al709382@campus.ccm.itesm.mx

		The Caller's Plight, by Jorge Pratt

			Part III, section F

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Ultimate Sacrifice

	The fires of life filled her again.
	And the Safety Bit glowed as it finished absorbing all of 
the deadly spell.
	Akane opened her eyes, breathing heavily. She looked widely 
at herself, confused. A few moments ago, when the Calmness spell 
covered her, she suddenly began to feel an extraodinary 
detachment from her body. Not only that, but the sound of the 
Phantom Train's whistle was still ringing in her ears.
	But when it came to confusion, Akane only came up third. 
Lord and Mistress were thoroughly aghast. How had this weak girl 
resisted _the_ most effective death spell in Lord's repertoir? 
Only their master's Goner was more powerful!
	"Calmness!" Lord cast again. But this time, the Safety Bit 
was activated immediately. Akane saw the beams come down and 
fade out, absorbed by the tiny ball bearing. Her depleted 
confidence suddenly burst into a spark of hope. She was safe, 
for the moment.
	"No matter," Lord scowled at her. "You might be strong 
enough to resist my Calmness..." an evil glint appeared on the 
demons' eyes. "But can your fianc� resist Merton...?"
	It took a split second for Lord to fire off the blast of 
fire, but that split second was all that Akane needed to realize 
it: Ranma was still alive. And if he was still alive, there might 
be a way to bring him back to normal!
	Of course, there wouldn't be a chance to do that if Merton 
even came _near_ his icy body. Gulping loudly, Akane flung 
herself towards the sculpture, grabbed him, and leapt away from 
the blast mere instants before it hit him. But she grimaced, 
silently enduring the pain when the fire managed to catch her 
right calf. She gently set Ranma upright on the ground, tears 
coming from her eyes. She glanced briefly at her leg, wincing at 
the sight. Merton had burned through the battlesuit's fabric, 
there was a nasty gash opened in her calf. The injury also 
affected her movement, as she found out when she tried to avoid 
a hit from Lord's staff.
	"You won't last long with that wound," Mistress smirked, 
"And you can't use magic nor physical attacks on us. Might as 
well give up now."
	Akane scowled, narrowing her eyes. "Like heck I'll give up," 
she thought, "Ranma, I don't know how, but I'll save you!"
	Steeling herself, she grasped him tightly as she leapt away 
from the next Meteo attack.

			*	*	*

	Fed up with analyzing each other, Tiamat and the Orochi 
roared and lunged for the attack. The serpent's energy blasts 
cancelled Tiamat's breath weapons, five of the eight heads faced 
the dragon queen.
	"Growl?" both beasts became frozen when they looked into 
each other's many eyes. Gulping, Tiamat's red head meekly 
descended to meet the Orochi's main head. Eleven heads looked 
down at them, sheepishly.
	Every single fighter that was flying around Black Omen 
facefaulted. The Espers looked oddly at the Orochi, while the 
gargoyles and Sapphire Giants' dragons blinked at Tiamat.
	"Growl!" the Orochi and Tiamat flew off, leaving Cat's Eye 
through the opening at the top.
	They had found true love at last...

			*	*	*

	A shrill scream resounded within the Lavos. Finally, the 
emerald jewel of Esper World had appeared before it. The 
devourer pressed on, ignoring the persistent ki-blast that 
_still_ followed it. But there was another scream. Higher pitched, 
and shorter in duration. The Lavos Spawn was ready to leave, 
ready to spread the Hunger throughout the galaxy. Impatience 
filled the child.
	But it needn't worry. As soon as the Lavos landed, within 
fifteen short minutes, the Spawn would depart towards that 
_other_ emerald jewel, third planet of the Solar System. 
Meanwhile, its progenitor would feast upon Esper World's 
lifeforce, with Kefka's help or not.
	Just fifteen minutes, and Esper World would die.

			*	*	*

	Her body was pure light. Her two wings, despite being many 
times smaller than Kefka's, left everyone speechless when they 
extended to their full span of twenty feet. Her golden halo was 
so bright her face could not be seen, but one still managed to 
discern her shoulder-long hair, flowing freely despite its own 
glow.

			*	*	*

	"Agh!" Akane's wound was opening, she nearly fell when she 
landed from that last leap.

			*	*	*

	Cordis Fortitudo lifted her face, and opened her deep blue 
eyes. She flapped her wings once, releasing a soft wave of white 
glimmers. She aimed her palms upwards, she was surrounded by a 
vertical ring of white. For a moment, she looked like a small 
star, surrounded by her corona. Phaeron smiled broadly at her, 
Coldfire stared widely, while the Espers were completely 
astounded.
	Kefka, on the other hand, was not too impressed. Being a 
man that has seen Dysithal's true shape, there were very few 
things left in the Universe that could impress him. Yet he knew 
from the start this "guardian" would be trouble. He regretted 
not having disposed of the human while he had the chance.

			*	*	*

	"Give it up, girl!" Lord and Mistress cackled. "You cannot 
endure this much longer!"
	"Ranma..." Akane thought, panting, as she defended the 
sculpture with her own body. "I won't let you die!"

			*	*	*

	"You," two voices were heard from Cordis, although she 
didn't open her mouth. She aimed at Kefka with her hand, "You're 
now finished, maniac."

			*	*	*

	"I suddenly need to reach out and touch someone..." 
Mistress smirked. Without warning, a pair of stone hands reached 
up from the ground and grasped ice-Ranma's legs. Akane was 
completely unable to lift him, and could only stare in terror at 
Lord's Merton spell forming in front of her. It would be released 
any moment.

			*	*	*

	"That's the umpteenth time I hear that phrase," Kefka 
smirked, "Why should I believe it now?"
	Cordis' voices spoke again, "We are Cordis, and these are 
our friends. You've brought pain to them, and to many others. 
It's time your madness ends!"
	She reached behind her, unsheathing a glowing sword. Its 
blade was surrounded by a steady aura, while the hilt was black. 
At the same time, she stretched her left palm, easily creating a 
golden aura shield and grasping it. Uriel's sword and Bryna's 
shield were put to shame by Cordis'.

			*	*	*

	She never thought this would happen. She was just an 
ordinary schoolgirl, with slightly unusual problems. She certainly 
didn't think this would come when she first met Ranma. But... why? 
She had a fairly normal life, how could she have known she would 
die facing supernatural forces in an alien world? How could 
Akane Tendo, a barely-seventeen year-old girl, a martial arts 
student, a girl sought by so many, a bad swimmer, a lousy cook, 
a kind friend to others, a _normal_ Japanese girl, have known 
that this would be the fate that awaited her?
	"MERTON!!" Lord cast the final spell.
	The ten seconds it took for the flames to reach them 
lasted nearly ten years for her. Turning around, Akane gazed 
into Ranma's frozen eyes, putting her caring arms around his icy 
neck. As she steeled herself, waiting, her eyes became flooded. 
This was the end.
	Six seconds.
	But there was something she could still do. This was 
definitely not the best of times to do it, but it is precisely at 
times like this that emotions are at their peak. For a moment, 
she recalled what Phaeron had said, that ki is best manifested 
through emotions. And now, there was a certain emotion that 
surrounded her with a warm red aura.
	"Ranma..."
	Closing her drenched eyes, and blushing deeply, Akane 
gently pressed her lips against Ranma's frozen mouth.
	Merton covered them completely.

			*	*	*

	"Oo, I'm shaking with fear," Kefka mocked, "Look, little 
pests, how easily I take care of your worthless helper!"
	Cordis felt a chill travel down her back. It wasn't Kefka 
who caused it, but someone much closer to her. Someone who was 
in fatal danger.
	"Gaia Reform!" Kefka joined his hands. Cordis was suddenly 
blasted upwards. Leaving the Espers and angels aghast, Kefka 
used his magic to summon all the remaining asteroids, creating a 
large planet _around_ Cordis and burying her in millions of tons 
of rock.

			*	*	*

	Suddenly the blast of fire was diverted by something 
spherical. Akane couldn't believe it, but Merton was actually 
going all around them, shaping a tunnel. But they weren't even 
hurt! Ranma's ice body was as solid as ever!
	"What in the..." Akane detached herself from him, infinitely 
grateful but confused. It was then that she saw her.
	"No... no way..." Akane said involuntarily. There was a 
glowing female angel before her, diverting the attack with her 
golden shield.
	"There's no time for that. You have to help him!"
	Akane remained frozen for a few seconds, "But how do I..."
	"Believe in yourself! Remember what you learned! Be strong 
inside, and you will always win!" She turned back to look at 
Akane. Her halo glowed slightly dimmer, letting the Japanese girl 
get a good look at her face. Akane's eyes widened immensely, 
even for an anime character. The angel giggled to herself.
	"You can do it!" she said, smiling, "I'll leave him in your 
hands!" Without another word, she sliced Merton with her sword, 
cancelling it completely, and vanished into thin air.
	Akane remained frozen for a second, while Lord and 
Mistress wondered what had gone wrong _now_. The angel was 
right. She was Ranma's only hope. She would have to put away all 
her fears, all her worries. She had always been considered as 
the weakest fighter among her friends, but that was in the past. 
She had grown strong, powerful, even if that was just magic. 
This time, her feelings would make the difference. The difference 
between life and death, for Ranma, and herself!
	"All right..." she thought, concentrating, "For Ranma, for 
Ranko-chan... for _myself_! Be strong, girl! If that angel really 
is who you think it is, you have to show her you're strong!" A 
blue aura, fueled by positive feelings rather than jealousy, 
flared around her. As she concentrated, she couldn't help hearing 
a phrase being repeated over and over in her mind...
	"Everyone has the power to feel their own ki, but in order 
to manifest it you have to concentrate on something that gives 
you strength. "
	Phaeron's teachings had not been in vain. Akane followed his 
words, concentrating on something that gave her strength...
	A very powerful feeling, if not the mightiest...
	Something that gave her strength...
	The _only_ feeling she truly had towards Ranma...
	And... Whoosh. There it was.
	The Aura covered her.
	Lord and Mistress finally recovered from their stupor. 
"Little wench!" Mistress scowled, "Northern Cross!"
	"Kyaaa!" Akane joined her hands. The spell was deflected... 
...by a ten-foot-wide RedBird.
	"What..." she looked at her hands, her body still glowing red 
from the ki-blast. She tried to fire off another RedBird, but 
only shot out a small cloud of gas.
	"Merton!" Lord blasted out.
	"Wah!" Akane could only thrust her palms upwards, trying to 
tap into the inner power she had somehow used before... and 
stared in amazement at the red aura shield that spread from her 
palms and around Ranma and herself.
	"That's it!" she thought, excited, "_This_ is what Phaeron-
kun's techniques are based on! The RedBird is based on lo--"
	"Weak Wind!" enraged, Lord sent out the tornado.
	"RedBird!" Akane shot out. The dark whirlwind was dissipated, 
and the blast continued onwards and successfully hit Lord's gut.
	Akane smirked. Crossing her arms, she summoned her 
newfound ki and encased Ranma within an aura dome. "I'll be right 
back," she said to the statue. Dashing towards a dazed Lord and 
a frightened Mistress, Akane narrowed her eyes. Mjollnir glowed 
red from her aura.
	"Now's my turn!"

			*	*	*

	They couldn't believe it. The Espers were frozen in 
incredulity. Phaeron and Coldfire were simply shocked to death. 
How had Kefka managed to do that?!
	"That was easy," he brushed his hair, smirking. "So much for 
Dysithal's nemesis." He scowled at the Espers and Guardians. His 
blinding red eyes glowed ominously, "Now, where were we?"
	But suddenly Outer Plane was filled with golden light. A few 
thousand miles above, in the planet Kefka had created as Cordis' 
grave, many shafts of white were shooting out from its core. 
Slowly, the entire planet glowed blinding white, many cracks 
appeared on its surface. With a massive burst of light, Cordis 
spread her six limbs and destroyed the entire planet.
	"Care to try again?" she said, descending to the first 
planet. Kefka scowled at her.
	"Good luck," Seraphim said, flying upwards. "What?" Phaeron 
blinked, "You're not staying?"
	"As we said, a greater evil has taken a stake at this 
game," Uriel said, "We regret having to leave you and our sister, 
but we must stop the Lavos!"
	"Take care!" Bryna said as the four angels evanesced into 
the void. Cordis looked up at them, and silently crossed herself. 
She brandished her sword menacingly towards Kefka. The Espers 
retrieved their weapons, their color-coded auras flaring around 
them.
	"So, you all want a shot at me?" Kefka smirked, "Very well! 
Now I shall show you how stupid it is to face me!"
	He immediately flew upwards and released a storm of Havoc 
Wing feathers. Cordis sliced most with her sword, deflected a few 
others with her shield and simply avoided the rest, making sure 
the Espers could escape them. She took to the air, aiming her 
sword at Kefka.
	"Ha!" her sword shot out a bolt of light towards him. He 
twisted to avoid, but was hit in the wing. Scowling, he summoned 
his giant dagger from the ground and slashed upwards with his 
hand. Mimicking his actions, the dagger shot up and towards 
Cordis.
	"Sword of Destiny!" Terion countered the dagger with the 
Illumina Blade's special attack, then aimed the phantasmal sword 
at Kefka's wings.
	"Hyperdrive!" he shot out several energy balls at the 
planet. Cordis gasped, and used her shield to protect everyone 
from the nuclear explosion created by the balls. Phaeron used 
his Wind magic to blow the radiation up towards Kefka, bolstering 
it with Fire at the same time. The madman summoned the debris 
from the second planet and used it to create an earth shield to 
defend from the attacks. Nonplussed, Mireilla spread her arms, 
her hair lifting as she used the Shadow-Matter Jet to break 
through the shield. But just as the Jet's energy tetrahedron 
appeared around him, Kefka smirked and escaped the blast.
	"Black Shock!" he yelled, spreading his arms. A massive, 
spinning tetrahedron appeared above the battleground, releasing 
tremendous bolts of lightning in all directions, as if shaping a 
spiderweb.
	"White Mountain Protection-Dome!" Ranko thrust her palms 
upwards, enlarging her shield to assist Phaeron's crystal dome 
and the Espers' barriers. Not wasting the chance, Kefka dove 
straight for the white shield and slammed his fists against it. 
Ranko felt as if she had received a direct punch to her brain.
	"You bastard!" Phaeron leapt absurdly high into the air. His 
body turned to pure energy, his aura was completely light. This 
was it, if Mireillia could go all-out so could he! "LIGHTBIRD-
PHOENIX!"
	He opened his palms to release the biggest ki-blast ever. 
Kefka was facing downwards at the time, so the titanic firebird 
hit him in the back and crushed him against the planet, _then_ it 
pushed him through the ground and into the planet's core, finally 
coming out the other side, still pushing Kefka into the distance.
	"Fool!" they heard his shout from thousands of miles away. 
"GONER!"
	Again, Outer Plane was filled with energy. The planet, the 
clouds and the debris shook tremendously for nearly a minute, 
giving the Espers enough time to ready their defenses. Cordis 
also prepared her shield, having witnessed this attack before.
	Suddenly, a blast of dark fire spread all over the Outer 
Plane. It was even more powerful than the Big Bang, although 
much shorter in duration. When it ended, the fire was 
concentrated in a single blast that hit the warriors.
	"Ugh..." even Cordis fell in exhaustion after putting up the 
aura barrier. Everyone else was too weak to help her, and 
Andellia's magic was no good on Espers...
	"Over here!" the Pegasus called, standing. Summoning her 
staff, she flew upwards, her body became pure energy. "ORPHEUS' 
SONG!"
	An intense white ring surrounded her, as she, too, went 
all-out on her ultimate healing spell. Cordis rose again when the 
magic reached her, and used her own healing powers to restore 
the people below. But suddenly Kefka appeared behind her, coming 
out of a rift in space.
	"One more time!" he smirked, grabbing Cordis in his hand and 
crushing her. But this time Phaeron didn't have to move a finger. 
Cordis' Light instantly burned Kefka's palm, forcing a yelp from 
him and regaining her freedom. Kefka began charging up another 
Fallen One attack.
	"Not if I can help it!" Nadir said. You know the drill, his 
body became pure energy. "GOLDEN SCORPION'S DART!" His horns 
glowed brightly as he released a fast arrow towards the maniac. 
But then the arrow grew and became a thirty-meter-long, five-
meter-thick shaft of yellow light that skewered Kefka's right 
arm. Cursing, he scowled at Nadir, using his strongest Death 
Glare spell on him.
	"No!" Mireillia flung herself in the way, wincing as the spell 
hit her instead. Staring agape at her, Nadir and Cordis 
immediately sent out tremendous pillars of energy towards Kefka, 
catching him off guard and knocking him off the planet. Ranko 
quickly sent a wave of X-Cure magic towards the fallen 
Nightmare.
	"The more you anger me..." Kefka said as he came back to 
the site, "The more likely you are to perish!"
	"Not likely!" this was Crystallus' turn to go all-out. "If 
you like to use the Crystal Shatter, then let's see you defend 
from this! VITREOUS FLARE!"
	Crystallus flew upwards, spreading his wings as his body 
honored his name. Two gigantic crystals appeared to his sides, 
then spun around him as they changed color. An ear-piercing 
sound came from the crystals as they released innumerable 
Ultima-like blasts in their orbit, creating a massive ring of 
power around Crystallus. Kefka closed his wings and brought his 
arms upwards defending, while Cordis used her shield to protect 
the others. With the white phoenix being one of the strongest 
Espers, the Vitreous Flare managed to engulf _and_ destroy half 
of the planet that Kefka created.

			*	*	*

	Fire covered it completely. The thick shell heat up 
considerably. But the Lavos was used to it. It had devoured so 
many worlds, in so many different dimensions, that a simple 
reentry into the atmosphere was nothing to worry about.
	But then again, there _might_ be something to startle it. 
Four tiny glimmers, rising from Cat's Eye to meet the devourer. 
Lavos opened its eye, releasing a blast of violet light. Bryna 
repelled it with her shield, while Etheldred punched the eye to 
close it again.
	"Angels are defenders of life, we could never destroy a 
living creature!" Uriel said, retrieving his sword.
	"But _you_ are not a creature of life!" Seraphim said, "You 
were created by an Outcast, a demon, and thus we must stop 
you!"
	Suddenly the scream of Lavos was heard again. It was a 
shrill scream, gurgling as if it were being heard underwater. A 
fearful sound from another world, a sound that even the angels 
shuddered upon hearing. The Destroyer would not let anything 
stop it now.

			*	*	*

	Nodoka Saotome calmly sipped her tea, sitting by the 
railing of the balcony,  from one of Valran's towers. The panda 
was lazily dozing off on the balcony's floor, holding onto a sign 
that read, "ZZZZ..." But despite her actions, Mrs. Saotome wasn't 
as calm as her husband. For some reason, she was deathly 
worried. Her eyes stared blankly into the sunrise at the ocean 
as she kept thinking about her children, about the unnatural 
dangers they might be facing. Knowing very well how skilled and 
strong her children were, she kept telling herself that 
everything would come out all right. But this was the day that 
Maduin had talked about, and it meant that her Ranma, her 
daughters and Akane were now fighting the megalomaniac that 
wanted to destroy everything. Her hands shook nervously at the 
tought, she nearly spilled a drop of tea.
	Suddenly she was brought out from her thoughts. Her eyes 
caught a glimpse of a large red object falling from the sky, far 
into the distance. For a moment she thought of it as a shooting 
star, but she stopped making her wish when she realized that 
shooting stars are not red. And they don't slow down at nearing 
the ground, either.
	A chill froze her back. Was it true? Could that have been 
the deadly beast that Maduin and Spekkio told her about?
	"Ranma..." she thought, "Ranko-chan... Take good care..."

			*	*	*

	"Got it!" Etheldred called as she grabbed the Lavos' 
"shoulders," to either side of its eye. "URRRRGGGGGHHHH!!"
	With all her strength she pulled the beast upwards, 
reducing its speed. Bryna used her might to create a gigantic 
shield, stopping the Lavos from descending any further. As they 
were, the devourer was a mere ten miles over the peak of the 
Dead Wall. Had they delayed ten more seconds, and the beast 
would have broken into Cat's Eye and destroyed Black Omen with 
everyone in it.
	Lavos screamed again in defiance. All of its quills began 
glowing, and released a flurry of blasts upwards. All of a 
sudden, the sky was ablaze as a rain of destruction came down 
in the form of gigantic blasts descending towards the ground. 
Uriel could barely deflect a few with his sword, but Lavos' power 
was greater than his own. Seraphim prayed, then opened her 
palms at the creature. A sphere of light was created around it 
to prevent it from releasing any more blasts.
	However, the first wave had managed to get past the 
angels. A good deal of the Southern Continent was charred by 
the rain. Kassir Canyon nearly caved in on itself, but it held. 
Sapphire Giants were hit, fortunately there were no dragon 
settlements in that area. But Dead Wall received the full brunt 
of the attack. The cursed mountains were cracked and weakened 
tremendously. Many of the blasts managed to enter, either 
through the opening at the top or through holes they made by 
themselves. Many of the air force fighters from both sides were 
shot down.
	"What the..." Setzer wondered, looking upwards. It was a 
miracle the Falcon had been missed by the blasts.
	"It can't be..." Maduin gulped.
	"No..." Golbez and the Lunarians gasped in terror at 
recognizing the beast that destroyed their world.
	"LAVOS!!" Arianne bellowed, gritting her teeth and grasping 
Crimson Wind. "At last, you've come! Come to meet your death!" 
The scar in her back glowed beneath her clothing, as the power 
that Lavos left inside her felt the presence of the beast. Even 
Listar looked nervously at her.
	The Army of Five Races and Kefka's forces stopped their 
combat for a few seconds. Utter fear spread throughout all the 
warriors and soldiers, from the strongest dragon to the 
youngest griffon. They had come to know of this too late. It 
wasn't Kefka that they should have worried about, for the lord 
of magic was like a mere flea compared to the World Eater.
	Meanwhile, at the top of Black Omen, a dangerous artifact 
began to chip away at the Silver shield that encased it. With a 
burst of energy, the Dark Orb came to life.
	Its creator had come.

			*	*	*

	"Tell me!" Akane furiously smashed Lord's nose with Mjollnir. 
"Tell me how to bring Ranma back to normal!"
	"You'll never now..." Lord glared at her despectively, 
"Meteo!"
	"RedBird!" Akane shot upwards, obliterating many of the 
falling rocks. Seeing her open, Lord thrust his staff into her 
gut, knocking her away. She landed near the aura shield. Briefly 
looking at Ranma, Akane renewed her emotional ki and rushed for 
the pair leaving a red haze in her wake.
	"Kyaa!" she leapt up and used her ki to strengthen her 
drop-kick. Lord tried to bat her away, but his staff was broken 
in half and she smashed her foot into his gut.
	"Bakusai Tenketsu!" was heard in the vicinity.
	"Tell me..." Akane slapped Lord across the face, "...how..." 
she kicked his groin, "...to change Ranma..." while he bent over in 
pain, she uppercut him back to an upright position, "...back..." she 
grabbed him by the neck and tore him off the throne, "...to 
normal!" she tossed him upwards and waited for him to come down, 
then blasted both Lord and Mistress at the same time with a 
RedBird. Lord was nearly beaten to death, his breathing was 
ragged and troubled. Mistress looked shocked at her unconscious 
consort, and scowled at Akane.
	"Well?" she asked, grabbing Mistress' veil and pulling her. 
She never understood how, but her red aura shaped a razor-
edged blade around her hand. Akane threatened Mistress with it. 
"Tell me!" she bellowed in her face.

			*	*	*

	"I... don't know... how long... I can hold this..." Bryna said as 
she held the shield above her, the entire mass of Lavos resting 
against it. Etheldred quickly flew down to assist her, holding the 
shield in her hands as if she were Atlas holding the sky. And 
judging from Lavos' weight and size, she might as well really hold 
the sky. It would be lighter.
	"How is it going, Fiducia?" Uriel asked, trying to dissipate 
the second rain of destruction with his sword.
	"Not very well," Seraphim answered, "I still don't know how 
to use the Dark Orb. And I can't reach brother Garland either..."
	"Well, I hope he hurries," Etheldred said, "If this goes on, 
and if Cordis takes longer to defeat Kefka, Lavos will overpower 
us..."

			*	*	*

	The Dark Orb began to shimmer wildly, casting bolts of 
energy in all directions. The presence of its master was now 
very strong. Soon, the Dark Orb would reach its real power.

			*	*	*

	"Tell me or else!" Akane pulled her ki-blade closer to 
Mistress' face.
	"Or else what?" she remained unnervingly calm. "You're not a 
murderer. I can tell from that aura that you would never bring 
yourself to finish me off. And even if you did, I would take my 
secret to the grave!" she cackled, trying to hide her terror. 
Since she had been the one to send the spell, the only way to 
bring Ranma back to normal was by destroying the spell-caster.
	Akane sweated nervously. Mistress was right. She could 
never kill anyone, or anything. And Mistress was the only one 
who knew how to restore Ranma.
	"I'll give you one last chance," she still pressed on, "How 
do I change him back to normal?"
	"Nothing you do will make me say it," Mistress smirked 
evilly.
	"Hmmm..." Akane glanced over at the unconscious Lord, a 
glint in her eyes.
	"Why you..." Mistress glared, then began casting an Ultima 
spell. "Very well. I shall tell you how to cure him. Acquire a 
werewolf's bane and join with the lighter part of a reverse Dark 
Bolt Bomb. Wound him with this union, and allow your hate to 
empty his soul..." she narrowed her eyes, smirking. Akane fumed 
at her riddle.
	She ripped Mistress off her pedestal, glaring at her. 
"You're not worth it," she said, then tossed Mistress towards 
Lord. But she froze in midstride when she turned around.
	"A werewolf's bane?" Ukyou thought, worriedly looking at 
Ranma.
	"_Wound_ him?" Yuannyan cocked one eye.
	"What crazy monster say?" Shampoo nervously put her hand 
on Ranma's shoulder.
	"How?" Akane thought aloud, "How do we cure him?"
	"Don't worry, Akane-san," Ryouga flashed her a confident 
thumbs-up. He surprised himself, had his feelings shifted so much 
that he now wanted to help Akane be with Ranma?
	"A werewolf's bane..." Mint thought, shuddering at the 
thought.
	"Hmm..." Ukyou suddenly recalled another movie that 
Gosunkugi had recommended. A classic monster movie. "I got it!" 
she said excitedly, "In the movies, they always get the werewolf 
with a silver bullet!"
	"Then she meant to use Silver!" Yuannyan cleared the 
concept.
	"But what's a reverse Dark Bolt Bomb?" Akane said. "Wait a 
sec. _Dark_ _Bolt_...? Ah! It's a Shadow-Lightning combination! And 
its reverse is Luminaire! Using Light and Lightning, it's 'lighter' 
side is Light magic!"
	Akane smirked in confidence as she began to summon her two 
magic forces. But the battle had been too draining, her ki was 
nearly depleted. Closing her eyes, she surrounded herself with 
Silver and Light fields, bolstering them with her red aura. 
"Unnhhh..." she grimaced.
	"Akane-san?" Ryouga said, concerned.
	"Wound him... Yeah, right," she thought. "_Heal_ him, you 
mean, and it's not 'empty' but _fill_ his soul..." stretching her 
hands upwards, she chanted, "Magic of Light and Silver! Heal 
Ranma, turn him back to normal!"
	Her red aura flared, covering him as a blue beam descended 
from above and hit Ranma, then the beam spread widely in a 
large tube that sucked small glimmers upwards. The human troop 
stared in amazement at spell, but they were more impressed with 
Akane's ki.
	Finally, the beam itself was sucked upwards, along with the 
last of the Northern Cross spell. Akane fell to her knees in 
exhaustion, Yuannyan was quick to heal her. But her eyes flooded 
when she looked upwards again.
	"Whoa... what the..." Ranma shook his head, dizzy.
	"Ranma!" "Ranchan!" Shampoo and Ukyou immediately glomped 
onto his arms, glaring at each other. Akane's Interdimensional 
Mallet waited by the wormhole, ready to be pulled any second. 
But the call never came. Akane was just crying tears of 
happiness, smiling softly as she looked at Ranma.
	He must have noticed, for he slowly turned downwards. He 
reflexively closed his eyes, ready to receive the impact, but 
slowly he realized that for the first time, Akane was not 
jealous. Silently, the couple ignored everything and everyone 
else as they gazed into each other's eyes.
	That is, until they heard Mistress' insane cackle, "Fools! 
You've recovered him, but that will work only so you can all die 
together!!"
	As she cackled again, the room was filled with blue as the 
tidal wave of energy called Ultima made itself present.
	Quick to act, all Silver magic-users mounted a massive 
shield, while Ryouga's Bakusai Tenketsu created a large hole in 
the ground, barely large enought for them to escape.

			*	*	*

	A strange, hemispherical object travelled through the 
vastness of the Outer Plane. It was half as large as Mars (of 
course, it's hemispherical,) and seemed to be sizzling with energy 
on its flat side. But there was no debris around, as the 
Vitreous Flare had demolished the rock completely.
	"I think you went a little overboard," Phaeron turned to 
Crystallus, who shrugged in reply.
	"Do you think I can defeated so easily?" Kefka cackled as 
he stood upon the ground, "Hmm. What do you know, the world _is_ 
flat."
	"Your end is near, Kefka," Cordis said, dispersing her shield 
and brandishing her sword with both hands.
	"That's my line, bothersome fly!" he swatted her aside, then 
used a Shadow shield to crush her against the ground.
	"Why, you..." Ranko glared at him, "Blue Tiger's Roar Bolt!" 
she joined her palms to send the devastating ki blast towards 
Kefka, hitting him upside the head and sending him reeling. Having 
him dazed, Cordis took to the air once more and dove straight 
for his chest.
	"I don't think so! Disaster Wings!"
	Suddenly all of the floating skulls were cancelled out by a 
hail of steel feathers, which were embedded in Kefka afterwards. 
Everyone turned to Coldfire, whose aura was trying to outshine 
the core of Outer Plane. Even Cordis gulped at seeing him.
	"You have caused too much pain already, maniac," he said, 
"Dysithal may be dead, but I will not let you hurt her anymore."
	"It will be interesting to see you stop me..." Kefka brushed 
the feathers off, "...when you're dead!" he sent a few dozen 
Hyperdrive shots at him.
	"She is right... The madness ends here!" Coldfire flew 
upwards and spread his arms, becoming enveloped in a powerful 
golden aura that contrasted heavily with his dark armor. "So 
swears Raphael of Fenix!"
	Phaeron and Cordis froze instantly, they couldn't believe 
what Coldfire had just said. She quickly turned to Phaeron, but 
he was just staring forward blankly.
	"No!" he suddenly exploded, "You _CAN'T_ be Raphael!!"
	Coldfire sighed sadly. But then he shouted, "Cordis! You're 
my brother's Guardian, so _guard_ him and the others!" His body 
became... you know, you know.
	"Hey, no fair!" Terion protested, "I still haven't had a 
chance to go all-out yet!" the Espers bonked him.
	"He can't be Raphael..." Phaeron repeated, recalling how his 
twin brother had been murdered over 1500 years ago.
	"SEEDS OF FIRE!!" Coldfire shot downwards. All around him, 
many large fireballs appeared out of thin air, then they all 
rained upon the battlegrounds. Cordis used her white dome to 
defend the fighters as Kefka was barraged by a seemingly-
infinite number of fireballs, while a few others hit the ground 
beneath and around him, bursting into a gigantic bonfire.
	"Now's the chance!" Mireillia saw Kefka writhing inside the 
fire. "The chance to use the Planetary Crush Techniques!"
	"Wha..." Ranko stared at her wide eyed.
	"That's... right," Phaeron tried to get a hold of himself, 
"Now, on my signal, use the Esper Ragnarok Blitz!" Blinking at the 
Espers, Cordis released the shield. Coldfire flew back towards 
them, but Nadir sent a telepathic message indicating the plan. 
Coldfire smirked mischievously.
	"That does it!" Kefka actually grabbed the fire and tossed 
it madly at the Espers, who scattered in all directions, 
surrounding him. Cordis ran alongside Phaeron, sword at the 
ready.
	"NOW!" he shouted.
	"Go!" Terion leapt upwards, motioning for Ranko to follow 
him.
	"The end comes... for all the Universe!" Kefka began to 
summon his strongest technique, opposite to the Big Bang... the 
Big Crunch.
	Cordis aimed her sword downwards to strike Kefka. This 
would be it. Illumina and Masamune gleamed in perfect 
coordination.
	Five bursts of blinding light joined in a chorus around 
Kefka. Using the last of their power, Crystallus, Andellia, 
Mireillia, Raphael and Phaeron shouted...
	"F I N A L  E N L I G H T M E N T ! ! !"
	Lightning crashed from above, hitting all of the planet's 
flat surface. Small Ultima and Luminaire blasts sprouted where 
the lightning hit. The five Espers let the magic carry them 
upwards, their bodies energy and their hair (or feathers) flowing 
up because of the tremendous energy. Then a ring of light joined 
these five warriors. Terion lifted Illumina, followed by Ranko 
lifting Masamune. A gigantic beam, limited by the five Espers, 
rose from the ground beneath Kefka, engulfing everybody in the 
vicinity. Just then, lightning hit the swords. Not only that, but 
the blades _pulled_ the lightning from the sky, leaving a trail of 
electricity in their wake.
	"Big Crunch!" Kefka used all of his power to create an 
imploding force.
	"Here we go, big sister!" Illumina said.
	"Take care, little brothers!" Masamune replied.
	"NOW!" Terion slashed downwards at Kefka.
	When the swords made contact with him, the beam around 
them became the strongest, most devastating blast of Ultima 
ever to be seen by Esper, human or angelical eyes. It destroyed 
what was left of the planet, then the blue sphere spread and 
grew until it demolished all of the floating asteroids in Outer 
Plane. When it touched the core, the extra dimension exploded in 
a supernova.

			*	*	*

	The Dark Orb suddenly became idle once more. The master 
was no longer in the room.
	"Well, we made it back here," Ukyou said as the troop came 
back to the last chamber, where the Mammon machine used to be 
and where the Orb loomed ominously over them. "Where are they?"
	"Wherever they are, I hope they're alright," Yuannyan said, 
worried. But suddenly the entire fortress shook. Dashing for the 
window, Ryouga gasped as he saw many explosions all over Black 
Omen. The Army of Five Races had nearly vanquished the dark 
structure. Unless they escaped from there _fast_, they would go 
down with it.
	"What...?" also looking out the window, Akane looked 
upwards... and stared in terror. Just outside the opening in the 
Black Wall, there was a stadium-sized dull-brown urchin. And it 
seemed there four winged beings of light facing it.
	"Is that it?" Ranma looked up, "Is that the so-called 
Lavos?"
	"If it is, those guys won't stand a chance," Ukyou pointed 
at the air fighters. "With that thing blocking the only exit, they 
won't escape--"
	She was interrupted as a blue rift opened in the center of 
the room. Quickly, Ranko and all the Espers dashed out of the X-
Zone portal, all looking very tired. But just before Akane and 
Yuannyan could begin casting cure spells, a pyramid of dark 
energy surrounded the Dark Orb.
	"The end... comes... for everyone..." a normal Kefka said 
weakly, leaning against the side of his pyramid while avoiding all 
contact with the Orb. "No one will stop it... no one can stop the 
ultimate Destroyer... Even if I die... Lavos will destroy you! 
Creature of the stars, swallow Earth and Esper World whole!" he 
cackled, as all of Black Omen collapsed. The floor beneath them 
crumbled, but instead of landing in the TriTier Bosch's room, 
they landed in the corridor below. The room of the Mammon 
machine exploded, leaving only a dark pyramid floating in space 
above Black Omen.
	"We... failed..." Terion shook his head gravely.
	"How can you say that?" Ranma said, "We can still stop 
them! Don't give up before the fight starts!"
	"But what can we do?" Andellia said, "The only way to 
defeat Lavos was through the Black Orb, and even if we could 
use it, Kefka has it under his control!"
	"Well, I'm not going to let _both_ my planets be destroyed 
by that thing!" Phaeron said, "Coldfire, Mireillia, I want you to 
take everyone to the exit. Ranko-chan, remember that bay full of 
escape pods we saw? Lead them there." He summoned his 
armblades, "I've got a date with a crystal ball and an alien!"
	"If you're going, I'll follow you!" Mireillia was quick to say.
	"You can't sacrifice yourself again!" Raphael stopped him 
from leaping up.
	"But I won't let any of you die!" Phaeron challenged. "I 
can't--"
	He couldn't finish, for he suddenly found an elbow embedded 
deep in his gut. Coldfire caught his twin as he fell unconscious.
	"Sorry, but I won't let you die on me again," Ranko said, 
already summoning her flying aura and rising towards Kefka.
	"Are you INSANE?!?!" Ranma leapt up to catch her. She 
easily avoided him.
	"Oniisan, take Phaeron-kun and the others and get the hell 
outta here," she said, looking down at them.
	"If you think I'll let you--"
	"You idiot! Go!" she aimed her palms at him, summoning her 
ki, "Go or I'll kill you myself!"
	Even from the distance, they could see the watery glimmers 
gathering in her eyes. Without another word, she darted upwards 
to meet Kefka.
	"Wait!" Ranma called out, ready to follow, but Mireillia and 
Raphael restrained him, "Her sacrifice will be worthless if you 
get yourself killed. Honor her act and follow her wish!"
	Hesitating with every step, the party rushed through the 
corridor, explosions bursting all around them as they headed for 
the elevators. But perhaps the sacrifice was unnecessary, for 
Black Omen would collapse in less than three minutes.
	And the Spawn would depart in half that time.


The Destroyer arrives

	Many worlds had been consumed by the Lavos. Having 
mastery over the flow of time, the Destroyer could easily find a 
rich planet, suitable for its necessities, and wait for millions 
of years, asleep, waiting for life to flourish. Like a farmer 
growing farm animals, the Lavos would even help the evolutionary 
process, until a stronger, more life-filled species appeared, and 
then it would reap the fruits. Of course, there were those 
extraordinary times when the life on the planet was already at 
its peak, but those were few occasions. Esper World, for example, 
was one of those, for it was so filled with life you could almost 
taste it. But still, one must be careful when choosing planets. 
Although there were no problems when using young worlds, the 
main worry of a Lavos laid in finding a planet that was 
overripe, maybe even starting to rot. For example, the poor 
Spawn was about to depart towards a place called Earth. Why, if 
only it had arrived sooner... But now there seemed to be a 
parasitic species on that planet, a species that was steadily 
draining the world's natural resources. A few hundred acres of 
forest per day, a couple animal or plant species per hour, this 
strange species lost them recklessly. Sometimes, it seemed this 
species loathed its own planet. What other reason would it have 
to keep on destroying it? Why, even a Lavos could appreciate a 
planet striving with life. Like that other world, visited 1200 
years ago... Now _that_ planet was practically pulsating with 
life. It even had four elemental crystals, just waiting to be 
drained. And, having slept for millions of years under that 
planet's surface, Lavos had the unique opportunity to learn 
every single species' abilities, techniques, spells and other such 
powers.
	Of course, no species is without its flaws. There was that 
time when one of the Lavos was drained of its power, then 
defeated by a band of youngsters. What a shame for the rest of 
the species _that_ brought...
	But such problem would not come now. It was so close, it 
could already feel the beatings of Esper World's heart. Just 
because four beings of Light were trying to stop the Lavos from 
appeasing its Hunger, it didn't mean that its cosmic travels 
would end here.
	Ah, but there also was that other matter. Lavos had 
learned of this world because of a man. A man named Kefka. If he 
was so powerful as to pull a Lavos from its natural trajectory, 
then he might pose a threat. Little did Kefka know that Lavos is 
stronger than any human. And little did Kefka know that Lavos 
would send him to oblivion as soon as it disposed of the four 
angels.
	But why did he pose such a threat? Because this Kefka 
person had made a great mistake: it had used the Dark Orb to 
summon Lavos. The Orb was the only thing Lavos feared, for it 
could drain its power.
	The Hunger could wait
	Destroying the user of the Dark Orb came first.

			*	*	*

	"Moko Takabishya!"
	The ki-blast bounced harmlessly off the dark figure. Kefka 
cackled, "Try as you may, little girl, nothing can penetrate this 
pyramid! Especially not a weakling like you!"
	Ranko fumed. But she knew he was right. Rising over the 
pyramid, she began," Passed through the fire..."
	"Hm?" Kefka suddenly saw a very powerful light descending 
upon her.
	"Cordis, if you can hear me..." she said in a barely audible 
voice, "I need your help again."
	Slowly, the light around her began to take human shape 
behind her. A human shape with wings. Very slowly, Cordis' aura 
began to surround her, until Ranko and the aura resembled a 
single being.
	"Thanks, Cordis," Ranko smiled, seeing how she could even 
command the large wings. Narrowing her eyes, she reached behind 
and took Masamune. "Tei!" she slashed downwards to the pyramid. 
A large cut appeared on its surface. Rising, she reared back to 
deliver the kick.
	"Shugotenshi Ryuusei Kyaku!" she dropped towards the 
pyramid in a burst of light. Kefka stared widely as she broke 
through the pyramid's wall, touching down on its base.
	"You're more stupid than I thought!" he immediately aimed 
his hand at her, but his magic was completely drained. He could 
only create a warm breeze.
	"Heh," she smirked, trying to hide the fact that the Dark 
Orb was also draining her ki. "Looks like we'll settle this the 
old way," she cracked her knuckles.
	"That wouldn't be a problem," Kefka smirked as he took off 
his cape, "It's been a while since I killed a human with my bare 
hands," he reared back to a fighting stance. "I've been waiting to 
do it again for a long time."
	"Then you'll keep waiting!" Ranko dashed for him. He easily 
diverted her punch and pushed her aside. She yelped when she 
nearly crashed into the Black Orb, but then leapt over it. She 
didn't see Kefka's combination kicks launching straight for her 
head.

			*	*	*

	Ranma continued to curse himself, both mentally and spoken, 
as the troop continued to search for an escape route from Black 
Omen. Machinery exploded beside them, entire corridors and 
catwalks collapsed behind, ceilings caved in a few seconds after 
they ran past them. And the fortress' engines would blow up any 
second.
	"Uh..." Phaeron opened his eyes.

			*	*	*

	"Shichu rakuchi-sei!" Ranko dove below Kefka's legs and 
pushed them apart, then stood over him, "Hakuda toshin shou!" 
she delivered dozens of spear-hand thrusts to his back, 
plastering him against the floor of the pyramid.
	"Get off me!" he bent his legs to deliver a double scorpion 
kick, distracting her long enough for him to stand and punch her 
away. Ranko had never felt such a strong punch come from a 
human before. She clutched her gut tightly, panting, and stood 
up. She didn't notice the Orb was behind her.
	"You're finished, little girl," Kefka smirked. "Hah!" he thrust 
at her heart with a snake hand. She immediately threw herself to 
the side to avoid.
	"YAAAAAAAHHHH!"
	Ranko gasped and covered her eyes as Kefka touched the 
Dark Orb. A frightening power was released from the artifact as 
Kefka fought against it. The Orb wasn't only draining him, it 
seemed it wanted to pull him into it. But the madman wouldn't let 
it take him, at least not without a fight. So, he pressed on. He 
attacked the Orb, hoping to overload it so it would release him. 
But that was his folly. The Orb's power surged back.
	Ranko stood back and covered her ears, trying to protect 
herself from the blinding light that filled the pyramid, while 
defending her ears from the deafening cry. Nevertheless, she 
could still hear Kefka's bellow of pain for what seemed an 
eternity.
	And then, it was over.
	With the smell of cooking flesh inside the pyramid.
	Ranko opened her eyes, taking her hands off her ears and 
carefully looking around. Kefka was gone. A small trail of smoke 
was rising from a spot in the Orb's surface. She hurriedly stood 
straight, gulping loudly when she saw the only remnant of the 
lord of magic: a single red feather, on the floor of the pyramid, 
where Kefka used to be. But suddenly even this feather was 
blasted to oblivion by a small beam that came from the Orb. 
Kefka, consumed by his own lust for death. The madness was 
over.
	But the war was still going. Ranko quickly looked upwards. 
Bryna's shield was weakening quickly, along with Etheldred. 
Seraphim was shocked to find the redhead inside the pyramid that 
held the Dark Orb, while Uriel was too busy cancelling out Lavos' 
blasts to notice her. But after seeing what that thing had done 
to Kefka, a little fright began to spread inside her. She shook 
her head. She _couldn't_ be afraid, not now that she had to help. 
There was only one thing to do.
	She joined her hands in prayer, "Passed through the fire..."

			*	*	*

	"SHE DID WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!" Phaeron asked, 
incredulous, taking Ranma by the shoulders. 
	"Look, I don't like this any more than you do, but--"
	"No!" he suddenly shot out a massive WhiteBird towards the 
nearest wall. A wide hole, leading outside, was made.

			*	*	*

	"Gyaaah!" Bryna yelled as she lost her strength. Even 
Etheldred was completely drained. The Lavos screamed in delight 
as it crashed through the shield, plummetting downwards.

			*	*	*

	"Unnnhhh..." Ranko grimaced. Despite having Cordis' aura 
protecting her, it was still painful. She had her hands over the 
Orb, barely one centimeter away from touching it. While her 
Guardian's aura was doing all the work of commanding the Orb, 
somehow the artifact seemed to struggle against the commands. 
"You stupid thing..." Ranko winced, "Come ON!"
	Cordis' aura became brighter. Suddenly, a large beam was 
shot up from the orb and towards the Lavos, surrounding and 
stopping it. The creature came one inch away from the opening at 
the top of the valley, blocking out all means of escape and 
plunging the region into darkness.
	Large beads of sweat glistened on her forehead. She didn't 
know how long she could endure this, but now that was the least 
of her worries.

			*	*	*

	"She'll get herself killed!" nobody could stop Phaeron from 
leaping out the opening, spreading his arms to fly upwards.

			*	*	*

	This was an outrage! How dare this measly creature stop 
the Lavos! This would certainly not go unpunished!

			*	*	*

	A blinding light filled Cat's Eye. Phaeron was blasted back 
into the corridor, leaving a big dent in the panel he was 
plastered into. Mireillia quickly helped him detach himself from 
the metal.
	"I will not let Lavos kill her!" he ran back to the edge of 
the opening, but this time he was surrounded by a bright fire.
	"If you're helping her, I'm going," nothing would convince 
Ranma otherwise.
	"It's not just you who wishes to help," Mireillia approached 
Phaeron.
	"Ranma, this time nothing you say will keep me out of this," 
Akane was dead-serious.
	"Alright," Phaeron didn't challenge his friends. "Coldfire, 
lead the others to the escape pods. I suppose _you_ should know 
where they are." He spread his arms. "Now, GO!"
	He leapt out once more, followed by Mireillia, Ranma and 
Akane.

			*	*	*

	"Come on!" Coldfire yelled as he dragged the others through 
the corridor. "We're almost there!"

			*	*	*

	"My God..." Akane stared agape at Phaeron. He wasn't just 
going all-out, it seemed he wanted to rival a red giant star's 
power.
	"This is it... No more last-minute interruptions..." he said, 
crossing his arms and legs close to his body, as if to gather 
energy. "For Ranko-chan, for Earth and Esper World..."
	He spread his arms, stretching his legs. The fire around 
him became gigantic.
	"P H O E N I X  F L A R E!!"
	"Wah!" the other three were suddenly engulfed by a swelling 
blast of red and orange.

			*	*	*

	"What was _that_?" Ukyou asked, nearly blinded by the 
tremendous reddish lights coming from an entire side of Black 
Omen's windows.
	"Never mind that, look!" Nadir pointed at a fallen hatch. 
Beyond were many rows of vehicles. The party dashed towards 
the door, but suddenly, a large steel beam fell from above. 
"Aiyaa..." Shampoo said involuntarily as it caught her off guard.
	"Shampoo!" Mousse flung himself towards her, pushing her 
aside. "AGH!" the beam crushed him on the floor. Ryouga rushed 
to help him, but a sudden explosion knocked him into a pile of 
short-circuiting equipment. He was shocked to unconsciousness by 
the electricity. While Ukyou pulled Ryouga away, Lime tried to 
lift the beam. However, the floor beneath his feet crumbled and 
gave away. Mint quickly sent a chain to rescue him. Before any 
of the Espers could help, the ceiling between them and the 
hangar caved in, blocking them out.
	"Aaaaaaghh..." a pale blue aura of Wind appeared around 
Mousse. Suddenly, a strong aeolic force rose from the floor, 
pushing upwards. It lifted the remains of the ceiling, then the 
beam that pinned Mousse. Struggling to his feet, he pushed 
upwards with his hand, using the beam as a support for the 
ceiling to keep it from falling. "H-hurry... Don't know... How long..." 
he grimaced, he wasn't as strong as Ryouga or Lime.
	"Mousse!" Shampoo yelled as Ukyou pulled her along, the 
party dashing for the ships.
	"Yaah!" he used his Wind to fling the beam upwards, then 
used his magic again to make a break for the hatch before the 
ceiling gave out again.
	"Quick, get in!" Coldfire motioned for them to board a 
fighter craft, large enough to take all of them.
	"What now?" Ukyou asked as she sat at the copilot's seat. 
The Espers looked at each other, but no one knew how to 
maneuver a spaceship.
	"I don't know," Nadir said, "Mireillia's the hacker, and 
Phaeron's the flyboy."
	"I'll give it a try," Coldfire said, manning the controls, 
"Maybe his twin can help with this..."
	He pressed a button on the control panel. The bay doors 
before them opened, revealing the aerial battle outside, which 
had nearly ceased. Another button activated the transmitter, 
"Hope I can find the right frequency," he said, grabbing the 
microphone. "To anyone that can hear me, we're the Espers and 
humans. Kefka's trying to use the Lavos now. We're coming out 
through the East side of Black Omen, so hold your fire."
	But just as the craft's afterburners roared to life, a 
hidden black gargoyle leapt down from the ceiling and shot a 
devastating beam at the back of Coldfire's head. The Phoenix of 
Gray was immediately knocked out. And while the Espers mashed 
the gargoyle to a pulp, the ship darted out of the bay, with no 
one in control.
	"Waaaah!" Ukyou and Shampoo screamed when Mousse sat at 
the pilot's seat. "Stupid Mousse get all killed!"
	"If anyone else wants to try, you're welcome!" he replied, 
but then the Spectacle Frame unexpectedly fell off his face...

			*	*	*

	"What the..." Ranko looked down. Coming out of Black Omen, 
was a massive bird of pure fire. Like a gigantic ghost of the 
Phoenix, it was nearly ninety-five feet in wingspan, while its 
tail had charred a good deal of the fortress' exterior. But 
there seemed to be three small specks inside it, though, and 
they were near its neck...

			*	*	*

	The Phoenix Flare was Phaeron's greatest and most powerful 
technique. It turned all of his body to fire, expanding him into a 
gargantuan firebird. But he could still control it. Otherwise, the 
three people inside him would have been burnt to ashes.
	They felt strange. Ranma, Akane and Mireillia were "riding" 
inside Phaeron's Phoenix Flare shape, but they felt as if they 
were surrounded by a warm gel. Why, they could even "swim" 
inside him if they wanted.
	"Yes, this is the Phoenix Flare," Phaeron's ghostly beak 
opened, "And with it we'll confront Lavos!"
	The Phoenix shrieked as he rose towards the opening. The 
Lavos tried to blast them, but Phoenix twisted sideways and 
darted straight for him. Four surprised angels suddenly saw a 
creature of fire _phase_ into the Lavos, charring its shell, 
while Ranko stared agape at what Phaeron was doing.
	"Idiot..." she thought, awestruck, "Well, if you wanna help 
then you better hurry!" she returned to the subject at hand. 
Even more furious than before, Lavos began to take pot-shots 
into Cat's Eye, bringing down many of the aerial combatants. They 
needed an escape route or else!
	"If you're so powerful, do something!" she shouted to the 
Dark Orb. Using Cordis' aura, she commanded it.
	A silver ring appeared around the pyramid. Suddenly, the 
ring grew outwards, creating a circular Silver shield that 
expanded until reaching the Dead Wall, then demolished it and 
continued growing until all of Esper World was covered by a 
gigantic Silver shield, leaving only Lavos and half of the pyramid 
out of it.

			*	*	*

	"WAAAAH!" Ukyou and Shampoo repeated. The skies were bright 
once more, as the shield let the sunlight into the valley. But 
there was also a disgusting amount of boulders and rock 
shrapnel raining down on them. Having a blind Mousse at the helm 
was bad enough, but this rain of debris would be the end of it 
all!

			*	*	*

	The trio suddenly found itself inside a dark tunnel. 
Phaeron materialized next to them, recovering from the Phoenix 
Flare. The tunnel they were in was organic in appearance, with a 
glowing greenish floor and walls of muscle, which pulsated all 
around them. A loud heartbeat was heard up ahead, and it 
frightened them.
	"This is it," Phaeron said, retrieving his staff. "We're in 
Lavos' core. We got past the first body, which is simply the 
giant urchin. The real enemy is deeper into the shell."
	"We gotta hurry," Ranma said, deeply concerned about his 
sister. He reached back and unsheathed Murasame, noticing how 
its blade was glowing as they approached the evil core. Akane 
also took Mjollnir, while Mireillia activated the AtmaWeapon.
	"Let's go!" Phaeron lead the final dash towards the end of 
the twisting tunnel. The glow from the floor increased with every 
stride, the beatings sped up with their presence. They could 
even hear Lavos' harsh breathing, feeling it press against their 
skin.
	"LAVOS!" the four of them yelled as they entered the inner 
sanctum of the devourer, leaping for the attack.


Devourer of Worlds

	Chaos reigned upon Cat's Eye. The morning light shone 
brightly, although the cloudy skies were still gray thanks to the 
shield. Black Omen was steadily collapsing, leaving a trail of 
smoke as it slowly plummetted to Adder's Mouth. The Army of Five 
Races had scattered, trying to escape the fortress' impending 
explosion and the rock shrapnel that rained down upon them.
	"But we have to get out of here!" a Blue Dragon said to 
his rider, "I must get you someplace safe!"
	"I will never abandon them now, Listar, and you know it!" 
Arianne clutched Crimson Wind tightly. "I can sense it. They're 
facing Lavos' second body right now. But I was right, I feel as 
if he were trying to take over my mind. Maybe I can't join them, 
but at least I won't leave them!"
	Then again, the Army had vast magic and technology. Arianne 
and Listar were exactly beneath the pyramid. Such situations 
gave them sufficient protection from the falling rocks. But there 
was _another_ shuttle, one that had neither an experienced pilot 
nor a reliable defense.
	"You idiot! Put your glasses back on!" Ukyou yelled.
	"Mousse get all killed!" Shampoo repeated.
	Yet Mousse didn't hear any of the unceasing bellows and 
protests. He narrowed his eyes as he concentrated on 
maneuvering the shuttle through the rocks. Without his glasses, 
all he could see beyond the windshield was the large number of 
dark spots in front of them. But maybe it was for the best: his 
worries didn't lay on the stones in front of him, but rather 
those _above_ the craft.
	"QUIET!" he suddenly yelled, effectively surprising everyone 
into silence. Wind magic, use your Wind magic, he kept thinking. 
Everyone cried inwards as they saw him close his eyes, but 
suddenly a faint aura appeared around him. Yes, he could feel it! 
The Wind magic let him know the precise changes in pressure and 
currents about the ship, indicating the rocks all around as if it 
were a radar! They always said he was blind as a bat, but sight 
is not a bat's strength!
	"I can see it!" he said, "Ukyou, top speed!"
	Hesitating, she pushed the throttle, feeling herself being 
pressed back against the seat. In a sudden surge of speed, the 
ship was flung forward, away from Black Omen. Large beads of 
sweat appeared on most foreheads as the shuttle weaved a mad 
path through the rain, having narrow encounters with nearly all 
the boulders. And suddenly the rain ceased.
	"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" this time they _all_ yelled when they 
saw the remaining Dead Wall twenty meters away. Pulling the 
stick as mightily as he could, Mousse lifted the ship's nose and 
tilted it in a 110 degree angle, nearly flying upside down as the 
ship skimmed the inner wall of the mountain range. But once more 
they had to avoid the boulders, which were seemingly flying 
_towards_ them instead of _falling_ on top of them. The lifetime 
of martial arts training hadn't been in vain, Mousse's reflexes 
let him avoid all of the rocks. And finally, they had overcome 
the Dead Wall. Completing the aerial loop, Mousse guided the ship 
straight as an arrow as it shot out through a tiny gap between 
the Wall and the Silver shield. They were out of Cat's Eye at 
last!

			*	*	*

	But as the fighters and dragons continued to flee Cat's 
Eye, they didn't notice a strange glow coming from Black Omen. A 
reddish glow, which sometimes turned to green. And it was 
located near the middle of the fortress.
	While inside Black Omen, neither of the Esper and human 
parties had explored every single room. It is only logical they 
had missed many important chambers, some full of tresure, some 
holding deadly creatures. But this particular room had neither. 
It only had a nearly innumerable amount of tanks and capsules, 
all filled with the same liquid used for the others, and all 
keeping a strange object inside it.
	They were the containment tanks for the Magicites Kefka 
had stolen.
	Suddenly, the Magicites began to shimmer, creating a low 
humming in the chamber. The tanks began to crack. The stones 
were filled with life once more.
	But not a single one of the captive Espers could feel his 
presence. The presence of a very powerful being. And it was the 
being who awoke them.

			*	*	*

	At the same time, over the middle of Cat's Eye, a dark 
pyramid was steadily becoming very bright, as the Dark Orb's 
Silver magic overrode Kefka's power. Cordis' aura was increasing, 
while Ranko grimaced as she tried to control all that power. But 
the Orb didn't want to obey anymore. Not that it defied her, 
instead it seemed to demand more energy from her, as if the ki 
she channelled into it were a toll taken by the Orb so it would 
follow her commands. But soon, very soon, even Cordis would 
become tired, and the Orb would release the Lavos.
	"Hurry... please..." Ranko weakly pleaded.

			*	*	*

	The Lavos' core was a large dome, black-colored yet 
crackling with energy. Its walls were covered by strange 
conduits, while the floor was concave. Also, the floor had a wide 
circular area, which shed a blinding white light. But from the 
exact center of the circle, was an opening. From this opening, 
Lavos' upper body sprouted.
	It was a titan, Phaeron and Mireillia noticed its torso was 
at least as large as Kefka's second shape. But the beast seemed 
to be a cyborg of some sort, as it was covered by plates of 
dark metal and it was connected through tubes to the rest of 
the creature. Its arms were large and muscular, ending with 
three-fingered hands. Its head was also disproportionately large, 
and if seen sideways one could see it was oval-shaped. There 
was a series of rings beneath it, probably the trachea, and 
since Lavos didn't have a mouth it seemed all the sounds it made 
came from this place. The head only had one eye, wide and ever-
watching. Finally, from the sides of its head, two smaller, 
atrophied arms sprouted, its tiny hands grabbing onto the tubes 
that connected the head to the walls.
	But the foursome never paused for a good look at it. They 
had attacked on sight... being blasted away immediately by an 
unseen force.
	"Why, you..." Ranma stood up and attacked with Murasame, 
"Wind Slash!"
	Lavos defended with its right arm, then pushed with the 
left hand. Several Silver orbs were shot from a hole in its palm, 
all hitting Ranma and briefly encasing him in a dark dome. 
Meanwhile, Akane and Phaeron were leaping towards its head, 
weapons at the ready. Lavos shot them down with a fire blast, 
then it smashed its hand on Mireillia and pinned her to the 
floor. Not giving time for a second assault, Lavos filled the 
entire chamber with a reeking, foul gas that poisoned them 
mildly.
	"Hah!" as he stood up, Ranma pushed upwards to disperse 
the stench with his Wind magic. Using the air currents, Lavos 
shot out a gush of flames that spread out thanks to the wind. 
Phaeron absorbed the fire through a low-level Phoenix Flare, 
returning the attack. Lavos crossed its arms to defend, but 
upon opening them again, the two chest plates also opened and 
revealed two orbs inside them.
	"MEASLY CREATURES," the voice came directly to their brain. 
"I AM THE DEVOURER. LIFE AND DEATH ARE MINE TO COMMAND. I 
CANNOT BE SLAIN, FOR MY POWER IS THAT OF THE STARS. PREPARE 
YOURSELVES, FOR MY HUNGER SPARES NO ONE."
	Suddenly a large beam was shot from each of the orbs, 
scanning around as if they were spotlights. The foursome leapt 
around, trying to escape the beams. But this left them 
completely open to the massive punches from both fists. They 
were smashed into the wall, cracking it.
	"That does it!" Ranma joined his palms, "Moko Takabishya!"
	The ki blast was deflected easily, dispersing in a ripple 
over Lavos' torso. Narrowing its only eye, Lavos blew everyone 
away with a wave of wind.

			*	*	*

	Nodoka nervously walked through the corridors of Valran, 
holding a clothes basket in her hands. Her apprehension was 
growing quickly, and it wouldn't go away even if she kept herself 
busy. She couldn't tell what exactly, but she knew something 
terrible would soon happen.
	She went outside, hoping a little housework would keep her 
distracted. Silently, she hung her family's clothes out to dry, 
feeling the soft breeze brushing her face. Looking up, she 
noticed the shield above, giving most of the planet a winter 
appearance with the gray skies. Shaking off the morning cold, she 
walked back inside, into the kitchen. Time and time again she 
washed the dishes, but she was still thinking about her children.
	She jumped up slightly, gasping as she was suddenly 
surprised by a loud tearing sound that came from outside. 
Startled, her hands released a cup, letting it crash into a 
hundred pieces on the floor. "Oh, my..." she said, looking down and 
kneeling. She carefully took the pieces in her hands, staring 
blankly into them. Suddenly forgetting them, she walked outside, 
looking for the source of the sound.
	Just as she looked around, she noticed the ceramic 
fragments again. She found what caused the sound: a blue Chinese 
blouse had somehow been torn exactly in half by the wind. The 
broken cup, the torn blouse... the words "bad omens" immediately 
sprung up.
	"B-but..." Nodoka looked back and forth between the objects, 
"But that blouse... and this cup... They are Ranko-chan's..."

			*	*	*

	"FOOLISH MORTALS," Lavos relied on the old clich�, "CAN IT 
BE POSSIBLE THAT YOU ARE BLIND TO THE TRUTH? YOU CANNOT 
DEFEAT THE DEVOURER."
	"We'll see about that!" Mireillia leapt towards Lavos.

			*	*	*

	"I can't..." Ranko winced. All of her body was filled with 
pain, infinitely intense pain, but she didn't dare remove her 
hands from the Orb's aura. She felt as if she were about to 
burst into flames, her heart was beginning to grow fatally hot.
	Suddenly, her eyes became blank white. The pain and the 
energy had been too much.
	She was utterly blind.

			*	*	*

	"Rising Shadow Bolt!" Mireillia yelled, slamming her fist into 
Lavos' throat.
	She was hit by a massive backfist, nearly knocking her out. 
Lavos' eye suddenly shot out a faint laser towards the ground. 
Without warning, the floor exploded in a ghostly blaze.
	"How... how do we defeat him...?" Phaeron said, worn out.

			*	*	*

	The beam from Dark Orb that was holding the Lavos in 
midair started to weaken. The giant urchin dropped a few hundred 
feet. The massive external eye stared into the pyramid, and 
would have scowled if it had eyelids.
	"Can't... hold out... anymore..." Ranko thought. The Orb needed 
more power, _demanded_ it. She was already blind , and her ki 
was nearly depleted. Only one thing would appease the Orb: her 
own life.
	"Oniisan... Oneechan... Phaeron-kun... Mirei-chan..." she said, 
forcing the words out from her weakened body, "Finish him... for 
me..."
	She closed her blind eyes, using her last bit of energy to 
increase Cordis' own aura. She took a deep breath. Although 
there was a long gap during the time she spent in China, her 
life flashed before her.

			*	*	*

	This was intolerable! Not only was that human using the 
Dark Orb, but there were also four others _inside_ its body! It 
was time to destroy this human, and reap the life of Esper World 
at once!

			*	*	*

	The Lavos' outer body opened its green eye again, turning 
it violet. With a gurgling scream, the Lavos shot out a massive 
violet light from its eye, aiming straight for the pyramid.
	"Dark Orb!" Ranko suddenly yelled, "Help my friends... Stop 
Lavos!"
	And her hands _touched_ the Orb.
	The pyramid shook as the artifact's power grabbed hold of 
Ranko's soul. But unlike Kefka, she didn't fight it. She let 
herself be pulled inside, knowing it was for the best. Her body 
glowed brightly. Her clothes fell off her, slowly floating down to 
the ground miles below. Masamune remained floating over the Orb.
	Suddenly all of the pain was over. Ranko could feel an 
unmeasurable freedom, a detachment she had never experienced. 
She hoped the feeling could last forever, unaware of the 
terrible fate she had chosen.
	Just as the Dark Orb collected her soul, Lavos' beam filled 
the pyramid. Ranko's body was slowly torn apart, disintegrated to 
dust by the silent blast.

			*	*	*

	"Huh?" Ranma blinked. All of a sudden, a faint white aura 
filled the room.
	"IT IS DONE," the Lavos spoke, "THE USER OF THE BLACK ORB 
IS NO MORE."
	"What?!" Phaeron froze.
	"NO!" Ranma bellowed, "YOU BAS--"
	He was interrupted as the entire Lavos fell.

			*	*	*

	A large brown urchin dropped like a bomb towards Cat's Eye. 
The Dark Orb had ceased to send its holding beam. Arianne and 
Listar stared in terror at the monster. Neither would ever 
forget what they saw when Lavos destroyed that girl above them. 
Arianne felt an unmeasurable hatred inside her grow towards 
Lavos. Again.
	But not all was lost. The sacrifice had not been in vain 
after all. Just as the Lavos came exactly fifty feet over the 
Dark Orb, the artifact glowed bright white and shot out a 
concentrated blast. The external eye was obliterated completely, 
leaving an opening connected to the core. The blast then widened 
and froze the urchin in place, the beam of energy flowing 
upwards with nearly unlimited power.
	"That's it!" Arianne said, "Listar, take us alongside that 
beam! Lavos may be able to control me, but he can't stop me 
from helping!"
	Doing as told, Listar flew towards the beam. With a strong 
cry, Arianne flung Crimson Wind into the opening left by the 
blast. The sword was shot upwards.

			*	*	*

	"Ranko-chan..." Phaeron gritted his teeth. Death wouldn't 
stop him now, all that mattered was defeating this beast.
	Without warning a white blast broke into the chamber, 
hitting Lavos and making him bellow in pain. When the blast was 
over, the foursome turned back to see an opening leading 
outside. Two bright, long glimmers darted up from the opening. 
Suddenly, Crimson Wind and Masamune were embedded deep into 
Lavos' gut, but then they flashed and flew back towards the 
weakened warriors.
	"Please, get him... for me..."
	A ghostly gray aura surrounded the four fighters, who 
stared aghast at it. Even beyond death, Ranko's essence was 
still helping them. Eight eyes were flooded with tears.
	"For you, sis," Ranma accepted her aura and grasped 
Murasame tightly.
	"Thank you, both of you," Akane said as she took Crimson 
Wind.
	"Thou gave thine life. We shan't disappoint thee!" Mireillia's 
AtmaWeapon grew.
	"Lavos! You will pay, and so swears the Phoenix!" Phaeron 
took his staff. Somehow, Masamune's hilt had melded with it, 
shaping a naginata-like spear.
	"THEN COME, MORTALS, INTO THE DARKNESS!"
	"No, YOU will go into the darkness!" Phaeron yelled as he 
stabbed Lavos' gut with his weapon. Akane leapt into the air with 
both Crimson Wind and Mjollnir, slamming the latter into Lavos' 
head. Ranma sent out dozens of vacuum arcs, while Mireillia's 
Multiple Hooves wreaked havoc upon the several tubes that 
connected Lavos to the shell. Enraged, the creature spread its 
arms again, opening its chest. With their new strength, the troop 
was able to shield from the blasts, and deflect them back at 
Lavos' head afterwards.
	"Where's your strength now?!" Akane flung Mjollnir at Lavos' 
arm, breaking its humerus.
	As if answering, Lavos released his poison gas once more. 
Ranma easily diverted it with his Wind Slash, using the attack to 
chop off Lavos' good arm. The beast didn't feel the pain, it just 
shot out several bolts of lightning from its base.
	"The scabbards! Use the scabbards!" Masamune reminded. 
Ranma reached back and removed the sheath from his back, using 
its magic to bounce back the electricity at Lavos' chest, making 
the orbs explode. Bellowing, the monster glared and shot out its 
eye laser, setting the floor ablaze once more.
	"Of course!" Phaeron recalled, "Akane, the Magicites! There 
must be one we haven't used!"
	"Here!" she flung him the last of the stones that Arianne 
had given her.
	"Now, Lavos..." Phaeron said grimly, "There is no name for 
what you did to Ranko-chan, but there will be... JUSTICE!"
	The Magicite glowed brightly. Suddenly, the Alexander Esper 
rose from the ground. Like a mix between a mecha's torso and a 
castle, it dwarfed even Lavos. Then Alexander's head opened, 
reveling a cannon. A laser, like Lavos', shot out and incinerated 
the floor. The beast winced in pain even when Alexander vanished.
	"You're finished!" Ranma stabbed Lavos' throat with 
Murasame, embedding its scabbard deep into the dark eye.
	"NO," was the simple answer. Suddenly, some sort of evil 
emanation filled the Lavos with new power. Where it came from is 
hard to tell, but Lavos was now able to blast Ranma away with 
telekinesis. Before anyone else could attack, Lavos retaliated 
with a tremendous ki attack, filling the chamber with a red light 
as triangle-shaped shards rained upon the warriors.
	"Use it... use my power..." Ranma heard his sister's voice 
come through the aura. Scowling, he lifted his arms and used her 
ghostly aura to summon, "Luminaire!"
	Lavos' blast was cancelled out by the magic. Wasting no 
more time, Phaeron yelled, "Akane, Ranma, use your Fire magic! 
Mireillia, Shadow! Go!" They did as indicated, "Now, with my 
Lightning... SHINSEI!"
	The chamber was filled with the magic of Nova, cracking  
Lavos' mechanical body with its cosmic power. From the outside, 
Arianne and Listar saw the urchin shell glow red, then it 
started to release smoke. Many cracks appeared on its surface.
	"EVEN IF MY SHELL IS VANQUISHED," Lavos said, " IT WOULDN'T 
STOP MY OFFSPRING..."
	Suddenly, the rear end of the Lavos urchin opened. With a 
scream, the Spawn shot out at a tremendous speed, already 
reaching the stratosphere. Nobody was able to stop it.

			*	*	*

	The Magicites in Black Omen broke through the tanks.
	"Espers..." a deep voice said, "You have been freed of 
Magicite. Now, express your gratitude through assisting me."

			*	*	*

	The Lavos Spawn screamed again. Where had this shield come 
from? If it didn't disappear soon, the Spawn would crash into it 
and bounce back to Esper World.
	It was then that _he_ came. A gigantic silhouette, shaped 
like a gargoyle with a horned helmet, opened its hand to fire off 
an obscenely-large blast at the Spawn. But when the beast tried 
to retaliate, it was knocked off balance by a myriad of bolts of 
lightning, flares, ki-blasts, magic missiles, and more.
	The Espers were free. And they were all destroying the 
Spawn. Earth was safe.
	"Now..." the silhouette looked up, "Firebird, I command you! 
The child is no more, the progenitor must be destroyed!"
	All of a sudden the Lightbird-Phoenix blast appeared, and 
it had been given life of its own. Shrieking loudly, it dove 
straight for the urchin.

			*	*	*

	"WHAT?!" Lavos noticed a tremendous energy surge nearby. 
"VERY WELL...  I SEE YOU ARE INDEED STRONG, BUT DEATH WILL NOW 
EMBRACE YOU, FOR I WILL BRING YOU TO IT WITH ME!"
	The Lavos' torso disappeared in a flash of white. All that 
was left behind was a relatively small (although seven feet tall 
is by no means small) creature. It was humanoid, but barely. It 
had pale beige skin, with a torso covered by what resembled a 
yellow jumpsuit. Its short, stunted legs ended in three-toed 
feet, the same as its hands had three, pointed fingers. Its arms, 
like Popeye's, were thin, while its forearms were absurdly broad 
and flat. It's head was the strangest part: its face was dull and 
gray, expressionless. In fact, it only had a mouth, while the rest 
of the face was just a navy-blue membrane. Behind its head was 
a flap of skin. It was rolled into a horizontal tube that 
surrounded the back of the head, resembling a hood. This was the 
true Lavos, the creature behind the Devourer.
	"THAT is Lavos?" Ranma blinked.
	"I AM... THIS IS MY TRUE SHAPE...AND NOW IT WILL ALL END!"
	With another gurgling scream, Lavos lifted his arms. Two 
small creatures, orb-shaped and with anemona-like tendrils on 
top, appeared on his hands. With a flash of light, they were all 
warped to the Time River.

			*	*	*

	TheDark Orb increased its power, flinging the empty shell 
upwards. The Lightbird-Phoenix shrieked again, crashing into the 
shell. For a few seconds, while Listar and Arianne escaped from 
Cat's Eye, the entire valley was silent.
	But then, very slowly, a spherical blast of white 
obliterated the Lavos' shell from within, then it grew until it 
engulfed the Orb. Black Omen would not escape. It was also 
disintegrated by the blast. But the sphere ceased growing as it 
reached Phantom Forest. Like a rising sun, it floated upwards, 
quickly leaving Cat's Eye behind. Only the Dark Orb was left 
floating in the same place where it was. Reaching outer space, 
the sphere exploded in a tremendous nuclear blast. Every single 
remnant of the shell, or Black Omen, was destroyed for good.

			*	*	*

	The Time River. It resembled a tunnel, actually. But the 
tunnel's walls were made only of bright beams of energy, all of 
which travelled at a high speed, becoming lost in the distance. 
The beams also changed color, turning the entire tunnel dark 
blue, red, orange, green, purple, and so on. Sometimes they would 
find a sign reading, "Kilroy was here!" The four fighters could 
somehow float in the River, as well as the two orbs, but Lavos 
would simply stride upon it, as if chasing the warriors through 
time.
	"THE DEVOURER IS A MASTER OF TIME," Lavos said, "CHOOSE 
THE TIME OF YOUR DEATH!"
	"Our time is not up," Ranma said, "But yours is!" he dashed 
for Lavos with Murasame, slashing twice. Wincing slightly, Lavos 
swept his massive hand towards him. Ranma had never felt a 
punch _that_ strong, not even from Lavos' armor. Lifting his 
arms, Lavos commanded the Time River. Beyond the beams, they 
could see ancient Greece.
	"Phobos Window!" Lavos summoned. A navy-blue square 
appeared over him, releasing several frozen beams of light. The 
four scattered to avoid, but one of the orbs to Lavos' sides 
suddenly darted straight for Phaeron and hit him hard on the 
head.
	"Kyaa!" Akane landed on Lavos with Mjollnir. Swatting her 
aside, he sent her straight into another orb, which encased her 
in a shimmering sphere, draining her. The other orb hit her on 
the head.
	"Akane!" Ranma leapt up and slashed at the orb, which was 
destroyed immediately. Lavos lifted his arms once more.
	"Evil Star!" he commanded, causing a broad circle of light 
appear out of thin air, draining the entire group with its 
presence alone.
	"Lightbird-Phoenix!" Phaeron shot out, dispersing the Evil 
Star. He followed by spearing Lavos several times with his 
katana-staff. The creature vanished, destroyed as well.
	"That's _IT_?" Mireillia blinked.
	"Active Life..." the remaining orb commanded, opening two 
rifts in space. Suddenly, the other orb and Lavos were brought 
back to life.
	"What?!" Ranma stared agape.
	Lavos lfted his arms once more. The Time River took them 
to ancient China.
	"Koenken!" Lavos rushed for Ranma and slammed his fist on 
his chest, nearly breaking Ranma's ribcage with the Tiger Swallow 
Fist.
	"Ranma!" Akane stuffed Mjollnir back to Hammerspace and 
brandished Crimson Wind. Lavos winced mightily when she stabbed 
him, as the metal affected him dearly. Taking the chance, 
Mireillia also used AtmaWeapon to slice the monster in two.
	"Active Will..." the other orb said. It darted for Mireillia 
and blasted her with a red beam. The two orbs returned to their 
original positions. "Active Life..." the first orb commanded, 
bringing Lavos back to life again.
	"I get it!" Akane said, "As long as _that_ thing keeps 
reviving him, he'll always come back!"
	"I remember..." Phaeron said, "It's just like Spekkio once 
told me, it's Active Life which really holds Lavos' lifeforce, just 
like Active Will keeps his strength!"
	"Then we gotta defeat that 'Active Life,' then!" Ranma leapt 
for the orb.
	"Such folly!" Lavos said. "Hidden blow... Crying Heavens!" he 
aimed his hand at Ranma. A sudden, intense blast of lightning hit 
him, nearly stopping his heart. "Crying Heavens!" he shot out 
again, towards Phaeron. He put up an aura shield, diverting the 
attack.
	"We'll take care of Lavos!" Mireillia shouted, "Akane, you 
and Ranma have to destroy Active Life!"
	"Right!" Akane said, as the orbs faced her and Ranma. Lavos 
lifted his arms once more. The Time River took them to the 
Mediterranean.
	"Thanatos Despunta!" Lavos commanded in a mix between 
Greek and Spanish. A dark moon rose behind Mireillia and Phaeron, 
nearly absorbing them in its death.
	"Wind Slash!" Ranma shot out towards Active Will, destroying 
it momentarily as Akane stabbed Active Life with her sword. The 
orb winced at the attack, but immediately revived Active Will. 
Both orbs joined in a single attack, as they darted for Akane 
and crossed paths, hitting her at the same time. Ranma leapt up 
and summoned his Fire magic.
	"Eikoudan!" he shouted. A flare bomb suddenly fell from 
somewhere and hit Active Life.
	Lavos lifted his arms, his body rising in the air. "Grand 
Stone!" he summoned. Phaeron punched the stone to rubble while 
Mireillia shot a Disrupt Crossbow at Lavos. He took the blow, 
then commanded the Time River once more.
	"Joubutsu..." he said calmly. Two angel-like creatures 
appeared behind him, but their devilish smirks revealed their 
intentions. Phaeron and Mireillia blasted them back to the void. 
But as they did, they were completely open to attack.
	"COME!" Lavos lifted his arms, summoning Active Life and 
Will. The three of them began to absorb light from the 
sorroundings. Just as Ranma and Akane tried to attack...
	"Invading Light!" Lavos threw his arms downwards, as each 
creature hit the fighters with a beam of white. Not only were 
they blasted away, but an unbearable dizziness overcame them.
	"NOW..." Lavos expressionless face darkened, "Hirameku!" he 
aimed both palms at the party. Several bolts of lightning flashed 
as they fell upon the crystal dome. Leaping away, Ranma and 
Akane jumpkicked the orbs, separating the trio.
	"You..." Phaeron clung his weapon behind him, freeing his 
hands. "Mirnas School of martial arts! Stymphalian techniques!"
	"What...?!" Mireillia turned to him. He suddenly stood on one 
leg and spread his arms.
	"Adamant Beak" he dashed for Lavos and grabbed his arm, 
then speared his chest with beak-fists. Many burning marks were 
left on Lavos' torso before he kicked Phaeron away, but once 
more the Esper stood in the battle posture.
	"Steel Talons!" he reared his hands backwards, spreading 
three fingers. Lavos rushed towards him. "Dolus!" Phaeron speared 
with both hands, but Lavos grabbed them.
	"FOOL..." he spoke...
	"Veritas!" Phaeron then twisted his wrists to grab Lavos' 
and leapt up, slamming both feet on the monster's gut. Bouncing 
away, he smirked, "A bird's talons are on its feet, remember?" he 
took the stance once more. "Clipping Wings!"
	Before he attacked, Lavos tried a massive double-handed 
slap to Phaeron's temples. But suddenly the phoenix bent down, 
spread Lavos' arms with his own and cut them off with his 
armblades, then swung his arms back and scissor-punched Lavos' 
head, sending the beast flying.
	"I have an idea..." Ranma looked around. The Time River was 
still in feudal Japan. "Hah!" he dashed for both Active Life and 
Will, "Nadegiri!" he shouted, slashing through both of them, 
although only Active Will disappeared. Having A. Life defenseless, 
Akane aimed her sword at it and yelled, "Hinotama!"
	The Clean Sweep and Fireball techniques were taking their 
toll on Active Life. Not strong enough to summon Active Will 
again, it beckoned for Lavos instead.
	Leaping away from the blows, Lavos lifted his regenerated 
arms. The Devourer cackled loudly when the Time River took them 
to the last destination... the Aztec Empire.
	"THE END DREW NEAR FOR YOU... BUT NOW, IT IS HERE!"
	With that, Lavos began to wave his arms in irregular 
circles, finally shaping four rings. "Nahui Ollin!" he shouted. The 
"Four Movements" technique caused the Time River to glow 
brightly, changing from green to gold to brown and finally to 
black. Suddenly four bright fireballs shot out of the blackness 
and hit a warrior each. Making use of the distraction, Lavos 
aimed his hand at the foursome, "Dreamless!" he commanded. A 
white sphere appeared in the middle of the tunnel, then three 
triangles appeared around it and joined, then spread apart again. 
But when they did, they released enough energy to flatten Sears 
Tower.
	"Fushichou Senkou!" Phaeron spread his arms. The Phoenix 
Bird Flash grew from his body, clashing against the Dreamless 
spell. But he was overpowered, the spell sent him and everyone 
else flying, nearly unconscious.
	"Get him... I'll be with you..."
	They opened their eyes once more at hearing her voice. 
They couldn't believe their eyes, but now there was a ghost in 
front of them. Ranko's ghost, smiling at them.
	"I... I can't let you down..." Phaeron thought. "I can't, and I 
won't!" he leapt to his feet, sending a Cure spell to the others, 
"Lavos! It all ends now!"
	The ghost nodded and disappeared, becoming a silhouette of 
light around him. Putting Masamune aside for a moment, he joined 
his palms just as Lavos was sending another Dreamless at him. 
But instead of shooting out a ki blast, Phaeron ran around 
Lavos, in a helix. Completing the technique, he roared, "Ryuuko 
Kyokujitsu!"
	A gigantic fireball shot from his hands, carrying Lavos 
upwards as the Dragon-Tiger Rising Sun made contact. Active Life 
took the chance to revive _two_ Active Will orbs, which darted 
for Phaeron immediately.
	"Piercing Arrows!" Mireillia shot towards them, destroying 
one. "Ranma!" she released a gush of flames towards him, nodding.
	"Right," he thought, running away from the flames but 
pulling their heat. Lavos was dropping fast. "Sis, this one's for 
you!" Ranma yelled, "Hiryuu shoten-ha revised!" he punched 
upwards, letting the tornado carry him. "Ryuujin anakudaro 
hoippu!"
	The tornado suddenly bent down, grazing the "floor" of the 
tunnel and trapping Lavos inside it. The Dragon God Descending-
from-heaven Whip smashed Lavos and Active Life together, then 
rose upwards again like an ordinary Hiryuu shoten-ha.
	"Active Will," the remaining orb shot out its master's final 
attack, based on the time period, "Yoali Ehecatl!"
	The Night Wind pressed the three remaining warriors against 
the wall of the tunnel, nearly tossing them into that era. 
Fighting the attack, Akane slashed with Crimson Wind and flung it 
at Active Will, destroying it. The sword returned to her hands 
immediately, held by a pigtailed ghost.
	"Hey!" Ranma dropped from the tornado, "This is it! We've 
got him!"
	"We have to join together in this final attack," Phaeron 
said, detaching Masamune from his staff and brandishing the 
sword.
	"For Esper World, for our friends," Mireillia said.
	"For Ranko-chan..." Akane said, but the ghost was nowhere in 
sight.
	Lavos and Active Life came down from the tornado. The four 
warriors grasped their swords tightly. This was it. The end to it 
all.
	"Phobos Window! Thanatos Despunta! Nahui Ollin!" Lavos 
commanded.
	"ShoSei-ken!" the foursome leapt up to meet him, all 
slashing with their swords at once. The Rising Holy Sword attack 
obliterated Lavos, and a crack appeared on Active Life.
	They landed on the tunnel, while Active Life fell idly. Akane 
simply created a rock slab beneath it with her Earth magic. 
Active Life shattered into a thousand pieces upon impact.
	"I... CANNOT... DIE...!!!!!!!!"
	A gigantic ghost, shaped like Lavos' head, rose from the 
remains of Active Life. But then the head was flung backwards, 
vanishing into oblivion. Sparks of lightning were shot from his 
mouth as the Devourer died.
	Suddenly, the Time River began to flow backwards, flashing. 
With the last cry of the Lavos, the extra dimension vanished 
before them, taking them back to the Phantom Forest.

			*	*	*

	It was already dark, but the power of the Dark Orb 
remained sizzling. Phantom Forest, although not as foreboding as 
before, was still a dark sea contained by the mountain range. 
Adder's Mouth, the pupil of Cat's Eye, was also quite tranquil.
	A low hum was heard over the trees, and another. Flying 
above the forest was a small squadron of Lunarian aircrafts, all 
pointing their searchlights downwards. They had been looking for 
hours now, ever since the Army of Five Races and the party met 
outside Cat's Eye, but there were no signs of them still.
	"We have to go back," in his fighter, Golbez turned to his 
passengers, "We don't have enough fuel for more than a few more 
minutes."
	"Then burn that too," Ryouga insisted, scanning the forest. 
"We won't give up until we find them, even if we have to walk."
	"Look, I know they're your friends, but--"
	"But nothing," Ukyou supported Ryouga. "We don't have a 
clue about what happened to them when we left. What if they're 
wounded? What if they need help? They helped _your_ planet, you 
know. And since I don't see any big urchin around here, I guess 
they beat it."
	"Alright, we'll continue the search," Golbez conceded, "But 
remember that the Dark Orb is still up there. Who knows what 
kind of hell it can bring."

			*	*	*

	Four figures were silently standing on the edge of Adder's 
Mouth, deathly calm. Slowly, one of them kneeled by the edge, 
carefully taking something that was hanging down into the pit. 
Still kneeling, Phaeron felt his throat close up when he held 
Ranko's empty clothes.
	"Why...?" he asked rethorically. "You didn't have to do 
this..."
	"I take it back," Ranma said, "I take back every single bad 
thing I said about you, sis."
	"Little sister..." Akane sniffled, "If only..." she swallowed, 
trying to keep herself from choking.
	"We were once enemies," Mireillia said, "But you came to 
consider me your friend..."
	"If only we had hurried... If only Kefka hadn't killed 
Chaos..." Phaeron's eyes were going blank. "You'd still be alive... 
You'd still be with us... If only there was a way... a way to bring 
you back, like you did with me..." he didn't care about letting his 
eyes become flooded while the others saw him. His chest burned 
tremendously, a fire that wouldn't go away.

			*	*	*

	A dark object glimmered high above them, nearly twenty 
miles overhead. In the night, the Dark Orb would be nearly 
invisible if not for the ghostly gray aura that surrounded it. 
The pyramid had been demolished completely by Lavos' blast, but 
the dark sphere seemed to sustain itself in midair.
	There was, however, a blemish in the Orb. But not on its 
surface, but _inside_ it. The darkness of the sphere was 
imperfect, thanks to the tiny speck of light in its middle. A 
speck of light that lived by itself.
	The cold seemed to barrage her from every direction. This 
was certainly not the Gates, as she had expected. It was dark, 
all around her. She tried to yell, to scream, but she couldn't 
make a sound, or even move. The Orb had perfectly captured 
Ranko's bare soul, and it wouldn't release her.
	A landslide of dreadful memories came to her. Memories of 
the one thousand, five hundred years she was trapped in that 
spring. It was nearly identical: her body was dead, but her soul 
was magically trapped in the dark nothingness. Her mind was very 
slowly being overriden by the Orb, and it would disappear soon, 
ending her very existence. At least Jusenkyo kept her mind 
healthy. Sure, it was a hellish torture being awake for fifteen 
hundred years in limbo, but at least she _existed_, for crying 
out loud.
	Sadly, she resigned to her fate. She had helped them, and 
that's what mattered. Even if she had never told Phaeron 
anything... Maybe, just maybe, they would be joined again in the 
Light, in about one month...
	Or at least that's what she hoped. However, there was 
somebody else with different intentions.
	The figure loomed over the Orb, delighted. He was a tall, 
handsome man in his mid-twenties. His jet-black hair matched his 
bodysuit perfectly. Only his hands and feet were bare, and the 
suit's neck reached up his throat. He had a pair of white wings, 
although it was hard to tell their color from the frazzled and 
dirty they were, and there was a long scar between them. But it 
was his face what revealed his identity. Carved on his forehead 
was a broad, cross-shaped scar, like a sign or maybe a mark. And 
his eyes were completely empty, holding a solid darkness within.
	"Well, well, well... What have we here?" Dysithal smirked. The 
spark inside the Orb was overcome by intense fright. "Too bad 
about Siegfried, though. He would have made a wonderful pawn. 
But now..." he sneered, looking at the small helpless soul in the 
sphere. "Now I have you, little girl. And hear this..." he leaned 
towards the Orb, whispering into it. "_Nobody_ will come to help 
you, because _nobody_ knows you're here. And even if someone 
tried to rescue you, you'd die instantly, because your body is 
nothing more than a microscopic pile of molecules."
	Frightened, the spark tried to move, but it was useless. 
Dysithal cackled at her misfortune. But suddenly the spark 
divided in two, with the second section being twice as large as 
the other. Slowly, the section began to take human shape, albeit 
a very small one. The human shape then became feminine, with a 
pair of wings on her back. The smaller spark clung to her 
immediately, as if looking for protection. Holding Ranko's soul 
tightly, Cordis' spirit glared at Dysithal.
	"So, at last you deigned to show yourself, eh?" Dysithal 
smirked again, "All for the better, because now I can take _you_ 
while I leave that stupid girl inside Dark Orb forever."
	Rearing back, Dysithal pushed his hand into the Orb, phasing 
through it. His human hand suddenly became grotesque, the Dark 
Orb turned it to its true shape. Moving his hand in the Orb, 
Dysithal tried to catch Cordis, but she was moving too fast in 
the sphere. Trying to calm Ranko down, she gently stroked the 
spark she held in her arms. But then Dysithal grabbed hold of 
the darkness of the Orb and lifted it over his head, trapping 
Cordis in a far side of the sphere. Dysithal began to phase his 
other hand to catch her...
	...and screamed in pain as the Dark Orb retaliated. 
Reflexively taking his hand out of it, Dysithal looked around, 
hoping to find the reason for the attack. The Orb was shimmering 
wildly, even Cordis gulped in awe.
	"You shall not destroy more lives, demon," a mighty voice 
said, as a gigantic hand grabbed the Orb and used its power to 
blast Dysithal out of the galaxy.

			*	*	*

	"Ranko-chan..." Phaeron kept kneeling, holding her clothes 
tightly against him. "I could never tell you anything... You wanted 
to remember, and I didn't help you..."
	Akane looked uneasily at him. It seemed this had hit him 
very hard, maybe harder than the rest of them. Mireillia sighed 
sadly at seeing him.
	Suddenly, a large green blaze rose from the pit. Only 
Phaeron remained babbling senselessly. Waiting another challenge, 
the other three reared back.
	But then the blaze took a humanoid form, as large as 
Kefka's second shape. Mireillia's eyes widened with relief. The 
shape then grew bat-like wings, while a horned helmet appeared 
on its head. Slowly, the blaze disappeared. It left behind a 
massive green gargoyle, with a helmet, and a strange dragon head 
growing from his gut. An immense presence was felt all around, 
they felt microscopic before such being. For this was a creature 
far mightier than Kefka or Lavos, yet a creature on the side of 
Good.
	"Master Chaos!" Mireillia cried in relief.
	"Hello, little one," Chaos smiled at her, "Good work with 
Kefka and Lavos. You make me proud." Mireillia beamed, "But there 
is something I must show you. Look." He opened his left hand. In 
it he held the Dark Orb, which shimmered brightly at its 
creator's touch.
	"Huh?" Phaeron looked up, noticing Chaos.
	"And..." Chaos brought his right hand forward, "I believe she 
was with you."
	He opened his right hand, which contained a bright sphere 
of bluish light. Slowly, the light receded. Lying on his palm was 
a certain redhaired girl, apparently sleeping. Phaeron felt life 
coming back to him. Yes, it _was_ her! She was alive!
	"Uh..." as soon as his excitement faded he turned deep red 
and looked away, waiting for Ranma to cover her with her 
clothes. But as soon as he had, Phaeron immediately held her in 
his arms, kneeling to set her on his lap.
	"You're alive...!" he repeated.
	"Pha..." she fluttered her eyes open. "Wha..."
	"Shush, you're still weak," Akane smiled at her, feeling 
tears come down her eyes.
	"Ranko-chan, I'm so sorry," Phaeron held her tightly, "I'll 
tell you. I'll tell you everything about China."
	She smiled briefly, but only replied, "Phaeron-kun... I'm 
tired... Let's go back..."
	"Looks like it is over," Chaos smiled at the couple. 
Mireillia looked at them, and sighed. But a smile appeared on her 
face. Their joy was so great, they didn't even notice several 
spotlights congregating on their position, nor the airships that 
were landing nearby.
	Yes, the War was over.
	But there was still work to do.	


Peace Regained

	"How is she?" Akane asked, as she sat by Ranko's bed. The 
troop was now having its much needed rest, back at Valran. Now 
that Kefka was no longer influencing Esper World's 
transportation, the transport tubes that connected each city to 
the other spared them the return trip.
	"Still no change," Phaeron said, worried. Nodoka said nothing 
as she took her daughter's hand. One day had passed since the 
Lavos was destroyed, but the redhead still hadn't recovered. She 
had been barely conscious when Chaos revived her, but she had 
fallen into a coma a few minutes later. And neither Andellia nor 
Seraphim could seem to awake her.
	"Just give it some time," a blue-skinned man, wearing a 
pale-blue armor and a purple robe, said. "Considering what has 
happened, I'm surprised she was strong enough to speak 
yesterday."
	"But how did you do it, master?" Mireillia asked to the 
now-human Chaos. "We thought Kefka had killed you."
	Chaos smirked, petting the Dark Orb. "The Light Warriors 
couldn't vanquish me, much less Kefka. When he crushed my 
Magicite, I simply used an Exit spell to escape. And about her..." 
he pointed at Ranko.
	"Actually, I can tell you about that," Yuannyan said, 
despite being nearly asleep in exhaustion, "Last night, when we 
were looking for you..."

			*	*	*

	They were aboard the Falcon, flying over Phantom Forest. 
Yuannyan pressed herself against the railing, trying to find any 
sign of her twin or the others. Herb was convincing Setzer to 
wait longer before going back to the base, while Lime and Mint 
used their honed senses to search among the trees.
	"I just know she has to be around here somewhere..." 
Yuannyan thought, trying to convince herself that nothing bad 
had happened to her sister.
	"Are you the one called Pandi?" a voice came directly to 
her mind. She looked around, trying to find the source. Suddenly, 
a giant green gargoyle appeared in front of her, visible only to 
her eyes. "If you want to help your twin, follow me."
	Gulping loudly, she turned back to Herb, but he was still 
arguing with Setzer. Looking back at Chaos, she leapt off the 
ship and landed on his palm. He disappeared, taking her along.
	She came to know, horrified, what Lavos had done to Ranko. 
But then she saw how Chaos dispatched Dysithal, saving her 
sister's soul. She looked uneasily into the Orb as Chaos clutched 
it, then vanished.
	"Where are we?" she asked, looking around. Chaos set her 
down and turned human, his leathery wings becoming a purple robe 
and his skin changing color.
	"We are in the Time River," he said, holding the Orb in one 
hand, "My name is Garland, but I am known as Chaos. I was once 
like Kefka, but I have changed. I've seen the pain he had wrought 
using _my_ Dark Orb, and I feel responsible for it. Your sister 
suffered because of Lavos, and indirectly, because of me. 
However, I now present you with a solution. A way to bring her 
back. Are you ready?"
	Yuannyan gulped again. But if she could help her twin, 
nothing else mattered. Shuddering slightly, she nodded.
	"Very well," Garland smirked, "You truly are identical twins, 
so you will be perfect. Now, close your eyes." Yuannyan sighed 
and did as indicated. Commanding the Orb, Garland put his other 
hand on Yuannyan's forehead, seeing her shiver at his touch. 
Slowly, a shimmer spread from his palm, casting a sleep spell 
over Yuannyan. "Now, for the real magic," Garland set her down, 
then took the Orb in both hands and lifted it over Yuannyan's 
head. A powerful light detached from the Orb, engulfing her body 
completely. Then the Orb absorbed her soul.
	The two specks of light inside the darkness looked 
nervously at how Garland used the artifact to encase the empty 
body with a violet light. But they were surprised when they saw 
a small violet ball appear next to the body. Then the ball 
stretched, taking a vaguely human shape. And they understood: 
Chaos was using the Orb to duplicate Yuannyan's body. But not 
even identical twins are _exactly_ alike. Taking this into 
consideration, Garland manipulated the flow of the Time River to 
take them to Japan. Carefully examining Ranko's body, Garland fed 
the information to the Orb.
	Finally, the new body was finished, identical to Ranko's to 
the last detail. The two specks became happily excited. Smiling at 
them, Garland released Yuannnyan back to her body. She awoke a 
few instants later.
	"Zhaodi-chan!" she called, seeing the glimmer still inside the 
Orb. She sat up, holding the other vacant body in her lap. What 
was keeping so long? Why was this guy waiting?
	"You do realize that it is not only your twin who I am 
releasing, don't you?" he asked. Yuannyan gasped, did he also 
know about Cordis? "But before I do so, however, I must warn 
you. The ordeal endured by your sister was nothing like you 
have ever witnessed before. Even though I have restored her 
body, her soul might not join easily with it. It will take her 
some time for her to accept that body." Yuannyan looked at the 
speck in the Orb, then at the lifeless face of the body she held.
	"Well, at least she'll be alive," she said, "Hurry up!"
	Without delaying further, Garland released the soul from 
the Orb. But before Yuannyan could say anything, the Time River 
took her back to the Falcon, mere seconds after she left.

			*	*	*

	"Then that explains it," Ranma said, looking at his sister.
	"Well, we better let her rest," Seraphim said, "The war has 
ended, but we still have to revive Esper World. We'll continue 
talking outside."
	"Phaeron-kun, are you coming?" Akane asked. He looked up, 
"Eh? Oh, I think I'll stay here with her." He sat down next to the 
bed, sending a Cure spell to the redhead despite knowing it was 
useless. Nodoka smiled inwards, staying in the room as well. 
Akane blinked at him, then smiled and left the room. Once more, 
Mireillia sighed sadly, but followed the others.
	"I said it once and I'll say it again," Arianne commented as 
the group moved to another room, "Lavos is a fiend."
	"That reminds me..." Akane said, "What will you do now?"
	Arianne sighed, looking upwards, "I don't know. Most of my 
life has been spent pursuing Lavos. But it is all over. Even the 
scar in my back is gone." She smiled, "Maybe I'll have to learn to 
live life as it comes, taking whatever it brings."
	"Well," Listar smirked, "I've been thinking. I've been hearing 
rumors about the dragons choosing me as their king... and 
someday, I'll need a queen..."
	Arianne turned deep red, smiling at him, "Is that a 
proposal?"
	"That depends. There's a pirate captain that I met, but I 
wonder if she can stand the boredom of being royalty..."
	Arianne smirked, "She'll have to talk to you about that," 
she put her hand on his shoulder, leading him away towards 
another room. Akane smiled at her, it was a good thing to see 
Arianne finally released from her pain. Really, she spent twelve 
hundred years trying to find Lavos, carrying her pain all the 
while. But now, she was free.
	She turned back to the others, and caught a glimpse of 
Ranma looking at her thoughtfully. But he quickly blushed and 
turned away, trying to hide the fact that he had been looking at 
her.
	And so, the group slowly shrank as the people wandered off 
to their respective rooms, and Ryouga wandering off to who-
knows-where. Only Ranma, Akane, Mireillia and Garland continued 
walking through the corridors, finally reaching a living room. 
There they sat, by the fire, letting the soothing warmth relieve 
their wounds and pains.

			*	*	*

	Seraphim remained invisible, delighted at how easily her 
friends were sleeping. At last they could rest, knowing no evil 
would come during the night. Quietly phasing through the walls, 
she made sure everyone was all right.
	Finally, she returned to Ranko's room. Startled for an 
instant, Nodoka immediately felt her presence. Seraphim became 
visible, then smiled. Phaeron had also fallen asleep, although he 
never left Ranko's side. Nodoka motioned for Seraphim to keep 
quiet, then silently slipped a blanket to cover him. Seraphim 
sighed. She slowly took Phaeron in her arms, already phasing 
through the wall to take him to his room.
	"Wait..." Nodoka whispered. Seraphim froze in mid-phase. "Is 
something wrong?"
	Seraphim sighed sadly once more. "It's just that seeing 
brother Phaeron so worried about her... It reminded me of 
something..." she came back to the room, sadness in her eyes. 
"Has sister Ranko told you what's going to happen in a month?"
	Nodoka shook her head.

			*	*	*

	"Hey, wake up!"
	Phaeron felt himself being shaken gently, he groaned mildly 
as he was awakened by the disturbance. Trying to focus, his 
eyes settled on the female blur before him.
	"Come on, Phaeron-kun," Akane said with a big smile, "It's 
already noon!"
	"Ugh..." he sat up, rubbing his head, "Huh? How did I end up 
here?" he noticed he was in bed.
	"Hurry up, she wants to talk with you," Akane playfully 
tossed him his clothes.
	"Who..." he started, but the his eyes widened, "She's 
awake?!"
	"Yep," Akane said, "Since this morning. Hurry up if you want 
to see her, Seraphim needs you and Ranma for something--"
	Even before she could finish, Phaeron was jumping out of 
bed and dashing for the room, dressing himself as he ran through 
the corridor and leaving Akane blinking. He finally reached the 
door... and slipped to the floor when he tried to stop. Hanging 
on to the doorknob, he pulled himself up and went inside.
	"Ah, so _you_ were the one who was making all that noise," 
Mireillia smiled, "Well, I'll come back later, okay?"
	"Sure," Ranko smiled back as Mireillia stood and left the 
room, pausing briefly to smile coyly at Phaeron. He blinked at 
her, but then shrugged and sat by the bed.
	"So, how do you feel?" he asked.
	"Like a herd of elephants danced on top of me," she 
replied, "It's not so bad, but I can't move my legs. Seraphim-chan 
says it'll be a couple more days till I can walk again." She sat 
up, rubbing her knees.
	"Don't worry, you'll be fine in no time," Phaeron smirked, 
"But maybe we should start working on those shields of yours..."
	"Very funny," she bonked him. Phaeron suddenly noticed 
something shining on her wrist.
	"Hm?" he looked closer, "Wha..." he stared at the golden 
bracelet.
	"Oh, this?" Ranko looked at it, "Mirei-chan gave it to me. 
She said it belonged to me," she shrugged, "Something about 
deserving it more than she did." She looked at it closer, trying 
to figure out what those Chinese characters meant, "You know 
where this came from?" she turned to Phaeron, but he just 
stammered something incoherent. "That reminds me..." she smirked 
mischievously, "Weren't you saying something about telling me 
everything about China?"
	Phaeron froze, becoming even redder. "W-well, I, uh..." he 
gulped, "Ev-everything, eh...?"
	Ranko smiled and lied down, turning away from him, "It's 
okay, Phaeron-kun," she said. He was surprised, and blinked at 
her. "If... If you want to know, I..."
	"Nah, don't worry. If you don't want to tell me, maybe you 
have good reasons... As long as there are no more enemies I 
don't know about," she turned to him, glaring mildly. "Are there?"
	He sighed in relief, "No, Coldfire was the only one."
	"His name is Raphael, you know."
	He snorted, "Yeah, right. Raphael was killed even before I 
met you. There's no way _Coldfire_ could be him."
	"If you say so..." she ignored him, "Anyway, I guess I'll have 
to remember myself, right?"
	"I'm sorry, but I really shouldn't tell you," Phaeron slumped 
down, after all, that was how this whole mess had started.
	"It's okay," Ranko rolled on her side to see him, "Maybe it 
was that blast that woke me up, or maybe it was calling Cordis 
again, but I'm beginning to remember a couple of things from our 
training in China."
	Phaeron smiled, "I guess that solves it, then," he messed 
up her hair. They suddenly heard Andellia knocking on the door, 
"Can I come in? I've brought some medicine."
	"So, looks like I better go and find out what Seraphim 
needs," Phaeron stood up.
	"Wait a sec," Ranko got up on one elbow, "Come closer."
	Blinking, he leaned towards her. Turning mild red, Ranko sat 
up and kissed him on the cheek.
	His blinking (and heartbeat) accelerated as he stood back 
once more. "Wha... What was that for?" he stammered.
	"Just a way to say, 'thanks,'" she turned away, not letting 
him see how red her face was. Walking backwards, still confused 
about what had happened, Phaeron reached the door.
	"Hey, think fast!" Ranko suddenly said, flinging someting to 
him just before he opened the door. He lifted his hand to catch 
a small glimmering object. When he looked at it, his eyes bulged 
out in surprise.
	"That's yours, right?" Ranko said. Phaeron was still staring 
into the gold-ruby medallion he had in his hand. "I found it on 
the street the other day. Somehow, I knew it was yours."
	"Y-yes, it is..." Phaeron replied, "Th-thanks..." as he turned 
away and walked out the door, he didn't notice Ranko was smiling 
warmly at him.
	When he came out to the corridor, he was as red as the 
ruby in his medallion. Staring blankly, he turned to Andellia. She 
smirked coyly at him and plafully gave him a slight punch across 
the chin.
	"What?" he smiled like the cat that ate the canary.
	"Oh, nothing, nothing..." Andellia said, pretending not to 
notice the emotions in the air. Smiling broadly, Phaeron dashed 
for a nearby window and leapt out, joining the others in the 
courtyard.
	

Sing in the Rain of Life

	The troop gathered in Seraphim's Beacon was not very 
large. The only humans there were Ranma, Akane, Ukyou and 
Mousse, while Phaeron, Coldfire and Maduin represented the 
Espers. And sitting on a table, next to Seraphim, was a pair of 
glass containers, one filled with water and the other with moss.
	"It is time," Maduin said. Seraphim nodded, and opened the 
flask containing the water. Ranma stood in the edge of the open 
window, while Phaeron summoned his fiery aura.
	"Now, this may be a bit easier than fighting somebody like 
Kefka," Seraphim said, "But still, you have to be careful when 
you use your 'dragon' technique. Remember, many lives depend on 
you right now."
	"Don't worry," Ranma flashed a thumbs-up, "After beating 
Lavos, even that old ghoul and the pervert would be easy."
	"Alright, then..." Phaeron crossed his arms, "Here I go!" he 
leapt out the window, "Blazing Bullet!" he was covered by fire as 
he sped downwards, "Comet Flare!" his technique moved on to the 
next level, the fire turning blue, "Phoenix Flare!" he spread his 
arms as the technique reached its third and final stage. Turning 
into a ghostly firebird, he rose again, creating a large trail of 
fire that lead down from the top of the Beacon, then came up 
again.
	"My turn," Ranma said, then leapt out the window as well. 
Using his Wind and Fire magic, he pulled the trail left by 
Phaeron. "Hiryuu shoten-ha revised!" he punched downwards, 
"Kouryuou amemizu!" the tornado came upwards. But before it 
reached the top, Seraphim spilled the Water of Life into it. 
Ukyou used her magic to increase the amount of the vital liquid. 
Ranma's Rain Dragon Rainwater turned blue, then illuminated most 
of the sky as it rose into the clouds, sprinkling them with the 
Water of Life. Spreading her arms upwards, Seraphim sent the 
moss into the sky, filling the clouds with it. Ranma suddenly 
dropped from the sky, shivering in cold because of the altitude 
he had reached. Phaeron caught him inside his Phoenix Flare 
shape, then flew back to the Beacon.
	"Quick, now, before the rain starts," Seraphim called for 
Mousse. He stepped forward and spread his arms forward, easily 
controlling the wind currents and scattering the clouds to cover 
all of Esper World. Finally, Akane sent a blast of Silver magic 
to one cloud. Like lightning, the blast jumped from cloud to 
cloud, until they were all charged with its power. Seraphim 
closed the window just as thunder roared, with the skies turning 
cold gray.
	A droplet fell on the glass. And another. Soon, it was 
pouring down all over the planet. And the rainwater was the 
Water of Life. The courtain of rain was so dense they couldn't 
see very far into the distance, just a few dozen feet away. 
>From the East window, the Sapphire Giants were a mere shadow, 
while Cat's Eye to the South was a barely-visible spot.
	"It's done," Seraphim sighed happily, "The Rain of Life has 
commenced. Let us hope it becomes a storm, a storm that washes 
away the last remnants of the Kefka and Dysithal's evil. A storm 
that purifies this stricken world, healing its wounds. A storm 
that brings life back to everything, and everyone..."
	"So, it's up to them now," Coldfire looked at the dark spot 
that was Eliann. "We've done all we could, now _they_ have to 
recover."
	"Yes," Maduin said, "At last our world will regain its life, 
which Kefka tried to destroy and Lavos wanted to devour."
	"Well, what are we waiting for?" Akane said, "Let's go back!"

			*	*	*

	Having taken the transport tube at the Beacon's base, the 
gang quickly returned to Valran. But aside from Mousse, who used 
his Wind magic to avoid turning into a duck, they didn't bother 
to create a shield to keep them out of the rain. The water was 
refreshing, pure. It cleansed their worn bodies, healing even 
their emotional wounds.
	"Oh, Ranma!" Nodoka said when she saw him come into the 
main hall, soaked, "You'll catch a cold!"
	"So, you like rain now, eh, oniisan?" Ranko winked at him 
from a wheelchair.
	"Everyone, I have an announcement," Maduin's thundering 
voice resounded. "All I have to say to the humans is this: 
please come to the throne room in two hours, wearing your armor 
and bringing your weapons. To the Espers: Usdaine tirsen fel sat 
Bridjen Brindel Ostart! You too, bring your weapons and armor! 
This is a night for celebration!"
	The Espers cheered, lifting their fists in unison, while the 
humans blinked. "You heard the man!" Coldfire said, "Go get ready! 
We have a surprise for you!"

			*	*	*

	Night had fallen. The heavens continued to pour on the 
land, healing it. Dead Wall had reverted to a normal mountain 
range thanks to it, but that was just one of the minor effects 
of the rain.
	"I wonder what's going on," Ranma said as he finished 
putting the armor he had worn during the trip.
	"Well, Maduin said it was time to celebrate," Akane, wearing 
the battlesuit, helped Ranko put on the mail armor.
	"I would have never thought..." Nodoka smiled faintly at the 
katana she held in her hands, almost as if recalling something, 
"It has been with us for so long, and I never knew..."
	"Ready?" the panda came into the room, holding a sign. The 
rest of the people were already waiting outside, wearing the 
armor they had found during their adventure.
	"Okay, let's go," Ranma pushed Ranko's wheelchair as they 
went out to the hallway. Suddenly Phantom materialized before 
the group, offering to lead it to the throne room. They followed.
	"What's that?" Ranko asked. They could hear a constant 
murmur outside the tower, in the courtyard. "Probably the rain," 
Ranma said.
	At last, they reached the gates to the throne room. 
Phantom motioned for them to wait, then he lead Nodoka and 
Genma through the door. A few moments passed before he came 
back. And when he finally did, he started to arrange the people 
in pairs. First, Lime and Mint, followed by Shampoo and Mousse, 
Herb and Yuannyan, and Ukyou and Ryouga. Phantom himself 
escorted Akane, while Ranma pushed his sister's wheelchair behind 
them.
	"You may enter," Maduin said from within. Shrugging, Lime 
and Mint opened the gates.
	The throne room struck Akane as being identical to the one 
at Artanis, with mahogany flooring and a long purple carpet 
stretching from the elevated throne to the gate. Dark green 
drapes, nearly black, concealed the walls to the sides, while a 
bright white drape covered the far wall, with a pair of green 
drapes between it and the throne, to the sides.
	Sitting on the throne was, obviously, Maduin, while Chaos 
and Seraphim stood to his right and left, respectively, and 
Crystallus was perched on one of the arms of the throne. Nodoka 
and the panda were standing next to Seraphim. To the sides of 
the middle carpet were the other Espers, in human shape, and 
brandishing large halberds while their weapons rested behind 
them, sheathed. First were Terion and Andellia, then Nadir and 
Mireillia, and finally, closest to the throne, Phaeron and 
Raphael. They were all dressed in elegant Esper clothing, even 
Mireillia had left her ninja uniform for a stylish dress. 
	Gulping at the sight, the humans started to walk forward, 
advancing towards the throne. But Nadir telepathically told them 
to keep still, while Lime and Mint continued. When they reached 
the base of the throne, Maduin stood up.
	"These were certainly times of darkness that befell us. 
Great tragedies struck our lives, we all had to endure pain and 
sorrows. As Espers, we were given the power to defend from 
these calamities. But this was a time when we were not able to 
dismiss those who caused us pain, those who threatened our 
world.
	"Yet a hope came to us. In our darkest hour, we found help 
in a place we often overlooked. Now, I wonder if we would have 
even been able to stay alive without such help. But Kefka is no 
more, as well as Lavos. And we will always be grateful to those 
who made that happen. For now we have new friends, and they are 
you," he smiled at the humans.
	"There is no way we can express our gratitude to all of 
you," Maduin continued, "but there is something we can do to 
honor the great sacrifices you made for us, and that is through 
accepting you into the elite order of Light Warriors. The highest 
honor in Esper World, the Sacred Order of Brindel." He drew out 
the Illumina Blade, lifting it high above him. "Now, stand forth, 
Light Warriors."
	The humans were left speechless. But they remained that 
way, for they knew that sometimes silence is the best way to 
show gratitude. Swallowing loudly, Lime and Mint kneeled. Maduin 
descended the steps from the throne. Slowly, he drew a ring 
around Lime's head with the tip of Illumina, then did the same 
for Mint. "Rise, Brindel Lime and Brindel Mint," Maduin said. They 
stood and walked into each other, nervous. Hearing Seraphim 
giggle, they walked to opposite sides, standing behind the 
Espers. Shampoo and Mousse followed. Maduin repeated the 
procedure. Then Herb and Yuannyan followed, and Ukyou and 
Ryouga. The last three people gulped mightily, then Phantom let 
Akane walk to the throne alone.
	"The title of Brindel is not enough for a woman that helped 
us so much," Maduin smiled, completing the ring around her head 
"Akane Tendo, you are now a Lunbrindel." He also drew a cross in 
the air over her head. "You may rise."
	As she walked to her left, behind Phaeron, she heard him 
whisper through the side of his mouth, "Watch this."
	"What's wrong, dear?" Nodoka turned to the panda, who was 
crying. "Are you proud of our children?"
	"I want a title too!" he wrote on a sign. Nodoka took the 
sign and bonked him with it.
	"Guess it's our, turn, eh?" Ranma whispered to his sister. 
She nodded, then he pushed her across the room. The chamber 
seemed to grow longer as they advanced, it took ages for them 
to reach the throne.
	"It is rare that an Esper finds a being more skilled, and 
even more powerful than itself," Maduin said, "But there _are_ 
those times, however. This is one of them." He drew the circle 
around Ranma's head, then a triangle within the circle, "Rise, 
Solbrindel."
	Ranma swallowed hard upon receiving the merit. He was so 
impressed he even forgot he had left his sister behind.
	"Hey! Yo, oniisan!" she called, but he didn't listen. She saw 
Phaeron wink at her, though, and turned back to Maduin.
	"Strength is found in the places you least think of," Maduin 
said, "Honor and self-sacrifice are virtues seldom found 
nowadays. But those virtues show the vast inner strength that 
humans can hold." He drew the circle, but the figure inside was 
an arcane Esper rune. "Rise, Astbrindel." She glared at him. "Uh... 
sorry, I forgot. Would you...?" he turned to Nodoka. She quickly 
walked to her daughter, pushing her behind the Espers. But then 
they stood aside, letting the humans return to the middle of the 
room. Maduin took Illumina in both hands, resting its tip on the 
floor.
	"You have received a great honor," he said, "But as we 
accept you into the Order of Brindel, remember: never abuse 
your power. This Order was founded to defend from the 
Destroyers that have often threatened our galaxy. It is not 
your obligation to join in every battle we might have in the 
future, but never let injustice continue around you. You have 
proven yourselves through this ordeal, now prove yourselves 
worthy of keeping the title you received."
	He sheathed Illumina silently. Taking a deep breath, he 
suddenly roared, "Let's celebrate!"
	The Espers cheered again, patting the humans' backs and 
giving words of encouragement. But too many things were 
happening, they were still trying to figure out exactly what they 
had seen.
	"They are here," Phantom said, "Come..."
	The troop headed outside, then walked through the corridor 
until reaching the balcony. Below, drenched by the unceasing rain 
but bellowing in joy, was the largest crowd they had ever seen. 
Espers and other creatures from all over Esper World were 
cheering at the humans. The Returners lifted their swords in 
victory. Listar and Arianne shouted in unison, followed by the 
Magenta Tritons and a few dragons. Ifrit and Palidor cheered. 
Lunarian aircrafts darted overhead, releasing fireworks. Starlet 
clapped her hands, letting Titan hug her with one arm as his 
chest was still bandaged. And when it came to bandages, Siegfried 
beat them all as his entire body was bandaged, although he 
seemed to be having the time of his life. He winced in pain, but 
Starlet and the rain quickly healed him. And then, joining in a 
single cheer, the entire crowd bellowed.
	"Light Warriors, who came from Earth, we thank YOU!"

			*	*	*

	The troop was celebrating in one of the chambers, smaller 
than the throne room, but large enough to pack them in. A large 
fireplace was the only source of light, providing enough warmth 
as well. Most people were dancing, others were describing the 
battles from the times the party split up. Only the panda 
grieved: How could they forget the sake?
	"...so, I thought I could get everyone inside Black Omen by 
pretending to follow Dysithal's orders..." Coldfire narrated to 
Seraphim.
	"Yeah, he was tough, but nothing we couldn't handle," Ranma 
beamed when Arianne asked him about Lavos.
	"...but when Kefka used the Magicites, I knew that I had to 
destroy them," Nadir emphasized by pretending to aim a bow 
before Maduin.
	But there were two people who remained oblivious to the 
party. They were sitting next to the fire, talking.
	"I have to ask you something," Mireillia said, trying to 
force the words out, "How... How do you feel towards Phaeron?"
	Ranko turned deep red, "W-What do you mean?"
	"I'm asking this because... Well, I know that he is going to 
die soon," Mireillia looked downwards, joined by Ranko. "But there 
_is_ a way to keep him alive."
	"There _is_?" Ranko's eyes lit up.
	"This world has more magic than what you have seen," 
Mireillia said, "An Esper can live up to two thousand here, even 
when it is cursed. If Phaeron were to stay here, he would live 
another five hundred years, keeping his current body. If he 
returned to Earth, he would either die in a month, or grow old 
like a normal human."
	"Then, all I have to do is convince him to stay here?"
	"Yes, basically. But I'm also asking because maybe you would 
want to stay with him."
	"Wha...?!" Ranko blushed furiously, "What the heck are you 
talking about?"
	"Hm?" Phaeron heard her. He walked over to the girls, "I'm 
sorry, Ranko-chan. I should have been with you."
	Mireillia looked at him, but as she stood, she whispered in 
Ranko's ear, "Think about it."
	"What's going on?" Phaeron asked.
	"Uh, nothing," Ranko said, noticing the glimmer of his 
medallion on his chest, "Go ahead, go back to the party. Just 
because I can't walk doesn't mean you can't have fun."
	"What fun can that be if you don't enjoy it with us?" he 
smiled at her.
	"Hey, what are you guys doing here'" Akane and Ranma came 
over.
	"Trying to convince Ranko-chan to join the party," Phaeron 
said.
	"What are you doing here, sis? C'mon, come to the party!"
	"How?" she asked, "Crawling like a bug?"
	"Not really," Ranma kneeled in front of her, his back turned 
towards her. He took her legs and put them on top of his 
shoulders, to each side of his head.
	"What are you doing?" she asked.
	"This is what I'm doing," he pulled her legs until she was 
sitting across his shoulders. He took her hands, and stood up, 
dancing.
	"Hey, this isn't half bad!" Ranko admitted, then released her 
brother's hands while he grabbed her ankles, then she danced 
with her arms and torso. The group cleared a circle when Ranma 
walked into it.
	"That looks like fun," Akane said. Phaeron bowed, and 
kneeled for her to sit on his shoulders. They joined Ranma and 
Ranko as Phaeron danced with his feet, while Akane wiith her 
upper body.
	"Let's go, Shampoo!" Mousse excitedly lifted Ukyou and sat 
her on his shoulders, then joined the others. Before Ryouga 
could react, Shampoo had leapt onto his shoulders, her momentum 
taking them towards Ranma.
	"Shall we?" Terion bowed ceremonioulsy. Andellia giggled and 
accepted the offer. Yuannyan immediately climbed onto Herb's 
shoulders. Coldfire gulped loudly when Seraphim asked him to take 
her to the dance. Nadir timidly approached a lonely Nightmare.
	Slowly, the piggyback pairs formed a circle around the 
middle of the room, the girls holding hands while the guys  tried 
to coordinate their steps. Nodoka dragged the panda into the 
middle of the circle, then danced with him. On the floor, 
Crystallus and Maduin also entered the circle and each danced in 
his own way.
	Suddenly it all came clear. The joy of the dance, the 
happiness all around them. The Destroyers were dead, Esper 
World was nearly completely healed. Everything was over. A great 
feeling of peace and success overcame every single person in 
the room. And for an endless moment, they were all filled with 
true happiness.
	But something else was in the air, and it wasn't the sake 
that Maduin had finally brought. Raphael felt a new sensation of 
life filling him. All remnants of the evil that once possessed him 
were gone. But for some reason, he kept looking upwards to look 
at Seraphim. No, at Laris Brillan. Her face was so pure, so 
innocent... And her eyes... He smiled to himself, he never thought 
he would someday fall in love with an angel.
	All of a sudden Mousse stepped on Herb's foot. He yelped 
loudly, startling the panda, who lost his balance and fell on top 
of Ryouga. Shampoo was still holding onto Ranko and Seraphim, 
bringing them down. In a matter of seconds, everyone collapsed in 
a heap.
	A mild laughter came from the mountain of people. Akane 
followed Ranko, then they all started laughing at what had just 
happened to them. They didn't even bother stand up, enjoying 
every bit of the fun they were having.
	Yes, this was happiness.

			*	*	*

	"That was a great idea, oniisan," Ranko sighed as he tucked 
her in bed, "Thank you."
	"Hey, don't mention it," he beamed at her, "See ya 
tomorrow."
	"Good night, Ranko-chan," Phaeron said as he also left the 
room. "Good night, Akane."
	"Good night" she replied. Now that Ranko was feeling better, 
she could sleep in the same room as Akane.
	"Good night, Phaeron-kun," Ranko said as Ranma and Phaeron 
left, turning the lights off.
	Both girls sighed deeply at the peace. The only sound, 
aside from the mild patter of the rain against the window, was 
that made by their soft breathing as they prepared for sleep. 
But that lasted only until they both began to laugh softly at 
what had happened. And yet this laughter wasn't truly caused by 
a funny accident.
	No. It was a healthy laughter of relief. For now, at least, 
they could find no other way to ease the pains they had been 
forced to endure during the War. The laughter they released was 
soothing for each other, considering the emotional injuries each 
sustained. And they released it because of tranquil joy, and 
deep gratitude. For their laughter was heard, almost like a 
prayer, by Somebody Else. It was the only way they could 
express the great gratitude they both held, for being alive, and 
being together.
	At last, all the battles, all the wars were over. They 
could finally sleep easy, in comfortable beds rather than 
sleeping bags. No more mad demons, nor maniacal tyrants. To 
Akane and Ranko, this was the greatest peace they could ever 
imagine, aside from the Gates, of course. But there was 
something else. The demon that had plagued her for ages was 
finally gone. Dysithal had been cast away by Chaos. Sighing 
softly, Ranko eventually ceased laughing and closed her eyes.
	A voice suddenly startled her, "_Good night, Phaeron-kun_," 
Akane said mockingly, imitaiting Ranko's voice.
	The darkness hid her reddish hue, "Shut up, oneechan!"


End of Section 3F