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Chapter 7: Omamine

---

"Well, here we are. Home sweet home!" Daisuke waved an arm around, gesturing at the area they had arrived in. The ground was dry and dusty underneath their feet, the dirty landscape spotted with the occasional stunted tree. As far as the eye could see among the hills, there wasn't any sign of civilization. And of course, up in the sky, the flashing images of claws and teeth and glowing eyes could be made out.

Fia looked up at the sky, absently grabbing onto Daisuke's arm. "Not very friendly looking, is it?"

"Well, maybe not, but it'll get better once we save it," Daisuke reassured her. "Don't worry, I know where we are. I grew up around here. My aunt used to take me out here to train."

"We should probably get to our home, Daisuke," Keisuke said to his brother as he looked around. "We don't really want to be caught out here if a monster shows up."

"Yeah, but if they do, we'll be able to handle them," Daisuke said with a nod. "It'll be like--"

A roar in the distance interrupted him. Brigitta let out a little squeak, grabbing onto Keisuke. "Don't worry, it doesn't sound close," Keisuke reassured. "Our home is this way, we'll be fine once we get there."

Emi looked up suddenly, frowning. "Lord Daisuke, I hear something approaching."

He paused, the twins both listening. "Sounds like a horse," Keisuke said after a moment.

"I bet it's someone from our home!" Daisuke said excitedly, venturing partway up the hill. "Hey up there!"

This was responded to with a whistle, and then after a moment a horse crested the top of the hill, a woman on its back. Although she was older than any of the group, she looked just as young and confident as when the twins had left, peering down into the valley before she smiled. "Hey, if it isn't my favorite brats! It's about time you got back here, where've you been?"

"Aunt 'lira!" Daisuke cried with glee, rushing over to her horse. "Everywhere!"

"Is that your mother?" Brigitta asked of Keisuke.

"No, our aunt. Her name's Talira, she's my dad's sister, apparently." Keisuke waved to her. "Hi, Aunt Talira."

"Hi, brat! Why the long face?" she laughed, rubbing Daisuke's head affectionately. "Who're your friends?"

"Oh, this is Brigitta Wolfe, and Fia Genoa," Keisuke introduced in turn, "and Emi. Girls, this is my aunt Talira."

"Emi, huh...That got a last name?" Talira peered down at the younger woman.

"No, not particularly," the swordswoman replied with a salute. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," she said with a shrug.

"Mother!" Keisuke blurted out suddenly, running up the hillside as another horse appeared next to the first. The woman brought her horse to a stop, dropping down just in time to catch Keisuke in a hug, Daisuke running over to join his brother. "Mother, we've come home."

"I can see that," she said with a soft smile, giving Keisuke's head a soft kiss. "Welcome home. Was your journey successful?"

"Yeah! We got our own weapons and we trained a lot and we made some new friends, too!" Daisuke said, pointing down the hill before waving the girls up. "Come on, come meet my mama!"

Keisuke introduced the girls again, Fia managing a soft "Hi". "This is my mother, Ameko Satoka," Keisuke told the group as he hugged her.

"A pleasure to meet you, Lady Ameko," Emi told her with a bow.

The woman's eyes drifted over the girl briefly, looking over at Talira, who shrugged. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. Unfortunately, I wish the timing could have been a bit better so that I could offer you more hospitality. But since Keisuke and Daisuke have returned, it means the time to act is now."

"Act? To do what?" Brigitta asked nervously.

"To finish what was started fifteen years ago," the woman said, more to herself than to the group. "We'll head back to the castle and get what we need, then we'll ride to the central capital. I'll explain things to you on the way," Ameko said, turning back toward the horse.

"Maybe they don't want to go," Talira said with a frown, eyeing the two younger girls.

"If they've come here, it's for a reason." Ameko mounted the horse again, turning it around. "Come on. You can tell me everything that happened afterwards."

"Doesn't take much time for meeting and greeting, does she?" Fia muttered as she fell in step beside Daisuke.

"That's mama for you," he laughed. "She always knows what to do."

Brigitta fell back a little bit, watching the tall woman on the horse as she moved ahead, saying something to Talira. "Brigitta?" Keisuke questioned, stopping to let her catch up with him.

"So that's a 'mother', huh," she whispered, hurrying up a little to join him.

"Yes. Do you like her?"

"She's so beautiful," the girl whispered. "And she just...feels warm. I like her very much."

"Then you can stay with us," Keisuke reassured. "I'm sure she'll love to have you, once we save our world."

Brigitta sighed at that, pulling out the small pouch of seeds around her neck. "Can...can we really do that, Keisuke? It seems so sad here. Do you think these seeds will even live?"

"I think they will. I think it'll be a good thing to have," he reassured her. "After we save the world, we'll need those seeds to help everything recover. We'll need seeds to grow things again."

"How have things been since we've been gone?" Daisuke asked. "It's been a while, hasn't it? I lost track after our birthday, but I guess it was only a few days ago...."

"They've been steady," Ameko stated. "Not getting any worse, at the least. But I've had a bad feeling lately. I'm glad you two are back."

"Happy birthday, by the way," Talira told Daisuke cheerily. "I'll get you a toy after this is over, okay?"

"Aunt 'lira! I'm not a kid anymore," he huffed.

"Daisuke is a kid," Fia laughed, giving him a poke. "A duuuumb kid."

"You stop that!"

"How long does it take to get to this capital?" Emi directed at the older women. "And what are we going to do when we get there?"

"We'll figure that out along the way. Right now it's more important to just get there. It's not too long after sunrise, so barring any monsters, we should be able to make the city by nightfall and rest there."

"We'll show you around a bit while Mama gets things organized," Daisuke told Fia. "You can see our room."

"And you can meet some of our friends," Keisuke added. "Like Jer and Aizaem and Anko and the sisters."

Fia looked over at him. "Hm...Keisuke is surprisingly popular!"

"...what's that supposed to mean?"

Daisuke laughed at that. It's good to be home, isn't it?

Yes, it is. I'm glad Mother and Aunt Talira are here as well. I think things will be okay with everyone here working together.

"Hey! I can see something behind us!" Brigitta exclaimed, looking over her shoulder as she pointed. "There's some white beam of light over there."

"Oh, that pillar?" Ameko said as she glanced over in that direction. "That's where we're going, actually."

"It's kind of pretty," she said softly. "It doesn't seem threatening or anything. What is it?"

"I'll explain everything once we're on our way," Ameko said, "but no, it's not threatening. It's a bit of a story, though." She looked down at Daisuke and then Keisuke. "There's a lot I need to tell you."

Something about his mother's expression was unnerving. I wonder what she means by that? Daisuke wondered to his brother.

I don't know...It's almost like she's been keeping some terrible secret from us.

"Hey, you girls, look ahead," Talira said, pointing. "That's home. The central castle of the Rahiro duchy."

"Wow," Brigitta said in surprise. "It's so big! You really live there, Keisuke?"

"I was born there," he told her with a smile. "Been there all my life. These are our family lands."

"Their grandfather's the duke of this area," Talira added. "Betcha he didn't tell you that."

"Wow, a duke," Brigitta breathed. "What's a duke?"

Talira scowled in disappointment. "Don't be mad because your attempt to embarrass us didn't go over so well," Keisuke snorted. "We're not children."

"Yeah, yeah, so you keep telling me," the woman grumbled, nudging her horse ahead to get the gate doors opened.

"We won't be staying that long," Ameko addressed the boys, "just enough to get some horses and some food. So don't go far."

"We won't," both promised in unison.

Emi laid a hand on the stone walls as they passed through the gate, studying it for a moment. "You like it?" Ameko asked as she dismounted the horse, handing the reins to a man standing nearby.

"It is very lovely," she agreed. "It feels very safe."

"This castle was built in the days of the civil wars, before we had a king," Ameko told her. "It's able to withstand a lot."

"There was a civil war?"

"Yes, but that was many generations ago, long before I or anyone else here was born." Ameko nodded to the twins before moving off purposefully. "I need some more horses!"

"Come on, you guys want to see our room?" Daisuke offered.

"Yeah! I wanna see," Fia agreed. "Will we get a room, too?"

"You'll have a bed, at least," Keisuke promised as he led them inside. "It's been crowded around here. Apparently a lot of people moved here to the castle when all of this started. But that was before we were born."

"Ah, it's the young men of the house," a voice greeted, a tall, broadly built man standing in front of them. "Welcome back, Keisuke, Daisuke."

"Hi, Jer," Daisuke greeted. "Guys, this is Jer. Well, Jericho or something like that, but we all call him Jer. Jer, this is Fia, Brigitta, and Emi."

"Nice to meet you," he said with a bow. "Does your mother know you're back?"

"We met her on the way. She's putting together supplies for our trip," Keisuke told him.

"I see. I think I'll give her a hand with that, then. It was a pleasure," he said politely to the girls, nodding as he passed.

"...He's big," Brigitta squeaked out.

"Yeah, and he's super-tough," Daisuke told her. "He's probably the toughest guy here. Well, after me," he laughed. "He and Aunt 'lira are good friends."

"Oh, we should have asked him where Grandfather was," Keisuke fretted. "It'd be nice to see him before we have to leave. Come on, this way."

"You have a grandfather?" Brigitta asked, eyes lighting up.

"Yeah, you'll like him. He's a great ma--"

Keisuke's words were cut off by a shriek from Fia, who pointed ahead in the hallway. "There's a monster inside!"

The twins both looked over, then back at her. "Aw, that's no monster," Daisuke told her. "That's just Jun. Don't worry, he's a good guy."

"A good guy?" Brigitta echoed in a squeaky tone as the large monster approached, looking down at them with piercing eyes.

"Lord Daisuke, Lord Keisuke," the monster greeted, the voice surprisingly soft, although it didn't sound quite human. "It's good to have you back. I'm sure Lady Ameko must be relieved."

"It's good to be back." Daisuke snuggled up against the monster's shoulder in a friendly manner. "Guys, don't be scared. Jun's not bad."

"It's an understandable reaction," Jun replied. "Don't worry about it."

"How come a monster is talking?" Fia asked Daisuke, her natural curiousity overriding her fear.

"Dunno. Jun's always been able to do that. He used to babysit us when we were little," Daisuke laughed. "Oh, Jun. This is Fia, and Brigitta, and Emi. Guys, this is Jun."

Fia and Brigitta still looked a little doubtful, but Emi offered him a salute. "It's an honor to meet a friend of Lord Daisuke. Well met, Sir Jun."

He looked over at her, the not-quite-monsterous eyes fixing on her. "Ah...Emi, was it?"

"Yes. Is something the matter?"

"No...it's nothing," he said with a shake of his large head. "Pardon me."

"Hey, wait," Fia protested as the monster moved past them.

"He's sort of moody sometimes," Keisuke said in a quieter tone. "He prefers to be alone a lot. We should leave him be."

"Well, I guess I'd want to be left alone if I was a monster among humans, too," Fia said with a frown. "Where's your room, Daisuke?"

"Up this way," he told her, gesturing. "It's not very big or anything, but we do get it all to ourselves."

Brigitta paused by Keisuke, looking down at the stairs where the monster had left. "Keisuke," she began in a quiet voice. "He's...he's like my grandmother, isn't he?"

"Mother said something like that once, yes," he said. "That Jun used to be human but someone cursed him."

"Do you suppose...do you think that maybe I could do something for him? I mean, maybe that's why I met you. Why I came to your world."

"I don't know. It'd be worth a try," he agreed. "What would we have to lose? I don't know about your purpose, though. I'm not sure how everything fits together yet. Once we hear the story from Mother, it may make more sense."

She nodded as Daisuke opened a door further down the hall. "Ah, Grandpa!" he greeted, rushing into the room. "So this is where you were!"

"Grandpa is in there?" Keisuke joined his brother quickly, pausing at the doorway.

The older man had been sitting at the small table in the room, and had gotten up to give the boy a tight embrace. "You're home, Daisuke," he greeted. "And Keisuke, too. I'm very glad to see the both of you."

"It's good to see you too, Grandfather. I'm glad everyone is in good health." Brigitta peeked around shyly beside Keisuke.

"Ah, you've brought some friends, I see," he observed as Fia showed no such shyness, walking in and peering at the bookshelf, which was half books and half crude toys. "Welcome to our home, ladies. My name is Akito."

"Nice to meet you, Akito sir!" Fia chirped. "I'm Fia. You're their granddad? You don't look that old."

He smiled at that. "Thank you."

Brigitta tugged at Keisuke's sleeve. "Keisuke," she whispered in his ear, "do you think I could call him grandfather too?"

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind," the older twin responded, giving her a push. "Go say hi."

She let out another squeak, nervously giving the older man a curtsy. "Ah, hello...I'm Brigitta Wolfe."

"Well met, Brigitta," he greeted, reaching out and placing a hand on her head. "It's a pleasure to meet such a pretty young woman."

"Th-thank you."

Emi stayed in the doorway, looking around from there. Akito's eye fell on her. "Ah...you are?"

"Emi, sir," she said with a bow. "It's an honor to meet you, Sir Akito."

"Emi, is it?" He looked at her for a moment longer, then nodded. "Well met, Emi. I hope you find our home hospitable."

"It's a lovely place," she said with a smile, looking at the bare room. "Even with all the troubles I've heard about this world, this place is still so clean and friendly."

"Thank you. I'm very happy to hear that you think that," he said with a smile. "This place is our home and our hope. It's only fitting that we take care of it."

"Hey, I can see that weird pillar from here," Fia said, pointing out the window. "You have an amazing view, but this room is really small."

"It's so we could have it to ourselves," Daisuke told her. "The big rooms are all too crowded with people."

"Ah, I see. There are a lot of people here?"

"Everyone that could come here has," Akito explained gently. "It's not safe to travel outside."

"Because of the monsters?"

"Yes."

"Well, don't worry, Grandpa," Daisuke told him, giving the older man a pat. "We're here so we're going to take care of those."

Akito looked down at one boy and then the other, smiling, but it seemed a bit sad. "I know you will. You were born to do just that."

---

"Yes, three of those. Where are those other horses?" Ameko asked, tapping a foot impatiently as Talira joined her. "This is going to take forever and a day."

"Never had to prepare for a heroes' expedition before," the younger woman quipped as she snagged a piece of meat, munching on it. "Cut 'em some slack."

"Don't call them that, please. You know I don't like that word very much." Ameko rubbed at her forehead.

"Relax, Ameko. Things are happening as they should. You'll give yourself wrinkles, and then you won't be as pretty as me anymore. So, you're really going to tell them?" Talira questioned, fixing her friend with a gaze. "They'll probably be mad at you."

"I'll survive. They'll need to know everything that we're going against to give ourselves the best chance."

"Ever the hardcore one," Talira chuckled, toying with a knife between her fingers. "Who's going? Us and them?"

"Yeah. A large party will just attract monsters, and it wouldn't do us any more good."

"I'm coming with you," a voice said from the doorway. "I hope you prepared an extra horse."

"We'll barely have enough as it is," Talira complained, turning toward the source of the voice. "So you heard, huh, Aizaem?"

"I need you to stay here in case Rahiro is attacked," Ameko told him firmly. "We don't know what's going to happen. Something could set off those monsters."

"You'll need a healer," he told her, folding his arms obstinately. "I'm coming with you."

"It's not that I don't understand your feelings, Aizaem," the older woman said, her expression softening. "You're not a fighter. You would just end up having to heal yourself."

"I'm not a fighter, but I'm a fair bit better at keeping out of trouble than most of you," he pointed out. "I'm coming with you."

"Like I said, I understand that this is personal for you, but--"

"It's not just personal, although it certainly is that. I'm not sure I don't still blame you a bit for what happened." She sighed as he looked in the direction of the capital. "This is what I was born for. I'm certain of it. You will need me, in some form or another. What are you going to do when you release him and he's badly injured? You wouldn't be able to save him if I'm not there."

"He does have a point," Talira said. "I think we should go ahead with it, Ameko."

"So you're willing to risk and possibly lose your life over this, and that's fine for you," Ameko told him, "but what are *you* going to do when you get killed and I have to tell him that?"

"I won't die," he stated. "Not before I've done what I have to do."

"Damn it, Aizaem. I've always hated that cool stubbornness of yours," Ameko grumbled. "You're not right this time. You think you're always right, and you often are, but this time you're not. Understand?"

"I'm coming with you."

Talira laughed at Ameko's expression. "He's Jer's younger brother, all right. You ever try arguing with him?"

"Jer listens to me more than this one does. I don't like you," she directed at Aizaem. "If I tell you no, you'll just follow us anyway."

"That was my backup plan, yes. But I figured it would be safer to just win you over now."

"Damn it all. You'd better mean that promise about not dying," she scowled, throwing a wooden spoon at him. "Get out and go take care of your affairs."

"He might have stayed here," Talira commented after the healer left. "One thing he's never been is stupid. But I think you just made him very happy."

"Damn healer. First he guilt trips me and then he uses logic on me and then he's just stubborn. That man drives me up the wall more than he did," Ameko ranted. "Hey! Aren't you lot done *yet*?"

"We'll be done in a few minutes, Lady Ameko," one of the kitchen staff reassured.

"Go find the boys, I'll get the horses ready," Talira said, giving her a thumbs up. "Let's hope the boys' new friends can ride."

---

Fia could not ride.

She'd tried, with a lot of courage, but the city-born girl just had no knack for sitting on an animal's back. Taking pity on her, Daisuke pulled her onto his horse, sitting behind her as he led the horse out the gate. "Wow, you're good at this," Fia observed. "I didn't know you could ride one of these, Daisuke."

"I had a lot of practice," he told her with a grin. "Aunt 'lira trained me a lot. She also taught me the sword."

"You did very well with him," Emi said to Talira as she pulled her horse up towards the older woman. "He has a natural sense for the sword."

"Ha! More like a 'natural sense' was beat into him," Talira snorted. "Ain't never had a student as bad as him."

"Have you had any students besides him?" Keisuke pointed out. The boy had likewise taken pity on Brigitta, who had been able to keep her seat but didn't seem very comfortable alone on the animal's back.

"Well, no, I suppose not."

"That makes me the best student you've ever had, too," Daisuke told her gleefully.

"Oh, shut up, brat."

Keisuke smiled slightly before looking at his mother, who was in the front of the group. "Mother?"

"What? Are you that eager to hear what we're going up against?" she said with a slight smile of her own. "Here I thought we could ride for a bit and enjoy the view."

"The view's horrid," Fia commented. "All the trees look like they're dead."

"They probably are, or close to it," Ameko agreed. "These last fifteen years have been hard on the world. Ironically, it's thanks to the monsters that we've been able to survive."

"Why is that?" Fia asked curiously.

"We eat them," Keisuke explained. "There's never been a shortage of ones willing to attack the castle."

"You *eat* them?" Brigitta said in horror.

"Well, hopefully that'll stop after we send them all away," he reassured her. "We did what we had to."

"Well...I guess that might be true," she mused slowly. "That Amrita girl said something like that."

"Are we clear on the monster front?" Talira directed to Ameko, looking around.

"Seems like it. There haven't been many around lately," she said with a frown. "Okay, Keisuke, Daisuke. I'm going to tell you a story."

Keisuke pulled his horse closer, Daisuke following suit while Emi, Talira, and Aizaem brought up the rear. "I guess...the story starts with the king," she began. "Several generations ago, a single man restored peace to our world, and in exchange, the people made him the pillar. He was granted with the power to regulate our world, with all of the types of magic at his fingers. It saved our world...but it also caused this problem. The current 'king', Shiou, is not one who cares whether this world lives or dies. The world began to suffer because of him, and he did nothing to stop its slide. Natural disasters began to happen. That's the time I grew up in."

"It's almost nostalgic to look back on those days, isn't it?" Talira commented. "We were so convinced the world was going to end then. We had no idea what was going to happen."

"What did happen?" Daisuke asked his aunt.

"That was back when all of us first met Ameko. She...well, her reasons were her own. What's important is that she met my brother. That'd be your father."

Ameko nodded absently. "After I became pregnant with the two of you, we decided that things needed to change, or there wouldn't be a world left to raise you in. We decided to challenge the king."

"You challenged the king?" Emi echoed. "How?"

"The king wasn't just letting things lapse," Ameko explained. "He was actively contributing to the destruction of this world. Most of the monsters you see now come from 'leaks' in the sky, but before, they were being created. From people."

"Like on Aenurdil," Keisuke murmured. "How was he doing that?"

"That's what we found out. Shiou was in possession of some artifact that allowed him to change a person into a monster. We decided to steal it from him. But...it didn't go well."

"Mama," Daisuke said quietly. "The king...He killed our dad, didn't he."

She let out a sigh through her nose. "He had managed to get the item before Shiou attacked him. I couldn't activate my protection spell in time. In the end, no one won. He had the item, locked behind my spell. Shiou cast us out and put up his own barrier in return to keep us out. He couldn't get his artifact, and we couldn't get your father back."

"Ameko," Talira murmured quietly.

She nodded slightly. "Keisuke, Daisuke...I told you when you were children that your father had been killed. But...I don't believe that's the case. I believe he's still alive, behind the spell I cast." She pointed ahead at the pillar of white shooting into the sky. "As long as that is standing...I believe he's still alive."

"Our dad...he's alive?" Daisuke whispered. "He's not dead?"

Keisuke looked over at his twin, brushing against his mind. Daisuke?

Brother...We have a dad. I...I don't know what to think of that. All this time we thought he was dead.

I'm sure she did it to protect us. Death was something we could accept in those times.

I'm not mad at her. But...we have a dad we've never met, brother. What is he like, what if he doesn't like us? What if he isn't kind like Mama?

Oh, Daisuke, you worry about silly things sometimes, Keisuke replied with a mental chuckle. I'm sure he'll like us. Parents don't need a reason to like their children. And he risked his life to make sure we had a world to grow up in. I'm sure Mother wouldn't marry anyone that wasn't as kind and strong as she was.

Daisuke smiled slightly at his brother. Talira chuckled as she watched the pair. "You two get along much better than you did before, I think."

"We do," Keisuke agreed.

"And Aunt 'lira, we learned how to cast barriers! And we can talk to each other with our minds!"

"Well, it's about time," she laughed. "I was talking to my brother when I was six."

"Anyway, that's the situation," Ameko said. "Once we get to the city and have rested, we have to figure out how to get past the barrier. We don't know what's waiting for us inside the castle, but I doubt anyone is alive and human in there besides Shiou. We'll have to defeat him and then get to the pillar and release the spell. And once we do that...we'll have to repair the barrier. Releasing that artifact will probably unsettle it further."

"That part is where we come in," Keisuke said with a nod. "Daisuke and I can replace the barrier with our own. As for the barrier, I have an idea on that, too." He looked over to Fia. "You can break it down. It is magic, after all."

Ameko looked over at Fia, curious. "Fia can eat magic," Daisuke told his mother. "Try throwing a spell at her."

"I'll take your word for it."

Talira shrugged, slicing open her finger and flicking a little dart of blood at the girl. It splashed harmlessly against her arm. "Ew!" the girl yelped, wiping at it. "That's so gross! Don't do that!"

"Now that's a handy talent," the older woman observed. "You brought us back some nice things, boys."

Daisuke scowled at his aunt, hugging Fia to him protectively. "She's not a 'thing', stop teasing my friend."

"Oh ho ho. Do I sense a little jealousy in my young nephew's tone?"

"Aunt 'lira!"

"So we have a way in," Keisuke said to his mother, ignoring the teasing between his aunt and twin, "but what are we going to do after that? What do you think we should expect to find there?"

"I'm not sure. Hm, now that I think of it, we should have asked Jun to come with us," Ameko mused. "He's more familiar with the castle than any of us."

"Jun is? Why?" Keisuke asked curiously.

"He used to live there, before the world began to collapse," Ameko told him.

Talira shook her head. "I doubt he'd come. That place has probably got a lot of bad memories for him."

"He'd come if I asked him to."

Talira frowned at that. "At any rate, Keisuke, I don't know what exactly to expect. Anything could have happened in that castle in the last fifteen years. All I know for sure is where to find the base of that pillar, and that Shiou will be close by it."

"Would he have not died by now?" Emi spoke up. "If he has been locked in that castle for fifteen years, surely he should have run out of food by now."

"I doubt we'll be that lucky," Talira told her seriously. "Without a doubt, that man is still alive, trying to get at my brother. We'll have to take him out before Ameko can release her spell."

Ameko nodded agreement, Keisuke falling silent as he considered things in his usual tactical manner. "So we'll be able to make it by nightfall, right?" Daisuke spoke up.

"Yes, barring a lot of monster encounters. We'll get there soon enough."

---

Strangely enough, they encountered no monsters on the road, something that Keisuke thought was a little unusual considering the length of the trip. It was almost as if the monsters knew what was to happen and had stayed away, letting them pass into the city safely.

"Wow," Fia commented as she twisted around, almost falling off the horse in her effort to look around. "This place is a dump."

"That's to be expected. I imagine most of the people living here fled or were killed after the world began to collapse," Ameko told her, ushering the horse toward an abandoned house. "This looks big enough. We'll have to bring them inside just in case there are monsters prowling around."

"Why don't we just put them in a stable and set up a barrier?" Keisuke offered. "I'm sure it will keep them out."

Ameko looked over at him, then let out a short laugh. "I hadn't thought of that. I'm not used to thinking about having a barrier handy. All right, let's move them over this way and let you two do that. Aizaem, you give me a hand. Talira, see if there's anything you can make a little fire with inside."

Daisuke jumped down from his horse, giving Fia a hand. "This place used to be pretty big, huh," she mused, looking around at the empty buildings, some of them crumbling.

"I guess so. I haven't been here before, myself," Daisuke said.

Keisuke slid down his own horse, offering Brigitta a hand down as well. The girl was still, looking up the hill. "Brigitta? Is something the matter?"

She pointed up the hill at the castle at the top, covered by an amber hemisphere. "That's where we're going, isn't it?"

"Good eyes," Talira confirmed before going inside.

"Do you sense something up there, Brigitta?" Keisuke asked gently, taking the girl's hands and helping her hop down.

"Yeah. I really don't like it. It feels dark."

"It probably is dark," he murmured. "Don't worry. We're going to make the darkness go away."

"I know." She grabbed onto his shoulder for support. "It still scares me."

"You're not the only one. Come on, let's go inside and help Aunt Talira with dinner."

---

The kids had curled up on the floor, all fallen asleep. Talira sipped at a drink as she observed them. "I'll take center watch," Aizaem told the pair of women. "I can still heal just fine if I'm tired."

"Then I'll take first watch," Talira said. "I'm a little too jittery right now. Don't think I could sleep if I tried."

"That's fine by me. I know how you feel," Ameko said with a slight nod. "We've been waiting over fifteen years for tomorrow."

Talira nodded, looking down at the cup in her hands. "Odd to think of, in a way. We're so used to the world the way it is. Hard to think that we're going to change it for real this time."

"How's it any different than what we were doing before?" Ameko countered, leaning against the wall. "We're serious about this. We're trying to challenge the very root of this world."

"Yeah, but after so long, it's something to get used to, I guess," she said with a shrug. "And it's not us doing the challenging this time, really. A lot of it rests on the shoulders of those kids."

"I know."

"Maybe it was meant to be that way from the start," Aizaem said as he picked up a blanket, settling in. "Even though we struggled, and we thought we failed, maybe it's just what we were meant to do. We weren't the ones that were supposed to end this. Just buy time for the ones that would."

"I don't know. You could be right." Ameko sighed, settling in as well. "Maybe there just weren't enough strong hearts in the world at the time. We all needed to toughen up. Well, wake me when it's time."

Talira nodded, looking out the window as she listened to the sounds of her two friends falling asleep. From her position, she could see the top of the castle, surrounded by the barrier's bubble. "Bro," she mumbled to herself, rubbing at her face. "Bro, we're coming to get you. Just hang in there a little longer...."

---

When Daisuke awoke, his mother was already up, looking out the window as she looked up at the castle. "Good morning, boys," she told them without looking away. "We're taking breakfast cold before we go, so make it fast."

"What's our hurry?" he mumbled, giving his brother a sleepy shake.

"You slept through it, but last night the ground started shaking," Ameko told him. "I think it's a very bad omen. It's never happened here before, not that I can ever recall during my lifetime."

"An earthquake?" Daisuke stretched, getting up and picking up a dried piece of meat. "Okay, I'll get ready. Where's Aunt 'lira? I want to warm up a little."

"She's outside with Aizaem, tending the horses. We're going to leave the barrier up for them so we can leave them here for a little while."

"Well, we'll have to remake it. It'll fall down after Fia passes through it," Daisuke told her.

She smiled to herself as she watched him stride purposefully out the door. "Are you awake?" she addressed to Keisuke, going over to give the girls a shake as well. "Go ahead and get breakfast, we won't be here long."

"Okay." He ran his hands through his hair as Ameko knelt next to Fia and Brigitta, giving them a shake. "Time to wake up, girls."

"But I don't wanna go to school," Fia protested before sitting up. "Oh. Um. Hi, Ameko." Brigitta responded by snuggling against the older woman.

"Go get breakfast," Ameko told her before giving Brigitta another shake.

The girl slowly opened her eyes, then realized where she was and moved back with a squeak. "I, um, that is, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Get some breakfast, you'll need the energy," Ameko said kindly. "It's almost time."

Brigitta wandered off after Fia, Emi hearing the noise and waking up as well. "Um, Lady Ameko, is it all right if I ask you a question?"

"You don't need to call me 'lady', Emi."

"Good luck with that," Keisuke said with a slight smile, picking up a cup. "Ask her what she calls Daisuke."

"What about Lord Daisuke?"

"What was your question, Emi?" Ameko directed to her.

"Well, it's just...Do you think I'm...strange, Lady Ameko?"

"Strange? How so?"

"It's just...when you and Lady Talira first met me, you looked at me oddly. So did that monster friend at your home, Sir Jun. Is there something strange about me?"

"It's nothing like that," Ameko reassured. "You just remind me of someone, that's all."

"I do?"

"Yes. Someone I met a long time ago," she said with a slight smile. "Ah, but he's...well. Jun would probably know best what happened to him."

"I see...I think. Well, if it is all right, I think I shall join Lord Daisuke and Lady Talira for some practice." She picked up her sword, heading outside.

Keisuke snorted in amusement over his cup. "They're so energetic for the morning."

"Yes, they are. Speaking of which, Keisuke, I noticed you aren't carrying your sword anymore."

"Ah? Oh, yes. Our things were lost in the gate that we used to get to the other world," he explained. "We got our weapons on Emi's world." He drew the dagger, offering it to her hilt first.

She touched a hand to the surface, but did not pick it up. "This is a very powerful thing, I think. It will be handy in the days afterward as well as now."

"I believe so too. I thought it was a little odd at first that I didn't have a sword to take with me, but this has saved my life, I think. I'm sort of used to having it now."

She nodded slightly, resting a hand on her own sword before going to the door, leaving the trio inside. "She's pretty anxious to go," Keisuke told them, "so let's hurry up."

The walk up the hill was filled with silence, their footsteps barely making any sound on the ground. The streets were utterly empty of even monsters, but Keisuke noticed that there was no life, period, not even so much as a blade of grass. "Mama," Daisuke asked in a soft tone, "what do we do afterwards? How do we get things to stop being so dead?"

"The heir to Shiou's throne will have to do that," Ameko told him. "It's not a good time to break from our world's system of having a pillar. We'll have to rely on them."

"Who is Shiou's heir?"

"That would be one of his two children. I have reason to believe that they are alive, thankfully."

"That's the barrier up ahead," Talira stated. "Well, kid, give it a shot."

"I'm not a kid," Fia told her with a scowl, looking up at the barrier before stepping forward slowly, extending her hands out nervously As she touched the barrier, it flickered, melting away from her hands like darkness fleeing from the sun's rays, the entire thing folding away. "Nothing to it," she said with a shaky smile.

"Then let's go," Talira said, approaching the front door.

Keisuke frowned. "Are you so sure we should go that way? He's sure to see us coming."

"He already knows we're here," Ameko said with a shake of her head. "And that's the most direct path to Shiou and the pillar that we know of. Like I said, we're not familiar with the castle."

"It stinks," Brigitta whimpered. "It stinks a lot. It smells like the fog back home."

Emi's eyes widened, and she looked back at the castle, taking in a breath. "You are right. It is like the miasma on Tornelika. Will it be safe to go in or is that stuff going to make us monsters?"

"We'll have to make it safe," Daisuke said, looking to his brother.

Keisuke had a different idea. "Let's try purifying the air around us. We have Brigitta, myself, Emi, and Mother. We should be able to protect ourselves until we get to where we're going. A barrier from here to there would be too large and unwieldy."

"He's right," Ameko agreed. "Let's give it a try."

"You can do noble magic?" Talira asked Emi with a frown.

She shrugged in response. "Somehow, it seems that I am able to. I do not really understand why, I am not from this world."

Ameko and Talira exchanged another glance. "I'll take point, with Keisuke," Ameko said. "Daisuke, you, Aizaem, Brigitta and Fia are in the middle, and Emi and Talira will take the back."

The healer was looking up at the castle with a frown. "Let's move quickly, then."

Calling upon the silver threads of noble magic, Keisuke and his mother led the way, their spells lighting up two spots that projected an eerie colorless light against the walls. The place was in a heavy state of disrepair: what little remained in the castle outside of the stone walls themselves had long been or still was rotting away, and even the walls themselves showed damage. "Hey, I think I see something," Fia whispered, squinting ahead.

A low growl sounded down the front corridor, followed by the sounds of claws clicking against the stone. "That's not good," Daisuke said.

They only had a brief moment to take in the impossibly large size of the monster before them before it struck, the lights going out in Ameko and Keisuke's attempts to defend themselves. "Keisuke!" Brigitta shouted in alarm, clasping her hands together. The silver threads wound around her, lighting up her skin with a glow that illuminated the entire hall. The beast had the boy pinned against the ground, but only for a moment before Talira finished her jump onto it, bringing her sword down into its eye. "I got it, I got it," Talira shouted, clinging tightly as it thrashed its way around. "Get goin'!"

"Come on, Keisuke," Ameko instructed urgently, leading the way ahead. "You kids follow me!"

"But what about Aunt 'lira?" Daisuke protested.

"She'll be fine. I've known her a lot longer than you have. Besides, Aizaem's still there," she said, glancing back at the healer, who was standing by the wall, waiting for her to finish her kill. We need to get to the throne room and set up the barrier."

Keisuke nodded, drawing more power to himself as he pulled Brigitta along, the girl still glowing. They followed up a set of wide stairs, and then another small set, coming to an open arched way which had probably had doors on it at one point. "There it is, set up the barrier," she instructed, pointing to the white pillar visible at the end of the hallway. "And make it quick!"

They nodded in unison, clasping hands, and the barrier opened up, shoving the miasma aside. Fia let out a sigh of relief as the air inside the throne room cleared. "I'm glad that's over with."

"How dare you intrude on my territory," a voice wheezed from the back of the room. "Have you come to take what's mine, too?"

Ameko had her sword in hand, the boys and Emi swiftly following suit. "Hello, Shiou, you right bastard," Ameko said in a cool tone. "I've come to take back what's mine, actually."

"You," he hissed, rising from his throne behind the pillar and approaching. Brigitta let out a shriek as she saw him, ducking behind Emi as she saw the frightening thing that was approaching them. Eyes were sunken, coupled with a grin full of sharp teeth that made his face resemble a death mask. His frame was little more than skin and bones, covered with a few fading rags. "What an unpleasant thing," Keisuke muttered, holding up his glowing dagger.

"Be on your guard," Ameko warned, holding up her sword. "We need to take him down before we can get to the pillar."

"I remember you," he wheezed to Ameko, pointing a finger at her. "You're the one that took it from me. You and that bastard, low-blood commoner. Now all I have to do is destroy you and I'll finally be rid of your damnable spell."

The air rippled, and Ameko moved away, but not in time as flesh in her arm and shoulder gave way in an explosion of blood. "Mama!" Daisuke shouted, turning to the king. "Hey, don't you pick on her!"

"I'm fine!" she shouted, still clutching her sword. "Watch out!"

He raised his sword as the air rippled again, another attack moving for the younger boy. There was a clap in the air as it impacted against the weapon, sending out a small shockwave as the sword tried to redirect the force against it.

While that was happening, Keisuke was not going to sit idle. "You girls stay back," he muttered to Fia and Brigitta before charging at Shiou in the dim light, dagger flashing. Shiou saw him and let loose another ripple with a wave of his hand, and Keisuke turned his blade, slicing through the air cleanly before scoring a light hit on the king.

"Child," he hissed, "I am your world. Do not think of striking me." Before Keisuke could move back out of his range, he grabbed the boy by the throat, picking him up from the ground.

"Brother!" Daisuke shouted, swinging his sword. The force he had gathered was now redirected in a return ripple at the man, and the arm holding Keisuke was severed, exploding outward in an shower of blood. "You leave my brother alone!"

Shiou didn't seem to be bothered by the loss of his arm, turning his sunken, burning gaze to the boy. Daisuke felt the breath catch in his throat, a tightening around his chest, and then he couldn't breathe as he felt himself being squeezed by an invisible force. Brother! he cried in alarm, unable to speak.

Shaking off a bit of the blood, Keisuke drove his dagger upwards, aiming for a killing blow. Shiou released Daisuke to turn his attention to the boy, but while he had been distracted, Emi had closed the distance, now aiming a strike for the king.

As he saw her, his eyes widened, and he fell to the ground, trembling. "No!" he shouted hoarsely, covering his face with his good hand. "Not you, anything but you! Don't strike me!"

Emi's eyes widened in surprise as she gaped down at the king, unsure of what to make of this. "Cover him," Keisuke said, checking himself over. "Mother, are you all right?"

Aizaem was in the room, tending to Ameko's injured arm. Talira let out a low whistle. "Knew the old bastard was still alive. What'd you do to him, Emi?"

"I do not know," she replied, at a loss. "He took one look at me and started doing this."

"Keep on him," Ameko told her, rubbing at her shoulder. "If he moves, kill him. I'm going to release the pillar."

"No!" Shiou snarled, glaring at the woman. "You won't have it!"

"Stay still," Emi ordered him. "Or I will terminate your life!"

He cried out again, cowering before her. "What's the matter, Shiou?" Talira asked him coolly. "You think that girl's going to kill you? Why would you think that, I wonder?"

"Keisuke, Daisuke, are you all right?" Ameko directed to them.

"We're fine, Mother," Keisuke reassured.

"Good. I want you to be ready to put up that barrier in the sky as soon as I'm done," she instructed.

Keisuke nodded, going over to his brother as Ameko walked up to the pillar slowly, looking up at the behemoth in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she placed both hands on it, pushing into the white power. At first, there was nothing, but then a rippling went out from where her hands were, shimmering its way up and out from her hands, the movement followed by a second ripple, then a third, until the entire structure was rippling away. And then as Keisuke watched, a hand emerged from the light, slowly grabbing onto her own.

Ameko smiled, grasping his with both hands as she pulled outward, the pillar dissipating around the man that had been trapped inside it for fifteen years. He stumbled forward, the woman catching him with her arms as she held onto him for a moment before letting him stand. He was tall, as tall as Ameko, and with long raven black hair pulled back into a ponytail, and deep blue eyes that opened slowly.

Daisuke felt his legs threatening to give way underneath him as he clung to his brother's hands. Keisuke...is that...that's....

Shiou's expression had gone from fear to an intense loathing as he saw the man emerge. "Give it to me! I am your king, I command you!" he shouted, voice unusually powerful as it echoed around the hall.

Nikado looked at the man, then to the two girls standing together. "Brigitta, catch!" he ordered, tossing the black sphere in his hands to her.

She jumped, then leapt forward, wincing as she caught it in both hands, almost dropping it again. "What is it?" she mumbled, grimacing. "It hurts."

"What are you two waiting on?" Ameko shouted at the twins. "The barrier, do it now!"

The twins nodded, turning to face each other as they put their hands together. Ya scared? Daisuke asked with a bit of a grin on his face.

Not at all. We can do this, Daisuke.

Closing their eyes, they began to push against each other, projecting their power outward. It swiftly moved through the hall, past the barrier already there as it expanded outward. They couldn't see it outside of the castle, but they could feel it as it whizzed over the landscape, beginning to press its way into the sky. We are a single sense of self.

Yes. One that is so strong that it rejects the outside world.

Instead of slowing down as it continued to grow, it only got faster, the rest of the world beyond their senses as they continued to move their barrier outward. For the home we have left and the people we love.

For the lands we have never seen and beyond.

You will obey our power, monsters. Be gone from our world!

At long last, their hands separated, the two dropping to their knees in unison. "Lord Daisuke!" Emi said in alarm.

He smiled, giving her a thumbs up. Talira went over to the wall, jumping onto a windowsill and peering out through the broken glass of the window. "I can see blue sky!"

"Heh," Daisuke said with a grin, giving his aunt a thumbs up. "I knew we could do it. Did you, big brother?"

Keisuke put an arm around his twin. "Yes, I did. We did exactly what we came here to do."

"It doesn't matter," Shiou said from his position under Emi's sword. "All I need is that thing which is mine. I can just start over." With a surprisingly quick movement, he gave her a shove backwards, throwing another of the rippling spells at Brigitta.

She let out a terrified cry, but Fia quickly stepped in front of her, the ripples dying out as they came close. "Don't you pick on Brigitta."

"It's over, Shiou," Nikado said quietly, leaning on Ameko for a bit of support. "You can't get at it, and it'll soon be disabled anyway. The barrier is even stronger than it was before. You have nothing left."

"Dirty-blooded commoner," Shiou spat.

"We're not going to kill you if you surrender," Nikado told him. "Abdicate your throne and never cause harm to a person again."

"You're full of big talk," the king snorted, eyeing Fia and Brigitta as if trying to figure out the best way to get at the shorter girl with the artifact in her hands. "You'd end the world, then? I'm the last of my line. You wouldn't have a pillar left. I destroyed my only child with my own two hands," he laughed. "It's hopeless for you."

"Oh, there's another child of yours," Ameko said smoothly. "I think you already know that, Shiou."

That took some wind out of his sails for a moment, but then he drew himself up. "I killed that one as well."

"Then tell me, Shiou. Why is it you're so afraid of our little Emi?"

He glanced over at her with a mixed expression of terror and loathing. "You knew right away, didn't you, Shiou? She's got her mother's eyes, same as her brother."

"What?" Emi asked, her sword lowering. "What are you saying, Lady Ameko?"

"No, that's impossible," Shiou snarled. "I drowned her myself, she could not live!"

"It is impossible, I cannot...that is not my, my father!" Emi protested. "My father was a good man, I cannot accept this creature!"

"Emi," Ameko addressed her directly, her gaze steady on the girl. "When you were young, a prophecy was made about you. You would grow up to overthrow the king and take his place before your twenty-first birthday. That's why he threw you away. You're still twenty, aren't you?"

"No, no," the swordswoman whimpered, shaking her head. "I am not like him! I am not his daughter! I cannot be!"

"I will not accept this," Shiou growled. "I am the king!"

"Give it up, Shiou," Talira snapped at him from the window. "You're washed up, old man. What, did you really think we'd just go ahead and accept you back after what you did? The pillar is the will of the people. You're not that will anymore."

"I am the king!" he snapped again, whirling on Emi. Before the girl could react, he had slammed her into the ground, choking her with his remaining hand. "I will finish what I started all those years ago."

Her eyes were wide and frightened as she tried to push him off, the sword dropped in the sudden movement. "Emi!" Nikado shouted, moving toward her only to come to a stop at a barrier projected outward. "Fia, come here quickly!"

She ran over, putting her hands on the barrier. Daisuke jumped over to Emi, trying to push the man away as Nikado and Ameko grabbed him from behind, pulling him back. "You will all be destroyed! I am king, this is my world!" Shiou shouted, the air rippling again as he threw the two adults back. The look in his eyes was intense as he gathered power to his fingers, aiming to throw it through his daughter's heart. "I am this world."

"No, you're not!" Shiou's eyes widened as he looked down to see Daisuke's sword through his chest, the weapon still crackling with the power it had collected. The king stumbled back onto the floor, expression still surprised.

"Daisuke," Keisuke said softly. "Are you all right?"

He brushed off the concern, turning his eyes to the king he had just stabbed. "I want to know why, Shiou. Why did you do all this? Didn't...didn't you know the kind of suffering you caused?"

"Humans...are monsters. There's no difference in the way they act. But if they were monsters...I could control them," he wheezed, clutching at the sword with his remaining hand. "She'll learn eventually. You've killed her by killing me."

"You're wrong," Keisuke said softly, putting his hands on his brother's shoulders. "People are people. Nothing more and nothing less. They'll go back to being good."

He let out a choked laugh. "You would have done better...to let this world die." And then he let out a breath, his eyes becoming glassy

"This is our one and only home. We will never let it die," Daisuke told him, taking his sword and wiping it off as Keisuke shut the man's eyes.

Daisuke...I'm sorry.

I'll be okay. I still believe what I told Amrita. Even if he was a horrible man who killed his son, threw away his daughter, tried to destroy our world and imprisoned our dad for fifteen years...he was still a person. He allowed Keisuke to pull him into a hug, resting his head on his twin's shoulder. Stop that. I'm not a kid any more.

I know you're not. That's why I'm sorry.

Strong arms wrapped around both of them as Nikado hugged the pair to himself. "It's all right now, boys. It's over. We all did what we came to do."

Daisuke let himself rest in the embrace for a moment, then jerked back. "Oh yeah! I'm *mad* at you!"

"...Mad at me?" Nikado echoed. "What for?"

"You knew!" Daisuke accused, pointing a finger at him. "You knew you were our dad and you never told us!"

"I had a suspicion," Nikado half-agreed. "I didn't want to tell you until I was sure. But...yes, I thought so from the start. You've both got a lot of your mother in you."

"They've got a lot of you, too," Ameko murmured, putting an arm around Nikado's shoulders. "Seems you've got a story to tell me."

"There will be time for that later." Nikado looked over to Shiou. The body had already began to crumble away into dust. "Let's leave this place for the moment and rest while the miasma clears out." He pulled Ameko to himself, hugging her. "Ameko...I missed you, darling."

"Nikado," she murmured, pushing a lock of his hair aside as she looked over his face. "...You got old."

Keisuke and Daisuke watched their parents as Nikado took a step back, expression full of shock that was almost comical. "Wh-What a terrible thing to say, Ameko!" he blurted out. "I haven't seen you in over fifteen years and that's all you have to say to me? And besides, what about you! You're *older*!"

"Oh, god," she groaned, putting a hand to her face.

He responded by picking her up, putting her over one shoulder. "Well, I guess us *old* people should be getting out of the way," he grumped over her protests. "Someone better fetch us our canes!"

"Put me down, you stupid man," Ameko protested.

Nikado turned to Talira. "You hear this? First I'm old and now I'm stupid. Why did I ever marry such an abusive woman! Let's go, 'lira, us *old* people better make way for--"

She responded by kicking him in the face, sending him flat onto his rear. "*Who's* old," she snapped irately. "*I'm* still in the prime of my youth!"

Keisuke sighed. "Well, if we had any doubts...that's definitely Nikado. Emi, are you okay?"

"No," she mumbled, clutching her arms around herself. "I feel hot and I do not feel very well."

"Must be a powerful burden, that of the king," Aizaem observed, helping her to her feet. "I'll examine you once we're outside."

---

"I still can't get over what a great sight that is," Talira sighed as she looked out the window of the building they had appropriated. "Didn't think we'd be seeing that again, sometimes."

"You had no faith in me? I'm hurt, Talira," Nikado said as he hovered around Aizaem, the healer checking over the younger woman.

"What should I have faith in you for? You didn't do jack," she sniffed.

Aizaem gave him a swat. "She'll be fine, Nikado. She's just having to absorb all the sovereign's magic into her body."

"I know that, but I'm still worried for her."

Emi opened her eyes, looking up at Nikado from her place on the shabby couch. "Sir Nikado...why me? I am not a king. That man is not my father. I cannot...I cannot do this by myself."

"You're not going to," Nikado reassured. "We've put the burden of the king on one person alone for too long, I think."

Ameko nodded as she returned from her trip down the hill, rubbing at her shoulder absently. "He was right about one thing. It probably is partly the fault of the people that he ended up the way he did. The king is a pillar for our world, our voice. There must have been people who wanted ruin to come to this world."

"I am scared," Emi whispered. "I do not want to end up like that."

"You won't," he reassured, "not as long as all of us are around. Like I said, you're not in this alone. It's time all the people of this world stepped up and took responsibility for their own world."

"Sounds like something you said a long time ago," Talira mused as she pulled out a canteen, pouring herself a drink.

"Well, good to know I haven't changed," he chuckled.

Ameko took a seat with a sigh, rubbing at her shoulder again. "It still bothering you?" Aizaem asked, walking over to her. "Admittedly it was a bit of a sloppy fix."

"I don't know. I guess you could take another look at it."

Nikado chuckled as he looked around the room. The twins were curled up together on another couch, Fia and Brigitta on either side of them. "Doesn't take much to wear them down, does it?"

"They did something that was far beyond you and me, bro," Talira told him. "Beyond any of us, really. I'm amazed Daisuke even had the strength to stand, let alone do what he did."

"We're not asleep," Keisuke spoke up from where he was sitting, his brother snuggled against him. "We're just listening to you talk."

"Talking sounds like a good idea," Ameko said. "How is it that they know who you are, Nikado? Don't tell me your reputation spreads that far, or I might just throw something at you."

"Nothing nearly so glamorous," he laughed, taking a seat as Talira handed him a drink, leaning on the back of his chair. "That time so long ago.... I don't know where to begin."

"You could try the beginning," Talira suggested helpfully.

He made a face at her before sipping at the drink. "I don't know what it was that Shiou hit me with when he attacked me. It would have probably destroyed me completely if your spell hadn't taken effect right then and there. Actually, that was probably the best way things could have worked, with that exact timing."

"How so? Stop being cryptic."

"I'm not. It's still hard to wrap my head around, even after all this time. I remember being hit by the spell and I guess I must have blacked out after that. When I awoke, I could see everyone below me, outside the castle gates. I shouted, and tried to reach you, but you couldn't hear me. It was like there was a glass wall between myself and all of you." He let out a sigh, putting a hand to his face. "Eventually, a woman came before me and said that I had died, that I was supposed to die, that that's the way the prophecy worked. But I couldn't accept that. I didn't care about fate and prophecies...you knew that," he murmured, looking over to Ameko. "Until I faded out of existance itself, I wasn't going to stop."

"Nikado," she replied in an equally soft tone.

He gave his ponytail a tug as he considered where to continue. "She offered me a job. If I worked for her and helped to save other worlds and other people, she'd give me a chance at a miracle to allow me to come back. I leapt at it, of course. Even though I couldn't see you, I can't say it was that awful. I met a lot of people and did a lot of good, I think. It would have been much better than being trapped inside that pillar, unable to move or speak or feel."

"Even so, I would have rather had you trapped there than not have you at all."

"Oh, I'll agree to that. But I think things worked out the best way they possibly could. I did suspect, when my boss told me that Keisuke and Daisuke were from this world, when I saw their faces, but...The more time I spent with them, the more I wanted it to be true and the more afraid I became that it wasn't. I hated that. I thought it was horrible of me that I'd reject my own child for them. I'm just glad I was right."

"They did well," Ameko said, looking over at the couch. "They're good boys."

"Yes, they are," Nikado agreed with a smile. "You did a good job in raising them."

"I helped, you know," Talira pointed out, giving her older twin's hair a tug. "Who do you think taught Daisuke how to use a sword?"

Nikado chuckled at that. "Thanks for everything, 'lira. I knew I could count on you to help."

"I never doubted you weren't dead," she told him, leaning her arms on his shoulders, resting her chin on his head. "I would have known. But at the same time, I didn't know you were alive. I couldn't sense you. Jerk," she grumbled, tightening her arms into a choke hold. "You made me lonely and scared. I'm gonna kick your ass for that eventually."

"Can't we just not and say we did?" Nikado protested as he tried to pull his sister's arms away.

Ameko smiled, looking over at the boys. "It sounds like you had a fruitful journey."

"We did," Keisuke said with a nod. "It was everything that we needed to do and learn. Nikado's a great teacher."

"A great teacher, huh?" he chuckled. "Maybe I should go do some reading and take up a new job."

"It's something to think about," Talira said, playing with Nikado's ponytail. "We've got a new world to start over, a new life."

"Why don't you two tell your mother everything that happened, now," Nikado encouraged. "I'm sure she wants to know everything that happened to you, even the number of times you got injured or beat up."

"I already asked," Aizaem spoke up. "How else do you think they were in good working condition by the time we got to you? You're not a very good caretaker, you sent them to us all torn up."

"Yeah, well, I'm not a healer and didn't really have much of an option as to how much time they could have to recover," Nikado grumbled. "It was too short and not short enough."

Keisuke nodded, then began to tell his mother and the other adults about their journey, Daisuke chiming in with his own comments. He started with the gate and meeting Nikado, and then to the first world they had gone to, Morahetai.

"Sir Nikado," Emi interrupted as they finished with the first world, "can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything you like, Emi. I'll do my best to answer."

"Did you know about me? Did you know...that I was that man's daughter?"

"No, to be honest," he told her. "I never met your brother, so I couldn't make the comparison. All I had, really, was a warning from my boss that said we might find something unusual that we needed there. I just went with my gut, that there was something you needed to do on this journey as well."

"I almost wish I had stayed home," she mumbled, putting her hands over her face.

"Just because you are related by blood doesn't mean that you're a bad person, Emi," Ameko told her gently. "I met your brother once. He was a very kind boy who wanted to help others. He would never hurt anyone, no matter how much he was hurt. You take after him far more than you do Shiou."

"And it doesn't make him your father," Nikado added. "The man who cared for you and raised you and loved you...that's your father. A kind weaponsmith of Morahetai, not him."

She began to cry, turning her back to the group. "Let her be," Talira said softly as Nikado moved to get up. "She just needs time to work through it."

He sighed, taking a seat again. "Go ahead, boys," Ameko encouraged. "Where did you go next?"

They continued their narrative, talking about the bizarre world of Talis and meeting Fia, then of the world they had saved of Aenurdil, then the destruction of Tornelika and meeting Brigitta. The girl in question curled up tightly against Keisuke, the black sphere still in her hands. "Nikado," she questioned during a pause, "what am I supposed to do with this? I don't like it, it's too hot.

"You're doing fine," he reassured. "We just need that thing to stay under control until someone from the space between worlds comes to pick it up. It'll either go to a weaponsmith like Emi's father, who will purify it and make it into something new, or it will go to the next place that needs it."

"A place that needs it?" Daisuke echoed. "It destroys worlds, who could possibly need it?"

"A world that needs a wake-up call to avoid being destroyed, perhaps," Nikado said with a shrug. "Evil things have their place in the universe as well. Actually, I wouldn't even say that it is evil. Things are things. They have no emotion, no consciousness to decide right or wrong. It's more the people that come in contact with them and use them that determine whether the result is good or evil."

"I didn't realize you'd turned into a philosopher, bro," Talira teased.

"Stop making fun of me," he sulked. "It was more experience than anything. I saw this kind of thing a lot in the worlds I went to. Keisuke and Daisuke can understand a little of what I mean, I think."

The older twin nodded. "Of course, a lot of that came from you to begin with."

"Well, you didn't have the time I did to learn what I had. I was gone for years, you were gone for weeks. Not that I would have wanted you to stay away longer."

Keisuke considered that as he continued to the world of Skanfor, the oddly-shaped valley world. Daisuke and Keisuke both piped in with what they had been doing, Nikado listening intently as he hadn't heard that part before, and then he added in as well, explaining how he had awoken to find himself half-buried by a thoughtful dragon "cleaning up" the forest.

"How *did* you do that, anyway?" Daisuke wanted to know. "Was it because of the nexus?"

"Well, yes and no. Considering I wasn't in my "real" body, which was back here, it's kind of hard to kill me to begin with," he said with a shrug. "All the same, I'm glad I don't have to do it again. It still hurts."

"Was that what you meant when you talked to me that one time?" Emi asked.

He nodded. "Fifteen years and the only time I got to sleep was whenever someone knocked me out. It's very tiring."

"That's why you got so sick on Tornelika, too," Keisuke realized. "I wondered about that."

"Unfortunately, yes. Being sort of disembodied doesn't give me the same defense against things like that." He chuckled. "Any other dirty secrets you'd like to find out?"

"Yeah! How did you and Mama meet?" Daisuke wanted to know. "She never talked about it, and obviously neither did you."

He chuckled. "That's a story that might be too long for one day. Ah, I think I hear something outside."

Ameko put a hand to her sword, but didn't seem particularly alarmed as she went to the door. "It's nothing to worry about, right?" Daisuke whispered to his brother. "I mean, the monsters are all gone."

"Yeah, they're all gone." He sat up suddenly. "Uh-oh, what about Jun? Technically, he's a monster. We didn't send him away, did we?"

"No, I'd say you didn't," Ameko said from the door, her tone amused. "But it's nice of you to think of him. Hello, Jun."

"Jun!" Daisuke jumped to his feet, almost knocking Fia off the couch as he ran to the door, giving the monster a hug. "I'm glad you're okay."

"I'm glad all of you are okay," he said, looking in the room. "Welcome back, Sir Nikado. It's good to finally meet you."

He made a face. "Are there going to be two of you that are gonna call me that, now?"

Jun blinked as Ameko chuckled. "Did you get worried about us? Sorry I left you there."

"It's okay. I needed to come when I saw the pillar vanish, though. I was worried about you."

"Fast trip," Talira commented, finally taking a seat of her own.

"I'll catch you up on everything," Ameko said, shooing Daisuke away. "Shall we go on a bit of a walk?"

"That'd be fine. I don't think I can fit through that door, actually," he admitted, following behind her.

Once they were a safe distance away, Ameko waited for Jun to speak. "Emi...She's taken his place, hasn't she?"

"Yes, she did. Do you object?"

"Not at all. There isn't anything I can do anyway," he said with a shake of his head.

"Are you going to tell her?"

"Tell her what?"

"That you're her older brother, of course," Ameko scolded, "what else do you think I meant? She's just found out that she has a family. You're the one that can best understand how she feels, having a father like that. I haven't told her who you are...but you should. She's alone right now."

"She's not alone," he said with another shake of his head. "She has you and all her friends. And...I can't tell her. What would I tell her? That she has an older brother, but he's a destructive beast thanks to our father?"

"If you're going to see it that way, then probably not," she snorted, "but I think she would much rather know you're alive, no matter the form. You aren't destructive, Jun, and you're not a monster. You may have that form, but you're still the same kind, gentle boy you've always been."

"I can't tell her, Lady Ameko. I just can't. I can't bring myself to admit to what I am." He sighed. "I wish things had worked out differently."

"I don't," Ameko told him firmly, "everything worked out the way it should have been. He might have killed you, or done worse to you. You could have lost your mind and truly become a monster and we would have had to destroy you or throw you beyond the barrier. You still have a chance to live and be happy."

"Be happy," he echoed, looking down over the city. "What's that supposed to mean? I don't know what it means to really be happy, Lady Ameko. I think the closest I got was when you gave me a dance, all those years ago."

"You'll find out, Jun. I believe you'll still find your happiness."

"I hate to have been eavesdropping," Nikado's voice said from behind them, "but there could be a way."

"Nikado," Ameko said in surprise, frowning at him. "Don't tell me you were worried about me being with Jun."

"From the way you two act, you've been together quite a while," he chuckled, "no need to worry about that now. Jun, the girl with us, Brigitta. She's got a strong purifying power. She may be able to reverse what's been done to you. Since your mind is still strong, I think you've got an excellent chance."

"You...really think so?" Jun asked slowly. "I could be human again?"

"You want to give it a try?" he offered.

"...Yes. Yes, I'd like to try. It's certainly worth a shot, anything is at this point," he replied after a mere moment of thought.

"I thought you'd say that," Nikado chuckled. "I already brought Brigitta out with me. She's waiting around the corner, let me go get her."

"There, you see?" Ameko said with a smile, putting a hand on Jun's large head. "Anything's possible."

"I...I hadn't ever considered it. I mean, I hoped for it, but I didn't think it could actually happen," he murmured. "Thank you, Lady Ameko. I owe you a debt larger than could ever possibly be repaid."

"You can thank Nikado and Brigitta. I didn't do anything in particular."

"No, that's not true. You were there, and you were strong. You gave me something to look up to, and even when I had nowhere to go, you gave me a purpose."

"Wasn't that just me being selfish?" she chuckled. "I know the kind of person you are, Jun. I knew you'd help if I asked."

"Yes, I would. It doesn't make my reasons any less." Jun shifted his feet nervously as Nikado reappeared with the girl in tow.

She gave him a small smile. "Hello. Jun, isn't it?"

"Yes. That's correct."

"I'm going to do my best, Jun," she reassured him, putting her hands on his shoulder. "I promise. My grandmother...she was like this, once. I couldn't help her. But I can help you."

"I appreciate it." The silver light began under her fingers, threads of the magic looping around him, obscuring his form with the light. Brigitta pushed her power outward, stumbling a bit as she did so, trying to drive every bit of energy that she had into the spell.

"That's enough, Brigitta," Ameko told her, catching her. "Don't kill yourself."

"I can still go just a little more...." she protested before her arms became too tired to hold up, the girl falling limp in her arms.

Nikado frowned as the threads unraveled, revealing Jun the same as he was before. "It...it didn't work?" Jun questioned, looking down at his paws.

"I'm sorry," Brigitta murmured. "I tried my best, I really did."

"I know you did, Brigitta. Don't worry, we'll think of something," Nikado told her. "Can you find the way back by yourself?"

"I'll show her," Jun said quietly. "I remember where it is."

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I'm just...I'm not strong enough."

"It's not your fault. I'm not blaming you," he said with a gentle tone. "It just wasn't meant to happen. Come on, your friends will be worried."

Ameko frowned as she watched the pair leave. "It should have worked, shouldn't it have?"

"Something's holding him back," Nikado said, crossing his arms. "He's afraid to be human again."

"He's afraid to be?"

"Yeah. Afraid it won't happen, or that...I'm not sure. But it's something within him that he has to fix before we can succeed."

"Hm. What do you think we should do?"

"Don't know, but I'll think of something. I can't leave one of your friends hanging out to dry, now can I?" he laughed, giving her a squeeze.

She let him hold her, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I missed you," she said in a soft voice.

"I missed you too," he told her, stroking her hair. "Why didn't you tell me that the first time I asked you?"

"Because it's fun to tease you," she said with a smile, giving his ponytail a little tug.

"Ah, you are so incredibly mean to me," he protested, but didn't let her go. "I see you grew your hair out again."

"I like my hair long. I only cut it the first time when I was trying to escape detection."

"It didn't work very well. Half the camp was speculating about you. I told them all to shut up," he told her proudly.

"Thank you. I'm glad you did. It doesn't really help that I'm terrible with aliases," she lamented. "Ah well, that's all in the past."

"Yes, everything is," he agreed, leaning his head into hers and brushing his lips against her cheek. "Everything is past now. We can start our dream, Ameko. A dream of a family and a house and flowers every day."

She began to cry into his shoulder. "I missed you so much. Every day I wondered if I'd ever see you again. I've never been so lonely."

"Don't cry," he soothed. "If you start to cry I'll start crying too."

"You're a man, you're not supposed to cry."

"I'm a man and I can do whatever the hell I want," he told her firmly, giving her another kiss on the cheek. "I told myself I wouldn't cry, Ameko. No matter how much I missed you. I didn't want you to be more lonely than you were."

"I didn't allow myself to cry either, I'm allowed to do it now," she protested, holding onto him with both arms. "Nikado...I have a confession to make. Even though you and Talira and everyone else were so confident that you would come back...I wasn't. I doubted you sometimes. I felt despair that I'd ever see you, or that you'd be dead when I did. Please forgive me for that, Nikado. I wasn't strong enough to be apart from you."

"What's to forgive?" he replied as he continued to hold her and stroke her hair. "Doubt and fear are as much a part of being people as joy and love. I couldn't hate you for that, Ameko. It was easier for me to never doubt that because I was there working toward it. You never knew what I was doing or if I was doing anything at all." He held onto her for a moment longer before dropping his voice. "Actually, I have a confession to make as well. I knew I'd always be coming home...but I was afraid that...that you wouldn't love me any more. That maybe you'd find someone else, or...Whenever I thought of something like that, I got so afraid. I worried I would lose you if I wasn't there. I wasn't strong enough to be apart from you, either. Can you forgive me?"

"Nothing to forgive," she reassured. "You didn't know, either. But I could never have done that, Nikado. No one could ever take the place in my heart that you have. Even if I had turned to someone else, I would still want *you*."

"Ameko," he murmured as he turned her face toward his, lightly touching her lips with his own. "Ameko, let's get married for real this time. We'll have a ceremony and everyone can come. We'll give oaths and then party and eat and drink too much."

"You have the silliest ideas of fun," she laughed as she touched her forehead to his. "We have a lot to do, but...yes. And Nikado...let's have another child, one day."

"Yes. Of course. I want lots of children with you, Ameko. It's part of our dream."

---

While Ameko had been off with Jun, a bag had mysteriously shown up outside the door. The black orb had been placed in it for safekeeping, and was now with Nikado as they rode back to Rahiro. "We're going to stay in the central capital and help Emi reestablish our world," she had told them, "but we'll need some supplies to do that with first. So let's go home for a few days and prepare for that."

Akito was standing on the wall with Jer next to him, the older man giving them a wave as they approached. Talira replied with a sharp whistle, waving back. By the time they got there, the entire castle was abuzz with cheers and excited talk, as the mere sight of Nikado with his wife and the absence of the pillar in the sky was enough to confirm their success. "Ameko," Akito greeted his daughter as they entered the gate, taking her hands as she jumped down. "We knew you had been successful. We saw the barrier, and all the monsters being pushed into the sky."

"I didn't do much of anything," she protested, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Everyone played a part. It was the boys that sent the monsters from our world."

The horse, deciding it had had enough of its single passenger, reared up to throw Nikado off. The man landed with an undignified thump and a curse directed toward the animal's parentage, which may have been connected to dogs. "Father," Ameko said, putting a hand to her mouth to keep from giggling. "This is my husband, Nikado."

He got to his feet and dusted himself off before giving the older man a bow. "A pleasure to meet you at last, sir."

Akito took his hands warmly. "Thank you for everything you have done for my daughter and our family."

"They're my family too...Father."

Emi looked around nervously as several of the castlegoers looked up at her in awe and admiration. "I...guess they already know, huh," she mumbled to herself.

"You resemble your mother," Jun said to her from his position beside her horse.

"Did you know her?"

"Yes. A little, at least. She was a kind woman. You should feel no shame for being her daughter. Up until the end of her life, she tried to protect you."

She let out a sigh. "I wish I could have met her. And my brother, too. I never knew I had a brother. I don't know what I should have expected."

"I'm sure he would have been pleased to know what a fine woman you've grown into...Lady Emi."

"Did you know him, too?"

"...Yes. He took after your mother as well, I think. He was shy, and quiet, I guess," he said to her. "He...I don't know, it's hard to find the words. He never wanted anyone to suffer, but he didn't have the courage to stand up to his father like you did."

"He sounded like a great person, too," Emi murmured, lowering her head. "It's not fair that my whole family had to be lost because of that monster."

"He...would be very happy to know that you thought that of him, Lady Emi. I'm sure of it." He watched as a crowd of people were surrounding Ameko and Nikado, shouting news, encouragement, and well wishes. "Those two...will be very happy together."

"I'm glad for them. It must have been very hard to be separated for such a long time."

"Yes. It was very difficult."

After a bit, Nikado broke away from the crowd, gesturing for Jun to come over. "One of those lovely ladies just told me the most interesting thing," he told Jun. "Apparently earlier today, a door's opened up in a far corner of the garden."

"A door?"

"Yes. Most likely, it's a door to the space between worlds," Nikado told him, holding up the bag. "They'll want this back. So I was thinking, Jun. Why don't you take it to them?"

"What? Me?"

"If anyone in the entire universe can help you, it will be someone there," Nikado told him seriously. "They have power and knowledge beyond yours or anyone's understanding. If it can be done at all, I am sure they'll be willing to help you."

"But...if Lady Brigitta couldn't...."

"She's one person, and a child besides. This could be something that takes longer, or more power, but you shouldn't give up that easily. Why don't you go on a journey, Jun? What have you got to lose?"

He turned his head to look over at Ameko, who was still surrounded by the crowd. "Very little, I suppose. I'm sure you'll protect her, Sir Nikado. She's...like a sister to me."

"Absolutely. You have my word," the man promised. "I believe in you, Jun, and I already know the power of that place. They'll be able to give you anything, even a miracle."

"Then...then I guess I'll give it a try. What do I need to do?"

Nikado slung the bag around Jun's next, attaching it securely. "Just take that and go through the door. All you have to do is walk forward, Jun."

"Thank you, Sir Nikado. Please tell Lady Ameko goodbye for me." Jun turned, moving toward the gardens he was already familiar with.

"Will he be all right, Sir Nikado?" Emi asked him. "I would not want him to be hurt."

"He'll be fine, Emi, and I'm sure he'll come back one day. When that day comes, he'll be able to tell you more about your brother, as well." He offered her a hand down from the horse. "Come on, your majesty. It's time for you to meet the people that belong to you, that will support you and love you. Oh, and by the way, since you outrank me, you don't really need to call me 'Sir Nikado' anymore."

She sighed at that. "I suppose you are going to tell me the same for Lord Daisuke. And I still have not paid back my debt to him. In fact, I owe it twice, or more."

"Life's not about keeping score, Emi. He's not your lord, he's your friend, and friends help each other out. That's what we do. Now let's go."

---

The sun which had finally been visible in the sky had set before Ameko had managed to work the castle out of its frenzy, laying down plans for the immediate and long-term future with her father and her son. Nikado had let them work, dragging Daisuke on a little quest of their own. By the time her husband found her again, the stars had started to come out. "I actually saw a lot of these in the other worlds," he mused to himself, "but none of them are as beautiful as they are here."

"How's it feel to be home?" Ameko asked, putting her arms around his own. "Are the boys asleep?"

"Yes, and the girls are curled up in there with them. I suppose we'll have to give them lectures on dating in a few years," he laughed.

"It's good that they're close. Daisuke and Keisuke never had friends their age here. No one wanted to bring children into the world after everything began to happen."

"I'm sure there are other children elsewhere that they'll meet one day," he chuckled. "We've all the time in the world for that, now."

She nodded, snuggling against his arm. "Although we may have to wait a bit for the flowers. Father and I think that Emi's sovereign magic will be able to restore the land, but it'll be a long, hard process. It'll be quite some time before we'll see flowers again."

"Hm. You really think so? That's disappointing."

"It's all right, I'll live. You can't bring me what we don't have," she reassured him.

"You're such a dummy," he told her, giving her a poke in the forehead. "I crossed worlds, fate and death itself for you, and you doubt my ability to bring you flowers? My dear, you should never underestimate me," he chuckled as he pulled something out of his pocket for her to see.

In his hands were two folded paper flowers, one carefully creased and perfect in its form, while the other was a rather sloppy imitation. "It wasn't easy, but nothing is impossible for me," he told her with a smile and a kiss to her cheek, placing them in her hands. "I have one of the sisters her to thank for that, actually. You see? I didn't forget."

"Oh, Nikado," she breathed out, tears coming to her eyes as she admired the fold of the petals. "You're a wonderful man."

"Don't tell me that, I might get an ego about it," he told her with another kiss. "I told you, didn't I? The dream begins here."

"Yes, it does. We're going to work toward a wonderful dream, Nikado."

** write ** draw ** emo ** procrastinate ** design **