Strago looked out across the field and saw Relm with her canvas and paints. Standing in front of her was her subject, Interceptor, who was standing perfectly still. After magic left the world Relm no longer had the power to bring her artistic creations to life, but her artistic skill was unsurpased by anyone in the world. Strago noticed how well trained the dog was and yet he wondered about something, something he didn't want to remeber. The dog seemed so familiar; and so was his mysterous master Shadow, who disappeared escaping Kefka's Tower. Shadow was the most myserious person he had ever met in his life; he never said anything about his past and yet he seemed so familiar. Strago remembered that on some nights, when they all went to bed at a inn, Shadow would mutter mysterious words in his sleep. Sometimes he would say the name Baram over and over, sometimes he would say somthing about one million gold pieces, sometimes he would mutter the name Thamasa and sometimes he would say "I didn't want to leave you but I had no choice." Strago never wondered about these things. Every time he did he could not stop thinking about the past, the past he wanted to forget. Yet every time he thought about the mysterious Shadow he could only think about one thing: Clyde.

Strago looked at Relm so quietly painting. She deserved to know her past, but yet she was so happy. She deserved to be just a normal little girl. Strago started to think about something else; he wanted to leave the past behind him.

Relm. You are the only...."

Strago was awakened from his sleep by sound of a large group of people outside. He got up and threw open the shutters. He saw, illuminated in the pale moonlight, large group of townspeople staring at the horizon. "What's going on?" shouted Strago.

"Look at the light!" answered a townperson. Strago looked out the ahead and saw a bright, red light. Strago started to break out a in cold sweat. He wasn't sure where it was coming from, but he knew something was wrong, very wrong. Strago knew that he needed to contact his friends the next day. He felt throughout his body that something, something very evil was responsible for the light.

"Setzer... he could help me!" Strago took the bird into his house, being extra quiet so as not to wake up Relm or Interceptor. He quickly wrote a note explaining about the mysterious red light and asking Setzer to find any other of their friends and to come via airship to Thamasa as soon as possible. He attached the note to the bird and told it to return to its master. He watched as it flew toward the rising sun.

"I can't believe it! I just can't believe it! I read this thing a hundred times and still can't believe that there is a chance magic may return." muttered the old man. Even though he tried to contact Setzer it seems that he never got his message. "I must tell someone! I must do something!... Blasted rain!"

"Hey Grandpa! What's going on?" Relm said as she came down the stairs. As she got a look at the window she started to whine. "Awwww, is it STILL raining?"

"It's been raining like this for two days. Why sould it stop now?" replied Strago. "Come on, I'll fix you lunch!" As Strago and Relm went to the kitchen, Strago couldn't help wondering what happened to his friends.

"Grandpa, what is on your mind?" Strago was suprised; he hadn't even noticed Relm. "Gramps, you have been moping around for the last three days. Tell me what is going on."

"GRAMPS!... Never mind, Relm. Listen, this is very important. I didn't want you involved in this but it looks like I have no choice. I am too old and I am going to probably need some help."

"Yes, another adventure!" cheered Relm.

Strago sternly replied, "Listen, this is serious! You know the red light that has been appearing at night? I have been reading up on it. Before the war of the Magi magic was devided into three groups. White: healing and defence, Black: attack and combat, and Red: a balnce between the two. Each statue controlled one group of magic: Goddess controlled white, Doom controlled black, and Poltergeist controlled red. After the first war of the Magi, the three forms became one known just as 'magic'."

Strago continued, "It seems that a small group of magic has remained. After Kefka's defeat, magic seemed to disappear, but a bit of red magic seems to still exist. Now when Kefka drained the Statues' powers, he in effect became magic. Even if a bit of magic remains, there is a chance that magic can be fully revived. If magic completely returns, Kefka will surely return. We must completely destroy magic. The world is just recovering. If Kefka returns now, there will be no hope. Relm, we must contact our friends somehow. The fate of the world rests in our hands!"

Lile saw a nearby inn and decided he was tired. He was still wondering why Locke wasn't with him. Lile strolled towards the inn and entered. Inside was an old man who didn't look cheerful. Lile looked up and asked, "Is this place named Baron?" The innkeeper looked down and quietly murmured to himself, "Oh no, another dweeb." He then raised his voice and answered, "No, this town is named Thamasa."

"Thamasa? Hey, I'm supposed to be in Baron. That teleporter tricked me... great, tricked by a teleporter." The innkeeper was confused by Lile's response.

"How much is it to stay for a night?" questioned a tired Lile.

"Since you're not a local, that'll be 2000 GPs a night."

"2000 GPs a night? I don't have that, but I have a piece of bread in my bag." The innkeeper murmured quietly to himself again, "He's poor, a midget with long feet, and a dweeb." He then spoke up again. "If you don't have 2000 GPs, I'm sorry. Let's see what you have in that bag of yours. If I like it, I'll let you sleep in the stable out in the back."

Before opening the bag, Lile requested, "Ok, you can have anything in there except for my friend, Undine," and then proceeded to open the bag.

The innkeeper felt a rush of magic from the blue little creature within the bag. He knew what magic was, for he used to possess magic before Kefka and the statues had perished. But how could it be? Magic? The innkeeper, wishing for the Sprite to stay until the elder could examine the creature, said, "Uhhh, I change my mind. You can stay here in the inn for 1 GP a night."

"But I don't have that either. I have a piece of bread if you want."

Without delay, the innkeeper responded, "Deal, I'll take your bread."

So Lile opened the door to the room, slipped into a bed and slept heartily.

The innkeeper replied, "Just a dweeb. Just look at his feet - we ought to call him big-foot. Put together, his shoes are taller than he is."

Akfek walked closer and felt something strange - he could feel something coming from the bag sitting next to the creature's bed. As he approached the bag, the creature woke up.

"Yawwwwwnnnn. I'm tired. Hey, you stranger - what're you doin' so close to my bag?"

Akfek, not wishing to arouse his suspicion, quickly answered, "Oh, little one. I just dropped a coin by your bag and I was going to retrieve it."

The Sprite looked at him in a puzzled way. "I don't see a coin. Mister, you sure your eyesight is okay?"

"Oh, why of course. I picked it up before you awoke."

The Sprite looked at his hands and noticed there wasn't a single coin in them. "Hey, wise guy, you tryin' to trick me?"

Akfek smiled and said, "No, of course not. It's in my pocket right now. Would you like to check?"

The Sprite dug his hands into Akfek's pockets and withdrew 5 GPs. Sure enough, the Sprite believed everything said by the stranger.

"Keep it, young one. It's a token I'll pay you for disturbing your sleep."

"Thanks, wise guy. I think I'll go get something to eat."

The innkeeper looked over, but did not understand what all the commotion was. "Hey, you, the one with the extra large feet."

The Sprite looked over and answered, "Who, me?"

"Yes you! Our village elder would like to talk to you. I'll let you stay another night if you go and have a chat with him."

The Sprite paused, thought about this request, and quickly responded, "Sure. You gotta feed me too. And no veggies - I want all meat. Put a soup on that too. Oh, and a pie and a..."

The innkeeper interrupted him. "Yeah, yeah, just do as I say."

The Sprite smiled and said, "Deal. I'm going over now," and he left the inn.

Akfek walked briskly over to Sascha who was partially surprised at Akfek's gesture. "Sascha, stay here. I'll be back very soon."

Sascha, who was used to Akfek's erratic behavior, replied, "Sure."

Akfek left the inn and saw the Sprite enter a house nearby. Then Akfek rushed behind the house, pressed his ear against the door, and listened.

"Greetings, my little friend. I'm expecting you. May I see what mischievious things you have in your bag there?"

"You wanta look at my friend? Its name is Undine. It's pretty shy though. Who's that other guy sitting with you with the funny looking face?"

The village elder laughed a cheerful laugh. "He's just a friend of mine. No need to worry." The elder opened the bag and saw a blue creature within it, sleeping peacefully. He then spoke to his aged companion. "Do you feel it? The magical force around it is incredible. This creature is a pure source of magic." "I don't understand," remarked the aged companion. "I thought all magic had disappeared after the final battle."

The elder looked over at the Sprite again. "Where are you from, my little friend?"

The Sprite twirled his eyes and responded in a sarcastic tone, "I don't know where I'm from. When I woke up, I was lying on a rock and Undine was right near me. Before that, I don't remember."

"Is it possible you aren't from this world?" questioned the baffled elder.

"I guess. The average person around here has small feet and is twice my height. I'm still searching for answers to my past. Do you know anything about my past?"

The elder laughed again. "Oh no. If I do, I'll inform you right away. Do you have any more friends that look like Undine?"

"Not that I know of," the Sprite answered. "Maybe I should ask Undine."

The Sprite lightly knocked on the elemental's head. "Hey, Undine. Wake up. Nobody is allowed to sleep longer than me!"

The elemental opened its eyes and looked at those who surrounded it. "It's getting hot in here. Why did you wake me up, Lile?"

"Just had a question. Are there any more weird looking elementals here? I mean, where's your family?"

The elemental yawned and replied, "I don't know where they are. You mean there are others that look like me? Lile, I think I've lost my memory too."

"What help you gave us! Now go back to sleep," uttered the disgusted Sprite.

The village elder glanced over to his aged friend again. "There is a strong possibility others like Undine have come to this world."

The aged companion thought and agreed. "Perhaps there are others like Undine. I've heard rumors about magic surfacing again through Magitek Armor. If there are others like this creature, that would explain why the Magitek Armor posesses magic again."

The elder meditated and replied, "I've also heard rumors of a 'strange- looking magical creature' sighted in the forest west of Thamasa. Could it be possible? Could this 'magical creature' be a relative of Undine?"

Akfek lifted his ear from the door and contemplated, "Magic? I thought I sensed something extraordinary originating from that bag. Perhaps I should steal that bag? No, that would arouse suspicion of my actions and that young little fellow appears like a formidable fighter. I shall come after this creature called an 'elemental' later. Now, I will head to the forest west of here and search for the other magical creature."

Akfek entered the inn where he saw Sascha scrounging through her bag. Afkek walked up to her and quietly said, "Sascha, we must leave immediately."

"Where are we going?"

"Do not ask. You will know soon." Akfek's eyes glared. Within his mind, he was repeating, "I shall soon exceed my brother's abilities..."

Relm started to say, "But Grandpa..."

Strago interrupted, saying, "Look at this book I found. It's called 'All About Chocobos'. It talks about a rare breed called the 'black chocobo'. This breed can fly long distances. It's a long shot but there might be some in the forest south of town. It's our only hope. We must leave now!"

"All right!" shouted Relm. "Another adventure! Let's go Gramps. Uh, I mean Grandpa". Relm bolted out the door.

"Relm! Wait up... I am not as young as I used to be." Strago went out following after Relm. What he saw stopped him in his tracks. "What is that?" shouted Strago in shock. Standing before him was a small child-like creature, the likes of which he had never seen before. Relm stood beside him looking very surprised.

"Sure, Mr. Village Elder. I'm going, going, gone! I'll be back before you can blink your eyes! Can you blink them?" Upon saying this, Lile left the elder's house.

As he was walking from the elder's house, a little girl ran into him. "Hey, what's your problem, weird looking maniac with the extra large feet?" questioned the girl.

Lile cried out loud, "Owwwww, you're stepping on my feet!"

"Whoops, sorry about that."

Lile lifted his foot and felt it for any injuries. "And I thought girls were good dancers! Wow, I'd never want to dance with you!" remarked Lile.

Upon that moment, an old man wearing a red cape with a white beard came stumbling out of a house. "Relm, what are you doing? And who is your friend?"

"He's not my friend, Grandpa. Have you ever seen anything like him?"

"No, I don't think so. What is your name, my young little friend?"

Lile looked at the two and chuckled. "This is sure a weird town. Everybody is either really young or really old! My name is Lile! What's yours?"

The old man grinned and replied, "My name is Strago and this is my granddaughter Relm. Where are you off to?"

"The village elder asked me to go around the world and look for creatures that are magical, so I'm going right now..."