"Okay, it seems like your elemental magic might come in handy. The problem is that you are the only one who could use it. Relm and I was planning to go to the south forest to search for some flying black chocobos; they are the ticket out of here."

"All right. Let's go Gramps!" Strago pretended he didn't hear it. He didn't want to get her involved in this, but she was the only other person in this town with adventuring experience, and Strago knew that if he did leave her behind she would follow anyways.

"Let's go, everyone. We have to stop whoever is trying to restore the magic of the Statues." The group of three headed south of town and started for the southern forest.

It was about a day's trip; although Relm and Lile seemed in good shape, Strago was not young anymore and even such a short trip tired him out. He thought back to the days of his youth where he explored distant lands wandering for days at a time with only his magic to protect him. Now, without magic, Strago would have no chance by himself.

It took about three hours of searching through the dense forest, but finally they found what they were looking for: a small clearing with pack of six black chocobos, which looked like normal chocobos save for their dark feathers and larger wings. "All right! Let's go!" said Strago.

"Sure, gramps," responded the young little Sprite.

"Hey, I'm not your grandpa! There's youth within me still! Stop calling me that!" screeched Strago.

"Sure, gramps!"

"Okay, everybody, let's get on the chocobo," requested the aged Strago.

As the group was ready to mount the chocobo, a guard ran out of the forest and drew his sword. "Before you leave, be sure to leave your money with me. Otherwise, I'll use my 'critical' attack and slice you up into 50 different pieces." Lile withdrew his spear but Strago and Relm were half helpless - without magic, they were not an even match for the guard.

"Hey tin man, you don't scare me! I'll cream you and then sell your armor as scrap metal to the blacksmith!" threatened the young Sprite.

Strago wished he had magic - "Oh, if I could use magic, this guard would be nothing but a pest," thought the aged man. At that moment, Strago felt the urge to try to cast something, even if it was a hopeless cause.

"Grandpa, are you trying to cast magic? Try an ice spell," affirmed his young grand-daughter. Strago did not understand his granddaughter's intentions but he tried as she said.

The old man, although old, was still full of youth and he chanted the words to the ice spell as if he was back to his younger days. "Ah, off with this! Prepare for battle!" screamed the guard. In that instant, Strago felt the magic run through him and a stream of ice ran up the guard. The guard, injured, fled into the forest like a helpless animal.

"I...I...I don't understand. Why did that work?" Lile, whose memory had not recovered yet, didn't understand what had transpired. Unfortunately, problem solving wasn't one of his strengths either.

Relm, who had figured it out, answered, "It's easy, grandpa. Undine is the elemental of water. When you were casting that spell, Undine was channelling magic to you. It enabled you to cast that ice spell."

"But I thought only Lile could use magic from Undine."

"Whazzz this?" Lile opened his sac, where his little elemental friend was sleeping again. "Wake up, Undine! The way you sleep, you ought to bring a portable bed with you!"

Undine yawned looked at all those who surrounded her. "What now, Lile?"

"Did you just give my friend here magical abilities?"

The little elemental blinked her eyes. "I don't know. I was sleeping."

"Wow, that sure helped us! Go back to sleep." And with that, Lile closed his bag again.

"Grandpa, try casting another ice spell," Relm suggested.

Strago chanted the words but this time, nothing happened. He tried again but again nothing happend. "This is confusing me. An old man can't take this abuse."

Relm looked at Strago and chuckled. "It's probably not working because there is a slight difference between Undine's magic and the magic we were used to. Maybe if you keep practicing, it'll work later."

"You're getting smarter by the day, Relm. My granddaughter is worthy to succeed me! Okay, let's go back to Thamasa." With that, the trio mounted the black Chocobo and left for Thamasa.

* - * - *

The town meeting had been on for an hour or so. "Has anybody else heard of rumors about these elementals?" asked the village elder.

One of the townspeople put up his hand and replied, "I'm just back from Albrook. There's a rumor there about a 'fiery creature' roaming around Phoenix Cave. Could that be one of these elemental things?"

"Me, Relm and Lile will go there and check it out," Strago said.

"We'll be waiting to hear from you, Strago. Be careful - Phoenix Cave is still dangerous - and watch for those spikes!" said the worried town elder.

Strago, replied with a sarcastic tone, "Yes, yes, I know. I've been there before. Sheesh, you're aging faster than I am!" The trio mounted the black chocobo and departed for Phoenix Cave.

Because of its small size the chocobo could fly right down to the cave's entrance, unlike having to slide down ropes like they did from the airship. At the entrance Strago asked Lile, "You think Undine could give us some power before we go on?"

The sprite opened his bag and after a short, muffled conversation Lile said, "Hold still." Both Strago and Relm glowed light blew for half a second.

Strago said, "We seem to have enough power to cast Ice1 about six times. We have to be careful."

The party steped into the cave and right at the entrace was a giant floating head. "Phase!" shouted Strago. "I thought they would have disappeared after magic left." The monster started to glow. "Watch out!" shouted Strago as 1000 needles barely missed him. All of a sudden Strago yelled, "I remember! I remember Blow Fish!"

"Blow Fish!" shouted the old mage. 1000 needles came forth from his hands and hit the Phase. "Freeze!" shouted the Sprite; a shower of Ice hit the Phase. The Phase dropped dead.

"Lile! How did you do that spell? It was as strong as Ice3!" asked Strago.

"Uh, I don't remember. It must've been Undine," said Lile.

"Grandpa! How did you do Blow Fish? I thought you lost the power after the defeat of Kefka," Relm asked.

"Relm," replied Strago, "as soon as I saw Phase cast that spell the knowledge seemed to return to me. We need to find the Elemental; perhaps it can tell us what is going on. We need to split into two groups. Relm, go with Lile. Relm has been through this cave before; she can help you make your way through. Be prepared for anything!"

As Strago, Relm, and Lile made their way through the the Phoenix Cave they noticed that, save for the Phase at the entrance, it was completely empty of monsters. The only problem was getting by the spikes which was easily accomplished by having a person stand on a switch and having the person walk by and so on and so on. Because both Strago and Relm had explored this cave before, it wasn't long until they found the place where they had seen Locke find the Phoenix Esper. "Empty," said Relm "We been on a wild goose chase."

As soon as the words left her mouth, a fiery red glowing form appeared before them. From it a voice came forth saying, "I am Salamando, the elemental of Fire. Why have you come to seek me?"

"Wait, young sprite," replied Salamando. "You will receive my power, but first listen to what I have to say.".

Undine flew out of the bag and said, "Hey Salamando, long time no see."

"Oh. I did not know you are with them. They must be the ones. Listen carefully for what I have to say. Undine, myself, and you, Lile, come from a different world. Undine and I are elementals of Mana."

"Mana? The force that keeps the world in balance?" asked Strago.

"Yes," replied Salamando. "The world that we came from and this world are both kept in balance by Mana. Many years ago, on our world, an ancient civilization used Mana power to create a mighty weapon: the Mana Fortress. This angered the gods, who sent the Mana Beast to destroy it. The fortress was sealed underground and the world was safe. Many years later, though, Thanatos the Dark Lich reactivated the Fortress; the Mana Beast came to destroy it but the beast's rage was uncontrollable. The Mana Beast was the most the powerful being in the world, and it had to be stopped. A young boy with only two friends--one of them was a sprite like you, Lile--destroyed Thantos, the Mana beast and the Fortress."

"But why are you elementals in our world?" asked Relm.

Salamando said, "We were called to this world to help restore its Mana power. Lile, you are a creature of Mana; you can use are powers fully. You were sent here to also help restore this world's Mana. You must find the other elemenatals; they will be able to tell more of what is happening. Now receive the power of FIRE." Lile, Strago and Relm were envloped in a fiery glow.

Salamando saw the confusion on Strago's face. "But I thought magic had disappeared after the statues and Kefka died?" asked Strago.

"Do not be confused over our magical abilities and those that once existed in this world. When Kefka and the statues perished, magic disappeared with them. But I come from a different world. My magic is not dependent upon the magic that once ruled this world; my magic is independent of the statues. Just like the statues, we elementals are a pure source of magic."

"But if elementals are a pure source of magic, doesn't that mean magic can be restored in this world?" questioned Strago.

"Yes, you are correct. We are the remaining remnants of mana, which is a strong force but is nonexistant in this world. Although we are a source of magic, those who have evil intentions may also use our magic as well as those who are lawful."

"Do you know about my past then?" asked Lile.

"I know little about you except that you are a descendant of the tribe of Sprites. Your ancestor was involved in the final battle in the land of mana."

The little Sprite, who knew this was an excellent opportunity to discover information about his hidden past, proceeded with another question. "What else do you know about me, then?"

"Unfortunately, I do not remember everything. Ever since I entered this world, my memory has been receding and only parts of my memory remain. I do know I came here with you, Lile, although I don't recall in which manner we arrived here. Perhaps you should seek the other elementals' memories."

"I have another friend who is like you but she doesn't remember anything at all. It must be a coincidence that both of you are losing your memories!" replied Lile.

Salamando looked at Lile's bag. "I noticed the magical force surrounding that bag when you arrived. It is my old companion Undine. I do not think it is a coincidence we are losing our memories. Perhaps we are being affected because we are not natural entities from this world. Nevertheless, there are others like us. Take caution, though. The people in this world may use our powers. If our powers are used improperly, devastation may strike this world once again."

Relm, who was listening quietly all along, decided to speak up. "Grandpa, I think we should find the other elementals before they are found by somebody with hideous intentions. We should return to Thamasa. The elder may have more information about the other elementals."

An expression of uneasiness began to surround Salamando's face. "If the other elementals are found, there would be an imbalance in power. You may need my future assistance. Do you have any objections if I join you?"

Strago thought about this and quickly acknowledged, "We need all the help we can get. Sure, hop along and join the Strago Express."

"Thank you. My powers may be beneficial to you one day," answered Salamando.

"I think this is where the adventure begins," contemplated Strago. "Ahhh, I feel young again!"

"Where to now?" asked Strago.

Salamando answered "I sense a strong magical power. Follow me on one of thoses bird-creatures I will lead you there.

Strago, Relm, and Lile boarded the Chocobo while Undine floated behind them and Salamando floated in front of them leading the way. Salamando lead them to a mountain known to Strago and Relm as Mt. Zozo. "In that mountain I sense a high concentation of wind magic, Sylphid the wind elemental must be there!"

"We can't enter the montain directly. We have to go through the town of Zozo." shouted Strago, who was shouting to make himself heard over the high wind.

The chocobo landed on the outskirts of town. Before them was a sight that no one could believe. "My God, what happened here?" said Strago, astonished.

"Zozo was always a mess but it was never this bad!" said Relm.

The entire town of Zozo was in ruins before them.

The trio continued to Mt. Zozo. They entered the building, climbed the stairs and reached the locked door that led to Zozo. Fortunately, the door was unlocked and partially open, so they walked in. They could feel the air pushing against their faces; the wind was incredibly powerful, even for a mountain. As they ascended Mt. Zozo, the wind velocity rose and the climbing difficulty increased. They walked into and out of caves and through bridges and climbed some more, until they arrived at what once was Cyan's room. As they continued through the room, the force of wind was so high, they could only move forward inch by inch. Soon, they reached the other side of Cyan's room and forced their way through the opening.

There, before them, they observed a funny looking creature that looked like a fat blue mouse with an orange hat and orange shorts. "Mwa, ha, ha," laughed Lile, "it looks like a balloon!"

"Hey, stop laughing at me, you overgrown dwarf!" cried the funny-looking mouse.

"I think you've been eating too often," responded Lile, "or you're full of hot air!"

"You're pushing it, pal. I could blow you off the mountain top if I wanted," replied the fat funny looking mouse.

Lile was not the least bit scared, "Oh yeah? You try that, you cheese-licking, overweight, funny-dressing rat!"

"Hey, stop it, Lile," hollered Relm and then turned to the elemental and asked, "What is your name?"

The elemental answered, "I'm Sylphid, the wind and storm elemental. What brings you here?"

"We're here to seek help from the elementals. The world is unbalanced again and we need all the help available," replied Strago.

Sylphid appeared worried. "I don't know. You people are strangers. How can I trust you?"

Lile opened his bag and yanked Salamando and Undine out, who were sleeping peacefully before; both woke up and looked at Sylphid. "Hey, he's one of us," chirped Undine.

Sylphid had slight memories of Undine and Salamando and remembered he used to be friends with them. "I know you too. These people here want my help. Is this world in trouble?"

"Yes," responded Salamando, "you should assist us. We could use your help."

Sylphid considered his options but there were very few so he decided to join them. "Sure, if you need my help badly, I'll join you."

"Great," answered the little Sprite, "your powers would be very helpful."

As they finished their conversation, they decsended down Mt. Zozo, but this time there was not even the slightest breeze, since Sylphid halted all wind activities upon the mountain.

When they reached Zozo, they opened the unlocked door and headed down the stairs.

The man looked at Zozo, frowned, and replied, "It was hit by the Light of Judgement. I see you are not from this town. I used to live here, but now the town is in shambles. I'm leaving this town for good."

"Light of Judgement? What do you mean?" questioned Strago. They talked for fifteen minutes and the man told them everything he knew.

When the conversation ended, Lile asked, "Say, mister, have you heard any rumors about weird looking magical creatures?"

"Magical creatures? No, I can't say I have. Well, I gotta go now. Oh, I have three Opera tickets but I'm not going to the Opera anymore - not now after the tragedy that occured here in Zozo. Would you like them?" Strago accepted the tickets and said farewell to the stranger.

The three departed Zozo and mounted the black chocobo. "Next destination - the Opera House. I haven't enjoyed a good round of music in a long time," acknowledged the eager old man.

They flew over to the Opera House and the show was about to commence. Their tickets were accepted and they were seated on the balcony waiting for the show to begin. But, before the show commenced, the lights went out and the Opera House darkened. "What a cheap place. Can't these freaks afford proper lighting?" chirped Lile out loud.

Meanwhile, the Impresario had left the stage and was conferring with the technical support crew. "What's going on? What happend to the lighting?" asked the worried Impresario.

The head of the technical support crew replied, "Sorry, but there's a power failure. Don't worry, we have a backup. Joe - go get that magical creature in here. We need it to light this place up."

The guy called Joe left for the basement and returned with a little puffy white creature with two dotted eyes. It had the shape of a raindrop except there were two points extruding from the top of its head. The white creature cried, "Hey, it's about time you let me out of that cramped up basement. What do you want now?"

The head of the technical support crew answered, "There's a power failure and we need you to light the place up. I suggest you light the Opera House up immediately or we'll chuck you back down in the basement."

At the same time, Salamando awakened and jumped out of Lile's bag. "Lile, I sense magic nearby. There is another elemental near us."

"An elemental here? How's that possible?" responded Strago. "Let's find it right now." Strago, Lile, Relm, and Salamando exited the balcony and outside, in the main lobby, they saw a white creature with an aura of light surrounding it.

"Look, the elemental is over there!" yelled Lile.

They approached the elemental but were stopped by the technical support crew. The head of the technical support crew warned, "Go back to your seats now. You have no business here."

At once, the white elemental hollered, "Help! These guys are abusing me! They're gonna use me as a light-bulb to light this place up! They also keep me in the basement and it smells like vinegar down there!"

"You guys deserve a lesson," affirmed Strago who began to chant a fire spell.

"Yeah, you meanies. That thing over there is my friend and Strago will make pasta out of you if you don't let him go," exclaimed the little Sprite.

"Here, this ought to warm you up," remarked Strago and he lighted the technical crews' rear ends on fire. "Ahhhhhhhh, my BUTT, my BUTT!" screamed the head of the technical crew.

The whole technical crew darted outside of the Opera House and jumped into a nearby fountain. Inside, the Impresario denied his participation in this whole affair and explained, "I only hired these people a week ago. I had no idea they were abusing this white little creature. I don't keep track of the equipment they bring in and I didn't know they had brought this poor little creature inside the Opera House."

Relm turned to the white little creature and asked, "What is your name?" The white little creature replied, "I'm Lumina, the elemental of light."

"We elementals came from a land were the power of Mana was being abused. Our purpose was to help the chosen heroes fight off the forces who were abusing Mana. Twice we had to give our powers to a group of chosen heroes in order to restore our balance. After the second battle, the Mana Fortress was destroyed and the world began to heal. We were not needed anymore... until. Until in this world Kefka used the power of the Statues for evil. The power of the Statues are separate from Mana and had no effect, but when Kefka threw the world into ruin, the entire balance of Mana was thrown off. Even after the defeat of Kefka, the balance was destroyed. That's why we were sent here to help restore the balance and to guide chosen people to help control the power of Mana.

"But why am I here?" replied Lile, who was quiet for so long. "Who the heck sent me here?"

Lumina responded, "Lile, sprites are creatures of Mana; they can naturaly use and control it's power. A sprite actually helped the hero to destroy the fortess. You were sent here to help the people of this world to use the power of Mana correctly. But..." Lumina paused. "Something unexpected happened, a group of evil people are trying to use the elementals for their own gains. You, Lile, with the help of your friends, must stop the power of the elementals from falling into the wrong hands. A tragedy like that of the Mana Fortress must be prevented. I must now give you my powers."

Lumina just floated and waited until Lile finally said, "Come on, arn't you going to give your power? We are in kind of a rush."

Lumina responded, "Lile, you can't use my powers. Even though you are a creature of mana, it is not in your nature to use my powers. The sprite that helped the hero could not use them ever. Only the girl that was with them could..." At that moment Lumina looked directly at little Relm who was sitting extremely patiently, which was not like her at all.

"Me?" said Relm, very surprised. "I can control the power of light?"

Lumina said, "You are the only one of this world who can use my powers. You must help your grandfather and Lile protect this world. You must receive the power of light." At that moment Relm was envlpoed in a dazzling light.