al709382@campus.ccm.itesm.mx


		The Caller's Plight, by Jorge Pratt

			Fourth Test, part C

Sister battle!

	Two identical figures walked through the darkened streets 
of Nerima, each immersed in his own thoughts. As they approached 
Ikkoku-kan, Phaeron and Raphael couldn't help but sigh.
	"I wonder..." Raphael looked up into the moon, seeing 
Seraphim's face in it.
	"What happened?" Phaeron shook his head, mildly worried 
about what he had seen. The party had ended and Ranko never 
returned to it, even Nodoka and Akane were beginning to worry. 
But the look in her eyes was what worried him the most, it was 
as if she were enduring something painful.
	The two reached the apartment house at a late hour, 
almost midnight. They blinked: they expected the porch light to 
be on, but it seemed there was a wild party in room 5. Rolling 
their eyes in perfect combination, the phoeni smirked and went 
indoors, hearing Mrs. Ichinose's song of "Ronin, ronin, your 
grades sure are droppin'..."
	Don't expect much from a drunken gossip-queen.
	"Should we drop by the party?" Raphael asked, entering 
room 3.
	"What do you think?" Phaeron glared at him. "But I wonder 
what was wrong..."
	"With what?" Raphael sat down, turning on a radio.
	"That's the point. I don't know _what's_ wrong with _what_." 
He leaned against the wall, putting his hands in his pockets. 
"What could it be?" he asked himself. "Huh?"
	"Somebody's knocking on the door," Raphael turned to the 
side, as if looking towards the house's front door. Curious, they 
both headed downstairs, realizing everyone else in the building 
was either too drunk or too engrossed in mayhem to even notice. 
Phaeron opened the door.
	"Um, excuse me?"
	They both blinked at the peaceful voice and its stunning 
owner, even though they both immediately recognized her garb: a 
novice's habit, white as snow. Her face was bright and clear, 
they could have easily mistaken her for an angel, and even her 
eyes would have supported that theory. There was a rosary 
around her neck, and she carried a small purse in her hands.
	"I hope I'm not bothering you..." she said, "I am sister 
Angela, and I was collecting alms."
	"Angela, Angela..." Phaeron thought, scratching his head, 
"Where have I heard that before?"
	"But it's dangerous for you to be out here at this hour," 
Raphael said, a hint of worry in his voice, "Shouldn't you be 
back at your convent by now?"
	Sister Angela smiled, "Yes, but I passed by a large 
residence a few hours ago. Its owner was odd, but he was very 
generous. He insisted on me staying to hear him recite poetry. I 
think his name is Tatewaki Kuno..."
	Both phoeni facefaulted. Kuno had probably fallen in love 
with Angela also, hence the poetry and the donation. Would he 
ever learn?
	"We'll be glad to donate," Phaeron said, then he and Raphael 
nodded to each other. "But perhaps we could help you with your 
collection?"
	"Could you?" Angela's eyes brightened up even more. The 
phoeni smirked to each other, then recalled Phaeron's gold 
rosary. It comes as no surprise what religion they were.

			*	*	*

	A pair of turtle doves settled on the roof tiles, just 
outside Akane's window. Chirping as they greeted the aureate 
dawn, they flapped their wings strongly, deciding to rest on the 
tree instead.
	The girl awoke at the sound of flapping, fluttering her 
eyes slowly to focus. Akane also greeted sunrise in her own 
style, yawning for nearly ten seconds while delicately covering 
her mouth with her hand. Stretching, she smiled at the black 
piglet beside her, who was also awakening slowly.
	Yes, this was a fairly ordinary day for Akane Tendo. The 
weather was brisk, if just a tad cold. After all, winter was 
barely one week away, it was a wonder Tokyo wasn't already 
gray-weathered. Shaking off the last remains of drowsiness, she 
opened the window and took in a great breath of fresh air, 
unable to keep a smile from forming on her face. Looking out to 
the illuminating sky, she hoped they could get a white Christmas. 
Everything looked so peacefully special when the pristine snow 
covered the city.
	But as she looked out once more, she couldn't help but 
recall the incredible experience from Esper World. There they had 
faced so vicious enemies, such unsurmountable dangers, she had 
even thought she would never feel this kind of peace. Remaining 
by the window a few more instants, she let the cold breeze 
brush her hair as she realized how beautiful this planet is. 
True, it was not without its problems, but it was simply 
beautiful. To think anyone could have ever tried to destroy it... 
To think that _nobody_ but a handful of people knew about how 
close Earth had been to devastation.
	And yet, everything was solved. They saved not only two 
planets, but probably even more. And all it took was their 
determination, courage, and most of all, their hope. They 
defeated a madman called Kefka. A planet-devourer by the name 
of Lavos. And the mastermind behind it all, the fallen angel, 
Dysithal, had perished without anyone knowing.
	However, Akane knew that neither she nor her friends would 
ever be the same after that. Physically, they were stronger, 
more skilled, they even had powerful magic and strangely mighty 
Esper bodies. But mentally, they had changed the most. The life-
threatening perils they were forced to face had changed them 
drastically. Although none would show it openly, they had 
matured. For one, they had learned to appreciate each other --
even if Ranma _still_ didn't appreciate her cooking.
	But there was that _other_ thing. Akane's smile vanished 
slowly, replaced by an expressionless stare into the sky. She 
couldn't help it, her mind kept going back to that instant. No, to 
_those_ instants. When she and Ranma had thought the other had 
died. Kefka decapitating the Doppleganger. Mistress turning Ranma 
to ice. Herself embracing the ice sculpture... And using her 
feelings to save him. She sighed, they had suffered so much back 
then... But now, they were both back to normal, as though nothing 
happened.
	She turned away from the window, closing it. Her eyes 
settled on something on her desk: a picture frame. Inexpensive, 
and in fact not too elegant. But it meant the world for her. 
That frame had been a Christmas gift. From Ranma.
	"Akane?" there was a knock on the door, accompanied by 
Kasumi's sweet voice. "Are you awake?"
	"Uh, good morning, Kasumi-oneechan," Akane replied as she 
headed for the door, opening it. After having gone through those 
thoughts about deadly battles, she was amazed by how Kasumi 
could be so much like a mother. She had rarely appreciated it 
before that adventure, and yet all she could do was show the 
warmest of smiles to her elder sister.
	"Breakfast is almost ready," Kasumi said, then shivered a 
little, "Oh, did you leave your window open? You shouldn't leave 
it open, the weatherman warned that winter is going to arrive 
earlier and I don't want you to catch a cold."
	Akane giggled a bit in appreciation, "All right, Kasumi. I'll 
be down in a few minutes, okay?"
	Kasumi blinked, then nodded and headed down the hall as 
Akane began to search for her uniform.
	"She seems to be in a very good mood," Kasumi thought, 
coming down the stairs, "This should be a good day."

	"Well, we're off for school!" Akane gleefully called as she 
grasped her bag, running ahead of Nabiki.
	"Aren't we cheerful today?" Nabiki said as she simply 
followed, joining the throngs of students on their way for 
Furinkan High. She lifted her wrist to her eyes, glancing at her 
watch. "Okay. Five, four, three, two, one..."
	A blaze of fire dashed atop the fences.
	Upon seeing Akane, Phaeron slowed down to meet her, but 
without descending from the wall. "Hey, good morning!" he called, 
as if matching her high-spirited mood.
	"Good morning, Phaeron-kun!" she replied, then smirked 
mischievously, "So, how did it go?"
	He turned red, "I... Well, I gave it to her, just like you 
said, after Herb showed up. You think she..."
	Akane smirked, "Trust me, Phaeron-kun. I read that letter. 
She'll get the message." She shrugged, "Besides, you'll find out 
at school anyway."
	He shook his head, "Uh, I'm not going today. I've got to go 
on a little trip. But I'll be back by nightfall."
	"You mean you won't be here to find out what she thinks?" 
Akane blinked.
	Phaeron sighed, "Guess I'll have to wait a few more hours. 
Coldfire and Seraphim are already waiting for me. And we want to 
help sister Angela with her alms before leaving, so..."
	"Sister Angela? Who's that?"
	"She's a novice from a nearby convent. Can you imagine? A 
boxer fell in love with her, I think he's named Kusaku."
	"From Murakaida's Gym? Isn't that the guy who barely makes 
the weight limit in his fights?"
	"Yup." He glanced at his watch, "Oops, I'm late. See you 
later, Akane. Oh, and, thanks."
	"Anytime," she waved as he went into a different street, 
heading for Angela's convent. Seeing him blaze away into the 
distance, she couldn't help but giggle a bit at him. Since she 
knew of his feelings very well, she almost felt as his 
confidante, subtly giving him tips and hints about how to 
approach a girl. That letter had been her idea: she had 
suggested he should make such a present for the redhead, and 
after reading it herself she was impressed by the emotion in the 
writing. Shaking her head amusedly, she thought about what Ranko 
would have thought after reading it, and how delightfully easy it 
would be to get the two together. After all, she was certain of 
_his_ feelings, and she might have a clue about the redhead's 
too --if Ranko didn't keep negating them as if she were 
disgusted by the mere thought.
	"They really belong toge-- huh?" she was brought out of 
her thoughts as she heard the three familiar voices calling from 
behind, all three of the Saotome siblings came dashing as they 
were --as always-- late.
	"Hey, Akane!" Ranma zipped by, veering to the side to avoid 
the water-throwing old woman.
	"Yo, oneechan!" the twins greeted in perfect synchrony. She 
giggled again at the sight.
	"Huh?" one of them slowed down, looking around in 
puzzlement. "Akane, where's Phaeron-kun?" Yuannyan asked, 
blinking.
	"I gotta say it I gotta say it I gotta say it... Okay, here 
goes... Pha--" Ranko looked up, realizing what her sister had 
asked, "What..."
	"He said he was going to miss school today," Akane said. 
Ranko clenched her eyes in defeat and shook her head. Akane 
continued, "Something about helping a nun, I think." She neared 
Ranko with a feline smirk, "So, what do you think now?"
	"About what?"
	"You know..." Akane nudged her, "Did you read a certain 
letter?" She enjoyed every second of this teasing, knowing 
beforehand what the reaction would be.
	"What letter?" Ranko blinked sincerely.
	Akane also blinked, "You didn't read it?"
	"Now what are you talking about?"
	"Didn't Phaeron-kun give you a letter last night?"
	Ranko pulled a Godai on a telephone post.
	"What?!" she thought. "What?!" she asked. "Letter?!"
	Akane was taken aback, "He said he had..." she thought. 
"During your birthday?" she reminded the redhead.
	Ranko thought back to the party, "Oh, yeah..." she said 
absently, recalling her own reddish hue when she first glanced at 
the sealed envelope. But that was also the last she had seen of 
the letter. What had happened to it?
	"Oh, well..." Akane turned away nonchalantly, rolling her 
eyes at her friend's clumsiness. But then she felt a poke in her 
ribs. "What letter?" Yuannyan whispered. Akane looked back at 
Ranko nervously, but then recalled that Phaeron had mentioned 
Yuannyan knowing about "it." Whispering also, she filled her in 
about how she suggested that letter as a present. Yuannyan 
sighed dreamily at the thought.
	"I think I saw a letter, but I don't know where it  is," she 
said. "Did you read it?" Akane nodded, "Too bad she didn't. It was 
very good."
	Yuannyan sighed again, "How beautiful... She doesn't 
remember and he still does that... Reminds me of the things he 
did while training in China."
	Akane couldn't suppress a frown, "If only Ranma could do 
things like that..."
	"What was that?" Yuannyan asked, barely hearing her words. 
Akane suddenly turned bright red, "Uh, nothing, nothing..."
	"Oh, sure..." Ranko smirked. She hadn't heard the rest of the 
conversation but she _had_ listened to that last phrase. She 
imitated Akane's voice, "'Oh, Ranma...'"
	"Shut up!" Akane swiped at her with her schoolbag. Ranko 
just leapt onto the fence and continued to act, "'I like you just 
the way you are'!"
	"Ranko no baka!" Akane malleted her towards Furinkan.

			*	*	*

	The last day of class was slow and tedious, almost a 
burden on the winter break-happy students that kept looking out 
the window, hoping for a snowflake to float by. But with the two 
empty seats, there were others that sighed at the mysterious 
disappearances of Seraphim and Phaeron. Why, after all this time 
one would think the initial infatuation would have already died 
down. Well, at least Gosunkugi almost _did_ die down after being 
crushed under loads of love and fan letters --it was not a good 
idea to sit between a radiant angel and the phoenix Esper.
	In particular, there was one student who couldn't help but 
sigh at the empty seat on the other corner of the classroom. 
Well, she had promised herself she would say it. It was terrible, 
but the truth had to appear. She couldn't keep to herself any 
longer, especially if he was going to die in less than two weeks. 
Oh, well, she would get her shot later. But there was no point in 
delaying it any further.
	Finally, the bell rang, bringing life back to the drowsy 
population of Furinkan. Almost immediately, a large group of 
people gathered at the gym. The girls anxiously waited for the 
results of yesterday's tryouts, even though it was almost 
certain _who_ had been elected.
	"Huh?" Akane blinked at seeing the twins. Although most of 
the girls donned leotards for standard practice, the redheads 
wore full-body suits, form-hugging. Yuannyan's was made of a 
blue fabric, with a ring of white around each wrist and ankle, 
and the neck reached up her throat. Ranko, contrasting with her 
twin, wore a light purple suit, nearly pink. It had a wide open 
collar that almost left her shoulders bare, continuing in the 
back by reaching to the middle of her spine, and there was a 
dark violet line running from the right wrist to the left ankle, 
spiraling around the suit.
	"This was her idea," Ranko fumed, pointing at Yuannyan, 
"Jeeze, I hate wearing tights."
	"Then why..." Akane started to ask, then recalled something 
about the twins facing off in a gymnastics test. It was an 
absolute wonder Ranko had agreed: the words "martial arts" were 
nowhere on the challenge.
	"He's here!" the girls hurried to the gym's door, crowding 
the two people that walked in. Coach Endo was nearly smothered 
by the shrieking mass.
	"Hold it! Hold it!" the regular coach called, "He'll give you 
the results, but wait a minute!"
	"Help..." a weak voice emerged from the cluster.
	"Okay, you guys, let's give him some air!" Akane said, 
clearing out the crowd. Mitsuo Endo wobbled to his feet, spiral-
eyed. He looked down, searching for his notes...
	"Yaaaaah!" he saw his notes had been shredded by some of 
the girls' shoes.
	"We're really sorry, sensei," one of the girls said, "Do you 
still remember the results?"
	"Aigh..." he groaned as he only remembered the two best 
contestants. "Uh, wait... I think I do..." he looked around, "Is 
there a Miho Kinushi here?"
	"YAAAAY!" a girl with short brown hair leapt almost ten 
feet straight up, landing to begin an unceasing series of back 
flips.
	"Congratulations, Miho-chan," Akane smiled at her classmate, 
who had already backflipped around the entire gymnasium.
	"Who's the other one, sensei?" the girls inquired. The twins 
crossed their arms, silently turning to each other.
	"Hmmm..." Endo rubbed his chin, looking at the pair. "Well..." 
he thought, "You're very noble..." he glanced at one of them, "But 
I have to be objective... But the other one is even better, if 
she doesn't make any more mistakes... But then again, the second 
has been training for a longer time... Still, the first seems to 
have a natural ability at this..."
	He shook his head, coming to a decision, "Okay, you two 
come over here," he motioned for the twins. Most of the other 
girls moaned in disappointment. "I have decided. I have chosen 
you." He pointed at--
	"Wait, sensei," Yuannyan and Ranko said simultaneously, "We 
want to try again."
	"Huh? What for?"
	The twins turned to each other again, "We want to see for 
ourselves who's the real gymnast. We hope it's not much of a 
problem..."
	Endo blinked, "Well, okay, if you want me to test you 
again... What do you want to do?"
	Ranko nodded to her sister, "First, we'll try rythmic 
gymnastics, then the vault, the bars, the floor and the beam."
	"I don't really teach rythmic gymnastics..." Endo scratched 
his head, "But if you want to, all right. Do some warm-up 
excercises first. We'll begin in ten minutes."
	Nodding, the twins obeyed and went to opposite corners in 
the gym. Miho continued to backflip. Akane looked nervously at 
the twins, they acted as if they were about to do battle with 
each other: their serious faces, the impressive excercises they 
performed...
	"HOhOhoHohOHohOhoHo!"
	"Oh, great..." Akane held her forehead. This was just what 
they needed.
	"Why, if it isn't the pigtailed girl trying to get into Endo-
sensei's class!" Kodachi cackled, landing in front of Yuannyan. 
The redhead blinked in absolute confusion, "Who are you?"
	"Don't insult me! I am the Black Rose, you hussy!" Kodachi 
glared at her, readying her ribbon.
	"Oh boy..." Yuannyan sweated visibly.
	"You better stay outta this, Kodachi," Ranko said calmly, 
calling from across the gym. The Black Rose didn't turn around 
to see her, "So, a ventriloquist, eh?" she scowled at Yuannyan.
	"Kodachi..."
	"Even if you send your voice away, you will not fool me!" 
Kodachi twirled her ribbon.
	"KODACHI!" Ranko, standing right next to her, yelled into a 
megaphone. The youngest Kuno was blown away.
	"Wh-What??????" Kodachi stared widely at the twins. "No... It 
cannot be... TWO OF YOU?!?!?!?!?!?! What madness is this?!?!?!?!?!?!"
	"We're twi--"
	"EEEEK!" Kodachi eeked, she was brought all the way back to 
sanity by the sight. She nearly stumbled onto the backflipping-
Miho as she escaped the gym, twirling her ribbon and casting off 
a shower of dyed rose petals.
	"I wonder if I should have really visited her school..." Endo 
sweated visibly. "Okay, you two, let's get started!"
	The twins shrugged and went to the sidelines. Yuannyan was 
the first to go. Both twins performed an astounding rytmic 
gymnastics act, beginning with the rope, then the hoop, the clubs 
and the ribbon, not even pausing when they changed tools. But 
they were equally graceful in their dance, although Ranko was 
more agile, Yuannyan had even greater flexibility. Endo was 
reluctant to give the supremacy to either, as the twins' 
performance at rythmic gymnastics was flawless.
	The next section, to which he was more accustomed, was 
even harder to evaluate. This time both girls were giving it 
their best.
	The valuting horse was the easiest for them. Considering 
their martial-arts training, they had an easy time performing 
aerial flips and landing straight, almost as if they had glue on 
their feet. Next, the asymmetrical bars began to diferentiate the 
twins, for Yuannyan's simian instincts allowed her to perform 
very wild techniques, surprising even Endo.
	"She was practically born with that skill," a voice said 
from behind. Akane turned around. "Since a monkey saved her from 
the spring, she's very likely to behave like one," Herb crossed 
his arms.
	"Very good, Yuan-chan," Ranko thought, getting ready for 
the floor excercise. She noticed her sister's sudden excitement 
at Herb's presence, even though Yuannyan wouldn't break her 
rythm, even with Herb near. Ranko gulped, her sister was fully 
determined on winning this. "All right, if you want a contest, I'll 
give you one!" Ranko thought as she backflipped onto the floor 
base, just as a dramatic, powerful rumba began to play in the 
background of her excercise. Moving to the beat, her routine was 
swift and smooth. Then it came to Yuannyan's excercise. Herb had 
previously brought his own tape, with recordings of ancient, 
upbeat Chinese music. When it began to play, something in 
Yuannyan's mind snapped. The monkey's mind was nearly awakened 
in her, her routine was fluid as water and as wild as her 
excercise with the bars. Once more the twins were tied. But the 
last event, the balance beam, remained.

			*	*	*

	"All set," Phaeron said, closing Epoch's luggage compartment.
	"This will be fun," Seraphim left her human shape and turned 
back into an angel. Inside the sleek craft, Raphael nodded and 
pulled back on the stick, making the ship rise ten feet over the 
ground. Another button caused the entire cockpit to descend. The 
three people took ragged, old stunics that made them look like 
shepherds from the movie "King of Kings." Smirking at how the 
angel looked, Raphael helped Seraphim sit at the back, while 
Phaeron sat at the controls. On the copilot's seat, Raphael 
pushed a lever to make the cockpit rise back into Epoch.
	"Okay, set destination..." he glanced at the time controls 
before him. "Year... Day... Month... Ready," he turned to Phaeron.
	"Get ready," the phoenix said, "Okay, here goes!" he pushed 
the throttle. Epoch began to fly out of the cave where it was 
hidden, near Mt. Fuji. "Time controls set, let's go!" he twisted 
and pushed a Y-shaped lever on the dashboard. Epoch slowed 
down, then suddenly began to project images of itself as it 
hurtled forward, leaving a wake of ghostly ships. With the sound 
of a cracking whip, Epoch shed a blinding flash of light and 
vanished, entering the Time River.

			*	*	*

	"Hah!" Ranko bounced off the vault, which was sideways next 
to the beam. She landed on handstand, spreading her legs in a 
front-back split. She changed hands several times, spinning on 
the beam, until her legs were parallel to it, then she arched her 
back and touched down with her left foot. Almost immediately she 
leapt forward with that leg, landing on the same foot while 
lifting her right foot up to her head. She lowered the leg, still 
keeping the right knee raised, and spun in place. Turning around, 
she leaned forward and dropped, grabbing hold of the beam and 
handstanding again, but with her right knee still bent and her 
left leg fully extended. Slowly, she dropped on her chest and 
belly, lying down on the beam like a seal would lay on the ice. 
She then spread her legs and sat on the beam, lied back and 
grabbed the beam behind her, and followed by bending her left 
knee and lifting her right leg, finally placing both feet on the 
beam and standing up. She spread her arms, then somersaulted 
forward and landed on her hands, then dropped on her chest 
again and used her momentum to sit down and roll back up again. 
Standing, she flipped forwards until reaching the end of the 
beam, then turned around and went back with a series of front-
back split leaps, reaching the other end. Taking a deep breath, 
preparing for her exit, she turned around, most of the beam's 
length was behind her. She then leapt backwards with her left 
leg, to flip in midair and land on the right foot --the same 
technique that Yuannyan had first failed at. After three of such 
leaps, she set both feet on the beam and leapt off, twisting in 
midair with her hands on her chest and gut, then landed behind 
the beam, needing only a second to recover and lift her arms.
	"Your turn, Yuan-chan," she said, accepting a towel from 
Akane and placing it around her neck.
	"How much did Yuannyan's sister get?" Herb whispered to 
the coach.
	"I can't tell you yet," Endo replied, "Just watch and find 
out."
	Yuannyan took a deep breath before facing the beam. Unlike 
her twin, her routine would begin with the vault in front of the 
beam's end, rather than sideways. She knew her sister had gotten 
a high score, and if she wanted to beat her she would probably 
have to get a 9.9 or even an all-out 10. And to get those 
scores she would very likely have to perform even more difficult 
stunts, and do it flawlessly, at that.
	"All right..." she said to herself, then closed her eyes for 
a moment and thought, "Cordis-oneechan, please help me 
concentrate."
	Opening her eyes again, she clenched her fists and dashed 
for the vault, springing off it and landing on her feet. As if 
bouncing, she instantly hopped up slightly, spreading her legs, 
and setting down on the beam as if riding it. With her legs 
stretched all the time, she lifted her feet and set her heels on 
the beam, then quickly spun to lie face-down on it. She then 
pushed up with her hips, bending her right leg backwards and 
using her extended left leg to support her lower body, just as 
she began to heave up with her arms. Finally, she was supporting 
herself on her hands and the toes of her left foot, with such 
leg extended and nearly touching the back of her head with her 
right heel. She stayed in that position for nearly five seconds, 
drawing an early applause from the surrounding crowd.
	Miho continued to backflip.
	Using her toes to hop up slightly, she boosted her lower 
body upwards to complete the handstand, but with her left leg 
parallel to the beam and her right foot touching her braid. Ever 
so slowly, she began to stretch her right leg until it was also 
parallel to the beam, then she completed the backflip and 
touched down with her right foot, standing up. She bent her 
elbows and raised her arms, also lifting a knee to spin in place. 
She smirked. At the end of her spin she leapt up, coming down 
hand-first. She landed on handstand and then, as if she were on 
the asymmetrical bars, she dropped her lower body and flipped 
around the beam, then rested on her belly and boosted herself 
back up. Then, amazing everyone, she split to the sides, _along_ 
the beam's length, without ever losing her balance. She then 
pushed away on the beam with her hands, sending her hips 
backwards but without detaching her heels from the beam. Letting 
her weight drive her hips down, she spread her legs even 
further, then grabbed hold of the beam and handstood, pulling 
her hips upwards while keeping her legs open in that wide angle. 
She then tilted her hips to the side, touching down on a foot 
and standing up again, then leapt up in a front-back splits and 
landed crouched, rolling forward to reach the end of the beam. 
She turned around and somersaulted forward, then came back with 
another somersault. Okay, everything had gone perfectly. Now for 
the exit.
	She lifted her arms, then dropped forward and backflipped 
towards the other end. But when she reached the middle of the 
beam, she stopped using her hands, then took off with a powerful 
leap and landed, unfortunately bouncing very slightly. She 
clenched her eyes as the bounce lasted an eternity for her.
	"Okay, okay, what is the result?" Herb asked anxiously.
	"All right..." Endo stood up, closing his notebook and walking 
over to the twins. "First," he put a hand on the shoulder of 
each girl, "you're both very good. I would admit both of you into 
my school. Second, you've got a competitive spirit like I've never 
seen." He turned to Yuannyan, "However..."
	She felt her blood freeze.
	"...this is the first time I ever give someone a perfect 10!" 
he congratulated her. Yuannyan remained static for a few 
instants, slowly turning to her twin.
	"I made it!" she suddenly exploded, hugging Ranko tightly and 
almost knocking her down. "Oneechan. I made it!"
	"Did she?" Ranko turned to the coach for reassurance.
	"By this much," he joined his thumb and index. "You two are 
three hundredths of a point away."
	"Hey, nice job, kid!" Ranko used Yuannyan's hold to give her 
a noogie.
	"Herb-chan, I made it!" she switched her hug from her twin 
to her fianc� in the blink of an eye. They both turned deep red 
and looked into each other's eyes.
	Miho continued to backflip.
	"So," Akane said, "she made it into an Olympic medal winner's 
school..."
	"She deserves it," Ranko said, looking amusedly at her twin.
	"Help! I can't stop!" Miho pleaded.

			*	*	*

	They were on the outskirts of a small town, at night. From 
their vantage point atop a hill, the three cloaked figures could 
easily witness the miracle. Modest groups of shepherds timidly 
approached the stables, after having heard the good news. 
Looking up, the trio discerned the brightest of stars, beckoning 
the Magi that would soon come.
	"It's beautiful..." Seraphim whispered, awed. "I've always 
heard about this, but I never got the chance to actually _see_ 
it." Smiling, she held Raphael's arm and leaned against his 
shoulder.
	"Now I understand," Phaeron said, his eyes fixed on the crib 
in the middle of the stable.
	"Should we go closer?" Raphael asked. The other two nodded 
eagerly.
	"Uh, excuse me..." a sheperd suddenly approached them, 
speaking in old Hebrew. "Do you know where..."
	Seraphim suddenly smirked, having an idea. Smiling, she took 
off her cloak, leaving the sheperd speechless as she revealed 
her angelical shape. "Follow those people, into the stable," she 
said, illuminating the hill with her smile. "And hurry."
	Seeing the boy stumbling towards the stable, Raphael 
snickered, "You just earned a place in history, you know?" he 
put his arm around her.
	"Well, it's not as if I changed too much," she giggled. "Let's 
go down there."
	The three people slowly climbed down the hill they were on, 
their eagerness growing as they neared the stable. Already they 
could see the bearded carpenter next to a young, perfect woman 
that had just given birth to the baby boy, ...

	After a while, when the crowd had dispersed, the three 
figures left with unceasing smiles on their faces, an infinite 
feeling of joy inside them. Neither spoke a word, they simply 
climbed aboard the Epoch. Looking back to the stable for one 
last time, they all sighed.
	"So beautiful..." Seraphim repeated.
	"I never thought this could be so wonderful," Raphael took 
her hand.
	"But it _is_," Phaeron said, pulling the stick. Epoch slowly 
rose over the ground. He shook his head, still smiling, "I wish I 
could bring her to see this, but she probably forgot about 
_this_ also..."
	Thus, with the sound of a cracking whip, Epoch flew away 
from Bethlehem, disappearing into the Time River with a powerful 
flash. From afar, only three people in the caravan noticed the 
burst of light.
	"Was that..." a wise man stammered, seeing the ship flashing 
into the distance.
	"It had to be..." another followed.
	"The Sign... The Sign we have awaited..." the third of the 
Magi finished.

			*	*	*

	The troop walked back to the Tendo Dojo, with Yuannyan 
still bouncing happily along the walls and onto the river's fence. 
Like Miho --who, by the way, continued to backflip-- Yuannyan 
was just too excited to calm down, her body was filled with 
energy that simply didn't run out. On the fence, avoiding her 
flips every now and then, Ranma and Ranko just rolled their eyes 
at her, the redhead also snickered amusedly at her twin's 
reaction.
	"Looks like you got a monkey for a fianc�e, Herb," Ranko 
mocked. Yuannyan just giggled and tried to calm down, bouncing on 
the street only.
	"Hey, gimme a break," she stuck her tongue out at her 
sister.
	"So, when do you start?" Akane asked, passing through the 
Tendo house's front gates.
	"Well..." Yuannyan reached into her schoolbag, searching for 
the form she was now supposed to fill. "It says classes will 
begin on January, from four to seven every afternoon, so I still 
have time to practice." She turned to Herb, "Of course, I won't 
have to wait until then to find a good place to practice..."
	"Whaddaya mean?" Ranko asked, taking off her shoes at the 
door.
	"She means that I just bought a house here in Nerima," 
Herb said with pride. "Thanks to the Musk's resources, I acquired 
a large estate, just a few blocks away from here. As I remember, 
actually, it's on the way to the Saotome house."
	"You should see that place," Yuannyan said, "It's got a 
pool, a giant dojo, and a gymnasium... Man, its garden is 
enormous!"
	"Hey, great!" Ranma and Ranko said, "A new place to wreck!"
	"And now that it's almost winter, maybe we could have a 
Christmas Eve party there," Herb offered.
	"Hmm... Did you buy that place a long time ago?" Akane 
asked. "I think I _have_ heard about it. It's a large Western-
style house that used to belong to the Kido family's Foundation, 
right?" Herb nodded, and took out a picture of his new manor. It 
was a three-story old house, surrounded by trees and a vast 
garden. "The dojo and the gym are behind it, the pool is to its 
west," Herb explained. "Come over anytime."
	Seeing the group had arrived at the dining room, Kasumi 
peeked out from the kitchen, "Oh, welcome home! We already had 
dinner, but we saved your share, so just wait a minute okay?"
	"Thanks, oneechan," Akane replied.
	"Phew, thank goodness we came here," Ranko said.
	"Yeah, Pop probably ate our share at home," Ranma 
snickered.
	"But you take a lot after him, y'know," his sisters said in 
unison.
	"And what about you?" he turned to Ranko, who rolled her 
eyes in annoyance. "Sometimes I wonder why you're not as fat as 
Akane, considering you eat five times mo--"
	"Very funny," Akane and Ranko removed the table and the 
mallet from his head, setting the furniture down so Kasumi could 
set the dishes on it. Although the meal proceded uneventfully, 
slight sparks of rage were shot from Akane's eyes and towards 
Ranma, who simply stuck his tongue out at her.
	"Ah, that was great," Ranko said, sitting back. Suddenly she 
glanced at a clock and yelped inwards. Standing up, she said, 
"Well, I gotta go out for a while. I'll come back later, okay?"
	"You're going now?" Akane asked, "RayEarth is about to 
begin!"
	Ranko fumed, "Will you stop teasing me about that cartoon 
already? I just have to find Phaeron-kun, that's all."
	"Oh? And what for?" Akane smirked.
	Sighing sadly, the redhead didn't even notice her smirk, "I 
got to say something to him... Something important..."
	Everybody but Ranma stared at her.
	"Huh?" she blinked, then turned very red, "NO! It's NOTHING 
like that, okay! Jeeze! Stop watching those soap operas already!" 
Her temper dissipating her sadness, she fumed and stomped out 
of the house, headed for Ikkoku-kan.
	"This I gotta see," Akane smirked and followed. Curious, --
and having nothing better to do-- Ranma also stood up to join 
them.
	Yuannyan and Herb were left in the dining room, alone...
	After a few minutes, Kasumi came back to the dining room. 
"Oh my..." she hurriedly left, snickering at how the couple could 
remain holding their breath for so long.

			*	*	*

	"He's not here?"
	Kyoko shook her head, "You just missed him. He came back 
here about ten minutes ago, I think. He and his brother went to 
a convent, I think..."
	"A convent?" Akane and Ranma blinked.
	"Great..." Ranko sighed. Every step she had taken from the 
Tendo house to Ikkoku-kan had been filled with uncertainty. How 
would he take it? What would he think? And most importantly, 
would he be upset at her for not telling him until now? And with 
all the self-convincing she went through to get here, all ready 
to tell him the truth, and he simply wasn't at home.
	"Hm?" Kyoko blinked, looking past the trio and towards the 
street, "Oh, good afternoon!" she waved at the woman that walked 
by.
	"Good afternoon!" sister Angela replied, then walked over to 
the porch to join the others. "How is everybody?"
	"Fine, thank you," Kyoko beamed, "Yusaku finally found some 
time to study for his tests. I hope he passes them this time."
	"I'll dedicate a prayer for him," Angela said. "It's too bad 
Kosaku dropped out of high school to become a boxer. He could 
be in Mr. Godai's class by now."
	"Excuse me, are you a nun?" Ranko asked.
	"Hm?" Angela turned to her, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you. 
I'm sister Angela."
	"Ranko Saotome," the redhead bowed," my brother Ranma..." he 
also bowed.
	"Akane Tendo," she finished.
	"Hmm... Why do those names ring a bell...?" Angela thought, 
rubbing her chin with her index. She shook her head, "Anyway, I'm 
not a nun yet, just a novice."
	"Sister Angela, they were looking for Mr. Phaeron," Kyoko 
said, "Is he at your convent?"
	Angela nodded, "Yes, he and his twin brother have been 
there for a while. They've been helping out a lot with the work 
and everything." She turned to the trio, "If you want to see him, 
I could show you where the convent is."


Promises

	Twilight came and went rather quickly before they reached 
the convent's outer gates. Angela was obviously in her element, 
but the other three gulped slightly before setting foot inside 
it. Not that they weren't open-minded --when you meet scores of 
strange people, face death at least twice a month and travel to 
another planet, you learn to be tolerant about other people's 
traditions, religion being one of them. But this was the first 
time they entered a Christian convent, with its unblemished white 
walls and its tall belfry, from which they heard seven 
consecutive rings of the bell.
	"Oh?" a young woman noticed the newly arrived, "Hello 
there!" Seraphim, in her human shape, waved and joined them. Next 
to each other, she and Angela looked almost like sisters. "Are 
you looking for someone?"
	"Phaeron-kun's here, right?" Ranko asked, still hesitant.
	"Why yes, he and Raphael are in the church." She giggled 
softly, "I'll lead you to them."
	The group went on, circling the convent until they reached 
a small, humble chapel. Before going in, Ranko sighed and looked 
up at the crucifix on its top. All of a sudden her head started 
to feel cloudy, she blinked several times as an image from the 
past began to take shape in her mind. Silently noticing, Seraphim 
looked intently at her, realizing that the crucifix had jogged a 
bit of Ranko's lost memories.
	"Well, here they are," sister Angela said quietly, then 
motioned for them not to make loud noises.
	The trio stared agape as they looked on, this was also the 
first time they saw the interior of a church. From their 
expression, they might as well be looking at a cathedral. The 
Catholic chapel was decorated humbly, with only two chandeliers 
hanging from the ceiling and a high overhead supported by tall 
arches. To the sides were small, candle-lit portraits of many 
saints and martyrs. Despite the size of the chapel, the rows of 
seats seemed to stretch on forever, until they reached the 
steps that lead up to the altar. Beyond and above was a large 
crucifix, looking over the seats as an unblinking protector. Lit 
only by candles and the wide beams of moonlight that came from 
the stained-glass windows, the interior of the chapel was hued 
soothing blue.
	"There," Akane whispered, pointing at the two figures that 
kneeled at the front of the left row of seats. Phaeron and 
Raphael were praying.
	"You're probably beginning to remember," Seraphim whispered 
to Ranko, but letting Ranma and Akane listen to her words as 
well, "Brother Phaeron was born two years before you, in a town 
in the Middle East."
	"Y-yes, I think I do..." Ranko replied, her eyes fixed on 
Phaeron, "He... He always told me and Yuan-chan about a man from 
his country, four hundred years before we were born, I think... 
And... And that story was beautiful..."
	Seraphim smiled inwards, "Yes, you remember. And you 
believed the story, didn't you?" Ranko nodded, recalling how 
easily she had converted.
	"What are they praying for?" Akane whispered.
	"Do people really need a reason to pray?" Angela smiled 
warmly. "You just have to be grateful for what you have 
received in order to pray."
	"Sister Angela is right," Seraphim said, "There is always 
something to be grateful about. Having your health... To be 
surrounded by friends in which to trust... To have everything 
you need... To simply be alive for another day..."
	Ranko winced as those words stabbed her.
	"But brother Phaeron and Raphael have even more to be 
grateful for. It has only been a few weeks since that war, and 
everybody is safe," she smiled at Ranko, "And with what we just 
witnessed today they simply _had_ to come here."
	"Do you want to join them?" Angela said. Ranma and Akane 
turned to each other, dubious. "It's easy. You don't really need 
to know any preset prayers or rituals. Just let your heart talk 
to God, and be yourselves. It's as simple as that."
	"We could try..." Akane said, still a bit awed by the 
presence she felt from the chapel. Nodding to each other, she 
and Ranma walked down the isle, each kneeling at a different set 
of benches.
	"Could I..." Ranko started, "Could I... ask for something?" she 
looked up at Seraphim, who immediately understood her intentions.
	"If you are sincere with yourself, yes," the angel nodded. 
"You just have to have faith."
	Silently looking at the crucifix for an instant, Ranko 
sighed and walked on. She almost reached the bench where 
Phaeron and Raphael were, but quickly decided against it and 
stayed three rows behind them. Not yet ready to pray, she just 
joined her hands and looked at Phaeron. He was so concentrated 
he probably hadn't even felt her coming close. Shaking her head, 
she closed her eyes and began...
	A few rows behind, on opposite sides, Ranma and Akane were 
still shaking off their nervousness.Grimacing as neither knew how 
to start, they simply began by saying their names.
	"Look at them," Angela smiled.
	"It worked, it seems," Seraphim nodded.
	"Well, I think we better let them finish without us," the 
pair quietly left the chapel. Angela turned to Seraphim, who was 
beginning to glow, "We would be grateful if you helped us, sister 
Fiducia."
	Seraphim smiled, extending her wings, "I would love to, 
sister Angela. This is my job, after all. And there are still many 
people who need our help."
	The novice nodded, "Ever since I was given this asignment, 
and I came down to Earth, I have found many people in despair. I 
was beginning to worry I was the only one of us left to assist 
them."
	"You'll never be alone, sister Angela, and you should know 
it," Seraphim had changed back completely by now. "If the rest of 
us haven't come it's because humans are losing faith."
	Angela shook her head, "It is a grave problem. I guess it 
would take more than just an angel to solve it." She looked back 
to the chapel, "If Cordis were here... But at least Pax has 
awakened again."
	"That reminds me... He doesn't know, does he?"
	Angela sighed, "Poor Kosaku. He thinks I'm a novice, and a 
human. But my life is dedicated to... to..."
	Seraphim took her hand, smiling warmly, "Sister, it is not 
forbidden for angels to fall in love with humans..."

			*	*	*

	"...please, just a little more time..." Ranko whispered, almost 
completely silent. Sighing, she said thanks in advance and opened 
her eyes, staring widely at the figure that looked tenderly at 
her.
	"Been here long?" Phaeron whispered, offering a hand. 
Looking back at Ranma and Akane, who were quietly talking by the 
gate (?!), she hesitantly accepted the hand and let him help her 
to her feet. They silently headed toward the exit, joining 
Raphael and the couple as they left the chapel.
	"I feel strange," Akane said, once they had left the 
convent's grounds. "It's like... I'm lighter or something." Ranma was 
about to mock her, but recalled what he had prayed about and 
shut himself up.
	"It's very liberating to pray, no matter what religion you 
are," Phaeron said.
	Ranko shook her head. This was it. No more delays. She 
would tell him NOW.
	"You did look very happy," Akane said.
	Phaeron smiled, "I have every reason to be happy." He 
nonchalantly put an arm around Ranko's shoulders, "Right, 
pigtails?"
	"Phaeron-kun..." she was so focused she didn't even feel his 
arm.
	"I mean, I have good friends..."
	"Phaeron-kun, you... you're..."
	" There's nobody trying to kill us... "
	"You're... you're going to..."
	"We all made it back... Everybody's safe..."
	"You're going to... to... d..."
	"Even Crystallus found his couple..."
	"Going to... You're going to die..."
	"Hmm... haa...!" he took in a deep breath, "Everything is 
working out..."
	"Phaeron-kun, you're going to die..."
	"There's one more thing for me to be completely happy, but 
even that will probably happen..."
	Ranko noticed her voice was so small he didn't even hear 
her words. Gathering all her courage, she breathed deeply and 
prepared.
	"Yes, it's good to be alive!" Phaeron smiled broadly, then 
turned to Ranko as she tugged on his arm.
	"Phaeron-kun, you're going to die in two weeks."
	He crashed into a telephone post.
	Ranma, Akane and Raphael stared at her in shock.
	Miho continued to backflip...

			*	*	*

	They were now gathered at the Saotome house, an 
unconscious Esper tucked into a futon in the living room. 
Yuannyan was also there, setting a wet cloth over Phaeron's 
bruised forehead. Although she was sitting beside him, it seemed 
Ranko wanted desperately to just shrink away from the world. 
Especially now that she had disclosed _everything_ that happened 
at the Gates, after she used the Caller.
	"T-two weeks?!" Akane stammered.
	"Are you sure, oneechan?" Yuannyan asked.
	"I just want to ask something..." Ranma had at last heard to 
the tragic tale of the Caller. "Did you really kill yourself?"
	"Ranma, please, not now," Nodoka said, taking her daughter's 
hand. "This is very hard on Ranko-chan already."
	"But... then the four months have already passed?" Akane 
asked, still incredulous. Ranko nodded silently, abashed. "Can't we 
do something for him?"
	"He was brought back by an angel," Raphael said gravely, 
"But not even angels have power over life and death. Fiducia is 
probably pressing her limits as it is, how could _we_ do 
something?"
	"But there must be something!" Yuannyan said, "I mean, we 
can't just let him die like that! Oneechan!" But Ranko didn't hear 
her sister's calls. She had finally revealed the secret, but why 
is it that she felt even worse than before?
	"Mom!" seeing her sister was absent, Yuannyan turned to 
the other angel she knew.
	"I can't do anything," she shook her head, "I would, believe 
me, but if he was destined for this, as Ranko-chan said, then 
only Seraphim has permission to keep him alive. Angels cannot 
give or take life just like that."
	"Then, there's nothing to do...?" Akane looked down at the 
Esper's face. "He'll simply... die?" Nodoka and Raphael shook their 
heads, sighing sadly.
	"Wait a second," Ranma said, "If Coldfire--"
	"A-HEM..."
	"If Raphael came back at the same time, how come only 
Phaeron has to die?"
	"I hate to admit this, but I was just a side-effect," he 
replied. "I remember both worlds now. In the original story, we 
were both supposed to die in that Ultima blast. But when 
Seraphim brought Ranko back in time, she also boosted Phaeron's 
Flare spell so it would wake her and Crystallus, knowing they 
would use Merton to burn us before Ultima killed us. I was 
revived by my Magicite..." he clenched his fist, "But if I could 
keep my brother from dying, I would gladly trade places with him."
	The clock rang twelve times, mildly startling the people in 
the room.
	"Oh," Nodoka turned to it, "I never realized it was this 
late! Akane-chan, your family must be worried about you!"
	"I... guess..." she replied, more preoccupied about her friend.
	"We'll take care of him, Akane-chan, you better go back 
home," Yuannyan said.
	"How could I..." she started, but Nodoka's motherly face 
convinced her. "All right."
	"I'll walk you there," Raphael stood up, "It's dangerous to 
be on the streets at this hour."
	"Thank you, Raphael-kun," Nodoka said, "We will take care of 
your brother here, so you should go home too."
	"Please, this has got to be just a crazy nightmare," Akane 
said as she stood. Silently, she looked at Ranko, whose face was 
completely vacant of emotion. "I'm sorry, Ranko-chan," she said, 
joining Raphael as he walked out.
	"You should get to bed also," Nodoka turned to Yuannyan, 
catching her suppressing a yawn.
	"I  wish someone would come out and say this is all a 
cruel joke," she shook her head in negation, then silently put 
her hand on Phaeron's head, "It has to be..." Standing behind her 
sister, she put her hands on Ranko's shoulders and kneeled, 
resting her head against her. "I'm really sorry," she whispered, 
then stood again and went upstairs.
	"Come on, sis, you have to sleep," Ranma tried, putting a 
hand on her shoulder.
	"I want to look over him," she finally spoke. Realizing her 
daughter's wrecked emotions, Nodoka didn't challenge her.
	"But if he just found out he's gonna die, what if he's angry 
when he wakes up?"
	"Then that's a risk I'll have to take, isn't it?" she scowled 
at him, defending.
	Ranma stepped back in confusion, then realized he had once 
more stuck his foot in his mouth, "I, uh... I'm sorry, sis. I didn't 
mean that." However, she didn't pay attention to his apology. 
Sternly looking at his sister, Ranma sighed and climbed up the 
stairs.
	"Mother..." Ranko said without turning to her, "What will 
happen now? Will he..."
	Nodoka shook her head, "I don't know, Ranko-chan..."
	"I just don't know."


Solitude

	"Unnhh..."
	"Hmm..." Ranko slowly opened her eyes, feeling movement 
nearby, and the light of dawn on her face. Shaking the dizziness 
off, she groggily noticed she was lying on the floor, next to the 
futon, and that she was covered with a blanket. Her mother was 
nowhere around, but it was obvious it had been her who put the 
blanket on the redhead when she fell asleep.
	"Wha..." the figure in the futon painfully moved his head. 
Ranko suddenly bolted up, hearing Phaeron waking up. A hundred 
questions rushed to her mind. Did he remember? What did he 
think? How did he take it? Would he hate her for waiting until 
now?
	"Phaeron-kun..." she whispered, trying not to hurt his ears.
	"Where am I..." he started, weakly sitting up to hold his 
head. He shook it, trying to discern something. His vision slowly 
settled on the red blur next to him.
	"How do you feel?" she asked, worry in her tone. "Do you 
remember..."
	"What happened last night...?" he asked himself, "Something... 
that will happen in two weeks..." Suddenly he dropped his hand, 
staring forward with giant eyes... before passing out.
	"Great," Ranko sweated visibly.

			*	*	*

	"Unnhh..."
	"You awake?" Ranko asked.
	"What happe..." he started, then suddenly looked forward 
widely...

			*	*	*

	"Okay, this time you'll stay awake!" Ranko shook him hard. 
After all, it was night again already.
	"Did... did you..." he stammered, shaking off the last 
remnants of the initial shock. "What are you talking about? Why 
did you say that, anyway?"
	Ranko sighed, slumping down, "Phaeron-kun, remember when I 
used the Caller?" he nodded. "And when... you... went into the 
Light?"
	"Ranko-chan, please don't tell me you're serious..." he 
gulped loudly.
	"Se-Seraphim-chan brought you back," Ranko turned away, 
her voice was almost breaking as she once more had to say this. 
But the fact that he was now listening carefully, a look of fear 
and worry all over his face, made it even harder for her to say 
this. Clenching her eyes, she tried to pronounce the next words, 
"But... But... But... But only for a few months..."
	Suddenly every bit of joy that Phaeron of Fenix 
experienced in his life faded like a terrible illusion. To hear 
this from _her_ was like a sword of ice that shred him to 
pieces. His eyes weren't failing, but suddenly everything went 
gray before him, as also his healthy ears went deaf without 
warning. He just sat there, looking at Ranko, as he could already 
feel his entire body grow cold, numb.
	It couldn't be true. She might have forgotten, but not even 
that could make her say this to him! How could she joke around 
about this?!
	But looking at her face, he knew. He knew it was true. 
Despite her inner strength, even she was forcing herself to 
speak.
	"I'm sorry," she tried, gathering strength to look directly 
at him.
	"How... Are you sure?" deep down, he hoped this could still 
be just a mistake. After all, _he_ was the one who was dying.
	She nodded. "The other angels also said it. I... I tried to 
talk to them, but..."
	Phaeron's eyes widened even more, just one more inch and 
his eyelids would reach down to his jaw. This was an even worse 
surprise. Had she know about this? Why didn't she tell him 
sooner?
	"You... knew?" he asked, not believing. She nodded 
shamefully. "W-Why didn't you tell me?"
	"I..."
	"You've known for four months and you never told me?" his 
eyelids _did_ reach his jaw.
	She looked straight at him, "Do you think it was easy to 
see you happy and not being able to tell you?"
	"But you could have told me anyway!" he tore away the 
futon.
	"You want me to barge in on you saying you're going to 
die!?" Ranko yelled. "You have no idea... It was HARD for me to 
_know_ it, how could I even _say_ it!"
	"Were you going to tell me until the very last day?! I'm the 
one who's gonna die!!"
	"And you think I..." she went silent, suddenly scowling at 
him. "Do you think I wanted this to happen? I was not the one 
who was STUPID enough to use a self-sacrifice spell!!"
	Phaeron stood up, a stern expression on his face. Even 
through her anger, Ranko noticed something. She had never seen 
Phaeron like this: his dark face showed both anger, and 
depression. But wait. He was also... Disappointed? He looked 
exactly like Ryouga before throwing his first Perfect Shishi 
hokodan.
	"I... If you suffered because of this..." he said, monotone, 
"then I won't ever bother you again." He closed his eyes.
	"Good bye, Ranko," Phaeron turned around and spread his 
arms, not even deigning to morph into a Phoenix as he flew away, 
then  became a single red dot, glowing as he faded in the star-
filled sky. Ranko's eyes suddenly opened widely. She grimaced 
slightly, almost whispering to herself, "What have we done...?"
	Looking down, she clenched her fist. "You BAKA!" she 
delivered an angry punch to the floor, shutting her eyes.
	"Stupid jerk..."

			*	*	*

	Mog happily bounced along the street, carrying his halberd 
over his shoulder. On the other end of the weapon he held a 
delivery box, for one of Ucchan's remote-control costumers. 
Besides, with a kawaii teddybear as a delivery-boy, very few 
people resisted this personal service.
	Blinking with his squinted eyes, he noticed a dark 
silhouette clashing against the red disk of the setting sun. 
Unmoving, the silhouette appeared to be holding some sort of 
medallion, finally showing life when Mog saw its torso heave up 
and drop after a sigh. The moogle blinked, recognizing the 
familiar figure.
	Phaeron shook his head, letting the medallion drop to his 
chest. Turning to his right, he stared into the diminishing light 
of the sun. A strong wind whipped around him, the coldest he had 
felt in a long time.
	She probably hated him. especially now that he avoided her. 
Two days had passed since that foolish argument, he hadn't heard 
a word from neither the Saotomes nor the Tendos. How could he 
be so insensitive...
	Then again, why didn't she tell him sooner? He had always 
made sure to project trustworth around him, she could have said 
it to him from the very beginning. But it wasn't her fault 
entirely. To tell someone that he's going to die couldn't be easy. 
He should have understood.
	He sighed again. It was all falling apart.
	Slowly walking away from the sun, he gazed upon his 
stretching shadow. Why? He had waited fifteen hundred years, 
_fifteen hundred_. He spent a thousand years trapped in a 
stone. He endured a thousand deaths, always keeping only one 
thought: how much he missed her. Even when he arrived at Esper 
World, and Seraphim offered to show him how Nyannichuan's spirit 
was released, he could only think about how long it had been 
before he saw that face again.
	It was hard to arrive on Earth. He could talk freely with 
Yuannyan, for she always knew everything about him. But to see 
the other twin, painfully saying he was "just another friend," 
was never something he could shrug off.
	He should have told her. Maybe she wouldn't have believed 
him, but at least he would have tried. Yes, he should have told 
her from the start what had happened at China. Maybe they could 
have avoided all of this...
	"Hi, kupo!" Mog called in his cheerful voice, as if trying to 
spread his upbeat attitude to his Esper friend. But he was 
utterly ignored, Phaeron was too depressed to notice the white 
creature.
	"I never really deserved it..." he thought sadly, recalling 
the moments of sheer joy from the life in China. "All this time... 
She never really..."
	He couldn't finish that thought, as it created an intense 
emotional pain that turned his body, usually glowing with calm 
happiness, into a dark void of despair. But all of a sudden, his 
emotions clashed with each other. Not caring about anything, he 
released a desperate bellow, the cry of a dying Phoenix.
	"Kupo?!" Mog tried to reach for him, but suddenly Phaeron 
was dashing at a tremendous speed towards the sun. He let his 
arms trail behind him, large blades appearing on them. With 
another cry, he leapt up, joining the tips of his blades in a 
single spot. Mog blinked as he received the glare of a strong 
flash of red, then Phaeron turned into a crimson fireball that 
sailed up, and up, escaping Earth, leaving the sadness behind. 
	Leaving everything behind.
	
			*	*	*

	The Solitary Island. What a fitting name. In all of the World 
of Ruin, Kefka's only victim, the island was a ground of death 
and despair. Jutting up from the sea, Solitary Island was 
eternally surrounded by wailing winds, cries from the souls of 
the dead.
	It was amazing. World of Ruin seemed to be constantly 
changing moods, from sadness to sorrow to utmost despair. And 
sitting atop the island's lonely mountain, a spire that seemed to 
point accusingly to the heavens, one's own emotions would easily 
mimic those of the World of Ruin.
	"I've been such a fool..." Phaeron rested his head on his 
hand. "I might have had a chance before, but now... I'm an Esper, 
how could I even expect this to happen again?"
	He slowly blinked, hearing the wind cry. "Yes, I'm an Esper. 
This could never happen between an Esper and a human... Maybe 
that's why... why she simply blocked it out..."
	Suddenly a dove settled on his lap, startling him slightly. 
Blinking, he leaned towards it, "What the... Where did you come 
from? The nearest land is over seventy miles away."
	"I sent her," came a voice from behind. Recognizing it, 
Phaeron slowly turned around to look at Seraphim.
	She was standing on the grass, behind him. But her face 
was serious, her expression impregnable. The wailing currents 
freely brushed her hair, making it flow backwards in a golden 
curtain.
	"Why did you say that?" she plainly asked.
	Phaeron shook his head, "You know what I mean. When I was 
a human everything was normal. We had a chance. But... how could 
I even hope of trying again, now that I'm an Esper?" He turned 
away, "I've been blind. She could never l--"
	"You seem pretty sure," Seraphim looked directly at him. "If 
you're so aware of her emotions, why don't you give up already?"
	Phaeron turned to her, surprised that the words "give up" 
had come from Seraphim's mouth as a suggestion. "Wh-what... Are 
you upset?"
	"Yes," Seraphim said. "I'm upset. I'm upset because one of 
the people whom I love the most is losing faith. And you don't 
even try to fight it."
	"Seraphim..."
	"So, it can't happen between an Esper and a human?" she 
grimaced slightly. "Give me your hand."
	Hesitant at first, he slowly stood and offered a hand. She 
took it, then stared straight _into_ the ocean.
	"I have to show you something," she said. All of a sudden 
she darted downwards, narrowing her wings to fly like a bullet 
towards the cyan waters. Phaeron clenched his eyes, feeling the 
wind tearing at him.
	"Slow down!" he called, receving null answer. Getting a brief 
glimpse of his surroundings, he panicked when he noticed they 
were heading straight into the sea. "STOP! If we hit the water at 
this speed we'll--"
	Seraphim simply pushed forward with her other hand. The 
sea split in two, shaping two walls around them. Phaeron stared 
widely as they headed straight for the bottom of the sea...

	He coughed, spitting out a few droplets of salty water 
while he tried to open his eyes. Looking down, he stood up and 
panted, putting his hands on his knees for extra support.
	"Wha... Where are we...?"
	Seraphim sighed, "Don't you recognize this place, Phaeron?" 
He slowly opened his eyes, looking forward.
	"I... It can't be..."
	Before him lay a gigantic castle, most of it in ruins. The 
blue seal upon the gates... The large claw marks on the walls... 
The blackened spots where his own RedBirds had hit...
	They were in the ruined kingdom of Odin.
	The most ancient of realms in what used to be the World of 
Balance, this was the kingdom that connected the three planets: 
World of Ruin, Esper World, and Earth. For magic was certainly at 
work here, the entire kingdom was underwater: overhead, one 
could see the ocean, as if shaping a high ceiling. But before the 
wrecked castle was a column. Like a geyser, but more stable, the 
column was made of the magical water from Mirror-Soul lake. The 
near-perfect cylinder of liquid slowly changed color, from its 
usual silver to watery blue. It was at precisely this moment 
that the water came from another source: Jusenkyo. Phaeron 
swallowed hard when he noticed the changes in the water.
	"Follow me," Seraphim said, lightly stepping over a fallen 
slab and heading for the gates. Phaeron stared incredulous at 
his surroundings, recalling how he had arrived here...
	When he had drowned in Jusenkyo, along with the twins and 
Coldfire, the magic of Jusenkyo and Mirror-Soul Lake hadn't grown 
as stable as it is now. The spring was confused, it trapped the 
girls' soul while transporting him and Coldfire to a different 
place called the World of Balance. Awakening, Phaeron had found 
himself before Odin's castle, having been thrown out of the magic 
well. But he had been rescued by a young, winged girl by the 
name Andellia --the best friend of Odin's daughters, since her 
mother had been the Queen's midwife.
	At first, king Odin had taken him under his wing, seeing the 
young ki-master's potential as a magic-user. Odin promptly 
asigned Syrtis Palidor, his finest knight, to teach Phaeron the 
ways of magic and Mirnas combat. Palidor and Andellia, being 
cousins, soon took Phaeron in as an adoptive brother. It didn't 
take long for Firhis Brillan, who would eventually become 
Starlet, to develop a brotherly affection towards him.
	Phaeron, despite his depression after the twins' death, 
found his niche in Odin's court. There he learned about the War 
of the Magi, and about the Three Goddesses. He was well aware 
of the fate of the people who were caught in the crossfire: to 
be turned into a mystical creature called Esper.
	During the War, he came to learn of the king's daughters. 
Firhis Brillan was one of them, but the other was a complete 
mystery. She never showed up, but there were many founded 
rumors about her being the Nightingale of Odin's armies: her 
generosity and selflessness were legendary, even among enemy 
forces.
	"We're here," Seraphim stopped, clenching her eyes to avoid 
crying. Phaeron came back from memory lane and looked forward.
	"K-King Odin!" he reflexively kneeled before the throne 
platform, seeing a tall, majestic warrior standing between him 
and the throne. Hearing no reply, Phaeron dared look up, and 
gasped.
	Odin was there all right. But he had been turned to stone.
	"King Odin!" Phaeron stammered, incredulous.
	"Look," Seraphim, with eyes closed, motioned towards a 
nearby bookshelf. It suddenly slid to the side, revealing a 
secret entrance. Beyond it was a shelter. Inside it, was the 
Queen. Turned into a metal statue.
	"Phaeron, remember the day we were turned to Espers?"
	He nodded, a drop of sweat rolling down his temples, "The 
day before the War ended... Doom and Poltergeist sent an attack 
here, with Fenrir at charge... Syrtis, Andellia and I came out to 
fight, but Fenrir got past us... We faced Poltergeist. I saw you 
were about to be hit , Andellia and I tried to save you. 
Poltergeist turned us all into Espers. Andellia became a pegasus, 
Palidor a stork, Firhis became Starlet, I became a phoenix and 
you turned to an angel... But when we came back, Fenrir had..."
	"That's right," Seraphim sighed sadly, "He turned the Queen 
into a metal statue. And then encased all of you in Magicite."
	"But Seraphim, what..."
	"I want to ask you... You never found out who the other 
princess was, did you?" He shook his head. "Even when my real 
name, before becoming an angel, is Laris Brillan."
	Phaeron suddenly gasped as realization hit, "Then that 
means..."
	"Yes," Seraphim nodded, "I am Odin's daughter."
	Before Phaeron could even speak, she beat him to it, "When 
you saved me, I knew you were the human that Starlet had told 
me about. I wanted to meet you, but Fenrir had already turned 
you to Magicite. I tried to defend my father, but Fenrir tossed 
me away and turned him to stone, then... devoured his spirit." 
She paused for an instant, "Do you remember when I fought 
Fenrir inside the Black Wall? The spirit I released was my 
father's. But my mother is trapped forever in that statue..." she 
glanced sadly at the shelter room. "When we two met in Esper 
World, I _had_ to tell you that I had also come from Jusenkyo, 
so you might feel you weren't alone. You were so sad... I could 
sense your feelings, it hurt how much you missed the twins."
	Seraphim walked towards Odin's body, sighing, then turned 
back to Phaeron, "The reason I'm telling this is... because... I 
don't want you to lose hope." She took his hand, "My father was 
always an Esper. My mother was a human. But even when Fenrir 
murdered him, he swore to someday release mother." She took his 
other hand, "You see? It can work between Espers and humans. 
It's your heart who you must trust."
	Phaeron finally managed to speak, "But... even if that's 
true, I'm going to..."
	"You're the Phoenix." She smiled warmly at him, "You're 
supposed to simbolize an ever-living hope. And you should know 
better than anyone on this Creation..." she closed her eyes, still 
smiling, "Death never stops love."

			*	*	*

	Phaeron and Seraphim were standing atop Solitary Island 
again, looking at the starry sky. But the wind was different. 
Instead of wail, it sang. The waves crashed below, breaking the 
island's depressive atmosphere and bringing new life to it. 
Indeed, it seemed that Life was still hanging on to this dreaded 
world, and hope still remained.
	"So, do you understand?" Seraphim asked, taking his hand.
	"Yes."
	"Go back to Earth. She misses you."
	He nodded.
	"I will talk to her again," he said, then looked at the 
shooting star overhead, "But there's something I have to do 
first."


Fifteen hundred years ago...

	Akane walked towards Maison Ikkoku, a stern glare locked in 
her eyes as she neared the building. Although she still felt 
awful for what was going to happen, she couldn't just step aside 
and let two of her best friends fall apart like that. Sure, she 
understood why he had gotten angry like that, but then again, it 
had been FOUR days since that happened. You'd think they would 
have at least apologized to each other by now.
	"Excuse me?" Akane called, entering the building.
	"Hey, you look familar," a scant-clothed Akemi smirked, 
leaning against the corner of the wall. "Who're you lookin' for?"
	"Is Phaeron-kun here?" she asked, trying not to roll her 
eyes at the redhead's lack of modesty.
	"Ho, so you're the one," Akemi smiled like a prowling cat. 
"I've heard--"
	"Look, is he here?" Akane simply didn't let her talk any 
further. Akemi blinked in surprise, then quietly pointed at room 
3. "Thanks," Akane said nonchalantly, striding towards the door. 
"Phaeron-kun, are you here?" she knocked on the door.
	The voice came from a surprised youth, "Oh, Akane? C'mon 
in!"
	"I have to tell..." she fell silent when she saw only Raphael 
in the room. Apparently he was going on a trip, there was a 
backpack on the floor and ancient clothes were scattered all 
over the room. But these clothes seemed to be hundred of years 
old, they were one step away from being tunics. And now that 
she noticed, they seemed to be Chinese. Shaking her head out of 
those thoughts, she returned to the topic at hand, "Raphael-kun, 
where's..."
	"Birdy?" he raised an eyebrow, "He's not here. Wanna see 
him?"
	Akane sighed in tolerance, "I need to talk to him. Could you 
show me where he is?"
	"Sure, just let me finish this up." She patiently waited for 
him to fill his backpack, every so often glancing at her watch to 
hint for him to hurry. "There, all set," he stood up, hoisting his 
pack. They were heading out the door when he suddenly stopped, 
"Akane, have you seen Ranko?"
	Akane nodded, "That's one of the reasons I came here."
	Raphael rubbed his chin, "Knowing her... Wait a sec," he 
rummaged through a drawer on the desk, finding a pencil and 
paper. He quickly scribbled something, then too the paper and 
closed the door. Carefully making sure no one was looking, he 
slipped half of the note under the door. "Okay, now we can go."

			*	*	*

	A low breeze brushed Akane's hair as she rode a dark 
phoenix, who held a backpack in its claws, towards a warehouse a 
few blocks away. Both remained silent for the few minutes it 
took for them to get there, although Akane looked nervously at 
the people below, still not certain that the invisibility spell 
could keep them hidden.
	"We're here," Raphael said, flapping his wings backwards to 
slow down. He dropped his pack, then landed and let Akane 
dismount before morphing back. He dispelled the invisibility magic 
and looked around, then headed for the warehouse and stealthily 
opened the metallic door, motioning for Akane to hurry. Once he 
closed it again, the interior of the building was drowned in 
darkness.
	"Who's... oh, Coldfire..." Phaeron's voice was heard deeper 
into the recint. Not waiting any longer, Akane raised her voice 
to call, "Phaeron-kun, we have to talk!"
	"A-Akane?" he was audibly startled, "How did you... Oh, 
right..." he figured out how she had arrived. Footsteps were 
heard, then the lights suddenly flared to life.
	"Phaeron-kun?" she blinked. He was covered by a dark 
hooded cloak, as old as the clothes Raphael was packing. Beside 
him, floating two feet over the ground, was Epoch.
	"So..." Phaeron turned away, avoiding eye contact.
	"Oh, right," she walked over to him, while Raphael began to 
lug his and Phaeron's backpacks into Epoch's storage compartment, 
in the cockpit, behind the back seat.
	"I really have to talk with you," Akane said, as Phaeron 
finished polishing Epoch's windshield. "About Ranko-chan."
	"What's wrong?" he was slightly startled.
	"You know what's wrong," Akane sent him a serious look. "We 
haven't heard from you in days, and everyone is worried." She 
lowered the tone of her voice, "After hearing about... that... we 
were very worried that you might have..."
	"I'm still very much alive, thanks," he snorted. "But how... 
how is she?"
	Akane looked up at him, "She has worried the most. She 
doesn't show it, of course, you know her. But I can tell." She 
sighed, "She thinks this is all her fault." Looking at him again, 
she said, "You got to talk to her."
	Phaeron felt quite miserable. "Did... Did she send you?"
	Akane shook her head, "You should know better than to ask 
me that. Of course she didn't, I came by myself." She noticed 
that Raphael was almost finished with the luggage, and was now 
leaning against Epoch. "What are you doing, anyway? You're going 
on a trip NOW?"
	Phaeron sighed, "In a way, yes." He tore away Epoch's 
cover, seeing his reflection on the smooth white metal. "I have 
to do... something I should have done from the very beginning..."

			*	*	*

	A pair of redheads stood in the hallway, the neglig�-clad 
one blinking oddly at the pigtailed one. Glaring slightly, Ranko 
managed to get an answer from Akemi before creating any sort of 
gossip. With an indifferent "Thanks" she made for room 3. Taking 
a deep breath, she prepared to knock on the door.
	"He's not here," Mrs. Ichinose slowly walked over to her. 
"You looking for him?"
	She nodded silently. For once, the stubby Empress of 
Gossip noticed the downcast expression on the girl and decided 
to better keep her distance... not without trying to figure out 
what Ranko was doing here, of course...
	Seeing the housewife walk away, Ranko would have smiled in 
victory. A misunderstanding was avoided. But not even that 
cheered her up. Looking downwards again, she was about to leave 
when she caught a glimpse of something white beneath the door. 
She picked it up, and smiled.

			*	*	*

	"This is an abandoned warehouse," Phaeron explained, 
opening his arm to show the spacious building. "We used to hide 
Epoch in the caves, but this place is much better."
	"Not only has it been deserted for decades," Raphael 
followed, "but we also created a magic barrier around it. Only we 
can enter." As if suddenly recalling something, he snapped his 
fingers and a gap appeared on that barrier --a gap exactly in 
front of the back door.
	"But what are you going to do? Are you going to travel in 
time or something?"
	"Exactly," Raphael replied, although he could notice 
Phaeron's absent look.
	"Remember what I told you about?" Phaeron said, turning to 
Akane. "Let's just say this is your chance to see it personally." 
He smirked, "You wanna go?"
	Akane's eyes widened, "You mean..."
	"That's right," Phaeron swept his cloak, "We're going back in 
time, to ancient China."

			*	*	*

	A pigtailed girl stealthily made her way to the warehouse's 
back door, exactly where the note had said it would be. Carefully 
walking low, she quickly scanned the area for onlookers and 
quietly pushed aside the heavy metal door. Fortunately, the 
phoeni had fixed up the place, the door's greased hinges didn't 
even creak. Silent like a ninja, Ranko stepped behind a few 
crates, hiding from the others' view.
	What were they doing? It seemed they were loading Epoch 
with luggage. Not only that, but they all wore strange outfits. 
Raphael was in an old black tunic, wearing Chinese clothes 
beneath. Like him, Phaeron donned a hooded robe. Even Akane 
seemed to wear very ancient Chinese garments --which for some 
reason caused a sudden image to flash before Ranko's eyes: 
herself, wearing the exact same clothes Akane wore, while 
following a Wushu-nanchuan set of techniques, with Phaeron 
looking at her.
	Ranko didn't dare shake her head: perhaps she could get a 
hold of that single image, and use it to regain her memories. But 
the scene quickly faded, leaving only a mysterious pressing pain 
in her chest, more emotional than physical.
	"Where are they going... and with Akane?" she thought, 
creeping from crate to crate, coming near Epoch every time. 
"Well, I'm not letting them go this time," she slithered towards 
the sleek vehicle. Fortunately, the cockpit had descended from 
the ship. She quickly found a hatch behind the backseat. Although 
there was a pair of backpacks in the storage compartment, she 
was small enough to fit in with just a bit of effort. She quickly 
brought down the cover, making sure to leave a slit open so she 
could breathe and look outside.
	"Okay, everything's set," Raphael said, sending a quick 
glance to the ajar hatch of the compartment.
	"Let's go," Phaeron said.
	"I sure hope you know what you're doing," Akane said, 
sitting in the back seat, "This could hurt you a lot."
	"I know," Phaeron sat at the helm. "But I _have_ to do it."
	"What's he gonna do?" Ranko thought, "Don't tell me..." she 
gasped, "Is he gonna change history? He wants to stop us from 
drowning?!"
	"Target set," Raphael fed the data to the time controls, 
then pushed a button and the cockpit went back into Epoch. 
Phaeron pulled the stick, Raphael joined his hands. The magic 
barrier _and_ the top of the warehouse opened, letting Epoch 
rise into the air.
	"Four hundred and ninety AD, here we go!" Phaeron activated 
the time machine, Epoch whipped into the Time River.

			*	*	*

	A bright mist covered the entire region, from Mt. Phoenix 
at the south to Mt. Kensei at the north. The entire valley of 
Jusenkyo, an ancient training ground, seemed to project an aura 
of its own. With the proximity of the early Joketsuzoku 
villagers, and the eons-old Musk Dynasty, the springs were 
considered a holy ground, not a cursed region as it is today. It 
was holy, in the villagers' opinion, because it held the spirits 
of many drowned creatures, many of which usually _shouldn't_ 
drown --i.e., a giant octupus, even a stone statue. Even the 
Musk respected this place, unaware that today would be a very 
important day for them, the day when _the_ spring would be 
created...
	Near Jusenkyo, one could find a large forest. It was an odd 
break from all the bamboo poles that littered the valley, but 
the strong trunks and lush foliages were readily welcomed by 
many a weary traveler. Even _this_ particular trio found rest in 
the forest, as if the trees were to protect them from the evil 
that hunted them. They had set up camp in a small grove inside 
the forest, their two worn-out tents were more than enough to 
keep them from the cool morning breeze.
	Inside one, there was a pair of young, sleeping girls. They 
deserved their rest: this was their fifteenth birthday, otherwise 
they would already be practicing atop the bamboo poles that 
marked the few pools that weren't cursed yet. Sighing softly in 
her dream, one of the girls rolled on her side, clutching the 
gold and ruby medallion she had just finished the previous night.
	In the other tent, a young man slept. At the age of 
sixteen, he had already endured too much. His brown hair barely 
reached his shoulders, as it was the custom among his peers 
from his village. Soon to wake up, he still held onto a gold 
bracelet, a present he had handmade last night.
	But suddenly there was a loud noise. A sonic disruption, 
like a vacuum, that caused the trees to trash about with their 
branches. The young man was startled to consciousness, he 
quickly sat up and bounced to his feet, then reflexively grasped 
his staff tightly.
	"What the heck was _that_?" he wondered, in ancient 
Hebrew."It sure didn't feel like Coldfire, but I better make sure."
	Covering himself with a green, hooded cloak, he came out of 
the tent and scanned the grove. Letting his sight rest on the 
other tent for a moment, he smiled. But he quickly returned to 
the subject at hand. Whatever that noise had been, he had to 
defend the twins. Nothing else mattered.
	Suddenly he caught a glimpse of a swift shadow leaping 
behind the trees. He was surprised for an instant, but then 
narrowed his eyes and darted in pursuit if the shadow, his staff 
glowing red from his aura. Following the shadow, he noticed he 
was being lead _around_ the camp, he could mantain eye-contact 
with the tents at all times. Whomever he was chasing, what was 
he or she up to?
	Suddenly the shadow leapt up slightly, as if in slow-motion, 
and vanished. He stopped, wildly looking around to find the 
trespasser. "That wasn't Coldfire..." he thought, looking out the 
side of his eye, "I felt a very powerful aura from that guy... A 
little weaker than what we felt when Cordis arrived..."
	"I'm not nearly as strong as Cordis..." a voice came directly 
into his mind, his eyes widened as he couldn't locate its source. 
Whipping his head backwards, he saw the figure.
	It was a little taller than he, standing about 1.72 meters 
tall. But in its old, tattered cloak it seemed even more imposing, 
coupled with the fact that it was standing on top of a branch, 
nearly ten feet above him. Although the cloak's hood couldn't let 
him see the figure's face, the broad shoulders let him know it 
was a man.
	"You don't know who I am," the figure said telepathically, a 
strong white aura appearing around him, "At least, not yet. But 
you have to listen, and listen well."
	"Who are you?" the boy asked, clenching his fists on his 
staff. "Are you another demon?"
	The figure flinched, "No. I simply seek to help you."
	"What do you mean?" he narrowed his eyes, looking at the 
man's impressive aura.
	"I know all about you." The figure showed a smirk that was 
seen by the boy, "And I know about your feelings."
	"Y-you do, eh?" the boy was both surprised and embarassed.
	"I do. And I must warn you. Today you shall face one of the 
most painful events in your life. But whatever happens, do not 
lose hope," he smiled, "And remember: everything will be all 
right."
	The boy felt a strange apprehension get a hold of him, 
"Painful event? What... Who _are_ you???"
	"You'll find out... in fifteen hundred years..." the figure 
spread his arms and hopped backwards, landing from the tree. He 
was about to take off again when the boy called, "Wait!!"
	"Hm?" the figure turned to him.
	"If you want to help, then prove it! Help me stop Coldfire!" 
he released a fist from the staff, "He wants to kill... someone 
very close to me..."
	Once more, the figure winced, "I... know." He turned to the 
boy. But instead of using telepathy, he spoke plainly. "But still, 
you will see her shortly. Before you leave you must do 
something." He stepped forward, "You must _tell_ her."
	"T-tell her?" the boy blushed, still surprised at hearing 
the man's voice sound exactly like his own. "You mean..."
	"You know what I mean." The figure walked away, "Tell her... 
before it's too late. You might never have another chance." And 
the figure faded away.
	"Who was that...? What did he mean by that?" the boy blinked 
in confusion. "Tell her?" he looked at the bracelet he had made. 
He turned around when he heard a low rustle behind him.
	"Lael-kun, what's wrong?"
	The question came from a young girl, with shoulder-length 
red hair and blue eyes. She was shorter than he, barely reaching 
his shoulder, but seemed to project an aura of great inner 
strength all around her. Clad in a long sleepgown, she groggily 
walked between the bushes and reached him, greeting him with a 
sleepy smile.
	Lael smiled back, recalling the words of the mysterious 
cloaked figure. "He's right. I have to tell her. I can't hide this 
any longer."
	"There nothing wrong, Zhaodi-chan," he replied in broken, old 
Japanese, "But I have tell you something."
	"Y-you too?" the girl blushed mightily. Behind her back, she 
tightened her grip on the medallion she was about to offer.
	"Zhaodi-chan, I..." he began.
	"L-Lael-kun..."

			*	*	*

	Akane couldn't help but shed a tear for the couple below 
her. Sitting on a branch, invisible, she could easily see the 
youths' look of marveled surprise at hearing each other's words. 
But she still turned to the man next to her, and took his hand.
	Phaeron sighed, removing the hood from his head, "I never 
thought this would be so painful. I wish I could change history, 
but..."
	"Phaeron-kun, it's okay," Akane said, looking at how the boy 
lowered his head to let the girl put a medallion around his neck. 
"You came here to warn them. At least now it won't hurt as 
much."
	Phaeron smirked sadly, "I wonder... I never really told her, 
you know. And she never told me either. It was like... we already 
knew. But this way... It might hurt even more, knowing what the 
other feels..."
	Akane sent him a comforting smile, "Look at her, Phaeron-
kun," she pointed at the redhead below, whose eyes were shedding 
tears, "Thanks to you, she'll be happy. And your 'other' is the 
same way," she now pointed at the boy, "You've done something 
that they'll always be grateful for. Even with what's gonna 
happen today, at least they're happy now." She put a hand on his 
shoulder.
	He smiled absently, "Wait... I remember... Yes, I remember it. 
I remember a strange guy coming out of nowhere, saying I should 
tell her..." he sighed as his memories changed. "And I remember 
how I felt when she told me that... that she..."
	Akane took his hand again, "Let's go, Phaeron-kun."

			*	*	*

	Raphael waited patiently by the Epoch, guarding it. But all 
of a sudden he heard a loud shriek come from the cockpit. 
Staring at it, he gasped when Ranko suddenly stood up, bursting 
out of the compartment while holding her head in her hands.
	"R-Ranko! What's wrong!?" he quickly ran over to her. He 
stood back when he realized her eyes were completely blank.
	"La... L-Lael-kun..." she mumbled absently. Without any other 
word she suddenly dropped, as if exhausted. Raphael quickly 
caught her and took her out of the compartment, placing her on 
the back seat.
	"Are you okay?" he asked.
	"Ra...phael...?" she slowly blinked at him, "I think I... 
remembered something... I saw Phaeron-kun and he... was talking to 
me... I don't remember what he said, but I remember feeling warm 
all of a sudden..."
	"Can you remember anything else?"
	Ranko shook her head, regaining her strength, "I can't. 
But..." she cleared her head, looking around, "Where are..." she 
suddenly gasped, "Are we in China?" Raphael nodded. She gasped, 
"No! Phaeron-kun! I gotta stop him before he changes everything!" 
she leapt out of the Epoch.
	"Wait!" Raphael caught her hand, "You can't go with him! 
Remember, right now there's another 'you' running around here, we 
can't afford her seeing you!" Ranko stopped struggling after the 
remark, but still looked towards the nearby forest. "Look," 
Raphael said, "Phaeron's not gonna change anything _that_ big. If 
he had warned his 'other' about the accident, we would've 
disappeared from existence already! And he promised he would not 
change history, so calm down."
	"Okay, okay," she pulled her hand from his hold, "I just 
hope he knows what he's doing."
	Raphael turned away, "Yeah, me too." He sighed, then turned 
to the redhead, "Can I ask you a favor? Could you guard Epoch 
for a couple of minutes?" Ranko blinked, "Why?"
	He clenched his fist, looking at the forest, "I also have 
something to do here," he turned to her, "I'll be back in five 
minutes."
	Ranko, unable to join the others or change history, cocked 
an eyebrow and leaned against Epoch, turning away. Nodding, 
Raphael pulled the hood over his head and headed for the forest.
	She sighed sadly. Here she was, with a time machine, on the 
day when her past self and her sister would drown. It was so 
hard... She desperately wanted to _do_ something, to at least 
warn her 'other' that something terrible would happen... Deep 
down, she knew that it was _she_ who wanted to change history.
	But she fought those thoughts. Who knows what would 
happen if she dared change the course of history. Who knows 
what would become of everyone...
	Ranko sighed, and shook her head.

	Everything was the same as he remembered. Heh, to think 
fifteen hundred years had passed before he came here again. But 
his face turned serious once more, recalling exactly what had 
happened, what _would_ happen today. He had to find him, and he 
knew exactly where...
	A dark warrior strode along the path, every so often 
cleaving a tree with his ki-blades. Well, it was the tree's fault, 
it shouldn't have sprouted in his path anyway. Narrowing his 
eyes, the possessed Coldfire relentlessly sought the cursed 
camp set up by the twins and Lael.
	Sitting on a branch, Raphael scowled fiercely at his 
younger, demonic self. He had caused so much pain, so many 
disasters. And now, he had indirectly been the cause of 
Phaeron's upcoming death. Aiming a hand at Coldfire, he shot a 
single steel feather.
	"Agh!" Coldfire reflexively stood back, feeling an acute 
slashing pain in his right cheek. Putting his hand on it, he 
winced at touching the raw wound.
	Above him, Raphael grimaced slightly as a scar appeared on 
his cheek. Being a phoeni, the scar had become a faint line on 
Raphael's face, a wound that never sealed fully despite his 
abilities.
	"Who dares attack me!?" Coldfire bellowed, enlarging his 
violet aura. "Show yourself, foolish mortal!"
	Obeying, Raphael dropped in front of Coldfire. The demon 
stared widely at the cloaked man before him, already seeing a 
powerful aura of gold cover the aggressor. Impressed but not 
intimidated, Coldfire clenched his fists, summoning his claws.
	Raphael scowled at him. "This is for what you're going to 
do," he said in low voice before rushing for Coldfire.
	The demon never saw him coming. He could only feel his own 
body suddenly speed upwards, a massive bolt blasting him up to 
the sky. As Coldfire descended, Raphael simply aimed his hands at 
him and released innumerable feathers, nailing him to a tree. 
Narrowing his eyes, Raphael dashed for him and delivered a 
brutal uppercut to Coldfire's gut. He fell unconscious 
immediately.
	"I cannot change history either," Raphael said, "But at 
least you won't have enough strength to be so cruel to the 
twins when you drown them in the spring." He recalled, 
regretfully, the desperate pleas from Pandi as he viciously 
attacked Zhaodi. But now his memories changed. Although Coldfire 
still managed to defeat the twins, he wasn't such a sadist when 
attacking them.
	"I wish I could do more," Raphael sighed, "I could kill 
Coldfire now, and those two would never have to endure all that 
pain... But I can't. Phaeron, Ranko... I'm sorry."

			*	*	*

	Slowly, Phaeron and Akane walked towards the Epoch, seeing 
Raphael already feeding Epoch the target date. The three of 
them silently agreed to leave, although they had brought tents 
and supplies to spend a few days here. But Akane and Raphael 
could see the sorrow in Phaeron's face, it wouldn't be a good 
idea to remain here any longer.
	"Phaeron-kun?" Ranko thought, lifting the compartment's 
hatch slightly.
	"Okay, let's go," he said, pulling the stick, "But since we're 
already here, I may want to check up on my home town."
	Just as the ship rose into the sky, a pair of redhaired 
girls was suddenly blasted towards the edge of Jusenkyo, with a 
dark evil striding towards them. Unstoppable. And deadly.
	For this was the day...
	When Nyannichuan was made.

			*	*	*

	Ukyou flipped the okonomiyaki on her grill, silent. Although 
Mog and Konatsu had finally come to terms, they didn't know what 
to say. They had heard, not too long ago, that one of their 
friends would die soon. However, Ukyou had always been a strong 
person. In fact, the moogle and kunoichi admired her powerful 
will. She was a kind person, a good friend, if maybe just a bit 
hot-tempered.
	"E-Excuse me..." they heard an old, ragged voice. All three 
turned to the door of the restaurant, seeing a weak old man 
standing there. He was dressed in gray tatters, hiding his 
hunched shape. To support himself, he carried a large, gnarled 
staff shaped like a strange question mark, with a black metal 
rod placed vertically in the opening of this question mark. And 
on top of the staff, as if continuing the rod, there was a 
glistening black sphere.
	"I'm very sorry, but you'll have to leave," Mog said half-
heartedly, feeling sorry for this homeless man.
	"Forgive me for troubling you..." he turned around.
	"Wait," Ukyou called, flashing a bright smile. "Okay, a deluxe 
order, on the house!"
	"Ukyou-sama..." Konatsu's love for her climbed higher still. 
Her heart was so noble, giving food to this beggard despite 
scaring away many customers.
	"Thank you so much," he bowed slightly, closing his eyes.
	"Don't mention it," she beamed, preparing another Japanese 
pancake. While she wasn't looking, the old man scowled at the 
remaining customers, fillling their hearts with such terror they 
all fled at once.
	"Huh?" Ukyou looked up, blinking.
	"Hey..." Mog squinted at the beggard, as if examining him.
	"Why did you do that?" Konatsu glared at him. But suddenly 
the three of them felt an indescribable fear spread within them 
as the old man took his staff once more and, very slowly, it 
turned into a wicked blade of the darkest metal.
	"I remained to be vanquished yet..." the old man's body was 
torn apart, his true shape showing, "Thank your redhaired friend 
for the Hell you're about to meet!"
	Ukyou, Mog and Konatsu felt their hearts stop in terror.
	And Dysithal smirked.

			*	*	*

	Shampoo felt the wind brush her hair as she rode her 
bicycle towards Nekohanten, her mind elsewhere. She wouldn't 
admit it, but she missed Mousse's constant pestering. Although he 
still lived at the Cat Cafe, he was almost as a ghost inside it. 
Never in the way, never talking to anyone. As if he were deep in 
thought.
	She sighed. He was probably thinking about that blonde 
Amazon. He hadn't been the same since he met her, and Shampoo 
was the first to notice. But could it be that... Mousse had 
tossed her aside for Mink?
	"I home!" Shampoo called as she entered the restaurant. Her 
eyes widened, "Aiyaaa! Hibachaaaan!"
	"Don't... come... closer..." Cologne stuttered while trying to 
mantain an aura shield between herself and the black sword. 
Obeying her great-grandmother was one thing, but Shampoo would 
NEVER let a demon hurt someone she loved!
	"SilverStrike!" she shot out a large blast towards Dysithal.
	"Well now..." he smiled. Shampoo suddenly felt a cold fear 
spread within her. Her body... It... shrunk... became furry...
	"Why, hello..." a ghostly voice said, "...my bride..."
	Shampoo-neko's fur turned white. Dysithal was no longer 
there. No, wait. _She_ wasn't in Nekohanten anymore... She was in 
a gloomy cemetary. Turning around, she felt sheer terror.
	"You won't spurn me now..." a titanic, demonic Bakeneko 
sneered at her.
	Back at Nekohanten, Cologne spasmed in a heart attack. Her 
staff fell to the floor.
	And Dysithal smiled.

			*	*	*

	Mink closed the door of the Dragon Diner, feeling a cold 
draft all of a sudden. Looking back at the counter, she snorted 
and turned away, "So," she began in Chinese, "How come you're 
not with Shampoo?"
	Mousse sighed, "Mink, I said I'm very sorry. Please, you're 
the only one I can turn to. I'm beginning to understand that I... I 
don't really love Shampoo..."
	"M-Mousse-sama..." Mink stared at him, "Is that... true?"
	"Mink, I..." Mousse slowly walked over to her.
	All of a sudden they were both drenched in cold water. 
Shaking the moisture off their feathers, they looked around, not 
even finding a bucket or a glass nearby. All they saw was a 
dove with black eyes. A dove that suddenly made them experience 
terror.
	And Dysithal snickered.

			*	*	*

	Yuannyan sighed, facing the asymmetrical bars in Herb's 
gymnasium. On the sidelines, her fianc� watched as she prepared 
for the leap. After hearing the bad news, the only way she could 
distract her mind was through gymnastics, although Herb's 
company was always a good pain-reliever for her.
	With a light grunt she bounced off the vault and grabbed 
hold of the lower bar, pulling herself up and resting her lower 
belly on it, then swung back down and thrust her legs between 
the bar and her body, coming back up and sending her legs back 
again to boost herself to the upper bar...
	All of a sudden Herb felt a malevolent cold in the recint. 
Gasping, he saw his tribe's magic ladle, Chiisuiton, flying 
straight for Yuannyan.
	"Yuannyan! Watch out!" he ran for her. Too late. The 
freezing water hit her. Defying all Jusenkyo laws, her body 
suddenly became smaller, furry.
	A monkey dropped to the floor, scared to death.
	"YUANNYAN!" Herb dropped to hold her, but then he was hit 
too by the water. A feminine Musk prince shrieked as she 
recalled the curse of Chiisuiton: to be forever locked in that 
body.
	"Hm... Heh heh... So... The prince and his princess are not so 
mighty as they believed..." a pair of black eyes appeared out of 
thin air.
	"You monster!" Herb dashed for Dysithal's face, "Higi 
Ryuusei Hishou!"
	"AAAGH!" she was blasted into a wall by a black bolt. The 
monkey shrieked in absolute terror.
	"Now the Hell begins..."
	Kaisuifuu appeared on the air, just over Herb. She shook 
her head, then gasped when she saw the kettle.
	"Make your choice, dragon's heir," Dysithal spoke, "Your own 
male body... Or eternity as a female..." A large black globe of 
demonic energy began to form over Yuannyan. "Choose... Take the 
kettle, and your fianc�e's soul will be banished to Hell... Save 
her, and you will both spend the rest of eternity as woman and 
monkey!"
	"I don't care for me, but I won't let her die!" Herb darted 
for Yuannyan, saving her from the bolt of energy. She stared 
aghast when Kaisuifuu began to rust, then crumbled to bits.
	"Herb-sama, we're back from China!" Mint and Lime called, 
entering the gym. They began to snicker, then laugh out loud in 
disrespect, "Ha! That stupid...! Trapped forever as a woman!"
	"Silence!" Herb blasted them away. Yuannyan clung to her 
like a frightened child. Hearing laughter all around her, Herb ran 
away from the gym. But no matter where she went, people all 
around her mocked her stupidity, her body.
	She couldn't run from the pain, from the shame. Forever 
cursed with these unnatural bodies, never escaping the scornful 
eye of the mocking devils. For this was Dysithal's doing, and 
Herb and Yuannyan were truly in Hell.
	And Dysithal laughed.

			*	*	*

	Ryouga left the flower shop, sighing happily as he looked 
up to the sky. "Today, Ryouga Hibiki... Today you'll say exactly 
what you feel for her..."
	"Come again!" the shopkeeper waved. In his happiness, Ryouga 
waved back, smirking. He couldn't tell why, but his steps were 
steadier, more constant than when he tried to show his feelings 
for Akane.
	Akane... He had loved her so much. And in fact, he would 
always love her. But everything was different now. He felt 
stronger, less timid. It's as if he were so experienced with 
dealing with the redhead that now he could meet her with ease.
	He turned his head when the TV sets on an electronics 
store display roared to life. "This just in," the news reporter 
said, "An unidentified monster, apparently a demon of some sort, 
has viciously attacked several people in the Nerima ward. 
Although neither has been hurt physically, a number of priests 
from many religions, from Buddhist to Catholic to Shintoist, have 
all agreed that, 'the demon stole the soul' of the victims. In 
fact, the doctors on the scene have diagnosed a deep coma. They 
don't believe that reviving them is possible... On an extra note, 
the authorities have spotted the monster. It's headed for the 
house of one Saotome family, carrying a short-haired girl named 
Akane Tendo in its claws..."
	A bouquet of white flowers dropped slowly to the ground.
	Ryouga ran. Sense of direction or not, he ran. But suddenly 
everything became clear for him. He knew exactly how to get to 
the Saotome house! It was as if a light guided him onwards!
	There! That's the house!
	"Ranko-san! Akane-san!" Ryouga burst into the door...
	"Come again!" the shopkeeper waved, seeing Ryouga come out 
of the flower shop.
	"What the..." he looked around wildly, utterly confused. But 
he recalled the news broadcast. This time, he took a different 
route to the house.
	There! He burst into the door...
	"Come again!" the shopkeeper waved, seeing Ryouga come out 
of the flower shop.
	"Again?!" Ryouga stared in shock. "Okay, this time... Bakusai 
Tenketsu!"
	He began to burrow beneath the ground, headed straight for 
the house. With a final uppercut, he leapt out of the tunnel, 
facing the door to the house. He burst inside...
	"Come again!" the shopkeeper waved, seeing Ryouga come out 
of the flower shop.
	"N-NOOOO!"
	Ryouga ran, trapped forever in a mad race he couldn't... 
_would never_ win.
	And Dysithal cackled.

			*	*	*

	"What the..." Phaeron said aloud.
	"What's the matter?" Raphael turned to him.
	"The controls..." Phaeron tried to stabilize Epoch's flying 
controls, but the stick was shaking strongly.
	"Maybe we've been here too long," Akane said, "We should go 
back."
	"All right, then let's try it," Phaeron said. Raphael nodded, 
then braced for Epoch's time-leap.
	"Aaaaand... GO!" Phaeron activated the time-controls.
	Epoch shook violently, suddenly travelling through a tunnel 
of flames. Phaeron tried to control, but the ship was flying by 
itself. Every single indicator went off the scale. In the time-
controls, the main indicator's needle began to spin frantically, 
until it suddenly stopped. It marked the words "End of Time."
	Epoch glowed.
	The four passengers gulped loudly.
	With the sound of a gunshot, the ship was tossed forward 
in time.

			*	*	*

	Ranma sent out a whipping front kick to an unseen 
opponent, grateful that the Tendos would still let him practice 
in the dojo. Falling back to a fighting stance, he sent out a 
flurry of side-thrust kicks, then leapt up with the other leg and 
delivered a circular front kick with it.
	But despite his concentration, he couldn't keep his mind 
from going back to that night, when Ranko had revealed 
everything about the Caller. While he felt sorry for what was 
going to happen to one of his friends, he still couldn't 
understand why his sister would do something like that. After 
all, to willingly use an odd technique that was almost certainly 
suicidal? Why had she done it?
	He shook his head. He wouldn't be able to train properly if 
his mind were elsewhere. Besides, he had to find out what Akane 
had gone to say to Phaeron.
	He came out of the dojo, fastening his special belt along 
the way. He was about to go into the house when something 
reached him, like a premonition. And it told him to jump.
	He reacted immediately, flinging himself to the side just as 
a black sword was embedded in the ground where he stood. Ranma 
instantly leapt to his feet, looking towards the source of the 
attack. Finding nothing but a flock of birds, he cautiously walked 
over to the sword and examined it. The six-foot-long blade was 
slightly wicked, with a serrated edge on the back. There was a 
vicious quill on its front, an inch over the curved guard, which 
was dull gray and had strange glyphs on its surface. The guard 
also went down to cover the entire hilt, like a semicircle, and 
there was a black sphere on its bottom.
	All of a sudden this black sphere shot out for him, still 
attached to the hilt by a whip. Ranma dropped low to avoid the 
lashing weapon, but gasped as the sphere snaked around his neck 
and the whip strangled him. Struggling to keep the whip from 
breaking his neck, he brought a hand upwards and sliced through 
the whip with a Wind magic blade, then grabbed the black ball and 
pulled it from him, tossing it aside as he clutched his reddened 
neck.
	"Wha... What the..." Ranma cleared his head.
	"So, not as vulnerable as the others, it seems..." the sword 
said. Ranma stared in shock, but quickly joined his hands and 
sent out a massive bolt towards the sword, knocking it away.
	"Yes, Pax' offsprings are certainly skilled..." the sword 
said, Ranma could almost swear it was smirking. Without warning 
the weapon suddenly spun and darted straight for him once more. 
He stood his ground, then at the last second stretched his right 
hand.
	"Murasame!" he summoned. The sharpest of swords appeared 
on his hand, he quickly parried the attack and flung the evil 
blade backwards.
	"Heh heh heh..." the sword flashed, malignant. "A magic 
sword, against a demon sword? How... amusing!"
	Ranma looked at his katana. "Gyaah!" he stared as a bit of 
metal cracked off from the blade. Murasame, the third strongest 
weapon, damaged?!
	"Now it shall be destroyed entirely..." the demon sword 
loomed over him, it suddenly seemed to grow. Ranma, deciding not 
to waste his katana, cast it back to hyperspace and reared back. 
The sword gleamed in pleasure, then darted for his head.
	"Hah!" Ranma flew up with a strong gust of Wind, avoiding 
the attack entirely. He joined his palms to create a Wind blade 
--it would probably be dissipated by the sword, but he could 
always create another one. The dark weapon flew up to meet him, 
then began to spin with its hilt as an axis. The blade formed a 
circle of darkness, crackling with red sparks along its surface.
	Ranma didn't wait for it to release the attack. "Wind 
Cracker!" he shouted, darting his fists forward to release 
uncountable needlees of ki. The sword blocked them all, then 
slashed downwards and the circle was sent towards Ranma like a 
disk of doom. He flew up again, avoiding, then stared agape as 
the black disk cleaved the chimney of a public bath. "Can't let 
that thing hurt anyone!" he thought, flying towards the falling 
tube of concrete. "White Touch!" he yelled, pressing his hands 
against the chimney, and it was blasted upwards into the air. 
Ranma quickly used his magic to get a hold of the tube, then 
swung it powerfully towards the blade.
	"Hmph..." it simply slashed through the chimney, making it 
vanish from existence. But that left it open to attack. Ranma 
darted straight for it, Wind blade in one hand and Wind shield on 
the other. He hit the sword's hilt hard with the shield, then 
slashed at it with his blade. Defending, the sword struggled 
against Ranma, but then glowed menacingly.
	"Yaah!" Ranma yelped as the black ball, still attached to 
the whip, flew upwards and ensnared his right leg. The cleaved 
end of the whip then fused itself with the sword's hilt again, 
then Ranma was reeled in.
	"You're mine..." the sword sliced towards his neck. Ranma 
defended with his Wind shield, pushed the sword aside and White 
Touched the whip away, feeling his leg burn in pain as the whip 
had still hurt him. A lightbulb appeared over his head, he 
smirked.
	"Don't resist damnation, boy!" the sword thrust towards his 
chest again. He twisted his body to avoid it, then surrounded it 
with tremendous Wind magic pressure. The sword struggled, but 
couldn't budge free. In desperation, it began to spin again, 
creating another disk. But it also overrode Ranma's Wind to 
create a massive dark tornado.
	"This is the end!" the sword bellowed, slashing upwards 
diagonally to send the tornado towards Ranma. But his eyes were 
blank, his mouth slightly slack as his body began to glow with a 
golden aura. He crossed his arms before him, the fists aiming 
down. Three large orbs of light appeared around him.
	The tornado suddenly crashed into an invisible aura shield, 
its evil currents dispersing. Its impact only shook Ranma a 
little, he was too focused to be distracted by anything. The 
sword saw a perfect opportunity, and shot towards him.
	"Haaaa..." Ranma's aura flared. Finally, there came the blow: 
"Triad Blow revised...!" he punched forward, the three orbs grew 
in a strong flash of white. "Hikari no Suiseitachi-dan!"
	The three orbs were suddenly blasted forward, fusing into 
one _big_ blast and completing the Comets Shot of Light. The 
sword stopped and slashed downwards. It split the giant beam in 
two, but its blast of hot wind knocked the sword off balance and 
the two halves of the blast sent the weapon flying out of 
Ranma's range of vision. Relaxing, he let his arms go slack as he 
deactivated his Wind magic, breathing heavily as he landed on a 
rooftop.
	"What the heck... was that... thing..." he thought, exhausted 
from the Suiseitachi-dan. He was glad to be making progress with 
his ki technqiues, but since he wasn't too accustomed to using 
them he was drained. He could only look upwards as he felt 
another warning of danger.
	"Foolish boy!" a winged, sword-wielding blur suddenly dropped 
towards him with astonishing speed. Ranma brought his arms 
upwards to defend...
	Nodoka felt a chill travel down her spine, a feeling shared 
by the panda in the living room. They were both suddenly 
startled, looking nervously at each other. Without a word, Nodoka 
quickly went to her bedroom, finding the exquisite hairpin in 
which her topaz Brindstone was embedded. She put it on the back 
of her head and turned into her angel self, trying to use her 
power to check up on her children. But just as she began to 
close her eyes, she could hear another voice calling.
	"Pax! Nodoka!" Masamune called from her scabbard, glowing 
bright white. Nodoka turned back to her and unsheathed the 
katana. "There's no time! Go to the living room! Hurry!"
	Gasping as she too discovered what was happening, Nodoka 
lightly ran downstairs, using her wings to glide and save time. 
Putting Masamune aside for an instant, she looked up and spread 
her arms, much to her husband's bewilderment.
	"Ugh!" Ranma suddenly crashed through the roof, falling in 
his mother's arms. She quickly kneeled and set him on her lap, 
staring in shock at her son's injuries: he was badly bruised, 
there was a large cut along his right forearm and had a few 
broken ribs. Who could have hurt one of the strongest fighters 
in the world?
	"Ah... NO!" Masamune glowed brightly and shot up, floating 
defensively in front of Nodoka. The angel noticed her and quickly 
put her hand on Ranma's forehead, healing his injuries. Then, 
handing the barely-awake boy to the panda, she stood and 
grasped Masamune, looking straight towards the door.
	Several seconds passed in deathly calm. Beads of nervous 
sweat rolled down Nodoka's temples as the only sound was the 
steady ticking of a clock. But suddenly she felt an undescribable 
fear inside her, Genma and Ranma felt it also. Now recovered, 
Ranma stood next to his mother, ready to defend her from the 
evil he had faced. But deep down, he already knew this wasn't his 
battle. And he knew that if he took any part in it, there was no 
way in hell he would win.
	A tall, winged silhouette approached the front door. Nodoka 
gulped and tightened her grip on Masamune. Ranma began to call 
his aura. Genma dashed for a kettle of hot water. But before he 
even reached the kitchen, a strong, freezing wind stopped him on 
his tracks. The entire room was surrounded by the wind, sealed 
off from the rest of the house. And the door opened.
	Masamune would have gasped if she had a mouth, for the 
first thing that came inside was a hand, wielding a black sword 
with a whip attached to its hilt. "Im... Impossible..." the Weapon 
of Light stammered, "It's... Makaze..."
	But then the being that brandished Demon Wind stepped 
forward. He was a winged angel, clad in a jet-black bodysuit that 
matched his eyes and hair. His hands and feet were no longer 
like a human's, instead they were a demon's talons and claws of 
red ochre. And on the demon's forehead was a cross-shaped scar, 
glowing ominously. Nodoka felt her heart freeze when he looked 
at her, as if his gaze were to tear her apart.
	"Hello, mother," Dysithal smirked. "It's been a while."


Battle at the End of Time

	The Epoch continued to glow oddly as it travelled through 
the tunnel of flames. A blinding light was at the end of the 
tunnel, the phoeni and Akane had to turn away to avoid its 
glare. In the storage compartment, Ranko shut her eyes as she 
bounced between the backpacks, curling into a ball to soften the 
impacts.
	"What's going on!?" Akane yelled.
	"I don't know!" Phaeron replied, helpless to do anything 
else, "We've lost control! It's as if someone else's controlling 
the Epoch!"
	"What do you mean, 'someone else'!?" Raphael yelled, "Nobody 
can control time except Chaos and..."
	He fell silent. He and Phaeron turned to each other, and 
gulped. There were no more Lavos creatures, and Chaos wouldn't 
disrupt their journey. There was only another Being who could 
control all of time.
	"Look!" Akane pointed, squinting her eyes to diminish the 
light's glare, "Up ahead! That light is..."
	She couldn't finish. The light suddenly became dark, 
engulfing all of the tunnel. And suddenly, the darkness rippled, 
casting the Epoch into its destination.

			*	*	*

	"Ranma, don't!" Nodoka pleaded, "You mustn't fight him!"
	Oblivious to his mother's calls, Ranma pounced for Dysithal 
with blinding speed, drawing a Wind blade and thrusting for his 
chest. Snickering, Dysithal sidestepped and hit him hard on the 
back of the head with his sword's hilt. Ranma toppled to the 
ground, motionless.
	"No!" Nodoka shrieked, then glared and slashed forth with 
Masamune. Dysithal defended, using only one hand to hold his 
sword whereas Nodoka used both. Struggling for an instant, the 
two swords crackled with sparks of light and darkness, red 
streaks shoooting off Makaze and blue glimmers detaching from 
Masamune.
	"Such an odd welcome from the one who gave me life!" 
Dysithal mocked.
	"I never gave life to you!" Nodoka replied, "You're who 
stole the Fire to gain life of your own!"
	"Too bad Cordis tried to stop me!" Dysithal pressed on with 
Makaze.
	"C-Cordis...?" Nodoka's eyes widened. Seeing her distracted, 
Dysithal pushed down with the sword, forcing Nodoka to step 
back.
	All of a sudden a large furry mass dropped on top of 
Dyisthal, flattening him to the ground. While Genma hurriedly 
scampered away, Nodoka thrust Masamune into Makaze's hilt and 
tore the demon sword away from Dysithal's reach, then aimed at 
him with her left hand and closed her eyes, moving her lips as 
she prayed.
	"No!" Dysithal began to feel a holy light cover him. 
Spreading his wings, he emerged again and countered with a blast 
of darkness. "I can never be vanquished... And I won't be 
defeated!" he bellowed, sending a powerful blast of wind all 
around his body, knocking Genma and Nodoka off their feet. He 
summoned Makaze, who flew back to his hand. Dysithal slashed 
down.
	"Gyaa!" Nodoka screamed as he cut off one of her wings, 
but through her pain she managed to swing her other wing at him, 
smearing her pure feathers across his face and torso.
	"Yeaaghhh!" Dysithal felt a terrible burn where Nodoka's 
feathers had touched him, her angelical purity burning away his 
evil. He held the side of his head, staggering away from her. 
Outraged, Genma swatted him away with a gargantuan sign and 
quickly dashed for his wife, staring in shock at her wound.
	"It's... okay... dear..." she petted his furry cheek. A strong 
light sprouted from the stump of her wing, then the light 
solidified and a healthy, feathery limb regenerated. Nodoka stood 
up, grasping Masamune and scanning the room.
	"Well now, it seems angels are still as strong as demons," 
Dysithal smirked, looming over the unconscious Ranma while 
holding his sword upside down, its tip aimed at Ranma's throat.
	"Don't!" Nodoka pleaded, "Please, don't hurt him!"
	Dysithal's smirk vanished, replaced by a scowl. A black 
flame encased him. "You cast me aside... You left me behind while 
you ran away... I endured a thousand Hells because of you... And 
you still want me to obey you?" he lifted his sword, ready to 
bring it down.
	"I never..." Nodoka's eyes began to water, "I never meant 
for that to happen... It was nobody's fault!"
	"I'll try to remember that when I dispose of your remaining 
daughters," Dysithal said plainly, then clenched his other fist. 
His black flame extended to lick the floor, setting it ablaze. And 
from this dark fire, two silhouettes sprouted. Two female demons. 
Two yashas.
	"Gakidou-sama," they both said, "Tell us your orders."
	"Now, 'mother'..." Dysithal whipped his hand upwards, catching 
the sword and lifting it away from Ranma, "you shall join the 
others, and be cast into hell!"
	Dysithal's flame enlarged, he disappeared completely. The 
yashas hissed and lunged for Nodoka and Genma, knocking 
Masamune away. As the demons attacked, Nodoka could see a third 
demon sit on top of Ranma, its fangs dripping.

			*	*	*

	It was very strange. All around them, they could only see 
a swirling nothingness, odd strands of violet waving in the void. 
But all of a sudden, Epoch's cockpit opened. However, instead of 
the seats coming out through the ship's bottom, the dome over 
the cockpit vanished.
	Before they could even speak, something large appeared in 
the void, in front of Epoch. A large, stone staircase reached 
them, descending from an unseen level above them. Instead of a 
railing, the staircase was flanked by high walls, nearly two 
meters tall, made of the same dull-brown stone from the 
staircase.
	"Wha... Where are we?" Raphael looked around.
	"I dunno," Phaeron replied, "But it seems like we gotta go 
up there," he pointed at the staircase.
	"Isn't that dangerous?" Akane wondered.
	"Probably, but we don't have much of a choice," Phaeron 
said, standing up. The staircase was a feet over Epoch's nose, 
he helped Akane and Raphael climb onto the ship's surface and up 
to the staircase.
	They slowly climbed up, seeing only a few steps before 
them. But as they advanced, more and more steps appeared from 
the void, as if the clouds of darkness were parting to reveal 
the rest of the staircase. However, despite how steep the 
stairs were, they never seemed to grow tired, nor bored. Still, 
they could feel a strange sensation in their hearts, like a 
peaceful warmth.
	Finally, they reached the top. But beyond them was a 
corridor, also flanked by tall barriers. And it also appeared 
slowly as they advanced. Looking up, they noticed how the 
darkness resembled the sky, with a few purple clouds among 
violet strands.
	Suddenly, they heard a voice. It was peaceful, yet burning 
with infinite life, and unmeasurable power. A soothing sound that 
seemed like the greatest music for them. And yet, they couldn't 
tell whether it was male or female, all they knew was that the 
Voice was beautiful.
	"Life is so fragile..." It said, "No matter if you're an 
amoeba or an archangel, it can be taken away so easily..." There 
was a long silence, but the Voice was so magnificent nobody felt 
like interrupting it. "But you know this very well, for you have 
had to face supernatural dangers... You appreciate life, and as 
warriors, you try to defend it.
	"But still... there are times when you believe yourselves to 
be powerless against the Dark. Times when you think there can 
be no hope. But deep in your hearts, you will always have a 
spark of hope. I know it."
	The trio felt incredibly relieved at hearing those three 
words, even though they didn't know why...
	"You didn't come here by accident. But don't worry, no evil 
can harm you here. Step forth, so I might speak to you in 
person..."
	And the clouds parted to reveal a large structure before 
them. It was a square platform, also made of dull brown stone, 
but there was a copper railing along its edge. To the right, they 
saw a door leading nowhere, breaking the railing with its copper 
frame. And to the far side of the platform, they saw a short 
flight of stairs, nearly as wide as the main platform. Those 
stairs lead to another platform, but it was made of black stone 
instead. The strange part about this elevated platform was that 
there were nine pillars of light on it. Each pillar sprouted from 
the floor, reaching up to about seven feet.
	The trio came out of the corridor and into the main 
platform. For a few seconds, they could see nothing of interest. 
However, all of a sudden a streetlight appeared smack in the 
middle of the platform. It was very old, it even had a candle 
instead of a lightbulb. But the candle shed a strong light, 
illuminating all of the structure.
	Then it happened. A figure appeared beneath the street 
lantern. It was clad in an old, dark brown coat, matching the 
funny bowler on its head. The figure, apparently very _old_, 
rested its hands on a smooth cane, slightly hunched over from 
the old age. And yet, despite the figure's white beard and 
moustache which, joined with the strong shadow cast by its 
bowler, obscured its face completely, they couldn't tell whether 
it was male or female, or maybe both, maybe none. It was old, 
but young all the same. Powerful and meek, mighty and humble. It 
was Everything, and Everything was It.
	They could feel an ineffable feeling of peace just by being 
near this person, all of a sudden they couldn't help but _love_ 
the old being.
	"Who..." Phaeron was about to ask, but the answer came even 
before he could think.
	"For now, it's better not to reveal my name," the figure 
said. "Simply address me as 'the Ageless One.'"
	"And we are..."
	"At the End of Time."
	"Uh, okay," Phaeron replied, feeling tiny as an insect 
before the figure.
	The Ageless One snickered amusedly, knowing how the trio 
felt in their hearts. Neither should feel small, all creatures 
were the same for the Ageless One.
	Footsteps were heard in the corridor. The three remained 
oblivious to them, still gawking at the Ageless One, astonished.
	"It was tempting, wasn't it?" came the Voice of the Ageless 
One once more. "You possessed the chance to change everything 
for the better. In your hands, there is the power to affect 
history, and yet you decided... to let it be..."
	Phaeron nodded gravely, "I--"
	"It was," another voice said. Silent, not turning to see 
them, Ranko walked past the trio, aware of Phaeron and Akane's 
total shock at seeing her there. Setting her eyes on the 
Ageless One, she felt the greatest peace envelop her in a loving 
warmth. Strange, Ranko thought, she had only felt like that 
during her two "trips" to the Gates...
	"Ranko-chan..." Phaeron managed to get his attention away 
from the Ageless One and place it on her.
	"I feel your pain," the Ageless One sighed, "You're very 
deeply hurt for what is going to happen. But you must remember, 
anger is no answer. You can't run away from things like death." 
The Ageless One's eyes closed, "Death is but a normal event in 
everyone's lifetime. There is nobody that can escape it, it can 
only be delayed."
	"But why must this happen now?" Phaeron asked.
	"You can find the answer yourself. It was your desire to 
sacrifice your own life, first to save your friends, then to 
save her," the Ageless One pointed at Ranko.
	"But I didn't _want_ to die like that," he objected.
	"Does anyone truly choose how to die?" the Ageless One 
shifted the weight on the cane. "What you did at Star-Peak and 
the Gates was merely a choice of paths. Eventually, everyone 
meets the same destiny." There was a pause. "But you shouldn't 
fear death. You already know that death is but a simple passage, 
a way to advance." The Ageless One turned to Ranko, "You know 
how you felt at the Gates. It just shows how strong-willed you 
are by the way you deprived yourself of the reward that 
awaited you."
	She blushed at the compliment, "I just... wanted to be with 
my friends a little longer... I didn't want them to worry about 
me."
	The Ageless One smiled at her. She felt an undescribable 
joy at seeing the smile. "Then that's it?" The Ageless One turned 
to Phaeron, "Do you want to stay alive for your friends, in 
spite of knowing what awaits you?"
	"N-not exactly..." Phaeron fiddled, turning mild red, "It's 
just that I..." he slowly glanced at the redhead, "I never could..." 
he closed his eyes, hoping that the Ageless One could hear his 
thoughts, "I just want to say it at least once before I die!"
	And his thoughts were heard, the Ageless One nodded at his 
reply. "You are very strong, but you need to get over your 
uncertainty. Believe in yourself, Phaeron of Fenix. You could be 
surprised by what you discover."
	He nodded meekly, sending another timid glance towards 
Ranko. Noticing, she looked away and turned a very slight red. 
The Ageless One smiled at them again, then turned to her.
	"You're strong as well, little one. But recently your hope 
has shaken. Why?"
	"I just don't want him to die," she replied, regaining her 
strong will, "That's why I want to find a way to stop it." She 
shook her head, "But if the Caller won't work, how can I do it?"
	"The Caller doesn't have power over life and death," the 
Ageless One replied.
	"But isn't there another way?"
	"Ranko-chan..." Phaeron turned to her.
	"Yes, but you already heard them," the Ageless One sighed, 
"But you musn't sacrifice your soul."
	"What!?" the others gasped.
	"And what about Dysithal?" Ranko questioned.
	"Yes... What _about_ Dysithal???" a dreaded voice came from 
beyond the Ageless One. The foursome immediately reared back to 
a fighting stance, recognizing the demon's voice at once. Slowly, 
the nine pillars of light, portals to other worlds and other 
eras, danced around to fuse in a single beam of bluish light. 
Then the light took on a human, winged shape, the light becoming 
a darkness of purple. Smirking as he strode forward, Dysithal 
clasped his Makaze, coming out of the portals at the End of 
Time.
	The Ageless One sighed sadly at Dysithal. He had been so 
powerful an angel...
	The moment Dysithal saw the Ageless One, his eyes widened 
and his body shook wildly in nervousness. He nearly dropped his 
black sword. Rebellious, he tried to scowl at the Ageless One 
and spoke, "So, _you're_ here also... But not even you can stop 
me from achieving my goals."
	The Ageless One said nothing.
	Shuddering in the awesome presence, Dysithal pried his 
thoughts off the figure and scowled fiercely at the group. "So, 
here you are... Don't you care for your friends or family?"
	"What?" Akane stared at him.
	"What did you do to them, monster!?" Ranko yelled.
	Dysithal narrowed his eyes, "You'll find out... sister."
	Everyone stopped breathing, as the full message of the 
words reached their minds. It was impossible! He couldn't be...!
	"Why not ask little Cordis, if you don't believe me?" 
Dysithal mocked. "Go on, summon her. You'll find out..." he smirked 
evilly.
	"It can't be..." Phaeron gasped.
	"Even if it's true," Raphael scowled at his former master, 
"How could you harm someone who's family?"
	Dysithal stopped smirking. "She never told you, did she?"
	"Tell us what?" Akane asked, shaking Ranko out of her 
shock.
	"I knew it... Pax kept it as a secret from you... Keep the 
black sheep in the dark, so to speak..." Brandishing his sword, 
Dysithal said, "Haven't you wondered who I am? Why I'm fighting 
you?" he smirked again, "Haven't you wondered who has caused 
every single hardship all of you have faced...?"

			*	*	*

	Another land, another time...
	The barbarians stared agape at the two winged beings 
above them, one smaller than the other. Smirking, one of them 
aimed at the younger angel.
	"Agh!"
	"Co--" Pax tried to say as she saw her daughter's wings 
being skewered by the deadly arrows. 
	"M-mother..." the angel tried, "G-get outta here..."
	"My daughter!" Pax attempted to transform, but she was 
still too weak.
	"Lumen!" the daughter bellowed.

			*	*	*

	"We've already heard this..." Phaeron glared at Dysithal, 
preparing for the battle.
	Dysithal snorted, "I assume Pax never told you what 
happened after that, did she?"

			*	*	*

	Cordis watched silently as the female half of the Lumen 
Gladius sped away to the East, taking her mother with her. But 
she couldn't watch on, the rest of her body was being viciously 
assaulted by the barbarians' arrows. In a final effort, she 
joined her palms and began to pray. But suddenly she stopped, 
feeling a deathly-cold shaft penetrate her chest and skewer her 
heart.
	"I got it!" the barbarian cheered.
	An angel's limp body dropped to the ground, crashing 
through the trees' foliage. With a thud, Cordis' still shape hit 
the grass, the impact thrust the arrow all the way through her. 
Hesitant at first, the barbarians approached her.
	"You..." one of them stared in shock.
	"You monster!" another one bellowed, darting his hands for 
the murderer and strangling him, "This is probably a daughter of 
the gods! We'll be punished for sure!"
	"Ugh!" the man who had fired the arrow grunted, then kneed 
the other in the gut, freeing himself, "This is not the god's 
daughter! Gods don't die like this!"
	"Unhh..." Cordis began to stir.
	"But look at her! We'll be lucky if the gods don't cast a 
curse on us!"
	"C-Curse..." Cordis' lips mumbled.
	"Curse?! We'll DIE!"
	"Die..." her lips moved again.
	"No, don't..." Cordis thought.
	"DIE..." her body would not obey.
	"No!" Cordis' soul fought with itself.
	"DIE!!"
	"AAAAGH!" the barbarians covered their eyes as an 
incredible golden light emanated from Cordis' body. Suddenly, a 
trasluscent angel was detached from her body, Cordis' spirit was 
cast away from its material host. She could only stare in shock 
as her body stood.
	And it scowled at the barbarians.
	"You hurt me..." it hissed, pointing at them. "You hurt ME!"
	Cordis gasped. When Delat used his incantation to open the 
portal to the Light, he had been halfway correct: all angels have 
an opposing demon. And Cordis' demon had arrived.
	"Feel your greatest fear!" the demon bellowed. It lifted its 
arms. Suddenly, the young girl's shape turned to a man's, tall 
and pale-skinned. The white gown Cordis had worn became a black 
tunic, even the demon's eyes became as dark as his soul.
	"You've awakened me... You fools... For let those who oppose 
me be cast into the Shadows! I won't ever die!! Let the heavens 
cry and the pits roar, for I am Debilitatis Cor!!!"
	"You were right..." was all that the barbarian could say as 
his throat was cleaved by a razor-sharp wing. The others, 
terrified, tried to escape, but Debilitatis Cor simply appeared 
before them, then grabbed their heads and literally crushed them 
against each other.
	"Freedom!" the monster shouted, lifting his bloodied hands, 
"At last! After eons of imprisonment, Debilitatis Cor is FREE!"
	"Not if I can help it!" Cordis' glowing spirit flew towards 
him, creating a blade of Light in her hands. Before the demon 
could react, she slashed down and then sideways, marking a holy 
cross on his forehead. She knew that he would be cast back to 
the Shadows thanks to that mark.
	But this time she was wrong. Debilitatis Cor put his hand 
on his forehead, staring at the blood that flowed from it. He 
scowled at Cordis. "Little pest... You've been so foolish!" he 
slashed at her with his hand, but her ethereal shape let the 
hand phase right through her. "You tried to imprison me... Now 
you'll be punished!" he aimed his head towards her. Suddenly the 
cross on his forehead began to glow green.
	"Kyaaaa!" Cordis writhed in pain as a green beam joined her 
head to the demon's.
	"I can see your fears, little rat!" Debilitatis Cor smirked, 
"Yesss... Fear... Such glorious FEAR!"
	"Get away!" Cordis took a swipe at him, placing her ghostly 
hand on his shoulder. Suddenly the demon was burned to the bone 
by her purity, he relaxed the beam and released her. Cordis 
quickly flew around him before he could recover, then created a 
golden whirlwind that crushed his body into the ground.
	"Run... if you can... stupid angel... But I swear this! I will 
ALWAYS follow you! You won't ever escape from me! And when I 
find you... You will DIE!"
	"That's what you think!" she aimed her hand at him, 
releasing a blast that could flatten a city. The demon was 
pushed into the ground, buried beneath hundreds of miles of 
earth. Exhausted, Cordis slumped down.
	Although she was already six hundred years old, the angel 
was still a little girl. Realizing fully what had just happened, 
she sat on a tree branch and cried silently. She had been 
brought to Earth, her mother was missing, her demon had 
awakened... And to top it off, the demon had possessed and 
disfigured her body. She whimpered, with that Debilitatis Cor in 
physical shape, she would never be able to get her own body 
again. She was doomed to an eternity of roaming as a ghost.
	But she was Cordis Fortitudo Angelum Femina. She would 
never let herself break down, even with all of this. And she had 
to find her mother--
	"Huh?" Cordis looked up, feeling a light of gold cover her. 
"Ah! No, wait!" she tried as the Light recalled her spirit, "Wait! I 
got to find my mother! WAIT!"
	Using the last bits of strength she had left, she joined 
her hands in prayer. Suddenly a bright ball of light detached 
from her. As Cordis disappeared, gone back to the Light, her 
essence travelled onwards, to the East.
	"I have to find her..." the bit of Cordis' soul thought.

			*	*	*

	"So that's it..." Raphael thought. "That's why he's been after 
her!"
	"And I did follow," Dysithal snickered, "Right, 'Coldfire'?"

			*	*	*

	Things were quiet in the small town, a few miles away from 
Jerusalem. It was the year 493, although nobody had designed a 
reliable calendar yet.
	"Father, mother..." a young man, about thirteen, thought, 
looking up from herding the goats. "I've taken care of everything 
since you passed away... But since Raphael died, it's hard to look 
over our farm..."

	Things were NOT quiet inside the sail barge, a few miles 
away from the Chinese coast. It was night, and the storm 
threatened to sink the ship.
	"Father... mother..." two girls thought with a sob, huddled 
against the corner of the ship. There was nothing for them back 
in Japan. There was nothing to miss, nobody that missed them.

	"Hey, Lael!" another boy, barely twelve, reached him, "Take 
a break! I'll take over from here."
	"Thanks," Lael replied, going back to his humble hut.

	"Pandi-chan!" one of the twelve year-olds clung to her twin 
sister, trying to keep her from drowning now that the hull had 
been demolished and the ship began to sink.
	"Zhaodi..." an angelical voice called.
	"EH?!" she looked up.

	"Heh heh..."
	"Who's there?" Lael said, looking around. "I must be crazy... 
I thought I heard my brother's voice..."

	"AGH!" came the cry of a tortured soul.
	"Don't struggle against me, boy!" the demon played with the 
soul of Raphael, twin brother of Lael, "I can see your fears... 
You were always afraid of hurting your brother... Now let's see 
you do it! Raphael, take on your new name... Coldfire!"
	Rapahel's conscience was suddenly overcome by a great 
malignant essence. Losing all his will, Raphael took on his new 
name... And in turn, took over his brother's body.
	"Gyaaaaaah!" Lael writhed in tremendous pain as he felt an 
overwhelming evil possess him.
	"It is complete," Debilitatis Cor thought. "Now let my 
Coldfire destroy those girls, and Cordis with them!"

			*	*	*

	"N-no... Impossible..." Phaeron slowly turned to Raphael.
	"I said it once and I'll say it again, you never understood 
me," Raphael turned to his twin.
	"You really are..."
	"There's no time for that now, birdy," Raphael turned back 
to Dysithal, "Right now, we've got a demon to defeat!"
	"So he's been the one who put every obstacle in our 
lives?" Akane thought, reaching into Hammerspace to summon 
Mjollnir.
	"If we beat him, we can save Phaeron-kun!" Ranko recalled, 
flaring her aura.
	"Debilitatis Cor... Dysithal..." the demon snickered, "Same 
thing, different langages. But can you truly defeat me, little 
girl, when it is YOU who makes me stronger?"
	"What?" the group stared at him.
	Dysithal smirked, "I can see your fears, girl... I feel them, 
taste them... I am... the FEAR!"
	Suddenly the entire structure at the End of Time 
shuddered, cracking under Dysithal's influence. The foursome 
tried to keep their balance, although the Ageless One remained 
unmoving, silent.
	"I challenge you, so-called Brindel Warriors of Light! Come, 
into the embrace of darkness! Feel the cold of true Fear!"
	Lightning cracked the void of the End of Time.
	The Ageless One sighed sadly.
	The group backed up to attack.
	"Ranko-chan..." Phaeron thought, turning to her. "Just as 
her Guardian is 'Strength of Heart,' her demon is 'Heart of 
Weakness'..." he clenched his fists, regretting having left his 
staff in Epoch.
	"A demon that feeds off from fear..." Raphael thought.
	"He feeds of from Ranko-chan's _own_ fear..." Akane turned 
to her.
	The redhead said and thought nothing. She just looked 
towards Dysithal, feeling him press against her soul. No wonder 
she had been physically hurt when she first heard his name, and 
worse when she felt his presence. With the bit of her angelical 
sister's soul inside her, Dysithal had access to her deepest 
fears.
	"You demon..." she muttered, slowly edging toward Phaeron. 
Noticing, he also came near her, as if ready to defend from the 
demon's attack.
	"Well, I'm waiting!" Dysithal mocked, trying to hide that he 
couldn't make the first attack if the Ageless One was watching.
	"Phaeron-kun..." Ranko sent him a glance.
	"Ranko-chan..." he suddenly understood what she was 
thinking.
	Both held hands.
	The Ageless One smiled.
	Phaeron and Ranko turned away, ignoring Dysithal 
_completely_.
	"Let's go back, 'kay?" she said, smiling, "the others are 
probably worried."
	"Eh?" Raphael and Akane blinked in confusion.
	"You think you can escape me!?" Dysithal bellowed in anger. 
He aimed his hand at them, but the Ageless One's presence didn't 
let him fire off a single shot. Snorting, he drew his sword and--
	"AAGH!" he dropped to his knees, suddenly weakened. Ranko 
didn't even turn to see him.
	"You said you were awakened by my fear," she said, "But if 
there's nothing to be afraid of, then what does that say for 
you?" she smiled, letting a sigh escape her mouth.
	"Ranko-chan?" Phaeron blinked at her.
	"Phaeron-kun, we'll talk later, okay?" she flashed him a 
bright smile. "Let's go home."
	"Damn you..." Dysithal scowled at them, seeing the foursome 
begin to walk away.
	"Let them go," the Ageless One commanded, giving Dysithal 
just enough energy to stand up.
	"Very well..." the demon stood, then turned to the Ageless 
One again, "But I still have my free will, no matter who you are. 
You won't stop me. Soon, I shall have my prey..." he smirked as 
he vanished into the pillars of light.
	The Ageless One shook his head, smiling, "No, child. I'm 
afraid you won't ever bring them harm again."

			*	*	*

	The foursome descended the staircase, silently boarding 
Epoch. Raphael set the date again, the ship responded to the 
commands as if nothing had happened. Phaeron sat at the pilot's 
seat again, with Akane and Ranko in the back.
	"Just a suggestion," the Ageless One suddenly appeared, 
sitting between the girls, "Don't use this machine when you have 
more than three people in it. It could cause slight disturbances 
in the Time River."
	"We'll keep that in mind," Raphael smirked.
	"Are you sure there's not another way?" Ranko asked.
	The Ageless One took her hand. She felt as if she were in 
Heaven. "You'll know in time, little one." The Ageless One smiled, 
then stood up and petted her head. Almost reflexively, she 
closed her eyes and sighed deeply, pushing her head upwards to 
enjoy the touch. The Ageless One snickered.
	"Praying _always_ helps, child," the Ageless One said before 
vanishing, suddenly appearing atop the staircase. The troop 
waved goodbye, but suddenly the Ageless One began to glow. The 
structure at the End of Time shimmered as the Ageless One 
waved.
	"W-Wait a sec..." Phaeron stammered. "That guy... how did he 
know who we were? And how did he manage to stop Dysithal?!"
	"You don't think he was..." Ranko's eyes widened.
	"Oh, my God..." Akane could say nothing more.
	"Exactly," Raphael said absently, his mind reeling.
	But as the End of Time vanished, Epoch was automatically 
sent back in time.



Of course, you can tell that the Ageless One is NOT an original
character... ;-)

The TerBril
(who will finally be close to posting the Fifth Test!)