Cleaning herself off a little, she went into her house. She pulled off her gardening gloves and leaned on her desk. Opening a drawer revealed a large stack of letters. Lola fingered the letters and held one to her chest.

She spoke one word. "Cyan..."

"Dear Lola,

I am writing to beg for your forgiveness. I am guilty of perpetuating a terrible lie... I have only now realized the error of my ways. I hope I can correct a great wrong. Your boyfriend, who you thought was in Mobliz, passed away some time ago. I have been writing inhis stead... We humans tend to allow the past to destroy our lives. I implore you not to let this happen. It is time to look forward, to rediscover love, and embrace the beauty of life. You have so much life left to live...

Cyan"

Her mind drifted back to when the devastating news of her boyfriend's death reached her. Her spirits had been immediately lifted by the kindness of this stranger, Cyan.

"He's right," she mumbled to herself. "I've discovered the beauty of life." She picked up a single rose and let the perfume fill her senses. She placed the rose back into its vase. "Yet... I have not rediscovered love."

Lola wanted to live her life to the fullest, but to her... this also included being loved...

"Here goes nothing!" Lola shouted to the wind.

The swirling wind tugged and pulled at Lola with a fury. She could barely see where she was walking, and had a hard time keeping her balance. Finally, after what seemed like hours, a soaking wet Lola burst into the inn.

"Goodness, Lola!" the innkeeper gasped and ran to her. "What are you doing out in this storm, dear?"

Lola sat the crate of flowers on the counter. "I had to bring the flowers you ordered!" she panted.

The innkeeper laughed. "We have to get you some dry clothes... You're staying here until the rain lets up. I insist!"

"Look at this cloak, Lola! Soaking wet! You should get one that will actually help you... No, this one has to go..." The innkeeper untied Lola's cloak and tossed it on the floor.

"But, Miss... Alma!" Lola looked desperately at the old woman. "It's the only one I have!"

Alma smiled warmly at Lola and pulled a trunk from under the bed. Before Lola could react, the old woman selected an old cloak from the trunk, and began putting it around Lola's shoulders.

"This is an anti-elemental cloak, dear," Alma said with a smile. "It will protect you from the worst of rain and the hottest of sun."

I can't take this!" Lola protested.

Alma waved a finger at Lola. "Then consider it part of your payment for the lovely flowers! I insist you have it..."

-----------------

A tall man with slitted yellow eyes and scaly skin sat on a gold-gilt throne, with a distant expression imprinted on his face. He sat alone in the great hall, staring at brilliantly colored tapestries which depicted battles between humans and monsters. In most of them, the humans were shown as winning. The tapestries only served to depress him, because they showed him the exact opposite of what he wanted. Not the exact opposite in that he wanted the monsters to win. No, he wanted peace. But his ideals seemed far-fetched, and unlikely to ever come into the light of reality. So he exiled himself to the depths, taking refuge in the darkness which hid his faults from the prying eyes of the world.

His reverie was shattered as a small figure in a hooded cloak scurried into the hall.

"My liege, I bring you knews of the surface," the small being said.

"Indeed. You may proceed with your report."

As the short form pulled back its hood, it revealed grey webbed fingers and a smooshed-in, distorted grey face. It licked its lips, and briefly bared its yellowish fangs. "I am afraid that little of the news is good. The ship you sent me to follow and protect from harm is now being destroyed in a storm of immense proportions."

The king jumped to his feet and stalked over to the messenger. "It's what?! And what about the woman! Is she still alive?"

"Um, I think so...I'm really not sure, the water is so dark and murky that no one can really see if she's on the ship or fell into the water."

The king's yellow eyes dilated wide, and a long, serpentine tongue slithered out of his mouth. "And then why are you still here?" His voice was steady, calm, and dangerously quiet. "Go, and save anyone you can find, and bring any bodies too, so we can check the dead."

The stout grey creature shivered, but remained. "I'm afraid there is other news, O Mighty Leviathan. Taris has been interfering again, and has sent a moogle trained as a wizard to restore magic to the world."

Slowly the king sighed, trying to unclench his fists and keep his teeth from grinding. "Oh, that's just delightful. It will only rip apart the world, which is trying to recover on its own. Too many heroes from the past are here already, and they bring with them their prejudices as to how magic should be. And they are just going to injure themselves and others, because the magic wants to come back in its own way. If it manages to come back at all. By Nyx's dark depths! What a fine mess this is."

The servant shuddered, then stealed itself. "Uh, that's not all, my wise and powerful lord..." Its voice faded as burning golden eyes bore into its soul, then it started again. "Um, the flow of time is preparing to shift again."

"Is that so? In which direction, and how soon?"

"Well, as near as I can tell, the world above will be moving at a swifter pace than down here, rather than the reverse which is usually true."

"So, in other words, at just the moment when I need all the time in the world, I will be losing time. That is without a doubt the most... inconvenient... message you have brought so far. Very well, make preparations to move to the world above so that we can react with enough speed to anything that happens."

"Um, well, if we do that... Rydia won't be able to call us when she needs us...."

"She's awake?"

"Uh, yes."

"And up and about?"

"You could say that."

"Why haven't I noticed?"

The poor little monster fidgeted for a few seconds, which began to stretch out. As the king started to reach for his servant, the grey creature suddenly busrt out, "Probably because you've been moping about in here for the past thirty years."

"Indeed. Well, it looks like I'll be moping about a bit more, unless someone can figure out a way for us to handle this mess. Very well. I will send out half of the monsters to set up a base above. They will collect information, but are not allowed to interfere under any circumstance. After I deal with the people from the ship wreck who you bring here, I will join you. Rydia hardly ever calls me anyhow. She much prefers my big brother, that reclusive Bahamut."

Leviathan waved off the messenger, then sat down on his throne. His thoughts started to run off by themselves, as he contemplated his brother. <At least Tiamat died a long time ago. If my sister were still alive, she would be reveling in this mess. If she hadn't tried to help Garland so many eons ago, she might still be here. Although her eight children certainly made themselves into big nuisances lately. Her grandchildren, the white dragon's spawn, still roam the Veldt.>

His thoughts wandered to his queen, the lovely, graceful, six-armed Asura. <I wonder where she is now. She left so long ago, and I have been unable to track her. This woman, though, who named her ship after me, seems to be a promising lead. She seems to have magic which reminds me of Asura. And yet... at the same time, this woman's magic is so different than anything this world has seen.>

Shaking his head, he tried to break that train of thoughts. After all, there was a good chance that woman was dead. He had more important things to worry about than the return of his wife. And he still had no idea what to do about a little moogle wizard named Mog. <I hope he doesn't ruin what he loves, while he tries to save it.>

<Where am I...> She tried to remember the last thing that had happened, but something was blocking her memory. Again, she felt something pulling at her, lifting her up. She began to panic, though, and tried to sink back down. It felt like she was swimming to the very depths of the ocean, because it was near impossible to breathe.

With a start, she realized she didn't feel herself breathing. She didn't feel anything except the light trying to wrench her upwards. She tried to wiggle her fingers, but couldn't find them. She started to scream, but her voice didn't reach her ears. She couldn't seem to find her ears either.

<WHAT'S HAPPENING?! This can't be right. Where am I? I was... I was... WHAT WAS I DOING?> Overwhelmed with panic, she resisted the numbing, rising sensation that filled every pore of her being. Suddenly she remembered what had last happened to her...

And found herself sinking rapidly, as she snapped back into her body. She opened her eyes, and saw nothing but darkness in front of her face. She waved her arms, which seemed to be weighed down. And her head was pounding, like it could explode any moment. She screamed, but was unable to catch any air in her mouth. Instead, water rushed in.

<I'm drowning!> As this realization hit her, she started to panic even worse, if this was possible. With her only thought being to reach the surface, she began to swim.

After about ten seconds, she stopped, because she knew that she might be swimming in the wrong direction. It was impossible for her to tell which way was up. So she remained still, until she felt that she was floating upwards. And so she swam in that direction.

Her lungs, which her already half filled with water, ached like they had never ached before. She felt like she was on fire, but her limbs were so cold that she could hardly move them. Finally she broke surface, and gulped, trying to catch precious air in her poor, battered body.

As she opened her mouth, though, a wave surged over her, preventing her from breathing. She rubbed her eyes clear, and saw that the storm was still raging about. Waves twice her height swelled all around her, so that she was tossed and tumbled without hope of controlling her flight. Every now and then she would keep her head above water long enough to clear her lungs and fill them with air, but these intervals were not nearly enough. An icy fist clenched her heart, because she realized that even though she could swim, she was going to drown anyhow. Already she felt a haze covering her brain, and she once again began to feel that strange, numbing, rising sensation.

<No, NO! I can't die now. I'm not ready! But what can I do? I can't breathe, there's too much water.> A strange idea crept into her head, one that disturbed her very much, even though it offered a way out.

<Sea creatures can breathe water...> Without giving herself time to think about it, because she could felt herself being pulled from her body again, she concentrated on changing.

Her fingers begain to tingle, and she thought at first she was losing, that the cold was seeping into her bones. But in the next second, she began to regain hope, because she could feel her body begin to change. And then she screamed at the tops of her lungs, because pain ripped through her, and she could feel every nerve as if they had been set on fire. Her bones began to dissolve, inch by excruciating inch. Her muscles separated from the bones, and her joints pulled apart. For the next five minutes, as all her connective tissue came undone, her body was wracked by her sobs, which only increased the torture. In some distant part of her mind, she realized that she was no longer drowning, but the thought did not comfort her much.

As the change slowed down, she almost cried with release. But it was not over yet, for once everything was disconnected, her body began to stretch out impossibly, becoming long and sinuous. Her skin itched beyond belief as scales popped up all along her length. Finally it ended. However, before she was given a chance to wonder what she was, she passed out from the exertion, and once again darkness engulfed her.

"So, where is she? Is she among the dead you collected?" Leviathan's face drooped considerably. He didn't bother to hide his disappointment.

"Um, no, the woman you seek is not among the dead bodies we collected either, although her brother the captain is."

Leviathan waited for the stout little creature to continue, but it did not speak. "My dear Greco, you know how much I hate to pry."

"Sorry, it's just that I have been bringing you nothing but bad news lately, and that makes me a tad bit nervous. Anyhow, we were unable to find her anywhere in the wreck after it sunk, or anywhere nearby. She seems to have vanished."

"Vanished, hmm? Then you had better get moving and expand your search." The king, who was feeling exhausted at this point, weighed down by a barrage of misfortunes. He bowed his head for a moment. When he looked up, Greco had not moved. "Is there something else you have to tell me?"

"Well, yeah, spotted something in the ocean while we were searching for bodies. There's a young sea serpent in the area, who appears to have taken injury, because it is unconscious and does not reply to us when we call to it. We were wondering if we should bring it in or leave it alone."

"I don't particularly care, you can bring it in for care if you like, or let it recover on its own. Where was it last seen?"

"The sea took it away from us faster than we could keep up. It got caught in a deep ocean current. However, it appears to be headed to Maranda. "

"Fine." Leviathan waved him off, then stopped for a moment. As he saw grey little Greco scurry towards the door, he said, "Wait! Stay right there. No, turn around at least. Did you say you saw a sea serpent?"

Greco nodded. "Yes, I did."

"Did the sea serpent, by any chance, look like this?" With that question, Leviathan began to change. His face extended into a snout, and the robes he was wearing were shed like an old skin as his limbs fused with his body. His length increased, as did his bulk, as scales grew out of his skin. Within ten seconds, there was a humungous sea serpent with greenish grey scales filling up most of the room.

Greco stared for a moment, then nodded, as his face slowly lit up with recognition. "Yeah, like that, only bluish grey scales."

The king of summoned monsters swung his reptilian head down to stare at his stubby servent. "Go find her. I think we may now know what Asura has been up to lately. How dare she hide my heir from me."

The look on the sea dragon's face was enough to dismiss a very nervous Greco from the room.

As she reached six years old, her parents decided she should have a tutor. They were unable to keep Jared in the house for any length of time, so they devoted their educational efforts toward her. They could have sent her to school, but prefered to have her at home. Therefore, they interviewed many people to get her the best teacher they could afford. The tutor was a slender, graceful woman with long black hair tied up in a bun. She had almond shaped eyes and exotic features that were barely human, but extremely attractive. Driel remembered how the townfolk gossiped that she was a fairy in disguise. For the most part, Miss Avedri made Driel feel like a plain, mousy little girl. Miss Avedri was always cool, distant, and other-worldy. She did, however, get Driel obsessed with learning and history. Even now, the lessons she learned about the summoned monsters and their king and queen fascinated her.

Miss Avedri also tried to teach Driel magic. Unfortunetly, she had no espers to give Driel, for they were few and far between. And the magic Miss Avedri attempted to teach her was ancient and unreliable. It required a person to have an innate ability, and Driel had little of that, as far as she could tell. Miss Avedri kept telling her that most of her problem was that she didn't really believe in magic, nor in her own abilities. Driel never could understand this obscure (to a ten year old) reasoning, and continued to have difficulty casting any spells. Eventually Miss Avedri had left, because she had found a student with more magic potential than Driel had.

These thoughts swirled in Driel's head as she tried to reconcile with her recent use of magic. As far as she knew, magic was fading again, but it had done so many times in the past, and continued to revive itself. Perhaps this time it had changed to something she could use better, although very painfully.

Giving a mental shrug, she set those ideas aside. She slowly came half awake as she did so. She opened her eyes, and realized she was lying in a bed somewhere. From the standard, sparse furnishings she assumed it to be a room in an inn. It seemed vaguely familiar, but her head was in a bit of a fog. Somwthing was buzzing at the back of her mind, tickling her consciousness. Reaching out with a mental hand, she grasped it. She felt power throbbing in the line she had grabbed, and vaguely recalled a little about magic currents. Puzzled, she turned the line around, and tentatively sent out a probe to explore it.

Her scream ripped through the air as she sent the line hurtling as far away from her as possible. As she had delved into it, she had felt its raw, dark power. The magic in that current was so far from her experience, her values and beliefs, that she started to shiver in horror. For a few moments, she had sensed someone or something evil. No, she had felt more than one evil thing. Her fear began to overwhelm her. Breathing deeply, she tried to force her fear back down. Hopefully, as long as she didn't do that again, she would be safe.

Sighing, she settled herself in bed better, and hoped that she had not disturbed anyone else in the inn.

"Silly Alma!", she muttered. Lola sighed and looked up at the sky. "It's only misting now... I don't even need this cloak... Maybe I should return it..."

Suddenly, a small crowd started toward her. Two fishermen from Maranda were carrying a limp figure. One was shouting, "Outa' the way! Injured lady comin' through! Outa' the way!"

Lola realized they were talking to her. She sidstepped them, and quickly opened the door to the inn. She looked at the unconscious woman with a start.

"Driel!" Lola instantly recognized her childhood companion. With tears in her eyes she called to Alma.

Alma came down the hall, suprised to see Lola again so soon. She saw Driel and gasped. "Oh, my! Take her to a room... quickly, now!"

"We found her on the coast when we were preparing for a fishing trip." One of the fishermen looked worriedly at Alma. "Will she be alright, Miss Alma?"

Alma shook her head. "We must let her rest." The innkeeper thanked the men and affectionately shooed them out of the room. Alma looked at the unconscious figure on the bed and patted Lola on the shoulders. "I'll let you watch over her, dear..."

Lola watched Alma leave then turned to look at Driel. She gazed at her friend lovingly. "Where have you been, my dear friend?" Lola reached for Driel's hand and held it for many hours...

********************(Status: Four or five hours later...)**********************

Lola was asleep by Driel's bedside when she was awakened by a horrible scream. Realizing the frightened noise came from Driel, Lola began to smooth her friend's hair and face gently. "Driel? Are you awake?"

Driel's mouth felt dry... "Jared...? Where am I? Locke...?"

Lola sighed and spoke quietly. "Driel... You are in Maranda... Your brother is not... here..." Lola paused, wondering where Jared might be. Fearing the worst, she pushed the negative thoughts from her mind.

Driel sat up suddenly and attempted to draw a weapon. Graedus clattered to the floor as Driel collapsed on the bed.

Lola looked at her friend and felt the tears coming back. "Does she remember me?" she thought. She turned to Driel. "My friend... It is I, Lola..."

"Lola?" Driel sighed. "My friend...?" Recognition filled her weary face. "Lola...!"

A happy tear rolled down Lola's face as she embraced her lost childhood friend. "Driel, welcome home! I'm so glad to see you...!"

"Driel? Are you awake?" an achingly familiar voice said.

She licked her lips. Her mouth felt like cotton and tasted like salt. She sorted through her foggy mind. Who could it be? "Jared...? Where am I? Locke...?"

"Driel... You are in Maranda... Your brother is not... here..."

Her eyes widened in shock when her childhood home was named, for she was quite a distance away from Kohlingen. Whoever this was could not be Jared. Without stopping to think, she bolted upright, and grasped frantically for the dagger which weighed down on her hip. Paranoid thoughts flashed through her head, as the days of pain and loss, as well as her most recent encounter with magic, began to catch up with her.

An intense feeling of deja vu overwhelmed her. She lost her grip on the dagger, and collapsed on the bed. She turned to look at the face which eluded efforts to identify it.

"My friend... It is I, Lola..."

"Lola? My friend...? Lola...!"

Lola embraced her, saying, "Driel, welcome home! I'm so glad to see you...!"

Driel started sobbing, relieved to find someone familiar at last. For many minutes, she could do nothing but cry into Lola's shoulder. Every time she tried to speak, her throat constricted.

Lola continued to hold her, patting her back. "Don't worry, take your time. You were in bad shape when they brought you in, so don't rush yourself."

Driel nodded. Wiping tears from her eyes, she pulled away slightly, and breathed deeply, attempting to calm herself. Now that she was more awake, and her head was beginning to clear, worried thoughts zipped through her mind.

"Jared, you said he's not here?" As Lola nodded, Driel continued. "We were on the ship when a powerful storm hit us. It came out of nowhere, and we had no time to prepare."

As she said this, Lola's brow furrowed worriedly. The storm had to have been mighty powerful and sudden to catch Driel and Jared unawares.

"It was very dark, and the rain was getting in my eyes, but I swore I saw Jared fall overboard. Something hit my head, and I ended up in the ocean. I was lucky to survive, I guess. The ship probably never made it to Jidoor."

"Jidoor, hmm? You must have drifted for quite a bit."

"I guess so." She seemed reluctant to talk about it, but Lola didn't press her for more information. She knew her dear friend must be near shock.

Driel sniffled for a few more moments, then tried to put on a more cheerful face. "So, how have things been here in Maranda? Is the town recovering well? It's been so long since I've been able to talk to you."

"Yes it has. It's been pretty quite here lately, at least since that awful tower collapsed. The flowers are growing well again, and so I've been very happy. It pained me to see them dying."

"That's good. I'm glad to say the seagulls are back."

Lola chuckled. "Really? I thought you hated them."

Driel smiled wryly. "I never knew how used to their screeching I was. Well, thery are a sign the world is recovering. So, has anything else been going on here? How's Lucas been?"

Lola winced, and was quiet for a few seconds. "He's... dead."

Driel's face fell. She swallowed hard. "I'm sorry..."

"It's alright, you couldn't have known."

"Yeah. A lot of people have been dying lately, though. I can't take for granted that anyone is still alive. I was lucky, because my parents survived. "

"That's good to hear. I'm doing well, anyhow. It doesn't hurt nearly as much, and I have letters from Cyan to reread and keep me company. How about you? Have you met anyone you like lately?"

"Well, I did meet someone."

"Really? Who?"

"Well, his name is... was Locke. I met him in Kohlingen, and he was on the Leviathan's Pride when the storm hit."

"Oh, that's too bad."

"It's okay, I hardly knew him. And I think he had someone already. His face lit up whenever he mentioned someone named Celes." Driel sat quietly for a few seconds. "I suppose I should try to think of what to do now. I've lost my brother, probably, I'm out of a job, and I've lost all my stuff."

"Oh, that's no problem. You can stay with me for as long as you need to."

Driel smiled, and was about to thank Lola when a tall figure opened the door. His voice was strong, almost harsh as he said, "She won't be staying with you for very long."

Lola frowned. "Shouldn't you have knocked? I thought the door was locked, anyhow."

"It was."

Rhiannon drew Razor, holding the double-handed weapon before him. He concentrated intently on the blade, and was rewarded as it began to burn with a brilliant multicolored light. He inverted Razor and raised it above his head, then thrust it deep into the ground.

"SOUL FLOWER."

Waves of swirling rainbow light surrounded Rhiannon, then exploded upwards in a breathtaking display. A hush fell across the forest as all living creatures turned to view the dazzling lights. They continued to dance for a moment longer, then condensed into a perfect, multicolored blossom of incredible beauty, floating in midair above the kneeling Mage Knight. The creatures continued to watch, transfixed by the amazing spectacle.

Then they died.

The birds fell from the trees, the squirrels collapsed to the ground, the deer stumbled and sank to the earth. A ripple of dull gray spread outwards from Rhiannon, withering and shriveling any plants it touched. Trees rotted and collapsed, flowers faded and crumbled to dust, bushes shed their leaves and shrank to stark black skeletons. Finally, the ripple shimmered and disappeared. The flower exploded in a flurry of glittering motes, which rapidly disappeared on the breeze.

All was silent. Rhiannon turned to study the carnage, then removed Razor from the earth and sheathed it. Where the blade had pierced the ground grew a small flower, blue-white in color, with five petals shaped like a star. He lightly plucked the flower and inhaled its fragrance, savoring the smell of the life energy which had been so cruelly stripped from the surrounding forest. He opened a pouch at his belt and placed the flower within, then rose to his feet.

A dark shape appeared behind him. "Lord Meylith," it hissed.

"Report."

"We are continuing to observe, as you requested."

"And Locke?"

"Still no sign. However, Kharazz -"

"Kharazz is a fool. Locke is not dead, for my magic would have detected him even if he lay on the ocean floor. Still, the matter is out of our hands. The Master has a new toy he plans to send after him."

"Understood, Lord Meylith. Now, regarding your prey. She escaped from Edgar without requiring our aid. However, we noticed a powerful force emanating from him. It would appear there is a greater power at work."

"Well, well. Yet another being of ultimate evil? How coincidental. If our Master chooses to deal with it, he will send us instructions. Go now, and continue your surveillance."

"Lord Meylith," the wraith said. It floated backwards, then disappeared. Rhiannon traced a rune in the air, shimmered, then vanished, reappearing in another part of the forest. He drew Razor, concentrated, then thrust the blade into the earth.

"SOUL FLOWER."

"You have no need of your weapon. You may set it down now." The tone of his voice suggested that was not a request, but an order. She ignored it, and he sighed. "Very well, keep your little knife. It will do you little good, though."

"And why is that?" Lola asked. She was slowly edging away from the man, although there was really no space to run to.

"It would not harm me. You see, I am Leviathan, the King of Summoned Monsters."

Both Driel and Lola giggled a bit nervously. Lola poked Driel in the side. "I didn't think he was really real. You know more about him than me. Can he really be him?"

"Uh, I doubt it. Not too many people have ever seen him, so I'm not sure if he really exists. The stories are fun to read, though. They really tend to..." She trailed off as she realized there was still an intruder in the room. She blinked twice, then peered at him closely. He grinned back at her, but there was no humor in his smile. Clenching his hands, he stretched. As he did so, his face extended into a reptilian snout, and his eyes turned golden. The rest of his form stayed human, though. Lola jumped out of her chair, backed up, and tripped over the same chair she had just been sitting in. Her eyes opened wide, and her mouth gaped, but no scream emerged from her throat. She was too shocked. Driel just stared.

"Is this enough proof for you? Or would you care to see me as I really am, a fifty foot sea serpent?" His tongue flicked out of his mouth as he said this.

Driel cleared her throat. "Um, no, that will be fine, thank you. Uh, well, uh... so, what do you want?"

He gazed at her for a while, making her very uncomfortable. "I want you."

"What?!" she squeaked.

"I mean what I said. I have reason to believe you are my daughter, and I would like to bring you, my heir, back with me so that I may train you as you should have been trained a long time ago."

"Well, um, that's a very nice speach. But I really think you have the wrong person. I already have parents. People often mention just how much I look like them. Don't they, Lola?"

Lola nodded, and finally closed her gaping mouth. "Uh, yes, she's right. I've known her since she was a kid. She looks a lot like them."

Leviathan eyed Driel. He seemed rather fond of doing that, rather like someone else she used to know. He didn't let up his stare, although he finally spoke once more. "Be that as it may, I am reasonably certain that I am your father. My subordinates told me that after your ship sank, they saw a bluish-gray sea serpent drifting towards Maranda. And I have found you here, in the very same town. As I am the only sea serpent alive, it stands to reason that you are my daughter."

Driel nervously glanced at Lola. She had not mentioned finding Driel as a sea serpent, plus she looked extremely surprised. Driel assumed she didn't know what had happened. "Well, you say they saw a sea serpent? That doesn't mean it was me."

"Then how do you explain how you ended up here? You were only two days away from Kohlingen when your ship sank. That is quite a distance for you to have traveled in only a day, if you were drifting."

Driel squirmed uncomfortably. She glanced at Lola, who must have realized that Leviathan had a point. Swallowing hard, she tried to turn the subject away from that. "Why aren't you sure whether or not I'm your daughter? Don't you keep track of your children?"

"I have not had any children until now. I thought I could not have any. And my wife Asura left, about two hundred years ago in your time, without letting me know what she was up to. I think she left because she realized she was pregnant, after eons of providing me with no children."

Driel stared at him, murmuring, "This is starting to sound like a bad novel I once read..." Clearing her throat again, she spoke up. "Well, that should prove it. I'm hardly two hundred years old. I turned twenty-three just last fall. Right, Lola?"

Lola nodded. She seemed to be in shock, which was not helping matters. Driel was very nervous, and she was not sure she could win this argument under this type of pressure. The last thing she needed right now was for this creature who claimed to be Leviathan to drag her off to the Land of Summoned Monsters.

"So then, you admit you turned into a sea serpent then?"

Driel jumped up out of the bed and placed her hands on her hips. She realized she didn't seem very threatening while lying in bed. "I did NOT say that. I said I was not two hundred years old. And even if I DID do what you say, that does NOT make me your daughter."

Leviathan just folded his arms. "This is quite amusing. I would think that you would want to believe you were my daughter. You did name your ship after me. You do try to collect as many books about me as possible."

"That's just because Miss Avedri got me interested in them."

He tilted his head. "Who is that?"

"My old tutor. Hey! You know, that's who you remind me of. She always stared at me like that." She pointed at him excitedly, then murmered, "Yeah, and then if I got her really mad, she'd sit yoga style and float three feet off the floor. Just to prove that I had a long way to go in learning magic."

"What?!" he said sharply. "You had a tutor who taught you about me, and could float? Tell me, did she look a bit... exotic?"

"Uh, yeah. You always said she seemed like a fairy or something, right, Lola?" Lola nodded. "Lola, quit that. You're starting to worry me."

"Sorry," Lola murmered. She continued to watch the reptilian man with unease.

Leviathan, meanwhile, was smiling broadly. "Aha, I finally have proof. Your tutor was obviously my wife in disguise. She wanted to watch over her child, but wanted you to be raised by humans. She knew I wanted peace between humans and monsters, and must have attempted to train you as the link."

Driel sighed, growing weary. "Look, you really have very few facts to go on. As interesting as your theories are, I have a hard time believing them. Since you seem so keen on finding your wife, why don't you go track Miss Avedri down and ask her personally. Then you can get back to me on it." Driel would normally feel guilty about dumping the burden on someone else, but Miss Avedri always made her feel uncomfortable. She liked the thought of that woman squirming under Leviathan's gaze.

Leviathan regarded her cooly. "Very well. But you must remain in this town in the meantime. I will return when I have spoken with... Miss Avedri." With that, he nodded to her. "By the way, I regret to inform you that we found Jared's body."

"What?!" she exclaimed. Her face bunched up, and she seemed to be on the verge of tears. She whispered, "What about Locke?"

"Who? I am sorry, but I don't know any Locke. We did save some people, but I cannot tell you who. Now if you will excuse me, I must take my leave of you." And he left.

Driel sat down heavily on the bed, placed her face in her hands, and began to cry.

Driel sniffled, trying to regain control of her emotions. "I'm having a hard time believing any of this..." Driel thought for a moment. "Why would that serpent-man lie to me?" Her thoughts drifted back to the many books she'd read that had given mention to Leviathan. "I guess that guy could have really been Leviathan, or at least someone who resembled him... because he looked just like the books said..."

Lola looked down at the floor. "But, how could you be his daughter? I've known you ever since I can remember!" A sinister revalation suddenly took hold of Lola. "Perhaps there's some other reason he wants you... And the only way to have you come with him willingly to... wherever..."

Driel broke in. "Land of summoned monsters...?"

Lola nodded. "Yeah, there. Maybe the only way would be to devastate you and leave you no other choice." Lola considered this. "Telling you that Jared was dead would certainly devastate you. I know how much you love your brother."

"Yes, but how would he know that I had a brother? And how would he know his name? I am very confused by all of this..." Driel paused, wanting to change the subject. "All I know is that I do not want to wait around for this Leviathan to come back."

"Where would you... ah, we go?" Lola asked timidly. "Closest thing to here is an opera house... due west."

"I think I'll... we'll go to... Jidoor... that's where I was originally headed when our ship... went down." Driel stiffened, not wanting Lola to ask too many questions about her last voyage. "I think it's better to travel by land this time. I don't think I could handle another sea adventure right away." Driel, still a bit delirious, started to give another suggestion. "We could walk to Jidoor..."

Lola looked at Driel with an amused smile. "Walk! My goodness... It's at least a two day journey by chocobo!" Lola became serious. "I'm sure we could borrow Miss Alma's chocobos..."

Driel smiled. "But what if we don't return them...?"

"They'll return home once we reach Jidoor. They make the trip at least once a week!" Lola got up off the bed. "Two of them know the way to Jidoor by heart! They're so used to running the mail route, they probably won't even notice us!"

Driel nodded. "The sooner we leave, the better I'll feel about it. I'd feel even better if I had a cure potion." Driel sighed and looked skyward. "I'd even settle for the raw herbs..."

Lola looked at Driel and winked. "Herbs? Now THAT I can help you with! Come on!" Excited to be going on an adventure, Lola dragged Driel out of the bed, and the two of them slowly made their way to Lola's garden.

Driel laughed. "What for, are you planning on..." She trailed off, and at first Lola didn't realize she was no longer following. When she did, she turned around to see Driel standing in the middle of the street with a pained expression on her face. Driel whispered, "Oh no...not again..." She felt something tickling at the back of her head, and soon was doubled up in pain. Her knees gave out, and she weakly caught herself on one hand.

"What's wrong?" Lola asked, a worried expression on her face.

Driel looked up at the sky, expecting to see another storm cover the now clear skies. She was looking in the wrong direction, though.

Lola looked around nervously, wondering if she should call for help. As she did, her practiced eye noticed something wrong with the plants in the area. Gasping, she ran over to a small patch of purple asters. "Driel! Come here quick! The flowers are dying!"

Driel made her way over to Lola, and looked at the wilting flowers. "You're right."

Lola, though, was already off and running. Driel struggled to move her legs, which were abnormally weak. Besides which, Lola had a lot of energy when upset about her flowers. Driel lost her for a minute, but found her when she reached Lola's house. Lola was in her garden, wringing her hands as she knelt down next to her roses. As she touched them, though, they stopped wilting. Driel stared as the bush halted its decay, and then slowly regained color. "Wow, I didn't know you could do that."

Lola was hovering over each plant, caressing them with her soft touch. Her face was tear streaked, and she was sobbing quietly. "They had been recovering so well. Who or what could, or even would, destroy my lovely plants this way?"

Driel frowned, and placed her hand on Lola's shoulder. "I don't know, my dear friend. But I swear I will make them pay for hurting you like this." She glanced around, and looked towards the west. "The center of the destruction is in that direction..."

Lola stood up and brushed off her knees. "Then we have to leave right away. Let's gather my stuff and go get Alma's chocobos." She looked back at her garden. "Which herbs did you need, anyhow? Take them, and follow me." With that, Lola headed into her house.

Lola looked up when her friend entered. "Driel... I'm almost ready! I still need to get my tools..." Lola noticed Driel's disgusted expression and frowned. "What's wrong?"

Driel opened her pouch and showed Lola the dead herbs. "I don't really know if they're any good..."

Lola gasped and looked desperately at Driel. "May I?" She asked, motioning towrd the pouch.

"Uh... Yes, here... by all means..." Driel handed Lola the herbs and wondered what Lola was up to.

Lola glanced inside the bag and pulled out the dead and withered herbs. She smiled at Driel. "They look fine to me." She giggled. Driel's mouth dropped open as Lola handed her the herbs. Then she giggled.

"They're alive... but how?" There were no signs of death anywhere to be found on the herbs! "I can definitely use these!" Driel placed the herbs back in the bag and closed it tight. "Lola! Stop making me laugh... It hurts..."

Lola hugged her friend. "Shhhhhh... It's a secret!" She became serious. "I don't really know... flowers and plants just seem to respond to me. Maybe because I love them so..." Lola grabbed her tools: a small shovel, her gardening gloves, a short hand rake, and a large machete. She lifted the machete and looked at it, a bit unsure where to put it.

Driel spied the machete with wide eyes. "Sheesh! Lola...! Don't you have a sheath for that thing?"

"Yeah, uh... how does it work? I've always just hung this machete on the wall..." Driel helped Lola find the sheath and together they figured out how to fasten it to Lola's belt.

"You look like a regular pirate!" Driel laughed until it hurt... again. As the two girls headed out of the house, Driel asked, "You DO know how to use that, don't you? Lola...?"

***(Moments later...)***

Lola was leaning on the counter at the inn. "Pleeeeze, Miss Alma? We'll take good care of the chocobos." She gave Alma a sad puppydog face and sighed.

Alma raised her hands and waved a finger at Lola. "How could I refuse you, dear?" Alma thought for a moment. "It's a two day trip, the both of you will need rations..." Alma dug two sacks out from under the counter. She tossed one to Lola and one to Driel. "This should last you both a couple of days..."

Lola kissed the old woman on the cheek. "Miss Alma, you're the best!"

Alma blushed and motioned to the girls. "Come on. We keep the yellow critters around the back..."

***(Moments later...)***

Lola and Driel finished saddling their chocobos. Before they could mount, Alma's voice came to them one final time. "Lola... Driel...! You girls take care of ol' Pop and Pip!"

Driel glanced at Lola with amusement. "Which one is Pip?"

Lola chuckled as she gracefully climbed on top of her bird. "I think mine is Pip... but I'm not sure!" She called over her shoulder. "They respond to both names!"

"Great..." Driel thought to herself. She mounted her chocobo and started off after Lola. "Hey, Lola...! Wait up...!"

The light faded after a few moments, leaving the rat's wound unchanged. Rhiannon glared down at the rodent, displeased, then angrily snatched up the knife and hurled it at the far wall. The knife shimmered, then multiplied a hundredfold. Multiple steel blades buried themselves in the stone, turning the wall into a pincushion.

A dark shape materialized just behind the Mage Knight. "Watch your temper, Rhiannon," it said, the voice deep and resonant.

Rhiannon turned and dropped to one knee. "I am sorry, Master," he said. "I am afraid that this entire project is frustrating beyond belief."

"Explain."

"I can internally metabolize the flowers at 91.4% efficiency, but the use of their energy is limited by my own magic. I am afraid that my healing powers do not extend beyond myself. On the other hand, if I use other methods to extract and channel the life energy, I am limited by the efficiency of the operation. I estimate that no more than 0.017% of the energy can be recovered in this manner."

"Interesting. Is the project still feasible?"

"Yes, Master, but it will require considerable time and effort, not to mention more flowers. With your permission, I will go gather more at once. Another quarter of the forest should suffice."

"Go, then. And remember, I need servants with true ability, not more wraiths."

"Understood, Master," Rhiannon said, as the dark form dissipated. "Master," he said again, tasting the word. "One day, you will call me that. But not yet. I must be patient until the time is right. And then, we shall see who is the servant and who is the master." He chuckled mockingly, then stalked out of the laboratory, dispatching the rat with a wave of his hand to leave behind no witnesses to his treachery.

<Rhiannon...> beckoned a voice. Rhiannon swung around. Nothing was there. He unsheather Razor and looked from side to side.

<Rhiannon...> the voice called again.

"Where are you!" shouted Rhiannon.

<I am everywhere.>

"Who are you!" he questioned.

<I a Livouf Takar. I am the Prime Evil. Feel my power, Rhiannon, servant of darkness.>

Rhiannon felt invisible hands clutch him and crush him to the ground. The air shimmered, and he could swear he saw a black mass move towards him.

<You are a servant. You wish to be a master.>

"YES!" shouted Rhiannon.

<I can give you that. I have need of another host. Will you carry the Prime Evil?>

Her reverie was broken by the shrill sound of Lola's scream. Driel winced, for although Lola was no singer, she could hit those high notes rather well. Driel looked ahead to see what had disturbed her dear friend so...

And saw a mass soldiers stolidly marching towards them. As she looked closely, she could see that many of the soldiers were an abnormal color, and seemed to be missing many limbs. She swallowed hard as she realized that she faced an undead army. She pulled up to Lola and looked at her. Lola's face was stark white, and once again her jaw was gaping open. Driel laughed a bit hysterically and said, "You've been doing this a lot lately. Well, do you have any suggestions? Or do we just sit here and wait for them to kill us."

Lola had one word to say, a marvel of brevity. "Run."

Not one to pass up good advice, Driel turned her chocobo around, and set off after Lola, who was already putting a good distance between herself and the zombies. They sped through the withered forest as fast as they could. For Lola, this was a good pace. Driel, however, was hanging on for dear life, hoping she didn't lose her mount. They reached Maranda in record time.

"To arms! To arms!" Driel shouted the only words she could think of that sounded in the least bit like military terms. All the houses in the village emptied, and Driel realized that even if they had weapons, they were severely outnumbered. She hoped that the slow pace of the soldiers would work t their advantage. Since they were on a peninsula, they had no where to run to, and there were no ships in the dock to use for evacuation. Fortunetely it didn't take much to convince the villagers that they were in grave danger, since they were already paranoid after the recent collapse of the world.

Even so, Driel couldn't help saying, "Oh my goodness, we're all going to die..." After all, most of the fighting population had been either killed by the Empire or recruited. So she took that moment to let out yet another ear piercing scream.

Leviathan sat on the shore, trying to decide his next course of actions. He was reluctant to head back into the water, because he had been finding it harder and harder to maintain a human form. The magic had become so unpredictable. He was hoping that he could catch a boat so he could travel by land. In any case, he would only spend a little while, perhaps five days or so, trying to decide where to go next. He still wasn't used to the lack of excess time, but that didn't seem like too long to pause.

His thoughts were scattered when he heard a lot of shouting nearby. Frowning, he stood up, and peered towards the town. He saw masses of people milling about in abvious panic. Worried for the woman he considered to be his daughter, he headed over. He stopped the closest human and asked him, "Excuse me, sir, what is the problem?"

He received a bug-eyed stare. He frowned and felt his face, thinking that perhaps he had left out some details in his human face. But he soon got the reply, "Are you insane? Haven't you heard about the army headed this way? Oh, it is relatively new news, I guess." With that, the short pink human scurried of.

Leviathan sighed and plowed through the crowds, trying to find Driel. Eventually he located the plain, brown-haired woman. She looked startled as she saw him.

"Why are you still here?"

"I never really left. What, may I ask, is all this lunacy?" He folded his arms and pinned her down with his stare.

She gulped, her eyes wide with panic. "We're under attack!"

Lola, who had been standing nearby, "By an undead army. Hey, how do we know that you didn't bring them here? You did show up at the same time."

The ancient king sighed wearily. "As the only proof I can give you, I shall fight along beside you to defend your quaint little hamlet. Will that do?"

She peered at his face closely, searching for any signs of betrayal. Finally she shrugged and said, "Sure, if you want to die too." She seemed rather resigned. Very little had gone right since Kefka's Reign.

And so they waited. Unfortunately, it was nearing sunset when the army arrived. Driel thought, <Probably planned that way. The undead are always scarier at night. Not that they need night to be scary.> She glanced over at Leviathan, who had turned into an enormous, green scaled sea serpent. He had forgotten to warn the villagers, and it had taken a bit to stop them from either fleeing or attacking him. She didn't really doubt who he was anymore. Any being that powerful could have little use for lying as to who he was. Although Lola pointed out that it could still be some twisted scheme. Even if it was, what could they do?

As the first ranks moved in, Leviathan called up a tsunami from the nearby sea to rush in and sweep the zombies away. Several lines of soldiers were removed, but they merely got back up again and rejoined the army. After three or four times of this, Leviathan swung his reptilian head towards the people.

"I am afraid the most I seem to be able to do is hold them off. Very little can actually kill the undead. Fire, decapitation, casting cure magic on them, these are really the only things which work. Unfortunately, I have no healing magic." Although his dragon features were hard to read, he seemed disappointed. "I do not think I can save you. I apologize, dear humans. Perhaps if my wife, the queen Asura were here. She has quite an array of cure spells." He paused, and for fifteen minutes he remained motionless, except to wash back the army whenever it neared.

Finally he spoke again, directing his attention to Lola. "I may have a way to help you and your people. Here, take this." He handed her a ring, although Lola was unable to tell where it had come from. It was shaped like a sea serpent. He motioned to her and said, "Put it on." Frowning, and more than a little suspiscious, she did so. After all, if he didn't kill her, the army would.

"What does it do?" she asked.

"It allows a human to call upon one monster, and one monster only. The human need not be a caller, and the monster need not be in the Land of summoned Monsters. Also, if one dies, the other does not, unlike most caller magic. Both become bonded to the ring, so that it works for no other. You need only name the monster, which I will tell you shortly."

Lola looked at it warily. "Why are you giving this to me?"

He shrugged. "Why not? You are handy. And you seem to be a woman of a pure heart. Normally I would test you by having you fight the monster you call, but there is little time for that."

She sighed. "Okay, then what is the monster's name?"

"Hmm...It is not yet named, really. I shall have to do so." He concentrated, and cast a minor spell. "Leyura." He nodded afterwards. "Good, it worked. I didn't know if it would."

Lola laughed nervously. "You didn't know if it would work? Oh well. So what do I do now?"

"Say the name."

Lola licked her lips, hesitating. Finally she shrugged. "Leyura." As she said the name, the ring began to glow and grow warm. She felt it sink into her skin slightly, and gasped, but it didn't hurt. "Hey, I'm still alive, Driel. ...Driel?" She looked around, and noticed that her friend was glowing, the light about her pulsating in time with the ring.

The light grew in intensity, until Driel was swallowed by it. For a few moments, the light was so bright that Lola had to shade her eyes. When she could see again, her friend had disappeared. In her place stood a creature with a mostly human form, but with iridescent blue scales, six arms with webbed hands, and long, silvery hair. Her amber eyes were tilted upwards delicately, and her nose and mouth extended out further than a human's. All of her limbs were slender, and she had a graceful, slim body.

Leviathan smiled and hissed, "Leyura."

Leyura nodded. "Cure magic is my strength. Do you need my assistance?" Leyura held out four of her six arms to Lola.

Lola flinched at the thought of the arms moving toward her. Reminding herself that this creature was a part of Driel, she took two of Leyura's hands into her own and nodded. "Yes... Driel... Please..."

Leviathan yelled back over his shoulder. "I cannot hold them back forever!"

Lola looked at the approaching undead army anxiously. "They're getting closer!" She looked to the villagers. "Villagers of Maranda! We must band together!"

A voice cried out from the crowd. "But we cannot stop them!"

Lola pointed a finger at the crowd. "Yes, WE can! Bare your strongest weapons. Those without metal weapons shall carry torches! WE SHALL STOP AT NOTHING TO SAVE THE ONES WE LOVE!"

Another voice sang out. "We can burn the undead with torches!"

Suddenly the village was filled with activity. Men, women, and children were running about gathering the materials needed to construct torches. A woman raced out of the Inn with a lantern in her hands. She threw the lantern down upon a growing stack of debris. The pile of miscellaneous trash burst into flames.

Finally, the noise settled down enough for Leviathan to be heard. "They have come too close, now! We must arrange an attack!"

Lola raised her machete, trying to look like she knew what she was doing, and yelled to the crowd. "Light your torches!" A silence hung over the village. With a gasping breath, Lola screamed. "ATTACK!"

People poured out of Maranda. The undead began to swell and burn from the fire burning on the villagers torches. Still, the people were overwhelmed.

Lola clutched her ring. She felt a strong link...with Driel... Something pulled at her subconsious. "Is this telepathy?" she wondered to herself. Concentrating, on Driel, Lola closed her eyes. "DRIEL...! We need that cure magic!" She opened her eyes in time to see a wretched, armless wraith decending upon her. Drawing courage from her inner-soul, she leaped onto the wraith and brought her machete down upon its head. The wraith's muscles and bones fell apart, and lay still.

Suddenly a bright light surrounded the villagers and the undead...mid-battle. Leyura could be heard continually casting LIFE. "I call from within me.. .Life!"

Many of the villagers fell to their knees to shield themselves from the light that surrounded them. Lola stood firm, letting the light run through her. She raised her machete and let out a battle cry filled with passion... "Driel...!"

And then the light was gone...

Lola rubbed her eyes and looked around the battlefield. The entire undead army had been defeated. The villagers slowly started to rise to their feet. Some poked at the mounds of undead bodies strewn about.

Everyone was silent as they slowly came to notice Lola, and the direction of her gaze... She looked to Maranda, where the fire pit was still raging. In front of the fire stood two great serpents, their heads bowed, their scales glinting in the firelight...

"Oh," she said, at a loss for words. She turned over her hands, staring at all six of them. <I should get rid of them,> she thought. She concentrated on removing arms, and cast a spell. One by one, the extra arms disappeared, but then so did the last pair. Stunned, she felt another transformation overcome her, a familiar one. Within seconds, she stood next Leviathan as a smaller blue copy of his serpent form. <Wrong spell>, she thought, slightly dazed. Her head drooped, as exhaustion began to creep into her body. Leviathan looked even worse off than she did.

He smiled weakly at her, bearing his fangs. "We need to get rid of this fire before it burns both the village and us to the ground. Help me call upon the nearby ocean for water."

She nodded, and as he cried, "WAVE!", she mirrored his actions. At first the ocean in the distance barely moved, but soon two last swells of water covered the village, dousing the fire. Laughing a bit, she thought, <The entire village is going to smell like charcoal and sea water for weeks.> More grimly, she realized that the villagers had a lot of burying to look forward to. At least no one living fell. She had seen to that.

Swinging her head towards the people of Maranda, she watched as they returned to their now soggy village. Their eyes were filled with both awe and fear, two things that made her skin crawl. Lola slowly walked up to her, and stopped ten feet away.

"Driel?" Lola whispered, "Is that you?"

Driel started to nod, but Leviathan interupted, saying, "You really should call her Leyura. Her old name has no meaning anymore."

Driel hissed at him. "I like the name Driel, thank you very much. And I'd thank you even more if you could tell me how to change back."

Leviathan sighed. "I doubt that you..."

He didn't get the chance to complete his sentence, for Lola had lifted up the hand with the ring and said, "Driel." And as soon as she said Driel's name and concentrated, a bright light filled the air, and Driel once more stood as a human. Laughing with relief, Driel collapsed to the ground.

"That shouldn't work." Leviathan frowned. "It always takes an effort for me to maintain human form. And you shouldn't be able to summon Driel. She doesn't have a natural human form, and even if she did, humans can't be summoned."

"Well, I guess you don't know everything, do you?" Lola smiled smugly. She walked over to Driel and helped her to her feet. Placing Driel's arm around her neck, she began to walk back to her house. Leviathan followed behind, slithering along the ground. As they neared the house, he spoke up once more.

"I am going to return home to rest, and then I will search for Asura. If you wish, Leyura," Driel winced as he said this, "you may come with me, or you may remain here to wait."

Driel sighed and looked at the villagers, who were pointing at her and whispering. "Neither. As soon as I'm up to riding out again, I'm leaving. I doubt I would feel comfortable in either place."

Leviathan shrugged as best he could without shoulders. "Fine, I will find you when I am ready to. Till next we meet, my daughter."

"Yeah, good-bye, Leviathan." Driel watched him slowly move towards the ocean, then followed Lola into her damp, sooty house.

One by one, people began to become ill. Horrid, black, pus-filled protrusions covered their armpits, and legs. People began to hack wads of phlegm onto the street, and the airborne virus spread. Soon, everyone was infected.

And then the people began to die. And others, the healthy buried them. Carried them to the pits, and lay them in. And then they became sick, spitting saliva, accidently, into another's face. And it spread.

Within hours, most of the city was infected with the bubonic plague. The few who weren't huddled within their homes, hoping the plague would pass. And the others lay in the streets, moaning, dying.

And Livouf Takar laughed, as his blood power grew.

Lola hugged her friend. "I know what you mean. Me too..."

Suddenly, Driel doubled over in pain. "Something is wrong.. the villagers... are dying...!"

Lola ran to the window. People were dashing back and forth. Some were lying in the street. Most were screaming. "What will we do? Was that battle against the undead in vain?" Lola began to panic. "I don't think I can go on!"

Driel shook her friend. "Pull it together! I think it's a plague of some sort. We can make it!" Driel paused. "Lola, I need you to call Leyura!"

Lola gave Driel a determined look. "Yes, we must be strong..." Lola concentrated on her ring. "I call...Leyura!" The bright light (that was getting more and more familiar) enveloped Lola and Driel.

With the passing of the light, Leyura appeared to Lola. "I am here... What shall we do?"

"We must get to some chocobos... the ones at the Inn!" A sudden thought hit Lola. "Oh, no! Alma! Driel, we must get to the Inn... but...the plague!"

Leyura smiled and tried to comfort Lola. "The plague cannot harm me... nor shall it harm you while I am with you..." Leyura waved her arms and began to levitate. She lifted Lola into the air and held onto her tightly. Chanting, Leyura cast her most powerful cure spell. An eerie light surrounded both Leyura and Driel.

Slowly they made their way to the Inn. Once inside, Leyura put Lola down. Instantly, Lola spotted Alma "Oh, no! Miss Alma!" Lola started to go to the old woman who was slumped over the counter.

Leyura shouted. "Do not touch her, Lola...! It is not safe!"

Alma lifted her head. "Lola?" She smiled warmly. "Don't worry about me, dear...Get to the chocobos...Get to Pop and Pip..."

Lola looked deperately at Alma. "I can't just leave you..!"

Alma sighed. "My time is soon anyway, child...Lola, listen to me! You must find the Returners...They are the...only ones... who can stop this...evil....." Alma lay still.

"Nooooo!" Lola tried to force back the tears. "Miss Alma!" She turned to face Leyura. "First, my flowers...! Then, Miss Alma! Someone WILL PAY for this!!"

Leyura called to Lola. "First, we must escape...come. The chocobos await..."

Leyura floated and Lola ran to the chocobo stable behind the Inn. Leyura extended the strange glow aound the chocobos. Lola quickly mounted and looked at Leyura. "I guess you'll have to ride one...later." Lola chuckled nervously.

She nodded. "I have no need for them now." Leyura motioned to Lola. "I shall protect you...Now go!"

Lola flipped the reins and dug her heels into the chocobo's side. She and the two chocobos quickly dashed out of Maranda.

Leyura lingered at the gate. She held out her six arms and began to cast her curing magic over the town of Maranda. "From within me...CURE THIS PLAGUE!!!" A beam of light fell down from the heavens upon Maranda. A wind blew up around Leyura and whipped through her long silvery hair. The light grew in intensity until it reached a pure white...

Lola turned around to watch the spectacle. "It's so bright!"

Leyura shouted to the wind... "TAKE THIS PLAGUE AWAY!" The white beam ascended back into the sky. Leyura sighed and looked over Maranda. Some people had already died, but those who were only infected had been cured.

Leyura turned to look at Lola, and slowly floated over to her...

"Please, change me back."

Lola nodded. "I call... Driel..." Again the light filled the air, and soon Driel dropped to the ground, human once more.

"Darn, I forgot to cut that levitation spell first," Driel said. Lola just giggled, her eyes gleaming. At least she seemed to be getting used to Driel's changes. Which was more than Driel herself could say. Baring her teeth at the chocobo, she climbed onto its back.

"Now let's you and me be friends, you hear?" she warned the big yellow bird. And so they took off again. Driel laughed briefly, wondering if she would ever reach Jidoor. Which reminded her...

"Uh, Lola, where are we going now?"

"Hmm. Wherever there are Returners. You travelled a lot, where are they?"

"Well, I think there were some in Narshe, but I'm not sure, I rarely go there. It's nowhere near the sea."

"Narshe is far away, but I swear I will reach it and avenge Alma and my flowers."

"Sure, if you want to. We should stop by Jidoor, and then South Figaro, though, because we'll need supplies. Boy, travelling by land is slow and tedious." Driel did enjoy the landscape, which she saw so little of, but the thought of riding this chocobo from here to eternity and back did not sit well with her.

They rode well into the day, until they reached the forest, which was still withered in many places. Lola gasped and cried over every dying plant, and Driel had to remind her that she couldn't restore the forest plant by plant. They needed to stop the problem at its source.

Towards the center of the forest, they heard the sounds of battle. curious, the pair rode closer, cautiously though. Bringing the chocobos to a halt outside of a clearing, they saw what looked like a man and a monster fighting. The monster was truly hidious, and while the man seemed human enough, he made Driel's skin crawl as she watched him.

"Should we help him?" Lola whispered.

"Yeah right, how? Neither of us is any good in battle, and if I use any more magic I'm going to collapse. Besides, that guy bugs me for some reason."

"I suppose you are right. Let's move on quickly, then, in case the monster wins and decides to chase us."

So Lola and Driel rushed off, trying to put a good deal of distance between them and the monster. After a good day's journey they set up camp. As Driel settled on the ground, with only a blanket between her and the dirt, she let her mind unwind after weeks of abuse, and finally let herself remember her lost brother, and the roguish man named Locke who had so briefly touched her life...

"I really can't wait to get there, Lola," she said at one point, a few days out of Maranda. I won't let anything stop me."

Lola smiled, and looked ahead. Her smile faded. "Uh, not even that army approaching?" She pointed at the ranks of soldiers marching their way.

Driel's jaw dropped, and her eyes bulged. "Oh no, not again," she groaned. "I don't think I can take much more of this."

"Should I call Leyura again?"

Driel's stomach turned. She hadn't told Lola how painful the change was yet. Plus, she didn't think she had much more magic left. She was afraid that if she cast anything else, she might use up her own life force. "Uh, not yet...they look human enough. Maybe they're friendly."

Lola rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Whatever. If they make any moves to attack, though, don't think I'll wait for your say-so."

And so the two stood their ground, waiting for the army to reach speaking distance. When they did, Lola moved to speak, but the leader of the soldiers spat out, "Who are you?"

Lola tried to look stern and said, "Just two travellers. And who might you be?"

"I am Banon, and I am leading this army to save Maranda. Travellers, hm? How did you get by the undead army that Edgar sent this way? Are you his treacherous spies?"

"It wasn't too hard, considering they were destroyed when we left the town. Although Maranda is in need of help rebuilding."

"And are we supposed to take your word on it? You haven't proved you aren't spies. How on earth did the small village of Maranda beat an entire undead army?"

Lola was about to speak up when Driel cut in. "I wouldn't say it was an undead army. Maybe a few zombies, no more than twenty. I think your reports were exaggerated."

The leader blinked. "Oh. Well, we'll still go and check. I suppose we can let you by, but if we find out you are lying, know that I, Banon, will personally guarantee your death as spies. The safety of an entire town in nothing to lie about."

Driel and Lola both nodded vigorously. Lola said, "Thank you, Banon. And if you really are friends, please help Maranda."

Banon shrugged. "With Edgar running around, we have little time to spare for restoration."

And so Driel and Lola were allowed by. When the army was out of sight, they were greatly relieved, although Lola wasn't sure they should have let them by. What they found shocking was that Edgar was behind the undead army.

"They had to have been lying," Driel said. "He was a good king, as well as being one of the Returners when Kefka was around."

"That alone is almost enough to believe they were lying, but maybe he was never good and is power hungry like so many kings."

"This is very confusing." Driel sighed. Shrugging, she followed Lola.

They reached Jidoor a week later. As they neared the city, Driel's stomach started doing flip-flops again. Her throat choked up as she remembered the storm that stole her brother from her. She had finally reached her destination, but there was nothing left for her there. She could feel the tears streaming down her face as she passed through the gates.