fire Knight pushed
Kuu from her but held her by the shoulders. She looked
straight into her eyes but the latter simply broke down
into more tears. Hikaru turned to Masaru.

     "Masaru, tell me what happened, quick!"

     "Fuu's been captured--"

     "What!?"

     "That's not all, Lantis got hit--"

     "Oh no, Lantis! Where is he?" Hikaru asked desperately.

     "He's out there in the front being fired upon by
soldiers and one long alien."

     "Gods!" Hikaru quickly stood and was about to move
forward but a hand held her wrist. She looked back to see
that it was Satoru.

     "Don't act so rashly. Think things through first," the
eldest Shidou admonished.

     "I don't have time to think, Elder Brother. Fuu's been
captured and Lantis is trapped out there. I need to go help
him." She yanked her hand forcefully from Satoru's grasp
and ran towards the front of the Hououji residence.

     As soon as she crossed to the front lawn, Hikaru
erected a protective shield. She made a beeline to Lantis
who managed to crawl his way behind a tree. "Lantis!"

     "Hikaru! Get back! You're going to get hurt," Lantis
called out, waving her back frantically.

     "No, I won't," she insisted. She positioned herself
between Lantis, the soldiers and the alien and began waving
her arms towards the soldiers. "Don't shoot. He's not the
enemy!"

     The soldiers abruptly ceased firing as soon as they
saw the redheaded teenager dressed in shirt and denims
cross their line of fire. However, the alien took advantage
of the cease fire and began to train his weapon on her.
Hikaru saw this and was therefore not caught by surprise
when an energy beam splashed against her shield.

     The Fire Knight narrowed her eyes in anger. She raised
her hands in front of her at chest level, curved inward as
if holding a ball, and cast her spell: "Ruby lightning!"
She then extended her hands outward, directed towards the
alien as soon as she felt the unmistakable buildup of
energy surge through her body. Red spikes of lightning
exploded out of the teenager and began racing from her
outstretched hand towards the invader.

     The alien's eyes widened in fear but stood stock still
in panic like a deer caught in the headlights of an
onrushing car. He let out a horrific scream of pain as red
hot electrical energy engulfed his entire body and lifted
him, dragging him several meters through the air to crash
against the far wall. By the time his body slid to the
ground, it was a smoldering corpse.

     For several moments, all who witnessed the spectacle
remained immobile, wide-eyed and stunned. This was
especially true of Hikaru's brothers and Kuu who had never
seen this enraged side of the bubbly teenager. They were
filled with both fear and gratitude. Fear because they
never realized how much power the redhead had at her
disposal; and gratitude that she was on their side.

     For her part, Hikaru only spared a momentary glance at
her handiwork. She quickly ran to Lantis and helped him up.
"Lantis, are you all right?"

     "I'm fine, Princess, I'm fine," Lantis said, smiling
down at the Pillar.

     "I was so worried," Hikaru said, burying her face on
his chest.

     "It's all right, Princess. We need to rescue Fuu
though," Lantis gently pushed the Pillar from him and gazed
into her eyes. "Princess, I have failed you. I was not able
to save Fuu."

     "It's not your fault, Lantis. Please don't be sorry.
There is still hope. First, we need to go to Umi. If we
capture one of the aliens there, we might be able to get
him to tell us where they are taking Fuu."

     Lantis nodded somberly. He had great faith in the
Pillar. "You're right, Princess."

     Hikaru smiled affectionately up at her magic swordsman
as she reached up and tenderly touched his face.

     Someone off to her right cleared his throat noisily
effectively ending the tender moment she and Lantis were
having. The Fire Knight turned to find a soldier waiting
expectantly at them. "Yes?"

     "Um, excuse me, ma'am but are you Hikaru Shidou?" the
American soldier asked in Japanese to Hikaru's mild
surprise.

     "Yes, that's me. And you are...?" She asked as she
turned to face the soldier fully. She slid her hand down
Lantis' arm and entwined her fingers in his hand, taking
comfort in his nearness.

     "I'm Lieutenant Gary Bryce of the United States Marine
Corps. That was...um...an interesting display you showed
earlier, ma'am," the soldier cleared his throat. "Um, I'm
here to inform you that the United States government, in
coordination with the government of Japan, is offering to
put you, your friends and family in protective custody."

     "Lt. Bryce, you don't have to address me so formally.
And the answer is no, we do not wish to be placed under
protective custody."

     The soldier frowned, clearly not expecting the
rejection of the offer. "But surely you can see that
without our protection you risk making a repeat of what
happened today with your friend."

     Hikaru narrowed her eyes at the brash lieutenant.
"Surely you can see that I can protect myself and my family
without your help," she cocked her head sideways to
indicate the burnt remains of the alien she dispatched.

     The Marine glanced back at the dead alien before
turning back to face her. "Yes, well--"

     "Listen, Lt. Bryce, I don't have time to talk right
now. I've got another friend to go see."

     "Oh, well, please allow us to escort you th--"

     "That won't be necessary," Hikaru said as without
warning, she summoned a portal to appear close to where the
Marine was standing.

     "Jesus Christ!" the soldier exclaimed in English,
jumping back in surprise.

     The Fire Knight turned to look at her brothers. "Time
to go."

     All three nodded and began walking towards the portal.
Hikaru approached Kuu. "Kuu, will you be all right?"

     "Yes, I will be, Hikaru," Kuu sniffed. She was about
to ask about Fuu but she saw the look of determination in
the eyes of the petite redhead.

     "Don't worry about Fuu," Hikaru said. "I'll get her
back. Trust me, Kuu."

     "I do trust you, Hikaru," Kuu said tearfully as she
pulled her sister's best friend into a tight hug. After a
moment, she pulled back. "Now go."

     Hikaru glanced one more time into Kuu's eyes and
smiled cheerfully. "You take care." She turned towards the
portal to see Lantis waiting for her. Together they
disappeared into the turbulent light at the center of the
oval passageway.

     Lt. Bryce, together with the rest of the Bravo team,
watched in awe and remained stunned several seconds after
the portal dissipated. Bryce's orders were in fact to more
firmly "convince" the girl that protective custody was the
only way to go. But after witnessing what that girl could
do, he just didn't have the heart to fulfill them.

     One thing was sure though: neither he nor any in his
team would ever forget what they saw that day.

     * * * * *

     Lam shook his head slowly as he surveyed the enemy
from the second floor of the Ryuuzaki residence. He had two
warriors posted on the more visible windows continuously
pouring weapons fire downwards. "We cannot continue this
indefinitely," he muttered to no one in particular.

     "I'm afraid I have more bad news, Sir," said one of
the warriors returning from a section search of the house.
"Trano isn't responding to our hail."

     "Dammit! That makes two that we've lost contact with.
Where's Dasma?"

     "She rushed off to the Southeastern part of the house."

     "Dasma is as foolish as she is reckless! C'mon let's
go," said Lam as he hurriedly grabbed his plasma rifle on
his way out of the room. The other warrior had to quicken
his pace just to be able to keep up.

     "What's the matter, Sir?"

     "Dasma has been itching to battle that Ryuuzaki girl
since the beginning."

     "Right." But the warrior was smiling inwardly as he
ran alongside his leader. He was now eager to find out how
the esteemed Dasma would fare against the girl with the
strange powers.

     * * * * *

     "Well, well, well," Dasma said as she aimed her rifle
at the Ryuuzaki girl with one hand. "We meet at last, Umi
Ryuuzaki." Her patience paid off. She was immediately able
to detect a pattern based on the disappearance of the first
and then the second warrior. They were now in some sort of
indoor gymnasium.

     If the girl was surprised by the ambush, she didn't
show it. As a matter of fact, she was a picture of perfect
poise, standing erect with a hand on her hip. Back on
Ramar, Dasma was one of the fiercest fighters and therefore
feared by both female and male warriors alike. It was
therefore infuriating that a mere slip of a human female
could be so unaffected by her. Especially since she had a
rifle aimed at her at pointblank range and the girl was
weaponless.

     "I had no idea I had a fan," Ryuuzaki said, arching a
perfectly formed eyebrow. "Did you want my autograph or
something?"

     "Why you insolent whelp! Do you think one such as
yourself could defeat someone like me in combat?"

     "It's easy to talk tough when you're holding a rifle."

     "Oh you mean this?" Dasma tilted the rifle towards her
and spared it a glance. She then tossed it aside. It
clattered noisily as it hit the ground but neither of them
paid it any attention. "I don't need it at all." The
Ramarian sneered as she reached for the weapon she kept
fastened to her back and brandished it. "See this? We call
this a trama. As you can see it's a double-bladed sword."
The weapon itself resembled a pitchfork except it had long
"tines" and a short shaft, which was actually the handle.

     "Very few in our home world could master it. However,
in a *master's* hand, this can be the deadliest weapon
ever," Dasma continued as she began to twirl the double
blades like a fan, deftly switching from her left to her
right hand and back again. "Now, I *know* you have your own
weapon hidden somewhere. I suggest you take it out because
I won't have any qualms in cutting you down where you
stand, weapon or no weapon."

     "Oh, very well. If you insist," the girl said as she
casually lifted her gloved hand. To Dasma's amazement, the
blue ornament on the glove began to glow. The girl tapped
it lightly with her right hand and in a blinding flash, a
long blade appeared. For the briefest moment, the sword
floated in the air until the girl stretched out her right
hand and took hold of it.

     "Very impressive," Dasma said, meaning it. Here at
last was a seemingly worthy adversary. While she enjoyed
wining as much as the next Ramarian, she despised lopsided
battles even more. Something told her deep inside this was
not going to be one of those kinds. This girl has had her
share of difficult battles too. She was sure of it.

     They began to square off. Each one eyeing the other,
testing each other's mettle. At last, with a battle cry,
Dasma charged with her blades thrusting forward. The girl
sidestepped easily, touching the onrushing weapon with her
own in a token parry. The Ramarian knew that the girl would
expect her to continue moving forward due to inertia but
the moment their blades touched she pivoted sharply
bringing her weapon about in a horizontal slash.

     Dasma smiled as she saw the girl's eyes flash in
alarm. It was a classic trick. Many a warrior died of
disembowelment for underestimating the trama and its master
wielder. At the last moment however, the girl managed to
leap back, the double blades slicing nothing but air,
missing the girl's flat belly by a mere hair's breadth.

     "Hey!" Ryuuzaki protested. "That was a really cheap
trick!"

     "And yet you were able to survive it. Now I'm truly
impressed." Dasma charged again, this time with her sword
raised upwards, poised to slash downwards diagonally.

     This time, the girl was prepared. She met the blades
with her own just as it began its downward trajectory, with
sufficient strength to stop it at its path and then spun
swiftly on her heels, bringing her sword swinging in an arc
laterally. Dasma suddenly found herself on the defensive.
The obvious counter was to leap back just as the girl did
against her own attack but she needed to gain the upper
hand quickly. So, with all the strength and speed she could
muster, she swung her sword down. The resulting collision
of metals caused a shower of sparks.

     Ryuuzaki used the energy of the impact to spin once
more, again bringing her sword in a swift, deadly arc, this
time targeting her upper torso. Dasma managed to block it
but barely so. *By everything that's holy, but this girl is
fast!*

     Both combatants continued to exchange blows for
several minutes. The speed at which they fought was beyond
what would be considered normal. The colossal impact of the
blades, oftentimes causing showers of sparks, would have
broken even the strongest katanas. To the regular human
eye, the battle seemed even. Dasma knew different and she
was beginning to have difficulty hiding the strain. The
warrior leaped back, putting some distance between them in
the pretext of reassessing the situation.

     It wasn't far from the truth. She *was* assessing the
situation. Her previous battles did not last this long. The
weight of the trama was having its toll on her. Keeping a
facade of effortless combat was also causing additional
strain. Her pride would not allow herself to show any
weakness. Taking deep, gulping breaths while the other did
not show any sign of exhaustion was unforgivable. And yet
as she looked into the eyes of the girl, she saw something
there, something akin to...*pity?* "What?" Dasma asked,
trying but completely failing to hide her irritation.

     "You seem to be growing tired," Ryuuzaki replied,
lowering her sword.

     Dasma smirked. "You wish."

     "No, really. Why are we fighting? What is it that you
want?"

     "I didn't come here to talk, girl. Now, fight!" Dasma
snarled. She had one last trick up her sleeve. She charged,
thrusting her blades, aiming at the girl's face. As
expected, Ryuuzaki swung her sword in a fan to block her
thrust. At the last moment, the Ramarian angled the trama,
catching the girl's sword between the twin blades. With one
savage twist, Dasma managed to wrench the girl's sword from
her hand. As she finished the upward swing of her sword,
she saw the girl leap back, her left hand rubbing the palm
of her right.

     "Ha ha!" Dasma whooped in triumphant delight. She eyed
the girl and then glanced at the sword still caught in the
snare of her double blades. She angled her weapon, letting
the sword fall loose. How ironic would it be to kill Umi
Ryuuzaki with her own sword? She stretched out her left
hand to catch the falling weapon. As soon as her hand
touched the handle, the whole sword turned to water. The
Ramarian's eyes flashed in surprise as the blade fell
through her hand and arm, splashing on the ground by her
feet. She became even more amazed when the puddle of water
instantaneously coalesced back into the girl's sword. "What
trickery is this?" Dasma demanded. She looked up at
Ryuuzaki. The girl merely shrugged.

     The Ramarian knelt on one knee and reached out to
touch the sword. Her fingers felt cold, solid metal. She
grasped the handle but the very moment the sword left the
ground, it broke up much like a glass of water breaking.
Once again, when the very last drop of water hit the
ground, the whole puddle merged to turn into the sword.

     Dasma rose in disgust, shaking her wet hands,
belatedly realizing that her hands weren't wet at all. She
glowered at her opponent who was just standing there,
calmly regarding her. She began walking towards her using
measured steps, her trama held at the ready position. "I
was right from the beginning. I was there when you competed
in your fencing tournament, you know. It was such a puny
event. A total waste of time for someone of your caliber.
Before you die, I think you'd want to know that you were my
most worthy adversary."

     "Don't come any closer. I don't want to hurt you," the
girl said in that infuriatingly sincere tone of voice.
Dasma had to laugh out loud.

     "Hurt me? My dear child, can't you see that I'm the
one holding a weapon?" She took one more step closer,
bringing her just two meters away. It would take less than
a second to lunge and put an end to this.

     "I warned you," Umi Ryuuzaki said as she raised her
right hand.

     Dasma tensed, bending her knees slightly preparing to
lurch forward. The girl spoke a phrase in a language she
didn't understand and all of a sudden, a fierce wind and a
multitude of white projectiles exploded from her hand, all
streaking towards her. She frantically tried to block the
projectiles with her trama. She realized that projectiles
were actually shards of sharp ice. She failed to block
several of them and those that penetrated her line of
defense embedded themselves in her arms and legs.

     The warrior screamed in agony as she dropped her
weapon. The barrage of sharp icicles, carried by gale-
strength winds, threw her several meters back, pinning her
to the far wall. Several more of the ice blades stabbed her
in her arms, legs, shoulders and chest, effectively
crucifying her to the concrete wall, her feet dangling
approximately one meter from the ground.

     Dasma's face was scrunched up in pain. By sheer force
of will, she slowly opened her eyes. Her plasma rifle lay
just below her. Fate was not without its own sense of
irony. Painfully, she raised her eyes and saw the girl
approach cautiously. She bent down to pick up her sword,
which did not turn to water this time, obviously.

     A few more steps and Umi Ryuuzaki finally stood in
front of her. A worthy adversary indeed. The Ramarian let
out a sigh of defeat. There were worse ways to die.

     * * * * *

     Umi gazed into the beaten body of her enemy. Except
for the bluish green ichor oozing out from her many wounds,
the woman before her looked very human. She couldn't help
but feel sorry for her and yet, because she somehow knew
that to show pity would be insulting to this...this
person's race, she tried to mask her feelings.

     "I do not understand why it had to come to this," the
Water Knight said sadly. "Why did we have to fight?"

     The alien stared coldly back into her eyes. "It was a
matter of honor."

     Umi shook her head. "No, it wasn't."

     "Enough talk! Finish it. Let me die a warrior's death."

     "Dasma!"

     Umi whirled seeing two men enter the room. She raised
her sword just as one of them raised his weapon. The Wind
Knight didn't worry. Her sword would be able to deflect the
energy be--

     A bright light suddenly blinded her. She let out an
anguished scream as she fell to her knees, dropping her
sword and covering her face with her hands.

     "Listen to my voice." She heard it in her head. It was
low and unnatural.

     "Wh-who are you?" Umi cried out. "Get out of my head!"

     "You will obey my commands."

     "No!"

     "Umi!" Malor's voice.

     "Malor!" Hurried steps. She tried to open her eyes but
sharp pain began to shoot and bounce inside her brain. She
kept her eyes shut, her hands pressed tightly against them.

     "Get him!" Energy beams. Explosions. Running steps.

     "Flame arrow!" The whooshing sound of fire. Screaming.
The sounds of battle seemed extremely enhanced in Umi's
ears.

     More energy beams. More running.

     "Ruby light--" A gurgling sound followed by a crash.

     "Malor?"

     Flames licking in the background. Steps drawing closer
and then farther. An energy beam then a final gasp.

     Umi bolted upright. "No," first a whisper. "No!" a
scream. "Malor, no!" The Wind Knight struggled on fours,
ignoring the throbbing pain in her head, and began to crawl
towards where she thought Malor was. She felt a firm hand
grasp her left arm just under the shoulder and painfully
yanked her upwards. She bumped against the body of the man
holding her.

     "Let go of me!" She swung her right arm intending to
punch the man but her wrist hit against something hard and
metallic and she howled in pain. Her body sagged from the
pain in her head and both arms.

     "Do as I say and you won't get hurt."

     "Malor," Umi sobbed.

     "Your friend is dead."

     "No! Please don't let it be true," tears of grief
began to flow freely from Umi's blind eyes. "Please don't
let it be true...this can't be happening..."

     * * * * *

     Lam looked down at the sobbing girl he held. He knew
what grief was but he had never experienced it. He watched
her wailing with detached amusement. He looked up and saw
that Dasma was still alive. He moved towards her, literally
dragging the girl with him.

     "Dasma," Lam cast his eyes alternately on her and then
on the girl. It was amazing. How was this puny-looking
creature able to defeat one such as Dasma so decisively?

     "I'm dying."

     "Yes, you are."

     Dasma moved her eyes to the girl. "You should have
seen her fight. You should have seen our battle," she said
with pride. She shook her head slowly in wonder. "She is a
*magnificent* warrior."

     "You will be remembered for your sacrifice," Lam said
solemnly.

     Dasma raised her head and looked straight into the
other's eyes. "Yes, I know."

     Lam nodded once and watched as Dasma closed her eyes.
He waited. After a while, she stopped breathing. *You will
be remembered as a fool*, Lam thought. It was a senseless
death. He turned away and began walking towards the exit.
The girl he held struggled to keep up by walking but Lam
was walking briskly and she kept stumbling. He didn't care.

     His comlink chimed. "This is Lam."

     "This is Rogo. I've got the girl."

     "Excellent. I've got the girl too. Any casualties?"

     "I'm the only one left."

     Lam let out an inaudible sigh. He didn't expect this
much casualties. "I've got two others left. Proceed here."

     "That's not the plan."

     "I know. Our rendezvous point has just been
compromised, or so Tanaka tells me."

     "Very well. I'm on my way. Rogo out."

     He had never stopped walking as he spoke to Rogo. He
looked down and realized that the girl he held was no
longer moving. He stopped and raised her slightly. She had
fallen unconscious. It was just as well. He unceremoniously
dropped her on the floor. Bending slightly, he gathered
both her wrists into his one hand and began walking again,
dragging her across the ground as he went.

     * * * * *

     Hikaru emerged from the portal to find Lantis and her
brothers already surveying the room they were in.

     "We seem to be in Mr. Ryuuzaki's study, in the second
floor," Satoru said, approaching his sister.

     "That means we're roughly in the middle of Umi's
house. It's exactly where I wanted to be. Masaru, Kakeru
and I will check out the front. Elder Brother, you and
Lantis check out the back. I've been trying to contact Umi
but I'm getting no response," the youngest Shidou said, her
expression clearly conveying her worry.

     "Right," Satoru said, nodding. Following orders from
his baby sister was a bit strange and yet...reassuring. He
turned to Lantis and cocked a head towards the back of the
house. Both began to walk away but Hikaru called out to
him.

     "Oh, Elder Brother, I'll be communicating with you
telepathically. So don't be surprised if you hear my voice
inside my head," the Fire Knight smiled. "Kuu freaked out
big time when I did it to her."

     "Er...right," the eldest Shidou raised his eyebrows
and continued walking away, shaking his head slowly. Could
his life get any more bizarre?

     Hikaru watched the two leave. She turned to her other
brothers. "Let's go."

     The three began to walk quickly towards the front of
the house. It was truly a huge place. The youngest Shidou
began to notice that the damage became more and more severe
as they neared their destination. It was clear that a major
battle had gone on in this area. Hikaru made a signal for
her two brothers to slow down.

     Just as they were going to cross the threshold, Lantis
called out telepathically. Hikaru raised her hand up,
signaling Masaru and Kakeru to stop.

     "I found something," Lantis said, hesitantly.

     "What is it?"

     "You better see for yourself," the magic swordsman
said, projecting the image he was seeing to Hikaru.

     Masaru saw his sister's eyes widened, seeing something
in the empty space beyond. "Hikaru, what is it?"

     She shook her head as if only realizing she wasn't
alone. She turned to look her two brothers. "Looks like Umi
has been busy. Lantis found one of the aliens pinned to the
wall with dozens of ice spikes all over her body. It
was...gruesome," the Fire Knight cast her eyes downwards,
her brows furrowed. The sight truly disturbed her.

     Masaru fell silent. Kakeru asked, "Was...she...it
dead?"

      Hikaru nodded slowly, not taking her eyes off the
floor. "The alien looked female. I've seen her
before...somewhere."

     "Princess," Lantis spoke once more, "there's more."

     The redhead raised her head, once more staring into
the distance. "Yes?"

     "Prepare yourself, Princess," the magic swordsman said
slowly and projected another image.

     Hikaru's eyes widened and she let out a cry of
anguish; her hands came up to cover her mouth as she slowly
sank to her knees.

     "Hikaru!" Masaru and Kakeru rushed towards their
sister. "What happened?" Masaru said, tilting his head
downwards to try to look into her eyes.

     The Fire Knight was shaking her head, tears flowing
from her eyes. "It's...it's Malor. He's dead!"

     * * * * *

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